Saturday football

[Coffee one sugar]

EVERTON vs MANCHESTER UNITED (1230)
The media have already started getting all excited over this, and specifically over David Moyes. Remember him? One point separates the two sides, and who’d have thought that just a few weeks/months ago? Should be a tight and decent game. Draw.

BOURNEMOUTH vs WOLVERHAMPTON WANDERERS (1500)
The Cherries are within spitting distance (take my word for it) of a Champions League finish while Wolves are within similar distance of an unwanted bottom three spot. Momentum, form and home advantage together point to just one possible outcome. Home win.

ARSENAL vs WEST HAM UNITED (1500)
Don’t know what to say. Paqueta’s joined the non-walking wounded. There’s a stronger sense of by how many than of who. You figure out the rest. Home win.

FULHAM vs CRSYTAL PALACE (1500)
Two consecutive wins have put Fulham back on course for now, although Palace can point to three wins in their last six so they’re unlikely to be pushovers. Tight but probably inevitable. Home win.

IPSWICH TOWN vs TOTTENHAM HOTSPUR (1500) 
Spurs’ last win at Portman Road saw Jurgen Klinsmann score twice in a 3-1 victory. The visitors must be yearning for another Klinsmann to boost their flagging campaign. Away win.

SOUTHAMPTON vs BRIGHTON & HOVE ALBION (1500)
It must be excruciatingly painful being a Saints supporter these days. There’s really no way to talk up their prospects against any opposition, so let’s just say it as it is. Away win.

ASTON VILLA vs CHELSEA (1730)
Probably the game of the day. It’s been six games since Villa last won a league fixture and this one offers little in the way of hope to remedy that. The visitors have won two, drawn two and lost two in the same period. Hmm. Draw.


SUNDAY

NEWCASTLE UNITED vs NOTTINGHAM FOREST (1400)
Home advantage will tip the balance even against high-flying Forest. Just. Home win.

MANCHESTER CITY vs LIVERPOOL (1630) 
The game of the weekend. There’s little to add. Away win.


TUESDAY

BRIGHTON & HOVE ALBION vs BOURNEMOUTH (1930)
The south coast is busy. Draw.

CRYSTAL PALACE vs ASTON VILLA (1930)
Hmm, there’s little on form to distinguish these two. Draw.

WOLVERHAMPTON WANDERERS vs FULHAM (1930)
Wolves’ main concern is what lies beneath, lest it be them. Fulham are in the happier position of having to focus on what’s above. Away win.

CHELSEA vs SOUTHAMPTON (2015)
Oh dear. Home win.


WEDNESDAY

BRENTFORD vs EVERTON (1930)
Home win.

MANCHESTER UNITED vs IPSWICH TOWN (1930)
Home win.

NOTTINGHAM FOREST vs ARSENAL (1930)
Tight one. Away win.

TOTTENHAM HOTSPUR vs MANCHESTER CITY (1930)
Away win.

LIVERPOOL vs NEWCASTLE UNITED (2015)
Home win.


THURSDAY

WEST HAM UNITED vs LEICESTER CITY (2000)
Home win.

[Manuel]

Palace played some good stuff last night. One thing that always stands out for me is that most other sides always seem to have a lot of pace and can counter quickly with players on the overlap, even against 10 men on Saturday we didn't really lay a glove on Arsenal. Badly needs to be addressed.

[El Scorchio]

It's weird. It's almost gone back to Pulis at Stoke 'dinosaur' tactics. Big bastard defenders who will be solid as a unit and bully all the 'finesse' forward players. Especially the small bodies that Man City have, barring Haaland but even he can't do much against two big fuckers sitting deep and kicking him about the place. Sit deep and get everyone behind the ball to crowd them out, roughhouse them and win it back, then just getting the ball forward as quick as possible in as few passes as possible when you win it with pacy front players breaking forward in numbers after the oppo are all sucked forward. Ironically this plays right into Moyes hands at Everton I guess, given the players he inherited!

I've always said there is a place in the modern game for old fashioned CB's, good chance we will see Webster here IMO. Many want Aguerd back? Was all Moyes's fault that he was totally shit, apparently.

Yup- if you're willing to sit back and ask them just to physically dominate rather than be ball players or need blistering pace to catch up with strikers then you can build an effective defence very cheaply (Huth and Morgan at Leicester anyone?) with big strong but limited players. Aguerd is almost the polar opposite. He'd be much more at home weirdly in a 'finesse' defence like Man City when they were commanding games with possession, not asked to do loads of 'proper' defending and the physical side, but be able to play the ball, set up attacks from the back and have decent pace to cover back. Those are his strengths and that's clearly why he's so much more at home in Spain. I don't think he's flat out shit, just wildly unsuited to what we wanted him to be able to do or what was required in our team which was basically the opposite. Another round peg in a square hole. He may not be terrible as part of a three for us if he can be used in a clever way to play to his strengths (I don;t see him coming back though) But then of course you've got the elite few defenders like Van Dijk that can just do all of that and are out of this world expensive. But defence, especially CB is where the 'lesser' teams really play their moneyball cards and can get great value out of limited players to be really competitive on the cheap and invest what they have elsewhere. Usually in a very good box to box midfielder and pacy wide forwards. (Just like Brentford actually and completely Leicester's blueprint that they stumbled into when they won the league. Brutes at the back, Kante in midfield, Mahrez and Vardy up top.) 

[Manuel]

It's weird. It's almost gone back to Pulis at Stoke 'dinosaur' tactics. Big bastard defenders who will be solid as a unit and bully all the 'finesse' forward players. Especially the small bodies that Man City have, barring Haaland but even he can't do much against two big fuckers sitting deep and kicking him about the place. Sit deep and get everyone behind the ball to crowd them out, roughhouse them and win it back, then just getting the ball forward as quick as possible in as few passes as possible when you win it with pacy front players breaking forward in numbers after the oppo are all sucked forward. Ironically this plays right into Moyes hands at Everton I guess, given the players he inherited!

I've always said there is a place in the modern game for old fashioned CB's, good chance we will see Webster here IMO. Many want Aguerd back? Was all Moyes's fault that he was totally shit, apparently.

[El Scorchio]

It's weird. It's almost gone back to Pulis at Stoke 'dinosaur' tactics. Big bastard defenders who will be solid as a unit and bully all the 'finesse' forward players. Especially the small bodies that Man City have, barring Haaland but even he can't do much against two big fuckers sitting deep and kicking him about the place. Sit deep and get everyone behind the ball to crowd them out, roughhouse them and win it back, then just getting the ball forward as quick as possible in as few passes as possible when you win it with pacy front players breaking forward in numbers after the oppo are all sucked forward. Ironically this plays right into Moyes hands at Everton I guess, given the players he inherited!

[Manuel]

Yep, as said, football as it always does, has evolved, couple that with coaches now learning how to contain City's tactics, the question now is can Pep evolve too. At the moment it doesn't appear that he can.

[Sir Alf]

The Pep tactic has been neutralised to a large extent by the teams like Pool, Bournemouth, Forest etc who use very athletic, pacey players who press very well and relentlessly for fast transitions and sitting deep in numbers when out of possession . An exciting version of the Moyes or Mourinho approach. 

There is an article on the bias broadcasting corp where Pep admits his system based on positioning and possession is no longer as effective.

football evolves. Hopefully Potter is evolving his tactics too. Seems so based on our away performances at least 

[onsideman]

Even when they were winning titles I found Manchester City a very boring watch - formulaic, risk management football. Frustrating watching them get the ball on the wing, check back and then pass backwards or sideways all the way to the other wing and repeat.

60% of the ball today and they did nothing with it of note. I think that any flair player Guardiola signs would have it knocked out of him, as happened with Grealish.

Agree. No one can argue with his record but even when they were 2-0 down in this game they were just keeping the ball and playing in front of the scouse without injecting any pace,  changing it up or bothering them in the slightest 

[Manuel]

Scenes at Bramall Lane, glad it looks like dirty Leeds are going up.

[Mad Ferret]

Sort of see why city wanted Paqueta now. Even though he gives the ball away a lot, city lack a lot of creativity. No invention at all. The way Paq manages to dink the ball over defences for Bowen etc, debruyne just isn’t doing that stuff anymore. 

I’ll drive him up myself in the summer.

[lowlife]

Even when they were winning titles I found Manchester City a very boring watch - formulaic, risk management football. Frustrating watching them get the ball on the wing, check back and then pass backwards or sideways all the way to the other wing and repeat.

60% of the ball today and they did nothing with it of note. I think that any flair player Guardiola signs would have it knocked out of him, as happened with Grealish.

[threesixty]

Sort of see why city wanted Paqueta now. Even though he gives the ball away a lot, city lack a lot of creativity. No invention at all. The way Paq manages to dink the ball over defences for Bowen etc, debruyne just isn’t doing that stuff anymore. 

[Mad Ferret]

Hopefully this signals the end of the Forest wankfest this season.

Wouldn't at all surprise me to see them miss out on Europe entirely.

Not sure what your gripe is against Forest. Have been entertaining and fun to watch this season, this match included.

They haven’t been that entertaining at all.

Nuno is an olive skinned Moyes.

[Mad Ferret]

Did seem strange that there was only 3 mins added.

5 seems to be the minimum these days.

[Keep dreaming]

Hopefully this signals the end of the Forest wankfest this season.

Wouldn't at all surprise me to see them miss out on Europe entirely.

Not sure what your gripe is against Forest. Have been entertaining and fun to watch this season, this match included.

[mallard]

Forest pull it back to 4:3

Could be an interesting stoppage time

[Sir Alf]

Forest look unusually vulnerable.  Barcodes could rack up a few more.
Something about that Antony Gordon that really irritates so would like Forest to get back into it but 3 goals is a deficit that almost impossible to make up in the Premiership.

 

[Mad Ferret]

Hopefully this signals the end of the Forest wankfest this season.

Wouldn't at all surprise me to see them miss out on Europe entirely.

[happygilmore]

The Forest away kit seems to have turned them into man city

[mallard]

That was a crazy 10 minutes! 

[El Scorchio]

This Newcastle game is nuts. 1-0 to Forest 10 mins ago. Now 4-1 Newcastle. 

Isak with two so I’m sure shearer is creosoting the walls of his living room right now. 

[El Scorchio]

Maybe var would have given the penalty to ashely young if he hadn't thrown himself up in the the air like that or spent a whole career diving like a cսnt

Or if he was still wearing a Man U shirt. 

[Fauxstralian]

I am sure Youngs leap in the air was what persuaded VAR to tell the ref to think again
When they put the VAR explanation up on the screen I am sure it said they’d decided Maguire hadn’t committed a foul
Interesting but it was DE LIGT pulling his shirt 
Don’t think it was a clear & obvious error & reckon it should have stood despite Youngs acting.
I guess Young would say if I don’t throw myself on the ground it wouldn’t be given. Probably correct

[Mad Dog]

Maybe var would have given the penalty to ashely young if he hadn't thrown himself up in the the air like that or spent a whole career diving like a cսnt

[Mad Ferret]

To think so many on here turned their noses up at Rashford…

[Sydney_Iron]

 I’m going for a famous West Ham against the odds win 0-1 and they can’t hit a barn door You know it makes sense


 

Feeling like Nostradamus this morning after my predication yesterday Didn't watch live either after recent efforts, but did enjoy getting up early to watch it on replay