I was close but not quite right with the Arsenal match. Tottenham once again didn't have the mental strength to compete with Arsenal, and let them dictate the flow of the game. They had about 30 good minutes and then packed their bags and allowed Arsenal to steamroll them. Again. Actual score was 3-0, and nice work by Sagna and RVP for the link-up play.
Interesting match with the Chelsea pick. The game was rather physical, but I could not have predicted quite how poorly Cahill would play. One thing I nailed was the ejection- straight red for bringing down Drogba when he was clear on goal. He played it up but it was absolutely a foul. Chelsea obliterated Bolton and their defense held tight. Nice to see Deco back in the side.
Burnley beat Hull comprehensively and again, the ejection changed the match. The result was never in doubt, but Burnley had that confidence immediately. Sorry Hull, you guys are fucked this year. How about focusing on rebuilding so you can win the Championship?
Everton ended up with that 1-1 draw that I predicted. Nice work from them, and I'm sure that David Moyes is eagerly awaiting the return of some of his key players (Arteta, anyone?) so he won't get fired. 3 weeks Davey, make it rain out there. Aston Villa have to improve. They have the high powered offense to make this work, but Gareth Barry's presence is being seriously felt. They need a replacement who can make it happen in the Premier League. Splash some cash and pick one up Martin, it will be the best decision you can make.
Manchester United have developed this new mindset where they win games by putting forth as little effort as possible. Quite frankly it's a mystery to me how they do it. Anyone, the offense was once again weaksauce, and although Berbatov had a goal-of-the-week moment, both the goals came late. Like, really late. WORRYINGLY late. SAF, you need a striker immediately. A suitable replacement has not been found and that needs to be your top priority. Both of your last goalmachine players now ply their trade at the Bernabeau, so get a new one. There's plenty out there, but you'll win NOTHING this season if you don't act immediately.
In the past couple years, Fulham have pulled off upsets out of nowhere sometimes, and I think they smelled blood. Liverpool is extremely vulnerable right now and they really couldn't do anything to help themselves. I saw something on FOX Soccer Channel that was interesting, though: one of the dudes pointed out the expressions on the faces of the players who were substituted. Torres, Benayoun, and Kuyt all walked off that pitch with disdain, disappointment, and confusion spray painted on their countenances. "Why am I coming off? I can help you win this game." Rafa, saving players for the Champions League is great, but if you don't qualify for next year's CL then it's pretty pointless isn't it? Unfortunately, the financial state of the club means they can't afford to fire this dumb fuck. Too bad, Rijkaard is available soon I think.
2 red cards also highlight the defensive inabilities that plague Liverpool. There's a reason why I don't have a Liverpool defender on my fantasy team. I did nail the "Torres only gets one" though.
Nice work Wolves, great comeback against Stoke. I was pretty impressed by this game, because I thought I had it perfectly figured out. To be fair, Stoke should have won this match. The first Wolves goal was CLEARLY offside. Otherwise, great match from both sides, although Wolves will want to get their shit together defensively. Stoke is not exactly prolific when it comes to scoring, but they got their goals in quick, and could have had another if Faye was aiming his header (totally unmarked).
Portsmouth... wow. Wigan hasn't exactly been in a slump after beating Chelsea, with Rodallega in particular getting on the scoresheet. He's playing well, but man what the fuck happened? I still think Portsmouth will be relegated if they don't get a huge cash injection before the winter window, but they have been playing good footy and made a point this week. Flowing football for the win is always a good thing. Probably won't save them from the drop though. I was fucking WRONG on this one.
Sunderland, what's happened to you? See, this is what I was talking about earlier with Darren Bent. When the goals dry up, what will happen? Well, he's either going to score next week or I'm getting rid of him on my fantasy team. I'll tell you this much though, West Ham are fighters. They are in the relegation zone and Zola is putting a great mental edge on these guys, because they simply do not quit. The draw against Arsenal was evidence of that and here's another example. Sunderland have got to get their shit together, and now. If Bent doesn't score, who will pick up the pieces? I'll tell you who didn't: Kenwyne Jones. Nice going, moron.
We'll see which teams recover and which teams suck balls next week. I can already tell you that I don't like Manchester United's chances at the Bridge.
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