First team to beat Manchester City wins. Go!

Matchweek 5 Review:

Bournemouth secured its first win on the year after a disappointing first four. These three points are all thanks to the heroics of 21-year-old Jordan Ibe. After being subbed on in the 65th minute, he assisted goals in the 67th and 73rd minutes to give his squad the lead for good.

Brighton played a quality contest on the road despite losing the possession battle. Pascal Groß grabbed an assist for Solly March’s first PL goal. Both clubs sit in the dungeon through five matches and this is a much needed win for Bournemouth.

Steven Davis scored early and the Saints held onto that lead the whole way. With three points, Southampton is lodged in with six other clubs at eight points. Mario Lemina played an exceptional game, completing 65 of 72 passes, sending five accurate long balls and taking two shots.

Crystal Palace played one of its best matches thus far, but still comes out with no points. Christian Benteke has been abysmal on the campaign, tallying zero shots and assists while averaging less than a 6.00 player rating.

West Ham stole a point in this one, getting yet another result after the poor start. Hammers defender, Jose Fonte, played his best contest on the year and helped keep the Baggies out of the net.

West Brom understandably left this match disappointed. This was a home match against a dungeon club before heading to the Emirates for the Arsenal contest. Losing this one also cost the club a chance at fourth place, but instead the team has settled in at tenth.

Wow. This team is on fire. Needing a win to keep pace with Manchester United, City did more than deliver. It was behind by six goals in the differential column and put up an improbable six to tie the Red Devils in first place.

I was immeasurably wrong here, as well. I put a lot of stock in Watford’s scoring ability and none of it showed. In easily its worst showing in the young season, there are some things to fix. On the bright side, this squad has a good shot at taking six points in its next two matches.

A pair of assists by Matt Ritchie gave Newcastle three points and also vaulted him into my Team of the Week. Newcastle shot up into fourth place after this impressive victory and Jamaal Lascelles’s second goal of the week.

With this loss, Stoke City have an unfortunate result after being the first club to draw Man United. Eric Chuopo-Moting’s exceptional game was followed by no shots on target, but this may not be all his fault: the squad played a 3-4-2-1 formation with Moting as an attacking midfielder instead of his typical front striker spot.

Not getting three points from 35 shots and 85% pass accuracy is certainly a let down, especially at home. Mohamed Salah played a great game and scored the lone goal for Liverpool, but he certainly tried to add on. Four shots on goal and three key passes led to plenty of chances, but Ben Mee and Nick Pope kept it a draw.

The Canadian midfielder, Scott Arfield, got the opening goal for Burnley in a match that didn’t see Sam Vokes until the 87th minute. Starting Chris Wood alone up top was a bold move, but it paid off for Burnley, getting the road point.

Jamie Vardy’s fourth goal on the year came as an equalizing penalty kick in the second half. Budding star Kelechi Iheanacho played an underwhelming game by being dispossessed three times, losing nine duels and not managing a shot on target before being subbed off before the 70th minute.

Sixth place Huddersfield managed more shots and possession in this draw, with midfielder Aaron Mooy looking phenomenal. His seven accurate long balls, three key passes and 14 crosses created many of his team’s 15 chances in this one.

More dropped points at Wembley for Spurs. Eight shots on target and a whopping 75% possession wasn’t enough to down a Swansea side that managed zero shots on frame. The three at the back left Ben Davies and Juan Foyth on the bench, but that didn’t keep the cross count down. Tottenham whipped in a season-high 42 crosses, but couldn’t find the back of the net once.

Swansea played a decent match, but the Swans’ goalkeeper was phenomenal. Lukasz Fabianski made eight saves and kept a clean sheet, pushing his tally to nine on the season. Swansea gets an impressive result on the road and increases its points total to five.

This was quite a surprise considering Arsenal’s recent run of form. It’s just the result the Gunners needed after another bout of calls for Arsene Wenger to be canned. Not only did the squad compete with such a strong Chelsea side, but it had multiple chances to steal all three points at Stamford Bridge.

Chelsea ended its winning streak at three games by dropping points at home for the second time this season. David Luiz broke his wrist on a challenge late in the match for which he was also sent off. He’ll serve a two-match suspension and is recovering quickly from the injury.

Manchester United has now won three contests 4-0 and the Red Devils have now scored nine goals after the 80th minute this season. Those nine are over half of the total scored through five matches and if the team continues to score in bunches, it will be nearly impossible to beat.

Everton held United to a lone goal through much of the match and nearly equalized a few different times. However, once the 80th minute passed, the sturdy defense collapsed and gave way to a barrage. With this result, Everton has now been outscored 9-0 in its last three PL matches.

Team of the Week:

Golden Boot Watch:

1. Sergio Aguero – Manchester City (5)
2. Romelu Lukaku – Manchester United (5)
3. Gabriel Jesus – Manchester City (4)
4. Jamie Vardy – Leicester City (4/2)
5. Sadio Mane – Liverpool (3)
6. Anthony Martial – Manchester United (3)
7. Alvaro Morata – Chelsea (3)
8. Mohamed Salah – Liverpool (3)
9. Raheem Sterling – Manchester City (3/1)
10. Danny Welbeck – Arsenal (3)
11. Own Goals – All Teams (3)

Week 6 Preview:

Tottenham will win this road contest despite struggling at London Stadium in the past two seasons. In the past, the defense was plagued by Manuel Lanzini up top, but he is still dealing with an injury and will be sidelined. Javier Hernandez has never scored against Tottenham despite this being his fourth season in England and won’t find the net here, either.

Watford, coming off of sheer obliteration at home versus Man City, will get back on the right track against this Swansea side. Tottenham struggled up front against the Swans, but the Hornets will strike twice to get back in form.

An uninspiring loss against Newcastle left Stoke asking questions after such a great draw against Manchester United. Chuopo-Moting’s place up front has been altered multiple times this season, but if he reclaims his spot up top I think he’ll thrive once more. Chelsea will get its second draw in a row before returning to London to face Manchester City.

United has struggled with Southampton in the recent past, losing twice and drawing once since 2015. This contest will be different as the Saints defense won’t be able to hold United’s attack in check, especially in the final 15 minutes. Romelu Lukaku is also looking for his sixth goal in as many games.

Over a month in, these two clubs are as far apart as possible. Perhaps the most exciting club thus far, Manchester City has scored 15 goals in its last three matches (including Champions League). Crystal Palace, however, is the only PL team yet to score a goal on the year. It’ll be more of the same for both sides in this drubbing.

Everton is far better than its record suggests. Having played Manchester City, Chelsea, Spurs and now Manchester United, the Toffies now get a stretch of mediocre teams to gather points. Bournemouth secured its first win last Friday, but will have a tough time maintaining possession against Everton’s impressive midfield.

Still hanging around in sixth place, Huddersfield Town travel to Burnley in search of another draw to keep the campaign in shape. Burnley has yet to win against a team not named Crystal Palace since the opener and are due for three points at home. Welshman Sam Vokes and New Zealander, Chris Wood, will each get their third goal on the season to top this resilient Huddersfield side.

I’m looking at this one as the most exciting contest of the weekend. Liverpool hasn’t won since August and is still looking to find its offensive magic that led to that thrashing of Arsenal last month. Jamie Vardy is back on the scene with four goals thus far and his team will need him to score once more if the Foxes are to win this home contest.

Brighton at Falmer has been miles above Brighton on the road and against fellow promoted side, Newcastle, there will be more continued improvement. The defensive tandem of Dunk and Duffy have kept the Gulls in matches all year and will help keep Joselu out of the net.

Arsenal lost to West Brom 3-1 in March of last season to begin the Gunners’ slide into sixth place. The Gunners are a much-improved squad with both Alexandre Lacazette and Sead Kolasinac to counter Brom’s sturdy back line. Danny Welbeck has been in great form, as well, with three goals on the campaign.

Tier One: The Elite

1. Manchester United
2. Manchester City

Tier Two: The Contending

3. Chelsea
4. Tottenham
5. Liverpool

Tier Three: The Risers

6. Arsenal
7. Burnley
8. Southampton

Tier Four: The Lacking in Proof

9. Newcastle
10. Stoke City
11. Huddersfield Town
12. Leicester City
13. West Brom
14. Watford
15. Everton
16. Swansea City

Tier Five: The Relegation Candidates

17. Bournemouth
18. Brighton & Hove
19. West Ham
20. Crystal Palace

Stoppage Time:

Manchester City is evolving into the best Premier League team. The Citizens demolished Liverpool and Watford in the league and also crushed Feyenoord 5-0 in the Champions League last week. A team that has been plagued by injuries is finally shaping up with Gabriel Jesus playing the best football of his life alongside David Silva, Sergio Aguero and Kevin de Bruyne. The revamped backline is also holding opposing offenses in check as well as opening up opportunities to score via crosses. The club gets Chelsea in two weeks, which is a huge contest for both sides’ chances at the title.

The post Premier League: Matchweek 6 Preview appeared first on KRUI Radio.

The international break is complete and players across the globe are making their way back to work. With the September round of the World Cup 2018 Qualifiers wrapped up, we can now delve into the thick of the Premier League season.

Matchweek 4 Preview:

After a thrashing of Arsenal at Anfield two weeks ago, Liverpool sit atop my PL Power Rankings. This may come as a surprise, pushing the Reds above 3-0-0 Manchester United, but Liverpool look the part. A 4-0 victory over league heavyweights Arsenal featuring exceptionally inspiring play between Mohamed Salah and Roberto Firmino from storesselectscanada.

I’m giving Manchester City one goal in this tie, but after seeing out an undeserved win versus a winless Bournemouth side, City have some questions to answer up front following Raheem Sterling’s red card. I see Sadio Mane continuing his exceptional form by netting yet another goal, but the winner comes from newcomer, Salah.

The Gunners need this more than ever. The consistent call for Wenger’s job is growing ever louder and, after shipping out Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain, something needs to be done. Of course, this is a match Arsenal should win with relative ease, especially due to the midfield. Bournemouth, coming off of an optimistic appearance against Man City, could play spoiler and officially get the Gunners boss canned.

We’ll see what Wenger does, but to grab all three points I feel that Alexandre Lacazette will need a much larger role. Entering the Liverpool contest – if you even want to call it a contest – in the 62nd minute was far too late for any damage to be done. Already down 3-0, Lacazette could only manage one shot; he’ll need a full 90 to push Arsenal past the finish line in this one.

Now named ‘The American Express Community Stadium’, Brighton has followed many clubs in the PL in selling off its stadium’s naming rights. Supporters will forever call the Gulls’ home ‘Falmer’, so I see little point in disagreeing. After managing a point on the road against Watford, Brighton come home to a surging, fifth-placed West Brom side. The Baggies, undefeated thus far, have conceded once in three tries.

However, a less than stellar match against Stoke leads me to a draw in this contest. Brighton hasn’t looked exceptional by any means, but Anthony Knockaert has fared well through his first three appearances, getting his first start and seizing it at Watford. After posting four shots, three key passes and 86% overall pass success, he’ll have a big impact on this home draw against a formidable Brom squad.

Known for slow starts, Spurs have now lost and drawn at Wembley after the opening road win against Newcastle. Everton were completely outclassed against Chelsea last match, but looked very promising in a win over Stoke and draw against Man City prior to the defeat. Now retired from international football, Wayne Rooney is showing glimpses of his old self with two goals in three games.

Tottenham will score twice for the first time since Aug. 13, but it still isn’t enough for all three points. Everton, with its multitude of midfielding acquisitions (see: Davy Klaassen, Gylfi Sigurdsson, Nikola Vlasic, etc.), will also find the back of the net twice, courtesy of Sigurdsson and Aaron Lennon – both former Spurs. Tottenham won’t statistically dominate like it did in the Burnley match, but Christian Eriksen will translate his Danish success to his club by scoring and assisting against Everton.

Leicester pushed Manchester United far into the match, but lost in inevitable fashion. The 2-0 match was United’s lowest margin of victory thus far, if that’s any solace for the Foxes to take into this tough home match. Chelsea allowed zero shots on goal against a determined Everton squad, so if Leicester can notch a goal versus the Blues, it’s all the more impressive.

The Blues are getting hot again. After the 2-3 stunner at home in the opener, Chelsea hasn’t allowed a goal scored by an opposing player since. Leicester lost a heartbreaker in its opener to Arsenal and will lose here despite an impressive showing.

Southampton has played three matches, scoring three and conceding two. Interestingly enough, all five of those goals came in its second match versus West Ham. Two disappointing draws to Swansea and Huddersfield leave much to be desired. Ironically, Watford has the same line of a win and two draws, yet the club looks to be in much better form. A 3-3 draw against Liverpool and a scoreless tie, while a man down, versus Brighton puts the Hornets in optimistic position for this one.

Five goals coming from five different players for Watford leads me to believe that goals can be scored when in dire straits. Southampton will put this team to the test with its high-pressure attacking midfield tandem, but Watford will respond with its imposing front three.

Two goals in three contests, Stoke leans on its stout defense to garner points. Manchester United is not weak in the back by any means, but it certainly doesn’t rely on it. A fiery attack has led to 10 goals in three matches and this contest doesn’t look good for the Potters.

The Red Devils will muster another three goals for their riot and, while they may not break the 103-goals record (they’re on pace for 127), it’ll take a battle-tested defense to keep the ball out of the net. Stoke will be outmatched in the midfield and the match will get out of hand if it can’t maintain possession at a reasonable rate.

Collecting three points on the road against Chelsea was a coming out party of sorts for Burnley. Managing a draw against Spurs was impressive as well, but if the club wants to compete it needs to clean house in these lower matches. Crystal Palace sits in the red with no points thus far and will need a tighter back line if it wants a chance in this one.

Burnley will notch its first home win while Palace will notch its first goal. These teams are trending in opposite directions and Burnley will capitalize on its goalscoring chances, unlike in the West Brom loss. Crystal Palace has played well in spurts, but it’s a marathon, not a sprint. Managing a goal is a good start, but with Southampton, Man City, Man United and Chelsea looming, things are looking bleak.

West Ham has already been punched this season, but a 3-0 loss to Newcastle was just a kick while it’s already down. The Magpies collected three well-deserved points in that contest and will look to bring some momentum into this one. Swansea took three from Palace Aug. 26, but something much bigger has happened since. Renato Sanches, Portuguese wonderkid and Bayern Munich benchwarmer, has been loaned to the Swans for the remainder of the season. He’ll likely get his first start against Newcastle and this completely alters the trajectory of Swansea’s campaign.

I doubt he’ll score, though that would be a storybook start for the 20-year-old, but Renato Sanches will command respect in the midfield against Newcastle. In doing so, he’ll open passing lanes for playmakers like Jordan Ayew and Leroy Fer. If Newcastle is to steal a point or three at Liberty, it’ll need more of the same magic from Christian Atsu and Matt Ritchie.

Seeing the Hammers’ additions in the transfer window and looking down the schedule, I chalked this one up as an automatic three points. The script has been completely flipped, with Huddersfield in third place having allowed no goals and West Ham in dead last with 10 goals conceded.

West Ham welcomed plenty of new faces in the transfer window, perhaps most notably Chicharito. Mexico’s all-time leading goalscorer tallied a brace in the loss to Southampton and he’ll get a third in this draw. Huddersfield, the Prem’s surprise through three matchweeks, will stay undefeated with this road point.

Power Rankings:

These rankings are intended to convey my opinion on how well a team is performing at the given moment. Not only is it the club’s form, but also how well the players are playing together, the level of competition they’ve played and the performance they gave despite the result.

Tier One: The Elite

1. Liverpool
2. Manchester United

Tier Two: The Contending

3. Manchester City
4. Chelsea
5. Tottenham

Tier Three: The Few Steps Away

6. Everton
7. Watford
8. West Brom

Tier Four: The Prove-Its

9. Huddersfield
10. Southampton
11. Burnley
12. Stoke City

Tier Five: The Fallen from Greatness

13. Arsenal
14. Leicester City

Tier Six: The Long Way Off

15. Newcastle
16. Swansea City

Tier Seven: The Relegation Candidates

17. Brighton and Hove
18. Bournemouth
19. Crystal Palace
20. West Ham

Free Kicks:

1. Champions League games begin next Wednesday and I went into more detail last week. Premier League teams in action feature Manchester United playing host to Basel, Chelsea hosting Qarabag, Liverpool hosting Sevilla, Manchester City visiting Feyenoord and Tottenham welcoming Dortmund to Wembley.
2. After a wild weekend of World Cup Qualifiers, some clear winners are Saudi Arabia, Syria, Costa Rica, Peru and Serbia. Thus far, there are eight nations that are directly qualified: Russia via hosting, Brazil via CONMEBOL, Belgium via UEFA, Mexico via CONCACAF and Iran, Japan, South Korea and Saudi Arabia via AFC.
3. The United States seems to be limping toward the finish line at this point, amassing one single point in the two games this matchweek. The Yanks followed up their first home loss to Costa Rica since 1975 with an uninspiring, yet somehow fortunate, draw in Honduras. Currently in the inter-confederation playoff spot of the Hex, USMNT has matches against Panama and Trinidad & Tobago remaining. Due to a massive goal differential, two wins in those matches would guarantee a berth in the world cup. However unlikely, slipping up could lead to a fourth place finish and a berth in the playoff against the winner of Australia and Syria; or, even worse, a collapse to fifth and the first World Cup absence since 1986.

Stoppage Time:

West Brom is off to a solid start with wins over Bournemouth and Burnley and, most recently, a draw against Stoke. The defense is looking exceptionally impressive, especially due to the fact that it was the Baggies’ biggest question mark opening the year. The team sits in fifth after three matches and has a favorable opening schedule. It faces two bottom-tier clubs in Brighton and West Ham to start the month of September before coming against Manchester City on Sep. 20. I see the club grabbing four more points before that pivotal City match and, if the club can hang around the top third of the table before that contest, it will enter the Europa League conversation.

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