EPL 2022/2023 - Game Week 6

Did you see Wilfried Zaha's goal? How good is he every season and did you know he once played for Manchester United but United did not think he was good enough. Brighton have been very good and yet Fulham took full points at Craven Cottage with Mitrovic grabbing another goal to bring his tally to 4. I told you that Southampton are very good this season after watching them play but none of us would think that Chelsea will crumble at St. Mary's. Leeds have improved from last season but found Everton hard to overcome. Everton are still without a win but Anthony Gordon has been their shining light. 

Bournemouth got a home point v Wolves, Arsenal continued their resurgence with 100% wins, 5 wins from 5 games. If they make themselves difficult and continued winning who is to say they cannot win the title? City were at their rampaging best when they crushed Forest 6-0. Erling Haaland is going to bulldoze his way for City and top the goal-scoring chart. His was the second hattrick in a row bringing his tally to 9 goals in 5 games. Incredible as we knew all along. Spurs are still not at their best as West Ham held them and Liverpool are well, Liverpool. They conceded first and chased down Newcastle with a late, late goal to win at Anfield.

Everton v Liverpool - The Toffees are full of hard work and grit but not much else. Only Gray and now twice in a row Anthony Gordon has scored. Though lacking in quality, they play a tough game for their opponents and Frank Lampard has finally organised a good defence buying Conor Coady from Wolves and James Tarkowski from Burnley. Meanwhile Liverpool and Klopp have this thing that at critical moments or a big win later, their opposing team's manager have been sacked. It has happened many times - Swansea, West Ham's Bilic, Fulham's Jokanovic, Everton's Silva, Man Utd's Mourinho and now Bournemouth's Scott Parker. Once again, Liverpool continued their bad habit of conceding first and left chasing the game against Newcastle. Fortunately Firmino continued his fine form which means Darwin Nunez may no longer be a starter after his 3-match banned is over. With birthday boy 20 year old Fabio Carvalho saving their skin when he scored in the 90+8 minutes. Luck or fighting qualities? 

Harvey Elliot is only 19 but this boy is a proper talent who will grow into a top player. He carried the team on his shoulders. Jordan Henderson pulled a hamstring and the injury curse continues especially in midfield. Fabinho has been inconsistent. Largely Liverpool were poor from their usual high standard. Too much pressure? They should just relax and play their usual, proper game. Everton will make it very tough for Liverpool with their style and this is a Merseyside derby. They have a new back up midfielder Arthur Melo on loan from Juventus who plays like Thiago to add bodies to their injured list especially midfield. Somehow Everton scored once in every game and Liverpool conceded at least a goal in each match but they have goals in them. 1-3.

Brentford v Leeds - Brentford will swarm you like bees, Well, they are the Bees. The thrashing they gave Man U was masterclass, lost narrowly to Fulham but now drawing a game too many after conceding first. After trouncing Chelsea 3-0, they lost to Brighton and drew Everton. Both sides look quite sharp so a close match but home advantage could count and Brentford are resilient. Leeds have not won of late and is a bit of concern. 1-1.

Chelsea v West Ham - Chelsea maybe having serious problems. They have lost to teams like Leeds and Southampton. Maybe record signing Wesley Fofana could help their backline. Tuchel was so good at one time but he, his midfield and his team are a pale shadow of themselves. Havertz, Mason Mount and Jorginho so imperious at one time are now hardly performing and they spent much under the new owner and still spending and if results do not come, Tuchel will be in trouble. Luckily, Raheem Sterling is still scoring for them. The addition of Aubameyang may help but it also seemed desperate and they have lost Marcos Alonso. Chelsea are having issues and will take a bit longer to be better. West ham showed they are picking up and got better, so this levels them. 1-1.

Newcastle v Crystal Palace - Alexander Isak, Newcastle's big signing scored on his debut at Anfield. He wasted no time. More to come from him. The Magpies are certainly improving closing the gap with many teams. Newcastle and Crystal Palace are even more exciting teams now so past boring encounters may now be a cracker of a match. I like Eddie Howe's Newcastle and Patrick Viera's Crystal Palace. Zaha has been such a good player for so long, Palace can't afford to lose him at the same time, keeping him won't give them the funds to build on. Will be an interesting game but St. James Park is roaring these days. However, the Magpies' most creative and dashing player Allan Saint Maximin is hamstrung but they have Isak. 2-2.

Nottingham Forest v Bournemouth - Dean Henderson. He was so good on loan to Sheffield United two seasons ago that Man Utd brought him back and was looking at making first choice due to De Gea's poor performance but it was not to be. After watching De Gea's couple of howlers in that 0-4 drubbing, you wonder what they were doing letting Henderson go again. He has so far been MOTM twice making some outstanding saves and also saved two penalties. Forest have by now signed a new squad (like 20 players!) as they recorded the most signings. Bournemouth got a clean sheet after the 0-9 mauling from Liverpool. That is improvement. I have great respect for managers like Scott Parker, Eddie Howe and Graham Potter simply because they are real managers. They got their teams promoted, trained and create players well, built into a team. Whatever you think, these two are currently above Everton, Wolves, Aston Villa and Leicester. This is a chance for Forest. 2-1.

Tottenham v Fulham - Son Heung-Min has been off form but Harry Kane has been scoring for fun and breaking new records but somehow Spurs lacks that cutting edge. Spurs have been good but in spells. On paper, Spurs will get full points here but football is not played on paper and Fulham have been breath of fresh air. It wasn't easy to beat Brighton. When Fulham held Liverpool on opening day, no one really thought they can be so good. You saw how they pushed Arsenal. So the Cottagers could surprise here with at least a draw. But Spurs should win because they have Harry Kane. 2-1. 

Wolves v Southampton - Their scoring problem is a big concern. A 0-0 stalemate with Bournemouth confirmed it. They have good attacking players but where are the goals. So just what is wrong? The Saints will be confident with that Chelsea scalp and playing so well but Wolves may have the style to overcome them. They have added Sasa Kalajdzic. 1-2.

Aston Villa v Manchester City - Villa have now won only once and lost four and lie second from the bottom. Gerrard and his team have gone stale, a far cry from last season. With Haaland scoring so freely and abundantly, any team he plays for will prosper let alone City and City are not done yet with new signings having added defender Akanji. Haaland became the first player in the Premier League to have scored 9 goals from 5 games and surely he is gonna break some records. Haaland is a monster goal scorer and he has made the Premier League look like the farmer's league. City have been scoring for fun and wrong time for Villa to welcome them to Villa Park but last two times the met, Steven Gerrard and his team gave City big frights (1-2 and 2-3) but surprisingly Villa have bot bedded in yet. 1-3.

Brighton v Leicester - Brighton suffered a blip when they lost to Fulham. Leicester are in a rut and Brendan Rodgers cannot be happy. Brighton will bounce back and Leicester are having serious issues but losing by small margins. They just need a little more but the Seagulls are playing too well for that to happen. 2-1.

Manchester United v Arsenal - The Red Devils are now 5th after 3 straight wins after two earlier defeats. They have since added Casemiro and now record signing Antony. Haven't seen Casemiro play but he has squirrel cheeks. At 30, the ex Real Madrid defensive midfielder does not look like a plan and that he costs 60 million pounds looked far worse and smacked of desperation. Meanwhile, Cristiano Ronaldo has never had a more humbling experience in his entire life in this saga. Nobody wants him and he is stuck and sitting on the bench. Arsenal are unbeaten and roaring but Odegaard will likely sit out due to injury but Jesus and Martinelli are on song. This is the biggest test for both. United have improved by winning by the slightest margin with 1-0 in their last two. Arsenal have been scoring a minimum of two goals each game. Maybe a 2-2 draw here? No. The Gunners will edge it. 2-3.