EPL 2020/21 - Game Week 14

Singapore will soon be in our terms at Phase 3 of our Covid fight. Things are looking better due to strict measures  and sacrifice of  some freedom from all people. It is a hard act to balance the safety of the people, saving the economy etc. More overseas visitors will come under strict control but the unseen and unknown enemy is dangerous. Phase 3 looks more dangerous in that some people may have been fatigued or become complacent and let their guard down. Many countries have experienced 2nd, 3rd and several waves. So take care peeps. Keep safe. Be vigilant. You cannot win until the final phase or wave is no more. Do not let it come back to score in the 90th minute or later. Follow the Advisory as SG has social media known as Phasebook. Do not rush and phase yourself into unknown territory. Good luck!

Champions Liverpool are back on their perch as league leaders, a timely reminder to the rest of the chasing pack that despite their heavy casualty list, yet again they have found great mental strength and tremendous fortitude to find solutions to big questions marks. In a thrilling and wonderfully contested match, it took a 90th minute Roberto Firmino header to put them there. Yes, Roberto's firm-in header, a fabulous bullet of a header tht left Lloris rooted. A crucial and unforgettable strike. Typical Liverpool. Despite being ravaged by injuries, the Reds played well. They were totally committed to the cause and was enterprising. Even individually, each and every player gave a very good account of themselves battling throughout the entire match. Spurs hardly had any attack in the first half but were level as VAR approved Son's goal which looked offside. Liverpool had 200 passes in the final third against Spurs' 19. 

Young Rhys Williams who is 19 had an amazing league debut. I thought he looked like Van Dijk as he was calm and collected and at times made some very good through passes. So another 19 year-old Curtis Jones who really took the fight to Spurs and played like he has always been there, he was sublime and should be considered for England some day soon. Liverpool are now 66 matches unbeaten at Anfield. This was more than just a win. It is a major statement of their intent. With the top six sides and the big clubs and challengers all dropping points, a win for the top two was even more critical. Liverpool have just overcome their biggest threat thus far and it was not east as Spurs' plan was almost perfect and Spurs played very well to make it difficult and they are still around with a shout this season. Liverpool were not at their best. They can get up a gear when more of their best players return from injuries. It was Robertson's and Firmino's sensational performances that won them the game. They will need a bit of luck with injuries as their next 3 matches are winnable ones with a visit to Crystal Palace, a welcome to WBA to Anfield and a road trip to Newcastle. 

Crystal Palace v Liverpool - Where does Andy Robertson get his energy from? And how does he perform with such consistency? I watched Roberto Firmino's touches and movements all night and he was just so fabulous. Both were so good that at 1-1 I had a premonition that they would combine to score the winner and they did exactly on 90th minute. The Reds had 76% and 17 shots to Spurs' 8. Crystal Palace are tough nuts to crack as others have found out and in Zaha they have an outstanding player but just as Benteke has found his form he got red carded and now facing suspension. You have got to watch Eze, as his name suggests, easy to see how good he has been. Liverpool know too well that if others drop points and they win, they will stretch their lead at the top. Liverpool have not only not lost to Palace since 2015 but they have won every one of them and the last time they met here the Reds won 2-1. It will not be easy to play Roy Hodgson's team and Liverpool will have to work really hard as this Palace are good. Palace are a battling team as you saw against Spurs. Salah is now the top scorer with two others on 11 goals, Mane has been off form and it is time for him to score. Firmino is back. Vicente Guaita is in top form at goal. If the Reds play like they did Spurs, Liverpool wins. 0-2.

Southampton v Manchester City - The Saints and when the Saints go marching in...Southampton have been special. Ralph Hassenhuttl has worked a treat for their fans and deserved to be 3rd and no longer whipping boys. Last week they went to the Emirates and had 65% of the ball with 13 shots to their host's 9 and held Arsenal 1-1. They are strong as a team and every player has been very good. McCarthy, Walker-Peters, Bednaarek, Vestergaard, Bertrand, Armstrong, Romeu, Ward-Prowse, Ings, Adams, Redmond and Theo Walcott has been outstanding in the last few matches. The former youth star who once played for Arsenal. He seemed to have rediscovered himself. A tie like this in previous seasons would have been an almost foregone conclusion. Not this time. Last week City may have rained shots at WBA but ended 1-1. City are still a very strong team but their decisive winning edge have fizzled out. Looking at Southampton, we usually forget about the very underrated Che Adams. He drops deep at times like Firmino and Kane, chase balls, creates and scores. Besides the others, City had better keep an eye on him. Of course many of you will take City to win as Southampton can't be playing that well forever. 2-2.

Everton v Arsenal - Aubameyang finally scored but Arsenal still suck and a visit to Goodison Park to face a rejuvenated Everton who just won 2-0 away against a very good Leicester side. That was no small feat especially coming after a 1-0 win over Chelsea the week before and now with two clean sheets. The Gunners' league form have been horrendous - Leeds 0-0, Wolves 1-2, Spurs 0-2, Burnley 0-1, Southampton 1-1 and now Everton? Its a kind of nightmare that Arteta must excorcise. The Toffees seemed to have shaken off their indifferent results after a great start. Two great wins over Chelsea and Leicester and to add another one over Arsenal would be another feather in the cap. There ars statistics that showed that Everton are the most accurate shooters not just in the premier league but in Europe needing just 0.14 shots per goal with 43.1% shots on target. SUrprisingly Southampton is 2nd needing just 0.17 shots per goal with 42.7% shots on target. Barcelona is 3rd followed Tottenham 4th then by Torino where even the great Bayern Munich in 6th. The 2 clean sheets against big scorers Chelsea and Leicester, the aggression of Richarlison who scored in the last match and the golden boots of Dominic Calvert-Lewin meant that Arsenal need to be at their very best to get a result. Happy days are here again for Carlo Ancelotti and Goodison Park. If Arsenal were happy or relieved to get a home point against Southampton and Southampton were disappointed to get a point away to Arsenal then indeed the Gunners are in trouble with the role reversal in attitude. It is clear as day Arsenal have serious problems with discipline. While other teams have players out die to Covid or injuries, Arsenal are concocting their own destruction. Grabriel, Xhaka and Pepe have been red carded. I am really worried for Arsenal. Also I have some Arsenal die-hard fans who will be affected as they will have mood swings when they meet me. When they win, they make me drink whisky to celebrate and when they lose which is often these days I will also have to drink whisky to console them as they drown their sorrows. 2-1.

Newcastle v Fulham - Newcastle once again scored first but were soundly spank by Leeds after winning their two previous games and came crashing to earth. Fulham were very good when they hosted Liverpool and played well again against Brighton. The Magpies collapsed at Leeds showed that they are very much the same - one step forward and one step back, sometimes two steps back. Scott Parker has improved Fulham but they still lack the cutting edge. So a draw here is highly likely. 1-1.

Brighton v Sheffield United - Brighton continue their struggle for result despite playing well. They cannot hope for a better team to play to get a win as Sheffield United have yet to win this season and has set a new Premier League record of zero win and only one point to show after 13 games. I empathize with manager Chris Wilder and his team and their work ethics. Brighton have actually been playing well mostly this season but they are lacking goals and when you lack goals any mistakes you make at the back inevitably makes you vulnerable and that is precisely their problem Graham Potter needs to address but he is Graham Potter not Harry Potter. The longer their winless streak continues the harder things become. The elusive win must come and it could be here. 1-1.

Spurs v Leicester City - Spurs are quality and Jose Mourinho has got his team doing well. What they do, to defend stoutly and deliver lightning raids have been very good but for Mourinho to have said to Amazon that the best team lost was simply perplexing. Who was him even kidding. Even neutrals will skae their heads in disbelief. His team had 24% of the ball took 8 shots (v 17) and had 6 chances (v 16) but missed two big ones. Mourinho was soured by the score line, the defeat which he thought he had a point in the bag and of course the league table now. He is a sore loser. Son Heung-Min really is one of the world's best. His racing through and one-on-one is always so delightful and clinical. Leicester had 3 straight wins before getting downed by Everton. Brendan Rodgers knows how Jose Mourinho will set Spurs up and the dangers of Kane and Son. His Foxes are experiencing the infuriating form - one moment on the cusp of greatness and the next moment a  weak fall. They have set into a pattern of WWW and LL. They have just WWW L so will it be another L at Tottenham? Jamie Vardy is on 10 goals and Harry Kane 9. Leicester will have the possession as Mourinho' style will not change as Spurs will absorb and strike with Kane and Son. I think it will be a close game. 2-1.

Manchester United v Leeds - Leeds 5 Newcastle 2. That was how Leeds should be getting each week. The Red Devils form have been topsy turvy. After being dumped out of the Champions League by RB Leipzig (2-3) and held by City (0-0), Solskjaer and his team are under great pressure to deliver. However, their focus can now be switched to the league. Once again they fell a goal down first and won 3-2 over Sheffield United on the road and created a record on a streak of away wins. If you look at the table, United are in 6th, 5 points below leaders Liverpool and have a game in hand and if they claim that 3 points will be only 2 points behind the leader. That ain't bad at all and they are really very consistent - shites at home and winners away. With 60% possession, United had 14 shots to Sheffield's 12, created an equal 12 chances as their opponents who are at the bottom. Conceding first against the stronger teams could mean a different story. 

Leeds are a good exciting side and in Patrick Bamford he could cause trouble to any team and already has 9 goals. Rodrigo's sublime goal was pretty special and it is not his first time. Then Jack Harrison's performance and goal was the cream of the crop.  What a player! Newcastle were stunned. If Leeds could repeat that performance United will have a busy day. This is the firs time they are meeting in 16 years and it could be a bloody good game.

Watch how good Leeds were:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sNrkB-0fFBk

Manchester United can be very good on certain days and their fast counter attacks could cause Leeds problems. 2-2.

WBA v Aston Villa - Slaven Bilic was sacked when his Baggies held City to a 1-1 draw which was a fantastic result and performance and now appointed Sam Allardyce who as you know have in the past saved relegation threatened teams. Slaven Bilic did a job so well to get them promoted and now into exactly that kind of situation where he got the sack. Ah, the paradox of life. Just as Villa could not find a way past Burnley's Nick Pope last week, they are set to face another stone wall in the Baggies' goalie Sam Johnstone who has made 56 saves in 13 games. Wow! Big Sam is likely to build a layer of additional stone wall and you get my point. If Villa can make most of their chances that they create then they win. 1-1.

Burnley v Wolves - Nick Pope is currently the best goalkeeper in the league. He was Man-Of-The-Match when his team won 1-0 away against Arsenal and then MOTM again when they held Aston Villa away. He is in great form carried from last season. Wolves are back with a shout and last week's 2-1 win over Chelsea is a big one and the brilliant goals from Podence and Neto were quite something. The fact that they came from behind to beat Chelsea was even more impressive. It seems to me that Nuno Espirito Santo has found a way to reduce the impact of his loss of Raul Jimenez. Burnley do not attack like Chelsea so their organisation will be harder to break. That is why they have been unbeaten in three games. Perhaps Nick Pope will display heroics again. 1-1. 

Chelsea v West Ham - Chelsea's brilliant charge has come to an end. A home draw to Krasnodar in the Europa followed by 0-1 defeat to Everton and another 1-2 defeat to Wolves sum up their slump. Keepity uppity is a thin line in any sports including soccer. Will their recent form affect their confidence? The Hammers are really a solid team this season. 6 wins, 4 draws and 4 losses in 8th position. And did you see how big Sebastian Haller's rocket of a goal with an overhead kick?!! You think only Giroud could do those things. This goal alone was worth the ticket price and his signing on fee. It was a howler and it was a Haller! You can watch it over and over again. Watch:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rmScgNmu-to

West Ham have shown quality everywhere and throw in consistency which saw them getting results even against strong teams like Spurs and City. They shall not have any fear of Chelsea. 2-2.