Premier League Preview - All Gunners Blazing

(As written on Soccerlens...)

After surprisingly struggling in matches against Birmingham and Burnley, and unconvincingly-yet-convincingly beating Wigan, Manchester Utd ‘welcome’ Arsenal to Old Trafford at 5.15 tomorrow for an early-season (but late in the day) titan clash.

All the Gunners are blazing in the Premier League so far, comfortably winning their opening games, scoring a staggering ten goals and conceding only two as they continue to shame their pre-season critics. That’s obviously ignoring the five goals that Arsene Wenger’s men put past Celtic en route to Champions League qualification.

Four competitive games, a measly 3 goals against and an astonishing 15 goals in that oh-so-important ‘F’ column. So who’s the key man? Well, sadly for Sir Alex, it’s Arsene. Wenger has changed the Arsenal formation to a fluid 4-3-3 system, so Fergie can forget plans of wafting Van Persie’s socks under Vidic’s nostrils - everyone in an Emirates stamp is filling his boots.

United, on the other hand, are a one-man show. Wayne Rooney has greedily jumped into the spotlight vacated by Ronaldo, and is carrying more than his fair share of the attacking burden on his broad green shoulders. Though Berbatov and Owen both opened their accounts against Wigan last week, neither has looked particularly sharp, with Sir Alex already having leapt to defend the former, and Alan Hansen bizarrely championing the latter on Match of the Day last week, when all he had was video evidence to the contrary. I remain to be convinced as to whether Owen’s exaggerated ducking and weaving in the box is, as we are meant to believe, the replacement of his pace by more intelligent movement in the area. Or whether he realises his penalty-box disco moves have managed to fool Sir Alex, and, should he prolong them, he might be getting a phone call from a gruff Italian, inviting him to South Africa.

Goal scoring aside, it is the creation of chances that seems to be Man Utd’s weakness at the minute. While Arsenal’s attacks are quick, clinical and more cutting than a Red-Bull-hopped Jeremy Kyle defending his mother, United have been slow and limited. Missing the penetration of their old mercurial winker (yes, winker), still hoping that Nani becomes even half the player Ronaldo was, and waiting for Valencia to find his feet, the Red Devils find themselves in somewhat of a transition period. With injuries also taking their toll on this weaker squad – particularly in defence, where Rio Ferdinand’s absence couldn’t be more obvious – Arsenal have their biggest chance in years to go to Old Trafford and come away with the spoils.

Cesc Fabregas may be missing for the visitors, but their passing and movement should still be superior. Denilson is looking like the man Wenger promised the Arsenal faithful, and Diaby, Eboue and Arshavin are all in fine form.

To be Premier League champions you need your big players to perform in the big games. United’s usually do, and their chances in this match rest on their stars standing up to be counted. Carrick needs to find form quickly, and, with Fletcher, must out-battle the Gunners in the middle of the park. Vidic has to return to his commanding presence at the back, and without Rio to help him much responsibility lays on his not-inconsiderable forehead at set-pieces. Neutralising the aeriel threat of Vermaelen and particularly free-scoring Gallas will be key.

The winner of this one is bound to be whoever makes the most of their possession. If United can carve out enough opportunities for Rooney, then judging by his excellent recent displays, he will take them. He will certainly be up for this one. However, if Arsenal can recreate their sparkling team performances of late, and I have a suspicion that they might, the passing and breaking of Arsene’s ‘total football’ club could prove too much for Sir Alex’s one-man side.

 

Elsewhere this weekend…

 

Saturday, August 29

Chelsea v Burnley

Burnley will be brimming with confidence after defeating Man Utd and Everton in their last two league games, and Chelsea should expect a tough first half. It may take an hour to score, but when they do, count on the Blues to add to it. Prediction: Chelsea 2-0 Burnley

Blackburn v West Ham

This one doesn’t exactly inspire, with neither side in form – or particularly impressive when they are. The Hammers looked like beating Spurs last week though, so I think they can nick this one. Prediction: Blackburn 0-1 West Ham

Bolton v Liverpool


With no goals, points or signings worth discussing things don’t look good for Megson’s men, and though the Reds have looked shoddy so far, not even home advantage should save Bolton in this one. Prediction: Bolton 0-2 Liverpool

Stoke v Sunderland

Red and white with goals all over. Stoke are strong at home and have added Huth and Tuncay to their ranks whilst Sunderland are in good form with Bent and Jones more than a handful. Prediction: Stoke 2-2 Sunderland

Tottenham v Birmingham

Tottenham to comfortably continue their rich vein of form. Goals shouldn’t be too tricky to come by, and simple to prevent. Prediction: Tottenham 3-0 Birmingham

Wolves v Hull City

Both sides could go gung-ho in this one, but I expect Hull’s experience to just nick it, and Altidore to open his Tigers account. Prediction: Wolves 1-2 Hull City

 

Sunday, August 30

Portsmouth v Man City

More misery piled on Pompey, as takeover distractions mean Adebayor slips in unnoticed and scores a couple. Unless Pompey sign a new team tomorrow, that is. Prediction: Portsmouth 0-3 Manchester City

Everton v Wigan Athletic


Pointless. Everton, that is, not the match… Things should change on Sunday though, as toothless Wigan visit. Prediction: Everton 2-0 Wigan

Aston Villa v Fulham

Villains fans got all excited with their win at Anfield, assuming they weren’t as bad as they had started. Then they went out of Europe midweek (yes, already) to Rapid Vienna (one of the best sides in Austria, you know). Things aren’t quite right at Villa Park yet, but a win over visiting Fulham, who also lost midweek, to a side that nobody has ever heard of (no, really – Amkar Perm – who?!?) and they should be back on course. Prediction: Aston Villa 2-0 Fulham

Jimmy Bullard is back!

Been missing Jimmy Bullard since his knee-injury lay-off? 

Well don't worry, last week's Soccer AM shows he is back and better than ever, struggling with the filming of Sky Sports' pre-match profile! It's a classic, enjoy!

Premier League Spotlight - Is real football ruining Fantasy Football?

Things aren’t going quite the way you’d hoped if you, like myself, are a ‘Fantasy Football’ lover. Armchair experts across the UK have been shouting at their televisions on Saturday night as results have gone somewhat wrong. We sit in front of Match of the Day and avoid reality by cheering on members of our dream team, so disappointed are we with the hapless hoofing of their favourite real-life squad. And usually it’s fun. But so far this season, the Premier League has been ruining Fantasy Football. And why? Because the players that are meant to be good, the ones that cost the most to pick – the ones you have scrimped and saved on every couple of thousand pretend pounds to afford… are crap.

Don’t get me wrong, it makes for a very interesting start to the Premier League season, but it’s more than a little infuriating! Liverpool losing twice, Man United struggling twice in their opening 3 games, one of last year’s tightest defences Everton letting in a goal a minute, and the debut of Blackburn’s £7m Kalinic making ‘the future of Croatian football’ look very bleak indeed. Ok, so I knew that last one was a long shot. But you get my point.

 

And, after they made it 3 points from 9, equalled last season’s tally of defeats, and, er, got stuffed at home (losing for the first time in 32 matches) Liverpool’s 1-3 defeat to Aston Villa is this week’s Premier League spotlight.

Despite an action-packed first couple of minutes, Liverpool’s midfield looked nowhere near as inventive and incisive as Villa’s in the first half, with a surprisingly bold and confident first 45 from Martin O’Neill’s men, who until Monday had won only twice in 18 competitive matches (Newcastle & Hull). Woeful defending from set-pieces cost the Reds dearly, with first Lucas nodding into the wrong onion bag and then Curtis Davies heading home unmarked, seconds before the whistle. And while the second half improved for Liverpool, as they besieged the goal of their former ‘keeper Brad Friedel to yield a Torres goal, they could not haul the game back. Captain Wonder Stevie Gerrard to blame as, in his attempts to do everything, he proceeded to dump Nigel Reo-Coker on his backside in the box. A clinical Ashley Young put the game, but not the talking points, to bed.

Though the talk of titles lost is far too premature, (Man Utd having looked equally poor at the start of several of their Championship winning seasons) there are some major problems with this Liverpool side. The main one being how do you solve a problem like Alonso? Xabi left for the Galacticos, but the metronomic midfield maestro has not been replaced. Alberto Aquilani was signed to fill the void, but aside from being an entirely different type of player, the Italian is injured. As he has been much of his young career to date.

The difficulty is, that without another striker, the Reds cannot risk Gerrard in midfield. But without Alonso, there is nobody in the Liverpool midfield that can pass. So the captain, red-and-yellow ‘G’ on his blue lycra undergarment just visible, has to charge around the pitch for the ball, unable to do that dove-tailing trick that worked so nicely last season.

It is a dilemma for Benitez, who, as the subs bench has been screaming recently, has precious few options. With only Voronin, or N’Gog (Babel never is, never was, and never will be a proper striker) to fill the striking berths, the Spanish tactician may well be regretting spending £18m on Glen Johnson. Not that he isn’t good – ironically he has been Liverpool’s star performer thus far – but because, even if Aquilani can somehow answer the Alonso question, Liverpool are still going to be where they were last season – one striker short of a picnic.

Results elsewhere saw Ancelotti’s Chelsea train continue to chug towards the title, his formation stuck on ‘diamond’ mode. Drogba and Anelka have formed a good partnership at its pinnacle, both scoring in the 2-0 win at Fulham, but it remains to be seen if Ancelotti can change his tactics if needed…

Manchester United finally stopped their run of woeful performances with a 5-0 rout at Wigan, although it was the least convincing hammering Footie Frog has seen, as Utd really struggled in the opening 45. Goals from Rooney (2) Berbatov, Owen and Nani proved that the Champions flow when the floodgates are opened, it’s just a matter of opening them with a team lacking in creativity.

 Abou Diaby netted two fine goals as Arsenal romped past visiting Portsmouth 4-1. Kaboul nodded a reply that could have been added to, had Utaka not tripped over his own feet, but Gallas and Ramsey both scored to seal the win, as Arsene’s fluid 433 oozed through Portsmouth’s hole-ridden side. Worryingly for Pompey, David James had to be in superb form just to keep it at four…

City’s spending continued to pay dividends, as an Emmanuel Adebayor goal was enough to dispatch plucky Wolves at Eastlands. The Togo international linked well with Tevez throughout, but City struggled to turn a wealth of chances into goals, and it nearly cost them. They need to be more ruthless for a top 4 spot.

Also challenging for that Champions League place is Spurs, who continue to defy the odds by failing to play like Spurs. A masterstroke on the part of Harry Redknapp, who evidently saw that it had never worked for them in the past, and proceeded to shake things up – actually making the most of the wealth of talent available. Their perfect start was threatened as Carlton Cole pretended he was England class again, firing the Hammers in front in from long range in front of Capello, but goals from fellow Lions hopefuls Defoe and Lennon burst the West Ham bubble.  

Burnley won. Yup, again. Anyone who took a risk on a couple of them in the Fantasy side has done ok. I doubt this dream will last, but if Bikey can play as he did on Sunday, and if they can play the hapless Everton every week, then it just might. Oh – it helps if people like Wade Elliot continue to nab a goal.

A Kenwyne Jones double gave Sunderland victory over Blackburn after Gael Givet had netted for Rovers in the first half, proving that the power and options in the Black Cats’ strikeforce should be enough to propel them up the league this season.

Goals look hard to come by for Bolton however, as their defeat at the hands of Kamel Ghilas of Hull leaves them pointless and goalless after their opening couple of games. If they fail to bring in another striker this week, they, along with Pompey and Wigan, may not be able to secure the goals to keep them out of the danger zone.

 Birmingham are fast proving to be the most boring side in the League, and, despite the ridiculously expensive signing of 'Chucho' Benitez, they are similarly goal-starved up front. Their striking woes are shared by Stoke, whose key man, James Beattie, went off injured in the St Andrews stalemate.

Premier League Spotlight - Back with a Bang!

Well, that’s it! After 2 months of kicking balled socks around your home, and trying (in vain) to fixate yourself on another sport… Footie came back – with a bang! The opening weekend of the Premier League season crushed the football world's lazy illusions and predictions surrounding the forthcoming season.

Arsenal’s gifted youngsters silenced their critics in emphatic style at Everton, coming away from Goodison Park with not just 3 points, but a +5 in their goal difference column. The Gunners hammered 6 past Tim Howard – 1/6 of what the American international conceded in the entire last season, and the Toffees could only muster a solitary Saha goal in reply.

Arsenal equalled the opening day goal record set by Liverpool against Crystal Palace in 1994 playing some sumptuous football. All departments looked solid and classy – their tackling, distribution and finishing oozed a style and confidence surprising for a team that has received so much negative press. Belgian centre-back had a wonderful debut, his powerful header capping a match where he was always first to the ball; his tackles were inch-perfect, and Arsenal fans will be hoping that their worries surrounding the loss of Toure were for nothing. More promising for the North London faithful, though, were the performances of their midfield. Criticised by many in the press (Footie Frog included) as lacking bite and some years from being the finished article, Denilson and captain marvel Cesc Fabregas enjoyed an afternoon of total control. The former scored a superb 20 yard strike, while the latter pulled the strings expertly in midfield, grabbing a brace in the process.

The Saha goal was of little consolation to the Everton fans, who saw a distinctly unimpressive defensive performance from their side. This was mainly because Jo Lescott - who had said prior to the match that he wasn’t in the right mindset to play - played. Failing to deal with the barrage of Arsenal crosses and set-pieces, he looked equally uncomfortable following the probing Red runners. With unusual lapses in concentration and skill, the England international was seemingly elsewhere in his mind… perhaps on a different pitch wearing a lighter shade of blue?

lsewhere this weekend…

Man Utd proved Footie Frog right in one respect. Last entry I mentioned the importance of attacking creativity to the Red Devils’ season. They showed little of it against Birmingham, scraping a 1-0 win at Old Trafford. The United excuse will be that they had several stars out, but their front 4 (Berbatov, Rooney, Nani and Valencia) was their first-choice attack and it struggled badly. Far from the fast, fluid attacks of last season, United looked scrappy and disjointed. Whether the return of England international Carrick and the often-frustrating Anderson will herald a massive change we will have to wait and see…

Liverpool and Chelsea looked similarly weak. Tottenham battered the former at White Hart Lane, with sterling displays from debutant Bassong, who headed the winner, and the quickly-becoming fan favourite Palacios. Liverpool looked second-best all over the park, with several injuries and a quick scan of a bench containing academy and distinctly average players proving their worrying lack of strength in depth.

Chelsea’s blushes meanwhile, were spared by a Drogba double – a Ronaldo-esque free-kick in the first half, and a 92^nd minute cross dropping over helpless Hull ‘keeper Myhill, to prevent the Tigers from grabbing a point at the Bridge. With 27 shots, and goals coming from a set-piece and mis-aimed cross, the Blues need to work on converting their chances if they want to secure the title for which they are favourites.

Sunderland (1-0 at Bolton) and Man City (2-0 at B’Burn) got off to their expected winning ways with debut goals from Darren Bent and Eman Adebayor respectively, Villa surprisingly fell 2-0 to Wigan, thanks to a sublime volley from Hugo Rodallega, a deflected Zamora goal saw Fulham scrape past depleted Pompey, whilst promoted Wolves and Burnley lost 2-0 to Stoke and West Ham respectively – welcome to the Premier League echoing around articles in the press.

Premier League Preview - Club by Club

Hey guys! Footie Frog is back and can't wait for the new season to get underway... below is a little look at each club and how I think they're shaping up a few days before the big kick-off... Enjoy!

 

Arsenal:

It will undoubtedly be another season of over-reliance of both youth and the fitness of injury prone stars, but the prospect of Eduardo, Arshavin and Rosicky all returning after a full pre-season is exciting. Or should I say was. Rosicky is already injured. Again. A whole summer of rumours about Chamakh and Vieira wasn’t exactly inspiring, but looks even worse with the (albeit fiscally fantastic) departures of Toure and Adebayor. Is there enough bite in midfield? Will they get enough goals? Will the defence hold out? A pre-season full of questions.

Aston Villa:

Worryingly weak at the back. Having their best centre-back and centre midfielder leave, Martin O’Neill had to make sure he added to a thin squad. While Fabian Delph is an exciting replacement for Gareth Barry, there has been little activity in the way of defenders. Zat Knight has been sold to Bolton, leaving only Cuellar and Davies as recognised centre-backs. Still, at least O’Neill only spent most of his budget on another attacking player…although Downing can’t even play til December…the mind boggles…

Birmingham City:

Relying on a defence made up of inexperienced ex-Championship players and an £8m Ecuadorian striker nobody has heard of, from a club nobody has heard of, in a league that isn’t very good… makes sound business sense, no? No.

Blackburn Rovers:

Cheques written for a variety of players this summer – all but one will surely fail to set pulses racing. Nikola Kalinic was dubbed ‘the future of Croatian football’ by Slaven Bilic, and he certainly has quality, having notched up a ratio of a goal every two games at Hajduk Split. If he fails to adapt quickly though, Blackburn will find themselves in the same situation as last season – struggling to buy a goal.

Bolton Wanderers:

Unsurprisingy, blowing most of the Anelka windfall on Johann Elmander has turned out to be a mistake. Failed to make a big impact last season, and reduced the funds available for this term. Megson has brought in cheap, sensible, defensive players and opted to place all of his eggs in Elmander’s not-so-prolific basket.

Burnley:

A small, rather weak squad has hardly been enhanced this summer. David Edgar and Tyrone Mears will both bring in experience… of relegation… and the rest of the signings have hardly been noteworthy. Except Steven Fletcher. The Scot striker has a fine record in the SPL, but charged with the task of keeping a very ‘Championship’ side in the Premier League, may crumble under the pressure. If he doesn’t succeed, neither will Coyle’s men.

Chelsea:

Little has changed from this time last year. Another new manager is expected to bring silverware to the Bridge, and with a very similar squad. The fact that the Blues managed to hold onto Terry and Carvalho among others will have buoyed the fans almost as much as United’s loss of Tevez and Ronaldo. Zhirkov is a quality addition, but for him and the others to succeed, the tactics must be right.

Everton:

Only last season’s loanee Jo has (re) joined the Everton ranks this summer, and David Moyes will be hoping that he can sustain last term’s initial impact. With Saha and Yakubu both returning to fitness, we should see an improvement on the Everton that managed to impress against the odds last season. It remains to be seen if want-away Lescott will get the move he desires. If not, back the Toffees to do well.

Fulham:

Roy Hodgson did a superb job last season but many in and around the Cottage feel that a repeat of those heroics are unlikely. Brede Hangeland declared that the team are ‘focussing on survival’ and when you add the extra games brought by European football to a relatively thin squad (that has been bolstered only by Stephen Kelly and Bjorn Riise,) it’s not too difficult to see why.

Hull City:

It has been a summer of nearly-men for Hull. Zamora, Owen, Fortune and Campbell have all flirted with Phil Brown, who recognised the need for a goalscorer to join the Tigers’ ranks, but none were drawn to the KC. Eventually Brown was able to bring in exciting young USA international Jozy Altidore, but only he and Seyi Olofinjana have been added to side that only just avoided the fate that could beset them this time round.

Liverpool:

Have their best shot at the title in years. Possessing arguably the strongest starting line-up of any of the ‘big four’, expectation is high at Anfield. The loss of Alonso to Madrid was a sore point, but provided Aquilani is fit and settles quickly, he should add to the side a dynamism not possessed by the Spaniard. Liverpool’s strength in depth, however, is not that of the other major title challengers. They lack quality cover in defence, and should Gerrard or Torres get injured (as last season) it could spell the end of their bid for title 19 (as last season.)

Manchester City:

A host of quality signings hasn’t, in pre-season at least, yielded the results Mark Hughes was expecting. Some of his bids for defenders have screamed desperation, and though Lescott’s head has been turned, Matt Upson seems a more likely late-purchase. While many see City as 4^th-spot contenders, there will likely be too much disharmony (both in the tactics and the egos) for City to provide the consistency needed. The defence still looks shaky, the midfield disjointed, and who will Hughes pick up front? If results don’t go his way early on, the job-centre could be calling.

Manchester United:

As solid as ever at the back, their season will live or die on their midfield. With Ronaldo and Tevez gone Sir Alex’s men not only need goalscorers, they need their creative players to come to the fore. A lot of pressure rests on the shoulders of Nani and Anderson, not to mention Ronaldo’s replacement Valencia. Berbatov, Rooney and Owen can and will all score goals, but only if they get the ball.

Portsmouth:

Best players Crouch and Johnson have moved on this summer, and only free transfers Finnan and Mokoena have replaced them. Loan signing Piquionne will be charged with getting the goals needed to keep Pompey in the top-flight. With the less-than-prolific Kanu, Nugent and Utaka fighting for a place beside him, things do not bode well for Pompey. If the threadbare squad gets any thinner in the next few weeks, relegation looms ominously.

Stoke City:

No real additions to last season's squad, and surprisingly few players leaving. Another couple of bodies should be brought in towards the end of the window, just to provide some strength in depth (particularly up front to lighten Beattie's load). But with good team spirit, solid tactics and an intimidating ground, not to mention an intelligent manager, little needs changing for Stoke. Provided Beattie keeps scoring and they play as they did last season, there'll be no worries at the Britannia. 

Sunderland:

Bruce’s capture of Darren Bent was a masterstroke. Capable of scoring enough goals to keep them in the division, he could form a powerful partnership with Kenwyn Jones. Though Bruce has not addressed the lack of attacking creativity in midfield and quality defenders at the back, the purchase of Lorik Cana from Marseille will give them some bark and more than a little bite in the middle of the park. Injuries, though, could see them struggle.

Tottenham:

Seemingly hell-bent on assembling the largest squad of good-but-not-great players football has ever known, Harry Redknapp has brought in Crouch and Bassong for big money. Kyle Naughton represents a promising future, but it all seems a bit too-many-cooks-not-enough-ingredients at Spurs. They need to pick the right players in the right positions and stick with it.

West Ham:

A squad with little talent has barely been bolstered this summer. Luis Jimenez has been brought in, but whether he will adapt to the pace and rigour of the Prem after a miserable time in Italy is to be seen… Much depends on the form and fitness of Ashton and Cole up front, whether the left wing slot can be filled, and whether Upson listens to Mark Hughes’ overtures.

Wigan:

Have suddenly turned into relegation candidates. A lack of goals, little creativity in midfield, and a defence that works in fits and starts is a recipe for disaster. Roberto Martinez has to inspire his players and quickly adapt to management at this level. James McCarthy is the one exciting signing at the JJB, and certainly a rising star…

Wolverhampton Wanderers:

Do not be surprised if Wolves do a Reading or Hull and shoot up the table early on. They have a well-drilled, well-gelled side, and talents like Ebanks-Blake, Kightly and Henry could shine on the big stage. Kevin Doyle from Reading and Serbian international Nenad Milijas both bring much-needed experience to the squad. The place they do look a little shaky is at the back, and they could be frequently outpaced and overpowered.