Weekend Football Thoughts 2015 (October 24-25)

Another domestic weekend is in the books and there have been many stories coming out of the games that were played this weekend. With ten fixtures been played by each team, the Premier League table is beginning to take shape and there has to be some real concerns developing at some clubs while others are perhaps looking forward to what could be the most memorable of seasons.

Tim Sherwood Unfortunate but Relegation is Too Costly for Aston Villa

Tim Sherwood has overseen a really poor run of form for Aston Villa, but I still think he deserved a bit more time to try and get things right at the club. However you can't argue against the fact that there are clearly some issues between the manager and the transfer committee of the club which has transferred onto the pitch and left Aston Villa in a disastrous position.

They are far from doomed and that is why I would have given Sherwood a little more time to get things turned around, but the Premier League is about to receive a huge investment in terms of money next season. That has clearly played a part in the decision to sack Tim Sherwood at this stage of the season and it is no surprise that financial matters are being considered by every club in the Premier League.

Is it any wonder that two of the three teams in the bottom three places of the Premier League have made moves in terms of replacing the manager that began the season?

With the money coming into the Premier League, relegation for teams like Aston Villa won't just be an issue in the short-term, but also the long-term and I think a team that has been flirting with relegation for some time will find it very difficult to recover their place in the top flight. The squad hasn't been given the kind of experience that Sherwood had been demanding in the summer and that also adds to the sense of misfortune in him being sacked at this stage.

Aston Villa don't look very good and it will take some real work from the new manager being appointed to get them out of a difficult spot. It is a shame Sherwood hasn't been given the opportunity to push the team on after helping them avoid relegation at the end of last season, but money talks as they say and Aston Villa can't afford to miss out on the big financial pay outs expected in the Premier League next year.

Where do Aston Villa go? I'd pick someone who has experience of managing in the Premier League and perhaps they are a little gutted they didn't move for someone like Sam Allardyce before he took the Sunderland job. It isn't the most attractive of jobs though with their transfer structure likely to put some off, while others might not feel they can get the best out of a squad that looks limited.

It's going to be a big call whichever direction Aston Villa take and one that might be crucial to the future of the club and their long-term prospects of being a Premier League club and not joining the likes of Leeds United and Nottingham Forest as 'sleeping giants' in the Championship.

Are Chelsea's Top Four Ambitions Now Under Threat?

That was a fantastic image captured from the West Ham United win over Chelsea this weekend and the question about The Blues defending the title they won last season looks to be answered.

I can't see how they get back into the title race being eleven points behind after only ten games played and I don't care that there are eighty-four points still to play for.

The bigger fear for Chelsea is doubts that might begin to crop up surrounding their place in the top four as they continue to lurch from one disastrous result to another. They have no momentum and every time it looks like Chelsea have taken a step in the right direction they end up taking two steps backwards.

Jose Mourinho is definitely under some huge pressure with reports that he will be sacked if Chelsea fail to beat Liverpool next week in the Premier League, while the League Cup game at Stoke City has taken on a whole new level of importance. I wouldn't begin to think of the direction that Chelsea would take if they do dispense of Mourinho mid-season, but perhaps someone like Guus Hiddink would be willing to come in and complete the season for Chelsea.

Something is certainly not right at Stamford Bridge and it looks like they haven't made half the investments that Jose Mourinho wanted this summer to keep the Champions moving forward. It is beginning to look more and more doubtful that Mourinho will finish the season though and Chelsea could have to face the same issues as Manchester United after David Moyes in needing someone to come in and have a huge investment to refresh this squad of players that have some ageing issues throughout.

Are Arsenal Ready to Challenge for the Premier League Title?

With Chelsea struggling mightily and Manchester City yet to have a full season with a clear bill of health, Arsenal might just feel they have their best chance in years to end the long wait for the Premier League title. This is a team at their peak in terms of confidence and another win at the weekend has kept the momentum behind them.

I have been a pretty harsh critic of Arsene Wenger in the past, but I was impressed with the tactical set up of the team to beat Bayern Munich and he really has the team playing well after some early season stumbles.

Results this weekend mean Arsenal are only behind Manchester City thanks to an inferior goal difference, but the next two weeks can tell us all we need to know about their title credentials. A trip to Swansea City followed by a home game against Tottenham Hotspur in the Premier League are two tough tests for Arsenal and made a little more difficult knowing they have a big game against Bayern Munich in the Champions League in between those fixtures.

I'd make Arsenal a pretty strong favourite to win both of those League games though, but I still think there is a vulnerable side to the team that would see them drop points in previous years. So winning those games would make me sit up and really think Arsenal could stay the course if they can maintain health.

Keeping Mesut Ozil performing at his current level will be difficult too, but the German international is a top player who might just have found his groove in the Premier League. Alexis Sanchez, Theo Walcott and Olivier Giroud give Arsenal enough goals and Gabriel looks a solid partner to Laurent Koscielny at the back.

Petr Cech made some big saves again and highlighted his importance to the club and Arsenal could be flying before they play Manchester City in December. The Gunners meet Swansea City, Tottenham Hotspur, West Brom, Norwich City, Sunderland and Aston Villa before the clash with Manchester City and picking up 16 points from a possible 18 might have them going into that game as the team on top of the Premier League.

One of the North East Premier League Teams will be Relegated

Both Sunderland and Newcastle United are in a big trouble when it comes to potentially being relegated this season from the Premier League and I would be more than a little surprised if both managed to escape the bottom three again.

Last season I was convinced one or both were going to be relegated going into the final couple of months of the season, but they found enough form to get out of trouble at just the right time.

I saw the highlights of Sunderland's win over Newcastle United this weekend and I think both teams will have a very difficult time getting out of trouble this season. Out of the two I definitely think Newcastle United have more quality in the ranks that will see them find a way, but Sunderland's luck may have run out.

I do actually rate Sam Allardyce as a manager and the 3-0 win over Newcastle United will give his players a boost in confidence and while the November games are difficult, they do also give Sunderland a chance to pick up some vital points. However, I can't ignore the lack of quality that is in the squad and the fact they were outplayed up until Newcastle United had Fabriccio Coloccini sent off at the end of the first half.

One of these teams will be relegated in my book and I would still think Sunderland are most in danger of being that team if only one was to go down and that despite the 3-0 derby win.

Wayne Rooney Has to be Taken Out of the Firing Line

Louis Van Gaal might be fed up with answering questions about Wayne Rooney's form, or lack of form I should say, but the fans are also getting a little tired of what are sub-standard performances from the captain.

I'll never be a fan of Wayne Rooney myself, but I'm not foolish enough to say that he did give Manchester United some pace and power and was a threat for them through the years.

Did... Past tense.

The pace and power have diminished significantly from the player he was in 2008, which isn't a surprise considering he has hit 30, but the rest of the game is quickly following suit. The first touch is outrageously bad and was the cause of a number of attacks falling apart in the Manchester derby, while even the much vaunted passing, mostly from members of the media, was pretty disastrous too.

He isn't a Number 9 though is he? That's the latest from the media, but then again he hasn't been a Number 8, Number 10, Number 11 either despite members of that profession regularly pointing out he isn't in his best position. However, they then will point to the other four positions as he is best before changing their mind again and the situation seems simple to me.

Wayne Rooney has to be taken out of the starting eleven and allowed to try and rediscover some form and confidence which is clearly lacking at the moment.

For the life of me I am not sure why Louis Van Gaal has moved Anthony Martial out from the Number 9 position... Martial has everything Rooney doesn't and that's the kind of skills that would scare almost every centre half in the world. He has pace, fast feet that can see him beat a man and comfortable holding up the ball as well as making runs over the top of defences that might want to press up the pitch.

Martial would have been all that Rooney wasn't and challenged both Vincent Kompany and Nicolas Otamendi on Sunday, but instead they had a pretty easy afternoon.

Wayne Rooney is unlikely to play his part against Middlesbrough in the Capital One Cup, but Louis Van Gaal has a big decision to make in whether his captain is going to be allowed to continue to get away with his poor performances. I think it has been going on for too long already and maybe the return of Ashley Young from injury to play on the left and moving Martial to his favoured position will spark that change being made.

Weekend Football Thoughts 2015 (October 17-19)

It was an another interesting week in the Premier League as domestic football returned following a two week break. Time has been of the essence this week and so I will get on with my few thoughts following the action this weekend.

Jurgen Klopp Takes Charge for the First Time for Liverpool

I was a little surprised by some of the reactions to Jurgen Klopp's first game in charge as if Liverpool had played so much better than they had in previous weeks under Brendan Rodgers.

I am not ragging on Klopp here, but I also think people are super-high on the German at the moment and that means he can do no wrong in the early stages of his time as manager. That is certainly good news for Klopp who will be given the time to establish his philosophy (listening to too many Louis Van Gaal press conferences) at the club, but I think the same problems that existed for Rodgers will apply in the coming months.

Namely Klopp will need some luck with injuries which have again reared their head at Liverpool- Daniel Sturridge missed out, while Danny Ings is a potential long-term casualty which leaves Liverpool short up front.

The return of Sturridge and Jordan Henderson for a prolonged period make Liverpool a much different team than the one that took the field at White Hart Lane and that will be key to how well the side do this season, regardless of who was going to be in charge.

The goalless draw at White Hart Lane was an impressive result on paper, but the key for Klopp will be to turn a few of these draws into wins and get Liverpool moving up the table.

My opening grade for Klopp has to be a 'B -' because I wasn't expecting Liverpool to win at Tottenham and it was a good result. In saying that, the performance was average so he gets a slightly above average grade because of the injuries Liverpool have to deal with too.

How Long Will Aston Villa Give Tim Sherwood?

A managerial change has been made at Sunderland, a team in the bottom three alongside Aston Villa, and that might have a few of the board members at Villa Park considering their own manager's position.

Another defeat in the Premier League has heaped the pressure on Tim Sherwood and I do think the game against Swansea City next weekend is a huge one for him.

It hasn't been that long since I said I have warmed to Sherwood and I do think he needs to be given time, but Aston Villa's League position isn't helping his cause and the fear of being cut off in the bottom three has to be playing a big part in the rumours.

You can't blame Randy Lerner considering the money that is going to be pumped into the Premier League next season and relegation could be very difficult for Aston Villa to recover from. They've been flirting with relegation for a few years, but there was a real hope that Aston Villa would be much higher in the League table this time around after it had looked like Sherwood had sparked some form.

Losing Christian Benteke and Fabian Delph has been tough, while the replacements still need time to gel, but I am not sure Sherwood will be given the time to oversee that. It is a big weekend for the manager and anything other than a victory might mean Sherwood is moved on and the likes of David Moyes, Garry Monk and Brendan Rodgers are targeted to get the club out of trouble.

Leicester City's Character Cannot be Questioned

On the one hand you might be worried as a Leicester City fan that your side keeps falling 2-0 behind in games, but on the other you'd be proud of the character that they have displayed to come back and recover points in those games.

The Foxes were at it again this weekend as Jamie Vardy scored twice to help them come from 2-0 down to earn a draw at Southampton and I have been very impressed with the character they have displayed through the season.

There has been no drop off from the form that carried Leicester City to safety at the end of last season even though Nigel Pearson was removed as manager and I think the players need to be given a whole load of credit for that. Claudio Ranieri has been smart enough to keep the 'Tinkerman' from interfering too much and Leicester City have responded.

How far can that character take them? I am not sure they can keep falling 2-0 down and think the fitness and belief will help them come back on a consistent basis. It would be a disappointment if Leicester City failed to finish in the top half of the table, although pushing on for a European spot through their League form is going to be difficult.

I wouldn't be surprised if they go deep in one of the Cup competitions though as this is a team that will be a pain in the backside for any in the country, especially knowing their focus can be completely on those Cup games. Later in the season the top teams need to balance Europe with their domestic schedule and that is where Leicester City, and the next team I talk about, potentially take advantage to give their fans a memorable 2015/16 season.

Potential for West Ham to Finish in the Top Six

West Ham United have had five away games in the Premier League and four of those have been at sides that currently occupy places in the top ten in the League table. Stunningly, West Ham have won all four of those games on their travels and they might be moving into the Olympic Stadium next season having secured their best League finish of the century.

The Hammers finished 5th in the 1999 Premier League season and while that still looks a big ask to match that final position, I really do think this is a team that can potentially do that.

It all will depend on whether they can find the right balance at Upton Park where they have won just one of their four home games in the Premier League.

West Ham are up to 4th in the Premier League despite their home record and improving at Upton Park while maintaining these ridiculously high standards away from home might potentially see them as a dark horse for a Champions League place.

However, I think they will have a hard time to do that and improving the home form could instead lead to a top six finish. The problem for Slaven Bilic is he has found the perfect counter attacking tactics away from home which are much harder to employ at home where the space is restricted.

The 2-2 away draw at Sunderland, when West Ham were 2-0 down and fortunate to be in the game at half time, might suggest The Hammers will struggle with 'expectation'. These are the kind of issues that Bilic will have to fix if they are going to finish in the top six and remains the big questions to be answered around a West Ham United team that have had a magnificent start to the season.

Weekend Football Thoughts 2015 (September 12-14)

Another round of Premier League fixtures is in the books and it has to be said that it was a weekend when many of the top teams just underlined their ability to be there or thereabouts come the end of the season.

Over the next month of the season, I expect to see the entire League settle down and begin to take shape and this weekend looks to be the first step towards that process.

As I will try to do on a weekly basis, here are a few thoughts that have come out of the weekend games.

Is the Chelsea Title Defence Already Over?

It is hard to imagine that the image above is from only four months ago as Chelsea won the Premier League title and then came into the new season as the favourites to win it again.

I opened up my last 'weekend thoughts' post talking about Chelsea in crisis so some may think I am 'picking on them', but it is clearly one of the strangest collapses that you could have imagined.

A 3-1 loss to Everton means Chelsea have conceded at least twice in every League game they have played this season, while they have matched the total number of goals conceded in the first five games as they had conceded up to December 3rd last season.

Last season they spoke about Chelsea going unbeaten in the League thanks to a really strong start and they didn't lose a third League game until the 18th of May, yet they have matched that number of losses already.

Jose Mourinho isn't happy and there seems to be some discord between him and the rest of the squad and Chelsea now sit a huge 11 points behind leaders Manchester City.

So is the title race over for Chelsea already? I don't want to rule out a team that has been close to the top in each of the last two seasons, but I can't see Manchester City allowing a virtual four game swing against them, even at this very early stage of the season. It isn't just Manchester City, but both Arsenal and Manchester United have a healthy lead over Chelsea after five games and it will take something special for The Blues to turn this around.

I'd be very surprised to see Chelsea win the League title now, but I do expect improvements, although I don't know what Mourinho will do if Chelsea were to be beaten by Arsenal at Stamford Bridge on Saturday. The lack of a response from the Chelsea squad to their recent struggles has to be a huge concern for the manager and the fans and the rumours about the unhappiness of Mourinho at Stamford Bridge refuse to go away.

This is definitely an issue to keep an eye on.

Can Sergio Aguero Stay Healthy Enough to Lead a Manchester City Champions League Challenge?

If the rumours are to be believed, Manuel Pellegrini might be moved on as Manchester City manager regardless of what he achieves in the Premier League this season, but a Champions League challenge may see the owners change their mind.

It seems to be an open secret that Manchester City would like to line up Pep Guardiola as the next manager if the Spaniard decides to leave Bayern Munich next summer as expected. That kind of move will be all about improving a poor record in the Champions League despite the money Manchester City have spent.

The image of Sergio Aguero limping off and missing a vital Champions League game has become one that is far too familiar to Manchester City fans than they would like to see. I personally think he is the best striker in the Premier League and possibly the best Number 9 in World Football, but Aguero never seems too far away from missing serious time.

The tackle from Scott Dann wasn't very clever to knock Aguero out of that game at Crystal Palace and the subsequent visit of Juventus and it does feel Manchester City only go as far as their leading man can take them.

Aguero has a very strong record of 19 goals in 28 European games for Manchester City, and the drop off to Wilfried Bony is a big one that Pellegrini won't want to have to use too often. The one big question mark about Aguero is whether he can get through a full season and Manchester City fans will be desperate he can do that as they look to at least make the Quarter Finals of the Champions League for the first time.

Watford's Defence Laying the Foundations for Avoiding Relegation

There have been so many new faces signed for Watford over the summer that it was always going to be expected that they would have some teething problems gelling together.

That might be part of the reason Watford have struggled for goals in their early Premier League games, but the defensive shape looks to be spot on and could form the foundation of a successful season.

The 1-0 win over Swansea City highlighted that shape as they managed to hold out against an in-form team despite playing large parts of the second half with just ten men. Watford managed to keep a third clean sheet in five games and maybe they won't need to score as many goals as a team like Bournemouth to survive the drop.

If they can start scoring goals, Watford could soon find themselves climbing the table rapidly and the defence will get a lot of credit for that if they can also maintain their level.

Getting knocked out of the Capital One Cup might be a bonus for Watford and they have a decent set of games coming up before the next international break to get some serious points on the board.

Brendan Rodgers on the Brink of the Sack

That is what the rumours were suggesting in the wake of the Manchester United loss for Liverpool on Saturday, with some even reporting a potential board meeting on the Sunday.

The last eighteen months have been a rollercoaster for Rodgers- if Liverpool win the Premier League at the end of May 2014, Rodgers would be nigh on untouchable at the club, or at least afforded more time to get things right.

However, Rodgers doesn't have the silverware to back him up and Liverpool look to have slipped since exceeding expectations in 2014, while my one criticism of the manager has to be the poor signings he has made.

For every decent signing made like Daniel Sturridge or Philippe Coutinho, Rodgers has bought the likes of Rickie Lambert, Mario Balotelli, Lazar Markovic or Dejan Lovren.

That is where Rodgers has failed for me, but I think he does deserve time to try and turn things around once his key players are back fit and healthy. Rodgers missed Sturridge and Jordan Henderson at Old Trafford, although the bigger worry might be the change in his style of play since purchasing Christian Benteke.

Of course you should adapt to get the best out of a player, but my concern would be why has Rodgers bought players that simply don't fit what he wants to do. Surely a manager should purchase those who fit his system, not change everything around for a single player bought?

If it was for Cristiano Ronaldo or Lionel Messi you might change things, but Rodgers has purchased some really average players and the lack of attacking quality against Manchester United would have been the most disappointing thing for the Liverpool fans who had made the trip up the M62.

The next month is critical for Rodgers- we all know Liverpool had a tough fixture list to start off the season, but they play four straight home games after the trip to Bordeaux in the Europa League and Rodgers has to oversee four wins. That might give his team some real momentum to take into the Merseyside derby at Goodison Park prior to the next international break.

On the other hand, fail to get the results required and that two week gap between Everton and Tottenham Hotspur might just be the time the board will look to make their change.

I'm Beginning to Warm to Tim Sherwood

When Tim Sherwood took over at Tottenham Hotspur and later moved on as manager of Aston Villa, I didn't think he was much more than a short-term fix for clubs.

That was the extent of his man-motivation abilities, and I wasn't convinced about him as a manager at all.

Now I am not saying I suddenly think he is the next coming of Sir Alex Ferguson, but I have begun to warm towards Sherwood thanks to his very honest appraisals in his press interviews.

Look at that face- there is no hiding the disappointment, 'gutted-ness' and frustration that Sherwood had having seen his Aston Villa team blow a 0-2 lead at Leicester City to lose 3-2.

I think that will sit well with the fans- it's nice to see a manager who feels the pain as much as the fans would have in that last thirty minutes and there is no bullshit around what Sherwood feels. Aston Villa will be hoping he can start turning around some of the results too, but I will admit I actually like Sherwood and the passion he does show for his teams.