30th September

So there's a number of things I've said I'll write and have wanted to write (a piece on the ECB's central contract, something on Wiggo and a piece on Andre Gray), and I think that these are things I will tackle in the next seven days or so. But with the Premier League starting tonight and the Ryder Cup later, I ought to do an EPL preview today and then I'll probably talk about Friday's golf tomorrow, as well as maybe one of those three things? Anyway, I'm on top of them. Busy seven days coming up I hope.

Premier League Preview

Everton v Crystal Palace (8pm)

This game could end up being a lot closer than it might appear. Palace have been decent this season, admittedly without yet turning in a stellar performance and without securing a result against a top team. Everton on the other hand, fell apart against Bournemouth last time out. Nevertheless, I can't see Everton making the same mistakes twice and they should have enough to see off Palace. 

Prediction: 3-1 Everton 

Swansea v Liverpool (12:30 Saturday)

Another game that appears easy to predict on paper. I do feel bad for Swansea who have played much better than their record suggests and their start hasn't been the easiest. Nevertheless, if Liverpool turn up on the day then it should be an easy three points for them, and if they don't then it could be a very interesting game, as Swansea gave Man City a real run last weekend. 

Prediction: 3-1 Liverpool

Hull v Chelsea (3pm)

Comfortable back to back defeats for both of these sides against Liverpool and Arsenal have been a bruising reality check. For Hull, shipping nine games in two games after a really positive start has thrown them back amongst the relegation candidates, and reminded them of just how hard the Premier League can be. And for Chelsea, their defeats have illustrated just how much work Antonio Conte needs to do to make this team top four challengers, let alone title contenders. Nevertheless, Chelsea are a better team than Hull, and this is the sort of game that they've been winning this season, so it should be a welcome return to winning ways for Conte's side. 

Prediction: 2-0 Chelsea

Sunderland v West Brom (3pm)

Sunderland need points, and quickly, and a home game against West Brom is an opportunity that they cannot afford to pass up. Nevertheless, you would have to say that West Brom are well equipped to travel to the Stadium of Light and at least nick a draw against a Sunderland defence that you have to say surely cannot keep a clean sheet. 1-1 is my money, but a narrow West Brom win wouldn't surprise me either. 

Prediction: 1-1 

Watford v Bournemouth (3pm)

Watford are a curious case, as they turned in two excellent back to back wins, only to return to their poor form against Burnley. Meanwhile, Bournemouth have won two of their last three games, and seem to be becoming increasingly adept at nicking games like this one. Should be a fascinating game of football. I genuinely cannot say which Watford, or which Bournemouth, will show up. But I think it's more likely that Bournemouth do their thing.

Prediction: 1-0 Bournemouth

West Ham v Middlesbrough (3pm)

Despite a positive start, Boro have struggled to build on their early form and kick on, losing their last three games, admittedly two of them coming against Spurs and Everton. Nevertheless, they seem consistently okay at the back, if lacking a little in goal threat. West Ham on the other hand, consistently seem one moment away from implosion defensively, making this game a very interesting one. If Boro score first, it could be carnage. If West Ham can keep their heads, they have the quality to win the game. I'm going to plump for a bit of both, and say a score draw. 

Prediction: 2-2

Man United v Stoke (12pm Sunday)

Leicester and Stoke at home back to back are two results that very much play into United's hands after a sticky patch. They were unconvincing again in the Europa League in midweek, but this Stoke side look extremely vulnerable at the back, and against the big teams in the league in the last six months, Stoke have collapsed. United should win comfortably if they turn up, and scrape a 1-0 if they don't. 

Prediction: 3-0 United 

Leicester v Southampton (2:15pm)

On balance, I feel as though these two sides are reasonably evenly matched. Southampton have hit form, winning their last two league games, whilst Leicester were looking much improved before they fell apart against United. I think Southampton will edge it though, as they have the solid defence to keep Slimani and Vardy at bay, and with Leicester's defence looking rakey, I think Southampton will score, especially with Austin in good form. 

Prediction: 1-0 Southampton 

Spurs v Man City (2:15pm)

Well this is the big one. The top two, and arguably the two best teams in the country at the moment going head to head. City are missing Kevin De Bruyne, Spurs are missing Harry Kane and possibly Danny Rose, Eric Dier and Mousa Dembele. Without Dembele and Dier, Spurs are dead in the water before they even begin. If those two play then Spurs have as good a shot as anyone of winning. But the truth is that this City side are just too powerful, just too dangerous and just have too many ways of hurting you. Spurs aren't at their best at the moment, and whilst they've been able to grind out results against the likes of Middlesbrough and Sunderland, that will not work against City. Their only glimmer of hope is that City conceded three against Celtic, but you would not expect Kolarov to play at central defence against Spurs on Sunday. David Silva is the key player for me. If he ticks, City win.

Prediction: 2-1 City

Burnley v Arsenal (4:30pm)

This should be an easy one to be honest. Arsenal turn up, they play well, they win. It should be that simple. The only words I can offer as a crumb of comfort to Burnley is that football produces shocks, like when Burnley beat us at Turf Moor in the early stages of the season. But realistically, this Arsenal side are on a hot streak, Burnley are relegation candidates and it should be as simple as two plus two equalling four, and four is coincidentally also a number that Burnley might well concede. 

Prediction: 4-0 Arsenal 

The Hard and Fast Section

• Wenger for England manager? Yes please.
• Positive results in Europe for United and Saints.
• Stenson and Rose vs Spieth and Reed. Tasty. 
• Big weekend coming up for Lewis Hamilton. 

29th September

So, The Ryder Cup eh?

Ryder Cup Preview

It's been almost a decade since the US last won the Ryder Cup. 2008 was the last victory for the US team, and since then things have not gone their way. Europe stole the 2010 Ryder Cup by one point, before the infamous/heroic Miracle at Medinah (or Meltdown at Medinah depending on your perspective). And then last time out Europe cruised to victory, fearsome pairing of Rose/Stenson (likely to team up again this year), winning three matches in a row, with other stars including Jamie Donaldson, Graeme McDowell and Victor Dubuisson. 

And short term isn't the US' only problem. Despite utterly dominating the Ryder Cup until the early 80s, winning eleven and drawing one of the twelve Ryder Cups between 1959 and 1983, since then they've only won back to back Ryder Cups once, in 1991-3, with Europe claiming eight of the ten cups since. 

But the US team, as always, go into this year's tournament feeling confident. And you can see why, as they have a formidable team at their disposal. Dustin Johnson is in red hot form at the moment, and already has one major to his name this year; Jimmy Walker won his first major two months ago; Jordan Spieth remains one of the world's top talents and he will probably be paired with his 2014 partner, the dangerous and enigmatic Patrick Reed; Rickie Fowler is an exceptional player and Phil Mickleson, as ever, needs no introduction. 

On the other hand, the European team looks weaker than it has in previous years. Ryder Cup veteran Ian Poulter is not involved, the aforementioned Donaldson, Dubuisson and McDowell are all out and there are no fewer than six European rookies, including Englishmen Chris Wood, Andy Sullivan and Matthew Fitzpatrick. This European side is missing what you might call big names or heavy hitters in golf, and the line up certainly isn't as star studded as the US list. 

But that doesn't mean a whole lot. When you consider that Europe still has some of its biggest guns to call on. Rory McIlroy is one of the biggest and best names in golf; Henrik Stenson has been in the form of his life in 2016, including his brilliant win at The Open and as mentioned he will likely team up with the brilliant Justin Rose again this year; with the likes of Sergio Garcia, Lee Westwood and Martin Kaymer all on the draft sheet. And then of course there's Danny Willett, himself a Ryder Cup rookie who won his first major in 2016 after Jordan Spieth's spectacular choke at the Masters. And it's worth noting that Donaldson and Dubuisson themselves were rookies last time out and were instrumental in Europe's win. 

But nevertheless, there really is a sense that the US team need this. This definitely need it more than Europe and arguably want it more than Europe. They have more experienced heads, more big names, and a really, really talented set of players. And Europe's big name players don't necessarily always turn up in the Ryder Cup either, putting a lot of pressure on the likes of Wood and Sullivan to produce. Europe are going to need a near faultless display, and the likes of McIlroy, Rose, Stenson and Willett to all win at least two and a half points for the team. 

With half of the European team English, plus McIlroy, (not to mention captain Darren Clarke) there remains a hugely British influence over the Ryder Cup. But for me the key factor in this battle is how the two sides deal with the pressure, and deal with the American crowd. The crowd are going to be very much behind the US team, and that can either bolster them, or on the other hand, just build the pressure on their backs. Moreover, this is a European team that can very much feel at times as though the pressure is all on their adversaries, and make no mistake, the fact that this is the first Ryder Cup since Medinah will absolutely play into both team's heads, and will definitely affect the way that the crowd and pressure affect them. 

This is a rookie European side and that might work in their favour when the pressure cooker builds up, especially if it gives them a strange, paradoxical freedom to play that won't exist for say Jordan Spieth. But then this is an experienced, battle-ready American side who are determined to win this tournament. For me, it's all about how the Americans handle the pressure of playing in front of their own crowd, expected to win, needing to win, with Medinah firmly in the back of their minds. If they can handle that pressure, then they should win. 

But who knows? It's the Ryder Cup. 

The Hard and Fast Section

• Brendan Rodgers is back. Celtic 3-3 Man City. 
• Theo Walcott scored twice in an Arsenal cruise. 
• ECB new central contracts out. Will explain tomorrow.
• Anderson and Wood to miss Bangladesh tour. 
• 30 place penalty for Alonso. Ouch. 

27th September

So here was me, wondering what I could possibly write a blog about today, since it's a bit early in the week to do a Ryder Cup preview, the tennis season has finished, there's nothing exciting happening in the cricket and whilst I have a few Premier League analysis pieces up my sleeve, I've just done a whole weekend of EPL analysis and frankly I want to save it for elsewhere.

And then Big Sam went and made a colossal mess.

Big Sam Sacked? 

Okay so at the time of writing, Big Sam is basically out the door. The FA are investigating, they are not happy, he's been summoned to crisis talks and the newspapers are reporting that he will be sacked. So I'm going to play the numbers game and assume that Sam Allardyce will no longer be England manager by the end of the week, maybe even the end of the day. So with that in mind, I thought I'd discuss possible replacements as well as the big question of whether he deserves to be sacked. 

Should Allardyce Go?

But first, a brief outline of what has happened in the last 24 hours or so. So the Daily Telegraph published an expose, outlining a dinner meeting between Big Sam and a couple of undercover reporters, posing as businessmen. At this meeting, Allardyce agreed a deal in principle to travel to Hong Kong and Singapore and represent a company he'd never heard of (because they're fictional) giving speeches on how to get around the FA and FIFA's laws on third-party ownership, a practice that there is a worldwide ban on. Essentially, Big Sam sold himself for £400,000, despite being on a £3m a year FA contract. But, just as damning for Allardyce, in the meeting he was recorded insulting his predecessor Roy Hodgson, Gary Neville, the FA and Wembley stadium. Ouch. 

So there are a number of things to unpack here. The first for me, is the money factor. The idea that Big Sam is making extra money on the side, despite a hefty FA contract, is not that relevant. If he wants to use his skills to make more money then so be it, the FA aren't paying him to give them and only them his expertise. This was displayed as a crude attempt to get as much money as possible from being England boss to which I say: so what? England players make millions off sponsorship deals, it's just one of those things. Allardyce himself noted that it was 'in principle okay' since he was only doing four meetings a year and wouldn't conflict with his day job.

However, and it's a big however, this was not done above the table. If Big Sam wants to earn more money fine, but he can't do it behind the FA's back. More importantly is not the fact that he's making money, but how he's making it, by showing a blatant disregard for the laws of both the FA and FIFA. 

I want to leave to one side whether or not third-party ownership in football is a bad thing because to be honest it's tangential to the discussion. If it is "slavery" as some people call it, then that just makes Allardyce look even worse. If it is no big deal, as the England manager scoffs then that makes no difference, because either way he's completely and utterly deserving of being sacked. As the manager of your national football team, you simply cannot completely undermine your country's FA or FIFA in general and be paid to advise getting around FA and FIFA laws. You simply can't. You can't be a manager representing a football association if you sneak around behind their backs to ignore the very rules that that association (and world football as a hole) abides by. If the question of third-party ownership is an unjust one, then you don't get stand against it by lining your own pocket to help out companies in the Far East.

Just as damning for Big Sam though, albeit arguably less morally shady, were his words about Hodgson, the FA and Neville. The truth is, Big Sam has been well and truly caught with his trousers down. He's insulted his bosses on camera. He's publicly humiliated his employer, made them look incredibly stupid and made himself out to be a complete fool. And that's the reason that he will be sacked. Maybe not the reason he should be sacked, because in my book corruption is worse than saying a few nasty, if honest, home truths about the FA (especially when basically everything he said about Roy and the FA is basically true). But nevertheless, the FA have been embarrassed by this, and they cannot simply stand back and let Big Sam get away with it. The FA are a weak, reactive, and really, really badly organisation administration, but even they can see that Big Sam simply has to go. 

Who Can Replace Him?

So if, as expected, Sam Allardyce is sacked as England manager, then who should replace him? Well there are a number of British candidates available at the moment. The likes of Glen Hoddle and Gareth Southgate will very much be in the picture, and the names of Tim Sherwood, Alan Pardew, Tony Pulis and Mark Hughes may very well be on people's lips. But none of these managers are the right candidate for the job at the moment. Hoddle had his chance, Southgate doesn't have the experience, Pardew and Sherwood are just plain bad managers, and Hughes and Pulis are still in jobs. Whilst I wouldn't necessarily be opposed to Pulis or Hughes, Hughes had his chance at a big club and it went sideways, and Pulis' style of football would upset the English fans even more than Big Sam's. 

Of course, that leaves the man who was allegedly was the FA's number two choice a few months ago: Steve Bruce. To be honest, the idea of Steve Bruce being England manager doesn't fill me with confidence. He's very much in the mould of Allardyce, a mould that I wasn't actively against but at the same time never fully endorsed, but he's nowhere near as good as Big Sam at what he does. The question of whether or not he's the best English or British choice for me is a fallacious one, as it assumes that an nonviable English choice is better than a viable foreign manager, which is simply not true. 

I'm not saying I don't want an English/British manager to manage England, but what I am saying is that we already picked the best one and he didn't work out. Truthfully, I thought Big Sam was an okay choice but nowhere near the best one, and any downgrade on Big Sam really isn't a viable option for me. 

So, foreign managers then. The obvious choice 'free' at the moment is Manuel Pellegrini (who is currently working in China so shouldn't take much convincing with the right paycheck). This strikes me as the epitome of a mediocre choice. I like Pellegrini, but he did a decidedly average job at Man City, and there's nothing to suggest he'd excel with England. He did well with Villareal, but failed to excel at Real Madrid or City. Jurgen Klinsmann's management of the US national team is not popular over there and doesn't appear to be good enough credentials for the job either, and whilst I would be 100% behind his appointment, it doesn't look as if Arsene Wenger wants the job. 

So who do the FA appoint? For me, the answer is nobody. Okay hear me out. They appoint Southgate as an interim manager and wait maybe six months, or until next summer. Right now, there appear to me to be no good candidates for the position (which should not be an argument to keep Big Sam by the way) and the last thing that the FA want to do is hire someone mediocre and have a top class manager fall out of a job by the end of the season. As I said when Roy was sacked, the best option is to wait and see what happens. Particularly in the Premier League, the managerial situation fluctuates very quickly and you never know where anyone will be at the end of the season. So their best option is to see who is available in the summer. 

Of course, they could have just sacked Roy earlier and hired Brodge, but it's a bit late for that now...

The Hard and Fast Section

• Burnley picked up a crucial 2-0 win over Watford.
• Champions League tonight. Leicester and Spurs in action.
• Konta through to the last 16 in China. 
• Wiggins drug accusations getting very spicy. Tomorrow: discussion.

26th September

So West Ham are a bit of a car crash at the moment eh?

West Ham 0-3 Southampton

I don't want to dwell on how bad West Ham were for very long, since I'll be exploring them in a little more detail in an FF article later this week, probably published on Thursday. But it's worth nothing how staggeringly poor they were in this game before we go on to talk about Southampton, because they really were very very bad. 

The first half saw them reasonably solid defensively, albeit without really being put under any pressure. But they never really looked like scoring. Despite the fact that a lot of that can be attributed to how good Southampton were defensively, in an attacking sense, West Ham looked short of ideas, completely devoid of creativity and in Zaza up front they had a player guaranteed to kill stone dead any chances they had of scoring when the ball came to his feet. Antonio is a good aerial threat and we all know how good a player Payet is but the truth was that Payet had zero influence on this game. He was totally anonymous and as a result, West Ham looked neutered. 

And second half, their lack of any attacking panache was joined by a complete and utter collapse defensively. As soon as the first goal went in, the game was over. The game completely changed in that second, as devoid of any confidence, West Ham imploded defensively. The defending for the second goal in particular was laughably bad, as Saints got in behind them time and time again. It was a shambles. 

But as I said, I want to focus on how impressed I was with Southampton, who have had a rough start to the season that will hopefully be bolstered by this result. In the first half, Southampton looked a side out of ideas, short on creativity, and their fluid attacking three of Redmond, Tadic and Austin took a while to get going. Redmond is a player who runs between the lines, finds channels, Tadic is a sharp, creative winger and Austin is very much a target man, and it took Saints a while for that three to find their rhythm, as well as their positioning, Austin playing out on the left for the first twenty minutes before eventually moving central and once he was there Southampton started to tick. 

The first goal, shortly before half-time lit up what was otherwise a relatively boring opening half of football. Lovely movement from Bertrand and interplay with Tadic resulted in a great cross being turned in sharply by Austin. A fluid attacking move from the Saints but truly dreadful defending from West Ham, who failed to track their runners or get tight enough to Austin. 

From there, the floodgates opened, Tadic at the heart of everything as Southampton seized total control of the game. In truth, they could easily have scored five or six in the second half, so dangerous were they when they came forward. It really was a case of goals changing games. Southampton's confidence exploded, and their pass and move game improved exponentially, Hojbjerg and Davis were starting to pull the strings, Tadic was influential and the full backs were rampaging, Cedric getting in down the right two or three times. 

But as much as Southampton's confidence and play was bolstered by the goal, West Ham went very much the other way, as heads dropped, players stopped trying, and defensively they fell to pieces. The second goal for Saints, which killed the game, was lovely play from Austin and Redmond to free Tadic, but the West Ham players will be ashamed to look back at it. And from there, the game was dead and buried, it was just a case of how many Southampton would score. In the end it was three, Ward-Prowse coming on as a substitute to wreak havoc on a tired and withering defence and finishing off an excellent move between Davis and Redmond. 

I just wanted to highlight two things that may have been lost from a Southampton perspective amongst all the clamour about how well Tadic and Austin played (they were both excellent) and how badly West Ham played (extremely badly). 

The first is the movement of Nathan Redmond, who on three or four occasions at least made an exceptionally well timed and positioned run in behind, only to not quite get the quality of pass that he required to be in on goal. Redmond was increasingly frustrated as the game ran on at times and it was easy to see why as he was doing everything right. 

The other is how seriously impressed I was by Jose Fonte and Virgil Van Dijk. Neither need any introductory praise, as its well known how impressive they were for Saints last season, but again at the Olympic Stadium they showed why they are one of the best central defensive pairings in the league. Only Vertonghen and Alderweireld at Spurs are a consistently more solid pair for me (whilst it can be argued United and Arsenal both have more solid defensives, neither have displayed a consistently solid pairing over the last season and a bit). They won everything in the air and on the ground, and a better team than West Ham would seriously have struggled today. Over the last few weeks a lot of talk has gone into how bad West Ham have been defensively, but against Watford and West Brom they didn't struggle to score goals and a lot of their failure to do so yesterday was down to the imperious nature of the two Saints central defenders. 

Neither of these two clubs have quite been able to emulate the heights that they achieved last season. For West Ham, there was a serious expectation amongst a lot of fans that with their new stadium, some money and European football, they could sign big players and challenge for the Champions League. This is increasingly looking like a pipe dream, as they sit in the relegation zone, with one win from their opening six games and a goal difference that is worse than everyone except Stoke.

But for Southampton, it was another summer of selling their best players, and their manager, and making do with what they had, facing a real uphill struggle for a top ten finish. But based on this performance, there is real evidence that once again, Southampton are improving, slowly but surely, and this result makes it four wins on the spin. They've only lost to Man United and Arsenal this season and are now up to 9th, only two points off Chelsea and the lower European places. Is another top six finish on the cards? Probably not, but the Saints are beginning to look like a lively proposition.

The Hard and Fast Section

• Bradley Wiggins under serious fire for drugs use.
• RIP Arnold Palmer. A legend of his sport. 
• Bad news for City with KDB injured. 
• "Fury will never fight again"? We can only hope. 

25th September

Both Liverpool and Man United came into this weekend's fixtures with something to prove. Liverpool needed to dispel suggestions that they could only play well against the top sides, and that they would struggle against teams who parked the bus and needed to be broken down. And Jose Mourinho needed to prove that he had the guts to drop Wayne Rooney, and was aware of the problems that his team faced and that he could make an effort to fix them. So could both sides answer their critics? The answer is, emphatically: yes. 

United Turn Over Shoddy Leicester

First then, to Old Trafford, where Man United answered all of the questions posed to them with a thumping 4-1 win over an awful Leicester side, who themselves served only to show that without N'golo Kante they are an absolute mess defensively. 

But starting with United. And Jose Mourinho made four changes from the defeat to Watford, two enforced as Luke Shaw and Antony Martial were injured and the excellent Daley Blind and Jesse Lingard replaced them. Blind's set pieces were a key factor in United's win and Lingard's overall play was very impressive. But Mourinho also, ominously, dropped Rooney and Fellaini, replacing them with Juan Mata and Ander Herrera in central midfield, tweaking the midfield into a 4-3-3. Herrera was calm and controlled shepherding the back four but his big difference was freeing up the two best players on the pitch, Pogba and Mata. Pogba turned in his best performance in a United shirt and was certainly the man of the match, scoring a quality header and influencing the play crucially. His pass through to Ibrahimovic to volley over in the first half was exceptional. And if Pogba was the best player on the pitch, Mata was a close second, scoring a wonderful goal and playing a delightful pass to Rashford for the third goal. 

And this has to be worrying for opposition teams. Mourinho said after the game: if we play Ibrahimovic up front then we need pace and intensity behind him. These words mirror what myself and others were saying a few days ago: United needed to up the tempo in midfield and by dropping the lethargic (and horribly out of form) Rooney and Fellaini, he was able to do that. 

But, as much as the formation and personnel shift aided United, spectacularly so, it has to be said that they should not have won as easily as they did. You don't score three goals off corners against a team that is competent at defending set pieces, you just don't. Leicester were all over the place defensively, as Huth lost his man allowing Smalling to slam home, then nobody tracked the runs of either Mata or Rashford for the third, and finally it was Pogba the beneficiary with a great header but again, no Leicester player close to him. An absolute shambles from the team in blue and United four goals up before half time. 

After that, you have to say that the game was over and neither team really put the same amount into the game in the second half, the highlight Demarai Gray's excellent performance off the bench, scoring an absolutely stunning strike, and he created even more for Leicester. 

But in truth, this game was all about the way that United took Leicester apart in the first half. They scored four, it could have been more and Mourinho's side look like serious top four contenders after this game. 

Liverpool Dominate Hull

If Liverpool fans were worried by United's improved performance against Leicester, then any feelings of apprehension swiftly vanished as they themselves turned on the style to bulldoze a Hull side that barely had a kick in the game. Against Burnley, Liverpool's problem was turning possession into goals, here they had no such problem, and in truth 5-1 flattered the Tigers, such was Liverpool's complete domination of every facet of the game. 

The key in games like this one is scoring early and Liverpool ticked that box off inside 17 minutes, as Coutinho picked up a little pocket of space near the left hand side of the box, played a brilliant little pass into Lallana and the Englishman did the rest with a tidy finish. This after Coutinho had himself missed a golden chance after Lallana had freed Mane down the left. 

And such was the pattern of the game, as Mane, Coutinho and Lallana found space, isolated the channels and put great balls into the box, their movement and passing far too much for Hull to deal with. It was Mane and Coutinho combining again for the second, Mane freed down the right, pulled it back beautifully for Coutinho, whose shot was blocked on the line with Elmohamady's hand. Penalty, red card, 2-0, game over. Clinical penalty from Milner. 

Liverpool continued their complete domination, Mane at the heart of everything, hitting the bar, missing a decent chance off the resulting corner and finally scoring himself, a clinical low finish after a brilliant piece of work from the ever-impressing Lallana, who has established himself as one of the best players in the Premier League this season. 

Hull got one back after some sloppy defending from Clyne (becoming an alarmingly recurring feature for Liverpool's right back this season), but Phillipe Coutinho quickly put them back in their place, with another incredible thirty yard strike which is becoming his trademark. Coutinho's all round play was utterly superb and this was the icing on the cake. 

And even as Coutinho, Henderson and Lallana came off the pitch, things continued to get worse for Hull, as substitute Daniel Sturridge won a second penalty with an excellent run, and James Milner once again converted. With things winding down with twenty minutes to go, there was no doubt that this was yet another top quality performance from Liverpool. 

Klopp highlighted the counter-pressing, and that was utterly superb, but every facet of Liverpool's play today was amazing. Lallana and Henderson once again were completely dominant and brilliant in midfield, and Lallana turned in yet another man of the match performance, with Mane and Coutinho ahead of them absolutely amazing. All three of Lallana, Mane and Coutinho have been match winners this season, and it's impossible to pick one who has been the best, it seems churlish to even try. Another player who deserves serious credit is James Milner, who has been asked to fill in at left back and has done a real job for the team. 

Overall, this was yet another incredible team performance from Liverpool. Mane, Lallana, Firmino, Coutinho have the movement, passing, finishing, pressing, energy and intensity really are unplayable at times. Liverpool have been labelled second favourites for the title and whilst I don't necessarily think we're in with a shot at the title, the more I think about it, the more I can't see any other contenders to beat City. 

Don't get me wrong, I think City are comfortably the best team in the league and I think they'll walk the title, but looking at the other contenders: Spurs have been the closest so far but will struggle with depth and injuries: United have been a mixed bag so far, Chelsea are nowhere near at the moment and Arsenal have been impressive in recent weeks but we've still beaten them. So yeah, as much as I'm personally still aiming for the top four, it's increasingly hard to ignore the evidence that we're the second best team in the division right now. 

Elsewhere...

Man City were ran pretty close by Swansea, a Swansea team that played very very well, producing a lot of quality football, and scoring a very good goal. But City were too good, too clinical, and scored a couple of excellent goals, Aguero's early low finish and a brilliant late goal from Sterling, either side of a deserved penalty for De Bruyne being slapped in the face. City can score from anywhere, very dangerous.

Arsenal were simply streets ahead of Chelsea. Arsenal's movement, intensity, pace and passing was exceptional, with Walcott, Sanchez and Ozil all playing brilliantly and all scoring high quality goals. But that said, it's easier to play high quality football and score goals when you're playing against a side that doesn't have the defensive quality or midfield intensity to really challenge you. Last week I highlighted Chelsea's key problems and Arsenal ruthlessly exploited them. Only one of these teams looks like making top four and challenging for the title. 

Spurs also turned in a good performance to see off Middlesbrough, the scoreline not quite reflecting Spurs' level of control, although they again struggled to score goals. But a brace from the excellent Son, who has helped to solve Spurs' problem of squad depth by being their best player every time he's stepped on the pitch this season, saw them with enough firepower to see off Boro. 

And Sunderland continue to be an absolute trainwreck. They were gifted a goal against Palace after a truly awful back pass from Joe Ledley, and then were able to squeeze in a second after more shocking Palace defending, and still managed to bottle it. Their defending for all three goals was terrible, Patrick Van Aanholt and Kirchoff not covering themselves in glory, and for all David Moyes' bluster about the players needing to do better at full time, Moyes himself must know that he's up the creek without a paddle. As for Palace, they produced two really good crosses into the box and buried two efficient headers, and if they keep scoring goals they won't need to worry about relegation. 

Everton lost their first game of the season against an excellent Bournemouth side. Everton carved out some brilliant chances, but nevertheless Bournemouth outplayed them at times, hitting the bar and the post before stunning goal from Junior Stanislas gave them the lead. Everton should be worried based on this display, but a much improved performance from Bournemouth. 

And last but not least, Stoke City picked up their second point of the season against West Brom, but it could have been so much better if Salomon Rondon hadn't pinched a late equaliser. In both attack and defence, it has to be said that Stoke massively improved, and probably deserved all three points on the day. 

Overall, this was a brilliant attacking display from most of the top teams, but some really, really awful defending from most of the lesser ones. I'm curious to see how West Ham and Southampton go today. 

The Hard and Fast Section

• Wasps went top of the Premiership, beating Saints 20-15.
• But Sarries lost, 17-10 to Harlequins. 
• New Zealand in real trouble against India. 
• South Africa piling on the runs against Ireland.

24th September

The final day of the County Championship was incredible.

Middlesex Topple Yorkshire

At the start of Day Four, I think the consensus was that Middlesex were outsiders. I was thinking about 50% Somerset, 35% Yorkshire, 15% Middlesex. Certainly at 2-2 on Thursday night they looked in real trouble. But Gubbins and Malan batted intelligently, and got Middlesex back into the match. Even so, with the declaration leaving Middlesex 40 overs to bowl out a Yorkshire side chasing 240, the odds were still about 50/35/15 in Somerset's favour, with Yorkshire second favourites. 

But credit to Middlesex, because the simple truth is that they played an absolute blinder on Day Four, first with the bat, and then with the ball. Their first priority at the start of play was survival, and they batted through until lunch to achieve that aim. They were still behind Yorkshire's tally with two wickets down at the start of play, so making sure that they didn't give Yorkshire an easy chase was priority one. Gubbins and Malan batted Middlesex to safety, before Gubbins fell for 93 and Eskinazi came in to carry on the plan. 

And the plan worked perfectly. After about 85 overs, midway through the day, with Middlesex a hundred and twenty runs in front, Yorkshire folded and allowed Middlesex to set them a target. The next ten overs were farcical, as Middlesex plundered 120 runs off them, Malan and Simpson bizarrely losing their wickets as Yorkshire bowled absolute filth, horrible bowling allowing the run fest, so that the game could truly begin. It was a real show of grit and intelligence from Middlesex, who held their nerve and knew that sooner or later Yorkshire would have to let them bat. 

In terms of whether or not it was a sporting thing to do, I'm not really sure. Certainly it would be frustrating for Somerset watching it, but for both teams it wasn't beneficial to let the game meander to its inevitable draw, and the kind of dolly declaration bowling that Yorkshire gave Middlesex is just a part of the game. 

In any case, it looked to experienced eyes that Middlesex's declaration leaving Yorkshire 240 off 40 was a little generous and maybe even favoured Yorkshire. But, as others pointed out, there were no bowling or fielding restrictions and on a fourth day pitch, scoring a run a ball across 40 overs would be hard for Yorkshire, especially when they were essentially a batsman light, although Tim Bresnan had the game of his life to close that gap. 

And from there, Middlesex bowled well, kept it tight, but most importantly, bowled intelligently and kept their heads. They didn't bowl to take wickets, they bowled to restrict Yorkshire, and sure enough, as Middlesex kept their heads, Yorkshire lost theirs, and started trying to hit good balls for six, which inevitably meant that they lost wickets. Lyth, Lees and promoted up the order Willey falling early to put Yorkshire in trouble. And Middlesex kept bowling to restrict Yorkshire, certain that their opponents would collapse and hand them the win desperately chasing the runs. 

And sure enough, that's exactly what happened. With Bresnan out LBW with ten overs to go, leaving Yorkshire 153/5 still needing another 87 runs, Yorkshire imploded. It would have been easy for Middlesex to get desperate and start bowling poor lines and lengths, but they kept doing what they needed to do and sure enough Yorkshire crumpled. It was only once Rafiq holed out to Roland-Jones with six overs to go that Middlesex turned to the yorkers against the tail-enders and once Finn removed Patterson with five overs to go and Yorkshire still needing to chase the 60 runs, the end was inevitable, and it's fitting that it was Roland-Jones who took the final two wickets in his next two balls, to secure his hat-trick and his 10-fer. 

And whilst it was agonising for Somerset, Middlesex absolutely deserved the win. They played an absolutely faultless final day, batting to keep themselves into the game, and then when they needed the runs, they stayed calm and waited for the opportune moment, confident that Yorkshire would fold and let them score in order to make a game of it. And then, once they had dangled the perfect carrot, and left themselves more than enough time to take the required wickets, they bowled to perfection. I really cannot understate the nervelessness of Middlesex's batting and bowling. They came into this day with a plan and executed it perfectly, never panicking or losing their heads despite the fact that Somerset and Yorkshire both looked more likely to get the result they wanted right up until the moment when Middlesex claimed the win. With ten overs to go and needing five wickets, they bowled to their plan and it paid off. They out-thought, out-maneuvered and out-played Yorkshire. 

Their first title in 23 years. Well played Middlesex. 

The Hard and Fast Section

• Full dissection tomorrow but oh no Leicester. 
• Hampshire didn't have the bowlers and were relegated. 
• Mamadou Sakho. No. No. No. 
• Can Tyson Fury just go away now?

23rd September

Hi there troops, apologies for the last couple of days, been busy working on other things. I'm going to try and stick to four or five posts a week on this blog alongside one or two in mid-week for Fantasy Football First and one at the weekend on Eye Football. Tomorrow I want to talk about the County Championship but for now: the Premier League.

Premier League Predictions

Man United v Leicester (12:30pm Saturday)

Man United are in a real sticky patch, and a game against last season's champions is not what the doctor ordered. But at the same time, I really don't think Leicester will cause United many problems, and will play right into United's hands. I think Leicester will score, but they are not tight at the back and that will give United the opportunity to score goals and put themselves back into some form. 

Prediction: 3-1 United 

Bournemouth v Everton (3pm)

Away win is the banker here. Everton are in very good form and Bournemouth always struggle agains teams that are significantly better than them, which right now Everton are. Comfortable Everton in is what my money is on here. 

Prediction: 3-0 Everton 

Liverpool v Hull (3pm)

Liverpool need to demonstrate that they're capable of breaking teams down who will come to Anfield and sit back. This is a really big game for the home side, and whilst I think they will struggle, with Sadio Mane they have a little extra directness which will help their cause, and they're in hot form right now. Hull will offer stern resistance, but I don't think it'll be quite stern enough. 

Prediction: 1-0 or 2-1 LFC

Middlesbrough v Spurs (3pm) 

Boro have made a mixed start so far, whilst Spurs are in hot form. However, Spurs have struggled to score goals at times, putting just one past Palace and Sunderland, and without Harry Kane, I feel that Boro might be able to hang on for a draw if Spurs aren't quite at the races. 

Prediction: 1-1  

Stoke v West Brom (3pm)

Stoke are in total and utter disarray at the moment. They're all over the place defensively and struggling to score goals. It's not quite going perfectly right now for West Brom, but if they play as well as they have in recent weeks, then they'll run over Stoke. 

Prediction: 2-0 West Brom

Sunderland v Palace (3pm)

Back to back wins against Boro and Stoke have given Palace a lot of confidence and Sunderland are in a pretty poor state. But nevertheless, Sunderland have managed to avoid being completely turned over up until this point and they may have enough to hang on for a draw in this game.

Prediction: 1-1

Swansea v Man City (3pm)

Swansea haven't been terrible up until this point, but are struggling for results. Nevertheless, although City have to slip up at some point, this does not look like that game, and even if they do have to slip up, you'd still say that on paper, the smart money has to be that City turn them over, especially with Aguero back. 

Prediction: 3-0 Man City

Arsenal v Chelsea (5:30pm)

This is a tricky one, as expected with the weekend's biggest game. Arsenal cannot seem to beat Chelsea in the league, it's utterly bizarre. The Gunners have quietly gone about their business and won their last three games and right now I'd say that if anyone's going to win this game it'll be them. But they won't. Because it's Arsenal, even if Chelsea aren't managed by Mourinho. Chelsea meanwhile are in dodgy form and I think that they may struggle in this game. 

Prediction: 1-1

West Ham v Southampton (4pm Sunday)

West Ham are an absolute trainwreck at the moment defensively. Having shipped eight goals in their last two games, they look an absolute mess at the back and worse sides than Southampton would put goals past them. But that said, they have to look better at some point and Southampton have struggled to score in the league, so I think it will be a closer match, but I do think on the whole Southampton will shade it. 

Prediction: 2-1 Southampton

Burnley v Watford (8pm Monday)

This is a tough one to call, but Watford's form favours them. Burnley have really struggled this season, turning in just one good defensive display against an ineffectual Liverpool, whilst back to back wins have bolstered Watford's credentials. I think Watford to win is the safe bet here, but it won't be easy for them, 

Prediction: 3-1 Watford

The Hard and Fast Section

• 153 runs plays 7 wickets across 20 overs. Title on. 
• Everton out of the League Cup. 
• Man United v Man City. Tasty.
• LFC v Spurs. Also tasty, 
• New WADA hack. Six GB athletes named. Ugly. 

20th September

How do you solve a problem like Man United?

Jose's Conundrum

Manchester United are in trouble. It might seem reactionary to suggest this now, when things were looking incredibly rosy as they won their opening three games, but so far they've only played well in one of their five league games this season. And it has to be said that it does sound as if they were excellent against Southampton, but against Bournemouth they laboured until Bournemouth made critical defensive errors and they really, really struggling to break down Hull. All that can be said from those games is that Man United are a better side than Bournemouth and Hull, hardly something to put on Jose Mourinho's CV. 

The truth is that this United side have some real problems. The balance of their midfield is dreadful, they're utilizing the wrong formation, they're heavily reliant on two or three players and defensively, Eric Bailly is looking less and less like a game-changing addition to their central defence. 

But none of these problems are critical problems. United have as solid a defence as almost anyone in the league, the balance of their midfield is fixable with a tweak to the right formation and in an attacking sense, the players that United are leaning on at the moment will gain support from a better formation and are more than capable of playing well enough in their own right to carry United through most games. If United can fix these problems, they should easily make top four, although not necessarily challenge for the title. After all, all of the top teams apart from possibly Man City have major issues bubbling just under the surface.

But United's biggest problem, indeed their serious problem is highlighted by one stat. One simple stat that shows why they are nowhere near Man City at the moment. They have run just 526.6km so far this season. Of course that stat in isolation means nothing so to provide some context: that's the worst in the Premier League. Not a single team has run less in the division than Man United. Sunderland, the next worst, have run 526.7km. At the other end of the scales, the top three: Liverpool, City and Spurs have run 581.6km, 570.7km and 565.9km respectively. And it's no coincidence that three of the league's most impressive teams so far have done a lot of running. 

Of course, this is just one stat that in isolation is meaningless, and certainly doesn't directly affect results. But you can already see the evidence that this stat is causing United serious problems. Against the likes of Hull City and Bournemouth, this is not necessarily a problem, as I've already mentioned with regards to Chelsea. If you're controlling the game then you don't need to do as much running against sides that don't press you and defend deep. However, even in those games, United's lack of penetration for large periods of both games can directly be attributed to their lack of movement; their lack of pace; their lack of intensity. 

Against a team like Manchester City, one of the most energetic sides in the Premier League, such a deficiency is fatal. Just as Chelsea were outran by Liverpool, Man United were run off the ball by Man City. Last weekend, this was highlighted as a problem, but the full extent of that problem wasn't properly exposed until United played Watford. And then Watford did the same thing. It's one thing to be overran and have less intensity than one of the most intense, hard-working and energetic sides out there, it's another to have it happen against Watford - who are only 15th in the running league table. 

The biggest problem in United's side is a lack of energy, a lack of real intensity. They do not know how to press, and they will always struggle against teams who can press well. They're lethargic in possession, they don't run as much off the ball and as a result they're always going to struggle when a good energetic team comes up against them. Of course, running isn't everything, just look at the team fourth in the running table: Burnley, but the evidence strongly correlates between energy and league position. City, Spurs and Liverpool are at the top, Arsenal are not far behind in 6th, whereas teams like Stoke, Hull, Palace and Sunderland are all near the bottom. 

So how do United solve this problem? Well this draws back to their other main problem against Watford: their midfield. When you have a player like Zlatan Ibrahimovic up front, who you know will score you goals but is unlikely to press high and unlikely to work overly hard, you need your midfield to pick up the slack. And who do United have in midfield? Wayne Rooney, Marouane Fellaini and Paul Pogba, with wing options including Mkhitaryan, Mata and the overly energetic Marcus Rashford. 

Rashford of course, is a high energy player, as is Paul Pogba and exactly the sort of players that you'd want playing. But you cannot simply throw in one or two energetic players and expect them to rejuvenate the team. That hasn't worked at Chelsea, who tried the exact same thing with Kante in the summer, and it hasn't worked at United. You look at the top teams in this list. At Liverpool, everyone presses. Their midfield trio of Lallana, Wijnaldum and Henderson contains three incredibly energetic players. Roberto Firmino is the first name on the team sheet because he is the highest presser. At Man City, Nolito and Sterling run and run and run, Kevin De Bruyne is a fantastic player but also an energetic one. And at Spurs: Lamela, Dele Alli, Dembele, they are all about energy and intensity. United cannot simply throw Pogba into a midfield containing two of the least energetic players in the league in Rooney and Fellaini and expect rewards. 

I am not of course, suggesting that you need a team that plays the pressing game well or plays the style that those top three sides play in order to win the league. Man City aren't title favourites because of their energy, but because of their quality. But the amount of static in Man United's midfield is killing them. Against Watford, Fellaini was all over the place, his lack of movement meant that Watford were able to run past him with ease, leading to two of the three goals. Mourinho himself blamed a lack of pressing and running from Luke Shaw on the second goal. And although the third goal was the result of a shocking individual error from Eric Bailly, it nevertheless highlighted Fellaini's deficiencies as a defensive midfielder. 

When you look at United's midfield, Fellaini has to be dropped. He doesn't have the energy to cope in big games, he's a walking yellow card and as he demonstrated against Watford, he doesn't have the defensive nous to protect a back four. The other man in danger of losing his place in United's midfield is Rooney.

The funny thing about Wayne Rooney is that everyone acts as if he's a unique case. He's not, and the only reason we think he is is that everyone, including his own managers, keep acting as though he is. Rooney is a very good player, that is not up for debate. But any other good player at any other big club would have been dropped by now. Being a good player does not give you free reign to be undroppable. The only players who I would say cannot be dropped are players who are either among the best in the league in their position (see Aguero/Kane etc) or who are so far above the rest of their options at the same team that dropping them would be suicide (see Lukaku or Defoe). Rooney fits into neither of these categories. He's not one of the elite CAMs in the division, like Ozil, Silva or De Bruyne and to suggest that he's miles better than his competition at United would 1) raise serious questions considering United want to win the league and 2) would be an insult to Mata and Mkhitaryan, not to mention the £89m player United have just signed. 

Rooney was awful against Watford. He was awful against Man City. The plain truth is that Rooney is a very very good player but he is not a high energy, high intensity player, which means in games where players put the press on him, or where he needs to put the press on, he is found wanting. It would be folly to suggest Rooney doesn't have a future at United, but right now he needs to be dropped. He's doing the same thing for United that he's been doing for England, he is a slow, low energy player who produces moments of individual quality but drags down the tempo and intensity of the rest of the team around him. 

The best analogy I can make to the Rooney situation is Yaya Toure at Man City. In his prime, even a couple of years ago, Toure was the crucial lynchpin in Man City's side, playing very well and capable of being both a game-changer and a match-winner at his best. But Pep Guardiola came straight in, saw that Toure was not mobile enough and he's gone. Ceased to be as a force at City. Despite his obvious talent, he didn't fit with what Pep was trying to do. 

But as I've hinted at already, Rooney isn't the main problem. In fact no individuals are the main problem, they're all just symptoms. A team as good as Manchester United doesn't need to be completely high energy, it doesn't need to necessarily match the energy of those top three teams. It can afford to carry a player like Wayne Rooney based on his technical ability. It can afford to carry a player like Juan Mata based on his technical ability, or Marouane Fellaini, or Zlatan Ibrahimovic. But suddenly, you put four low energy players in the front six of your team and then who is doing the carrying? Marcus Rashford and Paul Pogba. 

Of course, the problems run deeper than that. We saw against Feyenoord that throwing Herrera, Schneiderlin into defensive midfield and pushing Pogba up to the CAM position isn't an instant fix. Because Paul Pogba isn't a CAM any more than he's a CDM. United don't even need to drastically change their formation, they just need to change the balance of their midfield. 

The other facet to this problem is a lack of players in place to construct a plan. United don't have the players to counter-attack and press high, so they need to control the tempo of the game, yet Fellaini and Rooney are not players who can control a game, and even then, they need some more movement and creativity in the attacking areas. If they're content with playing a low energy midfield, then that midfield has to at least serve a purpose, and it's not clear that it does. 

Man United's midfield essentially needs a complete tactical and personnel overhaul. Fellaini should be dropped for someone who can actually defend, they need to switch to something resembling a 4-3-3 to free up Pogba without shunting him into the CAM position, and then they need a creative force beside him, preferably someone like Mata or Mkhitaryan who may not be quite as high energy but is certainly more creative than Rooney. Rooney has been non-existent as a creative force in United's last few weeks. 

Another suggestion that I'm not wholly opposed to was switching to a 3-5-2, with Shaw and Valencia as wing backs, a three man midfield and then freeing up Rashford and Ibrahimovic to go up top. The main problem with this is the idea that United can play Smalling, Bailly and Blind all together in central defence, especially when their main cover is Marcus Rojo. 

Frankly I'm baffled that Michael Carrick, Ander Herrera and Morgan Schneiderlin are continuously being overlooked. In any case, Morgan Schneiderlin for me is the answer. He thrived under Pochettino, who as we know is one of the best high energy managers in the Premier League, and there's no doubt for me that he would thrive under Mourinho. If only United will give him the chance. If Marouane Fellaini is Manchester United's best central defensive midfield option then it looks like Mourinho would have been better off spending another £100m+ in the transfer market. 

And Mourinho is certainly the man who deserves the majority of the blame. It's impossible to isolate one or key individuals who have been poor for United in the last week or so, because so many players have failed to turn up. Pogba and Rooney in particular have been getting a lot of stick, not all of it deserved, when in truth Mourinho is the one failing to get the best out of his players. If he persists with this current formation and current midfield trio, it doesn't matter how much he tweaks his wingers or central defenders, United are not going to win the title. At this rate, they might not even make top four. 

The Hard and Fast Section

• Middlesex struggling against Yorkshire at 90-3.
• Somerset also not off to a flier - 101/2.
• Spurs refusing to outline Kane's return. Worrying. 
• Oh Joey Barton. You complete and utter mess. 
• What is going on with Lewis Hamilton? 

19th September

After a busy weekend of football, the top of the Premier League is bunching up. So I thought I'd do a few performance/match assessments today and look at what's going wrong with Man United properly tomorrow? Sound good? Okay then.

Man City 4-0 Bournemouth

Man City, barring one completely brain-dead moment from Nolito, were absolutely awesome. Their performance was absolutely terrific, as they ran the game with energy, tempo and precision.With David Silva, usually their metronome, out, new signing Ilkay Gundogan slotted into their midfield and did a perfect job filling the gap. Against a bigger and better team it might not have looked quite so seamless, but Bournemouth are not a good enough side to threaten City. 

What struck me most about City's performance were the striking resemblances to the performance of Barcelona earlier the same day. Whilst it's very easy to say "it's only Bournemouth", it's just as easy to say "it's only Leganes" to the side that Barca beat 5-1. And in any case, it's not so much the levels of quality involved, as certainly Barcelona are a class above everyone right now, City included, but the style of play. The way that City dragged Bournemouth left and right, scoring goals through clinical passing rather than clinical finishing, is exactly the way that Barcelona finished off Leganes. Pep Guardiola is the master of utilising space, dragging defenders into areas of the pitch that they don't want to be and ensuring that his teams can create space to work goals. Even City's first goal, a clever free kick under the wall from De Bruyne, indicates that Pep is a stickler for attention to detail. He highlights little things, key areas that others miss and uses them to his advantage. 

And of course, once again, at the heart of everything good City produced was that man Kevin De Bruyne. His execution of the first goal was terrific, and he was very much involved in every other goal. His vision and passing execution for the second and third goals was absolutely faultless, picking out Iheanacho and Sterling effortlessly and picking the correct pass to all but guarantee a goal. And he also clocked up an assist of his own with a wonderful pass into Gundogan for the fourth goal. In the absence of Silva, he was the man pulling all of the strings, and though Iheanacho and Sterling deserve a lot of credit for their movement, their runs and their unselfishness, the man running the game was the man behind them.

Pep Guardiola laughed off suggestions that City are on for the quadruple, and he was right to do so, but there's absolutely no reason why they shouldn't make good runs in both the FA and League Cups, and make the Champions League semi-finals. What's most important, however, is that at this point they are firm, firm favourites for the Premier League title (although they were at this point last season too and we all know how that turned out). 

Watford 3-1 Man United

As mentioned, I want to address United properly at a later date, so I think I'll focus on how seriously impressive Watford were in this game. They were just the better side on the day, full of energy and creativity and pressing United high up the field. Capoue was excellent as ever, scoring a wonderful goal, Daryl Janmaat was a constant attacking outlet down the right, Troy Deeney was a menace and Pereyra looks an excellent signing. Naturally, the back three were all very impressive too, as even nowhere near their best, Man United still tested the Watford back line. 

And the three goals that Watford scored were quality goals, catching United out of position and off-guard defensively and scoring with excellent finishes; the quality of chances created by both sides indicates that Watford very much deserved to win the game. Watford's second goal in particular was brilliantly worked and substitute Zuniga completely changed the game, scoring that second with a wonderful finish, before winning a penalty by bulling Bailly and rolling the abject Fellaini, who was at least partially at fault for all three goals. 

Overall, after a very shaky start, Watford have turned in two dynamic and brutal attacking performances, and exposed both West Ham and Man United. It's early days yet, but they've been very impressive since the international break, and will be looking forward to playing Burnley next Monday. 

Crystal Palace 4-1 Stoke

This was a truly horrific game to watch, even from a neutral point of view, let alone a Stoke point of view, such was the level of ineptitude on display. It would be unfair to suggest that Palace played badly, given that they dominated the game and thoroughly deserved to win it, scoring four and it could easily have been more. Andros Townsend in particular was undeniably excellent throughout, scoring a wonderful goal to cap a brilliant performance. However, even though Palace played well, defensively they were all over the place at times, and only an even greater ineptitude in Stoke's front line, as Jon Walters and Wilfried Bony both played as well for Palace as any of Palace's own players except Scott Dann and Townsend. 

And Stoke's shoddy performing did not extend to just their attack but to their defence as well. Their defending for Palace's two early goals, both off set pieces was alarmingly bad, Tomkins pealing away unmarked at the back post and Jon Walters caught on his heels trying to defend it, before nobody tracked the run of Scott Dann, making it very easy for him to head home. 

And Stoke had a few more moments of shambolic defending let in them, as they conspired to time and again make life easy for Palace. Although the third goal was unfortunate, as McArthur's shot took a huge deflection past Given, it had certainly been coming, as Palace threatened to run riot. By the time Arnautovic, Stoke's best player by a country mile on the day, rifled home a consolation goal, Stoke were well beaten, and on this evidence, look like serious relegation candidates. 

Spurs 1-0 Sunderland

The scoreline is suggestive of the fact that this was a close game, and certainly it was a game that could have gone either way, as Sunderland missed one or two glorious chances on the counter-attack, but on the whole it cannot be argued that Spurs didn't deserve to win this game. Across the 90 minutes they absolutely battered Sunderland, taking shots from left, right and centre. Once again, Son was very impressive down the left hand side and Spurs certainly benefited from having Mousa Dembele back in the team, but the lack of cutting edge from Spurs can be pinpointed to another poor performance from Dele Alli, who flitted around on the peripheries of the game, and to the missing Eric Lamela and Christian Eriksen. Lamela certainly added something to Spurs' game when he came on, forcing a world class save from Sunderland keeper Jordan Pickford.

But the biggest question for Spurs after this game is once again their depth, as injuries threatened to run rampant. Dier and Dembele both limped off, but neither appear to be seriously injured, whilst Harry Kane's ankle injury does look very very bad news for Spurs. If he's out long term then Spurs' good start to the season (overall good although their form has been patchy) might come crashing down. 

Team of the Weekend

This seems to be a popular idea elsewhere so I thought I'd try it, even if it's a little bit similar to some others...

GK: Jordan Pickford: Phenomenal save to deny Lamela kept Sunderland in the game. He was faultless. 

RB: Seamus Coleman: Scored a wonderful and crucial goal but more importantly looked defensively solid for Everton. He's a really key player for them.

CB: Joel Matip: Matip was different class against Chelsea, bullying Diego Costa with his strength, but also reading the game brilliantly and covering for his central defensive partner Lovren who often puts himself in strange positions. 

CB: Sebastian Prodl: In terms of defensive performances, it's hard to look past Prodl, who was excellent for Watford as they saw off United, and was a genuine man of the match contender. 

LB: Christian Fuchs: Another who combined defensive solidity and assurance with an increased attacking threat, as he offered an outlet down the left for a resurgent Leicester. 

CDM: Jordan Henderson: Henderson was the best player on the pitch against Chelsea, controlling the play, full of energy and capping it off with a stunning solo goal.

CDM: Etienne Capoue: A man who is hot goalscoring form. A great goal against United, but an all-round excellent display from Capoue. Couldn't just include one Watford player. 

RM: Raheem Sterling: Sterling's movement, invention, running and passing all make him deserving of a spot. Brilliant this season, rejuvenated under Pep.

CAM: Kevin De Bruyne: As already mentioned, De Bruyne ran the show against Bournemouth. Fantastic player. 

LM: Nacer Chadli: Two goals, two assists, what more is there to say as Chadli eviscerated a desperately poor West Ham side. 

ST: Iheanacho: Every bit as impressive as Sterling, with terrific running off and on the ball, awareness of what's around him and the positioning of a clinical goalscorer. 

Bench: 

GK: Heurelho Gomes
CB:  Scott Dann

RB: Daryl Janmaat
CM: Idrissa Gueye

CAM: Georginio Wijnaldum

LM/RM: Andros Townsend 

ST: Islam Slimani.  

The Hard and Fast Section

• Wasps scored a whopping 70 to pummel Bristol.
• Saracens turned over Northampton Saints
• Yorkshire and Middlesex battle for the County Championship
• And it was heartbreak for GB in the Davis Cup. 

17th September

Liverpool have ten points off five games, having played the Champions at Anfield and gone to White Hart Lane, the Emirates and Stamford Bridge. Boom.

Liverpool Take Down Chelsea

The most ominous thing about Liverpool's impressive start is that we weren't at our best during the three trips to the capital. We played well for twenty minutes against Arsenal on the opening day, we were overall quite good against Spurs, and make no mistake we were seriously impressive against Leicester, but in none of our three tough away trips did I ever get the sense that we were at full throttle. 

That's not to say that we didn't play well last night against Chelsea, because we did, particularly in defence and controlling the midfield, but in terms of attacking threat, we were nowhere near our best, even with Coutinho in particular playing very well. Despite scoring twice in the first half, the expected goals tally for the half was only 0.5, with one decent chance converted by Dejan Lovren and Henderson's goal could certainly not be described as a chance. But despite running the game, we never threatened to score more goals and run away with the game in the first half, and in the second we only produced the one glorious opening, albeit it was the best chance of the match, for Divock Origi, who was unable to convert, denied by a good save from Courtois. 

But it's churlish to bemoan that we didn't play well enough in attack, when we played significantly better than Chelsea and our midfield trio of Wijnaldum, Henderson and Lallana absolutely ran the show. Lallana as ever was bursting with energy, Wijnaldum produced his best display in a Liverpool shirt and Jordan Henderson was easily the man of the match, producing a display of exceptional control, excellent defensive work and a stunning, stunning goal to cap it off. It was one of the goals of the season so far, and will surely be a contender for goal of the season come May. 

And behind the midfield three, Dejan Lovren and Joel Matip were excellent. Matip in particular looks a serious improvement to our defensive options, and he put in a stoic, physical performance as he bullied Diego Costa almost completely out of the game. Lovren was much improved today and whilst I would still take him out the side when Sakho is fit, I'm starting to grow less concerned about him as a central defensive option when he has someone as competent and impressive as Matip beside him, and it was the same when he played with Sakho last season. Milner at left back also looks like a brilliant move from Klopp and he was excellent again.

But of course, Liverpool's achilles heel of moments of brain dead defending reared its ugly head. It really is both maddening and baffling that experienced, excellent players can simultaneously switch off and make key errors. It's one thing when recognizably error-prone players like Lucas, Lovren, Skrtel and Mignolet do it, but Matip is a seriously good defender, and he should have done much better for Costa's goal. The fact that he was put in that position by Liverpool's other best player on the day Henderson and Adam Lallana not tracking their man is increasingly frustrating. Players who turn in a 10/10 performance for 90 minutes but make one big mistake and are punished for it. 

But we have to talk about Chelsea too, because this game was as much about the home side's failings as it was Liverpool's excellent play. The main problems that this Chelsea side have displayed over four games reared their head here. It was obvious from Chelsea's first four hit and miss fixtures exactly what their strengths and weaknesses were, and these were on display for all to see. It was also clear that this would ensure that they would struggle against a top team, and so it showed. 

Chelsea's strengths are exceptional individuals. Diego Costa is an excellent striker, which he showed by scoring an instinctive goal. Eden Hazard is a brilliant forward on his day, and he caused Clyne some real problems last night, despite never really producing anything. N'Golo Kante is one hell of a defensive midfielder and he was easily Chelsea's best player on the night. And they have some powerful, industrial players, they're a powerful, strong team. 

But their weaknesses were all on show. A lack of defensive stability and organisation has been clear over four games, and they've conceded in every fixture prior to this one. Liverpool took advantage of that for the first goal in particular. It was a truly sumptuous ball in from Phillipe Coutinho but both Lovren and Mane sneaking in at the back post were entirely unmarked, whilst four Chelsea players did nothing guarding the front post. It was a shambles. And whilst the second goal was a piece of individual genius, it was still a poor clearance from Gary Cahill. 

Moreover, Chelsea suffered from a clear lack of creativity in midfield. Whilst they had pacy and creative players on the bench in Victor Moses, Cesc Fabregas and Pedro, Oscar, Willian and Matic once again showed that they don't have enough at the very highest level to constantly threaten top defences. The onus was always on Hazard and Costa to make something happen. 

But Chelsea's biggest problem was obvious from the start. Intensity. Liverpool had run the most kms before this game of any team this season, 35kms more than 16th place Chelsea. But whilst the gap wasn't that big on the night, only 5kms more from the Liverpool boys at 117km compared to 112, it was still significant. Liverpool looked fitter, hard more energy and more power and Chelsea stood off them, defending deep, attacking lethargically, whereas Liverpool were always on the front foot, defending high and pressing Chelsea deep in their own territory, forcing mistakes in possession. When Liverpool won the ball back, the transition from defence to attack was like lightning, they turned on Chelsea in an instant, never giving the men in blue any respite. 

This is what Klopp wanted for his team. Make playing football against Liverpool a nightmare. Make Chelsea players not want the ball, even in their own third, with red shirts everywhere, snapping at them, pressing them high. The gegenpress working at its best. But of course, this in itself had its problems, and two or three Liverpool players were hanging on a bit in the last fifteen minutes. Klopp used his substitutes intelligently (Conte did not), but even so there were one or two players who looked dead on their feet come full time. 

But the thing that will have impressed Klopp the most was his team's control. Once Chelsea got back into the game, Liverpool shut them down, shut down the game completely, oozing class and control. They ran the midfield in the final half hour, not giving Chelsea the opportunity to attack, and for the most part, were largely effective at keeping Chelsea at bay and calming the nerves (to an extent) of Liverpool fans. 

Overall, this was a mature, intelligent and high energy display from one team, and an unintelligent, immature and low energy display from the other, and the final result reflected that.

The Hard and Fast Section

• How good are MSN? Seriously. 
• Team GB in real trouble after Murray's loss. 
• Singapore qualifying underway...
• Surray look dead in the water. 136 all out. 

16th September

Did someone say Premier League preview time?

Chelsea v Liverpool (8pm)

This is the biggest game of the weekend, and one which both teams you sense need a performance from. Chelsea have secured three wins and a draw against mediocrity, and need to prove that they're capable of winning a game against a big side, to cement their excellent start to the season. Liverpool on the other hand, cannot afford to be five points off the top four at this early stage, and defeat could well see them six points behind Chelsea and Everton, five behind United and eight behind Man City. Nevertheless, the Reds have made a good start, beating Arsenal and Leicester and outplaying Spurs. I fancy Liverpool's visceral attacking play to expose Chelsea here, as Mane, Firmino and Coutinho have looked unstoppable at times this season, but the Blues will definitely score, as Liverpool's defence is error-prone and Diego Costa is a serious threat.

Prediction: 3-1 Liverpool

Hull v Arsenal (3pm Saturday)

On paper, you'd have to say that this is an away banker. But Hull have done well so far this season, their only defeat coming in the dying seconds to Man United and they will prove a tough nut to crack. Nevertheless, tough nut or not, I expect Arsenal to crack them, as they definitely have the firepower to do so. 

Prediction: 2-0 Arsenal 

Leicester v Burnley (3pm)

Leicester have made a bad start to the season, with both these teams part of the plethora on four points off four games. You'd imagine that it would be quite a close game, and although I'd say Leicester are obviously favourites to shade it, I think I'm predicting a draw. 

Prediction: 1-1

Man City v Bournemouth (3pm)

For me this is a no-brainer. Yes City have to slip up at some point but they have two tricky away games to come and this is not going to be a hard game for them. They turn up and they play well and they win easily, it's as simple as that. If they don't...I could still see them nicking the game because Bournemouth really don't fill me with confidence at all and they have a history of collapsing against good teams.  

Prediction: 4-0 City

West Brom v West Ham (3pm)

This should be an interesting game. West Ham have been terrible so far this season and it's been a pretty mixed bag for West Brom too. West Brom are always a tough nut to crack at the Hawthorns but West Ham have scored in every game this season, so I think a score draw, maybe decided by the odd goal. 

Prediction: 1-1

Everton v Middlesbrough (5:30pm)

Everton have made a terrific start to the season, and are looking to make it four wins in a row against a Boro side who are looking reasonably solid defensively but struggling to score lots of goals. I think this will be a tough game for Everton but Boro are yet to face a team of their calibre. Everton to take it. 

Prediction: 1-0 Everton 

Watford v Man United (12pm Sunday)

It's been a bad week for United, losing the derby and then throwing their Europa League fixture, and some of their high profile players have come under a lot of flack. Nevertheless, Watford haven't offered enough this season to suggest that they can make it three defeats in a week for United, and I think United will take it after a battle. 

Prediction: 2-1 United

Crystal Palace v Stoke (2:15pm)

Two teams who have started the season badly. Palace were able to notch their first win of the season away at Boro but Man City and Spurs have piled the pain onto Stoke. I do however think that Stoke still have a better team than Palace and if Stoke had played more teams like Palace, rather than the top teams, they'd be in a much better position. Even so, I don't think they'll quite have enough for this one at the moment. 

Prediction: 0-0

Southampton v Swansea (2:15pm)

This should be a really interesting game that could well go either way. Southampton have got off to a wretched start, but I fancy them to lock up their first win of the season today, after being robbed of a point at the Emirates. This is the sort of game they need to start winning. Swansea meanwhile, have been nothing more than okay so far, and could well also nick this game. Should be a fascinating one. 

Prediction: 2-1 Saints

Spurs v Sunderland (4:30pm)

To be blunt, this one could be a cricket scoreline. Spurs will be in good nick after their decimation of Stoke last weekend, buoyed on by defeat in midweek and bolstered by the return of talisman Dembele. Sunderland have been awful so far this season and were humiliated last time out by Romelu Lukaku. But let's say Jermain Defoe still scores because football. 

Prediction: 5-1 Spurs

The Hard and Fast Section

• So United lost to Feyenoord. Refraining from comment. 
• Batty, Ansari, Duckett and Hameed all called up.
• 49 golds, 108 Paralympic medals total. Wow.
• Singapore GP this weekend. Hotting up.