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Liverpool, Arsenal first taste of defeat
Over the weekend both Liverpool and Arsenal lost in the league for the first time this season in matches a lot of people would have expected them to win or at least draw.
But Reading played the game of their life and managed to beat a Liverpool side which included influential captain Steven Gerrard and also Fernando Torres. From the line-up I could see that this time Rafael Benitez was going for a win despite an important Champions League midweek fixture which they must win to stay in the competition.
When Reading went ahead I was a bit surprised but I thought Liverpool would come back and win but then they equalised but from then Reading went on to score two further goals of which the third one was a very good goal.
On the other hand the Gunners are missing key players in the form of Cesc Fabregas, Alexander Hleb, Mathieu Flamini and Robin van Persie and that told as the team never looked like the scintillating side we had got accustomed to in the past few weeks.
So Arsenal went to the North East for two matches and came back with just one point and the lead that could have been six points by now is now just one point.
The next fixtures are going to be even more interesting. Arsenal are going to host Chelsea and Liverpool are going to play arch-rivals Manchester United at Anfield.
After a poor start to the season I think Chelsea are beginning to play well and I would fancy them to at least get a draw at the Emirates whereas I will be very surprised if Liverpool beat United at Anfield.
Liverpool tend to play very well in the big teams but I think Sir Alex Ferguson's side are going to be too hot for them to handle and play on the side of caution I will probably go for a draw on TipsChallenge.
I am keen to see how premier league ladder will look after this weekend's matches but I have a feeling that come next week United will be on top of the pile. Hope I am wrong.
Only Man U are able to cope well with the loss of their big name players. Rooney and Ronaldo have been out at times this season with no real slump in form and the goals keep coming. It just shows the depth at Man U compared to Liverpool and Arsenal. Without Fabregas Arsenal are going to struggle.
I am expecting a massive win at Anfield to push Liverpool down to fifth or sixth place or somewhere there.
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I think Andy we will have to see at the end of the season who would have coped well because at the moment its too early to judge. But you are right at the moment it seems like Man U are coping well esp. with the recent of Rooney due to injury but sometimes it depends on whom you are also playing at the time.
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.......its a big weekend, I think we are going to get draws for both matches. In the case of Arsenal, you could see that the defeat was coming, their last two games against Villa and Newcastle were a poor show by them.
They managed to get results in those two matches because of the resilience at the back. They really miss Fabregas which is a worry. Its also heavy missing two creative midfielders Fabregas and Hleb........Diarra, Eboue and Gilberto are all defensive minded.
Its good that they have lost now because Wenger will have a chance to correct that so early in the season. Chelsea are playing well but I think they are still vulnerable. Man U are an attacking machine at the moment and the defence looks solid, and although slightly ahead of Arsenal in terms of depth, the team is still maturing as well.
That is why sometimes you find Man U fail to get results when it looks obvious, and there is still that reliance on Giggs to initiate. I agree that Pool always find the resources to deal with big opposition, and on Sunday will get something.