EPL 2021/2022 - Game Week 13

Everything has happened in Game Week 12. Chelsea are looking good to be champions. It is just so hard to score against them. After 12 games, they have conceded only 4 goals and they totally controlled the game against Leicester. The new managers all looked to have improved their teams. The Steven Gerrard effect seemed to have worked for Aston Villa with two late goals to get only their first win after five straight losses. Burnley and Crystal Palace plus Newcastle and Brentford served out a treat with exciting draws. With new manager Eddie Howe at the helm though missing due to being tested positive for Covid, the Magpies showed some spirit to come back twice to get a point but remained the only team without a win and anchored right at the bottom now.

Dean Smith only just sacked by Villa gave Norwich a win , only their second win of the season against a Southampton side undefeated in five. Not so new but still relatively new manager Claudio Ranieri not only won but thrashed Manchester United 4-1 and did what no manager has achieved - it finally got Ole Gunnar Solskjaer the sack. It has never been OGS's fault as I think he did his best. The faults lies with those who appointed him and maybe the players. Wolves brought West Ham back to reality and won 1-0. Liverpool have responded. I have said that two teams can be doing well but it is only when they play each other can you see the difference in gulf. When the Reds play to their own level, very few teams could stop them. Liverpool left the Gunners seeing red blurs. Manchester City is the other team apart from Chelsea and Liverpool and they totally toyed with Everton for a 3-0 win.

So there you have it. Chelsea have the best defence, City the best midfield and Liverpool the best attack. Let's continue to see how things will week by week.

Arsenal v Newcastle - The Gunners' ten match unbeaten came to an end at Anfield. Before the match I have said they have been really good but then they were playing against other teams and not Liverpool at Anfield. Arteta could still do well with his faith in his young team and continue building for the future. The Magpies visit without a win this season but did display fighting spirit last week. The last time and a rare occasion the Magpies won a match against the Gunners was in 2010 at St. James Park but it will be a mammoth task at the Emirates. It seems they have to wait for their first win of the season after this where they host Norwich and Burnley. 2-1.

Crystal Palace v Aston Villa - The soaring Eagles could not prevent Burnley's comeback last week but still stretched to seven unbeaten games. Aston Villa conceded possession to Brighton but created more chances and Steven Gerrard got a win when his team scored two late goals. Two great former midfielders will pit their wits here. 2-2.

Liverpool v Southampton - Liverpool's second half performance against Arsenal was simply irresistible. They swarmed their opponents with relentless pressing and left them seeing red blurs. Trent Alexander-Arnold was instrumental. He was like asking "how may I assist you" with two assists. Fabinho was a rock with some big tackles. Even the Ox so often injured played very well with some surging runs and a few blocks too. Do not foregt Diogo Jota's performance - his goal was that of an  ice cold assassin, fooling Ben White into a full slide then sending Aaron Ramsdale the wrong way and Liverpool's third goal was team work at its brilliant best with five touches - Jota's bullet of a header to send Mane on his run for Salah to score, that was a thing of beauty. When Liverpool play to their own level, few teams could stop them. So all they need to do is to maintain consistency. 

Southampton were unbeaten in five games but somehow lost at Carrow Road where Norwich got only their second win of the season. Anything other than a win for the Reds will be a shocker. This season Liverpool's midfielders have been scoring and that half-volley scorcher by Thiago against Porto have done a world of good for the player. Here it is:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rsllpd7yw6A (Thiago)

Liverpool will keep possession and at the right moment to score and win the game. 3-0.

Norwich v Wolves - Were Norwich inspired by their new manager Dean Smith to get only their second win? While Southampton were not easy, Wolves are a very different team now as you could see from their win over West Ham. Bruno Lage had a slow start and they were initially boring to watch but have now come alive often attacking with pace and yet remain solid at the back. Norwich have won two in a row, a marked improvement and may have restored their confidence here at home. 1-1.

Brighton v Leeds - Draw specialists Brighton were defeated by Villa who did not win not even draw in their previous five games but Leeds have only won twice this season and facing a difficult  second season in the top flight. Though Kalvin Philips and Stuart Dallas were very good they did not have Raphinha and were defeated yet again at Spurs. The long injury list has not helped. Daniel Farke (Norwich), Dean Smith (Aston Villa), Nuno Espirito Santo (Spurs) and Solskjaer (United) have been sacked. Will Marcelo Bielsa be next if Leeds continue to spiral downwards? Admirably, Bielsa never gave any excuse or even spoke about the injuries. The squad looks thin. Leeds have not beaten Brighton here in seven visits and did not score in five. All the crouching he has done is taking its toll. The Seagulls have their own ghost to overcome. Six draws and two defeats saw them going back to their old ways of not winning. 1-1.

Brentford v Everton - Brentford's qualities were back when they drew at St. James Park. Everton were completely outplayed at the Etihad by City. Both sides need a win quite badly especially for the Toffees who have big games against Liverpool and Arsenal coming up later. Everton have lost four in six matches and drew twice and that is not encouraging. Brentford have also lost four times, won once and drew once. Based on how they have been playing, a draw is likely. 2-2.

Burnley v Spurs - The Clarets are still third from last but as usual they showed they are always ready for a battle. Antonio Conte got his first league win and in front of the home crowd. That was an important win for Spurs. However, a 1-2 defeat in the Europa Conference League to Slovenian minnows Mura has shown the big task ahead for him. Spurs won 1-0 here in the Carabao Cup but they are not scoring enough and are also conceding goals. The Clarets will give them a tough battle. Spurs know they need to bounce back and do have more quality. 2-3.

Leicester v Watford - Leicester were completely controlled by Chelsea last week. The drop this season has been drastic that left them in 12th place. Watford certainly created the biggest shock when they reduced Manchester United to pulp in a famous 4-1 win at Vicarage Road that led to OGS's sacking. Frankly, the Foxes cannot afford another bad result as they are into the 13th match now. If the Hornets play like they did against United, Leicester could be in for a hard time. They may still be without Tielemans so Jamie Vardy must score or James Maddison and Harvey Barnes but Watford have their dangermen in Sarr, Dennis and King who could trouble a porous Leicester defence. 3-2.

Manchester City v West Ham - City are the champions and are only three points behind leaders Chelsea. They often quite easily overwhelmed their opponents. West Ham are doing amazingly well and on their day, which is quite often these days will be more than a handful for anyone. There is quality and believe. Despite a little under-whelming against Wolves, they are still capable of getting something from this match like they did Liverpool as they followed up with an away 2-0 win over Rapid Wien in the Europa so the Hammers could give them a game here but City handled Neymar, Mbappe and Messi rather well when they won 2-1 against PSG but do remember that just in October West Ham dumped City out of the Carabao Cup winning on penalties after ending 0-0. They could surprise again. 2-2.

Chelsea v Manchester United - Chelsea are top of the table. They have let in only four goals and scored thirty even when they did not have their regular strikers available. They say that strikers and attack sell tickets but defenders and defence win matches and their defence has been their forte. Just how good are Chelsea under Tuchel? They have just hammered Juventus in the Champions League, stopped Morata and Chiesa from scoring to keep yet another clean sheet and hit four goals past De Ligt and Bonucci! Managers like Tuchel is exactly the kind of manager big clubs need to have a real impact and to build for the future. Reece James - oh what a player! Can you believe he is Chelsea's top scorer with 5 goals?! He is so good bombing forward as well defending which makes him probably the most complete right back in the business. Manchester United have been the most shocking team this season with their deterioration. What hope do they have with an interim team taking charge and visiting Stamford Bridge. The appointment of Ralf Rangnick as an interim manager was a good one though. His old teams like Hoffenheim and RB Leipzig were built from scratch and played excellent soccer. But for now, Chelsea are just too good and will control the midfield with Jorginho and Kante and even if Ben Chilwell is out after suffering injury, Reece James will cause some severe damage. United may be relieved that Kovacic, Chiwell and Kante are likely to play no part but they won't be able to stop Tuchel's machine. 2-0.