EPL 2017/18 - Game Week 7

Carlo Ancelotti, the Italian maestro who has won everything has been sacked by Bayern Munich! The finest of soccer managers was apparently ousted by player power after a poor start in the Bundesliga and a humiliating defeat by PSG in the Champions League. A soccer manager  is like the leader of any organisation, he must have support from both the boardroom and the players. Lose either one, worse if both and it is bye bye.

Meanwhile, the world is witnessing a young player whose career is just so phenomenal. His name is Kylian Mbappe, the 18 year old Frecnh boy who ply his trade with PSG. Rio Ferdinand has said that what he is doing is illegal and just too much and should not be allowed as he is making a difference at this young age in the Champions League. The boy has frightening speed and skill to match. I watched him on a few occasions and he has the potential to be a legend and a world superstar.

Huddersfield V Tottenham - It is often that Harry Kane and Dele Alli are in the limelight but seriously Tottenham have been great due largely to Christina Eriksen. He is the one who truly picks the locks and unlock the doors and is a very special player. Huddersfield is a cohesive and organised team. Manager David Wagner will have to devise a defence to cope with Spurs. In Harry Kane, Spurs and England have someone special. He is such an accomplished finisher and his hattrick over Apoel Nicosia was delivered from his left foot, right foot and his head and is the ninth of his career. Kane is level-headed and zest in him that just wanted to play soccer. Even when he missed seven weeks of last season, he went on to be top scorer and scored 47 goals in 44 games for both club and country. In the year of 2017 he scored 34 goals more than the total of some premier clubs. If he keeps working and progressing he is going to be a legend and someday be like Messi or Ronaldo. Many clubs are sure to lure him away from his boyhood club. Harry Kane is the most complete striker in the premier league and for England. 

Huddersfield have a surprisingly good start but now finding it more difficult to win and facing Spurs and Kane is not what a good weekend is about. 1-3. 

Bournemouth V Leicester City - Both are looking for a second win which seems more difficult in recent seasons. This season the Cherries could not reproduce their previous seasons' heroics and for the Foxes, the unforgettable Champions two seasons ago that shook the world looked like a distant memory but Leicester showed against Liverpool that they could trouble Bournemouth if the host do not play to a higher level. It can be an interesting match. 2-2.

Manchester United V Crystal Palace - The Red Devils were lucky devils. Later in the game, Southampton were doing some stuff of their own that could have ended the game in a draw but they have Lukaku where the single chance turned into three points. David de Gea is another player they often saved team points. MOTM that game was Phil Jones, previously maybe fourth choice and now much of United clean sheets were due to him. Jones was the one with great potential but somehow faded. Today he is the type of defender that Mourinho could not do without. Consider this - Jones has the highest duel success rate of 77% (even more than Nemanja Mati'cs 60%), makes most clearances and tackle success of 75%, aerial win rate of 76% and passing accuracy rate of 94% where only John Stones has a higher rate of 96%. The problem with Jones is his fitness rather than quality and form. He was often injured. Do you remember that header on the floor? That is the quality and spirit of the man but can the body take it?

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aPN8Ha4jyRg (header on the floor by Phil Jones)

This is the chance for United to leapfrog the rest especially hoping for either Chelsea or City or both to drop points. For the Eagles, they looked injured and unable to soar. For a team not scoring a single goal in six games and now facing a team that conceded only two goals (only in a single match) is hardly encouraging for an opportunity to break the duck. Their best scorer Benteke is out so you go figure or would you take a miracle to happen? However, United did not play well last week against Southampton restricted to only a Lukaku goal. The hamstring injury of Paul Pogba showed that it is madness to pay a hundred million pounds or more for a single player if it becomes long term injury. Roy Hodgson and his boys need a miracle. 3-0.

Stoke City V Southampton - While Stoke received a hammering by Chelsea, the Saints restricted United to a 0-1 loss. Stoke's memorable 2-2 draw with United seems like a long time ago and they have not repeated such a performance. It is a tough one to call as Stoke is unpredictable and strong at home (except when they met Chelsea). It will probably be a close one but I see them cancelling out each other in  a draw. 1-1.

WBA V Watford - The Baggies started the season with a bang but have gone winless in four while the Hornets stung their way back after being massacred by City. Watford has the better form but WBA has home advantage. I see a draw written over this tie. 1-1.

West Ham V Swansea - The Hammers missed out narrowly on points the last time and so did the Swans but Paul Clement has Wilfried Bony back the last time with an assist and may be he is what is needed to haunt opponents. Draw. 1-1.

Chelsea V Manchester City - Conte said Morata is so good he could be his son-in-law and now Morata responded in such fluid fashion with that brilliant hattrick. His second goal was quite amazing as he race past 2 or 3 players and squeezes the ball in from a rather tight angle. Chelsea is definitely back since the opening day debacle. Ask yourself frankly, who and how many went to Stoke and have won 4-0? City on the other hand helped Crystal Palace made new records - placed six matches, scored zero, conceded 13 with zero points. City have now scored 21 goals and conceded only 2. Pep Guardiola has finally learnt how to do it in the Premier League. He is the Steve Jobs of soccer. City made it another routine 2-0 win over Shakhtar Donetsk. Kevin de Bruyne finally scored again and Raheem Stirling added another. Chelsea have to watch these two closely besides Gabriel Jesus and Aguero who missed a penalty and the chance to equal City's all time scoring record. 

Meanwhile, Chelsea's Champions League away win at Atletico Madrid was something special and if you have seen how devilish was Morata's headed goal and the numbers going in you would believe he is on to something in his first season. So you must expect a great game when the champions host the favourites. Both teams are in good form and it should surely be a cracker. However, it seemed Aguero will not play due to a non-soccer injury as a result of road accident. Sigh, he is in my fantasy league team. 2-2.

Arsenal V Brighton - The Gunners are scoring and getting back a bit. Lacazette is getting into the grooves with 4 goals in 3 home games. Theo Walcott got a brace in the Europa and then there is always Alain Giroud. If you need Alexis Sanchez, Mesut Ozil and more. Brighton won't have a chance at the Emirates unless they play out of their skins and Arsenal don't. 3-1.

Everton V Burnley - Did Oumar Niasse saved Ronald Koeman's job? A win is a win and brought huge relief to the blue half of Merseyside. If only they had signed Oliver Giroud or Diego Costa. The Toffees have invested much but the results are far from convincing. They drew 2-2 in the Europa at home to Apollon Limassol. Not very encouraging is it? They really have to start from here. Ronald Koeman is a very good manager so what is wrong? You have to understand that the Clarets are not a walk over. What we do know is the Everton could not afford another bad result especially at home. 2-1. 

Newcastle V Liverpool - Seagulls were more potent than Magpies. Nine point from six games were very good results so Newcastle could have been complacent knowing they were playing Brighton last week, a side they won both ties last season in the championship. and went out there and lost 0-1 to Brighton. It was the first time watching Newcastle but they looked insipid to me and now like what I have read. Meanwhile, watching Liverpool is akin to watching an action packed movie with some horrors in it. Always all action but never really knowing how it would end and often leaving you in a heap. Always frenetic, full of goals and fast and furious but comical at the other end. Liverpool offers good heart tests with exhilarating out of your body, edge of your seat experience. So contradicting, such unpredictability. How on earth did Mo Salah missed a g\aping open goal and yet scored with a header from such a tight angle from a beautifully weighted Coutinho cross? Then a magical Coutinho free-kick goal from 25m and ang a hapless Mignolet clutching air and failing to deal with a corner. Another hopeless clearance from the goalie when he missed everything except Jamie Vardy and ended up saving that penalty which was 5 out of 8 penalties he has faced. He was both cause and effect. Every simple deliverance over the last man or a set piece and Liverpool's back line panicked. My simple analogy is that the Liverpool back line simply lacks confidence and belief. They do not trust one another enough. Defenders worry about their goal keeper and goalie worries about the players in front of him, etc. If you look at Mignloet and Lovren, some of their performances were unacceptable. Do you then tolerate it? A strong message must be sent that it is not acceptable. Wait for January or worse, wait another season. You may need a Roy Keane or Jamie Carragher leadership to bite into your backside, chew you up and spit out the bones for making those school boys errors. Let's look at some former Liverpool legends:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uXyAkpIwHhg (Alan Hansen)

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6EEwHtYGgVo (Mark Lawrenson)

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TMLlyTl-rMA (Sami Hyypia)

Liverpool dominated Leicester and took many shots and should have ended the challenge if they were more clinical. Leicester had much fewer shots and got two goals. If an opponent is a much stronger team you will be punished severely. Similar trend surfaced when they took on Spartak Moscow in Russia in the Champions League. With 64% possession and 16 shots. In their last six games, Liverpool had 126 shots versus their opponents 49. Their conversion rate is only less than 6% of their shots versus their opponents 24%! Liverpool resembles the great Brazil team of 1970 or 1982, Cruyff's Ajax and Pep Guardiola's Barcelona when attacking and those great teams used to outscore their opponents quite often ignoring defensive duties. In 1970, Brazil scored 19 and conceded seven in six games. Liverpool scored twelve and conceded eleven in six games. In my humble opinion, Liverpool not only have major flaws in defence, I could not figure out why Klopp do not believe in an instinctive striker, the kind that would be your focal point and get you at least twenty or more goals a season such as Sergio Aguero (proven), Alvaro Morata (looks like he could), Harry Kane (top of the heap), Romelu Lukaku (proven). Sturridge have the potential to be that but he is not trusted. When he is fit, he is top notch and someday should be given a chance to start. Liverpool needs a clinical finisher. 

There will be goals. It could be a high scoring draw if Liverpool is not careful as Newcastle are quite good at set pieces especially a danger during corners where Liverpool is suspect. With Mane still suspended, it would be left to Mo Salah who has been consistently good. Liverpool will create plenty of chances but if they do not convert, Newcastle can trouble them. 1-2.