Monthly Archives: November 2018

Who’s up for the drop?

on November 20, 2018 None comments

The Premier League season is now in full swing and no surprises that defending champions Manchester City and Liverpool sit at the head of the table. They have squads stacked with talent so are expected to fight it out for the title until the end of the season. But what about the other end of the Premier League table? Which clubs are looking most likely for the drop even at this early stage?

Typically each season the newly promoted clubs start as the favourites for the drop and it was a similar story on https://www.betfair.com/exchange/plus/football/today. Wolves, however, have started with high expectations following their dominant campaign in the Championship last season that saw them runaway with the title. Money has been pumped into the club and they now have a very exciting squad on their hands with expectations growing with each positive result. You only have to look at what can be done in a similar scenario such as at Leicester.

It will be a huge shock were Wolves to face the drop and it is difficult to call at present. Newcastle, Burnley and Fulham are all potential sides who are in danger of the drop looking at the current odds at Betfair. Fulham are 2/1 as they sit near the bottom of the table with just one victory from their opening seven fixtures. Burnley have started slowly with just two victories and are 15/8 for the drop. They achieved incredible things last season so possibly came in to this season with expectations too high but it would still come as a surprise if they were to be relegated this season.

Newcastle are one of three sides yet to win a Premier League game this season. They continue to struggle with the troubles of ownership so is it just a matter of time before they face the drop? Betfair make them 7/4 to do so. A club of Newcastle’s size with their incredible fan base need to remain in the Premier League so they need to find a way out of their troubles and find their form again on the pitch.

As things stand there are two sides who have an ominous task on their hands in order to remain in the league. They are Huddersfield Town and Cardiff City. Both sit at the bottom of the table without a victory as pressure continues to pile on both clubs. Huddersfield at present are 1/3 to face the drop and with just three points at present you can see why. They have had a difficult run of fixtures to start the season,with heavy defeats to the likes of Chelsea and Manchester City, so it could just be matter of time before their fortunes change.. Huddersfield now have a run of fixtures that includes several of teams around them in the table so it will become much clearer where they stand. They must begin to pick up points before the pressure continues to pile on the squad.

The favourites to go down at present are Cardiff City who also have just two points following the opening seven fixtures. They had started the season as the favourites to face the drop following their promotion back to the Premier League, with their odds now as short as 1/5 with Betfair.They are really struggling for goals which is resulting in their failure to pick up points. They are another side to face heavy defeats against Chelsea and Manchester City. They now have a run of fixtures that includes tough games against both Liverpool and Leicester City. At present it looks like it is going to take a miracle for Cardiff City to extend their stay in the Premier League to next season.

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Do The Opposition Need To Stand Up To Manchester City?

on November 14, 2018 None comments

Manchester City marched back to the top of the Premier League table with an emphatic 6-1 win over Southampton, one that not only displays just how good the defending champions were at the Etihad but also the disparity between themselves and the teams in the lower reaches of the division.

That thrashing in front of their own fans was not one in isolation though. Only recently, they made light work of Burnley on the way to winning 5-0, while the second weekend of this season saw them record another 6-1 success, with Huddersfield this time feeling the full force of City’s attack.

These results certainly show that City are not only playing some of the most attractive football anywhere on the continent at the moment, but they are also on course to be the first team to win back to back Premier League titles since Manchester United 2009.

It’s a point that is easily reinforced when you look at the current football betting markets; bet365 have Pep Guardiola’s men as 4/11 odds-on favourites to be crowned Premier League champions once more come next May.

At the same time though, and impressive as the aforementioned trio of home wins have been, it does perhaps beg the question as to whether City’s opposition need to be doing a lot more when they are squaring off against the likes of Sergio Aguero and Leroy Sane.

Of course, with the talent that these two and their teammates have at their disposal, it is a statement that is rather easier said than done. However, you do get feeling recently that clubs such as Burnley and Southampton have lost their encounters with City before the opening whistle has been blown.

It’s almost a case of knowing they are going to lose and wondering just how many goals they will concede, a mentality that almost says ‘let’s just get this over and done with’. But is that the wrong approach to take? Let’s take Leicester City as a way on how it should be done.

During their phenomenal run to the 2016 title, there were so many occasions where they were viewed as the underdog, a status that arguably played right into the hands of Claudio Ranieri and his players. A perfect example would have been when the Foxes made a trip to the Etihad of their own.

An early February clash between the two sides saw Leicester win by three goals to one, a result that, arguably, with a third of that season still left to play, gave them the timely boost to go and kick on during the final few months and towards English football’s greatest ever achievement.

That game showed that belief and hunger go such a long way not just in football but in any sport, while, perhaps, if the teams that are currently travelling to the Etihad and getting handsomely beaten showed a little bit more courage and will to win, then there might be a few more upsets along the way.

Of course, no-one is suggesting that there is going to be another fairytale winning of the Premier League anytime soon, but there is no doubting that, for the competition’s own long-term health, it would be good if there weren’t so many one-sided results such as the ones we have recently witnessed.

Then again, maybe Manchester City really are that ruthless after all.

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