Premier League — Week 5

I'm liking the fixture list today, Manu v Leic, Spurs v Palace and Wolves v Chelsea.

There's potential for draws all round, nice!

All we need to do (something we don't usually) is beat a much inferior quality team away from home, easy!

RS one down!

Zouma and Barkley on the bench and Chelsea score 3 in the first half at Wolves! Oh my...

Nice to see Macca back on the pitch, even if it's not for us -- on as a sub for Palace as they get demolished by Spurs.

Thought Chelsea would take a big step back this season but the youngsters Mount and Abraham have just exploded out of the gate.

Abraham with a hat-trick, an own goal, and a booking, having a bit of a day there at Wolves. I think we softened Wolves up last week, making it easier for Chelsea.

Citteh losing! Shite running away with the league! Prepare for flag-waving nonsense from now til eternity.

Norwich looking like City. Brilliant.

The Premier League is destined to go you know where. The VAR decision for Man City against Spurs last month would never go against Liverpool.

Man City getting spunked off here, I get the feeling the injury to Laporte will cost City the league.

Still, if we win 9-0 tomorrow, we go second.

Beat me to it, Michael!

And me, Michael!

Bollocks, have to win 10-0 now.

As they are about the only team that can stop that lot from across the park winning the Premier League, here's hoping Man City get their act together and put in 4 more goals in the second half.

That should be game over and probably the title over. Unless Citteh can win every game from here on, including beating the Shite twice, I can't see them doing it this season.

Second place up for grabs with Leporte injured?

Strewth! Man City getting beaten by Norwich 3-1!

at this rate if we beat Bournemouth by 10 clear goals, hang on a Gloucestershire Old Spot, has just flown over my roof!

We could be second, where's that Oxygen gone? :-)

Biggest worry about City is that they will probably prioritise the Champions League this season, winning three successive League titles is some huge ask.

There's only one other winner if City don't win it and we know full well that we don't want to say that name!

I guess that back 4 for Man City should take away some of the criticism from Keane and that Stones should be an automatic selection for England.

It's a sad indictment of the Premier League if the Shite do run away with it all this season. I mean, fair play, they're a decent side, but they're not that brilliant.

And the fact that only Citteh can come close is ridiculous considering how much money all the other Sky clubs have spent. And us for that matter.

In reality, it should be anyone's title if Citteh aren't firing on all cylinders, but the Shite seem to have found their groove and never look like losing.

Those wondering in a previous thread why Messi has never won a World Cup should look no further than that brainless clown Otamendi. That's what Argentina's backline is.

Dunno why Man City kept him, Mike. But I do think he'd look immense playing for someone like Burnley with their backs to the wall. In other words, he can be excellent when all you want is a limited defender doing the very basics.

Michael

I can understand that you don't want to give them any real credit, Jesus nor do I, but at the same time, they have been a phenomenal side now for 18 months.

One loss last season and that was a narrow one at Champions City.

They might not be as easy on the eye as Guardiola's Mancs but football is about more than just pretty football at times.

One thing I ruefully admire about the Redshite is no matter who plays for them or how average a game they play, they work so hard to ensure they find a way to win, or at least not lose.

City have been sensational but the Shite under Klopp are now a machine that seems to just keep swatting teams aside.

Jim, I agree they're a machine, but as you say they're not easy on the eye like Citteh. Watching City at their best is like watching the gods play football. And yes, it's not just about pretty football, but without pretty football, a team isn't brilliant, they're just supremely competent.

Mike @18,

I thought he could win games on his own, ref another thread.

Just got in and TalkShite is on the radio. Have I been transported to May and the RedShite are about to win the league?

Canaries!! Great game. Wonderful to watch.

What is all this nonsense about the title being over already?

Don't forget that last season the shite were 10 points ahead at the turn of the year and still lost it. There is a lot of football to play and Liverpool will lose a few games this season. They have to play City twice and they have to come to Goodison Park.

We should be able to beat this City mob in a few weeks time, they're shite. 3-0.

Citteh pull one back. We're back to having to win 10-0 tomorrow.

We'll be joint second tomorrow. Goal difference doesn't count until the end!

Why couldn't Norwich have played like that against Liverpool?

Or is it something to do with that Machiavellian thing?

I rather think Stones's days with Man City (and England) are behind him!

And, by the way, how come our ace talent spotter missed out on Pukki although probably too cheap to be considered.

Eric #24, sorry your reading lessons are going as poorly as your football lessons. I wrote no such thing.

The title is no where near won yet, it's a marathon. City played Kamikaze for a few moments and got despatched by a well drilled Norwich.

The RS aren't playing great but as for eternity it seems they always get the roll of the dice in key moments of every game. Alas The Toon, didn't go 2-0, up, as they could have. But I'd say they'd still have lost, even if they did.

Let's think about ourselves and the next game. If we can learn from the last few years Bournemouth, we should beat them.

It's up to Marco Silva, to get the players up for tomorrow, and show no mercy.

Man, Tammy Abraham has been on fire since the start of the season - have to admit, I didn't see that coming.

Steve (21) – sounds a lot like Ashley Williams.

Derek #32, until last season, Pukki had never shown a sign of being anything but a journeyman. Decent in the Finnish league, flopped at Schalke and Celtic, decent success at Brøndby in the weak Danish league, signed by Norwich on a free in 2018. Then the light suddenly went on at age 28 and he literally lifted them into the Premier League with 29 goals in 43 games.

Some seemingly average players, especially strikers, just mysteriously bloom for no reason in their late 20's and become world-beaters. Like Klose and Luca Toni. Raul Jimenez is the latest example -- 18 goals in 80 games at Benfica but suddenly blossoms at Wolves.

Can't really blame the scouts for missing these longshots.

Bill @ 35

A few of us called out Tammy Abrahams when he was linked as a good option but it was shouted down by those who knew better.

Mike @ 36

You have to get the right striker for your set up and have players who know how to play to his strengths. I played up front off and on through my amateur career then hit a purple patch in my last couple of seasons and I can tell you it was because I was playing with a couple of players who knew exactly the pass I needed and when and because it worked a couple of times early on (you need some luck) they had the faith to keep doing it.

I think it's less personal to the individual and more about finding the right combination of players, tactics and momentum.

Drew (38-39), maybe Tammy Abraham has struck lucky and found those two players who supply the passes at Chelsea, and Calvert-Lewin is still waiting for two at Everton.

Drew, it is about confidence. Totally.

We are good enough to win tomorrow and I think it's fair to say we have a better class of player with the odd exception than Bournemouth. Their home advantage goes some way to cancelling that difference out though, in what will probably be an open game.

It looks all over a draw to me nevertheless, at least that's the percentage call. We do need to start winning these types of games for a change though, if we are going to get close to the top 6.

We're all playing for 2nd now anyway seeing 'Pool have already won the League in September.

The year we finished 4th, Everton were in and around the top 4 all season, so win today and we go level with City.

Liam, as I have said on another site, 2 wins -v- 2 losses and a 5 point lead becomes a 1 point deficit. As you point out, the league is not won in September.

The RS have been very lucky with no injuries to key players over the last couple of seasons.

Surly it can't last?

When did Tom Cleverley turn into Alan Ball?