Liverpool’s campaign took another turn for the worse after a 1-1 draw with Newcastle United. This was yet another poor result for Jurgen Klopp’s men, who have managed to just two wins in the last five matches. As a result, the club has slipped to seventh place in the table with 12 points. The two Manchester clubs at the top of the table have already been able to open up a sizable seven-point advantage. The Premier League is no La Liga and teams cannot run away with the title with a seven-point advantage inside the first 10 matches. However, there is still plenty of concern at Merseyside.
Club legend Steven Gerrard has tried to dismiss those rumours by claiming that the Reds can still revive the campaign by getting a victory over rivals Manchester United once the season resumes from the short international break. “The frustrating thing for Liverpool at the moment is the international break after a couple of games where they feel they should have done better. With one good result or a couple of good results, they will find themselves back in the top four,” said Gerrard. The break helps Liverpool a lot as the team heads straight into a string of big matches in domestic and European competitions. Aside from facing Manchester United and Tottenham in back-to-back matches, Liverpool also have a crucial Champions League encounter against Maribor.
Gerrard has identified the home match against Manchester United – just after the international break – as the game to reignite the club’s campaign. Even though Liverpool have struggled in this fixture of late with just two wins since 2012, Anfield has always been a tough place for the opponents. Liverpool will find it easier to raise their game after having been pretty flat in some recent encounters. Gerrard has been part of several encounters against United, and he says that the international break is a factor that could play a crucial role in the build-up to this match.
“I think Liverpool will itching once the international break is over and really relishing those games. As a fan, I am looking forward to watching them in those games because I think they can bounce back,” continued the former Liverpool midfielder.
Jurgen Klopp started out exceedingly well at Liverpool, but the 2017-18 season has so far been marred by speculation surrounding Philippe Coutinho. Gerrard is confident that the German manager will get the club back on track.
West Ham will be making the long journey to Liverpool in order to visit Anfield this weekend. It is a trip that has rewarded West Ham a lot in recent years, as the team has been able to pick up some positive results. There is a greater expectation of the trend repeating, as Liverpool have struggled when it comes to maximising the home fans. There have been far too many draws for Liverpool to be challenging for the league title with just away form alone. Liverpool have been able to get a huge victory in the Champions League action coming into the match.
Manchester United vs Chelsea
The epic duel of this weekend witnesses Manchester United and Chelsea going against each other at the Old Trafford. Most of the games that have taken place between these two clubs in recent years has finished as a draw. It would not be a big surprise to witness the stalemate, although this result would suit Chelsea more than Manchester United. For this purpose, the Red Devils are likely to be slightly more oriented towards attack while Chelsea would be more than happy with a point in the game. However, a victory will put Chelsea firmly in contention for the top four places.
Crystal Palace vs Tottenham
Tottenham have been struggling with away form now and it is a polar opposite from the early season trend when the team were unable to get positive results at home. Now, Liverpool and Juventus are some of the teams who have struggled against Tottenham in European competitions. Crystal Palace, meanwhile, are looking to avoid relegation. However, it has been a tough couple of weeks for Roy Hodgson, as his team have not been able to get a positive outcome in the last four matches. However, Crystal Palace do have home advantage and it has been a significant factor in the past. Even with all the advantages, this game could finish as a draw.
Manchester City hope to become the latest team to get a positive result at Turf Moor. Burnley have been extremely strong at home in the 1st half of the season, but the recent run of defeats has led to the club facing an uncertain 2nd half of the campaign. Meanwhile, Manchester City are racing towards the Premier League title and the midweek results have only confirmed the same. City have been an incredible attacking force and will be looking to score more than a couple of goals at this ground, which has largely witnessed strong defensive teams. Strangely, City are aiming only for their 3rd consecutive league victory.
Bournemouth vs Stoke City
Bournemouth will be looking to build on the impressive victory over Chelsea when they host Stoke City at the Vitality Stadium this weekend. Bournemouth have been able to claim 2 wins in the last 3 games against this opponent. It is a strong set of results, but Stoke have not been unable to get away wins over this opponent. One has to go back to only February 2016 in order to witness a victory for Stoke at the Vitality Stadium. The managerial change at Stoke has not brought about an impressive set of results and Bournemouth will be the team to beat in this game after having just secured a big victory in the Premier league.
Brighton vs West Ham
Brighton and West Ham are looking to shake off a string of stalemate in recent weeks. Both clubs have been involved in plenty of draws – 3 in the case of Brighton and 4 in the case of West Ham. The London outfit come into the game after having just drawn with Crystal Palace. Manager David Moyes is keen on getting the club to a string of victories once again, as he will be available the products of the same compared with a lower points return from the draws. West Ham suffered a big defeat against Brighton earlier in the campaign.
Leicester City vs Swansea City
Leicester City will be taking on a resurgent Swansea city at the end of the stadium hoping to prevent the Carlos Carvalhal outfit from adding yet another scalp in the Premier League. The impressive victory over Arsenal will lead to increased expectation from Swansea in the coming matches. However, the priority for the club will be to avoid relegation and they can do this by getting out of the bottom 3. On the basis of the current run of form, it would be difficult to do not Swansea to making the great escape. Swansea have been in extraordinary form since the arrival of Carlos Carvalhal.
Manchester United vs Huddersfield Town
Manchester United will be looking to quickly recovered from the surprise defeat against Tottenham in the latest league outing. After managing 5 consecutive wins, United last against Tottenham in the midweek action. Jose Mourinho has effectively ruled out the possibility of winning the Premier league now, as Manchester City have been able to open up a huge advantage in the Premier league table. Huddersfield Town, meanwhile, fell to a loss against Liverpool despite playing well. Huddersfield are starting to become as clear favourites for relegation from the top division. It remains to be seen if the big defeat against Liverpool propels Huddersfield to a positive result.
West Brom vs Southampton
West Brom were able to claim a major scalp in the FA Cup against Liverpool, but Alan Pardew and his men will be looking to recover from a defeat against Manchester City in the recent league match. A home game against Southampton, who are not the strongest outfit when it comes to beating opponents, bodes well for West Brom in their efforts to climb up the table. Since Southampton and West Brom are both in the bottom 3 places of the league table, this match can be best described as a six-pointer. The 2 clubs will be trying to get out of the position.
Arsenal vs Everton
Everton travel to the Emirates stadium looking to avoid yet another disappointing result in this fixture. Everton have struggled when it comes to matters against Arsenal, and this game has the potential to go around the same route. Everton have been able to claim a 1st victory in a couple of matches during the midweek action. Even though Arsenal endured the disappointment of a defeat against Swansea, the gunners have the potential to bounce back straight away. Manager Arsene Wenger has made some interesting signings in the January transfer window, while also allowing a couple of players to leave. The success of the signings remains to be seen.
Crystal Palace vs Newcastle United
Crystal Palace prepared to become the latest London outfit to try and claim a victory over Newcastle United, who are obsessed with the same throughout his days. Palace were able to come away with a decent showing. Newcastle United will be confident after the recent set of results but they have been taken aback by the poor form when it comes to visit is to London. Recent defeats at the Emirates stadium and to Stamford Bridge are factors expected to bring about a cautious approach from Newcastle. Palace have the potential to win by the odd goal with Christian Benteke on good form.
Liverpool vs Tottenham
Liverpool are hoping to extend Tottenham’s miserable run of results at Anfield, but it will be easier said than done. Liverpool have been able to claim 5 wins in recent games against Tottenham, who may have picked up a victory over Manchester United in the recent game but an away performance against Liverpool at Anfield is a different proposition. Liverpool have been scoring goals for fun while Tottenham also poses of the strongest centre forwards in recent times. Even though Spurs will huff and puff in this game, Liverpool have the potential to get an easy victory.
Watford vs Chelsea
After the price loss against Bournemouth, Chelsea will be looking to bounce back quickly. The club has had a strong away record this season. Watford have been going through a terrible time and date has not been able to raise up even after the arrival of cars year. Antonio Conte refuses to get carried away with goals unlike. The Italian appears to be heading for an exit from Chelsea – less than 2 years since coming to the club. Watford will be hoping that this home match sparks the comeback from the team and avoid relegation at the end of the campaign.
Burnley have been going through a disastrous run of form for a long time and it looks highly unlikely that the team will be able to get to finish in the seventh place. Everton may have a very poor away record, but it is only down to a couple of big defeats against London teams. Otherwise, Sam Allardyce has managed to keep his team in a strong run of form. It is unlikely that the Evertonians will be suffering a big defeat in this game considering that Burnley have only managed 22 goals this season. Everton are not great when it comes to scoring away goals.
Leicester City vs Bournemouth
Leicester City will be able to walk towards the top seven places with a positive result against Bournemouth, but it is easier said than done since Eddie Howe’s team have been able to pick up their recent run of form. After suffering a couple of defeats and dropping points against the likes of Newcastle, Bournemouth have shown a lot of resilience in recent weeks. Leicester have struggled for goals as Jamie Vardy’s form has dipped in recent weeks. The striker’s goals remain the major source of attacking threat for the club in the Premier League as Riyad Mahrez still continues to be a disappointment.
Southampton vs Stoke City
Stoke city may be struggling in the relegation zone but the recent couple of matches have yielded the points for Paul Lambert’s team to keep in touch with safety positions. So far in the campaign, Stoke city have not been cut off from the rest of the league and this is happens to be a good thing. However, they are up against a Southampton fit that has been rejuvenated for the last two months under Mauricio Pellegrino. The South American looked close to losing his job at the club but there has been a sudden spring and results and Southampton are looking up once again.
Watford vs West Brom
The pressure on Alan Pardew keeps getting more and more by the day. After reports about the fallout with the players, a dressing room bust out appears to have happened at West Brom after the loss against Huddersfield last week. It remains to be seen if Pardew will be able to get his players back together and performing as a group. Watford have the potential to take advantage of the infighting that has been going on at West Brom. The team has picked up some decent results of late and it is down to a good scoring form from Troy Deeney.
Liverpool vs Newcastle United
Liverpool seem to thrash every opponent who comes their way and Newcastle cannot be an exception to this regard. The likes of Mohamed Salah and Sadio Mane have been performing very well in recent weeks and Roberto Firmino has also come in with some decent set of goals in recent matches. Newcastle have been conceding far too many goals and they will be let down by a defence that did not hold onto a 2-0 lead in the last game against Bournemouth. As a result, Liverpool could be heading for another positive result against Newcastle at Anfield – just like in many times in history.
Crystal Palace vs Manchester United
Manchester United managed to answer a lot of critics after coming back from behind to win against Chelsea last weekend but the team has been disappointing with regard to consistency over the last few weeks. As a result, teams like Liverpool have closed on the Red Devils. United will need a big win in order to end any doubts about the place finish. Crystal Palace appeared to be outside the relegation worry a few weeks ago but a long list of problems for Roy Hodgson with regard to injuries has led to the club being back into the bottom three mix.
Swansea City vs West Ham United
West Ham have had some disappointing runs and this has prevented from the club making a push into the top half of the table. The hammers will be available at Swansea have been a strong team in the last few weeks and it will be extremely difficult to expect a positive result that the Liberty stadium. Even if Swansea have suffered a major defeat coming into this game, manager Carlos Carvalhal will be able to motivate his players rather soon. The two teams may be evenly matched coming into this game but there is little doubt that Swansea will look to use home advantage.
Tottenham vs Huddersfield Town
Huddersfield town were able to get a huge set of results in recent weeks but the team have a mountain to climb when they take on Tottenham. Mauricio Pochettino’s team certainly have been one of the best over the last couple of months and they have been able to extend their run without defeats even further. It would take a lot of effort from Huddersfield to get a positive result in this match but the likelihood is that Spurs will come out successful. Spurs though have been placing too much hope and belief on Harry Kane and that could be a problem for the club if the striker gets injured.
Brighton vs Arsenal
Brighton will be hoping to replicate in their recent set of results when they take on Arsenal this weekend. The gunners have been so poor in recent weeks that it would not be surprising to expect a win for Chris Hughton’s men, especially considering that they have been on such a strong run of form over the last couple of games. Brighton were able to get a win over Swansea last time around and Arsenal have just played on Thursday night. The energy levels will be much greater for Chris Hughton’s team in this game. This Premier league outfit could produce a major upset this weekend.
Manchester City vs Chelsea
The titanic clash could witness Chelsea being pushed into more problems as Antonio Conte’s team have been able to get only a handful of wins in the last 10 matches. This poor run of form did seem to change with positive results against the likes of Brighton but the loss against Manchester United once again places Chelsea out of the top four. Manchester city could go one step towards the league title with a victory in this game and Guardiola’s team have been looking outstanding and breathtaking in the last couple of months.
The second round of the EPL proved to be bad for two of the teams that were favourites at the title. Manchester United failed to get even one point with Brighton, while Arsenal failed in two major tests – at home with Man City and with Chelsea, away.
If for Arsenal there are mitigating circumstances, Man United is in a more difficult situation. Asked by SkySports what he thinks about the atmosphere at United, the former Devils player, Lee Sharpe, summed up: “I expect Mourinho to be sacked by Christmas”.
Lee Sharpe added: “The atmosphere is not a good one. Ever since he came, Mourinho is moaning about the players. In Ferguson’s time, all these things were kept away from the press and solved in the coach’s office or in the locker room. Now it’s different and I do not think that’s good for the team”. For the full interview, click here.
Although it has a very valuable squad, United does not seem to find the rhythm. Even worse, Mourinho is facing next a really tough match against Tottenham. Lately, there have been rumours that Pogba is in open conflict with Mourinho, which was denied by the Portuguese. But Danny Mills says neither Alex Ferguson would tolerate Pogba problems. The Frenchman was sold to Juventus in 2012 by Ferguson and then bought back to Manchester by Mourinho. It seems that the problem is not one of the coach vs the player, but rather of the club vs the player.
Anyway, Manchester United will have to regroup and make an honourable figure against Tottenham. Man United vs Tottenham is live on Skysports and also online.
Arsenal plays against West Ham in a match that should bring the first three points to the Gunners. It remains to be seen if they will be able to cross the saddle of the first two stages when they were defeated by two top teams. Zero points after matches with Chelsea and Man City mean that Arsenal still has to wait until they can really enter in the title fight. Unai Emery “managed” to lose the first two matches of the season, a situation not seen at Arsenal since 1986. Even so, nobody is still challenging the position of the Spanish coach, but Emery will have a huge task on his shoulders. Arsenal vs. West Ham will play on August 25th, at 15:00 GMT on Emirates. The Gunners are very much in need of the three points, a victory being essential to keeping a good moral.
