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