GX SPORTS: Premier League last weekend

GX SPORTS: Premier League last weekend

Chelsea v Arsenal

Victor Moses and Alex Iwobi set for EPL clash

Defeat will leave them already six points behind their title rivals with just two matches into the season. Truth be told, with the way Man City have been playing, you don’t see them losing more than three games in the entire season and with the way Arsenal have been, you are safe to expect they will lose more than three games. You don’t want to give a high flying club like City a six-point advantage, if you know what is good for you.

Unai Emery and his boys should up their games and give a good account of themselves. The question now is are they up to it? Do they have the quality, drive, hunger, ambition, pride and determination to compete with the big boys? Only time will tell.

Man City v Huddersfield 

Man City striker, Sergio Aguero

We always say football is no mathematics, but there are some games that are obviously a mismatch. This match up is one of them. No one should expect Huddersfield to get anything from this match. Their players should just relax and save their energies for future and more winnable games.   

Brighton v Man United

Juan Mata and Alexis Sanchez

In this feature last season, Brighton were the surprise winners but I am sure if the results were the same in this game, fewer people would be surprised. Manchester United have not had a good start to the season. True they managed to see off a determined Leicester in the opening game of the season, it was obvious that the team was playing under pressure and lacked the confidence and swagger usually associated with the Manchester club. Things are definitely not smooth at the Theatre of Dreams at the moment. The board failed to back Mourinho in his bid to get a new central defender and then there is his recent spat with Paul Pogba. The way things are going, if Mourinho remains in charge of the club, they will be lucky to finish in the top six come May. The signs are already coming out. Once, there was a great club. 

Crystal Palace v Liverpool 

Wilfried Zaha, Crystal Palace star

Klopp and his boys started the season the way they ended the previous one. They are most people’s favourite to give City a close run for their money. The only minus from last year was their shaky defence and dodgy goalkeepers. They appear to have fixed that now. I expect them to beat Palace, but it may be a very tight game because Palace, under Hodgson, don’t give too much away defensively.

Spurs v Fulham 

Lucas Moura with Harry Tottenham players, Kane

 This is one of several London derbies we will see this season. Fulham bought a lot of new players in the transfer market in preparation for life in the Premiership. On the other hand, Spurs didn’t buy any. However, it is advantage Spurs, because while Fulham players are still getting used to each and trying to gel into one unit, Spurs players are already moving into gear two. They know each other so well and this will help them as they go into battle as one powerful force.

SHUT POGBA UP

I am sure Sir Alex Ferguson will be sitting in his living room now, chuckling to himself and saying “I told them so”. When the Manchester United big spenders wanted to bring Paul Pogba back “home” the great sage Sir Alex advised them against it. They went ahead anyway and got their prodigal son from Juventus for 89m pounds.

Paul Pogba

Since Pogba returned to United, even the most dedicated of his fans at the Theatre of Dreams will agree that he has not lived up to expectations. We have seen flashes of his brilliance but that’s just about it. This is definitely not enough. Manchester City, Liverpool and Chelsea have world class players and they deliver every single time they are on the pitch. Pogba has not shown this level of consistency. This is the third season after his return. He has always been involved in more negative news on and off the pitch than he has had a positive impact on it.

He has started again. Going to the press to say stupid things against his club in general and manager in particular. This is one of the moments you would wish Sir Alex Ferguson was still the manager of Manchester United. He would have shut Pogba up one way or the other, even if it means selling him off or putting him in the reserves until he comes to his senses.

Manchester United can’t be any worse than they have been with Pogba in the team if they go without him. His impact has been minimal and most times his presence has been a distraction to other players in the team. I will say get rid of him. Cut the big time Charlie to size. As Sir Alex Ferguson said when Pogba first left United, the boy has no respect for the club. If he doesn’t get his acts straight and starts to behave sensibly, he should not be allowed to wear the United shirt ever again, talk less of making him captain like Mourinho did last week against Leicester.