Friday Feelings

These are some thoughts and the odd score prediction for this weekend. Call me ‘Mystic Max’ if you must.

Chelsea v West Brom

Rafa will be booed. Chelsea will start nervously and then score towards half-time before rolling on to a straight forward win. Rafa will face questions about his future after the game, he will insist that he is staying. John Terry will play. ‘Tipsters’ and clever people will suggest the West Brom could nick a draw or even a win with Chelsea in chaos. Ok, let’s look at that. Who have Chelsea lost to at home this year? United and QPR; better team and freak result.

Chelsea don’t lose at home and West Brom don’t win away. Cut. And. Dried.

Everton v Reading

Reading beat Everton earlier in the year so will fancy their chances

Will they really? Really will they? WILL THEY REALLY?! Probably. Brian McDermott evidently believes so and his puppy dog enthusiasm seems to be rubbing off on his players. However, the pasting they took from Wigan last week must be fresh in their minds. The last time they took such a battering he shut up shop and the defence looked better for it. I can see the same happening here. It would be a good strategy to employ against an Everton side who seem to be attempting to reverse their usual patterns by starting fast and then fading at the end of the year. In attack they have had trouble breaking down teams that defend deep, see Norwich, and should face the same obstacle this week.

This should go one of two ways; Everton break through early and then run riot or, Everton spend the whole game attacking with no reward, eventually score quite late and then concede veery late as they do their usual trick of dropping deep late in the game.

Man United v Norwich

I’m not sure if you know, but if he plays, and he will, this will be Ryan Giggs’ 1000th appearance for United. Did you know that? You might see that mentioned somewhere but keep your eyes peeled because it might get snuck in where you can’t see it. So to speak. Oh and he will score, probably from the spot to make it 6-0.

Anyway, Sir Alex will pick a rotated team which will then win easily. As in, 5/6-0 easy. Norwich’s defensive style relies as much on opposition profligacy and they won’t see any of that at Old Trafford.

Southampton v QPR

A nice friendly reception for ‘Arry on his glorious return to the South Coast right? Oh come on, it’s not as if he left them with an inflated wage bill which took relegation to League One to sort out is it? That was at Portsmouth!

Hang on, that was at Southampton too?! But why doesn’t that ever get spoken about? Surely such a thing would get a lot of press, particularly as he returns with a relegation bound side with a ludicrously inflated wage bill? If the media aren’t reporting it I simply won’t believe it.

Pay heed QPR fans to this pattern;

Southampton; fanfare, money, relegation, leave, meltdown, League One
Portsmouth, fanfare, money, trophy, leave, relegation, meltdown, League One (and beyond)
QPR; fanfare, money, relegation, leave, …?

Yiiikes.

Having said that, they could easily pinch a win here.

Stoke City v West Ham

The fans will be spending more time looking in the air than if they were at an air show!!! Ay, ay, ay! It’s a joke. Because both teams play direct football, to big strikers. Get it? In the air!

Expect whichever poor soul Soccer Saturday send to this to report back on the dull nature of proceedings at some point. Both teams struggle to score and have good defences, so surely you bet on a 0-0? This just looks like it has 1-1 written all over it. West Ham will score from a corner with a header. Against Stoke? Are you having a laugh?! It’s just that, you know, Stoke don’t defend set pieces very well. Maybe even an off target Andy Carroll header which hits someone’s ankle and falls to Nolan 3 inches out. West Ham love conceding penalties, and Stoke love missing them. So you know what’ll happen there then ay! Yep, there won’t be a penalty given. Probably just a scruffy goal.

Both managers will complain about the referee afterwards, with Pulis likely saying that a big club would get a certain decision and he never does. Meanwhile one of his players puts in a two footer which goes unpunished.

Sunderland v Fulham

Sunderland do an amazing job of not scoring many goals despite having talented attacking players. Fulham do an amazing job of not scoring many goals despite having talented attacking players.

Looks like a 1-1 with both managers looking nonplussed and frustrated. Vying with Stoke West Ham for last on Match of the Day.

Either that, or it will be the unexpected goal fest that both sides are overdue.

Swansea v Newcastle

Swansea have been out on the lash all week, they won’t be prepared for this! Seriously? This has actually been wheeled out as a preview. We think a Michael Laudrup managed team mostly made up of players with a grounding in La Liga will have been doing that? We think Laudrup would risk his chance at the Real or Barca job by allowing his players to pack it in?

I still think Newcastle will win mind, but because they have better players, not because Laudrup would allow them to be unprofessional even for a second. Newcastle’s January recruits are settling in very quickly, almost like having a number of countrymen on the same team playing a style of football that they were specifically purchased to play and that they are used to will be a good thing! Newcastle have the dynamism and energy in midfield to press Swansea and the menace in attack to capitlise on the usual abundance of chances they create. This could well be the most watchable game on Saturday with two very good teams playing modern, stylish football.

Wigan v Liverpool

Another one for the ‘purists’. Purists is a strange expression, because really a ‘purist’ in England would want to see the game played in it’s purist form. That would involve dribbling, smashing it long and tackling verging on assault. Weird. Because the ‘purists’ here will be seeing a tactical battle between two teams of technical players, encouraged to pass the ball and keep to quite disciplined patterns and shapes. I guess it’s really one for the modern purist but it should make for an interesting enough watch.

Here’s a question; If this was Real Betis v Real Mallorca would you watch? Probably not unless you’re a real football aficionado. But that’s what you’re getting here. Two good footballing teams who will have the tactics fans drooling.

I’ve written about Wigan’s late season charges and this is the type of game they tend to win. However, I have a feeling Liverpool will take this. Martinez will win the tactical battle but Rodgers has better players at his disposal. Suarez or Gerrard will conjure something up to win it but it should be a good game.

Spurs v Arsenal

Let’s face it, this is the one we’re all looking forward to. It’s always a goal fest and boasts two of the three most intriguing storylines in the league at the moment as well as one that has gone so far off the radar it’s amazing. A look at Sky Sports News is always a good barometer for the hot topics and at the moment it’s these; Benitez, Bale & Wenger. But what about; AVB has Spurs in 3rd and only just behind Man City. So maybe he does know what he’s doing? Maybe he knows more about football management and tactical set up than John Terry who he was the assistant manager to at Chelsea last year?

Watch the Gareth Bale wonder goal against West Ham. I was struck by two things; obviously the quality of the strike, but secondly, Bale ran straight to AVB to embrace him. The Spurs players are buying in to what he is selling. Possibly it’s because he has a much younger squad who haven’t really done anything yet, but possibly it’s because he is actually a very clever coach and a superb teacher. Maybe?

Wenger meanwhile has been insisting that he isn’t worried about Gareth Bale. All I can say to that is, you’d better be Arsene because he will shred your team apart unless you do worry about him and plan how to stop him. Will Walcott help Sagna if Bale is on the left? Imagine Bale running at Mertesacker and Koscielny. Although, don’t do that if you’re an Arsenal fan if you want to sleep tonight.

Spurs, at a surprising canter.

Villa v City

Has Paul Lambert really got to worry about Andi Weimann going to Arsenal?! I can’t see Arsenal fans being enamored with that sort of signing.

This is another game that will have clever pundits saying Villa might get a draw or even a win against a stumbling bumbling City. But that’s not going to happen. Villa are a team of boys, and City are a team of men. City should dominate this from start to finish and get something like a 3-0. The stat about Tevez and Aguero playing together will get rolled out left right and centre but you have to remember, Mancini is the best manager in the country so he knows what he’s doing. Also, City just don’t lose to bad teams under his watch, they’re good at steamrolling the bottom feeders.