Thibaut Courtois

To put it simply, Thibaut Courtois will probably be the best goalkeeper in the world in a couple years.  Right now, he's easily in the top 5.  Along with Manchester United's David De Gea, Courtois is possibly the most promising young goalie in the world.  He has won the award for the best keeper in Spain during the 3 seasons he was on loan from Chelsea at Atlético Madrid.  This season, he has come in and replaced Petr Cech, who is also still probably in the top 5 goalies in the world.  That's saying something.  Courtois is massive at right around 6'6", and has made some of the most incredible reflex saves you'll ever see.  And even more, he's received all of these accolades and praise while still only being 22 years old.  That's pretty scary for any attacker who has ideas about trying to score on Chelsea for the next 10+ years.

Weekly Standings

This week was a big one in the Premier League, as it looks like we might actually have an exciting finish now, even if it's just at the bottom of the table.  Let's look at what happened...

Southampton 2 - 2 Tottenham

This was an important game for both teams, as they are both trying to vie for a top 5 finish.  This game didn't do much to improve either team's odds, but both teams played pretty well, so this might be a very interesting race going into the end of the season.

Burnley 0 - 1 Leicester City

Leicester City might just be the team to make the great escape this year, as they've been on fire in recent weeks, and this was a huge win over rival bottom dweller Burnley.  Leicester's run of good form has now made for a very exciting relegation battle, as now there are about 7 teams who could feasibly be relegated.  And good for Leicester to finally drag themselves up off the bottom, that isn't easy.

Newcastle 2 - 3 Swansea City

Well, that's 7 straight losses for Newcastle, who at one point in the season were in 6th.  Not so now, and they will be reasonably fearful of being relegated, especially at the rate they are going now.  On the other hand, Swansea really doesn't have anything left to play for this year, and they've had a really great few seasons since they were promoted.

QPR 0 - 0 West Ham United

Yawn.  The only thing this game means is that QPR is still firmly in the relegation race, and they'll take any points they can get from here on out.

Stoke City 1 - 1 Sunderland

Another boring draw that really proved nothing major, other than that Sunderland is now currently in the relegation zone, given Leicester's win.  Obviously this will make Sunderland a little nervous, however, they are masters of escaping the relegation zone against all odds. Perhaps this will be the year they finally go down, or maybe they'll hang on again to be around next year.

West Bromwich Albion 0 - 0 Liverpool

Not a lot of people would've figured that West Brom could hold Liverpool to a draw in this one, but draw they did, and Liverpool missed a golden opportunity to take a big stride in their aim for a top 5 or even top 4 finish.  Instead, they'll continue to battle Tottenham and Southampton to hold onto their current 5th place in the table.

Manchester City 3 - 2 Aston Villa

While the better team obviously won, they did it in a very difficult fashion.  Having gone up 2 goals to nothing, they gave Aston Villa two goals back very late in the game, only to score their winner right at the end of the match.  Crazy stuff, and a shame for Villa, who would have loved the point, but instead are still very much in the thick of the relegation battle.

Everton 3 - 0 Manchester United

This was easily the surprise of the weekend, since Manchester United have been looking much improved in recent weeks, while Everton have had a very forgettable season.  Neither team played to form, and Everton shellacked Man U in a fashion not one person in the world would have anticipated.  Hopefully that will be the push Everton needs going into next season, while Man U will have to step back and reevaluate just how much they've actually progressed this year.

Arsenal 0 - 0 Chelsea

This was always going to be the big game of the weekend, as both are London-based teams, and were 1st and 2nd going into the weekend.  At this point, the title is all but a formality for Chelsea, so they really only needed to hold out and not lose to Arsenal.  And hold out they did, with one of the better defensive performances you'll ever see.  There was an especially scary moment at the beginning when Arsenal's goalkeeper David Ospina railroaded Chelsea's Oscar, who was sent to the hospital for concussion tests.  Luckily, it sounds as though he will be ok.

Harry Kane

The man whose fans lovingly refer to as the HarryKane, Harry Kane has truly come into the scene not unlike an actual hurricane.  He has spent most of his life training with Tottenham's various youth teams, however, Spurs' other strikers couldn't seem to find the net in the first half of the season, so Kane was given an opportunity at the top level this year.  Since the beginning of January, Kane has been absolutely on fire, and is currently tied for the top scorer in the Premier League with 20 league goals, equal to Sergio Agüero of Manchester City.  Kane has managed to excel this year despite not having any obviously beneficial attributes, such as speed or dribbling ability.  He simply seems to have a knack for popping up and the right time, and of course he has the skill necessary to finish the opportunities he's presented.  Kane would be the obvious frontrunner for the Premier League's Young Player of the Year, and he may be on his way to becoming a household name in relatively short order.

Weekly Standings

© Barclays Premier League

So let's review what happened this past weekend in the Premier League, as the season comes into its final couple weeks.

  

 Crystal Palace 0 - 2 West Bromwich Albion

This match wasn't much to write home about, as it was a match between two mid table teams whose seasons are both effectively over.  Both of theses teams have had good seasons considering where most would have predicted these teams to finish.  West Brom ended having the better day, with 3 points to prove it.

Everton 1 - 0 Burnley

Well, Burnley sure would've like to win this one.  Everton really has no reason to play well at this point in the season, as they are very mid table.  Burnley on the other hand could've really used the points, as they have now descended all the way down to the bottom of the table.  They may not be completely doomed yet, but Burnley have a long way to go.

Leicester City 2 - 0 Swansea City

Huge, huge, huge win for Leicester.  They finally got themselves off of the bottom of the table for the first time in a long, long while.  Unfortunately, they are still in the relegation zone, but they are right on the tails of Hull City, trailing them only by goal differential.  We might have an exciting ending to the season, even if Chelsea are likely to run away with the title.  

Stoke City 2 - 1 Southampton

Southampton's tragic slide down the table in the second half of the season by losing to an overachieving Stoke City team.  Southampton took the initial lead, but Stoke found a way to claw two goals back to walk away with the win.  At this rate, it's entirely possible that Stoke could in fact pass Southampton in the table, which wouldn't have been my expectation just a few weeks ago.

Chelsea 1 - 0 Manchester United

This was definitely the big one this weekend.  Chelsea has been the best team in the Premier League all year, but they haven't played their best in recent weeks.  In comparison, Man U has been far below expectations for the last season and a half, but they are now starting to finally take shape under manager Louis van Gaal.  Chelsea put on an excellent defensive display, and are practically a lock for the title now, but expect Man U to make a serious run at the title next year.

Manchester City 2 - 0 West Ham United

Manchester City finally managed to get one in the win column after a really rough stretch that saw them lose any hope they may have had at retaining their title.  That being said, they are now playing to ensure they retain their position in the top 4, which they helped themselves greatly with by beating West Ham United.  At this point, neither team should have too much to worry about for the rest of the season.

Newcastle 1 - 3 Tottenham

Tottenham is probably unlikely to make it back up into the top 4, so the rest of their season may be a race with Liverpool for who can retain the 5th spot, and compete in the Europa League next season.  This is a big deal for these teams, since competing in the Europa League and Champions League are huge sources of revenue for teams.  That will be a race to watch going forward this season.

Raheem Sterling

Raheem Sterling is the definition of a "precocious talent."  He's young and incredibly gifted, but he certainly acts like it on occasion.  This year, he has undoubtedly been the shining star of Liverpool, after last year's stars, Luis Suarez and Daniel Sturridge, have been sold and injured, respectively.  Having lost their two most potent goal scorers, Liverpool has been hurting for goals this season, and it has often come to Sterling to provide them, either on his own or via his great passing instinct.  Liverpool as a team have been a strange prospect this year, having sold their best player and buying several new players with the money made, and they have struggled to look cohesive this year.  Regardless of these issues, Sterling has looked great most of the season, and he has been the subject of several transfers rumors recently, including ones to Real Madrid, who are supposedly offering nearly $100 million.  Keep your eyes on Sterling in the next couple years, as he really has the potential to be something really special.

Weekly Standings

© Barclays Premier League

Hi everyone, sorry I never got around to making a pre-weekend guide, so here I am with the most current standings as the seasons starts to get into crunch time.  With the exception of the top and bottom teams, every team has 6 matches left (Chelsea and Leicester City both have 7 left).  Here's some quick blurbs about each match from last weekend.

Swansea 1 - 1 Everton

Not a whole lot going on in this match unfortunately, and it really doesn't matter for either team, as they are both safely above the relegation zone but are not challenging for a top 4 finish.

Southampton 2 - 0 Hull City

Southampton will be extremely happy for the victory here, as it keeps them in contention for a top 5 finish, which would be an extraordinary accomplishment for a club that lacks the players and resources of the other clubs near the top of the table.  Hull, meanwhile, are unfortunately still very much in the relegation battle, and will need every possible point they can manage from here on out to avoid dropping.

Sunderland 1 - 4 Crystal Palace

Lots of goals in game that most probably would have expected a drab, low scoring affair.  New manager Alan Pardew has been having great success at Crystal Palace since he took over in the middle of the season.  Crystal Palace are on track for one the their greatest Premier League seasons ever, especially considering they just were promoted back up two seasons ago.

Tottenham 0 - 1 Aston Villa

This is a very bad loss for Tottenham, as Aston Villa are not that good, and Spurs were hoping for top 4 finish this season.  Striker Christian Benteke has made the most of his limited opportunities this season, following a hat trick last week with the only goal in this match, as he spent most of the season out due to injury.

West Bromwich Albion 2 - 3 Leicester City

This is a huge result for Leicester, as they are mired at the bottom of the table, so every point might be crucial if they are to miraculously stay up come the end of the season.  The goals had to come late, but luckily for the Foxes, they did come.  West Brom, on the other hand, will be embarrassed, but they are most likely safe from relegation, so they have little left to play for anyways.

West Ham United 1 - 1 Stoke City

Pretty much the same situation as the Everton - Swansea match: two mid-table teams playing meaningless soccer at the end of the season.

Burnley 0 - 1 Arsenal

It was a valiant effort by Burnley to hold on as they did against the Premier League's hottest team, but in the end, the more talented team prevailed, and Arsenal will be trying to make a serious push against Chelsea for the top spot in the coming weeks.  That being said, they'll need Chelsea to lose quite a bit in their next few matches.  Burnley, however, are likely to be heading back down to the Championship, unless they can string together some massive victories in a hurry.

QPR 0 - 1 Chelsea

These are two teams who do not like each other at all, being that they are both West London teams and have had some issues between players in recent years.  Chelsea relied on great goalkeeping from Thibaut Courtois to repel QPR, and managed to get the one necessary goal from a masked Cesc Fabregas, who was forced to wear a facial mask after breaking his nose in the previous game.

Manchester United 4 - 2 Manchester City

Easily the biggest game of the week, Manchester is currently red after Man U eviscerated a laughably poor Man City.  Manchester City have managed to now all but entirely thrown away their change to defend their title from last season, while Manchester United seem to be getting back to the winning ways they were familiar with up until the last season or so.  The two Man City goals hardly do justice to just how one sided this game was.

Liverpool 2 - 0 Newcastle

Pretty much business as usual, as Liverpool continued to be just good enough to win matches, and they are still in the conversation for a top 4 finish potentially if they can string together a few more wins down the stretch.  Meanwhile, Newcastle is another team that really has little left to play for this season.

Sergio Agüero

If it weren't for injuries, Sergio Agüero would probably be the top candidate for Player of the Year every season in the Premier League.  Unfortunately, that hasn't been the case.  Amazingly, Agüero has still managed to find himself in 3rd place in the Premier League scoring charts this season, despite missing a good chunk of it with various injuries.  Pound for pound, he's easily the most talented striker in the league, and he has scored some of the best goals of the past several seasons, including a league-winning goal in the final minute of the 2010 season, which will probably stand as one of the all-time great moments in Premier League history.  Agüero is lightening quick and can get a shot off seemingly out of nowhere, and manages to score even when he seems to be completely defended.  On his day, he is completely unplayable by even the best defender.  As another interesting note, he is best friends with fellow Argentinian (and World's Best Player) Lionel Messi, so much so that Messi is Agüero's son's godfather.  Just imagine how good that kid might be someday...

Weekly Preview - April 4

So, after almost two weeks with no games due to international friendly matches and European Championship qualifiers, we're finally back in action this weekend.  Here's where we stand right now:

© Barclays Premier League

With that being the case, let's take a look at this weekend's games...

Arsenal v. Liverpool

The weekend starts with what is probably the biggest game, as both teams are fighting for a lucrative Top-4 finish in the league, so that they may play in the Champions League next season. Both teams have been in pretty great form recently, and Arsenal's striker Olivier Giroud and manager Arsene Wenger were just named March's player and manager of the month, respectively.  Liverpool is coming off an almost surreal loss to Manchester United, where their long-time captain Steven Gerrard was shown a red card barely a minute after coming on as a halftime substitute.  I'll give the nod to Arsenal in this one, as they finally have all of their best players fit and are playing really well.

Everton v. Southampton

This is certainly a match were the underachieving are facing the overachieving.  Everton has been having an extremely disappointing season, as most people would have figured they might be in the race for the Top-4, but instead are fighting to avoid relegation.  Southampton is practically their mirror image, in that many people figured they would be candidates for relegation all season, but instead have spent practically all season in the Top-4 until just a couple weeks ago, and they're still certainly in the running.  That being said, Everton is playing better and Southampton is starting to struggle, so I think a draw would be a fair prediction here.

Leicester City v. West Ham United

 There really should be a lot to talk about in this one.  Leicester are terrible and West Ham are good enough.  For me this is a pretty straightforward win for West Ham.  

Manchester United v. Aston Villa

This is a match of two teams who are finally picking up the pace right at the crucial time of the season. Manchester United will be fighting to keep themselves in the Top-4, while Aston Villa are barely above the relegation zone currently. Both teams are playing well and the stakes are high for each, however, Man U is easily the much more talented team, so I'll take them as winners for this week.

Swansea City v. Hull City

Hull is probably not quite safe yet from the relegation zone, so they'll certainly want to fight for any points they can manage for the rest of the season.  Meanwhile, Swansea probably doesn't have much to play for, as they are neither threatening the top teams nor are in the relegation battle.  I'll take a draw though since Swansea is the more talented team, who will likely be pushed by Hull all game.

West Bromwich Albion v. QPR

I cannot think of anything interesting to say for this one.  West Brom is bad, but not as bad as QPR, who are currently looking like strong relegation candidates, as they sit next to last.  Each team has an unexpectedly good attacker in West Brom's Saido Berahino and QPR's Charlie Austin, so hopefully there can be some fireworks.  I'll take West Brom in this one, partly because QPR has been laughably horrific in their away games this season.

Chelsea v. Stoke City

On paper, Chelsea should run away with this one, as Stoke don't really come off as a very talented team.  That being said, Stoke is known for playing extremely physically, which can through tactical teams like Chelsea off balance sometimes.  Chelsea have also been making it look difficult in recent weeks, compared to their blistering start at the beginning of the season.  Chelsea will hope to get back to playing well consistently this weekend, in hopes that they can maintain their lead at the top of the table for the rest of the season.  I'll take Chelsea as winners in a surprisingly close game.

Burnley v. Tottenham (Sunday)

This is another matchup featuring a team that may very well be relegated versus a team that may very well finish Top-4.  Tottenham will look to Harry Kane, who has been arguably the breakout player of the season in the Premier League this year, especially since the beginning of 2015.  Burnely, meanwhile, have some talent of their own in young striker Danny Ings, however, I don't think it will be enough, so I will take Tottenham as comfortable winners here.

Sunderland v. Newcastle (Sunday)

Sunderland is clinging to dear life right above the relegation zone at the moment, and will have to grab as many points as possible to see out the season safely.  Newcastle, on the other hand, is one of the most forgettable teams of the season this year, as they are neither spectacularly good or horrifically bad, and their position in 12th place is pretty indicative of that fact.  I'll take Sunderland as surprise winners in this one to give them some breathing room above the bottom 3 coming into the last month or so here.

Crystal Palace v. Manchester City (Monday)

The Premier League's version of Monday Night Football features the defending champions Man City playing at Selhurst Park against Crystal Palace.  Crystal Palace is another extremely forgettable team this year, however, they do have a tendency to surprise bigger teams, and Manchester City will have to be smart and on their guard to make sure they aren't surprised, as they need to win as much as possible to keep up with Chelsea for the title race.  I'll take a surprise draw in this one, as I think Man City might panic a bit if Chelsea were to pick up the win against Stoke and even temporarily extend their lead.

 

 

Alexis Sanchez

Alexis Sanchez is new to the Premier League this season, having come over from Barcelona last summer.  He began the season absolutely on fire, and he could still easily be considered one of the top 5 players in the Premier League, despite his numbers having fallen off somewhat.  Perhaps Sanchez's best asset is his ability to play almost any attacking position.  Sanchez has scored some of the best goals in the Premier League this season as well, and he might be one of the most graceful and gifted players around.  Sanchez at his very best is right up there with Eden Hazard and perhaps Angel Di Maria as the most talented players in the Premier League, and the whole league has benefited from the skills of players like Alexis Sanchez.

Gameweek 30 - Weekly Preview

Admittedly, I procrastinated a bit on this week's preview, but here we go:

Manchester City v. West Bromwich Albion

Manchester City will be desperate to make up for what was likely one of the most shocking results of the season, as they lost to lowly Burnley last week.   If they want to keep Chelsea in sight, City will have to really put the pedal to the metal for the rest of the season.  Tony Pulis has managed to create something decent for West Brom since he became manager, but I don't see them managing to fend off a hungry and desperate (and more talented) Man City game.

Aston Villa v. Swansea

Aston Villa is certainly looking improved under new manager Tim Sherwood, and their recent results should be worrying to a Swansea team that has been really all over the map this season.  Personally, I think this will end as a draw, but both of these teams will have opportunities, since Aston Villa is in form and Swansea is arguably the more talented team.

Newcastle v. Arsenal

Arsenal is another team that has been playing very well lately, and they looked greatly improved in their Champions League game against Monaco this week, even though they were eliminated from the competition.  At this point in the season, Newcastle doesn't really have a whole lot to play for, as long as they can keep themselves out of the relegation battle.  I think this could be a narrow win for Arsenal.

Southampton v. Burnley

Between Southampton holding Chelsea to a draw, and Burnley's shock victory over Manchester City last weekend, this will be a competition between two teams that should be feeling very good about themselves.  That being said, Southampton is very much the better team, and should win this easily.  However, Burnley is still fighting to stave off relegation, so they'll put maximum effort in too hopefully.

Stoke City v. Crystal Palace

This is one of those "Who Cares" types of games, in which two relatively safe teams will play an ultimately meaningless game in the grand scheme of the league standings.  All things considered, Stoke are probably the better team, so I would pick them to maybe win 1-0.

Tottenham v. Leicester

This game carries a lot of weight for both teams.  For Tottenham, a top four or top 5 finish isn't entirely out of the question yet, so they must continue to put pressure on higher teams by winning these sorts of games emphatically.  On the other hand, Leicester are still looking like dead meat at the bottom of the table, so they'll be desperate to pull a Burnley and dethrone one of the "big" clubs this weekend.  For me, this is probably a 2-1 match in favor of Spurs.

West Ham United v. Sunderland

Both of these teams have found consistency hard to come by, especially for a Sunderland team that just fired their coach Gus Poyet.  Often times, a new manager will offer some good results right away, so hopefully new manager Dick Advocaat will be able to help the club out.  For West Ham, they still have the talent and tactics to win these types of matches, but they are quickly losing any type of incentive to get out of their season.  For me, this is 1-0 for Sunderland.

Liverpool v. Manchester United (Sunday)

This is almost unarguably the biggest match in English soccer, and it promises to be a great match.  These two teams are absolutely on fire at the moment, and both have suddenly found themselves among their familiar place near the top of the table, having finally gotten over each team's slow start to the season.  In my experiences, big matches like this often end with nothing really wild happening, and I could this match ending as a 2-2 draw.

Hull v. Chelsea (Sunday)

Chelsea will really be hoping to return to the form they had at the beginning of the season, when they were unbeatable.  Now, they are struggling to find much form, so they'll be trying hard to get back on track.  Meanwhile, Hull is starting to look fairly safely above the relegation zone, so they will only be aiming to ensure their safety at Chelsea's expense.  For me, this is a good match for Chelsea to get their mojo back, so I'll take them as 3-1 winners.

QPR v. Everton (Sunday)

Everton is coming straight off being eviscerated by Dinamo Kiev from Ukraine, during their European Europa League this week.  Even worse news, QPR is playing at home, which is essentially the only place QPR has succeeded.  Frankly, this game is practically a relegation battle, so it will be a competition between a bad team and a good team playing poorly.  I'll take Everton just because they do have the raw talent to beat a lot of Premier League teams, and I have to think they'll get some decent form sometime soon.

Eden Hazard

Eden Hazard is, simply, one of the best players in the world.  He's fast, hard working, and an absurdly good dribbler.  He probably has the quickest feet in the Premier League, and he's the definition of poetry in motion when he's on his game.  Possibly Hazard's biggest flaw is that he's too selfless, and tries to create great scoring opportunities for others when it would possibly be wiser for him to shoot.  Another issue with Hazard is that he isn't especially tall, so he doesn't win a lot of aerial duels against taller players.  Chelsea clearly appreciate Hazard, as they just recently signed him to a brand new 5 1/2 year contract a couple months ago.  Perhaps more amazingly, Hazard is this good and only 24 years old, so he good potentially get even better, which is a scary thought.  In the meantime, let's all admire one of the most exciting players in the world today, and hope that he can continue to be this entertaining for years to come.  Check out the highlight reel below!

Gameweek 29

Here we go again...

Crystal Palace v. QPR

Frankly, this is a big battle of "who cares," although QPR will need to try and salvage every point they can get for the rest of the season.  They have been ridiculously terrible in away games this season, so it will be a battle to see if their effort can overcome their lack of skill.  I think it will this week, especially since they have a really talented striker in Charlie Austin.  I'll pick them to take a draw away from this match.

Arsenal v. West Ham United

Arsenal have played absolutely lights out lately, and are on a massively successful run in home games lately.  Contrast them with West Ham, who are slowly sliding down the table after their incredible start, and I can see this only going one way, with a win (and possibly a big one) for Arsenal.

Leicester City v. Hull City

In another match of massive ineptitude, last-placed Leicester take on similarly-poor Hull.  Neither of these teams really offers much in the way of interest, although Hull have been able to score a fair number of goals since January, so I would feel pretty confident of them picking up a win here.  That being said, Leicester managed to hang in there against Manchester City for more than half of the game last week, so they may be up for the challenge against a less intimidating Hull team.

Sunderland v. Aston Villa

Aston Villa are fresh off a huge win which sends them to the FA Cup quarterfinals (one of the unrelated mid-season tournaments English teams play), which was so exciting for them that their fans rushed the field and everything.  I think I'll take that momentum and say that they'll be able to beat a very poor Sunderland team this weekend.

West Bromwich Albion v. Stoke City

This is a game between two teams who are at their best playing defensively, and only usually attack when their opponent pushes people forward.  Two teams that defend and only counterattack? This could be horribly boring or tremendously exciting; it all depends on if one team can score an early goal.  Pray for an early goal.

Burnley v. Manchester City

Both of these teams really need points right now, but for extremely different reasons.  For Man City, they need the points to keep up with Chelsea in the race for the title.  Meanwhile, Burnley are languishing in the relegation zone, and will be doing everything possible to make their way up and into the clear.  If this game gets offensive, it'll be Manchester City's for the taking, however, Burnley are more than capable of grinding out a defensive stalemate against far superior teams.  I'll still lean towards Man City for this one though.

Chelsea v. Southampton  (Sunday)

Two teams that aren't in great form at the moment.  Chelsea just collapsed on themselves in their Champions League game this week and haven't been playing their best for quite awhile.  Meanwhile, Southampton are continuing to slide down the table,  as their form has gone missing lately too.  In my opinion, if two teams aren't playing well, I think the pure talent advantage that one team has will prevail.  For this reason, I'll go with Chelsea for this one, but honestly, anything could happen when disappointing teams play each other.

Everton v. Newcastle (Sunday)

Speaking of disappointing teams, here's two teams that most people would have expected more from this season, especially Everton.  There's really not a lot to say about this one, except that it should be interesting in that poor teams playing each other can be entertaining.  I'll take a boring draw as my safe choice for this one, though.

Manchester United v. Tottenham (Sunday)

This one should be a fun one.  You have two teams that are loaded with underperforming talent, and are at similar spots in the table (4th and 6th, respectively).  You have the hottest young striker in the league facing one of the most suspect defenses in the league in Tottenham's Harry Kane and Manchester United's defense.  Mix that with Man U's unbelievably talented attacking players, and Tottenham's similarly-suspect defense, and you could have an absolutely must-watch game.  I'll take a close victory for Tottenham in this one.

Swansea v. Liverpool (Monday)

The extra day of soccer this weekend features possibly the hottest team in the Premier League (Liverpool) against a team that is full of surprises each week (Swansea).  While I like to think that Swansea can hang in there and give Liverpool a tight game, I think Liverpool has been too good lately and will win again, and possibly quite easily now that star striker Daniel Sturridge is nearing full health after spending most of the season out with various injuries.

What's a Transfer?

Midweek Games - What Did We Miss?

Sorry everyone, I didn't have time to put anything up before last week's midweek games, so we'll go over them quickly!

Aston Villa 2 - 1 West Bromwich Albion

Aston Villa managed to win the battle of teams with new managers, as former Tottenham boss Tim Sherwood prevailed over former Crystal Palace manager Tony Pulis.  Aston Villa hasn't won many games this season, or scored many goals, so hopefully this is the beginning of a major improvement in form.

Hull 1 -1 Sunderland

Both of these teams needed a win to give them some breathing room above the relegation zone in the table.  Neither of them got the win, so they sit at 15th and 16th in the table, respectively.  This should ensure that the end of the season is a bit hectic for both of these teams as they try to desperately get any points they can.

Southampton 1 - 0 Crystal Palace

If we're being totally honest, Southampton should win this game every time, and luckily for them, they did.  It was a much needed win for the Saints, as it keeps their hopes of a top 4 finish within reach.

Manchester City 2 - 0 Leicester City

This is pretty much what should have happened, although Leicester held on for a good part of the game before finally giving up the first goal.  Probably the biggest surprise is that this game didn't end 6-0 or so, given that Manchester City usually have no problem scoring against inferior teams.  Good for Leicester for hanging in there, but the result is all the same, and they are still bottom of the table.

Newcastle 0 - 1 Manchester United

This was another game where the winning goal took quite awhile, but eventually it was Manchester United who managed to snap victory from the jaws of mediocrity.  These teams have produced some memorable matchups over the years, however, this was definitely not one of them.

QPR 1 - 2 Arsenal

For a little while, it looked as though Arsenal were going to run away with this one after taking a commanding 2-0 lead.  However, QPR scored a late goal through Charlie Austin, and it took some nervous defending from Arsenal to make sure they left with the win.  Frankly, the more talented team managed to win this one.

Stoke City 2 - 0 Everton

Poor Everton is underperforming to an unbelievable degree.  If a team could "tank" like in American sports leagues, Everton would be tanking.  Unfortunately for them, soccer leagues only reward success, so Everton have really put themselves in a tough spot, and it might not be long before manager Roberto Martinez in unemployed (or at least back to reporting for ESPN).

Tottenham 3 - 2 Swansea City

In the most entertaining affair of the week, Tottenham managed to hold on against a surprising Swansea team, as their 3-1 lead was cut to 3-2 late on, forcing them to try and hold out in the final minutes of the game.  It is a good win for Tottenham, who will be feeling bummed out about having lost the Capital One Cup to Chelsea the previous weekend.

West Ham United 0 - 1 Chelsea

Chelsea made it difficult for themselves against a spirited West Ham team, but managed to score the only goal off of a header by the excellent (but extremely short) Eden Hazard.  The Chelsea defense gets the credit in this one, as West Ham put together a number of good attacks in the first half, which Chelsea managed to repel continuously.  It was a good performance from West Ham though, and they'll hope to use this as a springboard for the last run of the season.

Liverpool 2 - 0 Burnley

Liverpool continued its run as the hottest team in the Premier League with another fairly easy victory.  Midfielder Philippe Coutinho has been instrumental for Liverpool during this run, and was one of the main attractions, along with Jordan Henderson, as Liverpool outplayed Burnley in almost every possible way, although Burnley goalkeeper Tom Heaton did just about all he could to keep Liverpool at bay as long as possible.

Bonus Saturday Game! QPR 1 - 2 Tottenham

Both teams caught up with the rest of the league by playing an extra game on Saturday, with Tottenham's 21 year old striker Harry Kane scoring both for Spurs to lead them to victory.  Kane currently is the 3rd leading goalscorer in the Premier League, and has been in incredible form since January.

Here's the newest table:

© Barclays Premier League

How About Some Formations?

So How Does Soccer Work?

There are some major differences that make soccer a little bit different than any other major sport, so I'll cover them as simply as possible.

How long is a game?

90 minutes, played in two 45 minute halves.  Interestingly, the clock counts up instead of down to zero like most sports.  Another interesting thing is that the clock never stops running, except at half time, no matter if there's an injury or the ball goes out of bounds.  For this reason, the referee can add a few extra minutes at the end of each half, to roughly make up for the time lost for injuries or the ball being out of play.  This is called "stoppage time."

How many players?

Each team can have 11 players on the field.  Also, each team is allowed 3 substitutions.  Once a team has used all three subs, they are stuck with those players for the rest of the game even if someone has to leave the field after the last sub is made.

What are these "cards?"

There are essentially three levels of discipline the referee can use during a game: a foul, a yellow card, or a red card.  A foul simply stops the play and gives the ball to the opposite team.  A yellow card can be given on a more physical foul, so a player must play the rest of the game "on a yellow card."  A red card is the worst offense, which can be given for either a very serious incident, or for receiving two yellow cards in one game.  A red card means that the player is kicked out of the game, and he cannot be replaced for that game, and that player is also ineligible for the team's next game as well.  In an even more serious incident, a player can be banned for even longer depending on how violent the foul was.


I'll follow up with more tactical and specific information in the near future, and if you have any questions, don't hesitate to ask!

Pre-Gameweek 27 Table

© Barclays Premier League

Here's where we stand headed into this weekend.  As you can see, there wasn't much movement this week, apart from Liverpool moving ahead of Tottenham following their 2-0 win over Southampton.  Perhaps the most important news, however, is that Chelsea was held to a surprise draw against lowly Burnley.  This allowed second place Manchester City to inch closer the league leaders after they eviscerated Newcastle 5-0.  Due to Chelsea and Tottenham's Capital One Cup final on Sunday, they will skip this gameweek and make up this week's match later this season, as will Leicester City and QPR, who were meant to play Chelsea and Tottenham this weekend.