The Low in Confidence Review of the Weekend

Hi there. Having enjoyed the Boxing Day games so thoroughly that you probably wished that they never ended, we will attempt to review the games and the moments that defined them...

First off, we take the trip to St. Andrews where in-form Birmingham City played host to league leaders, Chelsea.

The game pitch two teams on opposite ends of the confidence scale (if there’s actually anything like that). And the team that supposedly was low in confidence ran the game and should really have gotten from the game than they got. But for the heroics of on-loan goalkeeper, Joe Hart, it could have been worse for the home side. They too can point to the disallowed and say they should have gotten more.

On the subject of Joe Hart, we hear Alex McLeish will try and take advantage of the management change at Eastlands and make his loan deal permanent. He really is pushing to be in South Africa. And if he keeps this level up, there’s no reason why he shouldn’t be there

Carlo Ancelloti must now be scratching his head as to why a team that started so well can buy a win at the moment. He won’t want to take a look at last season review though... Since Scolari’s bad patch started at this time and anti-climaxed in his sacking in February... Dangerous times indeed.

From the St. Andrews, we scampered of to Anfield where Liverpool welcomed (that’s just formality) Wolverhampton Wanderers. Rafa Benitez must have been hoping that Mick McCarthy will pull off the Old Trafford stunt... Well he didn’t. Meaning, he considers a game against Liverpool at Anfield winnable, while a game against a defenceless Manchester United at Old Trafford isn’t. Strange.

Well, the boys who never walk alone got the job done, albeit controversially. Needing to play against ten men to break them down, they got help from the referee (even though they also aided the referee in making his own decision) and they did the rest. They’ll play their fourth game of the season (their season only started after the Arsenal defeat) against Villa in midweek...

On the subject of Aston Villa, they arrived at The Emirates second on the form table (two teams from Birmingham top of the form table?), having never lost on that stadium... It was all about to change...

They huffed and puffed for about quarter of an hour and fizzled out. At times this season, Ashley Young has looked like a player who won’t get into THAT Derby County side... but he is a very good crosser of the ball.

While Arsenal were looking for a way to hit the back of the net (literally), Cesc Fabregas was warming up to come on and make the difference... And on he did come. The difference he did make... Arsenal couldn’t score from a direct free-kick for over a year, and they score two in what? Three games?

Based on statistics alone, Cesc Fabregas is the best and most influential midfielder this season. The first of his two goals was a free-kick (Gabby, if you are not interested in jumping, get out of the wall) and the second was a brilliant turn of pace...

He doesn’t look like he will be at The Emirates for much longer... Oh, and he aggravated his injury. Worth it? ...We’ll see.

Finally, to the Kingston Communications Stadium (can’t they change the name?). Where Wayne Rooney somehow mistook himself for Santa Claus and gifted Hull City a goal out of the blue. Fortunately for him, he created two more for his team. In all, he created all four goals... Players won’t want to beat that.

Nothing much can be said about that game except that Wayne Rooney really is the driving force behind Manchester United (we all knew that right?) and that Hull city will get relegated if Jimmy Bullard doesn’t manage to shake off his knee problems... And that the league is really at its lowest.

The richest club in the world, Manchester City, kicked off the reign of their new manager, Roberto Mancini with a home victory over Stoke City aided by a Kung fu like goal from Carlos Tevez... Form player... Enough said.

Looking at the table, Chelsea still lead Manchester United by two points and Arsenal are only two points behind Manchester United, with a game in hand...

Well, it’s too early to stick my neck out, but I’d say the title will either go to Manchester (the red part) or London (the Islington area) simply because if the Blues from London couldn’t capitalise on the turmoil in their rivals (in the form of injuries) and pull away, then...  

The Mistletoe and Whine Predictions of the Weekend

After a weekend where a team won a game and still had the manager fired, a team went to a ground and got utterly shafted for the second season running, and a team refused to actually run away with the title, we simply stepped into a week where Gary ‘I’m the new Peter Kenyon’ Cook much himself look like a liar (in the fast and furious world of football, looking like a liar among numerous liars is indeed a very hard job) and all managers defending Sparky like he was a saint... It had to be the spirit of Christmas. Right?

It’s Christmas!

Actually, by the time you’ll be reading this, it would have been Boxing Day. So enjoy the gifts...

English Premier League Roundup

Birmingham City vs. Chelsea: The home side are exceeding expectations and there is genuine optimism at St. Andrews. And there’s going to be money to spend in January, meaning they will be looking to push on for European qualification. They are the form team in the premier league and will want to keep it going against the league leaders who have been in indifferent form recently...

Chelsea have injury problems in attack with Drogba, Kalou and Anelka out but will still put out a decent side capable of doing damage...

...Home win. Cue Ancelloti saying he doesn’t know why they lost.

Liverpool vs. Wolverhampton Wanderers: Having lost to the team at the bottom of the table last weekend and being lucky to finish with nine outfield players (to be fair, Torres should have seen a second yellow for that elbow). Liverpool will want to put their poor performance behind them. But not having Javier Mascherano available will be a huge blow...

Wolves have won three of their last four. The only defeat being that game at Old Trafford. Wolves’ fans will be hoping the manager doesn’t see this as an unwinnable game and rest players. Indeed, if he gives it a go, they could earn a decent result at Anfield and plunge Liverpool deeper into the mire...

...Draw.

Arsenal vs. Aston Villa: both teams battled it out for fourth last season. And we know how that finished. Arsenal have a few problems up front (and they’d be devastated to learn that Robie Van Persie is out for the season) but have won three games since THAT game against Chelsea. They should be up for this following their demolition of Hull City and will want to put some space between Villa and themselves...

In Ashley Young, Stuart Downing and James Milner, Villa have three of the best crossers in the league (though the latter has stepped into central midfield). Meaning? Arsenal will have to deal with a lot of good crosses come Sunday. They are indeed the second best team in terms of recent form, only behind Birmingham City and will fancy a win to go ahead of Arsenal on the table (and complete a set of wins against the big four). On recent form, they look capable, but this game looks set to end in a...

...Draw

Hull City vs. Manchester United: After the recent sacking of Mark Hughes, Phil Brown will know that but for Liverpool’s poor form, more attention would have been on him (he was very close to the brink some weeks back until Jimmy Bullard came to the rescue). Now, he’s gone a fair few games without a win and the pressure may just be building, again. They do not have serious injury problems but for them, having Jimmy Bullard out is a serious issue...

The Champions meanwhile, have an unheard of injury crisis, missing eight senior defenders at some point recently. At Craven Cottage, they lined up in a 3-5-2 formation with Darren Fletcher, Michael Carrick and Ritchie De Laet in defence. That’s two midfielders and a rookie in defence. No team will survive that. There’s word that they’ll rush their Brazilian twins into action against Hull, which will be a gamble in itself. But for the defence and the absence of Edwin van der Sar, they have no problems...

...Away win.

Do enjoy the weekend’s games and the celebrations. Meet you on the other side of the games.

The 100% sure predictions of the week

Well, well, well, Christmas is just some five days away. What a year of football it has been... Let’s not get ahead of ourselves here; we are not doing the review of 2009.

So we go to the business of the day, wait a minute, a certain Mr. David Joseph Beckham got a gift from Santa yesterday. An early gift I should add.

Maybe Mr. Arsene Wenger will get a package from Santa allowing him to play games on days he chooses...

The English Premier League Roundup

Portsmouth vs. Liverpool: Here both teams will surely desperately want a victory, for differing reasons if I might add. Following the hugely encouraging game against Chelsea in midweek, Portsmouth will feel they can get the business done. But seeing as Liverpool in midweek, and they just started a new season, they will be equally confident. They can count on Fernando Torres in this game and he could make all the difference...

...Draw.

Fulham vs. Manchester United: At the end of this fixture last season, United had last back to back games, that’s a rarity, and allowed Liverpool back in contention. The game produced a surprising result considering Roy Hodgson’s pre match comments. This season, United will want to correct that, and considering the recent losses to Liverpool, Chelsea and Villa, if they lose this, then they’d have lost three games in nine. Not ideal.

Fulham though, are a decent side and at home have only conceded five times which is no mean feat. But they may just be a tad affected by the trip to continental Europe in midweek...

...Away win.

Arsenal vs. Hull City: The gunners dropped a couple of points in midweek and they only have themselves to blame considering the level of their performance or lack of it. Having said that, they will be seeking to get back to winning ways and at the Emirates, don’t bet against that happening.

Hull are missing their best player in Jimmy Bullard, and it will tell. Simply put, they will not resist the firepower of Arsene ‘he moans like a drain’ Wenger’s gunners...

...Home win.

West Ham United vs. Chelsea: Chelsea got back to winning ways, in unconvincing fashion, in midweek and will most likely keep the habit. The player who was conspicuous by his absence, Didier Drogba, will be back to lead the line and there’s no telling what he can do.

In Zola, West Ham have a likeable manager, but that doesn’t win you games- certainly when majority of your players never seem to leave the medical room- and they find themselves in a mire.

This being a derby- whit both Frank Lampard and Joe Cole visiting their old club- it looks interesting. That doesn’t mean it will be...

...Away win (Lampard will probably get a deflected goal in)

The Spanish League Roundup

Xerez vs. Barcelona: for this game, my crystal ball tells me the away side, the team that does no wrong picked up all three points scoring two goals. And from the crystal ball, I see that of all my predictions, this is 100% correct. So if you are the betting type, go get loans, steal, sell your houses, e. t. c and stake on Barcelona winning this game because they will... Oh wait a minute...

To some other games that we can’t for sure predict 100% (because we are not match fixers), up at Seville, Sevilla will be looking to continue in their winning streak (last week was the first) by taking out Getafe who quite frankly, play dour football and are unpredictable. But I don’t expect the unpredictability to stretch into a win at the Sanchez Pizjuan. Sevilla should reap the full bounty in this one.

At the club where Raul is captain but doesn’t seem to be getting much game time, the Bernabeu will be playing host to Real Zaragoza, who don’t to have anything real about them but the fact that they are in real trouble, and nothing less is expected of the players, by Madridistas, but a win. And a win... they will get.

And the last game we will consider in the country of Ham this weekend is at La Coruña, where the hosts will welcome Valencia (who lost their last league game against Madrid). Considering Deportivo’s good start without strikers (it has to be said), it is going to be a hell of a game for the Mestalla men. If you ask me, any team that has got David Villa has got a chance, and they do have Mata also. When the dour play of the hosts meets the swift counter-attacking style of the visitors, a draw is almost inevitable.  

The Spanking (Proving your worth) Predictions of Midweek

Manchester United vs. Wolverhampton Wanderers: Following the debacle that was the game on Saturday, they’d like to get back on the trail of success by taking out Wolves and doing it with a few goals to boot. And with Mick McCarthy expecting a pummelling, he will most likely set out his side in a defensive formation. If that is the case, expect a one sided game.

But with the lesson from last weekend learnt, never always say the big guns will take the day. But...

...Home win (no buts). 

Burnley vs. Arsenal: The home side started the season better than expected, winning home games against the defending champions and some other decent sides... But the wheels seem to have come off for the Clarets, lately, with them gradually sliding down the table. They’d be looking to stop the rot as soon as possible to avoid ‘doing a Hull’.

Arsenal seem to be back on track after the Chelsea thrashing and as I’ve continuously pointed out, they seem like flat track bullies. They play the ball on the deck which will do some damage.

There seems to be only one outcome at Turf Moor...

...Away win.

Chelsea vs. Portsmouth: The Blues seem to be on a bad run since the defeat at Blackburn in the Carling cup. They’d be well advised to hit top form very quickly because they won’t have many weekends like the last. They do look a side capable of pulling out of the mire and going on a long run though.

Avram Grant returning to the club he took to within moments of history. He will still be wondering what could have been had John Terry not slipped while doing a very simple thing (kicking a ball). But that’s history now, he’ll be gunning for the three points to continue Portsmouth’s mini run of two games without defeat. But I do not think they have the firepower...

...Home win (but stranger things have happened)

Liverpool vs. Wigan Athletic: After continuing their superb run of form that has yielded just three wins in fifteen games, Liverpool will hope they put behind the Arsenal (none)performance and get some points on the board. Who doesn’t like to win the first game of a new season?... but I do recall the manager talking about a new season about three times already...

Wigan are the most inconsistent side in the division... Wait a minute, if everyone agrees they are inconsistent, and they always prove it, then it’s fair to say that they are consistently inconsistent. (What was that?). Something tells me Chris Kirkland will suddenly become agile in this game and make some saves (playing against his old club)... Or

...Home win (and a declaration of ‘a new season has finally begun’ and ‘this is indeed our year’)

The Customer is sh*t Review of the Day

After such an eventful weekend where there was only one home victory in The Best league in the World™, coupled with a handful of results that even the best wizards couldn’t have predicted, and we had for ourselves a wonderful weekend.

I’m not least, sorry for not posting on here the predictions for the last round of games, no thanks to my internet service provider that conveniently cut me off for no reason (only to reconnect me), I’ll try to do the roundup of the weekend’s games  coupled with my predictions for the mid-week’s premier league games.

English Roundup

Chelsea vs. Everton: What a game! Swinging from the absurd to the sublime, then to the hilarious and back... in a matter of minutes. Wonderful. The Blues have now conceded 11 goals from set pieces this season (they’ve conceded 13 all season).Petr Cech has received a lot of unfair flak this season and that has continued into this week. But it has to be said, he was largely blameless in the debacle at the bridge.

Manchester United vs. Aston villa: What manager will need to win a game at home, against a team they always seem to get the better of, and deploy just one striker upfront?... That could be the blunder of the season in my view. So much for Wayne Rooney being a very honest and hard working player. I shudder at the thought of cheats. Hmmm.

Gabriel Agbonlahor IS a big game player. FACT.

Liverpool vs. Arsenal: have Liverpool become the new City?... Only getting motivated when the no hopers from across town are on the pitch, or better still the scum from down the road.

What a first half performance. And what a second half ‘performance’.

Andrei Arshavin LOVES Anfield.

Spanish Roundup

Over to sunny Iberia(the larger of the two parts) we go then, where table toppers and the embodiment of all that is good AND holy, Barcelona (who does Henry play for  again?) defeated rivals Espanyol with help from Xavi who went down in the box for fear of being touched by an Espanyol player and got a penalty. What’s the world turning into. And it seems Zlatan Ibrahimovic hasn’t imbibed the holy culture after he gave an opponent the elbow.

Down at the Mestalla- where they now sell tickets for a chance to shake the hand of David Villa to raise funds (not verified)- Valencia took on the real Madrid (You know which) and came out having fallen behind in the title race. What a day it was for Gonzalo Higuain who got a brace, he’s already in double figures  for the season.

Meanwhile, Sevilla just did enough to stay on the tails of the top two. And that’s just about all there was there.

The Nouveau Riche versus the Antérieur Riche Weekend Predictions

This week, along with the usual stuff on the English Premier league, we will also look into the La Liga BBVA, it is going to be a regular feature from now on, as some of the world’s best flair players do their thing. We will simply take a look at Serie A this week because of the derby. Enjoy.

Arsenal vs. Stoke City: After a run of three domestic defeats without scoring a goal, they’d be looking to finally score a goal and end the bad run. They do have the ammunition to do it, but do they have the mental fortitude?

Stoke aren’t exactly easy meat, they do give the bigger sides a run for their money; just ask Spurs and Chelsea to a lesser extent.

I fancy there’ll be a couple of goals in this.

...Home win.

Blackburn Rovers vs. Liverpool: After their Carling cup exploits- for those who don’t know, they took out Chelsea- they’d be on a high and will look to claim another major scalp in a league. They have one of the best home records in the league and in David Dunn, they have a man bang on form.

Liverpool though will be coming from their victory, albeit an undeserved one, in the Scouse derby. With a few of their injury issues resolving, they could have good game.

...Draw.

West Ham United vs. Manchester United: Losing Carlton Cole is bad enough, and then having Rob Green out will be a huge blow. As some clubs go about blaming injuries for on-field problems, West Ham just get on with things. And now, they have Carlton Cole out for the rest of the year. The likes of Zavon Hines can fill in though.

After beating Spurs in the Carling cup, they will be fielding a changed side for this game. With Wayne Rooney hitting goal scoring patch, nothing says he won’t hit the back of the net here. But they’d need others to chip in with their share of the goods, and they’ve got Dimitar Berbatov back.

...Away win.

Manchester City vs. Chelsea: City have finally registered a win! When last did they win? I can’t remember... Alright, to the game we go then. This tie last season saw Robinho make his debut against the side that had chased him all summer. Now, what’s riding on this? A lot. But for a start,  all Mancunians whether of Red or Blue persuasion will want city to triumph, for obvious reasons.

Chelsea have been blistering this season, although they have gotten the some things their way against their direct rivals. Didier Drogba is the hottest striker in the league right now and I’d be foolish to bet against him having a say in this game- a goal or an assist.

...Draw

Away from the Blighty we go.

In Spain, Sevilla will be looking to close the gap on leaders Barcelona- albeit temporarily- as they take on Valladolid (for whom Manucho promised to score forty goals this season). They were looking to take advantage of the el classico by beating Malaga, and boy did they come unstuck. They should take victory in this game though.

Over at Madrid, they will try and get over THAT defeat by thrashing Almeria to close the gap on Barcelona (the Camp Nou club have played a game more). Having got Ronaldo back, they could well achieve it – the thrashing, I mean- or they could just win an uninspiring game. Simply put, Almeria can only take to pictures of hot girls wearing the new Madrid undies back home.

To La Coruňa we head where Deportivo will try and produce a snooze feast to bore the Barça players then go on to win when they are asleep. Pep’s dream team may not fall for that though. But Depor with no striker-Riki is no striker- will look to defend and then snatch a victory from somewhere. I don’t expect either side to be beaten after this game.

In Bilbao, they local do not care if a bill has been passed to allow the Spanish team play in Basque land or Catalonia, they just won’t welcome the team to the Basque region. This place is a difficult venue to play in and so it will prove for Valencia who conceded a late equaliser at home to throw two points away last week. Something tells me that the terrific Juan Mata and David Villa (who’s the best striker in the world, in my opinion) will run riot, but knowing Athletic, they’ll simply pump the balls over to Llorente. And that approach is not really appreciated in Spain. I can’t run away from this game ending in a draw.

Just a look at Serie A where the ‘Derby of Italy’ is taking place between Juventus and Internazionale. My only advice to football fans who watch that game is that they should do so with as big a bowl of cakes as Maniche probably takes because it is going to be an uninspiring and ‘tactical’ game that will inevitably end in an Inter victory.