EPL 2020/21 - Game Week 25

It's Manchester City's turn to run away with it this season. 10 points ahead of United in 2nd and showing no signs of slackening. Leicester are 3rd level with United but just slightly behind on goal difference. Chelsea have bounced back to 4th, level on points with West Ham with better goal difference. Champions Liverpool are now 6th followed by Everton 3 points behind with a game in hand which is their visit to Anfield for the Merseyside Derby and Aston Villa also 3 points behind with 2 games in hand. Tottenham are 9th and Arsenal 10th. 

Cursed! Champions Liverpool have been cursed. It has been incredulous whatever has happened to them. They played well at Leicester and controlled proceedings and even had the lead with a good goal with Firmino's deft touches when surrounded by defenders flicking the ball from his right to left foot to a back flick to Salah who placed the ball so well into the net for his 17th league goal. As if they have to conspire to lose, VAR gave a goal decision that was questionable. We will be scratching our heads as to what is onside and what is offside, not just for Liverpool but the game at large. Some armpits have bigger areas than others? That controversy aside, what was Alisson Becker thinking, no what was he smoking when he raced out only to clobber into Ozan Kabak leaving Jamie VARdy to walk the ball home? A goalie rushing out for a clearance must be shouting for his defender to get out of the way or to leave it for him. Not sure if he did that. Liverpool have just found new ways to beat themselves helping each of their opponents. 

Liverpool were on course for a fine victory with 12 minutes left and within 7 minutes the undoing and collapse was complete. When it rains, it pours. Forget any title and they now have to treat each game as a cup final to get into top four and attempt to go further in the Champions League. So curse are they that  even new signing for defensive cover Ben Davies got injured even before he could play a game and James Milner had to be replaced after just 17 minutes due to a hamstring. The mentality monsters have been eviscerated where they were once unfaltering and resolute. Liverpool played really well until they tripped themselves. Seems like nothing else Klopp could do. Confidence is a mighty thing. Fly when you have it and sink when you lack it. 

Kudos to Brendan Rodgers and Leicester where Rodgers has not beaten Pep Guardiola, Jose Mourinho and Klopp he has now beaten them all with aplomb. Wilfred Ndidi was so resolute. James Maddison was again brilliant, Harvey Barnes such an exciting player and Jamie Vardy did what Vardy always do. You have to credit Kaspar Schmeichel for his ever strong hands with those crucial saves. Leicester are doing really great! If you think you are suffering from too much soccer with 20 or more matches a week. Think about the players playing in empty stadiums it is like us WFH. Will this be another week with surprises in store? Can we tell by clairvoyance?

Wolves v Leeds - Wolves have shown they can be very good as they recovered at Southampton from a goal down to win 2-1. Leeds are making idiots of us, one moment exhilarating and making us believe and then the next crashing like they did against Arsenal. I actually think that Leeds could win this one but both are inconsistent so I think they will play to a draw. 2-2.

Southampton v Chelsea - Southampton were so good that they could beat any team and until just recently, suddenly they have collapsed. Chelsea's turn around seemed complete. In their last 5 matches, they drew once and won four and kept three clean sheets. If this game was earlier in the season I would pick the Saints but now Chelsea are grinding out wins. Is Tuchel's methods and changes for real? Let's observe for a few more matches but they have the resources to change things much more than not just Southampton. 1-2.

Burnley v WBA - Burnley's 3-0 win at Palace was impressive. Then you have to credit WBA for their draw against Manchester United. The Baggies had 7 shots to United's 8. created 8 chances to 10 and had 2 big chances to United's 0. In fact, they could have won that game but this will be a different kind of game to United. I expect Burnley to win by just an odd goal. 1-0.

Liverpool v Everton - Alisson has been a horror show. Trent Alexander-Arnold has been in the most shocking form of his life where he has beaten everyone in Europe for the number of times he lost possession in matches. Against Leicester it was 45! Just last season he was the best right-back in the world where even Cafu said that and that he could be more. Thiago Alcantara who was such a class act in the beginning of his debut was shockingly ineffective. With his experience and class what  has he been doing with those late and wild tackles? Dreadful. 

But surely their away Champions League 2-0 win over a very good RB Leipzig side will give them the boost they very much needed. Or will they falter again? A win at Anfield is not only a huge boost but will keep them above Everton and may even bring them up to 4th if Chelsea and West Ham have bad results. Everton's shocked defeat to Fulham meant they are all over the place at least for now. Liverpool have to win and restart their own season from here. It is again important for them to here this game. Without the howlers, they should. 2-1.

Fulham v Sheffield United - Nobody expected this - Everton 0 Fulham 2. The Cottagers have been playing quite well but achieved very few wins. We have to remember that the Blades lost only by a single goal to City and Chelsea so they are not too lame but this is a game where they can both get the points to avoid eventual relegation. I can only fathom a draw. 1-1.

West Ham v Spurs - Mourinho was not entirely wrong when he spoke of the "modern penalty" - "you touch with a nail and it's a penalty". The press will be busy hazarding managerial casualties. First Klopp was the target as he was rumoured to be leaving. Now they can't get him, they may target Jose Mourinho. Spurs won only once in their last 5  games and lost the rest. It is a strange reversal to this London Derby where West Ham may actually be the favourites. The exciting Spurs have become dull and porous. The Hammers are still playing well even when they have missed one or two key players and having a stellar season. Such is their confidence they may even win this match but Spurs just had a roaring 4-1 away win in the Europa. So perhaps a scoring draw here to cut Spurs and Mourinho some slack. 2-2.

Aston Villa v Leicester - Emiliano Martinez almost single-handedly got Villa a point and kept them undefeated against Brighton with 9 saves. Heck, he is better than Alisson and De Gea. He is playing even better than the one he could not displaced at Arsenal - Bernd Leno. Leicester drew a blank at Slavia Prague and the goals against Liverpool were in a few ways gifted but still they are 3rd not by being lucky for sure. I am an admirer of young Harvey Barnes and older Jamie Vardy. I am also a fan of Jack Grealish. With them and Ollie Watkins around, there will be goals. 2-2.

Arsenal v Manchester City - If Jose Mourinho could not stop Pep Guardiola then who? After so many wins on the trot and 3-0 over Spurs recently. Even a defensively laden Spurs side could do nothing. Most people look at Aguero, De Bruyne and Stering in this City side but Ilkay Gundogan has been playing out of his skin in a City shirt. 9 goals in 9 games for a midfielder is mind boggling. Heck, he is even more prolific than Lewandowski, Ronaldo, Suarez and Messi in 2021! United's Bruno Fernandes has been brilliant but Gundogan will be giving him a run for the money as he now has 13 goals. The Gunners' own return to form is timely especially for Pierre Emerick Aubameyang who bagged a hattrick and is looking sharp but the one player who has stood out in recent times has been Bukayo Saka all 19 years of age. A bright future awaits him at Arsenal and for England. He did so again to save the Gunners' the bushes when he got the equalizer against Benfica in the Europa but he alone will not be able to stop Pep's boys and Arsenal do no park the bus like some teams. 1-3.

Manchester United v Newcastle - The Red Devils looked so ordinary against WBA that maybe Newcastle fancy their chances if their former player Steve Bruce could concoct a cocktail of tactics to deny their host but his record against his old club has been poor. United's 4-0 away win over Real Sociedad in the Europa must be impressive and the Magpies are not Real Sociedad. So most will be expecting an easy or a big win here. Stranger things have happened and I won't despise Newcastle but I think it is a home win. 2-1.

Brighton v Crystal Palace - Crystal Palace have completely crumbled into a heap. When Brighton was held 0-0 by Aston Villa, they dominated the game. Hodgson have been here for quite some time but while impressive at times they can also play poorly. The Seagulls are improving. Brighton should get the points to distance themselves from the bottom three and get closer to Palace. 1-0.

Leeds v Southampton - Leeds were sloppy at the Emirates and that is not to take away Arsenal's good performance. Their goalie Meslier made it messier for Leeds giving away a goal when he got caught trying to play the ball out with his feet. It was an Alisson-moment and actually worse. The Saints recent slump saw Leeds ahead of them. It seems like Southampton's perennial problem. Leeds are good enough to just edge this one but there will be goals. 3-2.