Chelsea v Spurs
After the international break, we are back to the most exciting football league in the world. And where else do we start? The situation in London’s football hierarchy is that there now exists a vacancy at the top. Arsenal used to be the top dogs for a long time but they have lost a lot of ground and these two young Turks, Chelsea and Spurs are battling to take over the reins.
Also, if you recall, Leicester City were officially crowned Premiership champions when Chelsea who had nothing left to fight for that season played their best football to draw 2-2 with Spurs. Tottenham Hotspur fans and players don’t seem to have been able to get over the “betrayal“ ever since.
Games between both sides have always been fiery and hard fought, but they have become more bad tempered since the two clubs noticed they are the heir apparent to the throne unceremoniously vacated by Arsenal.
As part of its health and safety drive, the FA usually ensures that games that are bad natured as this get early starts. Usually they start around 12 noon or so, this is because the FA doesn’t want a situation where angry fans have had enough time in the pubs drinking and then get into the stadium totally drunk and ready for a fight at the slightest provocation.
However, in this case, although Chelsea and Spurs fans can have the expected banter in the stands, they hardly get into physical fights, the only fisticuffs in this match-up seem to come from the players and managers!!! The FA think this is good for ratings that’s why the game has been giving the prime spot on TV, coverage starts at 3.30pm on Sky Sports. That, without mincing words, is FA’s telling the whole world, this is the game of week.
To be honest, it definitely is the game of the weekend. Chelsea can’t afford to lose this one otherwise it is goodbye to Champions League football next season, because they will be eight points behind their opponents if they do.
Spurs will be without talisman Harry Kane, they will come with the thoughts about how Chelsea ensured they lost the Premier League title to Leicester two seasons ago and they will come over pumped up for this game. They won’t be able to play their normal fluid and creative way, that’s why I strongly believe they won’t win this match.
Palace v Liverpool
This is another grudge match. Crystal Palace manager, Roy Hodgson, was sacked by Liverpool. Palace‘s main striker Christian Benteke was considered not good enough for the Kops. Now is payback time, show your former employers what they missed when they got rid of you. All well and good, but it is not that straight forward when your former employers now have a magician called Mo Salah in their attack and they have a tactician called Jurgen Klopp in charge of strategy. It is a bit more daunting when in all truth, you can’t win a match unless Wilf Zaha is on the pitch. Palace are doing all they can to get the Ivorian playmaker fit for this but they need more to concentrate on how to keep Mane, Firmino and Salah quiet, ironically, they will be relying on another Liverpool reject, Sakho, to do this. One positive point in Hodgson’s favour is that Sakho was not sacked because of his lack of ability and skills, he was sacked by Liverpool because he broke club rules. Let’s hope he will be up for the battle to break more hearts in the Merseyside with his performance.
Man U v Swansea
Usually, this would have been chalked up as free three points for Manchester United. These days however, you never know with Mourinho and his boys. They can put up commendable performances in defeating Liverpool and Chelsea and then same week play like pregnant women and lose at home to Sevilla at home in the Champions League.
Pundits are of the opinion that Mourinho is getting to the stage of his three-year itch. He wants to leave Old Trafford but strangely, the powers that be at Manchester United seem to think he is doing a good job and want to keep him. When Jose is in the mood when he wants to go, he picks up imaginary fights with everyone so that the team starts to fumble and he gets the sack. He doesn’t resign because he doesn’t want to lose his compensation. Strange none of his previous employers ever sussed this out.
Well, if Mourinho wants United to win this match up, United will win it.
Everton v City
The Merseysiders are the only ones who have not lost to Pep and the boys in the Premiership this season. They also defeated Pep Guardiola’s team 4-0 last season at Goodison Park. If they can escape defeat in this game, they will prevent Manchester City from achieving their lifelong ambition of winning the Premiership in a game against city rivals, United. City know they only need to beat Everton this weekend for them to be in the position of making this dream come true. It is funny but I believe if Sir Alex Ferguson was still Manchester United’s manager, this would never have happened. When Big Sam Allardyce first took over at Everton, his main aim was to ensure they don’t get relegated. He seems to have achieved that so his players have taken their feet off the pedals, waiting for next season. He doesn’t then see any special reason to gear his boys up for the visit of Manchester City.
However, if it was his buddy, Sir Alex who was in charge of United, he would go the extra mile to motivate his boys. When he was manager at Bolton, Chelsea lost one or two titles to United while playing the decisive game against Big Sam’s boys.
Another reason City’s dreams would be dashed if Ferguson was in charge of Manchester United is pride. Sir Alex would have been drumming it into his boys how disgraceful it would be for City to win the league in the game against United. He would have been doing this for over a month, he would have been getting his boys ready mentally and tactically that when the day arrives, even if City play with 22 players and United played with nine, there would have been no way Ferguson’s boys would lose the game. But Mourinho is a mercenary, stuff like this don’t bother him too much.
Arsenal v Stoke
This is another match-up that will give Arsenal fans false hope. They are likely to defeat Stoke City FC and the fans will get renewed hopes that they can qualify for Champions League spot by finishing in top four. They will forget, momentarily that they are actually 13 points behind the club in the fourth position. Stoke used to be Arsenal’s bogey team until they decided to start to play like Barcelona and Arsenal, now, they are just a club that provides free three points and false hope to the North Londoners. This is a win for the Gunners.