Liverpool the form side in top4 race

Brendan Rodgers’ sides 2-1 victory against defending champions Manchester City pushed the Merseysiders into 5th place, the highest they’ve been since October and they now lie just 2 points away from Manchester United who are 4th and with all the momentum Liverpool now look the team to beat in the race for Champions League places.

Fantastic strikes by Jordan Henderson and Philippe Coutinho were enough for Liverpool to see off the challenge of Manuel Pellegrini's side and take all three points at Anfield in similar style to the fixture last year. Many expected a tired Liverpool to show up after their poor European performance on Thursday and the quick turnaround but Brendan Rodgers’ side were fantastic from start to finish heaping the pressure on their top4 rivals.

The win means Liverpool have not lost a game since December when they were considerably outdone at Old Trafford by 3 goals to nil but since then they have been unstoppable. A change in style from Rodgers has sured up the defence and completely rejuvinated his sides season, something he as a manager deserves a lot of credit for. From the last available 30 points Liverpool have picked up 26 and are the form team in the Premier League.Their last three games have been victories against Southampton, Spurs and now Man City, massive statements of the standard the team is playing at.

Before Liverpool had taken to the field on Sunday, Man United had already won their game beating Sunderland at home 2-0 to keep themselves in the top4, United have been inconsistent as of late and Van Gaal’s side will be very worried about Liverpool lurking up behind them especially with a trip to Anfield still to come in the near future. Van Gaal’s minimum expectation is to gain a top4 place and the pressure may begin to tell if the aim begins to fall from his reach.

Arsenal took to the field after Liverpool as they played host to the blue Merseysiders Everton on the back of one of their worst ever Champions League defeats in their history, a 3-1 home loss against French side Monaco. The Gunners responded in style however seeing off Everton with relative ease by 2 goals to nil and concealing their place in 3rd, momentarily at least.

Spurs did not play due to their Capital One Cup final while other Chamions League challengers Southampton were beaten. At the moment it looks like a three way battle for the final two Champions League spots with Spurs maybe making it a four way battle if they can keep up with the pace.It looks to be in Liverpool’s hands and should they keep up their current run of form you would expect them to secure a 3rd place finish and maybe even catch Man City in 2nd.

Arsenal and Manchester United are both struggling for consistency and look set to battle against each other for that fourth and final Champions League spot.

3 talking points from this weekends Premier League action

Are Chelsea too far ahead to be caught

A 2-1 win at Villa Park, a ground that has in the past proven to be a bogey place for Mourinho’s Chelsea sides was enough for the league leaders to move seven points clear of Manchester City who needed a last minute goal from James Milner to only snatch a draw against Hull City at the Etihad.

With Manchester City struggling to hit the net and undoubtedly low on confidence it will be a massive task for them if they're to turn things around. Chelsea don't drop many points and with fourteen games to go it looks unlikely that they will slip up enough to let Manchester City back into the race.

Only a week ago a Manchester City win against Chelsea would have brought the gap to two points but after drawing that game and their very poor draw against Hull the gap is seven. It has been a massive week in the title race and possibly even a defining one.

The top4 race is really hotting up

After some more big results this weekend it is looking like a five way battle for the 3rd and 4th places in this season's Premier League. Southampton are still refusing to to do as predicted and fall away, a late goal from Mane was enough for them to see off QPR and cement their place in 3rd, with twenty four games gone they now must be considered genuine contenders for the coveted Champions League places.

A Harry Kane inspired Spurs came from a goal down to beat North London rivals Arsenal. The win was a clear statement from Pochettino and his side that they are intent on getting back into the Champions League and few would write them off with Harry Kane in the form of his life.

Liverpool and Manchester United were only able to draw their respective games but Manchester United are still sitting in 4th while Liverpool are in 7th and look to be facing an uphill battle if they are to bridge the five point gap to United.

Relegation looking very likely for these sides.

After both losing again this weekend, Leicester and manager-less QPR look almost destined for the drop. A 1-0 home defeat to Crystal Palace sees Leicester stay bottom on just seventeen points and with conflicting reports on the future of manager Nigel Pearson, Leicester look to have run out of ideas and its hard to see them turning their wretched form around especially with their next four games being against Arsenal, Everton, Chelsea and Manchester City.

QPR were also subject to a 1-0 home defeat at the weekend when Southampton came to visit Loftus Road, it took a last minute goal to beat them, a goal that is sure to hurt the players. In 19th place on nineteen points, QPR are still only two points off safety but with the departure of manager Harry Redknapp and their terrible form they currently look like never winning a match. The next few games are important and unless they gain some points against Hull and Sunderland who they play in the next week they could find themselves in serious trouble.

Crazy weekend leaves FA Cup wide open

The magic of the FA Cup was well and truly on show this weekend as the top three of the Premier League were all knocked out in their fourth round ties leaving the FA Cup wide open this season.

Premier League leaders Chelsea were sensationally knocked out after throwing away a two goal lead at home to Bradford to lose 4-2 to the 2013 Capital One cup finalists. Mourinho said he was both “embarrassed” and “ashamed” by the manner of the defeat as he saw his sides chances of a quadruple this season come to an end.

Manuel Pellegrini’s side were also thrown out as Middlesbrough walked away from the Etihad with a momentous 2-0 victory. Third placed Southampton were another of the Premier League sides to lose out, losing at home to Alan Pardew’s Crystal Palace side.

These were not the only shocks of the weekend however, Spurs and Swansea saw their FA Cup dreams come to an end at the hands of Leicester and Blackburn respectively while Liverpool and Manchester United were both forced to replays in their fourth round ties.

The absence of some of these big sides from the fifth round draw is sure to encourage a lot of teams who will now have realistic ambitions of challenging for the FA Cup and hopefully ending the season with a trophy.

Defending champions Arsenal were not to be the victims of another upset as they overcame Brighton by 3 goals to 2. Having won the trophy last season and with both City and Chelsea out it looks as if they will be favourites to regain their crown come May.

Should Manchester United and Liverpool make it through their replays they will also see this FA Cup as a big possibility of getting their hands on a trophy, especially for United who will see this as their only chance of glory this season with no European football and with Van Gaal’s side being well off the pace in the Premier League.

Sam Allardyce’s West Ham squad will be particularly happy with how this weekend has gone as they progressed to the next round after a hard fought win away to League one side Bristol City. The Hammers have been having a great season so far and will be optimistic of their chances of getting to the latter stages of the FA Cup.

Other Premier League sides such as West Brom and Aston Villa are still standing in the cup and should the weekend’s results be anything to go by every side will be full of confidence in the forthcoming rounds.

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Koeman out-doing Dutch compatriot Van Gaal

Two Dutch managers graced the Premier League during the summer with differing expectations and a hugely different hype about their new challenge. Van Gaal came into the Premier League as manager of Manchester United with expectations he would bring United straight back into the Champions League and maybe even have a go at winning the title especially with the money he was afforded. Koeman on the other hand came into Southampton to replace a much loved Mauricio Pochettino, inheriting a team that lost almost all of its key players such as Lallana and Shaw. Remarkably after 22 games in the Premier League Ronald Koeman’s Southampton sit one place above United in 3^rd place.

The two Dutch men are now both embroiled in a fight for the top4 and it’s not the first time the two have crossed paths. Both men worked alongside each other at Barcelona from 1998 to 2000 and were reunited in 2004 at Ajax where Van Gaal was given a directors job over Koeman who was the manager. It was here the two famously fell out over the decision by the club to leave Ibrahimovic leave for Juventus a rift that the two are yet to patch up.

The two have already met twice this season, United winning the first meeting 2-1 at St Mary’s in a somewhat fortunate win while just over a week ago Koeman and his Saints side returned the favour seeing off Van Gaal’s side thanks to a late Tadic goal rounding off a great performance by Southampton and consolidating their position ahead of the Manchester side.

The win for Southampton was another big result in a recent run that has seen them pick up 16 points from a possible 18, Manchester United however have picked up just 9 points from their last six games and Van Gaal is beginning to come under scrutiny from fans and the media for their poor performances.

Both men are meticulous planners and pride themselves on a good defence, Southampton have the best defensive record in the Premier League this season having conceded just 16 goals compared to United who have conceded 21. Southampton are also one goal better off than Van Gaal’s men and sit two points clear in the table.

It is nothing short of amazing that a team tipped for relegation at the beginning of the campaign sit in 3^rd place after losing so many key players in the summer and are above a Manchester United side who spent well over £100 million during the summer.

One of the main factors that has seen Southampton perform so well this season is their summer acquisitions, Dusan Tadic who they brought in for just £10 million has 3 goals and 8 assists for the season, those stats are better than the £59 million man Di Maria who has scored 3 but has 2 less assists than the Serbian. Other inspired signings such as Pelle who has 8 Premier League goals and Fraser Forster who has 10 clean sheets have been performing above most of United’s signings like Herrera and Rojo who are yet to make any real impact at Old Trafford.

Having come into the job with every expectation from the media that he would easily better what David Moyes did at United, Van Gaal finds himself 3 points better off than where United were last season, maybe not the change he would have liked considering the amount of money spent during the summer. Some questions have been asked as to whether Moyes would’ve been able to do better should he have been giving all the money Van Gaal had at his disposal this summer.

Koeman replaced Pochettino with no real media expectation that he could get the team playing any better than we saw last season but somehow after all the change Southampton are 11 points better off than this time last season. A huge achievement for Ronald Koeman and his side.

The two men may heave already met each other twice this season but this is by no means the end of their rivalry, as we go into the run-in Southampton have proven they are ready to fight all the way to the end to get into the top4 and United will have to match them stride for stride if Van Gaal wants to reach his minimum expectation of bringing Champions League football back to Old Trafford.

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Mignolet the problem

After another glaring error midweek against Ludogorets, goalkeeper Simon Mignolet is coming under increased pressure for his performances and the jury is out on whether he is of the standard required to be a Liverpool player.

As if Mignolet’s confidence was not low enough, former Liverpool great and European cup winning goalkeeper Bruce Grobbelaar has had his say on the 26-year-old Belgian and it wasn’t positive, with Grobbelaar comparing Dracula coming out of his coffin to Mignolet coming off his line.

The criticism is not without reason as Mignolet has been at fault for a lot of goals in his career at Liverpool, barring his heroic last minute penalty save in his first game for Liverpool against this weeks opponents, Stoke, there hasn’t been many good moments.

Mignolet has kept a total of two clean sheets in twelve games in the Premier League this season, compare that to Southampton’s Fraser Forster who has seven, a certain amount of blame can be attributed to his defence but he must improve his own game if he wants to prolong his Liverpool career.

Mignolet’s presence from crosses and corners is abysmal, the lack of control and order he has amongst his defenders is worrying, under Pepe Reina there was a sense he commanded the box and his defenders were confident he could claim crosses and if a shot was taken he could hold onto it.

Its no shock Mignolet is coming under such scrutiny, he was criticised at times last season but as the team were winning not much was made of it but now that Liverpool are struggling fingers are beginning to be pointed and he is  the obvious target, his stats last season were equally as unimpressive as they are this.

Simon Mignolet racked up a total of eight clean sheets last season, half of what golden glove winners Petr Cech and Wojciech Scezesny recorded, even more disappointing considering Liverpool came 2nd in the league. The Belgian and his defence were undoubtedly the reason why Brendan Rodgers’ side didn’t win the Premier League title.

In Reina’s final season as Liverpool goalkeeper he managed fourteen clean sheets, a far more impressive figure than Mignolet, begging the question whether it was ever a good option to bring Mignolet in to replace the Spaniard who Steven Gerrard once touted as a future Liverpool captain.

This weekend sees the visit of Stoke City to Anfield and Brendan Rodgers will have a big dilemma; whether to start Mignolet or bring in Brad Jones for the game. Should Mignolet get the nod he will really need a clean sheet to rejuvenate his confidence.

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3 things to watch this Premier League weekend

Can Arsenal overcome United?

The game of the week-end sees Manchester United visit the Emirates in the Saturday evening kick-off. The game comes with only one point separating the sides in the table as they both struggle to find consistent form in the league.

Wenger’s side will be expecting to win this game if they are to have any aspirations of challenging for the title that Chelsea seem to have a firm grasp on at this moment in time. Van Gaal and United will similarly see this as a game which they need to gain something but will more than likely see it as a game they cant lose rather than one they must win.

United’s injury problems at the back continue with Rojo, Jones and Evans all ruled out, Shaw and Rafael are both doubtful. A serious knee injury for Daley Blind on International duty could not have come at a worse time for Van Gaal’s side.

Arsenal will be expected to take the game to United and Sanchez and Welbeck will thrive on playing against what is likely to be a second string United back four. In what promises to be an exciting game, one would expect Arsenal to come out on top but based on their recent form Wenger’s side may crumble and open the door for Di Maria and Rooney to dictate the game and possibly sneak all three points.

Will Liverpool’s descent continue?

After receiving the blow that Daniel Sturridge, the man they hoped could turn things around, will be out until the New Year it will be interesting to see how Liverpool respond when they visit Selhurst Park, the game that ultimately ended their challenge last year in an epic 3-3 draw.

After losing two games in a row Rodgers will see this as the perfect game to turn things around but Neil Warnock and his Crystal Palace side will have other ideas and will see a Liverpool side struggling to find form  the perfect opportunity to kick start their season.

Balotelli, if fit, will more than likely lead the line and with Sturridge missing for the foreseeable future he is going to have to start performing. Another loss for Liverpool could be on the cards and it could put Rodgers under serious pressure and fans may begin to turn on the man who almost brought Liverpool their first Premier League title.

Can Southampton keep it going?

Every week-end the same question is asked: Can Southampton keep this extraordinary run of form going? and thus far they have answered that question with a yes week after week. On Monday they travel to Villa Park to face maybe the most unpredictable side in the Premier League, Aston Villa.

Should Southampton conquer this next challenge they will have to be considered a serious threat togain a top 4 place but challenging for the title is surely too much to ask of the over-achieving side. Tadic and Pelle will be hoping to continue their individual form while Long will be looking to build on his two goals last time out.

Ronald Koeman has to this date taken the Premier League in his stride and if they continue to play as they have the sky is the limit for this Saints side.

Top 4 standard slipping

Year after year the Premier League is full of moments of brilliance, great competition and questions of who will come where?, probably the most fascinating battle is the race for the top 4 places and Champions League qualification. Usually when discussing the top 4 race we look at the quality on show and wonder which one of these sides will end up missing out on Champions League qualification, this year however it seems that any side that can find any form will ease into a coveted top 4 place.

With almost all the top teams underperforming thus far, Chelsea the form side of the Premier League already look destined for the title in Mourinho’s second year back in England, they look the most complete team and with clinical frontman Diego Costa hitting the ground running in England they seem to have found a winning formula. Already 6 points clear of main rivals Manchester City and the only side unbeaten in the Premier League they look to be the only top side getting it right this season.

It is expected that Chelsea and Man City will secure Champions League spots relatively comfortably while Arsenal will be hoping to continue their recent good run fuelled by some great Alexis Sanchez performances and you would expect them to secure third place and maybe cling on to the league leaders for as long as they can. The real battle, as with most seasons, is going to be for that fourth and final place.

Manchester United and Liverpool were the bookies favourites to battle for that place but as of yet neither have found any form and are leaving the door wide open for any team to gain some ground in the race. Spurs and Everton who also expect to be challenging for that Champions League spot have been terrible this season, for any good team it looks like the perfect opportunity to break into the top 4 this season but as of yet none of the usual suspects are rising to the test.

In comparison to last season, bar Chelsea who are 6 points better off, the four teams who gained top 4 places have either started poorly again or gone backwards, Man City have once again started poorly but find themselves one point better off this season than last on 20 points, not what they would have liked but no major disaster, Liverpool have been the most disappointing, Rodgers’ side have regressed from 20 points this stage last season to a measly 14 points in the post Suarez era, showing no sign of improvement. Arsenal have also dropped back this season, having been top last season with 25 points, this season has not been as impressive as they are 8 points worse off on 17 although recent performances suggest an upturn in form.

Both Everton and Spurs have also seen massive differences this season compared to last as all Champions League hopefuls search for the kind of form that can begin to launch them up the table. This years surprise package has been Southampton, despite a squad upheaval losing important players such as Lallana, Lovren and Lambert they have bought well and new men Tadic and Pelle see them flying high in 2^nd place on 22 points only 4 behind leaders Chelsea.

This Southampton form is no fluke they have been nothing short of marvellous thus far with manager Ronald Koeman making management in the Premier League look easy. Newcastle back in the 11/12 season and Everton last season have been surprise candidates for top 4 places that ultimately failed in their attempts but in a year with so many underperforming top teams it could be a chance for someone like Southampton to break into the lucrative Champions League places.

The season is only ten games old but as of yet none of the Champions League hopefuls have hit the ground running and should Southampton continue this great start they will have every chance of getting a Champions League spot.

5 things to watch this Barclays Premier League weekend

 1.      European hangovers

It’s the first set of Premier League fixtures after teams performed in the group stages of both the Champions League and Europa League and one can expect the games to have an impact on these sides’ domestic performances.

Both Liverpool and Chelsea played their European ties at home and despite Liverpool snatching a late win in what was supposed to be a routine victory over Ludogorets and Chelsea only drawing against Schalke you would not expect either side to be feeling the physical effects going into their respective weekend fixtures against West Ham and Man City. Similarly Everton played their Europa League clash at home to Wolfsburg, a game they won 4-1, the confidence gained from this win is sure to make it more of a benefit than a hindrance.

Two teams who potentially could experience the hangover will be Manchester City and Arsenal, both of whom travelled to Germany and came home with demoralising defeats. Arsenal, who played on Tuesday, you would expect to have recovered physically from their exerts as they succumbed to a 2-0 defeat at the hands of Dortmund, the mental effects of this loss will be Arsene Wenger’s only worry ahead of their Aston Villa clash. Manchester City on the other hand will be feeling both physical and mental fatigue after their heart-breaking loss to German champions Bayern Munich, conceding a last minute goal after an energy sapping display, they will however have to get over the loss quickly as they face league leaders Chelsea on Sunday.

Spurs made the long trip to face Serbian side Partizan Belgrade, after being held to a goalless draw Spurs will be hoping they have a squad to deal with the fatigue from travelling such a long distance for the game with West Brom.

1    2.      Liverpool’s response

After last weekends home defeat to Aston Villa and a below par performance mid week against Ludogorets where they scraped a win, all eyes will be on Upton Park on Saturday for the late kick-off to see if Liverpool will bounce back and return to winning ways.

Having scored his first goal for the club on Tuesday night, Brendan Rodgers and the Liverpool faithful will be hoping Mario Balotelli can push on and set them on their way to another away win.

The game comes too early for star man Daniel Sturridge who is in contention to return for the derby the following week. With it being the fifth game of the Premier League season it is time for this Liverpool side to start gelling before its too late and they find themselves miles behind the Premier League frontrunners.

1    3.      Mesut Ozil

Arsenal’s record signing has come under increased scrutiny this week following another below par performance in his home country against Borussia Dortmund, in one German newspaper his performance was rated the lowest on the pitch adding to the calls that he has been another big Premier League flop.

Much criticism has been put to Arsene Wenger about his use of their most expensive asset, Ozil has increasingly been played on the left side, a position he is neither comfortable nor capable of performing to the best of his ability in.

After the poor performances of late, interest is high on whether Ozil will start or will he be finally dropped for their trip to Aston Villa, should he start it will be interesting to see if Wenger listens to the pleas of many and plays him through the middle or whether he continues to try the German on the left.

 4. Pardew and Newcastle

A week on from Newcastle’s embarrassment at the hands of Southampton, Pardew and his men play host to Hull in a game you feel they must win should Alan Pardew still be in a job by Monday.

In a week where Pardew admitted he is fighting for his job and the Newcastle fans continued to voice their discontent at the team’s current form, Newcastle will be looking to get their season back on track and start climbing the table.

Currently lying bottom of the table, a home game is exactly what Newcastle need and despite the good start to the season made by Hull, all of Newcastle will be expecting three points or else we could see the first Premier League sacking of the season.

1    5.      Manchester City vs Chelsea 

Last but certainly not least, the biggest game of the weekend and season so far takes place on Sunday at the Etihad Stadium as rampaging league leaders Chelsea travel to champions Manchester City in what is being billed as an early title six pointer.

With both sides having ambitions of winning this seasons Barclays Premier League this game promises to be a classic, being at home Manchester City will try to take the game to Chelsea who similarly will want to exert their dominance early on in the game hopefully resulting in an entertaining game.

Chelsea main man Diego Costa will be hoping to continue his great run of 7 goals in 4 games while Man City poacher Sergio Aguero will be hoping to add to his 3 goals this season, one would expect which ever team can stop the opponents striker will take a giant step to winning the game.

Already five points behind, a defeat for City could be vital, a win however will see them close the gap to two points, no matter what this game promises to be a cracker.

Southampton: Team of the season so far

In a season full of shocks and surprises, Southampton’s brilliant form has been one of the biggest surprises of them all. Southampton have only lost 1 of their opening 10 Premier League games this season, a great set of results for any team.

Southampton currently find themselves in 6^th place in the standings with 19 points, ahead of last years champions Manchester United. They also boast the best defence in the league so far only conceding 4 goals.

Mauricio Pochettino has been a revelation as the manager, many feel Nigel Adkins was hard done by to lose his job but few are thinking about it now as the Saints are performing better than anyone could have expected.

The highlights of their season so far are their 1-0 victory over Liverpool in Anfield and their dramatic late draw with Man Utd in Old Trafford, both monumental results for the club.

The success has been welcomed even more because of the amount of home-grown players Southampton posses, players such as Lambert, Rodriguez and Lallana have all been excellent this season, earning a call-up to the England squad for the upcoming International friendlies.

Credit for this great start to the season also must be given to the owners who have allowed them to spend big in the summer to acquire players Wanyama, Osvaldo and Lovren creating a solid spine to the team.

Southampton are now setting their sights on Europe and are in the race for a Europa League place at this early stage. They play Arsenal, Chelsea and Man City in their next five Premier League games which will be a testing period for the surprise package this season.