IN CASE YOU haven’t noticed, it’s been a relatively disappointing week in Europe for the Premier League sides.
Of the four teams competing in the Champions League, only Arsenal achieved anywhere near their best form.
Luckily for the sides in question however, they have the old reliable comfort of easy Premier League fixtures to fall back on.
Can you honestly see Chelsea losing to Wolves, Man United dropping points at home to Newcastle, or Arsenal coming unstuck against Fulham?
I thought not (cue: an abundance of upsets).
Man City, on the other hand, have a genuinely tough game away to Liverpool.
So will their midweek disappointment be exacerbated on Sunday? Neutral Premier League followers, eager for another twist in this rather unpredictable season, will be hoping so.
Two players to pick this week
Emanuel Adebayor (Tottenham): Let me preface this paragraph with an apology. You may recall that last week, I tipped Jermain Defoe as a player to pick, having been assured Van der Vaart would not be fit in time for the Villa game. Of course, this info was blatantly untrue, as the Dutch international started and played a significant role in Spurs’ victory.
Hence, this week, I’m recommending the one player who (*crosses fingers*) seems certain to start up front for Tottenham. Having scored two goals for a buoyant Spurs side last Monday, do not be surprised if Emanuel Adebayor adds to his goal tally against West Brom on Saturday.
Micah Richards (Man City): One of the most surprising aspects of Man City’s midweek loss to Napoli was the conspicuous absence of Richards from the side. Mancini didn’t even name the pacy attacking full back on the bench, opting instead for the considerably less explosive but arguably more defensively sound Pablo Zabaleta.
Consequently, Mancini seems to view Richards as being more suited to hustle and bustle of the Premier League, rather than the greater subtlety that characterises the Champions League. Irrespective of whether you agree with him or not, Richards represents a fine Fantasy Football acquisition, given his regular involvement in first team action, and especially in light of his superb performances recently.
Two players to avoid this week
Gervinho (Arsenal): During Arsenal’s awful start to the season, their fans could grasp at only one conciliatory bit of good news. Their new striker, Gervinho, looked to be an extremely astute purchase by Wenger. Nonetheless, interestingly, the situation has now been reversed. Gervinho is looking nowhere near as promising a player as he did in the opening few matches, and Arsenal look a far more confident and much-improved side, in stark contrast to their early season form. Anyone who witnessed Gervinho’s underwhelming midweek performance will surely agree.
David de Gea (Man United): After a period in which he gave the type of mature displays that belied his tender age, David de Gea was back to doing the Massimo Taibi impressions as United took on Benfica on Tuesday. Consequently, those who thought he had put his dodgy early season performances and tendency to commit unforced errors behind him will need to think again.
Predictions for the week:
Stoke 2-1 BlackburnBolton 1-2 Everton
Chelsea 3-0 Wolves
Man United 2-0 Newcastle
Norwich 2-2 QPR
Sunderland 3-1 Wigan
West Brom 1-2 Tottenham
Arsenal 3-1 Fulham
Swansea 1-1 Aston Villa
Liverpool 2-2 Man City
How my team got on last gameweek: Reasonably well, in comparison to how they have been performing recently at least. 60 points was well above the average points scored… If only I hadn’t picked David Silva as captain. Curse you for resting him Mancini!
Who’s leading TheScore.ie’s league? Pa Morrissey’s Bullcelona are back on top following their rare foray away from the limelight last week.
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