Archive for the ‘Premier League’ Category

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Regular readers could be forgiven for thinking that this has to be the easiest question we have ever posed. Why? Because it has to be the Manchester City midfield based purely on the fact that they have scored more goals than anyone else, and by quite a distance.

Whilst there is an element of truth to this argument, the City midfielders are assisted by the fact that they are currently the best team in the league and also that most of the chances they are creating are being converted into goals, which is a testament to how good their strikers are. (more…)

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In an eagerly anticipated game at Anfield the early Saturday kick-off saw Liverpool face Manchester United. Quite why these games are so eagerly anticipated is beyond the ken of simple folk such as ourselves.

They are often dour affairs with both teams more scared of losing than they are motivated by winning.

At least Liverpool did try to win the game but Manchester United, who had ONE shot on target throughout the ninety minutes, should be kicking themselves for not taking a more attacking approach. (more…)

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In our last article we compared the records of the top six strikers expected to get the goals in the Premier League and today it’s the turn of the players at the other end of the pitch. The ones who are expected, (in some cases it is hope rather than expectation), to save the club from dropping points and occasionally winning them some.

It has been said that a good goalkeeper can be worth up to 15 points per season. This is allowing for the fact that he may be the saviour of the team in many close games where 1-0 or 2-1 for example, remains the score at the end thanks to the keeper, or a draw remains a draw purely because of saves he has made. (more…)

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There are many articles written about the top strikers where they are dissected, compared, praised and criticised in equal measure. Many of the scribes who pen these words of wisdom are trying to convince a footballing public that they have them down to a tee.

They want us to think that they have described them in such depth that we now know everything there is to know about them and can make an informed deduction as to who is the better of them. (more…)

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Now that normal service is about to be resumed in the Premier League, at least for a month until the next set of ridiculous international fixtures are played, the clubs can begin to count the cost of releasing their top players to play in these games.

Sometimes meaningless, sometimes meaningful, it is always a surprise, particularly when the season has already started, to see how willing the teams are to release their players and how inconsiderate the international coaches are. (more…)

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It’s almost back! Like the long awaited return of your favourite TV show, Premier League football will soon be re-appearing at a ground near you. All that remains now is to try and remember what happened in the last episode of the previous series.

Why is it that two weeks seems such a long time when we managed to get through the close season with relatively little difficulty? Well, we’ll tell you why, ‘cos we know. It’s because we are all mentally prepared for a long break in the Summer, but we have difficulty accepting that the new season grinds to a halt almost immediately after it begins. It’s like finally taking delivery of your new car, after waiting for two months, only for it to break down within the first mile. (more…)

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When Mesut Özil was first recognised as a very good player he was with Werder Bremen in the Bundesliga. He was also part of the successful German national team which beat England in the game where Frank Lampard had a goal disallowed when the referee, in a moment of instant sight loss, decided that the ball, which was two feet over the line, hadn’t crossed the line!

This was in 2010 and, in that same year, Özil agreed a move to Real Madrid.

There was a story at the time that Sir Alex Ferguson went down to London to try and sign him but the deal with Madrid had already been agreed. (more…)

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During the international yawn and, due to the paucity of anything remotely interesting in the football world, we will be publishing some of the articles written, by our goodselves, for other publications.

The reason for this is twofold. One is the lack of anything else worth reading, but the other is to see how accurate, or otherwise, we have been over the years. See what you think and please use the comments section to let us know.

To begin with, here’s an article we wrote back in 2015 which looks at how important Marouane Fellaini was becoming, even then, to Louis van Gaal. It was written just before the Champion’s League qualifier against FC Bruges of Belgium. (more…)

England

So that’s it then! No more checking through endless channels to see which is showing the game. No more checking social media disgraces Twitter and Facebook to read the views on the match. Life, as we have become accustomed to it, is over.

Well, for two weeks anyway!

Stubborn old man can stash his blazer and his grey jumper and, in exchange, can dig out the long quilt coat he has been trying to make fashionable for years. You know the one, when he puts the hood up he looks remarkably like the Grim Reaper.

Pep and José can look forward to a continuation of the Manchester rain but, after the break, it will be a few degrees colder. (more…)

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Tottenham Hotspur

The early game on Saturday featured Huddersfield Town against Tottenham Hotspur. This was the first real test for David Wagner and his newly promoted team. They failed it!

Mind you, Spurs had Harry Kane to thank once again for their margin of victory and one does wonder how many goals this team would score without him.

Yes, Dele Alli and Christian Eriksen tend to chip in with a few but Kane outscores everybody by a long way. (more…)