EPL 2016/17 - Game Week 4
New England manager Sam Allardyce has just named his England squad for the World Cup qualifier beginning with an away trip to Slovakia. When he named his squad there was a new name - Michail Antonio from West Ham. I have previously in one of this columns asked why he was not selected for the Euro 2016 and instead Jack Wilshere who hardly played was there. Now Wilshere is out but Ross Barkley and Marcus Rashford are missing. Ironically Barkley shone for Everton recently and Rashford is a class act. Hart being number one is not much issue but he has not see action and if not for the fact that Fraser Forster was injured he could be installed as first choice.
I have watched England laboured against Slovakia away and these are my observations. Hart did not have much to do so he was okay. Kyle Walker made many forays up field but was not telling. Danny Rose made a good block but also gave away the ball in his own penalty box. If Luke Shaw was not injured, I think Rose could find himself on the bench. Gary Cahill did not put a foot wrong but Slovakia are not the same as say Germany. Interestingly, John Stone Stones was a very good choice as he featured so well for City under the tutelage of Pep Guardiola and England will benefit from it. He was very comfortable on the ball and has a bright future.
Starting Jordan Henderson was a surprise for me as he has once again disappointed. Eric Dier did all the moping job and made it simple but perhaps it was. Raheem Stirling was full of running as usual but was not as effective as he has been for City scoring a couple of goals and a couple of assists for his club. He could still be a future asset as once again under Pep's direction to be a better player. Ah, Wayne Rooney with his 116th cap breaking David Beckham's record. He did not do anything wrong but then he did not do a lot. His corners were floaters that lack pace that should create troubles for opponents and his free-kicks were ineffective plus spraying too many square passes. He was all over the place which could cause confusion to his own team. Adam Lallana was the star performer thanks to Jurgen Klopp. The former Southampton captain used to be substituted in the middle of second halves until he joined Liverpool and in this season after three matches, he ran the longest distance among all players in the EPL. He was the only 'live' spark in the team, running, probing, flicking and full of unpredictability.
Not only did he fired wide once but he rocked a post after a lazy-looking movement and then the unexpected shot. When he scored the only and winning goal with a few seconds left after he jinked and found a little space to squeezed the ball through the legs of the Slovakian keeper. He has proven indispensable. Harry Kane was a forlorn figure and was almost totally ineffective. Where was that Kane who shook the EPL last season? I thought that Jamie Vardy may be a better choice next time as he is more unpredictable and has that burst of acceleration. Kane is too direct. His greatest contribution was being stamped by Martin Skrtl and getting him sent off.
Overall England completely dominated the proceedings and possession. There should have been more goals but delivery on the final third was missing. Against better opponents the result would have been different. England need Luke Shaw at left back. Big Sam needs to define the roles of Stones, Dier and Rooney. Stones, the ball playing centre half were at times high up field occupying Dier's slot and Dier is playing ahead of defence and just behind midfield. Rooney was all over the place. These were unnecessary. To me, Rooney may hold all the records but his time is up. It was not until Dele Alli came on that England found penetration. He was tripped out, won free kicks, made some good final passes and full of energy. His 14 minutes on the pitch was at least three times better and more effective than Rooney's entire time. If England wants more success - play Alli and drop Rooney. Though Daniel Sturridge had a ten minute cameo, he also brought unpredictability and more danger to England's forward play. Theo Walcott's replacement of a tiring Stirling was a mixed bag. Replacing speed for speed, Walcott as caught offside a few times and while making a couple of good runs, he fluffed his lines a couple of times too. He remains a very good and talented player who has yet to find his potential.
Play Fraser Forster at goal at the next opportunity. Install John Stones and Luke Shaw as often as regulars. Keep Dier in his current position as he is the best at this position. Keep and nurture Lallana. Drop Rooney to play Alli. Think again about Henderson. He is too slow. Stirling must bring his club form to country. Give chances to Sturridge and Vardy. Kane's isolation was also Rooney's fault so Rooney should not be roaming he should be on the bench. The good point was England press on relentlessly and raided Slovakia to find that goal and they did. However, England need a lot more if they wish to be a leading soccer nation again. Sam Allardyce must do more an dare with his decisions. Public opinion was not high with Rooney. It was the only and best chance to drop him and bury history to start a new chapter and if you want England to be better. He did not and Rooney is embolden to declare he will retire in two years. Oh no!
Manchester United v Manchester City - Both Manchester clubs are on a roll. It can't get any better for a derby with both top managers renewing their enmity and having spent on new players especially the huge amount splashed by Mourinho. They were off to 100% winning start and this match shall give no small measure as to who could be champions though it is still early days. City held the better head-to-head records previously but since 2015 United stormed back. From these matches they have played, United will have the power but City are slick. In their last match, while United struggled against Hull, City tore West Ham apart. This could potentially be the best match of the season yet. Besides the home game, United have the slight advantage in that Sergio Aguero sits out a three match ban and have their own heroes in Ibrahimovic, Pogba, Rashford. Perhaps Nolito, Silva, de Bruyne and Sterling will raise their game. It will probably be the most expensive talents on display in a match.
Jose has his chance to poke Guardiola and Ibrahimovic has his own score to settle. While Mourinho can be so hostile he is clever with his players but Guardiola is not as great a communicator judging from diatribes from Ibrahimovic and his agent while City favourite Joe Hart was shown the door just like that. However, the record is in Pep's favour. Sixteen times between him and Jose and Jose only won three times. Ibrahimovic is to me the special one even at 34. His tall and lean frame gives United a target and his extravagant skills can be a joy to watch. There are three top players in the world in Messi, Ronaldo and Ibrahimovic before Gareth Bale came along. Draw. 2-2.
I have watched England laboured against Slovakia away and these are my observations. Hart did not have much to do so he was okay. Kyle Walker made many forays up field but was not telling. Danny Rose made a good block but also gave away the ball in his own penalty box. If Luke Shaw was not injured, I think Rose could find himself on the bench. Gary Cahill did not put a foot wrong but Slovakia are not the same as say Germany. Interestingly, John Stone Stones was a very good choice as he featured so well for City under the tutelage of Pep Guardiola and England will benefit from it. He was very comfortable on the ball and has a bright future.
Starting Jordan Henderson was a surprise for me as he has once again disappointed. Eric Dier did all the moping job and made it simple but perhaps it was. Raheem Stirling was full of running as usual but was not as effective as he has been for City scoring a couple of goals and a couple of assists for his club. He could still be a future asset as once again under Pep's direction to be a better player. Ah, Wayne Rooney with his 116th cap breaking David Beckham's record. He did not do anything wrong but then he did not do a lot. His corners were floaters that lack pace that should create troubles for opponents and his free-kicks were ineffective plus spraying too many square passes. He was all over the place which could cause confusion to his own team. Adam Lallana was the star performer thanks to Jurgen Klopp. The former Southampton captain used to be substituted in the middle of second halves until he joined Liverpool and in this season after three matches, he ran the longest distance among all players in the EPL. He was the only 'live' spark in the team, running, probing, flicking and full of unpredictability.
Not only did he fired wide once but he rocked a post after a lazy-looking movement and then the unexpected shot. When he scored the only and winning goal with a few seconds left after he jinked and found a little space to squeezed the ball through the legs of the Slovakian keeper. He has proven indispensable. Harry Kane was a forlorn figure and was almost totally ineffective. Where was that Kane who shook the EPL last season? I thought that Jamie Vardy may be a better choice next time as he is more unpredictable and has that burst of acceleration. Kane is too direct. His greatest contribution was being stamped by Martin Skrtl and getting him sent off.
Overall England completely dominated the proceedings and possession. There should have been more goals but delivery on the final third was missing. Against better opponents the result would have been different. England need Luke Shaw at left back. Big Sam needs to define the roles of Stones, Dier and Rooney. Stones, the ball playing centre half were at times high up field occupying Dier's slot and Dier is playing ahead of defence and just behind midfield. Rooney was all over the place. These were unnecessary. To me, Rooney may hold all the records but his time is up. It was not until Dele Alli came on that England found penetration. He was tripped out, won free kicks, made some good final passes and full of energy. His 14 minutes on the pitch was at least three times better and more effective than Rooney's entire time. If England wants more success - play Alli and drop Rooney. Though Daniel Sturridge had a ten minute cameo, he also brought unpredictability and more danger to England's forward play. Theo Walcott's replacement of a tiring Stirling was a mixed bag. Replacing speed for speed, Walcott as caught offside a few times and while making a couple of good runs, he fluffed his lines a couple of times too. He remains a very good and talented player who has yet to find his potential.
Play Fraser Forster at goal at the next opportunity. Install John Stones and Luke Shaw as often as regulars. Keep Dier in his current position as he is the best at this position. Keep and nurture Lallana. Drop Rooney to play Alli. Think again about Henderson. He is too slow. Stirling must bring his club form to country. Give chances to Sturridge and Vardy. Kane's isolation was also Rooney's fault so Rooney should not be roaming he should be on the bench. The good point was England press on relentlessly and raided Slovakia to find that goal and they did. However, England need a lot more if they wish to be a leading soccer nation again. Sam Allardyce must do more an dare with his decisions. Public opinion was not high with Rooney. It was the only and best chance to drop him and bury history to start a new chapter and if you want England to be better. He did not and Rooney is embolden to declare he will retire in two years. Oh no!
Manchester United v Manchester City - Both Manchester clubs are on a roll. It can't get any better for a derby with both top managers renewing their enmity and having spent on new players especially the huge amount splashed by Mourinho. They were off to 100% winning start and this match shall give no small measure as to who could be champions though it is still early days. City held the better head-to-head records previously but since 2015 United stormed back. From these matches they have played, United will have the power but City are slick. In their last match, while United struggled against Hull, City tore West Ham apart. This could potentially be the best match of the season yet. Besides the home game, United have the slight advantage in that Sergio Aguero sits out a three match ban and have their own heroes in Ibrahimovic, Pogba, Rashford. Perhaps Nolito, Silva, de Bruyne and Sterling will raise their game. It will probably be the most expensive talents on display in a match.
Jose has his chance to poke Guardiola and Ibrahimovic has his own score to settle. While Mourinho can be so hostile he is clever with his players but Guardiola is not as great a communicator judging from diatribes from Ibrahimovic and his agent while City favourite Joe Hart was shown the door just like that. However, the record is in Pep's favour. Sixteen times between him and Jose and Jose only won three times. Ibrahimovic is to me the special one even at 34. His tall and lean frame gives United a target and his extravagant skills can be a joy to watch. There are three top players in the world in Messi, Ronaldo and Ibrahimovic before Gareth Bale came along. Draw. 2-2.
Bournemouth v WBA - Advantage to the Cherries not just due to home ground familiarity. The Baggies could not beat them last season but after three matches, Bournemouth are in 19th and WBA in 10th position. Both sides do not score a lot of goals so a tight match is expected with not too many goals. Suitably a draw. 1-1.
Arsenal v Southampton - The Gunners did not do so well in the past against the Saints but was highly impressive the other week when they dismantled Watford 3-1. Southampton have not won yet this season after three matches including two home ones agianst unspectacular opposition. Arsenal have not lost to the Saints since 1987 and given the current situation where Saints lost more key players and even with Puel's coaching plus the injury to goalie Fraser Forster, their campaign has got off to a difficult start. In 2015, Southampton won 2-0 and 4-0 at the St. Mary's. However, this time Arsenal should be comfortable with a win. They had better show it as Arsene Wenger has finally splash some cash. 2-0.
Burnley v Hull - Burnley's triumph over Liverpool lost some spark as they crumbled 3-0 at Stamford Bridge but they have a tendency to beat Hull at least 70-80% of the time in the past. Both sides have not played a drawn game in sixteen meetings. The Tigers have been quite a revelation despite all their problems, they have beaten Leicester, Swansea and only lost narrowly to the Red Devils. After watching them play, I believe Hull could pull off a win here. 1-2.
Middlesborough v Crystal Palace - Boro aren't doing badly at all with five points from three matches and undefeated. The Riverside Stadium is not a lucky hunting ground of the Eagles having gained only two points in five outings. Alan Pardew has spent much to get his team going so they could now be very good or become a greater liability. Boro may work hard but this may be the time they may face defeat if Palace get things right to kick start their season. 1-2.
Stoke v Tottenham - If there is one team Stoke City do not like to meet now it is Tottenham because Tottenham won more times there than any other team. While the Cockerels haven't been exactly on fire, Stoke's fire seemed to have been doused. They have surprisingly stuttered and stayed right at the bottom with a single point. What has happened to Mark Hughes' team? The good news for the home team is that Harry Kane has been firing blanks for now. The bad news is that he could score anytime soon. After all, he was top scorer last season despite missing maybe ten games. Despite missing Lloris, goalkeeper Vorm was in top form against Liverpool. Away win. 0-2.
West Ham v Watford - The Hammers season must start now. They have not been the same perhaps without Dimitri Payet. West Ham's home victory percentage against the Hornets are 85% and with Watford having struggles of their own, this is the moment to seize. Perhaps Andy Carroll's physical presence may be needed or a moment of Payet's magic to celebrate their big and spanking new stadium. Home win. 2-1.
Liverpool v Leicester - The Reds were just one of two teams that had beaten the Foxes last season. Leicester have failed to win at Anfield since 2001. Somehow Liverpool have won more matches against Leicester than any other sides. Except for the loss of Kante and the fact that other teams have beefed up, Leicester have not been as effective as last season. Their imperious play feared by others have somewhat waned a wee bit. Liverpool played two different halves at Arsenal but won and dominated 80% at Burnley and lost and then dominated again at Tottenham, took the lead and conceded an equaliser. Which Liverpool will it be this week? Will new goalie Karius play as Mignolet gives the jitters. Will Liverpool finally learn how to defend? I thought Joel Matip was a good acquisition though. Mane being declared free from injury is a massive boost. Could Lallana be key after a starring for England? Will Sturridge play? I think it will be close and exciting. 2-1.
Swansea v Chelsea - The Swans have lost some of their elegance while their visitors seem to be the main one who could rival and wrestle the leadership from Manchester. Chelsea as they have since been from Mourinho's time quite ruthless and relentless. They are masters of doing just enough to win and winning with four very late goals in the 80th, 87th and two at 89th minutes and in their last two matches they have increased their tally from two to three goals per match. What chance Swansea? Last season Swansea won 1-0 here but what a difference a year makes. Chelsea will at least out-muscle them for a win. 0-2.
Sunderland v Everton - Thought eh Black Cats have only a point they have not been playing too badly. Everton is off to a good start and lie fourth, just after City, Chelsea and United. They are in elite territory after three matches. Question is can Ronald Koeman sustain the challenge? David Moyes' Sunderland will not be easy to play against especially at home. Even City found them hard to break down. I feel that this could be a draw. 1-1.
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