Well, what is there to say about the last two weeks that hasn’t already been bellowed until the source was blue in the face?
Younes Kaboul gave Spurs an unlikely derby win
Days after my impassioned defence of Roberto Mancini’s ‘pragmatic’ approach, his side earned another clean sheet at home to relegation-threatened Birmingham City. Unfortunately for him and I, they again failed to score at the other end and his side were booed off by their disgruntled supporters. Just a week later, his side was a flowing, liberated attacking synergistic mass which merrily tore apart the usually miserly Fulham, and City were in amongst the title-chasers again.
Meanwhile, in that same short spell of time, Arsenal have gone from apparently proving their detractors wrong with two atypically hard-fought away wins at Molineux and Goodison Park, to crumbling dismally at home to Spurs and proving their doubters right all over again.
Taking us back to the beginning, struggling Birmingham finally managed to conjure the spirit of last season to again prove a pain in the arse for the league’s heavyweights. First they curtailed City’s progress with that solid rearguard display, and then they succeeded in defeating a Chelsea side who had, earlier in the season, looked both unstoppable and impenetrable.
The point I’m driving at is that Premier League football, the Best League In The World ( ™ BSkyB), has a habit of defying even the supposedly safest of predictions. At the interval of that North London derby, with Arsenal 2-0 up against a side they had already trounced 4-1 away from home earlier in the season, who among respectable football journalists would have predicted they would contrive to lose that game? Presented with the match statistics from Chelsea’s defeat to Birmingham, where the hosts mustered one attempt at goal in comparison to the champions’ twenty-six, would any serious neutral bet that the only beaten goalkeeper would have been Petr Cech?
All of which only serves to confirm something I have long suspected. Nobody among all the bloggers, journalists and pundits really knows anything. For all the energy expended analysing games, players and managers, so called ‘expert’ predictions are just at the mercy of the wild, untameable beast that is the 2010/2011 Premier League season. Just when you think you’ve got it figured out, it hits you with a curveball. The North London derby was the season in microcosm. Whether you’re Mark Lawrenson or Patrick Barclay, you’ve probably got just as good a chance of a pay-out for your scorecast.
Luckily for me, I’ve never pretended to be an expert and take genuine pride in my notoriously inaccurate predictions. With that in mind, here are my prediction for the weekend’s games (Saturday 3pm unless otherwise stated):
Aston Villa vs Arsenal (12.45pm, Sky Sports 2) - Villa are ravaged by injury, but Arsenal are suffering from one of their frequent losses of confidence. They should have enough to put a seriously weakened Villa side to the sword though, if only by a narrow margin. 0-1.
Bolton Wanderers vs Blackpool - Ian Holloway’s side meet a tough test with a trip to a high-flying Bolton side full of confidence. Owen Coyle’s men should come through this one comfortably. 2-0.
Everton vs West Bromwich Albion – The Toffees are struggling to find consistency this season despite their strong squad, and even a visit from a clearly out-of-sorts West Brom side is the type of test they have failed. Everton frustration could continue here. 1-1.
Fulham vs Birmingham City – Fulham will have been low all week following their 1-4 battering by Manchester City, and they could have done without a visit from an in-form Birmingham. I think both sides will cancel each other out in a dull game, however. 0-0.
Manchester United vs Blackburn Rovers – United’s unbeaten record will not be threatened by a limited Blackburn side. 3-0.
Stoke City vs Manchester City – City have the class, but do they have the grit? A trip to the Britannia Stadium has become something of a litmus test for the top teams’ stomach for the fight, and a test this will be for Roberto Mancini’s side. They should come through it narrowly. 0-1.
West Ham United vs Wigan Athletic – Roberto Martínez’s Wigan have tried to play football the ‘right’ way this season but their league position indicates it hasn’t entirely been to their benefit. West Ham, meanwhile, have been awful and Avram Grant will find his days are numbered if they fail to win this one. Which they will. 0-2.
Newcastle United vs Chelsea (1.30pm Sunday, Sky Sports 1) – Chelsea are out of sorts at the moment and without the injured John Terry, Frank Lampard, Yossi Benayoun or the suspended Michael Essien, they could find the going tough against a Newcastle side who welcome Cheick Tioté back to their midfield. 1-1.
Tottenham Hotspur vs Liverpool (4.00pm Sunday, Sky Sports 1) – Tottenham are riding the crest of a wave at the moment and it’s the worst possible time for Roy Hodgson to have to take his fragile Liverpool side to White Hart Lane. Spurs will probably take this at a canter. 2-0.
