The 2015/2016 EPL Weekend-Round 16

Manchester United had a week to forget. The week started with a disappointing draw against high flying Leicester, that was followed up with what was arguably their lowest point of the season when they were dumped out of the Champion's League away to Wolfsburg. Just when things couldn't get any worse United lost to Bournemouth leading to increased pressure on Van Gaal and his players. That teams like Leicester and Bournemouth no longer fear United is a worrying trend for the United faithful. The ease with which they were exposed is even more disturbing considering this is supposed to be the best defense in the league. Although Van Gaal has had to contend with a number of injuries to his squad, you would still expect them to get a result against the so called lesser teams. Van Gaal did not help his case either choosing not to play the experienced Young for reasons best know to him instead choosing to select the inexperienced back line featuring Varela, McNair and Borthwick. Maybe he underestimated Bournemouth but he should have been told the Cherries were fresh from beating defending Champions Chelsea in their previous match. United's display was lethargic and lacking in any pace especially in the second half.  United desperately need their first team players to come back from injury to stop the slide. It's now 5 games without a win with only a handful of goals scored. The dropped levels of performance even seem to be getting to the likes of Martial who had a poor game by his standards. The injury crisis has exposed a lack of depth in this squad and it is still a mystery how Van Gaal did not choose to buy an extra striker in the summer having let a number leave the club. Despite the indignity of having to play in the less fancied Europa cup, United need to start making things happen fast otherwise the gap between them and Arsenal and Manchester City(and Maybe Leicester) will only widen.

Arsenal continued their good run of form with a deserved win over Aston Villa who look set to be relegated. Mesut Ozil, Arsenal's player of the season so far continued his amazing record of providing assists as Giroud once again provided the goals for Arsene Wenger's side. The Gunners had a recent injury crisis of some sort but they look to have ridden the storm and are now in a good position going into the busy holiday schedule. Their morale has also been boosted by their impressive win against Olympiacos which saw them advance to the knock out stage once again having looked dead and buried early on in the group stage. With key players such as Chamberlain and Sanchez returning from injury, these are good times for Arsenal and they need to back it up with a colossal performance against fellow title favorites Manchester City in their next match.

Manchester City were perhaps a tad lucky against Swansea with a Yaya Toure winner in injury time. The Citizens have been inconsistent this season and have only remained in the title hunt due to poor form among their title rivals. City rely a lot on their talisman captain Kompany and they always seem to struggle when he is not playing. Injuries to their other key players, Aguero and Silva have not helped matters and the feeling is that if they can get their key men fit playing, the rest of their rivals would offer little resistance. They next face Arsenal in a key game that might have huge ramifications in deciding the destiny of the title this season.

Chelsea's bad form shows no signs of slowing down as they succumbed to another defeat this time to Leicester. Jose Mourinho this time must fear for his job as the Blues sit only a point above the relegation places after 16 games. The performance was woeful and Leicester were fully deserving of the three points. What is more worrying for the Blues is the manner of their play. None of the players look interested and it's so easy for teams to play against them. The games they have lost have not been due to bad luck but rather their poor play. It leads one to think that Mourinho might have a point when he says some of the players are 'betraying' him. It borders on sabotage. Mourinho has done everything to try and stem the tide of bad results. He has dropped players, criticized them, praised them, talked tough, changed the system but nothing seems to work. Chelsea next face Sunderland in what has now become a key relegation fight and a defeat for them might just be the final straw for Abramovic.

Liverpool inconsistent season continued with another lucky draw against West Brom. Klopp has steadied the ship somewhat but looking at The Reds first 8 games of the season when they were under Rodgers and the next 8 games when they have been under Klopp, there isn't any difference in terms of results. If Klopp is to turn this Liverpool side into a top four team and eventually a title contender then a few things are clear. The size of the task is enormous. Liverpool need to go into the market and acquire genuine quality players all over the pitch. The forward position for instance, there is Sturridge, Benteke, Ings, Origi and Firminho who is not really a number 9. Sturridge when fit has the potential to fit into any top side - but his fitness and injury issues look like they will never end. The other four would struggle to get into any topside. Liverpool have so many average players and that's where the problem lies. From the January window on wards Klopp and Liverpool need to slowly and systematically replace it's squad with quality so as to build a team that can challenge. This current squad is good enough for Europa league places.

Team of the week
Hart, Shawcross. Olsson, Nyom, Baines, Wijnaldum, King, Ramzey, Ozil, Giroud, Vardy

Player of the week
Olsson

The 2015/2016 EPL Weekend-Round 14

Leicester went into the weekend looking to reaffirm their reputation this season as genuine contenders as they hosted Manchester United in a very unlikely top of the table clash.
Ironically James Vardy was also looking to break former United legend Ruud van Nilseterooy's record of scoring in 10 successive premier league games. It is a measure of how things have changed this season when Leicester, bottom of the premiership just a few months ago can stand up to Manchester United and be considered favorites to beat them. In deed United's line up suggested they had a special plan to stop Leicester and in Particular Vardy from scoring. United started with a 3-5-2 system, a formation Van Gaal hasn't used this season, with Mcnair, Smalling and Blind in-front of De Gea with Darmian and Young as wing-backs. United also started with 2 defensive midfielders in Schweinsteiger and Carrick in a rather defensive formation. The plan didn't take long to back fire as Leicester and Vardy capitalized on some poor defensive play from United, breaking quickly from the visitors corner kick to put their famed counter attacking play to full effect. A quick ball to Vardy from Mahrez was slotted home as Vardy set a new record of scoring in 11 successive games. United did manage to get a barely deserved equalizer just before the break.  In the second half, United were lacking in ideas and in the end a draw was a fair result. Although the table shows United are just a point behind leaders Man City, there is growing frustration among the fans that this United side is one of the most boring United sides in recent memory. It's hard to argue with these views. Van Gaal appears to have brought toughness and defensive discipline to the side at the expense of attacking play. United do not concede a lot of goals but likewise they score very few. Most fans even preferred the performance in last season's 5-3 loss to Leicester as opposed to this dour draw. This season United have been all about possession football, lots of passes(mostly at the middle of the park) and very few scoring chances if any. Even more frustrating are Van Gaal's comments at the end of matches always insisting that United were dominant and unlucky not to score. How do you score when you do not create scoring chances? No disrespect to Leicester but why would United start with 2 deep lying midfielders. Mata should have started alongside Schweinsteiger or Carrick. The back-line should have been a flat 4 with Smalling and Blind with Young and Darmian as fullbacks. Van Gaal's other fault this season is his insistence of playing Rooney in all the games despite his poor form. His decision to loan out Mark Wilson hasn't gone down well with the fans either. In most of the matches, it is bewildering why Wilson hasn't come in for Rooney even just for the last 15 minutes to try and get the goals.Rooney has been a terrific servant and legend for United but no single person should be bigger than the club. He should be rested for a few games to give others a chance. United also need to shop around for a top striker in January if they are to maintain their title hopes. It won't hurt trying to tempt Vardy or Kane in January..or both. At the moment United look to be right in the mix for a title hunt, but it is more because of faltering rivals than their own making. Things might get worse should City and Arsenal get a good run of results.

Arsenal continued their indifferent form with a draw at Norwich. The Gunners were lucky to escape with a point in the end as Norwich pushed them hard especially in the second half. As if that was not enough, Arsenal again suffered injuries with both Kosicelny and Sanchez limping off. Sanchez in particular looks a big blow to Arsenal with the crucial Champions league match against Olympiakos in Greece on the horizon. His likely replacement, Joel Campbell has had a poor season so far. The Arsenal injuries story is not something new. It looks like every season Arsenal goes through this phase when they are seemingly in a good position then the injuries set in and they start to draw and lose points and with it their title hopes. This season in particular with Chelsea struggling at the wrong end of the table, United still trying to understand Van Gaal's philosophy and Manchesater City's inconsistencies, presented Arsenal with the best opportunity to break their decade long wait for the title. The worst thing that could happen to Arsenal right now is for Ozil, to get injured. The German has been on a terrific run of form scoring and creating chances consistently. Arsenal need to toughen up mentally and hang on through this tough period and hope the injured come back to first team action as soon as possible before their title hopes all but disappear.

Chelsea battled to a dull draw against London rivals Spurs in a match whose highlight was Diego Costa tossing his bib towards Mourinho after spending the entire 90 minutes as an unused substitute.
As with the United-Leicester and Arsenal-Norwich matches, this was another show of how the fortunes of the traditional English football powerhouses have been reversed. Chelsea were more the happier with the point as Spurs dominated the match and created enough to win. For the blues, it was further evidence of improvement albeit marginal as they served up their 3rd clean sheet in a row. However from the display, it will take more than this performance if Chelsea still intend to finish in the top four. It is quite remarkable that Eden Hazard, player of the year last season is yet to score a single premier league goal this season, 14 matches on.

Manchester City were the weekend big winners as they took advantage of their rivals dropping points with a clinical 3-1 win over the Saints to return to the summit of the table. The only negative was Aguero limping off with another injury. Kevin de Bruyne had another wonderful display and there is no doubting his impact has been positive in Manchester. He is the reason we are not noticing Yaya Toure's lack of impact in matches as well as Silva's absence with injuries.City have been inconsistent at times this season but they still look the best bet to claim the EPL title. Once they get their act together and go on a winning run you feel the rest of the premiership title challengers will be reduced to challenging for the top four positions.

Liverpool got a much needed win over struggling Swansea. While Klopp's Liverpool are not dominating and running over teams, the progress has been steady and most Reds fans are satisfied with the direction the club is taking. This game against Swansea is the type that Liverpool of a few months ago would have drawn, but they have done well to put themselves in a good position to challenge for top four. One key positive has been the upturn in Emre Can's form. Often deployed in defense by Brendan Rogders the German has been a revelation in midfield for Jurgen Klopp. His performances have been crucial for Liverpool under Klopp. Tougher challenges and questions await Liverpool but for now it's all looking good for the Reds and Klopp.


Team of the week
Pantillimon Otamendi Smalling Walker Kolarov Stanislas Bolasie Ozil  Barkley De Bruyne Vardy

Player of the week
Vardy

The 2015/2016 EPL Weekend-Round 13

The EPL is so unpredictable this season, what with Leicester topping the league and defending champions Chelsea languishing in 15th place. The top scorers chart has unfamiliar names like James Vardy and Ighalo while the more established marksmen like Costa and Rooney struggle to score.

And so this weekend the excitement continued. Manchester United kicked off the weekend fixture with an away assignment at promoted Watford. This is the kind of a game that would have been a guaranteed 3 points for United a few years ago but things have since changed. United had to do without Rooney, Martial and Carrick all out wiht injuries and illness. Memphis Depay who has fallen out of favor recently was nanded a rare start and he did not disappoint scoring the games opening goal. Watford rallied to equalize late in the second half courtesy of a penalty only for Schweinsteiger to ensure United came away with all three points forcing Deeney to slide the ball into his own net. Cruel for Watford but for United there was a sense of deja vu with United famed for late goals during Fergie's era. United look in good shape but injuries continue to pile as the games come thick and fast. Valencia joined the list of injured players and the absence of Rooney and Martial highlighted United's lack of alternative forwards, a situation which might come back to bite them against stiffer opposition.

Arsenal came up against West Brom looking to continue their recent run of good form. The Gunners were dealt an early blow with an injury to the influential Coquelin and his replacement couldn't have endured a worse day, he gave the foul that led to West Brom's equalizer, scored an own goal and then went off injured in what turned out to be a frustrating day for Arsenal. The Gunners peppered the Baggies goal in the second half bad a combination of wayward finishing and dogged defending by the hosts ensured West Brom collected maximum points. The Gunners even missed a late penalty with Carzola ballooning his spot kick skywards.
Arsenal's famed injury problems look to be back with Coquelin and Arteta joining an already growing list of injured players. With City losing to Liverpool, Arsenal missed a perfect opportunity to ascend to the summit of the table and they now turn their attentions to the Champion's League where their slim hopes of progression are hanging by the thread. It will be interesting to see how Arswenal manage without Coquelin given his replacement Flamini is often unpredictable blowing hot and cold.

Manchester City against Liverpool was the weekend's big game and it did not disappoint.  Few would have predicted the result. City were thrashed and well beaten by a well organised Liverpool side.
The scoreline was shocking but what was even more surprising was the manner in which City defended. Every Liverpool attack looked like it would result in a goal. The forward duo of Firminho and Coutinho cut to shreds the City back line time and time again. Mangala has never been comfortable at City since his big money transfer and he was left chasing shadows. His partner Demichelis did not fair any better and this display further added weight to the argument that when Kompany misses from the City line up, the struggle. The only City players who left with their reputations in tact were Aguero who was returning from injury as well as Hart whose saves ensured the scoreline was kept low.
City have lost in a similar manner this season, against Spurs and they bounced back brilliantly to the top of the table. A similar response will be expected. Pellegrini will hope Kompany returns to his side sooner and he also needs to reinstate Otamendi to the starting line up as he is a better defender than Demichelis and Mangala. City also need for Silva to return to the side.

Chelsea returned to winning ways with a narrow 1 nil win over Norwich. In truth the scoreline flattered Norwich as Chelsea missed several opportunities to make the scoreline comfortable.
Eden Hazard was back to his best as he bossed the left wing with a number of intelligent runs. All round this was a much improved performance by the Blues as they showed much more desire and hunger for the 3 points. Similar displays will surely ensure they earn more points and improve their league position. They next face an on form Spurs side in a match likely to show exactly where Chelsea are.

Team of the Week
De Gea, Walker, Terry, Skrtel, Rose, Coutinho, Dembele, Kane, Firminho, Barkley, Lukaku

Player of the week
Coutinho

The 2015/2016 EPL Weekend-Round 3

Manchester United's 100% recorded was ended in what was arguably their best attacking display of the season which ironically ended in a stalemate.  Newcastle put together a resolute defensive display that led by Collocini. United's final ball and finishing on numerous occasions left a lot to be desired. Depay failed to follow up his brilliant showing against Brugge in midweek more often than not failing to trouble Tim Krul in goal. Rooney fared even worse struggling to impose himself in the lone striker position. Louis Van Gaal insists he doesn't need to buy a striker but on the evidence of this game, United are laboring to finish off chances created. Rooney needs to play off a main target man. Depay at times seems to be trying too much. He needs to relax and enjoy his game. United also need to decide who will be taking their free kicks. They had more than one tasty looking freekicks that were wasted. The routine looks like when they get a free kick, either one of Rooney, Depay or Mata will take it, then they rotate the role through out the game. They need to settle on one person who will be under no pressure and will know how to correct the mistakes of a previous free kick. As poor as United were offensively, the opposite was true for the defence. United's defence has been rock solid so far this season under the stewardship of Smalling and Blind. The two seem to have discovered some sort of chemistry and are enjoying playing alongside each other. Darmian has been the stand out performer among the new signings and he continued with his good for. Luke Shaw looks a completely new plyer having shaken off his injury woes and he had a solid game. United are still trying to find the right mix for their mid field. Morgan Schneiderlin has slotted in well but it still a guess as to who will partner him their long term. So far Carrick and Schweinstiger have been used inter-changeably. Herrera has seen little playing time and Fellaini continues to serve a suspension. Juan Mata has consistently been in the starting line up this season and his perfoamnces have justified his selection. Perhaps the one player who will feel hard done by is Ashley Young. The winger has put in impressive perfomances whenever he has been selected to play this season but still finds himself unable to force himself into the starting line up. If i was Van Gaal Young would always be in my starting line up. His speed and skill means he is always a source of threat either when bringing in crosses ot finishing chances himself. I feel he has been a victim of circumstances in that United having signed big names, they have to start and Young has been one of the sacrificial lambs. United next play high flying Swansea in the league with Montero and Gomis sure to provide a stiffer challenge to the United defence. Montero was the architect of last season's win by Swansea in the same fixture last season.

Chelsea finally got a win in an action packed game against West Brom. New signing Pedro was man of the match scoring on his debut as well as providing an assist. That rubbed wounds into United wounds having failed to capture the player and struggling to score themselves. Chelsea looked comfortable uptothe Terry sending off which saw them withstand a second half onslaught by West Brom. In the end Chelsea were barely hanging on. Chelsea's defence has been the subject of scrutiny so far this season and that was the case again this weekend. They have already shipped in 7 goals in only 3 games. Chelsea will no doubt keep on trying to bring in a defender before the transfer window closes.

Arsenal and Liverpool battled to an entertaining draw in the last match of the weekend. This was as good a goalless draw as you can get. Both goalkeepers were well on top of their game with Petr Cech brilliantly making vital saves against Benteke and Courtois while fine reflexes saw Mignolet deny Giroud. Both sides also hit the wood work in a game littered with goal scoring opportunities. Both defences were shaky and Arsenal might feel hard done by with Ramsey's goal ruled out due to a controversial offside decision. Both managers will however be pleased with a draw.

Manchester City continued their impressive start to the season with a 2 nil win over Everton. City are yet to concede a goal this season. They have dominated games and it will take something special for them to be beaten. David Silva completely dominated midfield orchestrating play and providing the outlet for most of City's attack. The defence marshaled by Kompany totally nullified the threat presented by Lukaku and in the end it was a very comfortable win. At this rate ,it will take something really special to stop this City side from reclaiming their title from Chelsea.


Team of the week
Butland
Kompany
Kolarov
Smalling
Collocini
Pedro
Silva
Mata
Bolasie
Costa
Aguero

Player of the week
David Silva

The 2015/2016 EPL Weekend-Round 10

Arsenal continued their recent run of good form with a rather straight forward 2-1 victory over Everton with the scoreline flattering the Toffees somewhat  The gunners are the form team in the Premiership with 4 wins on the trot,13 goals scored and only 3 conceded in their last 4 games. In between they have also beaten Bayern Munuch in the Champion's league. Indeed Arsenal briefly led the table before City returned to the summit with their goalless draw with United in the Manchester derby. One reason for Arsenal's run of impressive results has been the good form of right back Hector Bellerin. The youngster has been very consistent in that position and his incredible pace has seen him provide a number of useful assists for the Arsenal forwards. He has made the position his and Chambers and Debuchy have been reduced to bench-warmers this season. Petr Cech's contribution cannot be ignored either and with each day his acquisition in the summer looks an incredible piece of business by Arsene Wenger. Especially when you consider Chelsea's struggle in that position with Courtois injured.

Chelsea's bad run of form shows no signs of slowing down. This time round they fell to a West Ham side that had already claimed the scalps of Arsenal, Man City and Liverpool.
Remarkably, Chelsea have already lost 5 times this season in the league after only 10 games. What's even more puzzling is the fact that this same group of players are the same ones that completely dominated the league last season. There were no notable exits in the summer and if anything, the arrivals of Pedro, Falcao and Rahman were meant to strengthen an already strong-looking squad. One major exit that Mourinho must surely be ruing is that of Petr Cech who has been a source of calmness and assurance in the Gunners defence.
Mourinho and Chelsea are running out of time and a loss to Liverpool in their next match might just be the last straw that breaks the camel's back.

City and United played out a rather dull goalless draw at Old Trafford. The game had very few chances as defences came out on top in a a game that neither team appeared willing to take risks. City must have been the happier of the two as the point took them back to the top of the pile and considering their two best players Aguero and Silva were missing. United dominated possession especially in the 2nd half but there was an obvious lack of bite with their forward play. Only Martial looked like he could beat a City player when he had the ball. Van Gaal needs to start playing Martial as a center forward and look for a different role for Rooney. At times Martial looked wasted on the left wing. Rooney might be United's captain but his form has been poor for a long time and the boss needs to do something about that. It would have been interesting to see Depay or Young coming in as a sub for Rooney to play on the left side and push Martial to the middle. All in all despite the lack of goal-mouth action, this was a resolute defensive display by both defences. My two outstanding performers were Rojo and Kolarov. Rojo had De Buyne in his pocket and never gave the Belgian a sniff. Kolarov completely nullified United's attack down the right side. Valencia never beat him even once despite numerous attempts.

Liverpool recorded their 3rd successive draw of the Klopp era concedeing a late equalizer from Mane.It's going to take a while before Klopp's influence starts to show in this team. The best the Reds can do is keep being competitive and grinding results before the January transfer window opens and then Klopp can start to exert his influence and build his team.Liverpool's target this season is top four so as long as they are within touching distance of top four they should be no panic. As it is right now Klopp has got to make do with the players he has. Liverpool also need for Sturridge to regain full fitness. Without him they look very short going forward. Divorck Origi despite being given plenty of opportunity has just failed to live up to the player who lit last years world cup with Belgium.

Team of the week

Cech, Koscielny, Walker, Tomkins, Rojo, Ozil, Payet, Dembele, Cazorla, Kane, Vardy

Player of the week

Harry Kane

The 2015/2016 EPL Weekend-Round 2

Manchester United as was the case last week got the weekend rolling with their Friday night away trip to Aston Villa. United once again ran out 1-nil winners after an unconvincing showing against a Villa side with a poor record in this fixture. United are yet to really get going especially in terms of attacking football. Chances are few a far between and a return of only three attempts on target over 180 minutes of football is not what you would expect from a side boasting the likes of Depay, Rooney, Mata, Young, Januzaj et al. In deed Rooney has been a pale shadow of his former self in the opening two fixtures often struggling to adjust to his lone striker role. His contribution and especially as the club captain has been lacking and if ever Van Gaal needed proof that he needs to buy another striker, all the evidence is there. Rooney's place in the team would have come under scrutiny had he not been captain but Van Gaal needs to have the courage to substitute him when things are not working. The common feeling is that Rooney seems to flourish when he plays off a main striker.
Januzaj on the other hand was handed a rare start and took advantage of the opportunity to score the game's only goal with a neat finish from a clever Juan Mata pass. The Belgian needs game time and Van Gaal will need to find a way of playing him regularly as he looks a good prospect.
The one side of United's game that has been impressive is the defence. Talk of a marquee defender coming to old trafford have been cooled off largely thanks to Chris Smalling's performances. Together with Blind they did a good job snuffing out any potential danger caused by Villa. For the time being the Ramos, Hummels, Otamendi rumors will be forgotten. United next shift their focus to Europe and a home game against Club Brugge is up next.  For the time being, the fans will be reasonably pleased with the teams progress and more-so the statistics, 6 points, 2 clean sheets.

Manchester City were totally flawless against Chelsea in the weekend's big game. Few would have expected the Blues to capitulate in such a manner against a City side that finished 8 points behind them last season. That Chelsea's best player was their stand in keeper Begovic points towards a totally one sided affair. Mourinho's assertion that the result was "fake" and that Chelsea were the better side in the second half borders on absolute madness. In what had already been a bad week for Chelsea and Mourinho in the never ending saga involving the teams medics, the nightmare unfolded in a manner that shocked all of us. Chelsea were outclassed in all departments. Aguero would have scored 5 goals had it not been for Begovic who thwarted Aguero at least 3 times before the Argentine finally gave City a fully deserved lead. Mourinho's withdrawal of Terry at half-time for Zouma provided another talking point with the Portuguese confirming the substitution was tactical and not due to injury. Could this be the beginning of the end for Terry.
City were totally efficient. Mangala for once is starting to justify his hefty price tag and his solid partnership with Kompany provided the foundation for a successful afternoon for City. Fernandinho had one of his best performances in a City shirt protecting the back four and providing Yaya Toure with a licence to foray into Chelsea's box time and again. David Silva was once again totally dominant in midfield and he together with Toure totally dominated Fabregas and Matic. Chelsea's defence duo of Terry and Cahill were exposed in the first half with little help coming from midfield. Diego Costa lacked service and the few times he go onto the ball, he was more concerned with causing infringements rather than finding the back of the net. 1 point out of a possible 6 means Chelsea already trail City and United by 5 points and although it's early days, they cannot afford for the gap to widen. Chelsea's transfer business looked done but now it seems they may have to go back and bring reinforcements. Chelsea have already acquired a left back in Rahman and the need for a striker cannot be overstated. I have always said that this City side has the solutions from within. Last season the only reason they lost the title was that key players such as Toure, Silva and Kompany did not perform to their standards. If they can do that, and there is plenty of evidence so far to suggest that they are up to the task, then City will be very difficult to beat.

Arsenal got back to winning ways in a tough away game at Palace. The game could actually have gone either way had Palace been a bit more clinical towards the end when chances presented themselves. Overall though Arsenal dominated and should have put the game to rest early on. Ozil in particular was back to his best and created a lot of goal scoring chances for the Gunners. Monreal had a good game at left back and him together with Bellerin nullified the threat posed by the pacy Palace wingers, Zaha and Bolasie. This was a potential banana skin and although not Arsenal's best display by their standards, the 3 points gained were very valuable.

Liverpool scraped to another fortuitous 1 nil win against a Bornemouth side that deserved more from this game. Christian Benteke's controversial goal should have been ruled out as offside since Coutinho a few meters off Benteke was clearly offside. To add salt to injury Bournemouth themselves had a goal ruled out wrongly. Liverpool won't care much as like Man Utd they have 6 points on the board and are yet to concede. Their next match however presents a sterner test as they face a resurgent Arsenal side this coming weekend. This will provide a clearer picture of Brendan Rogers' teams ability to seriously challenge for honors this season. One bright spot for Liverpool was Jordan Henderson who continues to thrive since taking over from Steven Gerard as club captain.
Have a sporty week!


Team of the week
Begovic
Kompany
Smalling
Monreal
Whittaker
Barkley
Toure
Ozil
Montero
Ireland
Lukaku

Player of the week
Lukaku

The 2015/2016 EPL Weekend-Round 1

The new EPL lived up to it's billing as the most exciting and unpredictable league on the opening weekend of fixtures.

There were goals, upsets, nervous moments and plenty of talking points.

Manchester United and Spurs got things moving in the day's early kick off. as opposed to last season, United were able to start this season with a win and a vital 3points against a stubborn Spurs side.
Although the perfomance wasn't vintage by all standards, Louis Van Gaal will have been delighted with the victory and more importantly the performances of his summer recruits. Darmian was the pick of the lot marshaling the right side of defence while offering a lot of attacking threat down that side. Schneiderlin slotted well in the midfield role alongside the experienced Carrick and he offered good cover to the back line. Memphis had a promising game although not to the level that will be expected of him as the season progresses. Sergio Romero making his debut in goal in the absence of De Gea had a good game making key saves in the second half, although his kicking and distribution is something he still has to work on. Schweinstiger came on as a second half substitute to also make his debut. United still have a lot of work to do. It is telling that Rooney, United's key striker rarely threatened as the service to him was non-existent. United had to wait past the hour mark to make their first attempt on goal. There still needs to be an element of speed and creative play in their game. Blind also looked a bit shaky in defence and it remains to be seen if Van Gaal will still acquire a central defender before the transfer window closes.

Arsenal were humiliated at home in their London derby against West Ham. This would not have been part of Arsene Wenger's plan but the way the Gunners capitulated was shocking. Petr Cech had a debut to forget but his errors only mask a bigger problem in that Arsenal were ineffective in almost every part of the pitch.
Oxlade Chamberlain was a rare bright spot for the Gunners and he seems destined for a big season coming up. Arsenal need to quickly put this defeat behind them and start to focus on the next match. The faster they can do that the better for them. The Gunners have had a good pre-season and they were widely expected to blow West Ham away. Arsenal should be able to overcome this disappointment and if they can get their act together this will only have been a rare bump on their way. Their have been calls for Wenger to add a striker and one Karim Benzema's name has popped up severally. I doubt Wenger will spend big on a striker and with Welbeck still to come, Arsenal should be able to have enough forwards for the season. Cech didn't endear himself to the Gunners faithfuls but he is experienced enough to let those errors affect him. He is still a world class Goalie and he will move past this. One thing though as much as plenty will see this as poor showing by Arsenal, the truth is West Ham played really well and deserved to win on he day.

Chelsea and Mourinho battled to a 2 all draw against Swansea in match that th Blues might feel lucky they didn't lose. Swansea are no stranger to claiming opening day scalps as they also beat Man United last season.
The Blues should expect a tough season defending their title since a lot of the teams will be approaching games against them with an extra bit of motivation. With the sending off Courtois, and with Cech gone, it means the Blues enter their next few games with summer signing Begovic as their goal keeper. It's a huge opportunity for Begovic to prove that he has what it takes to more than deputize for Courtois.
Next up for Chelsea is a tough game against Manchester City in a match more likely to help us gauge the shape of how the two title favorites are prepared for the season.

Liverpool claimed a hard fought 1 nil win over a dogged Stoke side that thrashed them 6-1 at the end of last season. Phillipe Coutinho picked up from where he left last season scoring a screemer to guarantee Brendan Rodgers 3 points. Rodgers is still trying to find out his best shape and when he eventually does, Liverpool might prove a force to reckon with. Not a wonderful display but Liverpool will know opening the season with a win does a lot for the team's morale and mental well being.

Manchester City were imperious in their 3 nil demolition of West Brom in the weekend's last match. Yaya Toure was back to his best dictating play in the center of the pitch alongside David Silva. I have stated before that this City side can win the league if their top players perform to their potential, something that was lacking last season. Toure, Silva and Kompany were way below par last season and that was largely the reason for their lacklustre defence of their title. For City and Pellegrini, the solution for them this summer wasn't necessarily buying new players but rather motivating the existing ones. I still feel Sterling was a waste of money and City did not need him. They have quality all over the pitch and City's only Achilles heel this season will be themselves.

TEAM OF THE WEEK
Adrian
Reid
Smalling
Richards
Soares
Silva
Toure
Mahrez
Montero
Coutinho
Gomis

Player of the week
Winston Reid

NEW SEASON, NEW EXPECTATIONS, PLENTY OF TWISTS!! BRING ON THE EPL 2015/2016!!

It seems just the other day that John Terry lifted the EPL Trophy after Chelsea completed a rather straight forward title march but after three long months that seemed to last an eternity, the new 2015/2016 EPL season is here with us.

Players have come and gone, managers replaced, new contracts signed, new teams promoted and most of all plenty of expectations by fans, players and managers.

The new EPL season kicks off today with Manchester United and Tottenham getting things underway at Old Trafford. A lot of the clubs have been busy in the transfer market and let's look at how the big teams will have lined up.

Chelsea haven't done much in the transfer market, but that is understandable with the old adage, don't fix it if it ain't broken.
Asmir Begovic has come in to replace the departing Petr Cech while Mourinho has gambled on Falcao to replace club legend Didier Drogba. The only other notable exit is left-back Luis Felipe who endured a frustrating season having to watch Azpilicueta play all season.
Mourinho has suggested he might still buy a player most likely a left back before the trasfer window ends but that remains to be seen.
I think if there is one area Chelsea need strengthening it's the striking position. Diego Costa is world class but i tend to think he has a bit too many fitness issues to be relied upon. In deed ever since he joined the Blues his fitness situation has remained a mystery. And without him Chelsea only have Loic Remy and now Falcao. Falcao is a big gamble judging from his horrible time at Manchester United last season. He went on to have an ineffective Copa America tournament as well proving that his problems are far from over. Remy is talented but he lacks top level experience and cannot be relied upon to lead the line. Other than that i don't see any other positions where Chelsea are short and it is easy to see why they are most people's favourites to retain the trophy given their strength in almost every position.

Arsenal haven't been busy either but they have made a key signing in luring Petr Cech from Chelsea to The Emirates. The only notable exit is Szczesny who's gone out on loan to Roma. The Gunners had a promising season last year but they still only managed third place and didn't really put enough pressure on eventual Champions Chelsea. Petr Cech will bring with him a wealth of experience plus a championship mentality having won numerous trophies with Chelsea. But Arsenal need more. It still remains to be seen if Ospina will agree to play the back up role to Cech considering he is his country's number one. The good thing about Arsenal is that they have plenty of competition for places all over the pitch. Kosicelny and Mertesacker have been consistent in central defence and they do have Gabriel and Chambers waiting on the wings. They need for Koscielny to overcome his fitness struggles that he had at some points last season. Bellerin had a brilliant season at right back while Gibbs also provides good cover down the other side. Arsenal need Ozil to have a good season. He wasn't at his best last season and you feel he has the key to deciding whether Arsenal have an okay season or an excellent season. Arsenal's injury problems are legendary and already Wilshere looks set to be out for a long time. Welbeck has spent most of his time on the injury table as well. The Gunners need luck to be on their side in keeping away the injuries and fitness concerns. You can understand why Arsene Wenger doesn't want to sign players, he feels he has enough with his current squad. I dont see them making a major signing before the transfer window closes.

Manchester United alongside Liverpool have probably been the busiest of the big boys. Robin v Persie, Falcao, Di Maria and Rafael have left to be replaced by Schneiderlin, Schweinsteiger, Darmian and Depay.
United have also brought in Romero as cover with De Gea looking more likely to depart for Real Madrid.
Most if not all of the exits are understandable. Van Persie has only had one good season at Manchester United,his first. The subsequent two seasons were blighted by injuries and there were no indications that he was going to overcome this. From Van Persie's point of view, he was no longer guaranteed first team football at United and with Euro 2016 looming, he needed to play regularly to protect his place in the Dutch squad.
Falcao just wasn't going to be signed permanently by United after the awful season he had. Di Maria's transfer was interesting, i actually think it makes Van Gaals work easier. There is the feeling that Di Maria is too big a name to be spending time on the bench. Had he stayed at United it would have complicated Van Gaals already tough dilemna in selecting his midfield and forward players. United did make a 15m loss on the sale but i think that is not a big deal for United especially since the savings in terms of wages for Van Persie, Falcao, Di Maria and Nani are massive.
United have a lot of midfield options and it's going to be interesting to see how Van Gaal makes his selections. Upfront there is need to buy a striker to provide cover for Rooney although Chicharito has come back from his loan spell. A lot of the fans still feel United need a world class central defender. I am one of the few who don't agree. United's central defensive options are Rojo, Evans, Jones, Smalling, McNair and Blind. Surely Van Gaal can get 2 out of the six and make them the mainstay of United's defence. I don't know any other club that has that many options. Sometimes buying quick fix players is not the solution-as evidenced by Di Maria. What Van Gaal needs to do is settle on his preferred two and play them frequently so they get used to each other. I would select Rojo and Smalling.
The main issue for Van Gaal is going to be transforming this huge array of big names into a team that can play and understand each other. It was the same challenge at the beginning of last season and i dont think he did particularly well.

Manchester City had a disappointing season last year but they have gone with continuity and stability rather than making wholesome changes to sort their problems. Pellegrini has been given a new contract, no big names have left and there has been only one notable addition in Raheem Sterling. City have resisted the temptation to make a lot of changes and have kept faith with their manager. If the big names can regain their best forms that seemed to depart them last season then City are going to be a major force this season. Kompany, Toure, Silva, Nasri didn't have good seasons and City need for them to perform this season. Dzeko and Jovetic are leaving but City already have Bony and Aguero with Sterling also providing a lot of threat going forward. There's is no need for major changes.

Liverpool have been understably busy this summer with Sterling, G.Johnson, Gerard, and Lambert leaving to be replaced by Milner, Ings, Benteke, Firminho, and Clyne. On the face of it it looks like Brendan Rodgers has made some really good signings but it remains to be seen how the group will gel and play as a unit. If Rodgers can make them play together as a team and if he can get his starting 11 right then Liverpool will certainly challenge for top four.

Top Five Predictions
1.Chelsea
2.Manchester United
3.Manchester City
4.Arsenal
5.Liverpool

Have a sporty weekend!!

SEASON SUMMARY

In the end Chelsea ran out pretty comfortable winners as Mourinho brought the trophy back to Stamford Bridge after a four-year hiatus. Nobody can argue that the blues didn't deserve it although chants of 'boring, boring' became a familiar occurrence in games involving Chelsea towards the end of the season. Deep down though we all know that trophies are what matters and fans would prefer a 'boring', trophy-laden season than an exciting one without silverware. Some of those chants had tints of envy and jealousy punctuated by the reality that their clubs were not as good as Chelsea over the course of the season. Chelsea might not have had a strong finish to the season but their hard work during the first half of the season when they were unstoppable was key.

Manchester City put up a rather lacklustre defense to their title. At one point they were even in danger of missing out on the top four but a combination of their rivals poor end of the season form coupled with some sort of resurgence by them ensured they got home in second. They never got close to threatening Chelsea for the title and that should present a worry for the expensively assembled squad. Their key players were hampered by poor form and injuries throughout the course of the season. That Aguero still ended up with the Golden Boot despite missing games is evidence of his world class abilities. The Argentine was a constant bright spot for the Citizens throughout the season with eye catching performances. That cannot be said of some of his fellow starts at City. Yaya Toure had a poor season by his high standards constantly unable to control midfield like he normally does. David Silva put in some good perfomances but not as consistently as he should have. Vincent Kompany, for a long time City's symbol of stability was far from stable at the back. He commandeered a porous defence that struggled in most games especially away from home. His partners Mangala and Demichelis did not fair any better with the former failing to justify his huge transfer fee. City are known for having Fullbacks that regualrly join the attack and provide routes for most of their goals. Their marauding full backs, Clichy, Zabaleta, Kolarov, Sagna didn't contribute enough to their attacking play. Apart from Aguero, the rest of the forwards didn't particularly do much. Dzeko didn't make a lot of contribution this season. The arrival of Bony in January was intended to add spark to the attack but his displays showed he is still adapting to City's way of playing.City look like keeping Pellegrini on for another season to give him time to develop this squad. He has his work cut out in the summer transfer window.

Arsenal once again flattered to deceive before finishing third. Just a few games to the end of the season, Arsenal were the only team that looked likely to catch Chelsea at the top of the log. In the end they were left holding off Manchester United for third place. In retrospect, it wasn't such a bad season for the Gunners though. Yes they once again failed to seriously challenge for the title, but the signs are that Arsenal are improving. The squad is getting better and there's a lot of competition for places especially in Midfield. The one place they probably need to look at during the transfer period is another striker and goal-keeping. The Gunners managed to retain the FA Cup and that at least mitigated their failure to challenge for the title. Arsenal's should now target the title next season. They need to shedd off the title of being shoo-ins for top four but never a title challenger.

Manchester United and Louis Van Gaal managed to achieve their pre-season target of Champion's League football but the feeling is it could have been better.  Out of ten, United probably got a 5 out of 10 for their efforts this season. There's the feeling of what might have been. One side of the argument is that with the resources United have, they should have been challenging for the title. The more conservative approach is that having finished 7th in the previous season, this season was more about rebuilding and qualifying for the Champion's league. The real pressure on LVG will be on show next season when United followers will expect their team to challenge for the title and do well in Europe. United's marquee signings did little to endear themselves to the fans. Di Maria and Falcao were disappointing, Rojo, Herrera and Blind were average and Shaw was injured a bit too often.
Falcao has since left, the five plus any other additions in the summer will be expected to do much better next season. United also face a real battle to keep hold of their player of the season, De Gea. You get the feeling if Real Madrid decide to go for it they will surely get their man. United still need a midfield force to provide cover for Carrick. They probably also need a striker with Falcao gone and RVP's future looking uncertain. It also remains to be seen if Chicharito will be welcomed back.


Player of the season
Eden Hazard

Team of the season
De Gea
Terry
Fonte
Clyne
Azpilicueta
Matic
Hazard
Coutinho
Sanchez
Kane
Aguero

The EPL Weekend-Round 30

The business end of the season is here with us and results have never been as crucial.
Manchester United visited Liverpool in the weekend's big game and what a game it turned out to be. Liverpool's long unbeaten run was finally ended thanks largely to a limp first half display by the hosts.
United were absolutely dominant in the first half dominating possession and taking a fully deserved half time lead courtesy of a resurgent Juan Mata. Brendan Rogers had started with Gerard on the bench and the Reds captain red card seconds after coming on in the second half made an already difficult task even harder. Gerard has enough experience to know mistakes such as these could prove costly to the Club's ambitions. His slip last season possibly handed the title to Manchester City and he might just have cost his team a top four finish. It remains to be seen. Mata followed up his wonderful display against Spurs with an even better showing at Anfield. His second goal was superb. LVG named the same squad and played the same system and maybe finally he has found the system and squad to suit his philosophy. It is no coincidence that United's good displays have been paralleled by Carrick's performances. The midfielder has been the symbol of calmness in United's play and has enabled other members of the team to perform. The understanding between him, Fellaini and Herrera have seen United dominate midfield in recent games. Rooney had a very poor game and ended up missing a late penalty. Liverpool next play Arsenal and they will need to quickly forget this defeat and focus on that match. They will do that without Gerard and possibly Skrtel whose late stump on De Gea was missed by the ref.

Arsenal were made to work hard as they finally overcame a determined second half performance by Newcastle. Olivier Giroud divides opinions but there is no argument about his goals/minute ratio. The Frenchman has been on a red hot scoring run and scored twice to give Arsenal a two goal lead at half time. In the second half a number of the Gunners players looked tired maybe due to their recent run of games in the Champions League and FA Cup. The Magpies sensed this and were all over Arsenal in the second half with only Ospina and wayward finishing saving Arsenal. In the end Arsenal held on for three valuable points that keeps the pressure on Man City.

Man City returned to winning ways with an easy 3-0 win over West Brom aided by a second minute sending of for the Baggies. City desperately needed the win to repair their lost confidence as well as keep alive their feint hopes of retaining their title. In the end they got the job done and they will continue to hope Chelsea drop points in their remaining matches.

Chelsea put in a lacklustre performance against Hull and were lucky to come away with all three points. Not for the first time this season Chelsea lost a two goal lead although this time they went on to claim a second half winner. Th Blues look to be tiring towards the end of the season but with a 6 point advantage and a game in hand, they are well set to be crowned champions.

Team of the week,
Speroni, Smalling, Cresswell, Collins, Clyne,  Mata, Fellaini, Silva, Hazard, Kane,Giroud

Player of the week,
Mata

The EPL Weekend-Round 29

The EPL season is on the final stretch now and teams cannot afford to make any mistakes at this stage.

Manchester City endured another weekend to forget with a potentially damaging defeat and

City have all but given up hope of catching Chelsea at the top of the log with only nine games left. And to add insult to injury, even the Citizens second place is now under threat. From title contenders, City are now only a point ahead of Arsenal and two ahead of United. And with Liverpool also winning, Manchester City are right in the battle for the top four Champions league spots. Their poor run of form has coincided with a run of good form among all the other top four contenders. Since the turn of the year, and since Yaya Toure left for the African Cup of Nations, City have really struggled to perform in games. Aguero has found it difficult to find goals and even the ever green David Silva for once had a poor game against Burnley. The defence and in particular Kompany have been really poor and have not protected Joe Hart enough. City really need to get their act together because the chasing pack are winning and they might just find themselves outside top four.

Manuel Pellegrini faces a tough task to retain his job with City also looking like they are out of the Champions League.

Arsenal's good run of domestic run just goes on. After beating United in the FA Cup, Arsenal comfortably ran over West Ham to keep the pressure on second place City. The Gunners are playing really well since the turn of the year and it looks like whoever plays in midfield, they always dominate that area of the pitch. There is a really fierce competition for places in the Arsenal team and the players have been upping their performances. This has been the biggest reason for the Gunners improved performances. Every player has competition for his position and mistakes are punished as was the case with Mertesacker recently. At the moment Arsenal look a good bet to make top four quite comfortably.

Manchester United got a morale boosting 3-0 win over top four rivals Tottenham. It was by some distant their best performance and result of the LVG era. The team almost looked like the United of old with Carrick and Fellaini dominating midfield. Mata was in the starting 11 and gave a brilliant performance. The result was achieved without the suspended Di Maria and that poses the question whether he should be left out altogether against Liverpool.
 Another thing worth noting also was that Blind played very well on the left side of defence covering well defensively while at the same time providing valuable crosses. It was almost like Patrice Evra at his sublime best. I would like to see Blind get more game time in that position. He excelled there for the Netherlands during the World Cup. Next up for United is Liverpool and that game will give us a true measure of United's progress. It will be a very important match for the red devils in the context of Champion's League qualification.

Chelsea were held to a 1-1 draw that could have been damaging had City not lost at Burnley. In the end the Blues actually increased their advantage at the top to 6 points with a game in hand. Chelsea have been stuttering of late in the league with the team struggling to impose themselves in matches like they did earlier in the season but such is their advantage at the top of the table that they are still overwhelming favourites to clinch the title. The chasing pack and especially City have simply not taken advantage. Failure to progress in the Champion's League was a huge blow to Chelsea but they are set to get consolation in the form of the EPL title.

Team of the Week

Forster, Smalling, Blind, Koscielny, Bellerin, Fellaini, Carrick, Ramsey, Agbonlahor, Giroud, Benteke

Player of the week

Fellaini

The EPL Weekend-Round 28

The big guns all got back to winning ways in the mid week EPL action.

Manchester City bounced back from their damaging loss to Liverpool last weekend to earn 3 crucial points at home to Leicester. It was not an easy win and Leicester will feel they at least  deserved to be awarded a penalty courtesy of a Bony foul in the first half. It was only after Milner scored a second in the last minute that the points were secure for City. Perhaps the biggest news of the night was captain Kompany being dropped from the starting line up. Kompany has had an indifferent season so far and has lately been culpable in a number of City's defensive frailties.  He is no longer the commanding force he was last season although a lot of that can be said about most of City's defence including Joe Hart in goal. The one person whose form and contribution can however not be questioned is David Silva. Once again the spanish midfielder gave an assured display and scored his sides first. Him and Aguero have been behind the good things City have been doing this season.
Following the loss toLiverpool, City are in a difficult position as Chelsea now have a game in hand in addition to their 5 point cushion. The gap to the chasing pack led by Arsenal is also down to only 4 points. The cannot afford another slip up.

Arsenal continued their good domestic form with a comfortable 2-1 win over QPR in their latest London derby. Alexis Sanchez rediscovered his scoring form and it is good to see a player who puts in a lot of energy get reward for their effort.
The Gunners are on a very good run form in the EPL and look a shoo-in for top four.
They have important few weeks ahead with the FA Cup clash against United on Monday and then trying to overturn a 3-1 deficit against Monaco in the Champions League. After uncertainties and questions being asked about Wenger and his side towards the end of last year, the Gunners have responded well. Wenger must take enough credit for reorganizing the defence with young Bellerin the preferred right back at the moment. The way he has eased Gabriel into the side has been a bonus for Wenger with the defender giving assured displays in his first two matches. The Frenchman does get a lot of criticism, and he will be severely castigated should should Monaco complete the job against Arsenal. But i think amidst the criticism people at times lose sight of the amount of work he has done.

Manchester United got another lucky break against Newcastle. How many times has this statement been said about United this season.United were once again all puff with no substance. Fan favourite Herrera has been restored to the starting 11 in recent weeks and he provides United with a lot more positive play added with the fact that he has been reasonably prolific from midfield.. which is more than you can say for most who have been playing there. LVG should continue playing the Spanish star as he represents the future of that United midfield. Rooney was played upfront again and he still has sharpness issues to sort out. De Gea once again was instrumental in goal for United fending off a number of the magpies attacks.
Following the loss to Swansea coupled with Liverpool's resurgence, United now face a real fight to finish in the top four. The upcoming games against fellow contenders Liverpool and Spurs will be massive.

Chelsea got over their Capital One triumph hangover to easily see off West Ham. Mourinho's team look to have come through their recent run of dropped poimts and with City failing to capitalise, Chelsea are almost looking a sure bet to win the title. 5 points ahead, a game in hand, ten games to go, surely the title is Chelsea's.
The Blues have coped well with the absence of Nemanja Matic in midfield. Zouma has come in to fill the defensive midfielder role and it looks like another Mourinho masterstroke. Chelsea will be pretty confident of adding a second title to their capital one and who knows, maybe the UEFA Champion's league as well.

Liverpool just look like going from strength to strength. Jordan Henderson looks a totally different player ever since Gerard announced his intentions to leave the club in the summer. The incoming captain has been the key figure for the team with strong displays from midfield. He has been on a scoring run while providing a number of key assists for his team members as well. And a lot of credit must also go to Brendan Rogers for changing the system and making bold decisions such as pushing Sterling more forward and narrow especially when Sturridge was being eased into the squad. With the reds out of Europe, their main concern will be making top four and it is looking increasingly hard to bet against them making it.

Team of the week;

De Gea, Young, Terry, Zouma, Ivanovic,  Coutinho, Henderson, Herrera, Austin, Hazard, Giroud

Player of the week

Hazard

The EPL Weekend-Round 26

The weekend served up it usual dose of surprise and unexpected results.

Chelsea felt robbed as a controversial sending off was quickly  followed by a Burnley equalizer. The Blues lead is now down to 5 points and this was a huge opportunity missed to preserve their advantage at the top.
Juan Cuadrado has offered Mourinho a different dimension to the Blues forward play. He seems to have fit perfectly into English football and the Blues set up. He played well on the flanks and although he faces a battle to oust Willian fromthe starting 11, he grabbed his opportunity well. Chelsea should have been home and dry before the Matic incident and they paid for their profligacy infont of goal. Costa hasn't been as sharp in the last 2 matches and he missed a couple of chances early on.
Mourinho will feel the officials conspired against his team but they should have put Burnley to the sword early on. What the blues now need to do is forget this result and focus on their next match. They are still in a good position and strong favorites to claim the title in May.

Manchester City ensured they took advantage of Chelsea's slip by thrashing a disappointing Newcastle side.
The return of Yaya Toure brought stability to the City midfield and it was evident why they struggle when he is not playing. in deed City won only one of five games that Toure missed. Aguero looks to be back to his best and with Bony making his debut, City look prepared to run Chelsea down the home stretch. Dzeko also had a solid game upfront for City. On the evidence of this performance, Chelsea still have a long way before they can ease their feet of the gas.

Arsenal ground out a hard fought win against Palace in a tough London derby. With a lot of their key players now back from injury, Arsenal are looking good for a top 4 finish. A good number of their players look to be hitting top form at the right time. Ozil looks a different player since his return from injury, Giroud looks sharper than he has been this season and the defence looks to have gotten past their rough patch.
The Gunners are upto 3rd in the table and it's hard seeing them fail to make top 4.

Manchester United's luck finally ran out as a string of recent poor performances finally resulted in a defeat. United have had a succession of below par performances.Van Gaal has been very underwhelming. The optimism and hope that greated his appointment has been replaced by grumbles and despair as a star studded team continues to struggle against lesser opposition. United now face a real battle to finish in the top four with Southampton, Tottenham and Liverpool breathing down their neck. The ease with which teams play against United is worrying. This was a poor Saints side,coming off a run of bad results and missing Wilfred Bony. But they still beat United to ensure they complete a first ever double over the Red Devils. Whatever disease Van Persie has, it seems to be spreading to the rest of the team. For a while now, Mata, RVP, Falcao, Di Maria, Rooney have been very poor. In fact the only United player who seemed interested was Herrera. It is a wonder Van Gaal rarely plays him.

Liverpool were brilliant against the Saints. Brendan Rogers has done a very good job to turn Liverpool's fortune around after a difficult start to the season. The return of Sturridge has further strengthened the squad a brought forth new belief. Liverpool are right in the battle for top four, and with Spurs, United and Saints dropping points around them, this was a fruitful weekend for Liverpool.

Team of the week,
Lloris, Ivanovic,Skrtel, Mertecsacker,Coleman, Cambiasso, Nasri,Silva,Hazard,Aguero, Dzeko

Player of the week
David Silva