Happy Summer Of Sports

Sports - Football - Tennis - Cricket

So, the summer break is nearly over, we’re just a day away from the new Premier League season. Did you miss it? I have to say, for me it was not as much as usual. 

There was plenty of football and other sports to watch, follow, cheer and/or curse. Here’s a little summery of what wows and ohs I filled my time with over the last month(s).

WWC and Euro U21s - YAY

It was the first time I followed the ladies and youngsters football competitions so closely. It obviously helped that all the matches were available to watch (remember something called freeview?!). It was good to see the stadiums full as well. But apart from that, less pace and physicality aside, the games were intense, entertaining and served a lot the others can learn and develop from. The others = the men’s game. Less diving and whining. More playing and competing. And VAR!
Although on the other hand, both the England ladies and youngsters were too nice, as if they were holding something back, which made them unable to reach the top. The United States retained their world title for the ladies, England ending fourth. The youngsters stumbled and tumbled out of the group stage once again, like in 2013 and 2015. The Spaniards ended up on top, beating defending champions Germany. All too familiar in the men's game. Just not (quite) good enough. Harsh but true.

CAF African Cup and Copa America - NAY

All the big names flopped. It was heartbreak for the hosts Egypt and a disappointing final for Senegal against Algeria in the prior. Hosts Brazil ended on top in the latter, whilst Argentina were left whining and reeling once again. I don't have to name and shame the specific individual players in the limelight. You know who I'm on about. These competitions were more disappointing, with more trouble and noise around the games, whilst seeing and feeling less crowd and action in the games and on the pitch. Just not worth it.

French Open and Wimbledon - OMG

Cori Gauff surprised us all in South-West London, the youngster pouncing and impressing with her comebacks, beating Venus Williams and making it all the way to the fourth round. Rafael Nadal ended on top in France, his 82nd career title. Novac Djokovic won Wimbledon beating Roger Federer in the longest final in the tournament's history. The Serb drove me mad with all his complaining, moaning and ranting. He's just unprofessional and immature and should know better with his experience, totaling 75 career titles. Simona Halep beat Serena Williams on the grass, the latter was looking to come back after maternity leave and break more records, but it was just too much. Ashleigh Barty won on the clay after seeing all first-time semi-finalists guaranteeing a new winner. It was good to see Andy Murray was back and impressed in the doubles with Williams. Old newbies or new oldies? Either way, it would have been too good to be true for them to win. The wave of change is noticeable. Williams got so close. But it just seemed too far. Same for Federer. Has-beens? Start of new era? Or am I just being harsh (again)? Exciting times ahead, that's for sure.

CWC and the Ashes - WTF

England showed their best and worst sides during the World Cup, scraping through the group stage, to then smash their way to the final and grab it oh so dramatically late. Australia didn’t impress me at all. After the embarrassing collapse by England in the warm-up test match against Ireland, everyone expected the worst from the Ashes. But I wouldn’t overestimate the opposition. Nor underestimate them. It’s gonna be interesting. Prediction, I said before and still say, god knows! The first Ashes test showed the best and worst of both sides. England's batting and bowling ended in absolute shambles. Injuries never help of course, but fielding decisions and captaincy are more than questionable! The Aussies recovered well after a disappointing start, saved by Steven Smith and Nathan Lyon! All the boos and controversies aside, England cannot and shall not distract from the obvious, they need to get a grip and have the guts to make changes to avoid ended up thrashed on their home turf!!! Otherwise it will end up like the last Ashes, an absolute disappointing downfall down under, read my rant about that thrash here.

The New Season - OH YEAH!!!

As a Liverpool fan, I haven’t been enjoying the pre-season too much. But of course, we’re spoiled, after an unforgettable, record-breaking last season. Click here to read my notes from that night in Madrid, XxXXxX. The Community Shield last weekend was a game of two halves, decided by penalties. Manchester City ended up lifting the trophy, but weren't exactly the shiny winners. After the English champions dominated the first half, the Reds took over after the break and despite losing in the shootout, Jürgen Klopp and his men can be very encouraged by their character, resilience and display, especially after falling behind early on. There's been so many chops and changes in the whole Premier League, on and off the pitch, introductions and updates, I think there will be quite a few surprises next season. Good and bad. And that is even before mentioning VAR, adding more spice to an already very hot dish So, before I start rambling and ranting on even more, let's just say, I am soooooo looking forward to the new season!!! And you can be sure, like last season, I will blog on, week in, week out, no matter what! 

Click here for my previous post.

All pictures, facts and stats were taken from the Wikipedia pages and various articles and reports (see under links).

Premier League Picks Of The Week 8

Sports - Football - Premier League - Week 8

Here are my Premier League Picks Of The Week 8:

26 goals - most by Arsenal = 5

255 shots - most by Fulham and Chelsea = 21 each

96 on target - most by Man United = 10

114 corners - most by Chelsea = 12

214 fouls - most by United = 16

43 yellow cards - most by Southampton = 6

3 red cards - Morgan for Leicester, Ralls for Cardiff, Kabasele for Watford

2 penalties - 1 scored (King for Bournemouth)

What a game! Bournemouth’s 0-4 thrashing of ten-man Watford was their biggest away win in the Premier League and the victory took them up to fifth. The Cherries have now taken 16 points from their opening eight league games, last season it took Eddie Howe's men 16 matches to reach that tally. Vicarage Road will not remember its 100th Premier League fixture fondly.
Old Trafford meanwhile witnessed a Fergie-style comeback Saturday evening. Manchester United were 0-2 down at half-time, but hit back to beat Newcastle 3-2, sub Alexis Sánchez with the 90th minute winner that rang good old memories around the ground after it looked oh so bleak at the break! The Red Devils had David de Gea to thank they were not thrashed in the first half, Kenedy (7’) and Yoshinori Muto (10’) hitting two goals in three minutes and the Magpies creating plenty more threats and chances against a very poor home side. But under-fire José Mourinho said something right during the interval and made the right changes at just the right times to turn the game around, man of the match Juan Mata (70’) and sub Anthony Martial (76’) starting the comeback. Rafael Benítez’s men slip down to 19th remaining winless in their eight league games this season, only in 1898-99 have they gone longer without a victory from the start of a top-flight campaign (first ten matches).

What a team! Huddersfield's comeback has finally given David Wagner's side a glimmer of hope in all the darkness, taking them off the bottom of the table up to 18th. The Terriers are still looking for their first win of the season, but Christopher Schindler's equaliser (66'), the German defender's first goal in the Premier League, secured an important point at Burnley after Sam Vokes had given the home side the lead (20'). 
Wolves' unbeaten run continues after six matches, their best run in the top flight since 1979. Nuno Espírito Santo named an unchanged starting XI for an eighth consecutive opening fixture. Matt Doherty's goal (56') was enough to down Crystal Palace at Selhurst Park, Roy Hodgson's men still looking for their first home win.

Tottenham equalled their best start to a Premier League season having 18 points from eight games after beating Cardiff 1-0 thanks to Eric Dier's early goal (8'). The Welsh side were reduced to ten men after Joe Ralls was sent off with just under an hour gone, seeing them falling to the bottom of the table still remaining without a win.

At the other end of the table, Liverpool, Manchester City and Chelsea remain unbeaten, the last three teams without a defeat. More to the meeting between the prior two below, whilst the Blues had it too easy, ending 0-3 winners at Southampton.

What a man! Glenn Murray’s 99th Albion goal and fifth of the season won it for Brighton against West Ham on Friday night (25’). The 35-year-old has been involved in 33 goals in 44 home appearances since the start of 2016-17. The Amex king ended the Seagulls’ five-game winless run in the league, whilst serving the Hammers their first league defeat in four league games. Only Chelsea forward Eden Hazard has scored more Premier League goals this season. The Belgian was essential in the Blues' win at Southampton with four key passes, 99 passes, 85.1% pass accuracy, five shots and the opening goal (30'). Ross Barkley assisted the opener and doubled his side's lead (57') before Alvaro Morata put the icing on the cake and made it 0-3 deep into injury time (93'). It's the first time an Englishman has assisted and scored for Roman Abramovich's side since Frank Lampard in December 2013.

What a goal! Gylfi Sigurðsson’s 50th Premier League goal was a stunning strike from 25 yards into the top corner (77’). That cracker gave Everton a 1-2 win at Leicester after Foxes captain Wes Morgan was sent off for the second time in three league games. It’s the Toffees first consecutive win this season and their first victory on the road which takes them up to eleventh, level on points with their opponents in tenth.

Arsenal were showing off on Sunday, thrashing Fulham 1-5 at Craven Cottage with some flashy finishes. It was all level at the break and looked very frustrating, but the Gunners shot the home side to pieces after the break. Alexandre Lacazette (29', 49') and Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang (79', 91') both starred with braces either side of Aaron Ramsey's star goal (67'). The Welsh midfielder scored within a minute of coming on as a substitute, starting and finishing a stunning team move. Manager Unai Emery can be a very happy man after seeing his side record their ninth consecutive win in all competitions, their best run since April 2015, taking them up to fourth.

What the hell?! United’s comeback win mentioned above confused everyone! Yay! Nay! No way! Half-time was the end of Mourinho, full-time the resurrection was complete. Some of the refereeing decisions were just wrong though, a goal kick was given when it should have been a corner, more like a penalty after a blatant handball! No discrediting the Red Devils and their fight back, but, it cannot hide the cracks and lacks of the team that have been oh so evident this season! Their next game will be at Chelsea after the international break, a real test of character and team play.

The one game you thought and expected the most of, had the least to show for, no goals at Anfield, just misses, and what a miss it was by Riyad Mahrez from the spot for City. Neither side recorded a single shot on target for over an hour! The goalless draw kept both clean sheets and unbeaten records in tact, as mentioned above, the top three locked on 20 points. Click here for my full match report.

My Predictions - Actual Results 

Brighton 2:2 West Ham - 1:0

Burnley 3:1 Huddersfield - 1:1

Crystal Palace 0:1 Wolves - 0:1

Leicester 2:1 Everton - 1:2

Tottenham 3:1 Cardiff - 1:0

Watford 2:1 Bournemouth - 0:4

Man United 1:1 Newcastle - 3:2

Fulham 1:2 Arsenal - 1:5

Southampton 0:3 Chelsea - 0:3

Liverpool 2:1 Man City - 0:0 or my match report

Click here for last week’s Premier League Picks.

All pictures, facts and stats were taken from the BBC match reports, Sky and RMC sports apps and coverage.

Premier League Picks Of The Week 5

Sports - Football - Premier League - Week 5

Here are my Premier League Picks Of The Week 5:

33 goals - most by Bournemouth and Chelsea = 4 each

262 shots - most by Wolves = 30

92 on target - most by Liverpool = 10

99 corners - most by Man City and Newcastle = 10 each

234 fouls - most by Tottenham and Palace = 17 each

29 bookings - most by West Ham = 5

2 red cards - Morgan for Leicester, Matic for United

5 penalties - 5 scored (King for Bournemouth, Maddison for Leicester, Hazard for Chelsea, Ings for Southampton, Murray for Brighton)

What a game! The clash of the weekend was Tottenham against Liverpool, but it ended up half the competition it was thought and previewed to be at Wembley. The Reds could and should have wiped out Spurs by four or five goals, Sadio Mané and Mohamed Salah both guilty of wasting that decisive final ball quite a few times. Mauricio Pochettino’s men were without keeper Hugo Lloris and Dele Alli due to injuries, and it showed. Replacement keeper Michel Vorm handed Georginio Wijnaldum the opener, the ref’s watch confirming the header crossed the line in the keeper’s gloves, and served Roberto Firmino with the second, spilling the spinning ball to the Brazilian striker for an easy tap in from close range. The home side did pull one back, Érik Lamela with a nice take and finish off a corner, to make a nervous finish for the visitors, but LFC made it five out of five wins for the first time since 1990, keeping red-faced Jürgen Klopp smiling brightly.

It was a great win for Bournemouth, sharing six goals, two penalties and a sending off between them and Leicester on Saturday afternoon. Ryan Fraser was lethal and should have had a hat-trick but he ended with a decisive brace as the clash ended 4-2 to the Cherries at Dean Court.

What a team! Chelsea kept their 100% record going with a comfortable win against Cardiff, despite falling behind early on against the Welsh side, more on the goals at Stamford Bridge below.

Manchester United ended Watford's unbeaten run in the late kick-off on Saturday, Romelu Lukaku chesting and Chris Smalling turning and smashing goals in at Vicarage Road. Andre Gray pulled one back but David de Gea made sure the London side didn’t complete a comeback with a cracking full-stretch save. Even José Mourinho celebrated the result, showing how much these three points meant to the Portuguese and his side.

Wolves continued their impressive show and run with a win against Burnley on Sunday. It only ended 1-0 thanks to Joe Hart, otherwise it could have been four or five goals for Nuno Espírito Santo’s men. It condemned Sean Dyche’s side to their worst top-flight start in 91 years with only one point from five games.

What a (wo)man! Bournemouth under Eddie Howe, wow, going all the way up, from 21st place in League 2 when he first started in 2008-09, to fifth in the league with the win over Leicester this weekend. The true legendary Cherry doesn't get half the credit he deserves!!!

I loved the very special mascot sisters featured before Manchester City’s win against Fulham on Saturday evening. 97 and over 100 years old, the two have been fans for over 80 years, season-ticket holders since 1933! The London side were all over the place handing Leroy Sané the opener and David Silva doubled the champions’ lead after some brilliant team play in the buildup. It could and should have been 4-0 or 5-0 before halftime with all the chances the Sky Blues had. Raheem Sterling made it three, Silva missed a sitter, Fulham were completely outplayed and slashed to bits and pieces, Pep Guariola’s men running all over them and beating them comprehensively, the win taking the champions up to third.

What a goal! Eden Hazard’s hat-trick, slash, deflected boom and bang from the spot and Willian’s fine finish completed the 4-1 comeback and thrashing for Chelsea against Cardiff, sending the Blues to the top of the table ahead of the Reds on goals difference.

Wilfried Zaha made the difference on his return to Crystal Palace, his skip and shot handing Roy Hodgson's side their second win of the season at Huddersfield.

Much under-fire Mesut Özil was the winner adding to Granit Xhaka’s opener with his first goal since December for Arsenal at Newcastle, Rafa Benítez’s misery continuing at St James’ Park despite Ciaran Clark pulling one back late on. The Gunners held on to make it three wins on the trot for Unai Emery’s men which took them up to seventh.

What the hell?! West Ham’s first win of the season under Manuel Pellegrini was a cracking Super Sunday at Everton. Andriy Yarmolenko starred with a brace, his first start and goals for the club, a fine counter and curl, before Gylfi Sigurðsson hit back with a header and Marko Arnautović secured the win with a clinical finish to make it 1-3 at Goodison Park. The result took the Hammers up to 16th with their first points of the campaign, whilst the Toffees are now 10th with six points from their first five games. Marco Silva will be wondering what the hell of a job he let himself in for.

And what a comeback it was from Brighton at Southampton on Monday night, from two goals down for the second game in a row, to 2-2 thanks to Glenn Murray’s injury-time spot kick. What a difference a break makes!!! Two very different halves and what a save it was by Mathew Ryan in the final seconds to whack away a Saints free kick! Cracking finish to a match you thought was over before it got started!

My Predictions - Actual Results

Tottenham 1:2 Liverpool - 1:2

Bournemouth 1:1 Leicester - 4:2

Chelsea 2:0 Cardiff - 4:1

Huddersfield 0:1 Crystal Palace - 0:1

Man City 4:1 Fulham - 3:0

Newcastle 1:2 Arsenal - 1:2

Watford 2:1 Man United - 1:2

Wolves 1:1 Burnley - 1:0

Everton 2:1 West Ham - 1:3

Southampton 0:0 Brighton - 2:2

Click here for last week’s Premier League Picks.

All pictures, facts and stats were taken from the BBC match reports, Goals On Sunday, Sky Sports and RMC Sports apps and match coverage.

Premier League Picks Of The Week 4

Sports - Football - Premier League - Week 4

Here are my Premier League Picks Of The Week 4:

27 goals - most by Arsenal = 3

272 shots - most by Chelsea and Man City = 24 each

93 on target - most by Arsenal = 11

91 corners - most by Tottenham = 10

216 fouls - most by Fulham and Huddersfield = 14 each

41 bookings - most by Arsenal = 4

1 red card - Rashford for Man United

4 penalties - 1 scored (Murray for Brighton)

What a game! Brighton made an impressive comeback despite being two goals down and missing a penalty against Fulham, extending their unbeaten home run which goes back to January. The Cottagers had lead through André Schürrle (43’) and Aleksandar Mitrović (62’), who had also scored and impressed last week. And after Pascal Groß was denied from the spot by Marcus Bettinelli, it looked all doom and gloom for the Seagulls. But Glenn Murray’s brace secured a point for the home side (67’ and 84’ pen), bringing his total to eight goals at home this year, the same as Harry Kane. Chris Hughton’s men had more chances to make it an even better comeback, but he had no complaints about his team’s character and resilience after grabbing the point. For Slaviša Jokanović it definitely felt more like two points dropped than one point won after a competitive encounter, Mitrović ending up as the villain after giving away the late penalty with his handball that decided the match. Tough luck!

What a team! West Ham’s miserable start to the season continued as Wolves made it four defeats out of four for the Hammers under Manuel Pellegrini, sub Adama Traoré with an injury-time winner (93’). Nuno Espírito Santo was understandably very happy after his side’s first top-flight win since 4th February 2012.

Newcastle have just the one point to show after four games, losing the battle at champions Manchester City thanks to a top-quality finish by Raheem Sterling (8’) and full-back Kyle Walker with his first goal for the Citizens in his 52nd appearance for the club, and what a hit it was (52' - his new lucky number?)! DeAndre Yedlin had pulled one back to level the score temporarily for the visitors (30’), but Rafael Benítez’s men could only produce one more shot on target, they were outplayed and -scored by Pep Guardiola’s side in the end, 2-1. The Magpies’ miserable run against the Sky Blues stretches to 22 top-flight meetings without a win, having lost the past 10 clashes away from home. Meh.

What a man! Southampton boss Mark Hughes was a very relieved man at Selhurst Park after his side recorded their first win of the season, only their second away win in the last 15 trips, despite missing a spot kick at Crystal Palace, thanks to goals from Danny Ings (47’) and Pierre-Emile Højbjerg (92’). Roy Hodgson conceded the Saints were the better side after the Eagles struggled without surprise omission and record club goal scorer Wilfried Zaha. Christian Benteke was frustrated and denied again and again by man of the match Alex McCarthy as the home side bagged their third defeat on the trot. Low.

What a goal! I bet Alisson Becker was glad to get that howler out of the way! Liverpool clung on to the three points after Leicester’s fight back in the second half, to make it four wins out of four for the first time in 28 years. The Reds were leading by two goals at the break, thanks to Sadio Mané (10’) and Roberto Firmino (45’). But the Foxes hit back hard and pulled one back as Rachid Ghezzal netted the Brazilian stopper’s giveaway (63’), Jürgen Klopp’s men were all over the place and looked like they were going to crumble as they have done in the past. But they held on. It was not an impressive performance, but still a win, the keeper will be very relieved. It will have been a very sour birthday cake for Claude Puel to bite in this weekend. Click here for my match notes.

Both Pedro (72’) and Eden Hazard (85’) produced a fine strike and drill finish respectively to continue Chelsea’s 100% start to the season despite not exactly impressing against Bournemouth. It’s the results that count most, right?! Even Maurizio Sarri celebrated the win, which says a lot!!!

What the hell?! Huddersfield’s lead lasted only 87 seconds as Dominic Calvert-Lewin levelled the score for Everton (36’) after Philip Billing’s header had put the Terriers ahead. Marco Silva conceded it wasn’t a good game despite maintaining the Toffees’ unbeaten start to the season, whilst David Wagner was happy but a bit frustrated for not seeing more rewards for all the work. Their 81-year wait for a Goodison win goes on!

Cardiff scored their first goal of the season, two in the space of 25 minutes actually (Victor Camarasa 45’+2 and Danny Ward 70’), but still ended up losing against Arsenal in the earlier kick-off on Sunday. Some crazy football, Gunner stopper Petr Čech not at his best, but some splendid goals as well (Shkodran Mustafi 11’, Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang 62’ and Alexandre Lacazette 81’), all added up to 2-3, the Bluebirds shot down at the final whistle. What a relief it was for Unai Emery, whilst Neil Warnock ended gutted.

Sunday afternoon, both matches went a bit mad in the second half! Watford came back with Troy Deeney (69’) and Craig Cathcart (76’) headers turning the game around against Tottenham to make it four wins out of four season opening fixtures for the first time in 30 years after Abdoulaye Doucouré’s own goal had given Spurs the lead (53’). 
Manchester United meanwhile made a comfortable win at Burnley thanks to Romelu Lukaku’s brace (27’ and 44’) look more difficult going down to ten men after sub Marcus Rashford saw red just ten minutes after coming on (71’). Paul Pogba was denied from the spot by Joe Hart and Lukaku missed a couple of sitters to complete his hat-trick. David de Gea made a couple of late saves to keep a clean sheet, it ended 0-2, José Mourinho much happier (well, he didn’t look it saying his farewells to the fans again after the full-time whistle). It was a Super Sunday indeed, no easy rides for anyone!

My Predictions - Actual Results

Leicester 0:2 Liverpool - 1:2 or my match notes

Brighton 3:1 Fulham - 2:2

Chelsea 2:1 Bournemouth - 2:0

Crystal Palace 0:0 Southampton - 0:2

Everton 1:1 Huddersfield - 1:1

West Ham 0:0 Wolves - 0:1

Man City 4:0 Newcastle - 2:1

Cardiff 1:2 Arsenal - 2:3

Burnley 1:1 Man United - 0:2

Watford 1:2 Tottenham - 2:1

Click here for last week’s Premier League Picks.

All pictures, facts and stats were taken from the BBC match reports, Twitter, Sky Sports and SFR apps and coverage.