Premier League predictions thread 20-21

[edd_jedi]

1) PL winner - City
2) Team that comes second behind City - Liverpool
3) Other CL qualifiers (PL only, no UEFA cup backdooring) - Man Utd, Chelsea
4) FAC winner - City
5) Worthless Cup winner - Spurs (I think Jose will make it his mission to win something, this seems most likely)
6) CL Winner - Bayern
7) CL runner up - Real Madrid
8 ) Europa League winner - Liverpool after getting knocked out in the CL group stages
9 ) Relegated from PL - West Brom, Crystal Palace, Fulham
10) The award for the team that massively exceeds expectations - Leeds
11) Team that stinks the place out and does much worse than they should - Leicester
12) The Mo Salah award for best signing of the summer - Whoever signs Messi
13) Wayne Rooney award for worst signing of the summer - Joe Hart (he won't even get a game)
14) First manager sacked - Moyes
15) Top scorer - Sterling (except when in an England shirt)
16) First player to test positive for Covid (after the season starts) - Harry Maguire
17) The Brendan Rodgers award for the team that gets into a great position and chokes - Liverpool (they'll still come second though)
18) Any random predictions you want to make - Surely at least one of Solskjaer, Lampard and Arteta have to get caught out as the complete amateurs they are and run out of beginners luck

 

[weasel]

Posted after the season started Edd so disqualified I'm afraid :wink:

Nothing to do with your eighth prediction at all.

 

[edd_jedi]

Nothing to do with your eighth prediction at all.

I might be wrong, but Liverpool just haven't looked as hot as they were before the season was paused in March. Up til then, one of the strongest sides we've seen in years. But barely top four since, I think the stats back that up.

 

[lejackal]

Nothing to do with your eighth prediction at all.

I might be wrong, but Liverpool just haven't looked as hot as they were before the season was paused in March. Up til then, one of the strongest sides we've seen in years. But barely top four since, I think the stats back that up.

Screenshot 2020-09-13 at 11.30.26.png

I said previously that maintaining that level wasn't realistic but I don't think the post lockdown stats mean a great deal. Liverpool would still have won the league if they never played again after lockdown, they simply didn't need to try.

It's a bit of a different story now but retaining the title is always harder than winning the first one

 

[edd_jedi]

Yeah understandable that their foot came off the gas at the end of last season, it's just whether they can get that killer instict back again, it sounds like it was good fortune that won them yesterday's game

 

[weasel]

Aye, Pool weren't quite at the same level after lock down, but they didn't need to be. Once City lost their second post lock down game it was all over. A drop in performance level was probably to be expected. Especially given the empty stadiums.

As for yesterday. I saw the first half and both teams were defending like total strangers, but Leeds scored with their only two shots on target. Pool looked the better side (as you would expect, Leeds were Championship last season) but the best side doesn't always win. On balance, from what
I saw, they were better and probably deserved the 3pts. Second half may have been a different story.
Winning when not playing well is nice habit to have.

 

[theforceuk]

If Leeds keep that chance conversion rate up they will be ok! Saying that Liverpool really could have and should have finished Leeds off in the last 10 minutes.

 

[lejackal]

James, what a stinking buy he's turning out to be :lol:

 

[theforceuk]

Yeah that's weasel fault!

 

[weasel]

Yeah that's @weasel fault!

Ehhhh yeah. So far that is looking like a great prediction. But Di Maria started like a house on fire and look how that ended

 

[TheJabbaWookie]

James, what a stinking buy he's turning out to be :lol:

All my predictions are ****, and so is my FPL team

 

[theforceuk]

Yeah that's @weasel fault!

Ehhhh yeah. So far that is looking like a great prediction. But Di Maria started like a house on fire and look how that ended

Did he? I must have blinked!

 

[weasel]

Yeah that's @weasel fault!

Ehhhh yeah. So far that is looking like a great prediction. But Di Maria started like a house on fire and look how that ended

Did he? I must have blinked!

I had to Google it to be sure I wasn't imaging things....

On 2 October, Di María won Manchester United's Player of the Month award for September after recording two goals and two assists in his first four matches for the club.[50] One week later, he won his second individual trophy at United after his goal against Leicester, in which he chipped goalkeeper Kasper Schmeichel, was voted as the club's Goal of the Month for September.[51] Di María continued his run of fine form on 5 October by scoring a goal and providing an assist for Radamel Falcao

 

[theforceuk]

I don't really blame him for being such a waste of money, Real Madrid didn't want him, Van Gaal didn't want him and he didn't want to join Utd. The Glaziers and Woodward thought it was a good panic buy though......

 

[weasel]

The next few lines in the wiki article were something like, he pulled his hammy in next game, missed a few weeks, came back and was played up front, was ****, and started a downward spiral.

TBF, since Fergy left I'm not sure Utd have signed a single player where you could see any clear forward planning in it. Some have worked as there was a space in the team, but I'm not sure that was any more than coincidence. The rest just seemed to be panic buys, "he's good let's have him" or Alexis Sanchez

 

[theforceuk]

The next few lines in the wiki article were something like, he pulled his hammy in next game, missed a few weeks, came back and was played up front, was ****, and started a downward spiral.

TBF, since Fergy left I'm not sure Utd have signed a single player where you could see any clear forward planning in it. Some have worked as there was a space in the team, but I'm not sure that was any more than coincidence. The rest just seemed to be panic buys, "he's good let's have him" or Alexis Sanchez

Your completely correct, their is no planning and it's complete luck if the player works out. The Cavani signing is so bad its funny, he's 33 and a half, pretty much been injured for the last 6 months and was a free agent. He's now on £200 K a week and has been given the number 7 shirt!!!! Clubs are going to start putting players to the side in the possible Man Utd panic buy box FFS.

 

[weasel]

Well, the season is over so time to look back and remind ourselves how we all know FA.

The usual combination of great guesses, and woefully inaccurate predictions.

I think the winner is this one though....................

18) Any random predictions you want to make - VAR works really well.

:shock: :shock:


For the record, my best guess at the various winners of each category.....



1) PL winner....... City
2) Team that comes second behind City.......Utd
3) Other CL qualifiers......Pool, Chelsea
4) FAC winner.........Leicester
5) Worthless Cup winner.......City
6) CL Winner......City/Chelsea TBC
7) CL runner up......See above
8 ) Europa League winner.....Utd/Villareal TBC
9 ) Relegated from PL.......SU, WBA, Fulham
10) The award for the team that massively exceeds expectations......Take your pick, Leicester, or WH, possibly Leeds. Probably WH.
11) Team that stinks the place out and does much worse than they should....Again, take your pick, Pool for 1/3 of season, Spurs/Arsenal, SU, Saints.
12) The Mo Salah award for best signing of the summer.......Diaz for City, Souchek at WH, Ollie Watkins, who have I missed?!
13) Wayne Rooney award for worst signing of the summer......Apologies to James Rodriguez, you did better than I thought, Rhian Brewster £25m for no goals and getting over looked in favour of an untried 17yr old. That's pretty bad.
14) First manager sacked......Billic
15) Top scorer....Kane
16) First player to test positive for Covid (after the season starts)....Feck knows who that was
17) The Brendan Rodgers award for the team that gets into a great position and chokes......Step forward Brendan and reclaim your trophy.

 

[lejackal]

1) PL winner - Chelsea
2) Team that comes second behind City- Liverpool
3) Other CL qualifiers (PL only, no UEFA cup backdooring)- City,Arsenal
4) FAC winner Spurs
5) Worthless Cup winner Liverpool
6) CL Winner Juventus
7) CL runner up Man United
8 ) Europa League winner Arsenal
9 ) Relegated from PL Fulham,Burnley,Brighton
10) The award for the team that massively exceeds expectations Leeds
11) Team that stinks the place out and does much worse than they should Spurs
12) The Mo Salah award for best signing of the summer Willian
13) Wayne Rooney award for worst signing of the summer Areola
14) First manager sacked Mourhino
15) Top scorer Aubameyang
16) First player to test positive for Covid (after the season starts) Grealish
17) The Brendan Rodgers award for the team that gets into a great position and chokes. Everton
18) Any random predictions you want to make - Arsenal learn the art of contract management.....

Errr.....
[youtube]_Wx98AolMQw[/youtube]

 

[edd_jedi]

1) PL winner - City
2) Team that comes second behind City - Liverpool
3) Other CL qualifiers (PL only, no UEFA cup backdooring) - Man Utd, Chelsea
4) FAC winner - City
5) Worthless Cup winner - Spurs (I think Jose will make it his mission to win something, this seems most likely)
6) CL Winner - Bayern
7) CL runner up - Real Madrid
8 ) Europa League winner - Liverpool after getting knocked out in the CL group stages
9 ) Relegated from PL - West Brom, Crystal Palace, Fulham
10) The award for the team that massively exceeds expectations - Leeds
11) Team that stinks the place out and does much worse than they should - Leicester
12) The Mo Salah award for best signing of the summer - Whoever signs Messi
13) Wayne Rooney award for worst signing of the summer - Joe Hart (he won't even get a game)
14) First manager sacked - Moyes
15) Top scorer - Sterling (except when in an England shirt)
16) First player to test positive for Covid (after the season starts) - Harry Maguire
17) The Brendan Rodgers award for the team that gets into a great position and chokes - Liverpool (they'll still come second though)
18) Any random predictions you want to make - Surely at least one of Solskjaer, Lampard and Arteta have to get caught out as the complete amateurs they are and run out of beginners luck

I didn't do too badly. Got the league winner and top four right, two of the relegated teams. Spurs did get to the LC final. Arguably right about Leeds and Leicester as well. 17 was definitely Spurs! And I think it's fair to say I got 2 out of three for 18. OSG did well.

 

[TheJabbaWookie]

My first 3 were ok and that was about it :lol: