Not a ton of time to write up a preview this week, in fact Thursday morning I almost did one of those old-timey cartoon takes were by eyes popped up my head when I looked at my computer and noticed it was, indeed, Thursday.
Since nothing really struck me and it would be too quick to rush my pending team-by-team MVP post, it seemed like a decent idea to put all the pertinent Premier League races in one place.
Something that jumps out, is that the final three matches for Wigan Athletic of all teams, figure into the title race and the relegation battle. You'll notice, too, that I've counted Liverpool out for fourth place. Six points with one less game is too much to overcome.
By the same token, I'm also figuring Wigan, Wolves and Bolton are all safe, too. This is on the basis that Hull City would need to win two or likely three of their final matches. The Tigers have six wins all season. Stranger things have happened, but I'm not banking on it.
Sorry Jozy.
Then again, what were the preseason odds a volcano on Iceland would affect European soccer.
The relegation battle, as you'll see could be over as soon as this Saturday afternoon anyhow.
Note the goal differential, which may determine first and fourth.
First place:
Chelsea (77 points, +54 GD) -- vs. Stoke City; @ Liverpool vs. Wigan
Manchester United (76, +51) -- v. Tottenham; at Sunderland; v. Stoke City
Fourth place:
Tottenham (64, +28) -- @ Manchester United; v. Bolton; @ Manchester City; @ Burnley
Manchester City (62, +27) -- @ Arsenal; v. Aston Villa; v. Tottenham; @ West Ham
Aston Villa (61, +15) -- v. Birmingham City; @ Manchester City; v. Blackburn
17th place:
West Ham (31, -19) -- v. Wigan; @ Fulham; v. Manchester City
Hull City (28, -40) -- v. Hull City; @ Wigan; v. Liverpool
Unfortunately, you can see there are frankly too many variables and moving parts, on top of most of the teams involved in everything playing each other. If you want to work out the math and do the scenarios in your head, be my guest.
The season is so close to finishing, just let it play out, right?
Saturday:
* Manchester United v. Tottenham -- (Live, ESPN2, 7:45 a.m.) In all honesty, this could be the hardest game of the season to predict. On the one hand you have United's knack for winning games when you least expect it and it's solid record at Old Trafford -- just seven dropped points this season. Meanwhile you have a Tottenham team that's won back-to-back games against Arsenal and Chelsea, looking like a force of nature at times in doing so. Yet there is still a troublesome 6-5-5 road record for Spurs this season. From back-to-front, Spurs are clearly playing better and look like they've got more options than United. But United is still United. Amazingly, the keys yet again for United are Paul Scholes and Ryan Giggs, when the 30-somethings turn back the clock, the team looks good. When they look 35, well, it's the opposite. Spurs should really press the issue through Gareth Bale and perhaps even a returning Aaron Lennon. My Wilson Palacios theory will probably be put to the test, since Harry Redknapp will want more of a "battler" in the midfield than Luka Modric. Then again, why mess with a good thing. Having Gary Neville or Luis Valencia chase Bale up-and-down the wing as opposed to Modric is more of a tactical advantage to Spurs, right? Wayne Rooney is probably due a goal, but part of me thinks it would be fitting that Dmitar Berbatov ends up sticking it to his old club. Still, I'll ride the Tottenham train even though I know the tracks end up going over an uncompleted bridge, like the end of "Back to the Future Part III". ... Manchester United 1, Tottenham 2
* Bolton v. Portsmouth -- Not much to see here. ... Bolton 3, Portsmouth 1
* Hull City v. Sunderland -- (Live, FSC+, 10 a.m.) Hull fans ought to show up at the stadium Saturday, see if Iain Dowie has a pair of forwards out there (Jozy/Folan) if it's just one, walk out. Hull needs to get three points here or they could be relegated with two games left to play. When you give up 72 goals in 35 matches you don't exactly deserve to stick around. There is some hope for Hull since a) the only club's worse than Sunderland on the road are Hull and Burnley and b) Jimmy Bulllard does have a knack for the dramatic in games like these. I'm thinking this time in might come from the penalty spot. ... Hull City 2, Sunderland 1
* West Ham United v. Wigan Athletic -- (Live, FSC, 10 a.m.) Remember that line from 'Ferris Bueller's Day Off' about Cameron being so tight that if you stuck a lump of coal up his ass it'd turn into a diamond a week later. (What's the edited, PG version on cable?) That's how West Ham might be on Saturday, or at least its fans. There's no way to sugarcoat it, the Irons have to win this match. Wigan still figure to be on an Arsenal-induced turkey coma from last week. The Latics have next to nothing to play for. This, however, could be a witch's brew at Upton Park. On the plus side, it's hard to see Hull making up 19 goals in the final three weeks on goal difference on West Ham. Robert Green, if you want to play for England this summer, please show it. ... West Ham 1, Wigan 1
* Wolves v. Blackburn -- Just a hunch, but a year from now if this fixture were being played we'd be calling it a "six-pointer." Both clubs ended up having very solid seasons, but with experienced teams like Newcastle and West Brom coming back up, they'll have to make some improvements if they want to sustain their Premier League status. ... Wolves 2, Blackburn 1
* Arsenal v. Manchester City -- (Live, FSC, 12:30 a.m.) When they're free-flowing and clicking on all cylinders, City is the team Arsenal wishes it could be, though City seem to have a few more ways to score goals. To Arsenal's credit, they did get off the mat after Barcelona ended their Champions League quest. It's still hard to see them rising up after the Wigan stunner last weekend. City now know they have no margin for error and will also know the Spurs result by the time they kick off later in the day. If City wins here, they essentially control their own destiny with games against Spurs and Villa upcoming. City, it seems, boils down to this, if Carlos Tevez and Craig Bellamy are on, they're tough to stop. It also stands to reason Emmanuel Adebayor would like nothing more than to rub it in the faces of the Emirates crowd. Remember what happened back in September with the traveling fans? This is actually one match where Patrick Vieira might be useful since he and Nigel de Jong of Gareth Barry should be able to disrupt anything Arsenal gets cooking through the midfield. Just keep an eye on Robin van Persie and City should be set. (Wonder how much of Roberto Mancini openly talking about Fernando Torres is posturing, or if City are really hell bent on world domination?) ... Arsenal 0, City 2
Sunday:
* Aston Villa v. Birmingham City -- (Live, FSC+, 7 a.m.) Could, stress could, be a tricky derby match for Villa. Not sure how much the Birmingham players care, but the fans certainly would love to end Villa's chances at the Champions League. I'd like Birmingham's chances a lot better if its forwards took their chances better. Hard to see them getting through the stout Villa defense aside from the penalty spot. Villa figures to play fairly direct and eventually that should yield a goal. ... Villa 1, Birmingham City 0
* Burnley v. Liverpool -- (Live, FSC+ 10 a.m.) Maybe Burnley gets a last hurrah in the Prem by taking some points off a fatigued, volcanic ash weary Liverpool squad. ... Burnley 2, Liverpool 1
* Everton v. Fulham -- Kind of strange that it's Fulham, not Everton, that's been able to make such a deep run in the Europa League. You'd think David Moyes' team would be better equipped for Europe, especially with Mikel Arteta in the midfield, but for whatever the reason, the Toffees aren't. ... Everton 2, Fulham 0
* Chelsea v. Stoke City -- (Live, FSC 11 a.m.) Chelsea will obviously know by the kickoff that they can pretty much wrap up first place with three points here. This could be a knock-down, drag-out game, since Stoke figures to have a little bit of fight in them, right? The season probably can't end fast enough for Chelsea with players dropping like flies. No John Terry in defense is a worry, even with his dip in form. The Blues still have Frank Lampard and he's not the kind of guy that will let them lose this match. ... Chelsea 2, Stoke City 0
Last round: 4-6
Season: 178-165
Since nothing really struck me and it would be too quick to rush my pending team-by-team MVP post, it seemed like a decent idea to put all the pertinent Premier League races in one place.
Something that jumps out, is that the final three matches for Wigan Athletic of all teams, figure into the title race and the relegation battle. You'll notice, too, that I've counted Liverpool out for fourth place. Six points with one less game is too much to overcome.
By the same token, I'm also figuring Wigan, Wolves and Bolton are all safe, too. This is on the basis that Hull City would need to win two or likely three of their final matches. The Tigers have six wins all season. Stranger things have happened, but I'm not banking on it.
Sorry Jozy.
Then again, what were the preseason odds a volcano on Iceland would affect European soccer.
The relegation battle, as you'll see could be over as soon as this Saturday afternoon anyhow.
Note the goal differential, which may determine first and fourth.
First place:
Chelsea (77 points, +54 GD) -- vs. Stoke City; @ Liverpool vs. Wigan
Manchester United (76, +51) -- v. Tottenham; at Sunderland; v. Stoke City
Fourth place:
Tottenham (64, +28) -- @ Manchester United; v. Bolton; @ Manchester City; @ Burnley
Manchester City (62, +27) -- @ Arsenal; v. Aston Villa; v. Tottenham; @ West Ham
Aston Villa (61, +15) -- v. Birmingham City; @ Manchester City; v. Blackburn
17th place:
West Ham (31, -19) -- v. Wigan; @ Fulham; v. Manchester City
Hull City (28, -40) -- v. Hull City; @ Wigan; v. Liverpool
Unfortunately, you can see there are frankly too many variables and moving parts, on top of most of the teams involved in everything playing each other. If you want to work out the math and do the scenarios in your head, be my guest.
The season is so close to finishing, just let it play out, right?
Saturday:
* Manchester United v. Tottenham -- (Live, ESPN2, 7:45 a.m.) In all honesty, this could be the hardest game of the season to predict. On the one hand you have United's knack for winning games when you least expect it and it's solid record at Old Trafford -- just seven dropped points this season. Meanwhile you have a Tottenham team that's won back-to-back games against Arsenal and Chelsea, looking like a force of nature at times in doing so. Yet there is still a troublesome 6-5-5 road record for Spurs this season. From back-to-front, Spurs are clearly playing better and look like they've got more options than United. But United is still United. Amazingly, the keys yet again for United are Paul Scholes and Ryan Giggs, when the 30-somethings turn back the clock, the team looks good. When they look 35, well, it's the opposite. Spurs should really press the issue through Gareth Bale and perhaps even a returning Aaron Lennon. My Wilson Palacios theory will probably be put to the test, since Harry Redknapp will want more of a "battler" in the midfield than Luka Modric. Then again, why mess with a good thing. Having Gary Neville or Luis Valencia chase Bale up-and-down the wing as opposed to Modric is more of a tactical advantage to Spurs, right? Wayne Rooney is probably due a goal, but part of me thinks it would be fitting that Dmitar Berbatov ends up sticking it to his old club. Still, I'll ride the Tottenham train even though I know the tracks end up going over an uncompleted bridge, like the end of "Back to the Future Part III". ... Manchester United 1, Tottenham 2
* Bolton v. Portsmouth -- Not much to see here. ... Bolton 3, Portsmouth 1
* Hull City v. Sunderland -- (Live, FSC+, 10 a.m.) Hull fans ought to show up at the stadium Saturday, see if Iain Dowie has a pair of forwards out there (Jozy/Folan) if it's just one, walk out. Hull needs to get three points here or they could be relegated with two games left to play. When you give up 72 goals in 35 matches you don't exactly deserve to stick around. There is some hope for Hull since a) the only club's worse than Sunderland on the road are Hull and Burnley and b) Jimmy Bulllard does have a knack for the dramatic in games like these. I'm thinking this time in might come from the penalty spot. ... Hull City 2, Sunderland 1
* West Ham United v. Wigan Athletic -- (Live, FSC, 10 a.m.) Remember that line from 'Ferris Bueller's Day Off' about Cameron being so tight that if you stuck a lump of coal up his ass it'd turn into a diamond a week later. (What's the edited, PG version on cable?) That's how West Ham might be on Saturday, or at least its fans. There's no way to sugarcoat it, the Irons have to win this match. Wigan still figure to be on an Arsenal-induced turkey coma from last week. The Latics have next to nothing to play for. This, however, could be a witch's brew at Upton Park. On the plus side, it's hard to see Hull making up 19 goals in the final three weeks on goal difference on West Ham. Robert Green, if you want to play for England this summer, please show it. ... West Ham 1, Wigan 1
* Wolves v. Blackburn -- Just a hunch, but a year from now if this fixture were being played we'd be calling it a "six-pointer." Both clubs ended up having very solid seasons, but with experienced teams like Newcastle and West Brom coming back up, they'll have to make some improvements if they want to sustain their Premier League status. ... Wolves 2, Blackburn 1
* Arsenal v. Manchester City -- (Live, FSC, 12:30 a.m.) When they're free-flowing and clicking on all cylinders, City is the team Arsenal wishes it could be, though City seem to have a few more ways to score goals. To Arsenal's credit, they did get off the mat after Barcelona ended their Champions League quest. It's still hard to see them rising up after the Wigan stunner last weekend. City now know they have no margin for error and will also know the Spurs result by the time they kick off later in the day. If City wins here, they essentially control their own destiny with games against Spurs and Villa upcoming. City, it seems, boils down to this, if Carlos Tevez and Craig Bellamy are on, they're tough to stop. It also stands to reason Emmanuel Adebayor would like nothing more than to rub it in the faces of the Emirates crowd. Remember what happened back in September with the traveling fans? This is actually one match where Patrick Vieira might be useful since he and Nigel de Jong of Gareth Barry should be able to disrupt anything Arsenal gets cooking through the midfield. Just keep an eye on Robin van Persie and City should be set. (Wonder how much of Roberto Mancini openly talking about Fernando Torres is posturing, or if City are really hell bent on world domination?) ... Arsenal 0, City 2
Sunday:
* Aston Villa v. Birmingham City -- (Live, FSC+, 7 a.m.) Could, stress could, be a tricky derby match for Villa. Not sure how much the Birmingham players care, but the fans certainly would love to end Villa's chances at the Champions League. I'd like Birmingham's chances a lot better if its forwards took their chances better. Hard to see them getting through the stout Villa defense aside from the penalty spot. Villa figures to play fairly direct and eventually that should yield a goal. ... Villa 1, Birmingham City 0
* Burnley v. Liverpool -- (Live, FSC+ 10 a.m.) Maybe Burnley gets a last hurrah in the Prem by taking some points off a fatigued, volcanic ash weary Liverpool squad. ... Burnley 2, Liverpool 1
* Everton v. Fulham -- Kind of strange that it's Fulham, not Everton, that's been able to make such a deep run in the Europa League. You'd think David Moyes' team would be better equipped for Europe, especially with Mikel Arteta in the midfield, but for whatever the reason, the Toffees aren't. ... Everton 2, Fulham 0
* Chelsea v. Stoke City -- (Live, FSC 11 a.m.) Chelsea will obviously know by the kickoff that they can pretty much wrap up first place with three points here. This could be a knock-down, drag-out game, since Stoke figures to have a little bit of fight in them, right? The season probably can't end fast enough for Chelsea with players dropping like flies. No John Terry in defense is a worry, even with his dip in form. The Blues still have Frank Lampard and he's not the kind of guy that will let them lose this match. ... Chelsea 2, Stoke City 0
Last round: 4-6
Season: 178-165
Labels: English Premier League, Prem Picks, Premier League, Soccer
re: Everton/Fulham in Europe. Two things on this issue. Moyes thought that his team had a chance at making the top four this season, so he didn't prioritize their games in Europa League and focused on the league. This wasn't a far fetched plan, until Everton started so weakly that even their second half surge has left them well short of a CL spot. The second factor is the man you mention, Arteta, who was barely available during the part of the season when Everton was still involved in Europe. Maybe Moyes counting on Arteta to play the majority of any season (see Torres and all Dutch players) is a folly.
I missed the original tweets about the best player to not make the World Cup in 2010. Does Zlatan still qualify after sinking into the Berbatovian Effort Zone mid-week?
USMNT strikers seem to be fading in Europe at the end of the year. Jozy and Charlie looking at lots of pine time.
Is Dempsey more hurt (or less in shape?) than we think? Hodgson brought Deuce on in the second half and he pepped up the game for Fulham against Hamburg. He certainly was the most threatening player for the Cottagers so why didn't he play the full 90?
People complain that lots of the press in the UK is Liverpool-centric because the baby boomers who now make decisions and commentary for most papers/TV outlets in Britain came of age watching the 70s Pool teams kick ass. On that note, the European travels of Rafa and the boys were definitely given more shine than Uncle Roy and the Roadside Trainers. But maybe I am just hating.
Only one draw this week? Burnley Liverpool has that ugly 0-0 feel about it to me.