After the distractions of the FA Cup for the Premier League (and Championship) clubs reserve squads it’s back to the compelling EPL and a mission to point you in the direction of a trio of things that will happen with ‘Three for the Weekend’!
Bournemouth 1 Arsenal 3
My faith in Arsenal and Arsene Wenger may yet be the death of me but the Gunners simply HAVE to win at Dean Court on Sunday. Two weeks ago Arsenal were top but now in what feels like a blink of an eye they are down to 4th and only three points will do against the Cherries. Incredibly for a squad with so much flair at its disposal, Wenger’s men have gone 3 EPL games without troubling the scoreboard and every bit of common sense and logic dictates that cannot stretch to 4 this weekend. Bournemouth have conceded 16 home goals this season (more than Aston Villa and Sunderland) and were ripped to shreds on their own patch by Spurs earlier this season.
Photo Credit: Sky Sports
Arsenal have scored 21 away goals and with the table so tight and confidence needing to be restored before Barcelona roll into the Emirates on February 23rd, they will be no chance of Arsenal going anything other than all out They currently have the weakest goal difference of the top 4 and in season that looks like going to the wire that’s something that needs addressing in games like these. The line-makers have reacted to Arsenal’s slump and they figure around the 2.00 mark – if the lines had been drawn a fortnight ago they would have been closer to 1.60. Incidentally, if you are of the view that the title race will go down to the final day of the season, only one of the current top four are at home on the last day, that is Arsenal, who entertain Aston ‘Relegated in March’ Villa.
Chelsea 2 Manchester United 2
It’s the ‘Dud Derby’ which occupies the marquee Sunday slot for you on Astro this weekend. Either Louis Van Gaal has abandoned his defensive philosophies or just as likely, the players have started going into business for themselves. Either way, United have scored 3 in each of their last two games. They will fancy their chances of notching against Chelsea who this week became the only team in the world who remembered when Pato was the next Pele. John Terry, in a typically classless act, went against the wishes of Roman Abramovich, who has literally lined his pockets with tens of millions of pounds over the years, in announcing the club were not offering him a new contract.
Photo Credit: Eurosport
Off-loading the Roy Keane-esque ‘J.T’ has seen every pundit in the land rushing to say this is another example of Chelsea’s folly but Terry is increasingly the common denominator in both all the good AND all the bad things that have happened at Stamford Bridge. Whoever is in charge next season and no-one seems to want to be, their life will be easier without a one year older John Terry playing on the pitch and de-facto running the club off of it. Both these sides have class over-ridden by dis-harmony and I fancy it may actually lead to a high scoring, entertaining affair despite the fact the last two meetings have only seen one goal combined. I want to see John Terry score if only to see how he shamelessly uses the celebration to play politics with the fans and the club that have bravely dumped him.
Tottenham 1 Watford 1
Just as quickly as Arsenal have lurched into crisis, their North London rivals have suddenly become real title contenders. They won’t win it of course, because that’s not what Tottenham do. Spurs are a club that look a class act for a while, then stumble, sell their best assets that made them look like they could win the league in the summer and then ‘rebuild’ again. They have the youngest average aged squad (24.7 years) across all of Europe’s top divisions and the pressure that comes with a title challenge is surely going to be too much for them, the manager and even the fans who are the world’s most fickle.
Photo Credit: standard.co.uk
Watford, Leicester aside, have been the revelation of the season. Replacing a manager who gets you promotion is a bold move but the Hornet’s Italian owners have been thoroughly vindicated. Quique Flores is showing the kind of tactical nous that was bringing success to Atletico Madrid pre-Diego Simeone. Only twice this season have they lost at home by more than one goal and that is not a co-incidence. Flores sets them up to contain brilliantly and they will always have the ability to hit teams on the break with Troy Deeney and Odion Ighalo a traditional strike pairing who will be a threat from the first kick to the last.
