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Can anybody beat City at home this season?
After a high-flying, table-topping Arsenal side were swatted aside with minimum fuss by City on Saturday, the question on everybody’s lips is this, is anybody going to beat City at the Etihad? Manchester United, Everton, Tottenham and Arsenal have all come this season and gone back home with no less than a hammering. City have scored 35 goals in just eight home games and at this rate will come very close to breaking the all-time English League record of most goals scored at home, which is currently held by Millwall with 87 goals in the Third Division South in 1927/28.
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With Manchester City in such stunning form, the rest of the League must wonder if any team is going to go to the Etihad and with the hope of getting anything from the game whatsoever. The only thing Pellegrini will be worried about is the form of his goalkeepers, both of whom have looked far from convincing so far this season. But, as long as the strikers keep banging it in, that isn’t going to be much of a problem either.Merseyside clubs keep marching on
Both Everton and Liverpool went into this week, fully aware that a victory will mean that they might close the gap on leaders Arsenal, as they were playing at the Etihad. And whilst Arsenal lost against City, convincing victories for both the Merseyside clubs mean that they are well and truly in the race for, if not the title, then at least for the top four.
Suarez was in stupendous striking form as he helped carve the Spurs defense apart for the second time in their last five league meetings. Their 5-0 win away at White Hart Lane broke Spurs’ record of six successive home wins over the Reds and was the final nail in the coffin for AVB. Whilst Everton on the other hand, ran out comfortable 4-1 winners over Fulham thanks to another fine display from their attackers. With both Merseyside clubs in red-hot form, the rest of the League better beware.Return of Fletcher a welcome boost to an ailing United midfield
The return of Darren Fletcher for the first time since Boxing Day last year coincided with a much-needed win for Moyes’s men. Victory over Aston Villa was their first since their home win over Arsenal just before the international break. Although the Scot didn’t have too much to do in the match, as he just made a 20 minute cameo appearance, seeing him on a football pitch again smiling and enjoying his football will come as a pleasant sight for any football fan.
Ever since he announced that he was taking an extended break from football in November 2011 after being diagnosed with ulcerative colitis, he has only played 14 times for the Red Devils. And when came in for Ryan Giggs, the crowd let him know that he is still warmly regarded by all. Although the 29-year-old Scot has undergone several operations, Moyes said that his compatriot “looked like he had never been away.” Whether that is true or not, if Fletcher can reproduce the form he was in, just before he was out, he might well turn out to be just what United need.Managers are falling like a pack of cards
A fourth successive defeat in the League, the last of which was at the hands of Cardiff was the final straw for Steve Clarke, before he was sacked by West Brom hours after the game. He became the fourth manager to be sacked this season, following in the footsteps of Paolo Di Canio, Ian Holloway and Martin Jol. The clubs managed by the trio, currently occupy the bottom three and with the Baggies just two points above the relegation zone, the board felt that the time was right to change the man at the helm.
Just when it looked as though, that was it, following their second trouncing in their last five games, at the hands of Liverpool on Sunday, Andre Vilas-Boas was sacked just a day afterwards, increasing the number of managers to five. Although AVB had the best win percentage of any Spurs manager since the inception of the Premier League, with the amount of money spent, the board felt that the results were insufficient. He paid the price for not staying true to the club’s attacking traditions. With West Ham enjoying a rotten run of form, is Big Sam, next in line for the boot?The bottom half of the League struggling for goals
In the seven games involving the sides in the bottom half of the table, no side from the bottom half side scored more than a single goal and only four of the bottom 10, even managed to score a goal. Scoring has certainly been a problem in the bottom half, with only West Brom with 17 goals, averaging more than a goal each game. And even they sacked their manager after four-straight losses.
Whilst it is true that the sides at the bottom don’t get too many chances, the fact is that, no player from the bottom 10 teams has managed to score more than 4 goals this season. And for half of the teams, the leading goal scorer is a midfielder, which speaks volumes about the profligacy of their strikers so far this season. And if any of the sides are looking for a way up, they would do well to unearth a striker capable of scoring 15 goals a season from somewhere.
