FIRST SILVERWARE OF THE SEASON: February has passed and we are now into March where every game grows in importance as teams race for the Premier League title and fight for their status in the top flight. There are some enthralling games in store over the next couple of days which have added importance to them
SPURS TO RULE NORTH LONDON
I really fancy Spurs to take this one. I think they have an awful lot more going for them at this stage of the season compared to their bitter rivals. They are playing mostly good football, sure they are coming off a defeat during the week but that was always going to be a tough game. Arsenal on the other hand lost out a Swansea side they really should have put away easily.
Spurs are the exact type of team Arsenal will struggle against. To be fair, almost any team would find Spurs style difficult to play against. They are high tempo and in your face the entire way through and most teams can’t cope with that. Arsenal are no exception, this is really the only way you can beat a side like Arsenal’s, stop them from passing the ball and playing a possession style game.
I also think there is better character in this Spurs side. Arsenal have been going through a serious struggle lately, it seems to be around this time of the year where the wheels have begin to come off for the Gunners. It looks like this could be happening again for them this year. They have not been able to score goals, which is very unlike them. As a result Wenger has dropped both Giroud and Walcott in the last couple of games, and to my eye they have not reacted well to this at all. Walcott was shocking against Man United last weekend, just looked lost and disinterested, which is what you may expect to see from somebody engulfed in a relegation battle, not a title race.
Arsenal just look timid to me and if there is a team who will take advantage of this it is surely Spurs. They can give a massive boost to their title challenge with a big win over their arch rivals. Neither team will be asleep for this one, there is too much at stake, but I think Spurs will be hungrier. Verdict – Spurs Win
SET PIECES THE BIG DIFFERENCE
Man United have turned things around in their past few games. They have finally played something that actually resembles football. Maybe Van Gaal has realised that he is not untouchable, maybe he knows the inevitable at the end of the season, I’m not too sure, I just hope to see United continue to open things up a bit.
This weekend however I think they may suffer a bit of a crash back to normality after flying high in the past few weeks. West Brom are a stubborn side for United to face. They aren’t going to go all out attack, which limits United’s ability to hit them on the counter. This forces them to go after the game themselves and what we have seen this year is that they hesitate to do this. I just see West Brom grabbing a sneaky set piece goal.
Man United are missing a few at the back, which will mostly hurt them on set pieces. West Brom have some big physical players, and when you are relying on the likes of Blind and Carrick to stop these guys, you are in a bit of trouble. Smalling will be struggling to make it, he has been the rock for United this season, and will be sorely missed in any game. I love a great price, so I was very tempted to go with backing West Brom at 4.4, and I still may do a small bet on it but I think the wiser bet would be to go against a United win. Verdict – Lay United
FOXES TOO MUCH
I am going to keep cheering for Leicester this season, as I think everybody who is not a Spurs or Arsenal fan, as there run has been truly outstanding. They have had a couple of down weeks in terms of their performances and still come out with four points from their last two games. That has the indentation of a champion season. No team can play outstanding every single game of a season, it is when you can play poorly and still grind out a result, that is when you know it is a good team.
For the record, I think Leicester will turn it around and really come out with a quality performance this weekend. They have gone through a small blip, yet are somehow still three points ahead of second place and six ahead of third. I think this will fill the team with confidence, particularly with second playing third this weekend. They know that if they win this weekend and either or both of Arsenal and Spurs slip up then they are in business.
I think Leicester will do well against Watford’s danger men. They have two brutes playing at centre back in Morgan and Huth. There is no partnership better suited to dealing with Watford’s danger men Deeney and Ighalo. Then going forward, I don’t think Watford will be able to cope with the pace of Vardy, the inventiveness of Mahrez and the pressure of Nagasaki. Even without Kante in the side, Leicester will be full of energy and will have confidence that they can create a sizable gap at the top of the table. Verdict – Leicester Win
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