Predictions: 23rd August

West Ham v Tottenham

This match is Gianfranco's 1st home match of the season and it certainly is a tough one with Tottenham in great form at the moment. Having won and not being troubled much at the Molineux last weekend, Zola's team can expect a much tougher match in prospect here. Zola is definitely the most lovable manager in the league and most neutrals will want him to succeed.


West Ham currently have a decent suqad, with plaers like Green, Upson, Parker and Cole being the main figures in the starting XI. Expect Cole to have a good season and really push for a place in the England team. Alot will rest on whether Zola will be forced to sell. The club have been heavily linked with Marouane Chamakh and he will be a great addition if he does sign.

Tottenham have been great to watch thus far and they have a really strong squad now. They have a strong midfield mixed with strength and guile and have a front line that is the envy of many teams. Redknapp will start with Defoe and Keane upfront, but having players like Crouch, Pavlyuchenko and Bentley on the bench signifies squad depth.

I do expect Harry to continue his good start to the season on his return toUpton Park, where he is much respected. With his stike force in such rampant form at the moment you will not bet against them. West Ham will do great this season but Tottenham are a serious canidate for at least a Euro place this season and they will be too strong. Ever since Harry arrived at the Lane, the team has had a more settled look to it and you can see the players are enjoying their football now.

Prediction: 2-1 to Tottenham

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Tottenham's 5 goals in midweek



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Burnley v Everton

Burnley had the result of the season thus far in midweek. The season is still early and Burnley players will be up for this one after their amazing win over Man Utd. Everton are looking to bounce back from a disastrous start against Arsenal. They had a relatively easy win in midweek in Europe.

Everyone will be under no illusion that Burnley will be in for a tough time this season, the team has no stand out player and the going will only get tougher and touger for them as the season progress.

Everton really need some major reinforcements before the transfer window closes and expect Lescott to sit out this one, now that his tranfer to Man City looks certain to go through. Arteta is a huge loss to the Toffess and Fellaini as a striker does not impress me. I do think Moyes may start with Saha up front with Cahill and Fellaini in support. Saha, if fully fit is a god striker.

I have concerns over Cahill after he is heavily involved with Australia in pre-season. The season is still early but fatigue could be a problem when the season progresses.


I expect Bunley to give Everton a run for their money in this game and probably sneak a draw here. Burnley will be tough opposition at home as Man Utd have already found out.

Prediction: Burnley 1 Everton 1

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Fulham v Chelsea

The big one on Sunday. Fulham's home debut this season and this will be a tough one for Carlo Ancelotti. Fulham were great at home last season, defeating Man Utd and Arsenal while drawing with Chelsea. Their home form was what got them a Euro spot.

Ancelotti could be sticking to the starting XI that got him the win in midweek. The team played well in midweek, especially in the 2nd half. Ancelotti's teams are always difficult to beat and this will very much be the case again.

Zamora is having a good start to the season an he looks to be the main threat upfront for Fulham. I do think they need more reinforcement in defense and midfield or they could find it hard to replicate last season's success. Duff could be an option as he is in line for his league debut.

A great exciting match in prospect here with both Chelsea wanting to maintain their 100% start and Fulham wanting to start their home fixtures with a victory. I certainly do not expect Chelsea to lose this one and i do expect them to just sneak this one.

Prediction: Fulham 1 Chelsea 2

Review: Premier League 22/08

Sunderland 2 Blackburn 1

A 2nd win in 3 games for Steve Bruce's team equates to an encouraging start for the Black Cats. The solitary defeat to a very strong Chelsea team was no surprise and no disgrace.

2 goals from Kenwyne Jones sealed a comeback win for the team in this game. Jones and Bent upfront will be a partnership that will trouble many teams.

Expect Sunderland to continue doing well and they will certainly be aiming to finish in the top half of the table at the very least. Lee Cattermole is an astute signing in midfield and his tigerish qualities was there for all to see in this game.

As for Big Sam and his Blackburn team, 2 disallowed goals ruined their day and that means 2 straight losses to start the season. They have 2 home games coming up and they will need to pick up points to boost morale and avoid a bad start that will lead to a relegation dogfight.



Hull 1 Bolton 0

I do fear for Bolton and Megon this season. They have signed poorly this summer and they were outplayed by Hull in this game. Hull could have won alot more convincingly had they taken their chances.

Nevertheless, a win to kick start the season for Hull after 2 defeats. Hull needs to pick up wins like this one; points against teams around them in the table will be vital. Their lack of signings to bolster their squad could work against them. Phil Brown must be desperate to sign a striker after failing to land most of his targets thus far.

Most will expect these 2 teams to finish in the bottom half of the table.


Brimingham 0 Stoke 0

A bore game with no goals. A decent stat for both teams to the season with 4 points each from 3 games.

You can see where Birmingham's problems are in this game; defensively they may be resolute but McLeish really needs more fire-power up front as they will struggle to score goals. The team has more work horses than flair and creative players.

Benitez has been their main signing in the summer and i will like to see McLeish start him upfront rather than starting Jerome or Phillips.

A long hard season in prospect for Brimingham and they will do well to stay up. As for Stoke, they are strong on their home patch and you will expect their home form to keep them up.

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Stoke's heavy defeat in midweek at Anfield

Review: Man City 1 Wolves 0

A good start for Mark Huges and his expensively assembled team after many were expecting them to falter.

The surprise element is certainly the new found determination in the team to carve out wins and keep clean sheets. They defended well at Ewood last week and again in this game when Wolves were pressing hard for an equalizer towards the end.

Shay Given was again brilliant in goal. His save just before half time from Jarvis was particularly impressive and kept City's lead.

City tried hard to play free flowing football; although there are flashes of that, you can still see that the team needs more time to gel and understand each other. The win however is very encouraging for City. Adebayor again was impressive, scoring the winning goal and was full of running.

Huges chose to start with Tevez along Adebayor upfront. I would very much prefer that he stated with Bellamy as Bellamy's pace and enthusiasm are important traits and will serve the team well at the moment.

With Lescott expected to join the team before the window closes, the future is looking bright for City. A defensive partnership of Lescott and Toure will be pretty impressive. The team now has an impressive look to it with really impressive players throughout the team. Most will agree that players like Given, Toure, Barry, Robinho, Adebayor, Tevez will walk into most teams in the league.

I will like to see Huges play a 4-5-1 with Barry and De Jong or Kompany alongside with Robinho, Ireland and Bellamy supporting a lone front man. This formation will provide more steel for the team and will suit the current crop of players better in my opinion.

City next travel to Fratton Park to face Pompey and you will expect another 3 points there, considering how Pompey are struggling at the moment. They will then face Arsenal at the City of Manchester in what will be the 1st big test for the team this season. Neutrals and City fans will be eager to watch the game as that will show how much the team has improved from last season and whether the team can really challenge for a top 4 place this season.

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City's opening day win at Ewood, with 2 great goals from Adebayor and Ireland

Review: Wigan 0 Man Utd 5

The season is starting to turn into a mare now for Wigan after their brilliant result at Villa last week. 2 home losses in a week certainly does not boost confidence. Man Utd got their season off and running with an absolutely massive display after 2 stuttering results, a narrow 1-0 win over Birmingham and a surprise defeat at Burnley.

Sir Alex's front line certainly came good on the day as both Rooney and Berbatov scored after starting the game, while Michael Owen got his 1st competitive goal for the club after coming on as a sub.

Rooney, who got 2 goals, had a massive game and was inspirational. Until his headed goal to open the scoring early in the 2nd half, the team was still trying desperately to break down Wigan's stubborn defense. Once Utd went 2 goals up via Berba, Wigan's shoulders really dropped and the flood gates really opened.

Nani was impressive in the 2nd half and his superb through ball was brilliantly finished by Owen. Nani later added his name on the score sheet with a freekick.

Utd was good value for the win and the team played really well. The big difference was the return of Vidic at the back and his performance was immense, especially in the 1st half when Wigan carried the fight to Utd. The game also highlighted what a massive season this could turn out to be for Rooney, now the main man in the team.

Again, Kirkland was not impressive in the Wigan goal, just like in midweek against Wolves. That will add to the problem for Roberto Martinez and you can probably see the team struggle from this point on. They will probably still finish somewhere between 12th and 17th; they are certainly good enough to stay up.

As for Fergie, this was certainly a boost ahead of next week's crunch game against Arsenal. Although early in the season, the game is vital for both teams from a psychological point of view, especially for a very young Gunners team desperate to stamp their credentials this season.

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Surprise of the season so far: Burnley 1 Man Utd 0

Review: Arsenal 4 Pompey 1

10 goals in 2 games, that is definitely a great start for Arsene and his boys after most pundits were writing them off even before the season started.

Arsenal started slowly and the Emirates seemed slightly subdued until Eduardo's brilliant run and pass set Diaby up for the team's 1st goal. Arsenal's free flowing soccer quickly produced the 2nd. Arsenal fans will be hoping Diaby, branded the new Viera by Arsene, have a massive season this time round after having a promising season the last time round.


Many pundits predicted Arsenal's weak link could be the goalkeepers and that was vindicated when Almunia was out jumped easily by Kaboul as Pompey pulled a goal back against the run of play before half time.

The second half continued to in the same way as the 1st, more free flowing soccer from Arsene's predators and they managed to add 2 more goals from Gallas and Ramsey to round off a convincing victory to take the team top of the table.

The scoreline certainly did not flatter the Gunners and the scoreline could have been much wider if not for the heroics of David James in the Pompey goal.

For M. Al Fahim, the man reported on the brink of the Pompey takeover, time could be running out. With the expected takeover to be completed soon, time is running out now before the transfer window closes on the 31st and Pompey definitely needs some reinforcements after losing many key players from last season's team.

Pompey fans will be praying that they will not be dragged into a relegation dogfight this season as that seems to be the case now that they have lost 3 out of 3 this season.

As for the Gunners, they will face a test of their credentials this season in the next 2 weeks, with visits to both Man Utd and Man City. That will show us the real mettle the team has.

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Denilson's goal v Everton on the opening day

Sunderland 1 Chelsea 3: Prime canidates for the title?

Well, i may be wrong in criticizing Ancelotti's decision to field Deco from the start now that they have won 3-1 against Sunderland.

They had loads of possession in the 1sthalf but were never penetrative enough. Again, they turned the game around and their 2nd half performance was just great for me.

Deco scored a great team goal and Ancelotti played Shev and Sturridge late on. I liked the shape of the team in this game with Ancelotti reverting to playing just Drogba upfront as i do think Anelka and Drog together just does not work.

Again Franky Lampard was great in the game, his tenacity and passing was great. He is really arguably the most complete midfielder in the game. He has all the qualities you want in a midfielder. He can defend, he covers the length of the pitch, he can support the front man and he can score loads of goals. Very much like Luis Enrique of Barcelona for me. Undoubtedly the man of the match for me in this game.



If Ancelotti sticks to this formation, Chelsea will really prosper. They played much better in this formation compared to the 4-4-2 he has started in the previous 2 games. The only chage i would suggest is Carvalho in for Bosingwa and Ivanovic switching to the right of defense.

Elsewhwere, we have seen Wolves pick up their 1st win of the season at Wigan. The game was nothing to shout about and Kirkland should have done better for the Wolves goal. The header didn't had much power and the player was pretty far out.

However, Wolves fan should not be too optimistic as i think they will still struggle this season.

Wigan will struggle too if there are looking at replicating the fine season they had the last time round as i think the win at Villa on Saturday clearly mask the problems the team has. They have lost Bruce who in my view is a top top manager. Losing Palacios, Heskey and Valencia; all 3 whom are crucial to them, is just vital. They will do well to finish mid table.

Deco: The right man to turn to?

Well, i am currently watching the Sunderland - Chelsea game at the moment and i am not sure if Deco is the right man to start in midfield. So far (after 30 mins), Chelsea are a goal down just like they were vs Hull on Sat.

They are having loads of the ball but not creating much. I can see why a continental manger like Deco in the team, he is a good ball player and he has good vision. However, i have doubts if he is right for the Barclay's Premier League. He definitely is more suited to the La Liga or the Series A where more emphasis is placed on technical abilities and players have more time on the ball due to the slower pace of the games.

Deco was Mourinho's star player at Porto, however when Mourinho signed on at the Bridge, he never wanted to bring Deco along with him. Guess Mourinho was smart enough to see Deco may not fit in.