Premier League Preview: Nothing is stopping Manchester City, Liverpool or Chelsea from winning
Against all odds, the Premier League is back in action for the first time in well over three months and after the success that the Bundesliga and La Liga have enjoyed, the world expects the same from England. Yet, if those leagues have taught us anything it's don't expect much with a few exceptions.
Manchester City to end Arsenal’s unbeaten streak in 2020
For the last three months, Arsenal fans have been harping on a few things. One, the evidence that Manchester City is nothing without Mikel Arteta and the fact that they happen to be the only team in the English top tier unbeaten in 2020. Somehow, the Gunners, before the restart, put together a decent run of form with their last loss coming in 2019. Since then, they’ve managed to win four games and draw a further four more to reach a reasonable spot on the points table.
Manchester City, on the other hand, ‘struggled’ before the break despite their win in the Champions League against Real Madrid. Back home, however, the Cityzens lost two and drew one of their eight games in 2020, with five wins to their name. Yet, few would hand Arsenal a chance in this tie, even considering the fact that both sides are walking in from a three-month break. Put that aside, and the Gunners being outsiders with their record at the Etihad Stadium not helping their case.
Somehow, Arsenal have won just two games over the last ten years at the City of Manchester Stadium, losing five out of a total of nine games. That record, for Arsenal, drops down even more since Pep Guardiola took over with the Gunners never beating City in the league. That might have something to do with Sergio Aguero, Raheem Sterling and Kevin De Bruyne’s form when it comes to the Gunners.
Together the trio have netted seventeen goals in 34 appearances with David Silva adding a further four more in 14 appearances against Arsenal. In return, the Gunners’ top scorer against Manchester City is Olivier Giroud, a striker who now plays for Chelsea, with three goals. It’s probably why based on their analysis, SBO are confident that Arsenal’s unbeaten streak in 2020 will be broken at the hands of Manchester City.
Manchester United to edge Tottenham in a hard fought battle
Jose Mourinho’s return to Old Trafford did not go according to plan as his Tottenham side fell to two Marcus Rashford strikes in either half. It hurt the club as they would go on to win just six out of the fourteen following games in the Premier League with losses to Chelsea, Southampton and Chelsea again among others. Not exactly the best run for Jose Mourinho as he also lost key players along the way to injuries before the coronavirus saved his season.
The same, however, cannot be said about the Red Devils with them walking into the break with one of the best records available. Somehow, Solskjaer and his band managed to string together a five game unbeaten run before lockdown with many expecting them to walk out in the same fashion. And who can blame the betting companies, critics and even fans? After all they do sit in prime position for a Champions League place, and have been in great form, but historic data gives Tottenham a chance.
Over the last ten years, the two sides have faced each other nine times at White Hart Lane or the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium. Manchester United have lost three - with all three coming between 2016 and 2018 - with the Red Devils losing nothing before that until 2010. Tottenham, on the other hand, lost just two games with the two sides drawing four games. Not only that, 2019 was the first time that United beat Spurs at home since 2012 with Spurs winning three and drawing the other three over the course of seven years.
Yet what could hurt Spurs, despite the fact that Harry Kane and co are back from injuries, is the fact that their best player against Manchester United, Dele Ali, is out suspended. The midfielder has the best goals-to-game ratio against the Red Devils with him netting 2 in nine appearances. Of the players from both sides, only Marcus Rashford has a better record with the Mancunian striker netting three in eight appearances. That is discounting Lucas Moura’s two in two games, Juan Mata and Harry Kane’s two in eleven, which places this game on a precariously balanced see-saw, something that SBO agrees with although it is slightly tilted in Manchester United’s favour.
Chelsea’s youthful exuberance to end any chance Aston Villa have
Few critics or fans expected Chelsea to be in this position come what should technically be the end of the season with the Blues sitting in a Champions League spot. But somehow, Frank Lampard and his band of rather young footballers have managed to do the impossible and stay relevant in a time where heavy spenders get the trophies. It’s been far from perfect and 2020 has been nice to them, with just two losses to their name until the lockdown. They did manage only three wins, however, out of the nine games played which leaves their place amongst the top four in danger.
For Aston Villa, nothing has gone right. 2020 started well with a win but since then the Birmingham side have managed to notch just one more win. Out of their eight games (they play number nine on June 17th against Sheffield United before Chelsea) they’ve managed to lose five which leaves Dean Smith and his Villa side in serious trouble. To add to their troubles, the fact that they play at Villa Park will not help them as Chelsea have made it their ground. Despite only playing six times over the last ten years at Villa Park, the hosts have won just four points.
The Blues have won the other four games with the cumulative scoreline of all six games reading an incredible 12-5 against Aston Villa. Not good signs and the fact that Villa’s best player against the Blues, based purely on goals to games, is Ahmed Elmohamady is not a good sign either. He’s managed just one goal in eight appearances, although Trezeguet does have 1 in one appearance. But a young team has weighed against the Blues as well with their best scorer against Villa being Olivier Giroud although all his goals were scored in an Arsenal shirt. Yet that won’t hurt the Blues as SBO have favoured the away side with many predicting them to win heavily.
Liverpool to earn another notch in yet another Merseyside derby
The state of affairs regarding the Premier League title goes like this, if by some miracle Arsenal beat Manchester City then all Liverpool have to do is beat Everton at Goodison Park to lift the title. That’s all but the fate of the latter rests on the former and the odds for the former are very very low. Yet, given that this is the Merseyside Derby, one would expect there to be some competition of sorts from the Toffees but one look at their season and that disappears. They were supposed to be challenging for Europe this season but that dream disappeared four games into the season with Marco Silva sacked at the end of Matchday 15. That was after a 5-2 defeat at Anfield to Liverpool in the Merseyside Derby.
Since then, however, thanks to something of a miracle worked by Duncan Ferguson and then Carlo Ancelotti, the Toffees have lost just three games. All three, however, have come in 2020 with the Goodison side losing, winning and drawing three games apiece. Liverpool, on the other hand, have been perfect. Barring that loss to Watford and a draw to Manchester United, the Reds have won every game they’ve played this season. But the problems for Everton, does not stop there. Their record in the Merseyside Derby in recent years is terrible but while their record at home in the Merseyside Derby is not bad but it’s not great either.
Since 2010, the two sides have met nine times at Goodison Park in the Premier League and somehow, Everton have won just one game. That’s it, just the one game which came in October of 2010 and since then they’ve either lost or drawn against their rivals. In the eight remaining games, Liverpool have managed to win two with Jurgen Klopp winning just the one. Interesting, right? The other six games have all been draws which might make this game slightly more interesting.
Yet, historical data is against the Toffees as it tells us that Everton simply don’t have someone who loves scoring against Liverpool as much as Liverpool have someone who loves scoring against Everton. To put it in context, Theo Walcott is Everton’s top scorer against Liverpool and all his goals have come in an Arsenal shirt, with Gylfi Sigurdsson second on that list and both his goals coming in a Swansea shirt. Meanwhile, Liverpool have Divock Origi (6 goals in 5 games), Sadio Mane (3 goals in 7 games [for Liverpool]), James Milner (3 in 27 games [none in a Liverpool shirt]) and Xherdan Shaqiri (3 goals in six games [1 for Liverpool]). So, you don’t have to think too hard as to why SBO have heavily featured Liverpool to walk away with all three points. Even if Don Carlo is standing in their way wearing an Everton shirt.
