English Premier League Preview for February 9 and 10
Tuesday, February 9th Matches
Manchester City vs. Bolton
New signings Adam Johnson and Patrick Viera made their Manchester City debuts as substitutes against Hull City at KC Stadium on Saturday but it was in a losing cause. Hull took all three points as they rather surprisingly beat City 2-1 on goals by American international Jozy Altidore and George Boateng. City got one back through Emmanuel Adebayor but it wasn’t enough. The only good news for City might be that Wayne Bridge was back following a lengthy injury layoff. City remain in sixth place on 41 points, one back of Tottenham and three behind fourth place Liverpool.
Just one point above the relegation zone Owen Coyle was disappointed not to have come away with a victory against Fulham at the Reebok Stadium on Saturday. An apparent goal by Kevin Davies was called back for what seemed a phantom infraction, thus condemning Bolton to a share of the points instead of the three Coyle felt his team deserved. Bolton visit Manchester on Tuesday to take on City, who are smarting from a surprise defeat at the weekend to Hull. The Citizens have lost only one league match at home all season; they'll be keen to stamp their superiority all over Bolton and reinforce the notion that they are a contender for fourth place in the league. The two teams drew 3-3 at Reebok Stadium last time out. In contrast to City's home form, Bolton's away record is fairly dismal, with just two league wins away all season. Coyle and his men will have to be ready for a fight.
Portsmouth vs. Sunderland
Portsmouth hammered a few nails in their own coffin on Saturday as they contributed three own goals to Manchester United's 5-0 victory at Old Trafford. No one could realistically have expected Pompey to come out of the match with the three points, but the manner of United’s goal tally must have been equally unexpected. Manager Avram Grant and his men continue to fight the good fight, but relegation seems virtually assured.
Sunderland drew 1-1 with Wigan at home on Saturday. The Wearsiders travel south to play league doormats Portsmouth on Tuesday at Fratton Park. Sunderland will be glad it’s the bottom club they're playing because they haven't won a match in eleven league games, so Pompey may be their best bet for a win. Sunderland manager Steve Bruce would undoubtedly feel more confidant if the game was at home. Portsmouth beat Sunderland in the FA Cup in January at Fratton Park. Anything other than a win for Sunderland could see them lose ground to, or be leapfrogged by, tailgaters Hull or Burnley. Their current form suggests they'd have difficulty recovering from a loss to Pompey on Tuesday.
Wigan vs. Stoke City
Wigan jumped out to the lead in the 20th minute against Sunderland at the Stadium of Light on Saturday on a strike by French defender Mohamed Diame, his first goal for the club. Despite additional chances, however, the Latics failed to hold on and could only salvage a draw. The result leaves Wigan in 16th place, just two points above the current relegation threshold of 21. They'll play host to 11th place Stoke City at the DW Stadium on Tuesday. Stoke is on better form with two wins, two draws and a loss in their last five league matches, compared with the Latics one win, three losses and a draw over the last five. The two sides fought to a 2-2 draw in the reverse fixture at Stoke in December. Depending on the results Burnley and Hull achieve in their respective matches, a win on Tuesday could vault Wigan two places higher in the league and thereby provide a cushion of comfort for manager Roberto Martinez and his men.
Stoke beat Blackburn Rovers 3-0 on Saturday and in doing so leapfrogged their opponents in the league table. Goals by defender Danny Higginbotham, striker Mamady Sidibe and winger Matthew Etherington sunk Blackburn. Stoke now sit in the 11th spot in the table. A win at Wigan could vault them over 10th place Fulham. Stoke don’t have a stellar away record however, with just one win in their last 12 away matches.
Fulham vs. Burnley
Fulham are in 10th place on 31 points, just one behind Everton. The Cottagers will host Burnley at Craven Cottage on Tuesday. The two sides drew 1-1 last time out. Burnley got their 1st win in 13 league games on Saturday with a home win over West Ham. Having lost seven and drawn five in that period the win over West Ham can't be seen as a reversal of fortune quite yet for Burnley so Fulham boss Roy Hodgson is likely to harbor a particle or two of confidence going into the match, especially since Fulham's home results are generally good. But bad tidings arrived at Craven Cottage this week with the news that striker Andy Johnson will be out for the rest of the season due to a knee injury. With American International Clint Dempsey and Hungarian Zoltan Gera also injured, Hodgson has concerns over the lack of experience among his available front men.
Brian Laws got his first league win as Burnley manager on Saturday as the Clarets beat West Ham 2-1 at Turf Moor. New signing Danny Fox, late of Celtic, got an assist on Burnley's first goal and scored the second on a brilliant free kick from a tight angle. But it wasn't clear sailing for Burnley as the Hammers threatened to claw their way back through a goal from their own new boy, Ilan, ten minutes from time. A shot off the post by West Ham's other new signing Mido had the beats of Burnley hearts a-skipping in the dying seconds. The win puts Burnley clear of the drop zone and into 15th place on 23 points, a mere sliver of goal difference above 16th place Wigan, and a point below Hull.
Wednesday, February 10th Matches
Arsenal vs. Liverpool
Arsenal must be terror stricken whenever Didier Drogba steps onto the pitch against them. The Gunners once again found themselves outgunned as Drogba bulged the onion bag twice within the first twenty five minutes of their match against Chelsea at Stamford Bridge on Sunday. Despite often looking sharp in front of the Chelsea goal, they failed to find the target and showed themselves vulnerable to the counterattack once again. They’ll be facing a resurgent Liverpool squad on Wednesday at the Emirates Stadium. Liverpool is the only team among the traditional English top four that the Gunners have beaten this season, having won the encounter at Anfield in December 2-1. Liverpool will be hungry to pick up additional points against a team whose confidence must now be shaken.
Ten man Liverpool picked up three points in a hard fought derby match game against local rivals Everton on Saturday at Anfield. The only goal of the match came early in the second half from Dirk Kuyt, who did well to make room for himself between Everton's Phil Neville and Tim Howard to nod the ball into the net off a corner kick. It was a deserved win for the Reds who were the more determined team, despite playing with 10 men since the 33rd minute when Kyrgiakos was issued a straight red card for a two-footed challenge on Marouane Fellaini. Now residing in the coveted fourth spot on 44 points, a win by Liverpool would bring them to within arm's reach of third place Arsenal who are currently at 49.
Aston Villa vs. Manchester United
Facing fourth place Tottenham on Saturday Aston Villa had a golden opportunity to stake a claim to the fourth place position. With four clubs all vying for that spot, the weekend's action was likely to produce change in the table. And it did. But it wasn't the change Villa sought. The best they could manage was a 0-0 draw at White Hart Lane, and a share of the points was never going to be good enough. Villa find themselves where they started the weekend: seventh, three points below new fourth place Liverpool. Now Villa must prepare to receive the determined onslaught that is Wayne Rooney and Manchester United at Villa Park on Wednesday.
Manchester United hosted bottom-of-the-table Portsmouth on Saturday, the anniversary of the Munich Air Disaster that took place on February 6, 1958. United commemorated the event fittingly with a 5-0 victory over Pompey. Three of United’s goals were recorded under the designation “O.G.” but in truth only one can be fairly attributed in that manner, the other two being the happenstance of wicked deflections, not the result of premeditated actions. In short, 3-0 might have been a better representation of the match. Nevertheless, United are rolling along magnificently with Wayne Rooney scoring seemingly at will.
West Ham vs. Birmingham City
West Ham descended into the relegation zone with a 2-1 loss to Burnley at Turf Moor on Saturday. New boy Ilan got the Hammers' only goal. One of the other new boys, Mido, very nearly evened the score in the dying seconds with a shot that hit the post. West Ham manager Gianfranco Zola remained positive despite the defeat. Frankly, what else can he do? With just one win in their last 10 games, West Ham will host Birmingham at Upton Park on Wednesday and they’ll hope that the home field advantage will give them the edge. A win by the Hammers, combined with a draw or a loss by Bolton, would see Zola's men climb out of the drop zone again. But for how long?
Birmingham came back from a goal down to beat Wolves 2-1 at St. Andrews on Sunday. Both of Birmingham's goals came from 36 year old Kevin Phillips, who came off the bench in the 63rd minute to replace the injured Christian Benitez. Now in eighth place, just four points behind rivals Aston Villa, Alex McLeish and his men face 18th place West Ham at Upton Park on Wednesday. The Hammers are no pushovers at home but McLeish will have confidence that he has the firepower and the defense to pick up the three points. It's a good opportunity to gain ground on Villa who have a tough draw against Manchester United on Wednesday.
Wolverhampton Wanderers vs. Tottenham
Kevin Doyle scored Wolves’ only goal to put them in front against Birmingham at St. Andrews on Sunday. They couldn't maintain the lead, however, as thirty six year old Kevin Phillips came off the bench to score two and down Wolves 2-1. Manager Mick McCarthy and his Wolves were especially disappointed in the loss, feeling that they had played well enough to get a better result. Wolves take on Tottenham at Molinuex on Wednesday. They'll be facing a team desperate to acquire points and claw their way back into the Champions League-qualifying fourth spot in the league. Wolves, however, must spend the next few days at least, and maybe longer if they don’t get results, in the relegation zone. They are in 19th place, tied on points with West Ham, but behind the Hammers on goal difference.
On Saturday fourth place Tottenham hosted contender for fourth Aston Villa. Much was at stake since a loss or a draw to Villa combined with a Liverpool win over Everton would see Liverpool take over the coveted fourth place position. That's exactly what happened. Spurs, despite a determined effort, were simply unable to get the ball past Villa 'keeper Brad Friedel. Now Spurs find themselves in fifth. They face Wolves at Molineux on Wednesday an they’ll hope that the tougher match faced by Liverpool, who meet Arsenal, will result in another role reversal.
Blackburn Rovers vs. Hull City
Blackburn lost 3-0 to Stoke City on Saturday and, adding insult to injury, got leapfrogged in the standings by Stoke as a result. Blackburn now sit in the league’s 12th position. Big Sam Allardyce will be thankful his team will be playing at home in their upcoming match against Hull City. Hull have managed two surprisingly good results in as many home matches: A draw against Chelsea and a victory over Manchester City.
Hull’s surprising draw with Chelsea last week seems to have breathed some confidence into them. American Jozy Altidore got Hull’s first goal and George Boateng scored the second as the Tigers beat Manchester City 2-1 on Saturday to climb out of the relegation zone. Manager Phil Brown said last week that his team would be relying on the home crowd support and perhaps the supporters have responded.
Everton vs. Chelsea
Everton lost 1-0 to Liverpool at Anfield in the Merseyside derby on Saturday and it must have been a bitter pill for manager David Moyes to swallow. Despite being up a man due to the sending off of Liverpool defender Sitirios Kyrgiakos, the Toffees failed to take advantage and seemed to lack ideas in the face of Liverpool's determined approach. The Toffees will host Chelsea at Goodison Park on Wednesday and they’ll be without South African midfielder Steven Pienaar who was red-carded in the dying moments of the Liverpool clash. Marouane Fellaini, who went off with an ankle injury may be doubtful.
Chelsea were toppled from the league lead on Saturday when Manchester United took three points from Portsmouth. But the Blues didn't stay second for long. Their 2-0 victory over Arsenal at Stamford Bridge on Sunday reasserted their position at the top. Didier Drogba scored both of Chelsea's goals. They’re now two points in front of United. Given their current form, and Drogba's, it's difficult to imagine them being derailed by Everton. Then again, who would have imagined that Hull would get a draw with the London club? Everton are a club looking to reassert their own aspirations for European competition next season and they're smarting from the loss to Liverpool on Saturday; they could pose danger for Carlo Ancelotti's men.
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