WHO CAN TAKE REIGNS AT THE TOP? Who would have guessed that at this time of the year Leicester would be on their way to the Etihad sitting three points ahead of Man City at the top of the Premier League. It has been an incredible effort by them so far, and I personally hope they keep it up until the end of the season.
IMPROBABLE SEASON TO CONTINUE
Leicester have been labeled as pretenders all year. They have had unlikely result after unlikely result since the campaign began, they just refuse to give up. It has to have reached to the stage where they are legitimate contenders. When asking the question, the only reason I have heard for why they can’t win the league is that ‘They are Leicester City’. That shows that the doubters are clutching at straws by now. There is no evidence from their play thus far to suggest they are not the real deal.
Which brings us on to tomorrow’s game against City. I fancy Leicester to build their lead at the top. They went through a small lull over the Christmas but came out pretty well after it and are back playing some brilliant football. In their last three league games alone they have bagged six goals and only conceded once. They kept two clean sheets against Stoke and Liverpool, which is showing they are getting more solid at the back.
Man City are liable to show up on any given day and absolutely blow their opponent out of the water, but they are also liable to show up and be extremely average. They have been hit and miss this season, as have most of the top teams in the league. Leicester have only lost twice this season. This is no pushover team no matter what Man City side shows up. If they play blistering football Leicester will be hungry to match it and beat them out. If City show up like they did midweek against Sunderland, they will get trampled by this Leicester side.
Leicester are hungry, they are full of energy and most importantly, they are full of confidence. They feel and have shown that they can go head to head with anyone in the Premier League. They won’t fear City, or let them have their own way. They will go for the win. City will have a tough time with Vardy and his running, particularly looking at their centre back. They have no pace and he has spades of it! Add in Okazaki who will be an all out nuisance and they will find it tough. And I haven’t even mentioned Mahrez!
Kante against Toure in the middle is a big matchup. Toure is a quality player, but Kante’s energy will cause him a lot of bother, and I see the Man City maestro struggling to catch up. Overall I think there is too much distraction for City off the pitch. Pelligrini leaving, Guardiola in, players don’t know where they’ll be next year. It is a great time for Leicester to face them and I all over them at the price you can get. Verdict – Leicester Win
ARSENAL TO WIN PURE FOOTBALL BATTLE
This might seem like a weird choice as you might think it to be a given, but strangely you can get Arsenal at around even money right now. I think it is a crazy. Bournemouth are the perfect team for Arsenal to face. They try to play football, which of course is admirable, but the fact of the matter is, Arsenal play better football.
As far as a pure footballing team, there are few in Europe better than Arsenal. they have talent all over the pitch, and a brilliant manager in Arsene Wenger. Bournemouth don’t stand a chance of being able to match Arsenal in a game where they both try and play a free flowing style. They just don’t match up talent-wise. You have the likes of Ozil, Sanchez, Ramsey in that side, they are just too good.
The price is excellent for Arsenal right now because they have struggled getting goals in their past couple of games. But that clearly is a false representation of this Arsenal side. They will always be near the top of the league in goals scored, so a small drought to me is just that, a small drought. It is not going to continue too long. They have missed so many chances in the past few games, they have to start putting them away. I see them having a good win with a couple of goals cushion here. All though they are two sides with a similar philosophy, in reality, there is a country mile between the two teams.
You can get a really good price on Arsenal right now at around evens. By the time they play on Sunday I don’t think they will be that favourable, so I would get on it quickly while the value is there. Verdict – Arsenal Win
BIG SAM VS KLOPP
This could be an interesting encounter for the two managers alone. Big Sam is always a character and fired a couple of shots at Klopp after he entered the league, and in his brief time in England, Klopp has shown to be very amusing to the media.
But we’re here to concentrate on what happens on the pitch. And I think Big Sam could have a hammer blow waiting for Klopp. I like Klopp, I think he will build a strong side in Liverpool, but he doesn’t have one yet. This Liverpool side does not justify the odds they are given in this one. They are heavily favoured because they are Liverpool. Not other reason for it in my eyes.
Liverpool have been very up and down the past two seasons. Since Suarez left there has clearly been a huge void in the side. For all the money they have spent, they could not find a replacement for him. Without a guy who will get you a goal, even on his off days, it is tough to really push on in this league. Because of this Liverpool will finish outside of Champions League football again.
Sunderland have been much better under Big Sam than they were at the start of the season. He is a master of keeping teams up, and it looks to me like he will do it again this year. He is excellent at solidifying a team, and right now this Sunderland team looks like it is too good to go down. They were very good against Man City during the week, and deserved to grab a point from the game by the end of it. They will be a frustrating opponent for Liverpool as well, and I can see them being a real thorn in their side come the final whistle. Verdict – Lay Liverpool
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