English Premier League - Gameweek 30

Let's take a look towards this weekends fixtures:

Tottenham v Blackburn
Birmingham v Everton
Bolton v Wigan
Burnley v Wolves
Chelsea v West Ham
Stoke City v Aston Villa
Hull City v Arsenal
Man Utd v Fulham
Sunderland v Man City
Liverpool v Portsmouth

And there is also a mid-week game that sees Aston Villa play their game in hand:

Wigan v Aston Villa

In all honesty, I can't see any upsets in the fixture list above. However, the Premier League has been very open this year, with 4 genuine contenders challenging for fourth spot and about 7 teams battling relegation.

I expect all the big boys (United, Chelsea, Arsenal) to come away with good results this weekend, although I'm not so sure about Liverpool. I'd back Portsmouth to maybe grab a draw.



Aston Villa can cement their place in the Top Four for a while with two solid wins against Stoke and Wigan, although this sounds easier than it is. Aston Villa are away for both games, while the Britannia Stadium and DW Stadium are 2 of the hardest places to go and get a result. If Villa come through unscathed, I'd back them for fourth.



Birmingham v Everton seems like another good tie, with Birmingham City still sitting pretty in the top half of the table after 29 games having just been promoted, and Everton rapidly finding form.

This is the time of year where mistakes, injuries and suspensions count, and could define your season...any team with hopes of winning trophies or getting into Europe need to come through this period with flying colours and, if possible, all the points

The Downfall of Liverpool

7 Reasons why Liverpool FC will continue to suffer...unless things change

In essence, you could put these 7 reasons in 3 broad categories, namely:

1. Rafa Benitez

• The decision to "rap players in cotton wool" is a strange one, given the position Liverpool find themselves in. If players are fit, then they need to be playing (Aquilani comes to mind here)
  
  
  
• When you are chasing 4th spot in the league, and Aston Villa, Tottenham Hotspurs and Manchester City are all better placed than you, you cannot rest players (unless they are actually injured or sufferign from burn-out)
• Sometimes money needs to be spent in order to challenge for top honours. We've seen this through Manchester City's rapid rise into the Premier League's elite (although this hasn't fully come to fruition yet). Also with Real Madrid in La Liga (not so much in the Champions League as Lyon proved last night)

2. Steven Gerrard and Fernando Torres

• When these two players are not fully fit, Liverpool have a problem. Yes, they can play without one of them (although not very well), but when both are out, their belief and their form suffers
• Even when these two players do play, if they are not 100% on their game, there is no-one in the Liverpool team looking to take the game to the opposition. If Liverpool don't strengthen, Steven Gerrard and Fernando Torres will suffer from burn-out, and Liverpool will eventually fall out-of-sight.

3. Lucas

• Am I the only one that thinks Lucas' place in the team isn't based on performance or team contribution? What exactly does Lucas offer the team? I will agree that he has improved, but there is no need to have him and Mascherano on the field at the same time (unless you are defending a lead with 20 minutes to go). Mascherano is obviously the better and more experienced player of the two, and that is why it should be him, and him alone, in that defensive midfield role
• Also, having two defensive midfielders disrupts the attacking rythym of the team, resulting in poor performances, and more importantly, poor results

Ofcourse there are a number of other reasons contributing to Liverpool's poor performances this season, but I prefer to concentrate on the on-field matters, the matters that the players (and management) themselves have some control over


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