EPL - 2018/19 Game Week 29

Liverpool are leading Manchester City by a single point after they played a boring goalless draw at Old Trafford again missing out capitalising on the the opportunity. Manchester United parked a bus and were poor. So too Liverpool who despite United strangely having three players injured by half-time. The Reds should have up the ante to win but were toothless despite dominating possession. Last season, Liverpool had the most feared attack not only in England but probably Europe but their defence sucked. This season they have a more than solid defence but changed the way they play and their attacking game has suffered. That balance is not right and they have become predictable. Allison showed once again his worth with his one-handed strong left arm to stop Jesse Lingard who could have scored. Virgil van Dijk is just priceless as he was once again calmness personified. He could never be rushed and always unruffled. Liverpool also made their Champions League return match at the Allianz Arena against Bayern Munich a tough one for the same reason. Bayern Munich were there to play for a draw and the Reds handed it to them. Of course a 0-0 draw is the best draw but they must go and get the away goal. Meanwhile, Brendan Rodgers could not resist a return to the EPL when he was appointed by Leicester City who sacked Claude Puel.

Because they are playing soccer faster than I could write I have to give game week 28 a miss. However, I have a day job so it is inevitable. City won the Carabao Cup on penalty kicks but that talk of the town was Kepa's refusal to be substituted which left Sarri fuming. It was insubordination. The right thing to do is to bench him and so he did. The boss must be in charge. The top scorer chart is also hotting up. Sergio Aguero now leads with 18 overtaking Mo Salah for the first time after the penalty goal over West Ham. Salah is on 17, Aubameyang 16 after finally scoring again after firing a few blanks, Harry Kane 15 despite being out injured for quite some time and Sadio Mane now on 14 after the Watford brace. This weekend will be equally unrelenting. Hold your breath.

Meanwhile, Liverpool's most famous sons are of course the Beatles. John Lennon, Paul McCartney, Geroge Harrison and Ringo Starr. Who do they support? Everton or Liverpool? Everton were there first but Liverpool won many English Championship and conquered Europe. As a Liverpudlian, Paul has a fondness for both but when pushed he is a shade more blue than red. His family are Evertonians.  John Lennon was not a football fan but his dad was a Liverpool fan. It was his dad who suggested to have Albert Stubbins, a former Reds great to be on the album cover of the Beatles best-selling album of all time where Rolling Stones magazine named it the greatest album ever made - Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band. George Harrison is the Beatle least interested in sports but his son is a known Liverpool supporter and a regular at Anfield. Ringo Starr was rumoured to be an Arsenal fan but his sons are season ticket holders at Anfield. 

Finally, Manchester United have in recent memory disliked Liverpool more than Manchester City. Simply because if Liverpool were to win the title this year and/or the coming years they are the closest to catch up with them on the overall titles held. City can dominate but they would take much longer to equal or overtake. Bragging rights. But really, United has Liverpool to thank. Many United fans may not know that Sir Matt Busby was a Liverpool player in 1936 when he was 26 where he played for three seasons. It was also Liverpool's 3-1 victory recently that helped United decide to get rid of Jose Mourinho. 

Tottenham v Arsenal - Tottenham are in a bad place having lost twice in a row. Despite the return of Harry Kane who scored they lost to Burnley (1-2) and then in their London Derby to Chelsea (0-2). At 60 points they are 9 behind leaders Liverpool and 4 ahead of 4th placed Arsenal. Now they host a resurgent Arsenal in another London Derby where the Gunners had Mesut Ozil back and starred in their 5-1 thrashing of Bournemouth. Mkhitaryan is also back to his best so it is no easy game here. Spurs were wretched for two weeks after that impressive win over Dortmund and even Captain Marvel Harry Kane could not save them. Heung-Min Son has also lost a bit of steam. In these same time, Arsenal have scored nine times and conceded only once. This is the top match of the weekend. Tottenham are actually stronger than Arsenal so a home win is possible  but I think it will be two apiece. 2-2.

Bournemouth v Manchester City  - The Cherries have been disappointing of late with a sequence of defeats pitting them against an all conquering City. City themselves were lucky to escaped with 3 points when Aguero scored form a dubious penalty after Felipe Anderson nudged Bernado Silva in the penalty box. It was a soft penalty to be given away. Now there is going to be the tightest finish in years as they chase leaders Liverpool who are only a point ahead. City are facing injuries to their two key players - Ferdinho and Aymeric Laporte. John Stones and Gabriel Jesus are also out. City were not convincing in their West Ham win. Unless Bournemouth can play like they did Chelsea (4-0), City will march on but Bournemouth can some times be very good. 3 ex Liverpool players may yet play a role - Jordan Ibe, Nathaniel Clyne and Dominic Solanke. 1-2.

Brighton v Huddersfield - Brighton are sliding down the table. Their only wins were in the Cup. Surprisingly, the Terriers won at home to Wolves and with Fulham losing recently, they are now 3 points behind but still last. Cardiff in 18th, 11 points more and Southampton in 17th have 13 more. If Huddersfield repeat the spirit of their last match against Wolves, they could get a point. 1-1.

Burnley v Crystal Palace - The Clarets with two wins in a row including beating Tottenham 2-1 were soundly beaten 0-2 by an invigorated Newcastle ending their 4 match unbeaten run. Crystal Palace too had their unbeaten run ended at home by the Red Devils in crutches. Solskjaer's fairy tale is ongoing so will the honeymoon continue? Not yet, maybe till he becomes permanent resident. Both sides should be good enough to pull away from relegation but any bad results could see them in the mix. Burnley are dogged and Palace will sit and counter attack. It will probably be a draw at 1-1.

Manchester United v Southampton - The Red Devils are 5th just a point behind Arsenal, 2 ahead of Chelsea who has a game in hand. It is going to be very interesting how the battle will be fought for top four finish. The Saints recovered from their winless streak with a 2-0 win over Fulham. United should be able to continue their quite amazing unbeaten run in the league with another home match and against lower opposition. The magic that new manager Ralph Hassenhutl seemed to have ceased. Top four positions are up for grabs and United should add three more points. Recently United have also defended better. Home win. 2-0. 

Wovles v Cardiff - Wolves are still 7th level on points with Watford with a better goal difference despite their shock defeat by Huddersfield. Cardiff's two consecutive win has been short-lived as they came crashing in their last two matches conceding 8 goals. There is the lure of European football for Wolves so the incentive is there for them to have the desire and they basically have a good team to win it. 2-0.

West Ham v Newcastle - The Hammers played very well at the Etihad as Pelligrini set up the team to get a result and they almost did. Only a dubious penalty call in the 59th minute denied them at least a point even as City dominated proceedings. The Magpies have been revitalised and undefeated in 4 matches winning their last two by 2-0 and playing with belief. West Ham sit in the middle with no prizes to play for. Can they get something away in East London? Rafa Benitez has done a wonderful job despite his problems. He will at least fashion something not to lose. 1-1.

Watford v Leicester City - The Hornets were on a brilliant run with a draw and 3 wins before being totally destroyed at Anfield (0-5). The Foxes' results have been trash and Claude Puel got the sack. They have promptly appointed Brendan Rodgers who seemed unable to resist a return to the EPL. Leicester finally won 2-1 at home against Brighton. Let's see what Brendan could do now as he takes charge in his first game for the Foxes. Though victory or defeat does not affect both teams seriously, it would be quite interesting how Rodger's team play. 1-1.

Fulham v Chelsea - Fulham have been in abject misery. Starting the season quite well they are now languishing and are favourites to go down. Even a troubled Chelsea visiting in this London Derby offers little hope as Chelsea bounced back with an impressive 2-0 win over Tottenham. To make things worse, Claudio Ranieri has just been sacked and they have appointed former England international Scott Parker as replacement. Sarri is back and even playing at Craven Cottage should not be too daunting a task for the Blues. It should be a comfortable win for Chelsea. 0-2.

Everton v Liverpool - The Toffees returned to winning ways with a 3-0 rout of Cardiff away. This would be a fierce Merseyside Derby that can be tricky for the league leaders at Goodison Park. While the Reds were undefeated for quite awhile, they have not won or played so phenomenally till the 5-0 romp over Watford at Anfield. This is more what we should expect from the team. Alisson kept a clean sheet. Virgil van Dijk was colossal not just marshaling the defence but he popped in two goals in one match within minutes of each other towards the end. Andrew Robertson was back in full energy. Even Joel Matip had a good game. Fabino was once again a giant in midfield. James Milner was so much better in midfield than right back. Wijnaldum did what he has been doing best. Salah did not score but he created problems perhaps his legs of lead were unshackled. In the absence of Firmino, Divock Origi took his chance and scored a goal. Mane so poor against United shone brightly with two superb goals - an unstoppable header from a fine cross from Trent Alexander-Arnold. When he missed with his back to goal and Bayern's Neuer behind I was thinking why didn't he back heel it instead of swerving and attempted s turning shot which went wide? He heard me and this time he did with an exquisite back heel that flew over the goalkeeper. The best was Trent Alexander-Arnold. I believe this was his best game I saw playing for Liverpool. He used to lose possession, misplaced his passes and has his crosses over cooked but on this day he was perfect. He created 3 assists. His return was timely and his crosses are dangerous. The key thing here is that the fluency is back. Can they sustain it?

Everton lost to Watford away but came back with a good showing and won 3-0 at Cardiff. The derby can still be tricky tie for Liverpool but if Liverpool were to repeat the Watford performance then they win. Virgil van Dijk is Rolls Royce and they could count on him and Alisson for clean sheets. That 5-0 performance was a statement of intent. There have been leaders that crashed towards the end of the season but it seems possible that Liverpool is peaking nicely at the right time. If Liverpool win this Sunday they will have twice as many points as Everton but derbies are sometimes unpredictable so yet again Liverpool have to be at their best. 0-2.