2009 - 2010 Football Predictions Thread

god, here goes again, No1newts who do you support btw ?

1. United, we can grind results, this season we have had a big tactics change due to ronaldo leaving, players need settling in too the role, ferdinand is still out, yet we grinded a result against arsenal, lucky or not, 3 points is 3 points, and against arsenal, we can only get better as the season goes on, we all know united are slow starters, so its not a bad start for us imo

2. chelsea, very strong, but they were strong last year also....and didnt end up where they wanted...so...

3. Liverpool, unlucky start, but i could never bet against them.

4. Arsenal, i think there younger players are stepping upto the mark now, i think they are still missing someone strong and Vocal for the middle of the park

5. Spurs, seems like they have kicked up the gear this season

i have mild reasons because its 3 or 4 games into the season, i have no good reasons this early into the season, come back when we have played 3 or 4 more in the premiership.
 
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Much as I hate to say it I think that he could be right about Liverpool; we will struggle for 4th unless Aquilani slots in quickly and fills Xabi's boots.

1/ Chelsea; will win by virtue of everyone not being good enough to do so. The only team of last year's top three to have kept their side intact and, with their experience and physical strength they should do well. My only worry for them was that Ancelotti wouldn't fit in quickly, but he has.

2/ Man Utd; excellent manager, great mix of experience and youth. I think that just for this season they will struggle to break down some stubborn teams without that Ronaldo X-Factor.

3/ Arsenal; I always said that this could be their year, and if the other two slip up it may be the case. Surprising strength in depth (aside, perhaps, from at the back) and some real match-winners. They will have to play to their potential all year to win the league which is unlikely, but even with a couple of slip-ups should finish 3rd.

4/5 Spurs or Liverpool; Spurs have had a great start, and have a strong squad; they ought to be fairly reliable, but may struggle against the "big" teams (Liverpool excluded). Liverpool have had a horrible start and, frankly, look like a shadow of the team last year. The defense is shaky, Gerrard and Torres aren't getting the service that they require, and our midfield is no longer as dominant. Our inability to hold onto the ball could really cost us, and unless Aquilani comes in and looks great, we will struggle for 4th.
 
Arsenal won't finish below Man Utd, they have more quality. Arsenal are going to be pretty good I reckon when Nasri and Fab are fit (dare I mention Rosicky too!), and Arshavin gets himself in gear.

Chelsea
Arsenal
Man Utd
Spurs
L'pool

Liverpool aren't going to get penalties/the other team down to 10 men every week :)
 
Stag said:
If Benitez is as clever as he thinks he is he will move Gerrard back into central midfield where he can be more influencial. Kuyt and Torres up front would be my solution.
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Trouble is that if we do that and go 4-4-2 we end up without a right winger; Yossi would cut inside to much and the team would just be unbalanced, as we were a couple of years back when Gerrard was on the right.
 
Before the start of this season I said that Chelsea would win the league this year, as they were the only ones of the Big 4 not to have sold important players. I stand by that prediction.

My prediction might shock some people though, especially considering who I support.

1. Chelsea
2. Man Utd
3. Arsenal
4. Spurs
5. Liverpool
 
No1newts said:
5. Liverpool - I am not even sure if they will quite even manage this position, defence is a shambles at best
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We'll be fine when we get a settled CB pairing. All 3 of our CBs were injured pre-season and Carragher and Skrtel both started the season unfit.

No1newts said:
Johnson seems more interested in going forward and they do not have a left back to speak of.
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Johnson hasn't made a single mistake in defence (yet) and his attacking play, even from RB, has been as good as anyone's in the league, if not better.

As for saying we don't have a left back we have two! Bar two or three horrific games last season Aurelio was one of the best in the league and his deputy, Insua, has already proven himself to be more than capable of handling some of the best players in the league. Argentina will be capping him very soon!

No1newts said:
They do not have a second central midfielder and I am not convinced by their left winger and Kuyt, whilst brilliant, is not a winger.
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Agree about our left wing but Kuyt scored 14 goals and got 12 or more assists last season. Can't think of anyone other than Ronaldo who did better out wide.

Stag said:
If Benitez is as clever as he thinks he is he will move Gerrard back into central midfield where he can be more influencial.
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That's the sort of comment I'd expect from someone who doesn't watch football. Gerrard is at his best just behind Torres and moving him back to midfield will hurt the team in a big way.
 
1. Chelsea - I am biased but we haven't lost anyone and ancelotti has started well
2. Arsenal - I think they were very unlucky yesterday and have a very decent team all round
3. man u - they look a lot weaker than last season and I think we'll see more burnley style results...
4. Liverpool - already lost 2 games and big uncertainty about aquilani so I reckon 4th place
5. Man City - solid defence to complement their attacking options, will push liverpool hard for 4th place
 
Pigeon_Killer said:
That's the sort of comment I'd expect from someone who doesn't watch football. Gerrard is at his best just behind Torres and moving him back to midfield will hurt the team in a big way.
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You completely failed to break down Spurs without a playmaker and without service Gerrard and Torres were toothless. Gerrards passing ability is needed to fill the void left by Alonso - possibly not in every game but certainly against the better teams.

The stats don't lie:

http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport1/hi/football/eng_prem/8198253.stm

You managed to have 6 shots, and only 3 of those were on target. Without Alonso starting the moves against quality opposition you'll be lucky to make 6 chances away from home.

Liverpool were always Spurs bogey team, especially at Anfield; it will be interesting to see what we can get there later this season.
 
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Stag said:
You completely failed to break down Spurs without a playmaker and without service Gerrard and Torres were toothless. Gerrards passing ability is needed to fill the void left by Alonso - possibly not in every game but certainly against the better teams.
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He was fantastic two seasons just behind Torres and again last season. Why break up one of the best partnerships in football because of one poor game?
 
Pigeon_Killer said:
That's the sort of comment I'd expect from someone who doesn't watch football. Gerrard is at his best just behind Torres and moving him back to midfield will hurt the team in a big way.
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A lot of people I've spoken to feel that way. Last season Gerrard and Torres were lethal playing together. Although, there were a few games which they didn't play with each other, and you have to remember without Gerrard and Torres, we were still able to beat Chelsea and Man Utd.

But, Gerrard played in central midfield when we won the Champions league. It is one of his natural positions, and he can do a job there. I'm not sure whether a change of formation and moving Gerrard back would help, but given that we've lost 2 of our first 4, I think that it's worth a try, and if it works, we could keep until Aquilani is fit.
 
Pigeon_Killer said:
He was fantastic two seasons just behind Torres and again last season. Why break up one of the best partnerships in football because of one poor game?
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It's not like I'm saying drop Gerrard is it, I'm saying he should play more withdrawn so he can influence the game more with his excellent range of passing. A job he didn't need to do with Alonso behind him which left him to play to his strengths losing his marker and making surging runs.

Before Aquilani is fit, who do you think is going to offer you anywhere near the passing quality of Alonso?
 
Stag said:
Without Alonso starting the moves against quality opposition you'll be lucky to make 6 chances away from home.
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I seem to remember without Alonso and with Gerrard playing off of Torres we went to Old Trafford and won 4-1. We've had 1 match where we've failed to create lots of chances where the team collectively played incredibly poorly and it's because of Alonso leaving :rolleyes:

I'm far from a Lucas fan but the guy gets a lot of unfair stick. He's been far from our worst performer and our bad start has not been down to him but because of the form of our front 4 and the injury problems at the back. But Lucas is an easy target and we've lost Alonso so that's the real problem :rolleyes:

Anyway, joining in the hysteria; we'll be lucky to make the top 10 let alone the top 5.
 
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