Weekend Football Thoughts 2015 (August 22-24)

This is out a little later than I wanted to this week simply because I was out at a wedding on Sunday evening and that needed some recuperation time on Monday evening.

I do have a few thoughts from the third round of Premier League fixtures which were played last weekend as pre-season begins to be shaken out of the players and quality begins to make a difference in matches.

Louis Van Gaal's tactical issues

Any time a team begins a Premier League season with three consecutive clean sheets and seven points from a possible nine has to be applauded, but I can't help feel that Louis Van Gaal missed a trick in Manchester United's game against Newcastle United.

First things first, on another day Manchester United win that game with the chances created, but the goalless draw does raise some questions which need to be answered.

The chances created suggests Van Gaal got most things right on Saturday and needed perhaps a little more luck, although the final ball from some of the attacking players had to be better too. So I can't criticise that at all.

However, I am not convinced by the two deep-lying centre midfielders that Van Gaal relies upon in some of the games against teams Manchester United should be beating at Old Trafford. Bastian Schweinsteiger at least gets up and down the pitch, but bringing on Michael Carrick rather than Ander Herrera was a poor decision as Manchester United began to take control and push Newcastle backwards.

Herrera is a goalscorer who wants to get the side ticking forward, whereas both Carrick and Morgan Schneiderlin were not effective doing that. Neither is a goalscoring midfielder and I do feel Louis Van Gaal missed a trick by not employing the Spaniard in the second half to give Manchester United another attacking threat from midfield.

We can't always look back at the Sir Alex Ferguson years, but the gambles he took in tight games helped Manchester United become the force they are today and I just think Louis Van Gaal can take some of that element on board. It will be a big test for Manchester United at Swansea City next Sunday to show how much progression has been made at Old Trafford although I'd be happy to have the two shielding midfielders in an away game that is going to be very difficult to negotiate.

Slaven Bilic is under big pressure at Upton Park

I wonder how happy all those West Ham United fans that didn't like Sam Allardyce for not playing the 'West Ham way' are feeling at the moment? Slaven Bilic came in with a lot of positive sounds being made from the fans, but his opening weeks in charge have not been so good.

There were boos in the Europa League Qualifying Rounds, but Bilic had made it clear that competition was not his priority so I think some fans might have given their former player the benefit of the doubt.

A win at Arsenal seemed to justify Bilic's decision making in the Europa League, but back to back home losses to Leicester City and Bournemouth had the fans extremely upset. Those are bad losses for West Ham United who can't afford to be relegated before they move into their new Olympic Stadium and lose the huge financial rewards of the new television deal in the Premier League.

The Jekyll and Hyde nature of the West Ham United performances won't have helped how the fans perceive the team and I think Slaven Bilic is under big pressure already. The board can be a little nervy and they won't allow West Ham United to be sucked into a relegation battle while the next set of games are not exactly appealing with trips to Liverpool and Manchester City as well as a home game against Newcastle United to come.

Before he knows it, Slaven Bilic could be under immense pressure and perhaps fast hitting favouritism for next manager to leave his post.

Tottenham Hotspur need more attacking options to aid Harry Kane

I don't understand those clubs who wait until the final week of the transfer window to make a really serious move to address problem areas of their team, but that is where Tottenham Hotspur find themselves.

It is a particular concern when there is a particular weakness in the squad that everyone can see- with Spurs it was clearly finding goals outside of Harry Kane with both Emmanuel Adebayor and Roberto Soldado either in the doghouse or leaving the club.

There is a lot of pressure on Kane to repeat his success of the 2014/15 season and Tottenham Hotspur have been linked with both Saido Berahino and Yannick Bolasie to give them speed and another player that can score goals for them. Berahino is the player that seems to be most sought after, but Tottenham Hotspur should really have gotten him brought in already instead of fighting for every penny against a stubborn club like West Brom.

Both Jeremy Peace and Daniel Levy are unlikely to back down and it has just left Mauricio Pochettino in an awkward position to try and help Spurs get into the top four this season. They have only earned 2 points from a possible 9 in the Premier League when the signings they wish to make could have trebled that number of points and those points could easily haunt them at the end of the season when you think Spurs were leading in their last two games.

I'd be surprised if new faces are not brought in before the window closes on Tuesday, but Tottenham Hotspur are desperate for more attacking options and should have had players in place before the season started.

Will Southampton have a season that many expected they would have last season?

When Southampton sold the likes of Luke Shaw, Adam Lallana and Rickie Lambert last summer, a lot of people thought the side might have been in for a fight against relegation.

Instead Ronald Koeman came into the club as the new manager to replace Tottenham Hotspur bound Mauricio Pochettino and guided them to an incredible 7th placed finish in the Premier League. It was a really surprising season that ended with a place in the Europa League.

So when Nathaniel Clyne and Morgan Schneiderlin moved on this summer, not many were concerned for Southampton after seeing how they dealt with things last season. However, the start to the season has been poor for The Saints who are trying to balance the Premier League with the Europa League and so have earned just 2 points from a possible 9 in the League.

There has been a lack of ideas in the final third and even some of the defensive strength looks to have taken a backwards move after Southampton conceded 5 goals in their first two Premier League games. Southampton are in danger of also being knocked out of the Europa League and need to turn things around quickly if they want to avoid having a season that many tipped for them twelve months ago.

Pedro is not a guaranteed success in the Premier League after one game

When Manchester United were linked with Pedro, I was excited about the move because I think he would improve the club. So when he signed for Chelsea there was disappointment and the 'meltdown' some Manchester United fans had following his one goal, one assist debut for The Blues was not really a surprise to me.

Once again, I would have signed Pedro because I think he would have given Manchester United a different type of threat in the final third and has decent pace and creativity that Louis Van Gaal has spoken about.

So why would I urge caution about his 'guaranteed' success in the Premier League? Because I have seen it happen to many others before him and only time will really tell what Pedro is going to achieve here.

Players like Angel Di Maria and Juan Sebastien Veron had such impressive starts before faltering, while even Mesut Ozil looked a world beater before slowing down. All of these players came in as 'world class' stars that would have been 'guaranteed' to end up as top Premier League players, but they were worn down by the physical nature of English football and perhaps lost some confidence.

Of course there are others that settle in quickly and just get better and better, for example Alexis Sanchez, but I would just urge the rush to make Pedro the next superstar in the League until I see the kind of form he is producing in three/four months and whether a 'hot start' is replaced by inconsistency or whether he has kicked on and embraced the League like Sanchez did following a move from Barcelona.

Manchester City might have a chance to turn the screw on title rivals

Three wins, three clean sheets and the only team with a 100% record in the Premier League coupled with the five dropped points that Arsenal and Chelsea have had already and you can understand why Manchester City are favourites to win the Premier League title.

Some Manchester United and Liverpool fans might feel they can challenge for the Premier League title, but I am sure Manchester City looked at Chelsea and Arsenal as their closest challengers before the season began.

The wins over Chelsea and Everton have been particularly impressive, while the 0-3 win at West Brom can't be underestimated even if Tony Pulis admitted he had made tactical errors.

Now Manchester City can turn the screw on their title rivals with games against Watford, Crystal Palace, West Ham United, Tottenham Hotspur, Newcastle United, Bournemouth to come in the Premier League before a trip to Old Trafford in late October.

On current form I wouldn't pick any of those teams to surprise Manchester City by even taking a point, but of course the Champions League fixtures will be played between some of those games which can cause difficulty. However, this is a real chance for Manchester City to put themselves in a very strong position in the Premier League after just nine games, especially as their rivals have tougher matches to play in that time.

Manchester United play Swansea City, Liverpool, Southampton, Arsenal and Everton during that time; Liverpool play Manchester United, Everton and Tottenham Hotspur; Chelsea play Everton, Arsenal, Newcastle United and Southampton; Arsenal play Newcastle United, Chelsea, Leicester City and Manchester United.

With those sides looking like they might take points off one another, Manchester City could find themselves in a very healthy position as they head into the Manchester derby on October 25th. This is the time for them to prove they are not going to wilt like they did last season and the way Manchester City have come out this season suggests they are going to show that on the field too which is a big issue for their rivals.

Final Thoughts on Weekend Football (September 14-17)

This is a little later than I usually plan it, but between work and actually looking at potential picks, it has been tough to do any sooner.

It was great to have the Premier League and domestic football back in action this week as I am not really a fan of the international breaks and feel there are too many qualifiers, especially with some of the weaker nations being so irrelevant that I think changes should be made to how qualification goes about.

Honestly, I feel the lower Ranked nations should have to go through some sort of 'pre-qualification' before being pitted against the likes of Germany and Spain, even if Georgia showed real heart in a close loss to the Spanish team in the last set of games.

My thoughts on Manchester United in the latest United Corner can be found here

Oh well, here are my Final Thoughts on last weekend:


Arsenal are genuine title contenders?: If you picked up a newspaper (or read an online publication as is the norm these days), you would have noticed a lot of people tipping Arsenal as title contenders following their wins over Liverpool and Southampton in the League.

I know you are only as good as your last performance in this new social networking World, but people have completely forgotten their two draws with Sunderland and Stoke City and are perhaps jumping the gun a little bit.

Arsenal are always likely to put in big performances from time to time with the possession football they play- if everything clicks on the day, they will blitz teams as they did against Southampton, while the win at Liverpool was impressive against perhaps an 'over-rated' side.

I like Santi Cazorla as he looks a real player while Lukas Podolski has made a good start to the season, but before I am ready to call them real contenders, I want to see how they do against the bigger and better Premier League clubs.

It seems the fixture compute has been kind to those thoughts as Arsenal play Manchester City at the Etihad and then host Chelsea in back to back weeks- win those games and I'll say they are title contenders.


Have Southampton come up a season too soon?: Following on from the Arsenal thoughts, it is only fair to think about Southampton and wonder if they have come up too fast following their back to back promotions.

Norwich City were successful in keeping their place in the Premier League when they managed that feat last season, but I think the playing styles of the teams are distinctly different- Southampton like to get the ball down and play while Norwich were a little more direct in their approach and I think the latter style can be a little tougher to get used to for Premier League teams rather than a style where teams look to play you off the park.

However, it would be rash to think Southampton are going doomed on four games, those coming against Manchester City, Wigan Athletic, Manchester United and Arsenal.

The most disappointing result would have been the Wigan loss at home, but they had leads against both Manchester clubs and everything just seemed to go wrong in their game against Arsenal. Southampton play Aston Villa next at St Mary's and it is conceivable they can win that and bring some real positive vibes back into the club.

It will be wise to review Southampton's situation in a months time after they play the likes of Villa, Everton, Fulham and West Ham in the League, although the rumours are that the owners have already got the knives ready to give Nigel Adkins the chop.


Manchester City's home form is going to be crucial again: Manchester City won 18 of their 19 home games last season, drawing the other, and that ultimately secured them the Premier League title and this season has the makings of another where they need to secure a huge amount of points at home to retain their title.

Of course, the Champions will normally have a very strong record at home, but City's away day struggles are very much under the radar at the moment. The dropped points at Stoke City over the weekend means they have won just 12 of their last 30 away games in the Premier League and that will put additional pressure on them winning their home games to make up for it.

This has largely been ignored as they have won some big games at Manchester United, Tottenham Hotspur, Newcastle United but it is something to consider, especially for those that love backing the short priced 'big name' favourite away from home on your coupons.


Time to bring in goal-line technology: We have to get a rush on goal-line technology as Everton became the latest club to have a clear goal not given in their match against Newcastle United.

The tests are being done and the Premier League are insistent that they will get the technology out sooner rather than later, but there is too much money involved these days on those decisions and it needs to be there.

To be honest, the official that missed the ball going over the line also ruled out another goal when incorrectly ruling Maruoane Fellaini offside, so maybe he has some explaining to do this week.


Blackburn Rovers have a great chance to bounce back to the Premier League immediately: The Championship is a tough Division to get out of as so many teams can beat others on their day, but Blackburn Rovers look to have the best squad in the League and they look like a team that can bounce back to the Premier League at the first attempt.

The likes of Jordan Rhodes and Nuno Gomes look capable of getting the goals to fire them to promotion and the pressure is decreasing on Steve Kean with every passing game.

They have moved to the top of the Championship with a 3-5 win at Bristol City and they do look capable of staying there or thereabouts for much of the season.

Final Thoughts on Weekend Football (August 18-20)

This was a regular piece I put together last season where I would look back at the weekend's football and put down my 'final thoughts' on some of the issues we see transpired.

I will usually put it together on a Monday night, but I didn't much feel like writing after the disappointing start to the season made by Manchester United at Everton.

These are my final thoughts on the opening weekend of the season:

Don't be too quick to make rash judgements: I don't know if it is down to people missing football, but there seemed to be a lot of 'fans' deciding how the next nine months were going to go after watching their opening games of the season.

Eden Hazard will be the Player of the Year, Andre Villa-Boas is a poor manager that won't be in charge on Christmas Day, Swansea will be safe from the drop (even though they were tipped heavily for relegation before the season began) and some even suggested Robin Van Persie was a poor signing after his 20 minute cameo.

The same time last year there wouldn't have been too many calling Bolton Wanderers for relegation after they beat Queens Park Rangers 0-4 at Loftus Road, and that is a prime example of making a rash judgement on one game.

Sean O'Driscoll of Nottingham Forest said a 'good start is ten games' and that is when we will begin to see how the season will take shape. There were some real positive performances for some of the teams and individuals, but it would be foolish to take those as the norms rather than it just being one game and a long way to go this season.


Can Everton gate-crash the top four: I think the two Manchester clubs are going to finish in the top two places this season and I also believe Chelsea are going to be good enough to move into the top four after finishing 6th last season.

With some of the doubts surrounding the Arsenal and Tottenham Hotspur teams, I think there is an open space in the Champions League places that could be filled by a surprise candidate like Everton.

The obvious 'dark horse' pick is Newcastle United who came so close last season, but I wrote in my season preview that Everton could move up from their finish of 7th last season as long as they can steer clear of injuries and their performance on Monday night suggests that could be the case.

David Moyes still has a bit of cash left over from the Jack Rodwell sale and he has worked some miracles in the transfer market over the last few seasons at Goodison Park and he does seem to have a solid 14-15 players that can do a job for him.

They will need some luck, but I wouldn't want to rule Moyes out from achieving this and really padding his CV and perhaps getting an opportunity to manage a 'bigger club' sooner rather than later.


Southampton could be the big surprises in the Premier League: I said that it would be silly to make a rash judgement, but here I am making a rash judgement.

I was very impressed with the Southampton counter-attack on Sunday at Manchester City and they have players that are going to be capable at this level. Nigel Adkins clearly can inspire his players and they have the same philosophy that served Blackpool so well the year before last.

The one question is whether they can perform when there is a little more expectation on them- at City no one expected them to win, but they next meet Wigan at home, a game they would have targeted for three points if they are to survive in the Premier League.

Still, I was very impressed with their composure in front of goal and confidence is clearly still high in the squad after back to back promotions and they may just confound all those that tipped them for relegation this season.


The Championship is not for the faint-hearted or for those relegated from the Premier League: Blackburn Rovers, Bolton Wanderers and Wolves gained 1 point from their 3 separate games last weekend (although Bolton and Wolves have since won their first home games in the next set of League fixtures during the week) and I think they have all learned how tough it is to get out of a competitive Championship Division.

Only 6 of the last 24 teams to be relegated from the Premier League have found their way back into the top flight at the first time of asking which shows there is every chance that none of the aforementioned teams will earn their way back into the Premier League this season.

Last season West Ham United did make their way back to the top flight, and the other two relegated sides were both Play Off teams, but it is such a competitive League.

I was going to say that Bolton and especially Wolves need a win soon to bring back some confidence in the side, but both managed that on Tuesday night. It's a tough long season for these sides so getting a win on board early is important so that will give Bolton and Wolves a boost, but there are so many sides that can beat others on their day and that makes it difficult for those relegated.

I don't think there is a massive difference between those relegated and those that have been in the Division for more than one season, especially as the relegated teams rarely get to keep hold of their big names.

Right now, I would still pick Blackburn Rovers as being the most likely to return to the top flight at the first attempt, but history points out that it is not going to be easy for any of these sides and the early results have backed that up.

Saturday Football Picks and Preview

I have 3 picks from the Saturday coupon, so let us hope for a good start to the new season:

http://www.goonersguide.com/football-pick-11265-Coventry-City-v-Leicester-City.htm

http://www.goonersguide.com/football-pick-11267-Burnley-v-Watford.htm

http://www.goonersguide.com/football-pick-11276-Southampton-v-Leeds-United.htm

All of the above links will give you full previews of the games and my reasoning behind the picks.


MY PICKS: Leicester City @ 2.15 William Hill (1 Unit)
Burnley-Watford Over 2.5 Goals @ 1.75 Victor Chandler (2 Units)
Southampton @ 2.25 Ladbrokes (1 Unit)