Tuesday, January 10, 2023

Carabao Cup Preview

The quarterfinal matches of the Carabao Cup take place Tuesday and Wednesday this week. Manchester United is home to League One Charlton while Newcastle hosts Leicester on Tuesday. Manchester United has been on a tear of late and Manager Eric ten Hag is unlikely to allow his charges to be complacent in their bid to progress to the semifinals despite facing a much lesser opponent. Leicester’s difficult season would be brightened by an extension of their cup run but the Foxes will be hard pressed to get a result at Newcastle’s St. James Park. Newcastle Manager Eddie Howe prioritized Tuesday’s match by resting key players in an FA Cup loss over the weekend. Not getting a result versus the Foxes would bring resounding criticism down upon Howe’s strategic ploy. Wednesday action has Wolves travelling to Nottingham Forest while Southampton hosts Manchester City. Nottingham Forest also rested key players in an FA Cup loss over the weekend. Wolves, playing well under new manager Julen Lopetegui, put in a strong effort in Saturday’s 2-2 FA Cup draw with Liverpool as Lopetegui paid more respect to the FA Cup competition than did Nottingham Forest Manager Steve Cooper. Southampton is home to Manchester City Wednesday. The Saints only prayer in that match could rest upon the Citizens looking ahead to their weekend Manchester derby. Southampton, however, will be hard pressed in their bid to advance to the semifinals. The talent differential between the clubs, no matter which players Manager City Manager Pep Guardiola chooses to field at St. Mary’s, would point towards the Citizens continuing their quest for a sixth Carabao Cup championship in the last eight years. 

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Friday, January 6, 2023

Premier League Results Matchweek 19: Newcastle Takes Point At Arsenal; City Closes In As Chelsea Slide Continues; Rashford Scores Again In Manchester United Win; Spurs Smash Crystal Palace; Bees Sting Liverpool To Extend Unbeaten Run; Everton Tumbles Into Drop Zone

Arsenal dropped points for only the third time in 17 matches this season as Newcastle held the Gunners in check during a scoreless duel at the Emirates. The Magpies delivered their eighth draw of the season at the home of the league leaders as Manager Eddie Howe’s side posted a fourth consecutive clean sheet. The tense match saw seven yellow cards and Arsenal Manager Mikel Arteta lost his mind on multiple occasions, screaming and gesticulating at match officials and Newcastle staff alike over uncalled penalty grievances, time wasting actions by the Magpies and too little time added by the referee to regulation. It was a well-earned point, however, by defensively superb Newcastle.

Manchester City took advantage of Arsenal’s dropped points with a 1-0 win over Chelsea at Stamford Bridge. Pep Guardiola, disappointed with his club’s first half performance, changed out three players at halftime. Two of those subs then combined for the winning goal as Jack Grealish set up Riyad Mahrez for the winner.

Manchester City moved back to within five points of league leading Arsenal with the win. Chelsea, meanwhile, is a shocking 10th place in the Premier League table after capturing only is of its last 24 points available in league play. Supporters are calling for manager Graham Potter’s head which would already have rolled under Chelsea’s former ownership. The new ownership, however, shares responsibility with Potter for Chelsea’s currently dismal state. Chelsea forward and former Arsenal star Pierre Emerick-Aubameyang entered the match for the injured Raheem Sterling and played so poorly that he himself was yanked by Potter. Aubameyang and fullback Marc Cucurella are two of the higher profile transfer misses to date of Chelsea’s new ownership. Chelsea are now ten points behind Manchester United for fourth place and the final Champions League qualifying spot.

Marcus Rashford continued his outstanding run of form as he scored for a third consecutive league match in Manchester United’s 3-0 win over Bournemouth. The victory was a fourth straight win for the Red Devils who have lost but once since early October. The Cherries, meanwhile, fell to within a point of the relegation zone by posting a third straight loss without scoring a goal.

Everton fell into the drop zone after the Toffees put on an embarrassing home performance in a 4-1 loss at Goodison Park to Brighton. Everton conceded the first four goals of the match before a meaningless penalty kick in stoppage time provided little consolation for supporters who have become increasingly vocal in their demands for change from the Everton board. Manager Lampard hangs by a string but truthfully is working with a poor roster in desperate need of refurbishment. The Everton financial condition does not make such repair likely in the upcoming window. Brighton responded to their loss to league leading Arsenal by winning for the fourth time in the Seagulls’ last six league matches under Manager Roberto De Zerbe. Brighton youngster Evan Ferguson scored against both the Toffees and Gunners as the 18-year-old became the youngest player to score in consecutive Premier League matches in more than a decade. Ferguson also had an assist in the lopsided win over Everton.

The Seagulls moved to within just a point of sixth palace Liverpool after the Reds put in a poor defensive performance in a 3-1 loss at Brentford. Liverpool defenders were no match for the swarming Bees. Ibrahima Konate, returning to Liverpool from World Cup duty, was victimized for an opening own goal and then was muscled aside by Brentford’s Bryan Mbeumo on the Bees’ final goal. Center back Virgil van Dijk also played poorly before being removed for a reported hamstring pull. Brentford extended their league unbeaten run to six matches despite the absence of injured striker Ivan Toney. The victory marked the first win for the Bees over Liverpool since 1938. Liverpool, meanwhile, have dropped more points to date than the entirety of last year’s Premier League season.

Tottenham Hotspur remained two points behind Manchester United for the final Champions League slot as Harry Kane struck for a brace and Son Heung-min made the scoresheet for just the second league match this season in a 4-0 rout of Crystal Palace. Kane broke open the match after a scoreless first half with goals in the 48th and 53rd minute in what was his 300th Premier League appearance. After Matt Doherty scored his first goal of the season, stretching the advantage to three goals, Kane assisted on Son’s goal to cap the scoring. Crystal Palace has conceded seven goals in its two losses since the break which bracketed a win over helpless Bournemouth.

Nottingham Forest escaped the relegation zone for the first time since August with a 1-0 win over Southampton. Taiwo Awoniyi  scored the winner as Forest won away from home for a first time this season. Manager Steve Cooper’s side has captured eight of the last 15 points available to the club to emerge from the drop zone. Southampton, meanwhile, lost a sixth consecutive match as the Saints appear to have no prayer of surviving this season.

Wolves took a point in a 1-1 draw at Aston Villa to improve their own survival chances. Wolverhampton looked poised to take all three points before Danny Ings came to Villa’s rescue with a 78th minute goal. Wolves moved to just one point back of currently safe West Ham and are now only three points behind three clubs tied for 13th place in the congested bottom half of the Premier League table.

One of those clubs, Leicester, lost a third consecutive match, falling 1-0 at home to Fulham as the Cottagers won a third consecutive match to maintain their seventh-place position in the table. Aleksandar Mitrovic’s 11th goal of the season was the match winner for Manager Marco Silva’s men.

West Ham is ahead of Everton and relegation infamy by the thinnest of goal differential margin after the Hammers dropped more points at Leeds in a 2-2 draw at Elland Road. Rodrigo’s 70th minute goal salvaged the draw for Leeds which is two points ahead of the Hammers in the bottom of the table scramble. Notable in the match was how Leeds dominated the midfield despite the presence of West Ham and England midfielder Declan Rice. Leeds is also getting a spark from 19-year-old Serie A product Wilfried Gnonto who not only scored against the Hammers but has been consistently bringing additional energy to the already frenetic Leeds attack. Leeds supporters already have a song for Gnonto, though club management would prefer the lyrics of the raunchy ballad to be more family friendly. 

 

FA Cup Third Round


The Premier League clubs enter the fray effective with the third round of the FA Cup this weekend. All 20 top tier clubs are in action in the domestic cup as the hectic Premier League schedule is temporarily paused. Five FA Cup matches pit Premier League rivals against each other. Headlining those matches is a rematch between Manchester City and Chelsea following their Thursday league clash. The action shifts from Stamford Bridge to the Etihad as the Citizens look to repeat their league success and Chelsea Manager Graham Potter gets another chance to try to dampen calls for his ouster. Frank Lampard is another manager under the microscope as he brings his reeling Everton squad to Old Trafford on Friday. Any game in any competition is vital now for the embattled Lampard who has guided the descent of the proud franchise into its current relegation zone position. To his credit, Lampard has pulled off the occasional unexpected result with the Toffees when things have been dark before. Everton fell into the Premier League relegation zone this past week after a brutal defeat to Brighton. Manchester United, conversely, is on a four-match winning run in the league as Marcus Rashford has been superb for the Red Devils, finding the net in three consecutive league matches. Manager Eric ten Hag’s squad rotation will be interesting for his club. Captain Harry Maguire has been relegated to a substitute’ role but may have opportunity to capture minutes on Friday. Saturday’s schedule includes a London derby as West Ham visits Brentford. The Hammers have been dreck in the league where only three clubs have scored fewer goals. The Bees came away with a 2-0 league win at West Ham little more than a week ago. Liverpool begins defense of its 2021/22 FA Cup title when the Reds host Wolves on Saturday. Another successful FA Cup run could be the high-water mark for the struggling Reds who have fallen down the league table, are already eliminated from the Carabao Cup, and face a tough Champions League matchup with defending champions Real Madrid. Jurgen Klopp would normally be tempted to heavily rotate his side for Saturday’s match but could be rethinking that approach as an FA Cup run takes on greater importance. Crystal Palace is home to Southampton in a match of interest only to supporters of the two clubs. The combined goal output in league play for these two clubs equals that of Brighton. Southampton is on a six-match losing run and Crystal Palace has been blasted in two of its three Premier League matches since the break. Premier League leader Arsenal caps the weekend action with a Monday FA Cup match versus League One side Oxford. 
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Monday, January 2, 2023

Premier League Preview: Matchweek 19

Matchweek 19 plays out over the course of this week with games scheduled Monday through Thursday. Monday features Liverpool visiting Brentford. In somewhat of a surprise, Brentford striker Ivan Toney may participate after a favorable muscle injury update was provided after the forward was stretchered off from Friday’s match with West Ham. Toney’s presence as the league’s third leading goal scorer is a massive consideration in the Bees’ chances. Liverpool defender Ibrahima Konate is poised to be available for his first league match since returning from World Cup duty.

The headline match for Tuesday and indeed the entire week takes place at the Emirates on Tuesday when table leader Arsenal hosts third place Newcastle.

Arsenal has been prolific in scoring seven goals in its two wins since the break despite the absence of injured striker Gabriel Jesus. Newcastle is the only other club besides the Gunners to have incurred just a single loss all season. Eddie Howe’s Magpies, however, have seven draws from their 17 matches and trail the Gunners by nine points in the table. Tuesday’s match is thus critical to any thoughts Newcastle may have regarding a title chase this season.

Manchester United hosts Bournemouth that same day as the Red Devils look to maintain their newly acquired top four status. Defender Lisandro Martinez is expected to make his return for United after the Argentinian’s extended World Cup celebration.

The mysterious absence of winger Jaden Sancho, however, continues for Manager Eric ten Hag’s side. Overmatched Bournemouth enters the match at Old Trafford having lost six of their last seven league matches and having never won in league competition at the home of Manchester United.

Fulham visits Leicester on Tuesday. Leicester Manager Brendan Rodgers has won eight of his nine previous contests against the Cottagers but now faces a version of Fulham which is eight points above Leicester in the Premier League table. The surprising seventh place Cottagers are having their best season in the topflight in more than ten years.

The remaining Tuesday match is Brighton at Everton. The Seagulls’ Moises Caicedo returns from suspension and World Cup winner Alexis Mac Allister could make his first appearance for Brighton since helping Argentina raise the Cup. Everton will try to keep some momentum going after securing a surprising point at Manchester City on New Year’s Eve.

Another four matches take place on Wednesday with a key relegation scrap occurring when Nottingham Forest heads to Southampton. Forest could use the match as a launching pad to emerge from the drop zone while Southampton have earned their bottom of the table position with five straight losses.

Leeds manager Jesse Marsch will be in the unusual position of facing a manager who is on even shakier ground than Marsch himself. Leeds nicked a valuable point off Newcastle in the Whites last outing while West Ham Manager David Moyes watched his underperforming side fall for a fifth consecutive league match in a loss to Brentford last Friday. The Hammers have scored but two goals over those five losses and only goal differential separates Moyes’s men from the drop zone.

Wolverhampton is one of those relegation dwellers looking to climb over the Hammers as Wolves manager Julen Lopetegui takes his squad to Aston Villa Wednesday. Lopetegui, who has a win and a loss in his first two league fixtures, will see a familiar face on the touchline for his opponent at Villa Park. Villa Manager Unai Emery and Lopetegui quite recently were facing each other in the Spanish La Liga. Lopetegui has won twice and drawn twice in five previous matches versus Emery across all competitions. The battle of Spanish managers Wednesday, however, will see Emery with a currently stronger roster and home stadium advantage. Villa is currently eight points ahead of relegation bound Wolverhampton in the Premier League table. Villa thumped Tottenham Hotspur in their last outing, knocking Spurs from their top four perch.

Harry Kane and the gang will try to regroup when Spurs visit Crystal Palace Wednesday. The Eagles will be trying to show that their improved attack in Saturday’s win over Bournemouth was not an anomaly. Palace has been surprisingly good at home versus Spurs. The Eagles are unbeaten in their last four home matches across all competitions versus their London rivals. Anything short of a victory at Selhurst for Spurs will further raise alarm bells for supporters of Manager Antonio Conte’s side who have fallen from the Champions League places after capturing just four of twelve available points in their most recent league matches.

Matchweek 19 concludes on Thursday with what once would have been a critical top four match. Unfortunately, Chelsea is floundering as the eighth place Blues host Manchester City. Stamford Bridge may provide some much-needed energy for Chelsea, but Manchester City will be anxious to avoid another blow to their title chances after dropping points to Everton in their last outing. The Citizens are a full seven points behind Arsenal after this past weekend’s results.


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