Dan’s EPL Predictions
With a game on Friday I thought I’d get the predictions in early, as with all English clubs already qualified from their Europa League and Conference groups, Thursday night shouldn’t have to much impact on the weekend.
Feel free of course to wait till Friday morning….
I’m going to ask the majority of players how they feel about a rule change with the hope that as you read this, you stop and think how sad that it’s come to this.
Last week Admin was asked if we could stop the negativity as it wasn’t ‘fun anymore’.
The negativity in question was that I dared suggested Arsenal might lose at Villa Park.
This is a reflection of society – not just sport.
A generation have grown up wanting freedom of speech, until they hear an opinion they don’t agree with.
The moment they hear a point of view that is not theirs, they try and cancel you.
Apparently, my belief that Aston Villa would win was based on an agenda.
In reality, I have predicted only three times Arsenal would lose in the League. Twice I was correct!
Twice The Gunners went out and failed to prove me wrong.
I have also correctly got scorelines spot on when we beat Man United, Forest and Wolves and was one of the few Gooners to say we would beat Man City.
If you’re playing with the mindset that you will never say Arsenal lose because of a bias towards them; isn’t that you with the agenda?
But let’s try this and see the reaction ….
Would you readers like a rule where every week we have to predict Arsenal have to win?
It’s sad but some apparently can’t cope with the concept that me (a stranger) might occasionally say they won’t win ……
Let me know what the group consensus is lol.
Forest 1-4 Spurs
Do Spurs fans ever learn?
After their win over Newcastle, they went back to saying they were title contenders.
They won one game in 6!
What is clear is Ange Postecoglou is not changing his ethos. He believes in his principles and is prepared to go through the bad times to come out the other side stronger.
His system means losing games when dominating possession but there will also be occasions when they hand out drubbings.
Friday night might be one of those times and we might see Forest players booed off the pitch again.
This would put Steve Cooper under massive pressure again.
His employer considered sacking him twice last season and resisted due to overwhelming support from the fans. That might not be there this campaign?
Chelsea 2-0 Sheffield United
So, I don’t know which Chelsea will show up most weeks?
Yet they have a whole week to prepare for the poorest team in the division.
If they can’t win this with some swaggers, where do they go from here?
The quicker the breakthrough the easier the afternoon
Cherries 2-1 Luton
I grew up in Bournemouth.
I attended games when they were in League 1 and 2 and put pennies in a bucket going around, collecting funds to keep the club from going bust.
That’s what made their win at Old Trafford so special, the best trip they ever been on in the Prem?
Credit to their owner for not panicking when others might have and giving Iraola time to settle and teach his squad a new way of playing.
It’s a different test this Saturday as now they are the favourites and now, they are expected to win.
It’s a test of their mindset to see how they handle that.
Man City 3-1 Palace
Remember how arrogant some Gooners were in the title race last season, completely underestimating how hard it is to get over the line and downplaying the standards that Guardiola has set in this country?
Remember how up to February we were told there was ‘ something not right with the Champions ‘ and that Haaland made them worse?
Not just did City handle the pressure of playing every few days in must win conditions, they did it with a smile on their face.
So, you would think our fanbase would be humble and not take anything for granted …. but no.
This week I read how Pep is feeling the heat.
If they are within touching distance come March, they will put a sequence of wins together that Arsenal and Liverpool are not good enough to do.
Our only hope is this injury to Haaland is serious.
Oh, anyone else thought Luton should have had a player sent off for a two footed lunge on Foden?
I thought there was a conspiracy to help City??
Newcastle 1-2 Fulham
As expected, Newcastle’s tired squad were given energy by a passionate Toon Army on Wednesday, they just didn’t take their chances.
The Toon found their fitness because the Geordies sensed midweek was a special night.
It will be a different kind of atmosphere Saturday.
A possible hangover?
Maybe even anxiety?
Last Sunday was evidence of the games catching up with them and what little fitness they had left they may have put into the Milan game.
A great time for Fulham to go to Tyneside.
Burnley 0-2 Everton
Everton have won three consecutive games which some Toffees are putting down to the anger of the 10 points deduction.
Again, I need to remind peeps, the club openly and knowingly broke rules.
When the Prem literally were warning them how close they were to go over the 150 million thresholds, they shrugged their shoulders and kept spending.
They were content to break rules because they believed any sanction would be soft.
I fail to see how that makes them victims.
Surely Sean Dyche gets a standing ovation at Turf Moore?
If we was still manager, they would have more points right now.
The football wouldn’t be as attractive, but they would be more street wise and less naive.
Arsenal 2-1 Brighton
I still don’t understand how I was only one of three players person to predict we would lose at Villa Park.
How anyone has watched Aston Villa at home and didn’t see that Arsenal would have to play better than they have this season is a mystery.
Yes, there are positives to the skill of winning without playing well, but we will get nowhere close to being Champions if we don’t get back to last season’s levels.
We are not winning the title with David Raya in goal and Eddie Nketiah as our plan B.
No, scoring in a Champions League game with zero pressure on the line is not justification for him or Reiss Nelson being on 100,000 pound a week.
Remember how Brighton outplayed us at the Emirates last season?
Gooners forget that performance when they blame agenda’s and conspiracies.
With Liverpool next I think home fans will get us over the line
Brentford 1-2 Aston Villa
In the space of 4 days Unai Emery tactically out thought Pep Guardiola and Arteta.
It might have been the first time Man City were beaten in all stats since Pep moved to English football.
In both games, Villa were clinical and hard to break down.
Title talk though is premature and just because Leicester did it, doesn’t mean it will happen again.
The reality is it was a fairytale for the Foxes because it was once in a lifetime, as in it most likely won’t happen again.
Suddenly there’s a spotlight Villa have to deal with. Very soon every dropped point will be scrutinised.
It becomes a different pressure which we have no idea how they will deal with.
Meanwhile the momentum is with them.
West Ham 0-2 Wolves
David Moyes might feel obliged to play a strong team on Thursday to make sure he wins his Europa League group and avoids the play offs.
West Ham get strange results after playing in Europe.
Liverpool 4-0 Man United
I’m not a fan who is reactionary and thinks the answer is to simply change managers.
All I know is there are times where a club has a certain result, and someone needs to say ‘enough‘. Bournemouth winning 3-0 at Old Trafford is one of them!
I remember the darkest days under Emery then Arteta, where some Gooners said we couldn’t be allowed to fall any further.
Eventually Arteta sat down with BFG, Edu and Josh Kroenke and they action-planned all departments of the club.
On and off the pitch though, who is that leader who demands that standards won’t be allowed to drop any further?
Who is the characters at Man United this Sunday who realises Liverpool are better so demands 100 percent work rate and effort and bravery?
Who demands they fight for the badge?
I’m not sure those personalities exist.
Top 24 qualify for euros.
Prince 127
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