Peter Anderson ⚽ We are one quarter of the way through the EPL season and it is time to take stock. 

As ever there are some surprises. The biggest being Liverpool out of title contention already. They sit in mid table on 10 points from a possible 27. The cracks that started to appear at the end of last season have become fissures. The latest reverse against Arsenal, a fixture they have dominated in recent years, shows their lack of form in the clearest light. TA-A and Salah subbed, Fabinho on the bench, VvD looking bang average. Arsenal looked young and hungry, Liverpool the opposite. They currently sit in 10th place below Man U, Brighton, Bournemouth and Fulham. Nobody saw that coming. Next week they host City!

Less of a surprise has been seeing Arsenal and Spurs in the top 3. Arteta and Conte are quality managers who have both been given time and money. We are seeing the result of good management by coach and club alike. Newcastle, too, look like they have a plan: a good coach, good player acquisition and not in a hurry. It is good that they are not throwing stupid money at the team, which was a concern when the Saudis took over. Bruno Guimaraes looks like a steal and the rest seem to be rising to the challenge. I'd love to see them winning a cup or qualifying for the UCL to reward the best fans in the league.

One surprise has been the lack of form from the Hammers. Last season's revelation have found the EPL tough going this time around. Moyes puts it down to injuries and the incorporation of new players. A thumping win over Fulham last weekend may signal a return to form of East London's finest. Big Antonio got on the scoresheet again and Scamacca is starting to make his mark. I expect to see them climbing the table soon.

Everton may yet go the other way. Currently sitting on the same points as their city neighbours, they look very flakey in the middle of the park. Man Ure turned them over easily enough on Sunday. It must break Fat Frank's heart to see teams breaking so easily on to his back four. When they lose the ball upfield the opposition get at their defence in no time at all. If anyone can fix this then surely Lampard is the man. They will be delighted to see Calvert-Lewin back in the side. They really need him fit and firing.

Another flakey looking side is Leeds. Much like Everton and Calvert-Lewin, Leeds and Bamford are in a similar situation. If Bamford stays fit and firing they should be okay, but it would not surprise me if they ended up in the relegation battle.

Currently in the red zone are Forest, Wolves and Leicester. Wolves have just sacked their manager, while Forest have given theirs a new contract. Both clubs will need something special to happen to pull them out of the bottom. Leicester, on the other hand, are surely too good to go down? Brendan is under a lot of pressure, the defence looks leaky and the normally reliable Vardy is finally showing his age, but with Maddison in the team you would expect things to turn around soon enough.

Meanwhile, City seem to be quietly slipping along on second gear. Currently second in the table and unbeaten in the EPL and UCL, I expect them to seal another EPL victory this season. The big question is if Arsenal can sustain their challenge. For the sake of the league, I really hope so.

Peter Anderson is a Unionist with a keen interest in sports.

Flakey Sides

Peter Anderson ⚽ We are one quarter of the way through the EPL season and it is time to take stock. 

As ever there are some surprises. The biggest being Liverpool out of title contention already. They sit in mid table on 10 points from a possible 27. The cracks that started to appear at the end of last season have become fissures. The latest reverse against Arsenal, a fixture they have dominated in recent years, shows their lack of form in the clearest light. TA-A and Salah subbed, Fabinho on the bench, VvD looking bang average. Arsenal looked young and hungry, Liverpool the opposite. They currently sit in 10th place below Man U, Brighton, Bournemouth and Fulham. Nobody saw that coming. Next week they host City!

Less of a surprise has been seeing Arsenal and Spurs in the top 3. Arteta and Conte are quality managers who have both been given time and money. We are seeing the result of good management by coach and club alike. Newcastle, too, look like they have a plan: a good coach, good player acquisition and not in a hurry. It is good that they are not throwing stupid money at the team, which was a concern when the Saudis took over. Bruno Guimaraes looks like a steal and the rest seem to be rising to the challenge. I'd love to see them winning a cup or qualifying for the UCL to reward the best fans in the league.

One surprise has been the lack of form from the Hammers. Last season's revelation have found the EPL tough going this time around. Moyes puts it down to injuries and the incorporation of new players. A thumping win over Fulham last weekend may signal a return to form of East London's finest. Big Antonio got on the scoresheet again and Scamacca is starting to make his mark. I expect to see them climbing the table soon.

Everton may yet go the other way. Currently sitting on the same points as their city neighbours, they look very flakey in the middle of the park. Man Ure turned them over easily enough on Sunday. It must break Fat Frank's heart to see teams breaking so easily on to his back four. When they lose the ball upfield the opposition get at their defence in no time at all. If anyone can fix this then surely Lampard is the man. They will be delighted to see Calvert-Lewin back in the side. They really need him fit and firing.

Another flakey looking side is Leeds. Much like Everton and Calvert-Lewin, Leeds and Bamford are in a similar situation. If Bamford stays fit and firing they should be okay, but it would not surprise me if they ended up in the relegation battle.

Currently in the red zone are Forest, Wolves and Leicester. Wolves have just sacked their manager, while Forest have given theirs a new contract. Both clubs will need something special to happen to pull them out of the bottom. Leicester, on the other hand, are surely too good to go down? Brendan is under a lot of pressure, the defence looks leaky and the normally reliable Vardy is finally showing his age, but with Maddison in the team you would expect things to turn around soon enough.

Meanwhile, City seem to be quietly slipping along on second gear. Currently second in the table and unbeaten in the EPL and UCL, I expect them to seal another EPL victory this season. The big question is if Arsenal can sustain their challenge. For the sake of the league, I really hope so.

Peter Anderson is a Unionist with a keen interest in sports.

3 comments:

  1. Reds injury prone squad is the third oldest in the Prem. No excuse for not buying 2 central midfielders & a versatile cb during the last window . VVD , Matip , Milly , Hendo need replacing next summer . That's just for starters ! Looks like a repeat of the 2015 season #Transition

    ReplyDelete
  2. Not one mention of us and how Harry Potter has performed a remarkable turn around? BOO YOU PETER! lol

    T A-A is in the wrong position. He's not a wing back. He should be CM or CAM dictating forward play. He is like a fish out of water trying to defend, so much so he makes Maguire look like Maldini.

    ReplyDelete
  3. Anthony,
    Tomorrow night BBC 2 NI Linfield V Glentoran live 7.30pm....I think this work around should work. How to watch BBC iPlayer from Ireland.....

    ReplyDelete