Premier League Picks Of The Week 36

Sports - Football - Premier League - Week 36

The 36th week of the Premier League action saw:
217 shots - most by Man City = 26
25 goals - most by Man City = 5
175 fouls - most by Stoke = 15
25 bookings - most by West Ham = 4
0 red cards
1 penalty - 0 scored

What a game! Sunderland's win over Hull came just as surprising as Arsenal beating Manchester United, and comfortably so! From the relegated side doing their one and only double of the season, dragging their opponents down with them, to the old senior manager beating his special rival for the first time, keeping both sides' hopes of breaking into the top four super-slim. Looking at the table, these results were welcomed by winners Swansea and strugglers Liverpool respectively.

What a team! Chelsea sealed Middlesbrough's faith with a comfortable 3-0 win, putting one hand on the trophy themselves. Respect to Antonio Conte for lauding and applauding the Boro fans for staying at Stamford Bridge despite facing the dire result and drop. No one can deny the passionate Italian guy has done something right, learning from mistakes and finding formation with form and consistency, something all the other sides and bosses have been missing. Champions Leicester meanwhile recorded another win which takes them to the top half of the table, back where they belong their fans will feel, surely Craig Shakespeare too, underlining his right for a longterm deal.

What a man! West Ham keeper Adrián made save, after save, after save, denying Harry Kane, Dele Alli and Eric Dier, amongst others. Manuel Lanzini won it for the Hammers, unmarked inside the six-yard box, netting his ninth goal in 14 London derbies, ending Spurs' nine-game winning run and their real threat and shout in the title race as the gap to Chelsea re-opens to seven points with three games left to play for both sides.

What a goal! It took City under two minutes to take the lead against Crystal Palace and the game was over as the hosts bossed the match from then on to the final whistle, thrashing their opponents 5-0 at the Etihad. Why couldn't Liverpool do that at Anfield?! It just shows the gulf between the two sides, from top to bottom, from top three/four to the rest... Your guess is as good as mine where the Reds fall between all this after yet another frustrating display in the goalless draw after James Milner's penalty miss against Southampton at Anfield. Here is my full LFC match report.

What the hell?! I was very annoyed by Phil Neville on Match Of The Day and the BBC website this weekend, ranting and whining about how bad the Premier League and meaningless the games have become... Hm... Ok, the last couple of weeks haven't been the most exciting... But... Funny the former Manchester United player should fire such criticising shots whilst his team is flopping! Frustrated, are we? Boring for you as your team isn't getting anything in the league (despite 25 games unbeaten, dropping more points than gaining compared to the sides above them thanks to a record number of draws). Comparing and contrasting the top Premier League sides to the likes of Barcelona, Bayern Munich and Real Madrid - look at their leagues! Booooooring! Bayern have already won the league months ago, whilst both Barca and Real have no serious competition apart from each other, thrashing one opposition after another week in, week out, year in, year out! And Italy and Scotland have been marred by more financial and political affairs and points deductions downing and deleting competitors and the whole competition with them. Not even mentioning all the diving and whining and lack of pace that spoils most European leagues (and I hate to see more and more in the Premier League too! But that's a whole new separate topic to discuss...)! And Leicester made it to the quarter finals of the Champions League! Not bad for a side that only just climbed back into the top half of the Premier League! But wait, it wasn't United, so it doesn't count, right Neville? (And hang on, aren't the Red Devils in the semi-final of the Europa League?! That doesn't count either, does it? Unless they win of course... Then it will be all wow and glory! Hypocrite!) So, it's not the same team winning the title every season... Sorrrrrrry!!! Yes, Chelsea have been the best this season, but hey, after the last three/four seasons, who dares to predict where Conte and Co will be next season?! Fiver on sacking? But who cares, right Neville?

My Predictions - Actual Results
West Ham 0:1 Tottenham - 1:0
Man City 2:0 Crystal Palace - 5:0
Bournemouth 2:0 Stoke City - 2:2
Burnley 1:0 West Brom - 2:2
Hull City 1:0 Sunderland - 0:2
Leicester 2:0 Watford - 3:0
Swansea 1:1 Everton - 1:0
Liverpool 2:1 Southampton - 0:0 or click here for my full LFC match report
Arsenal 1:2 Man United - 2:0
Chelsea 3:1 Middlesbrough - 3:0

Click here for last week's Premier League Picks.

All pictures and stats are taken from the BBC match reports and MOTD.

Premier League Picks Of The Week 34

Sports - Football - Premier League - Week 34

The 34th week of the Premier League action saw:
158 shots - most by Bournemouth = 21
19 goals - most by Bournemouth = 4
155 fouls - most by Burnley = 17
28 bookings - most by Hull & Middlesbrough = 4
2 red cards - Oumar Niasse for Hull & Gaston Ramirez for Middlesbrough
1 penalty - 0 scored (Arnautovic for Stoke)

What a game! It took Everton nearly 70 minutes to register their first attempt and did not manage to get a single shot on target in the goalless draw at West Ham. Not much to write about there as you can gather. Their Red Scouse neighbours didn't do any better, failing and falling miserably 1:2 at home against a reborn Crystal Palace (click here for my full LFC match report). A lot of negatives for both sides of Liverpool... United meanwhile are sneaking and creeping their way closer and closer to their bitter rivals in the top four after their comfortable 2-0 win at Burnley, just three points behind Liverpool in third with two games in hand, and two behind City in fourth, who they play next in one of their games in hand!

What a team! As mentioned above, Crystal Palace made it six wins out of eight league games after seeing Christian Benteke's double haunt and down his former side Liverpool 2-1. The win at Anfield sees Big Sam's side onto 38 points, seven clear of danger, whilst Jürgen Klopp is left scratching his head. Apart from Philippe Coutinho's fine free-kick halfway through the first half, there was not much to cheer for the Reds, looking worn and torn, labouring 72% possession but not creating much. Palace have now won on their last three league trips to Anfield - the first team to do so since Chelsea in October 2005. Again, click here for my full LFC match report.

What a man! Gastón Ramírez should be very ashamed! The Middlesbrough midfielder got booked twice within 20 minutes, once for diving and another for a reckless tackle on Marc Pugh. Two stupid actions that cost his side, who were already 2-0 down early on at Bournemouth, making an already difficult game in their battle for survival close to impossible. Reckless and hopeless, Boro got thrashed 4-0 and are stuck in 19th, nine points from safety with five games remaining. Cherries meanwhile, will be very happy to have ended their four-match winless run with a win and three points that shoot them four places up the table to 12th, seven points safe from the drop. Surely Eddie Howe and his men are well set for their third season in the Premier League.

What a goal! How crucial will Marko Arnautović's penalty miss be? Just 60 seconds after he blasted the spot kick high for Stoke, Tom Carroll doubled Swansea's lead with a deflected strike from long range after Fernando Llorente had headed the home side ahead early on. The Liberty Stadium erupted in joyous celebrations and deservedly so after their first victory since March gave the Swans a boost in the relegation battle, keeping them 18th in the table, just two points behind Hull and safety. At the top meanwhile, Chelsea enjoyed a convincing home win over Southampton, with Eden Hazard and Diego Costa impressing as always, both on the scoreboard in the 4-2 win that puts the Blues seven points ahead of Spurs at the top, having played one game more due to the FA Cup ties.

What the hell?! Talking about the Tigers, they had a nightmare start against Watford at the KCOM Stadium, seeing Oumar Niasse sent off harshly for his challenge on M'Baye Niang in the 25th minute. Marco Silva's men also saw a decent penalty shout denied by referee Bobby Madley, but came back courageously and stunningly in the second half. Lazar Marković netted the rebound after his header came back off the bar, before Sam Clucas doubled the score and sealed the deal with a breathtaking smacker from 25 yards out. Hull have now won 19 out of a possible 21 points at home under Silva, defying all the refereeing howlers and odds against them in the relegation battle, staying two points above the drop zone.

My Predictions - Actual Results
(Forgot to make some predictions, which then we're automatically set to 1:0)
Arsenal P:P Sunderland*
Bournemouth 1:0 Middlesbrough - 4:0
Hull City 1:0 Watford - 2:0
Swansea 1:0 Stoke - 2:0
West Ham 1:0 Everton - 0:0
Burnley 1:0 Man United - 0:2
Liverpool 1:0 Crystal Palace - 1:2 or click here for my LFC match report
Chelsea 2:1 Southampton - 4:2
Leicester P:P Tottenham*
Man City P:P West Brom*
*Postponed due to FA Cup Semi Finals

Click here for last week's Premier League Picks.

All pictures and stats taken from the BBC match reports.

Premier League Picks Of The Week 32

Sports - Football - Premier League - Week 32

The 32nd week of the Premier League action saw:
243 shots - most by Man City = 23
29 goals - most by Tottenham & Everton = 4 each
221 fouls - most by Man United = 20
34 bookings - most by West Ham & Man United = 5 each
1 red card - Sebastian Larsson for Sunderland
1 penalty - 1 scored (Milivojevic for Palace)

What a game! From the first minute, it was all bang boom bang, comeback versus comeback, game on at Goodison Park! Everton took the lead in the first minute thanks to Tom Davies poking in the joint fastest goal in the Premier League. But champions Leicester came back hitting two in six minutes, Islam Slimani in the fourth and Marc Albrighton in the tenth minute. The Toffees showed more stubbornness and hunger though, Romelu Lukaku's double taking his tally to 13 in the last eight home games and turning the game on its head yet again. The Belgian striker served Craig Shakespeare his first defeat, making it a club record of seven out of seven home wins for Ronald Koeman's men. Great entertainment, which saw the home side in seventh move level on points with Arsenal in sixth, whilst the Foxes stay in 11th.

What a team! Liverpool did what Arsenal were not able to - both played absolute shambles, the Reds making much needed changes at the break to turn the game around at Stoke, whilst the Gunners kept firing blanks and looked nowhere near anything at Crystal Palace. Jürgen Klopp started with the youngsters, but after seeing his side being chopped to bits and falling behind thanks to boyhood Evertonian Jonathan Walters, the German brought on Philippe Coutinho and Roberto Firmino who both banged in a goal each to take and turn the game around 1-2 and make a statement, even though the boss was adamant they didn't start due to lack of fitness... Arsène Wenger meanwhile looked clueless and helpless at Selhurst Park, his team mirroring that in their way of play, or lack of, the Eagles bossing it from start to finish, winning convincingly 3-0. If the games reveal or reflect anything, then it's the contrasting trend/spiral each side is finding themselves in!

What a man! This weekend my vote goes to the keepers, so many superb saves! Wow! Simon Mignolet kept Liverpool in the game with some great quick-reaction, reflex-type stops, putting his body on the line till the final whistle, very much appreciated by his team mates and manager and fully deserved to be crowned man of the match. Both Ben Foster and Fraser Forster served tung twisters for the commentators with their super saves at the Hawthorns, Jordy Clasie the only one to find a way through with a perfect strike, bang into the right side of the net to make it 0-1 to Southampton. And it was thanks to Forster it stayed that way late on, denying West Brom a late equaliser. Darren Randolph also starred keeping West Ham ahead after Cheikhou Kouyaté had given the Hammers the lead at the Olympic Stadium, with some astonishing stretching and diving, denying Swansea any way back into the game and point with it. Show stoppers and stealers with it, well and truly!

What a goal! Dele Alli's right-foot curler into the top right corner that opened the scoring for Tottenham against Watford gets my vote. It was a beauty that just started what ended up being a thrashing onslaught that downed the Hornets 4-0 with Eric Dier and Son Heung-min also on the scoreboard. The double for the latter saw Spurs complete their 11th straight home win, their best run since 1987. Table-toppers Chelsea also eased to a win at Bournemouth, Marcos Alonso making it 1-3 with a perfect unstoppable free-kick, left-foot curler into the top-right corner. It just finished off a top class win, the Cherries just could not compete with the likes of Eden Hazard, who scored the second goal and is outrunning and -scoring anyone and everyone at the moment it seems. Top class.

What the hell?! The refs were so hypocritically useless once again this weekend. On the one hand, Firmino and Kouyate got booked for celebrating their goals for Liverpool and West Ham respectively, but then Burnley's Ashley Barnes got away with elbowing his opponent in the face and then giving him a blow in the nuts just to top it off. Oh, and the last defender Michael Keane incident bringing down Patrick Bamford also at the Riverside, shouldn't that have been red rather than yellow? It ended up goalless between Boro and Clarets, the bottom three remaining winless in the last six, and deservedly so looking at this less impressive encounter. And then seeing Sunderland's Sebastian Larsson sent off for the first time in his 278 Premier League appearances the next day in the Super Sunday clash against Manchester United... It just crushed any kind of chance the Black Cats had against the Red Devils, destroying any kind of competition there was. And it was harsh. Very harsh. And very inconsistent.

My Predictions - Actual Results
Tottenham 2:1 Watford - 4:0
Man City 3:3 Hull City - 3:1
Middlesbrough 2:1 Burnley - 0:0
Stoke City 3:2 Liverpool - 1:2
West Brom 2:2 Southampton - 0:1
West Ham 2:1 Swansea - 1:0
Bournemouth 0:2 Chelsea - 1:3
Sunderland 1:1 Man United - 0:3
Everton 3:2 Leicester - 4:2
Crystal Palace 1:2 Arsenal - 3:0

Click her for last week's Premier League Picks.

All stats and pictures are taken from MOTD and BBC match reports.