EPL 2019/20 - Game Week 14

Jose Mourinho is back with a bang as Tottenham for the first time since four league matches ago and have not won away for a long time. Mauricio Pochettino is a great coach and shall succeed elsewhere. He was made for Tottenham and has helped them to over-achieve but something went amiss. Perhaps he wanted to strengthen his squad but became frustrated and he let it affect his players. He may have lost his team towards the end. It was a much improved display from Spurs as they raced to a 3-0 lead but there must be question marks as they allowed West Ham to nearly complete a comeback. Meanwhile, Pochettino's dismissal has implications at other clubs notably Manchester United and Arsenal. At one time he was much wanted by the Red Devils, so Solskjaer's job be at risk now? Unai Emery is now struggling, will he be a great fit for the Gunners? Other managers in danger are West Ham's Manuel Pelligrini and conspicuously Marco Silva at Everton for their poor performances and results. Marco Silva could be gone before you could spell his name.

Arsenal slumped to another new low and that was their fifth league game without a win, seventh in all competition as they have to come back twice to force a home draw against bottom team Southampton. 

Leicester City continued their rise with yet another impressive win, 2-0 away to Brighton as Jamie Vardy destroyed them with an assist and a goal to lead the goal-scoring chart with his 12th league goal and he has shown no signs of slowing down. 

Leaders Liverpool was not at their best and it was Sadio Mane who once again gave them a lead but when Zaha equalised in the 82nd minute, two things came to mind - surely this is it, the spell is broken but then Roberto Firmino hit a winner in the 85th minute. They just kept going and winning. Merseyside neighbours were shocked 0-2 at home by bottom team Norwich. No one saw this coming and Marco Silva has big issues to solved.

What a match it was when Manchester City came from a goal down at home to Chelsea to win 2-1. Chelsea did not deserve to lose even as City deserved to win. It was a delight to watch Chelsea play. Frank Lampard is creating something great here and they will go places. City are still an excellent team the way they came back to win but it was the lowest possession of a Guardiola team with only less than 47%. 

Manchester United rescued a point as they got utterly dominated by Sheffield United for a good 65 minutes and led 2-0 and could have scored more especially that double save by David De Gea. It was quite a horrid display by the Red Devils but they came back with 3 goals in the 68th, 77th and 79th minute to nearly win but Sheffield United have other ideas as they roared back with an equaliser in the 90th minute. What a match!

With this, Liverpool lead the table with 8 points clear of 2nd place Leicester and City in 3rd a point behind, Chelsea 4th, Wolves clawed up to 5th, Sheffield United 6th, Burnley went up to 7th and surprises to the season with Arsenal in 8th, Manchester United 9th and Tottenham 10th.

Newcastle v Manchester City - The Magpies 2 good wins over the last 2 weeks came to an end when they crashed 0-2 at Aston Villa. How will they cope with City even at St. James Park? Do not write off Newcastle as their records against City at home ain't shabby. It was 1-1 (2016), 0-1 (2017) and 2-1 in 2019. City's own sluggish display versus Shakhtar Donetsk in a 1-1 Champions League match and there is a little concern for Pep. City can't afford to drop any more points and Aguero is out for some time now. Gabriel Jesus will have his opportunity and he is good enough against any team. City are 9 behind Liverpool and any misstep here will spell gloom. City are too good not to win here. 1-3.

Burnley v Crystal Palace - The Clarets after 3 consecutive defeats roared back to life with 2 emphatic performances after beating West Ham 3-0 at home and went to Vicarage Road and defeated Watford 3-0 again. That is 2 clean sheets with 6 goals scored. Very impressive! Barnes and Wood scored in both matches. Crystal Palace played perhaps their best game versus Liverpool to get an equaliser in the 82nd minute but the Reds had to win in the end. Palace have now lost their last 3 matches and visiting Turf Moor to play Burnley in fine form is a tough test. Palace probably won't be a West Ham or Watford but Burnely are good for a win. 1-0.

Chelsea v West Ham - If you have watched the match, you would think Chelsea would win as they swarmed City with intense attacking play. They were very impressive. This team can go far but finally still lost as City showed their class with 2 fine goals. West Ham have serious problems as they have been tepid and only found their way back late with 2 goals to give Tottenham their first away win for some time. Manuel Pelligirini is in trouble as the Hammers slumped to 16th. How will they survive the visit to Stamford Bridge to face a marauding Blues? Chelsea were so good that they dominated City and gave Guardiola a career low of less that 47% possession. The Hammers could be in for a hiding. Chelsea have nothing to worry to bounce back and I see them winning quite comfortably if the Hammers are going to give their standard fare. Frank Lampard and his father Frank Senior were Hammers in their days. The Hammers have not won in 8 matches where they managed only 2 draws so Pelligrini's side will struggle away from home and he is another possible managerial casualty. Chelsea was held 2-2 away to Valencia in the Champions League and Tammy Abraham may be out with an injury. Despite some flaws, Chelsea are so much fun to watch these days under Lampard. 3-1.

Liverpool v Brighton - The Reds were below par and yet won at Palace when Firmino fnished in a melee in the 85th minute. Lucky again? Or do you make your own luck? Sadio Mane was once again the talisman as he scored to give them a lead. The worst performer was Trent Alexander-Arnold who for a very long time was one of the most superb player but in this match he was poor as he gave away too many balls, gave acres of space to Palace to exploit and put his team under pressure. He even made such a bad back pass to Alisson that gave away a corner. Virgil Van Dijk made the difference as he held the back line. Dejan Lovren was good. When he plays and you did not notice him then he is having a good game. He scored a vital equaliser against Napoli. He is really fine.
Liverpool are creating records such as having only one defeat in their last 51 games (42 wins, 8 draws and 1 defeat). At Anfield, they have remained unbeaten in 46 games at their fortress. Their only problem they should focus on are not the records but how will they negotiate the next 40 days with 11 matches to conquer. Every game in the Premier League is tough and anything team can spring a surprise so you cannot write off Brighton. The Seagulls actually had 53% of possession against Leicester and ended losing 0-2 as the Foxes took 19 shots at them. However, Liverpool played Napoli at home on Thursday and lost Fabinho through an ankle injury which is a blow to their title bid. Still leading the Champions League table with 10 points, one ahead of their bogey team Napoli who will host Genk at home, Liverpool must not lose when they travel to play Salzburg who are 3 points behind with a better goal difference. A defeat will send last season's Champions League Champions crashing out. As they have only kept 2 clean sheets and now with Fabinho out it could mean Brighton can score but they have been winning 2-1. Brighton can be difficult at times and most teams come to Anfield to defend and hit on the counter. 2-1.

Tottenham v Bournemouth - The rebirth of Jose Mourinho? Mourinho is probably an ill fit for Tottenham. Since the beginning of time, Tottenham play attacking soccer with style while Mourinho is anti-soccer. Haha. Mourinho likes to buy big players who are the finished articles. What happens when he has no budget? He was never a Pochettino, Wenger or Klopp. He is not even Chris Wilder. Having said that, Tottenham looks hungry again last week as they led West Ham 3-0 by the 49th minute. Son Heung-Min, Lucas Moura, Harry Kane and Dele Alli played well. I was especially impressed with Alli as it seemed that the old Alli is back. When Dele Alli is good, he is very good for both club and country. He has just scored again in the Champions League. When Michail Antonio scored in the 74th minute for 1-3 and then it was 2-3 in the 90th minute, you really thought that the Hammer will level up soon. Bournemouth were poor when they lost 1-2 to Wolves. This will be a great opportunity for Mourinho and Spurs to secure 3 points which they must. Harry Kane has been in superb form creating new scoring records for England and just made Champions League history for being the quickest to score 20 goals in only 24 appearances. He already has 5 in the Champions League this season. He is still "The One" for Tottenham and England glory. Spurs were 0-2 down by the 19th minute against Olympiacos but what a comeback to make it 4-2 but conceding 2 goals each to West Ham and Olympiacos confirmed they have a soft centre and defence that needed fixing. Spurs have 7 goals in their last 2 matches so the goals are flowing again but also conceded 4 in 2 matches so Bournemouth could get a goal or two here. 4-2.

Southampton v Watford - Nobody expected the Saints to hold Arsenal 2-2 at the Emirates. They were so good they led twice or was it the Gunners were poor. Watford's win over Norwich the previous week remain their only win and from the 0-3 trouncing by Burnely last week, they may be anchored at the bottom for some time to come. Southampton played well against Arsenal and there is no reason not to believe they could beat the Hornets at home. I feel Southampton will get something here. 2-1.

Norwich v Arsenal - The Canaries were propping the table and playing Everton at Goodsion Park was a daunting task for any team but they came away not only unscathed, they kept a clean sheet and scored twice! While Arsenal is a different team, they have not won in 6 matches in all competition and 5 in the league. This is the best time to face the Gunners with a low morale for them. A trip to Carrow Road rarely seemed so daunting as it is now. Unai Emery could be the next casualty if things do not improved quickly. Mauricio Pochettino is currently without a contract. This will add on the drama. Norwich's confidence has soared while Arsenal's has dwindled. I do however think that the Gunners are just a wee bit stronger. 2-3.

Wolves v Sheffield United - Wolves have drawn too many matches, won some but seldom lose. This is why they are 5th. Sheffield United are a fearless team. A team from the lower division just promoted but playing like they have always been in the Premier League. They really do belong here. The Blades have beaten Arsenal and held Tottenham and Man Utd. Every team should worry when facing them. Sheffield United are a difficult team to beat and it says much about them that they feel disappointed when they drew 3-3 with Manchester United while Solskjaer's said they have hit a good level. If you are not careful, your standards will decline. Wolves will be another tough test. Wolves have home advantage at the Molineux but they have mid-week travel to play Braga in the Europa. Sheffield United (6th) have not lost away from home yet this season and are just a point behind Wolves (5th). Draw. 1-1.

Leicester City v Everton - Leicester have shown no signs of slowing down and Everton is right for the picking. It is not just the results they are getting but the way they have been playing have been intense, attractive and firing on all cylinders. The Toffees are now sweets to be eaten. Marco Silva was clueless as he saw his Everton beaten 0-2 at home by lowly Norwich. They have hit the pits in 16th and anything lower would be hell. Unless Everton come with a very much improved performance, I can only see the Foxes to win with red hot Jamie Vardy and James Maddison to score. 2-0.

Manchester United v Aston Villa - While Mason Greenwood (substitute), Marcus Rashford and Daniel James were very good late in the game, they were struggling earlier on as United were pounded by Sheffield United last week at Bramall Lane. You could be forgiven if you thought the team in red stripes were Man Utd. Alexis Sanchez's salary could have paid for the entire Sheffield United team's salary. The game is all about money now and while some clubs got it right with their blending and spending (Sheffield United have shown a great team could be built with less), others got it all wrong. United's only salvation was that 7 minute blitz that yielded 3 goals but the rest was clearly sub-standard. Villa's own home win over Newcastle would have given them a lift. Villa can play a very good game and Jack Grealish was again outstanding last time. United are a long way to go to build a team of winners. I have been predicting them to win but based on their last game, this time I would pick a draw. 1-1.