EPL 2021/2022 - Game Week 18

Covid has reared it ugly head once again. Many players have lately tested positive and many clubs were affected which led to games being postponed. Now more players, clubs and fixtures have been affected due to postponement of the matches. This Saturday alone, one one game will continue out of five. So far, no information about which clubs (only a few named maybe those where there were too many to field a decent team) and which players were affected. Only Liverpool have named Virgil Van Dijk, Curtis Jones and Fabinho to have tested positive, being isolated and awaiting test results. This means that during this busy period of crunch time EPL games before and after Christmas to the new year, it has become increasingly difficult to predict which games won't be affected, who will be playing let alone which team will win or the score line. So I will take a break like a good soldier who will be off duty till the dust settles. Still, do enjoy whatever there is left of the soccer games available till we meet again. Meantime, stay safe. Please find below my thoughts for this weekend's games...

The three top teams are Manchester City, Liverpool and Chelsea. It is going to be close. City are playing without a real striker, using different players like Phil Foden, Gabriel Jesus, Jack Grealish or Riyad Mahrez as the main striker. This is their strength in terms of versatility as well as their weakness as they have scored the fewest goals among the three with Liverpool hitting a dizzying 48 goals, City 40 and Chelsea 39 plus and City more often of late winning by single goal margins except that 7-0 mauling of depleted Leeds. They have also been less effective facing teams deploying a low block.

Liverpool have gotten better but earlier high scoring 3-3 draw with Brentford and 2-2 with Brighton showed their vulnerability. Perhaps they have missed the great service of Georginio Wijnaldum and his technical ability. Although Mo Salah has been at his best, an over reliance on any one player may not be ideal. December will be a tough period and if Salah and Mane departs for AFCON, Liverpool have huge boots to fill especially you they were to miss the Chelsea game at Stamford Bridge. Liverpool are still very good just a point behind City.

Chelsea have ben outstanding grinding out results but have stuttered of late. For me, the problem with Chelsea is the lack of creativity. Watching them play suggest strongly that they are very well drilled but often look mechanical. Their forte has been their defence but now it has become their weakness. They could not beat United, lucky to have won against Watford, lost to West Ham (2-3), drew at Zenit (3-3), beaten Leeds (3-2) with a last gasp penalty in the 94th minute, were held 1-1 by Everton. Strangely the invincible-looking Chelsea do not look so now.

Many of games have been postponed due to new Covid outbreaks, first at Tottenham, then at Manchester United and Watford and like every where else. 

Manchester United v Brighton - Postponed.

Aston Villa v Burnley - Just how good is Steven Gerrard? Villa were without a win with five straight defeats and Gerrard was able to transform his team to be a difficult side to beat and they started winning. The 1-2 defeat to City and 0-1 lost to Liverpool were close as Villa gave them a hard time. A 2-0 win away to Norwich and the way they played showed how Gerrard has transformed the team making them solid and difficult to beat as the first improvement. Villa are now a combative and very well organised side. Burnley's game with Watford was postponed but the Clarets' games against Villa are usually quite close affairs. They have won a game, drew their next and lost the other. Burnley won once and lost once drawing the ohter 4 in their last 6 matches. Villa won all 4 home and away and have lost narrowly only to City and Liverpool. So this will be close but Villa just have an edge. Konsa, McGinn, Watkins and young Jacob Ramsey have taken turns to shine. 1-2.

Southampton v Brentford - Postponed.

Watford v Crystal Palace - Postponed.

West Ham v Norwich - Postponed.

Leeds v Arsenal - Leeds were unlucky to have lost to Chelsea despite a battling performance and giving Chelsea a proper scare. Injuries aside with Bamford, Philips and center backs out, it was still insipid and was annihilated by City 0-7! The Gunners were impressive after beating Southampton 3-0 and West Ham 2-0 to go 4th. It was a very important win full of conviction that could propel them. So is Arsenal better than we thought? But Leeds have not beaten Arsenal in their last 7 meetings and have drew twice. There will be goals but don't think it will favour Leeds. The Gunners are looking good having kept two clean sheets in two. Both teams play an attacking and open game so there could be goals. 2-3.

Everton v Leicester - Postponed.

Wolves v Chelsea - Once again, Wolves performed as expected like they did against Liverpool and City needed a penalty to win the game 1-0. Raul Jimenez was plain silly to get sent off but you wonder if the referee could have decide differently. The penalty awarded to City was also controversial.  It could have been more interesting if they did not happened. Chelsea have conceded goals again this time two goals to Leeds and were in a way lucky to get a win as Leeds came back battling but a 94th minute penalty earned them full points. Wolves have 2 wins, 2 draws and 2 defeats in 6 games and both losses were 0-1 to Liverpool and City. Of course Chelsea could win this but at the Molineux, Wolves will ensure only very good performance by the visitor could they get something. In 6 previous meetings, Wolves have won twice and drew twice so things are quite even historically. Also in their last 6 games, they have kept four clean sheets, scored twice and conceded twice. Chelsea may just win by the odd goal if grind out a result. 1-1.

Newcastle v Manchester City - The Magpies were sometimes difficult to beat in the past but this season has been a complete meltdown and even with Saudi oil money, it is going to be a long ride. When you saw how City cruised to a 7-0 mauling of Leeds, you can only fear for Newcastle. Their last game at St. James Park ended 3-4 to City and before that they held City 2-2 and even won 2-1 but at the Etihad they lost badly 0-2 nd 0-5. Newcastle fought hard at Anfield and even scored first. Surprisingly Eddie Howe left out their top scorer Callum Wilson at Anfield who only came on much later. It has been a tough run for Newcastle recently as they next face United. 1-3.

Spurs v Liverpool - Spurs have not played for awhile and Liverpool have been banging in goals for fun all along this season. The Reds have been going toe to toe with City despite a different way of doing things and the gulf in wealth and City are such a superb team said something they are doing that is right. In six previous meetings, Spurs lost all the games - 1-2 four times, 0-1 and 1-3. Even form wise the Reds are in better shape. Spurs won't be easy to play against but each time, Liverpool dominated the stats in terms of possession, shots at goal, chances created and xG. It shall probably be the same here but the outcome is totally dependent if they could be clinical and convert their chances. 

Thiago Alcantara has become a bit of a liability as you could see in the Newcastle game, he gave away a goal and nearly repeated it with a bad pass to an opponent which is hard to understand given his array of passing skills and his technical ability. What was in his freaking mind? The thing is Mo Salah and Trent Alexander-Arnold are both now on another planet. We have said and knew all about Salah and his incredible feats but if you saw TAA at Anfield against Newcastle, he was not just MOTM but he was everywhere and doing everything and scored an incredible goal! He was playing as a number 2, no. 6 and even no. 8 - an unbelievable generational talent. 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cmoJcNfz7eY (TAA goal!)

He was not even distracted by referee Mike Dean running away and that was a life saver and Mike Dean knew he had to be fast. Haha. So good a goal that even Thiago held his own head in disbelief. While he is the best attacking talent he has been poor in defending in the past. This season he has shown he could and that tackle he made was of immense quality. Even TAA plays to his own level, there is not a better right back in the world right now. Mo Salah now has 14 goals followed by Jamie Vardy with 9 but few may notice that Diogo Jota has 9 goals to his name too which means Liverpool have two top scorers. This to me means a possible Liverpool win as Conte shall surely devise a plan to make it tough. 1-2. 

Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year!