Spurs 0 - 0 Man Utd
On form these teams could be no different, Spurs with the lions share of the slots, however a strong defensive display from the away side kept the Spurs attack at bay, they had numerous efforts but found Fofana and co in inspirational form, Utd had a few efforts mostly falling to Greenwood, but he was off form and couldn't make them count, Spurs have a massive amount of experience but just couldn't break the young Utd side down
MOTM - Fofana
Watford 1 - 1 Leeds
Both teams set out well as per instructions of their respective managers, not in the best of form and near the wrong end of the table, even at this stage it was a nervy affair, as neither really created much as they seemed more intent on not losing this one, Watford went ahead through Nunez however, as he volleyed home from a Paulinho cross, LC has found a wee gem in his new No.9, Leeds grew into the game and became a bit more positive and had a good few efforts before half time. They cancelled each other out in the second half and not much in it until the away side brought on Baford and Foden, who linked well late on to get a share of the spoils
Watford - Nunez(Paulinho) - 39
Leeds - Bamford(Foden)83
MOTM - Nunez
Arsenal 1 - 0 Liverpool
Liverpool in real danger already and low on confidence, however this was a spirited performance and made it really difficult for the home side, they huffed and puffed but just couldn't break the away side down, 0-0 at half time, much of the same in the second half, with more effort to get Neto and Doku in the game they were slightly more aggressive but Arsenal coped well. The home side eventiually broke the resilient defence down, all action Tielemans on and his energy to break down the Liverool attack and fir it forward to Dybala who slipped in Aubameyang who scored what was to be the winner
Arsenal - Aubameyang(Dybala) 76
MOTM - Botman
GW8
posted on 6/10/21
Brentford v Man City
Preamble - Haven't looked at the league table in a while and these two appear evenly matched, separated by only a couple of points. Man City in a good run of form gave them the edge in this department, whilst Brentford seem to have to have tailed off a little and no doubt keen to get back to winning ways with home advantage in their favour.
Brentford - I like the set up, always been a fan of 4-2-3-1 and think it's nicely balanced with Kovacic & Hojbjerg providing a solid midfield base allowing the attacking players to get forward and do their thing. Plenty of pace out wide and I think Isco & Suarez would combine well in attack. Livramento has been a real gem of a pick up with Welshy once again showing his prowess as being one of the best in the business at identifying the next big thing. All in all a solid set up.
Man City - A fair few changes since I last saw them but a strong side with a sprinkle of star quality. They have a solid defensive foundation with a strong back three and midfield trio, whilst their WB's fit perfectly in their tactical set up. Lukaku always offers a threat up top although possibly one critique of the side is that it doesn't particularly scream goals. There's plenty of quality attacking talent on the bench so maybe a slightly braver approach could reap rewards. With Kante doing the running of two players I'd have possibly started Bernardo over Niguez in a 3-4-3/3-4-1-2. That being said playing away from home the slightly more cautious approach does make sense.
The match - Interesting game where defences largely dominated. Fan's midfield three helped stifle the creativity of Brentford with the double pivot of the home side doing an equally impressive job and neither side really able to gain a foothold. Both side offered threats on the flank with Saint-Maximin dancing through the defence before laying it on a plate for Suarez to put Brentford ahead.
Man City pushed for an equaliser and were duly rewarded when Bernado displayed some fantastic footwork before slipping in Lukaku to fire home. Both sides went in search of an equaliser but both defences held firm to leave this one all square.
Brentford 1 - 1 Man City
Suarez (Maximin)
Lukaku (B.Silva)
MOTM - Kante
posted on 6/10/21
posted 1 minute ago
Wolves v Chelsea
Preamble - The fans at the Molineux must still be pinching themselves after seeing one of their own come in and transform their team by bringing in some of the biggest names in the game. Plenty of value for money this week as they were treated to a star studded affair with the arrival of Chelsea. League position wise both are probably below where they expect to be but with the quality in their ranks an upturn in form must surely be around the corner for both of these teams.
Wolves - Very nice set up, Tino has resisted the temptation to try and fit in too many of his big name attackers and it's resulted in a nicely balanced side. The CB pairing is solid and the midfield quartet fits perfectly. With the workrate of Verratti and Gini it also allows their attacking FB's to get forward and the trio up top of Neymar, Ronaldo and Griezmann is as good as it gets. Some real game changers coming off the bench giving them a potential edge over a fair few teams in the league.
Chelsea - Always a contender and really like the look of their defence. Bonucci & Bastoni a nice CB combo and they possess top class FB's with Robbo in particular one of the best in the business. It's a good midfield trio without maybe having that wow factor, although the same can't be said for the attack with one of the best frontlines around. Grealish obv not at the level of the other two but let's be honest, there are very few players in world football that are. Nicely set up for an away trip to a strong side.
The match - You always had a feeling the red card could play a factor but prior to this it was a very even game. Tino's midfield quartet saw them winning the midfield battle whilst Fan's attack caused a real headache for Tino's defence to solve. I feel Tino's decision to play Neymar centrally was a masterstroke as Chelsea really struggled to contain him.
Any questions whether Neymar would show a level of decorum against his former side were quickly answered as he fired his side ahead with a strike from distance before whipping off his top in wild celebration and earning himself a booking. It seemed almost inevitable that the Brazilian was to be involved in the red card to come...
In fairness to Chelsea they came roaring back, the antics of Neymar seemed to spark a fire in their belly as they quickly upped the tempo. This was to be rewarded with Mbappe racing in behind Spinazzola as the side went in level at the break.
With the game really coming to a boil it was the main protagonist Neymar who was to play a key part in the outcome of the game. A weaving run from midfield saw him bearing down on the opposition goal, Bastoni clearly incensed from the earlier antics of the Brazilian took him clean out. Cue a straight red card, a lot of theatrical rolling around and a penalty awarded to the home side.
If you thought the drama was over there you'd be wrong. After dusting himself the Brazilian picked up the ball and placed it on the spot, much to the amazement of Ronaldo who was standing by ready to take it. Some heated words between the two led to Tino getting involved to settle the matter and giving the honours to the Brazilian.
What followed was cheeky paneka, a wink to the sidelines and a new cult hero as Neymar stole the show to earn his side the win.
Wolve 2-1 Chelsea
Neymar (Verratti) Neymar PK
Mbappe (Robertson)
MOTM - Neymar
Bastoni
posted on 7/10/21
Leicester vs Newcastle
Big match for two sides hoping for a title charge this season, Lesta going for it with a high energy 4-4-2 vs a very conservative must not lose 3-5-2 employed by the Barcodes, the Geordie fans will not be happy seeing such negativity.
Rof - I like the line-up it plays a strong hand, but what I really liked was the transition of Alaba into the midfield as a good reactionary move to match up Ludy's strong but dull midfield.
This is worth a slot, and also why I often mention Liverpool have half a dozen six-footers
"Not enough is made of Set-pieces on here, they will be key game changers, we have giants in the air to get forward in Marquinhos, Militao, Laporte, Goretzka and Osimhen plus Lautaro who loves a header, and fantastic delivery where we can bully Toon’s midgets."
The pace in your front-four though is ridiculous, and whilst I like your in "ya face" approach they also have the ability to be a very strong counter-hitting side too
Ludy- I appreciate keeping things tight as the away side, and giving up a slot headstart through home advantage and all that jazz, But it feels like it's too rigid at times, you have a rock solid defensive spine and a frightening attack, but I don't feel you need such a strong midfield (the defence can look after itself) it feels like your missing a conductor in the middle to link the play. or even play Kessie as he'll break the lines. I've spoke to Rof about this previously and saw it first hand with Nuno-Ball, a 3 man back line and a deep lying playmaker ends up sitting the whole side too deep and you can't get up the pitch quick enough.
your actual tactics are really strong and a good read, its more my bugbear than your side
all in all a very close game between two of my favourite squads in the league, but that little variation and home advantage gets the foxes over the line
Leicester 2-1 Newcastle
Lautaro (Mane) Sterling (Mount)
Lewa (Salah)
Motm - Thiago, always done the unseen dirty work but kept the engine ticking over
posted on 8/10/21
I'd take a point after a tricky time of late. Cheers for the result 👍