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!!