Fantasy Premier League Team Selection for Gameweek 4 28 August, 2009

I've had enough of Yuri Zhirkov being injured, and have decided to bring in Ashley Cole in his place. I really need one more fit Chelsea player on the field against Burnley.

Goalkeeper:
Petr Cech (Chelsea)

Defenders:
Ashley Cole (Chelsea) captain
Vedran Corluka (Tottenham Hotspur)
Joseph Yobo (Everton)

Midfielders:
Tim Cahill (Everton)
Aaron Lennon (Tottenham Hotspur)
Clint Dempsey (Fulham)
Lee Cattermole (Sunderland)
Shaun Wright-Phillips (Manchester City)

Forwards:
Wayne Rooney (Manchester United)
Darren Bent (Sunderland)

I'm keeping Clichy on the bench as Arsenal travel to Old Trafford. Jerome is reportedly injured, while his team-mate Queudrue takes the final bench spot as Spurs (Birmingham's opponents for this gameweek) look quite capable of finding the net recently. I'm also looking forward to Ashley Cole making attacking contributions in addition to keeping a clean sheet against Burnley.

Betting Tips for Round 4 (29/08/2009 and 30/08/2009)

Stoke City - Sunderland
Home: 2.30 | Draw: 3.20 | Away: 3.20
Bet: £15 on Away Win
I fancy Sunderland to win this, and they are definitely worth a punt at 3.20.

Bolton Wanderers - Liverpool
Home: 6.50 | Draw: 3.60 | Away: 1.57
Bet: £15 on Away Win
Not the most attractive odds on offer, but should still be comfortable enough for a bet on Liverpool.

Portsmouth - Manchester City
Home: 5.50 | Draw: 3.75 | Away: 1.61
Bet: £20 on Away Win
I really can't see Portsmouth stopping City here.

Everton - Wigan Athletic
Home: 1.80 | Draw: 3.50 | Away: 4.50
Bet: £20 on Everton
Everton to finally notch up a win!

Match Predictions for Round 4 (29/08/2009 and 30/08/2009)

Chelsea - Burnley
Prediction: 2 - 0
On paper this is a massive mismatch in Chelsea's favour. However, the same could have been said when Burnley played Manchester United last week and they did show that they are capable of holding their own against the bigger boys. That said, Chelsea doesn't look like dropping many points this season, and should take all three points with at least two goals to the good.

Tottenham Hotspur - Birmingham City
Prediction: 3 - 1
It may be too early to judge, but it does look like Spurs have a really good chance to break into the top four this season - the first time since they were down with food poisoning. The recent form of Defoe, Lennon and Modric should ensure a comfortable victory.

Blackburn Rovers - West Ham United
Prediction: 1 - 1
Two teams that are not that far apart in strength, but Blackburn seems to be having a slightly more difficult start. Home advantage should help them to their first point of the season.

Bolton Wanderers - Liverpool
Prediction: 0 - 2
Liverpool dominated Stoke last week, and should have no problem against a similar team in Bolton, who have so far got nothing - in two fixtures against relatively manageable opponents.

Stoke City - Sunderland
Prediction: 1 - 2
Both teams have performed to expectations so far, getting results that were true to form. I predicted Sunderland to do well this season and finish comfortably in mid-table, and I like what I see so far. Hence I'm taking them to take all three points in a close encounter.

Wolverhampton Wanderers - Hull City
Prediction: 2 - 2
I can see more than a couple of goals in this match, but can't see the three points going either way.

Manchester United - Arsenal
Prediction: 1 - 1
First encounter between two of the big four this season. Arsenal have been devastating so far, but they have yet to meet the likes of United, who on the other hand, have already experienced a blip against Burnley. Both teams will not want lose such a big game at such an early stage, and will not be too unhappy with a point each.

Portsmouth - Manchester City
Prediction: 1 - 3
Manchester City are actually quite a well-balanced team (as long as they don't try to field all of their available forwards at once) especially with the addition of Lescott. Portsmouth are in a spot of bother and will be in real relegation danger unless they can strengthen their squad a little. Shouldn't be too awkward for City.

Everton - Wigan Athletic
Prediction: 2 - 1
The Lescott saga did not end in Everton's favour, but it should still provide some welcome relief. They still need a replacement centre-back though, to keep up any aspirations of Europe this season. Wigan showed both promise and naivety in their games so far and will just narrowly lose this one.

Aston Villa - Fulham
Prediction: 1 - 0
A very close match to call. On paper Villa are well capable of winning this one, though Fulham will provide stiff opposition. A one-goal victory for the home side seems the most likely outcome.

Summary Review: Round 3 (22/08/2009 to 24/08/2009) 26 August, 2009

Aston Villa provided the biggest talking point of the round, beating Liverpool 3 - 1 at Anfield. Liverpool now have as many defeats this season as they had for the whole of the last, and will have to look for improvements to keep up with their title challenge. Despite what Rafa Benitez believes, Lucas is not going to fill the gaping hole left behind by Alonso. But what a huge three points it was for Villa, who were looking short of ideas in their opening day defeat.

Chelsea and Tottenham Hotspur both made it three wins out of three with victories over Fulham and West Ham United respectively. Chelsea in particular, are looking like they are going to methodically and systematically take three points from every match.

Arsenal maintained their perfect start to the season (albeit being a game behind) and continued to give their goal difference an early boost. They put four past Portsmouth to make it ten goals in two games. Equally, Manchester City have won both of their games so far, this time beating Wolverhampton Wanderers as most would have expected. Perhaps less predicted, is the fact that they are now the only team in the league yet to have conceded a goal.

Manchester United put five past Wigan Athletic in a game of two contrasting halves. They had struggled to find a breakthrough in the first half but ran out comfortable winners in the end. Burnley, their conquerors in midweek, continued to turn predictions on their head with another 1 - 0 win, this time against Everton who find themselves at the bottom of the table for now.

Elsewhere, Hull City and Sunderland registered home wins against Bolton Wanderers and Blackburn Rovers respectively while Birmingham City and Stoke City played out a tedious goalless draw (the only draw in the league so far after twenty-six games).

Predictions

Arsenal - Portsmouth
Prediction: 2 - 0
Result: 4 - 1

Birmingham City - Stoke City
Prediction: 2 - 1
Result: 0 - 0

Hull City - Bolton Wanderers
Prediction: 1 - 1
Result: 1 - 0

Sunderland - Blackburn Rovers
Prediction: 1 - 1
Result: 2 - 1

Manchester City - Wolverhampton Wanderers
Prediction: 2 - 0
Result: 1 - 0

Wigan Athletic - Manchester United
Prediction: 1 - 1
Result: 0 - 5

West Ham United - Tottenham Hotspur
Prediction: 2 - 1
Result: 1 - 2

Burnley - Everton
Prediction: 0 - 1
Result: 1 - 0

Fulham - Chelsea
Prediction: 1 - 2
Result: 0 - 2

Liverpool - Aston Villa
Prediction: 2 - 0
Result: 1 - 3

Round 3 Tally: 10 Predictions; 0 Correct Scores; 3 Correct Outcomes
Season Tally: 26 Predictions; 0 Correct Scores; 11 Correct Outcomes

Betting

Birmingham City - Stoke City
Bet: £10 on Home Win at 2.25
Result: Draw (Lost £10.00)

Sunderland - Blackburn Rovers
Bet: £10 on Draw at 3.60
Result: Home Win (Lost £10.00)

West Ham United - Tottenham Hotspur
Bet: £10 on Home Win at 3.00
Result: Away Win (Lost £10.00)

Burnley - Everton
Bet: £20 on Away Win at 2.30
Result: Home Win (Lost £20.00)

Round 2 Tally: £50.00 in Bets; -£50.00 in Takings
Season Tally: £200.00 in Bets; -£65.60 in Takings

Fantasy Football

Finally a more decent gameweek (as compared to the last two). Significant contributions from Cech, Queudrue, Lennon, Cattermole, Wright-Philips and Rooney saw my team notch up 56 points.

I have to do a better job choosing my captain though. Rooney (my captain for the last gameweek) should have been selected to score double points in this gameweek instead.

Overall, 56 points is a good improvement, but more progress is needed if my team are to be contending for any sort of honour this season.

Oh and by the way, if you're interested, you can follow the exploits of my fantasy team here.

Fantasy Premier League Team Selection for Gameweek 3 21 August, 2009

Shaun Wright-Phillips get drafted in as Manchester City start the season better than I had expected. In addition, their next two matches (against Wolves and Portsmouth) should give their players a good chance to perform well. Marouane Fellaini is the player to make way as I look to hedge my bets on Everton. I have another two of their players in my squad, and three seemed a little excessive given their recent uncertainties.

Goalkeeper:
Petr Cech (Chelsea)

Defenders:
Franck Queudrue (Birmingham City)
Vedran Corluka (Tottenham Hotspur)
Joseph Yobo (Everton)
Gael Clichy (Arsenal)

Midfielders:
Tim Cahill (Everton)
Aaron Lennon (Tottenham Hotspur)
Shaun Wright-Phillips (Manchester City) captain

Forwards:
Cameron Jerome (Birmingham City)
Wayne Rooney (Manchester United)
Darren Bent (Sunderland)

Zhirkov and Cattermole are benched as they appear to be injury doubts. Dempsey also sits out as Fulham face tough opponents in Chelsea. Wright-Phillips captains the side as City should do well against Wolves.

Betting Tips for Round 3 (22/08/2009 to 24/08/2009)

Birmingham City - Stoke City
Home: 2.25 | Draw: 3.25 | Away: 3.25
Bet: £10 on Home Win
Quite nice odds on the home team given that both teams are quite evenly matched.

Sunderland - Blackburn Rovers
Home: 2.10 | Draw: 3.60 | Away: 3.25
Bet: £10 on Draw
I predict that this match will be much closer than what the bookmakers think.

West Ham United - Tottenham Hotspur
Home: 3.00 | Draw: 3.25 | Away: 2.37
Bet: £10 on Home Win
Spurs are rightly the favourites for this one, but West Ham under Zola are not incapable of causing a surprise. Worth a flutter on the home team.

Burnley - Everton
Home: 3.20 | Draw: 3.20 | Away: 2.30
Bet: £20 on Away Win
The odds have probably shifted after the various events of the last week, which would suit those who still think that Everton are strong enough to win this match.

Match Predictions for Round 3 (22/08/2009 to 24/08/2009)

Arsenal - Portsmouth
Prediction: 2 - 0
Arsenal are too strong for Portsmouth (who look like they could be in for a long hard season). However, those looking forward to a goal feast may want to adjust their expectations; Everton were simply woeful in defence that day.

Birmingham City - Stoke City
Prediction: 2 - 1
A match between two equally-matched teams. I fancy the home team to narrowly take the three points.

Hull City - Bolton Wanderers
Prediction: 1 - 1
On paper probably the least exciting match of the round. They should cancel each other out.

Sunderland - Blackburn Rovers
Prediction: 1 - 1
There will not be many goals in this match, and yet, I can't see either team keeping a clean sheet as well.

Manchester City - Wolverhampton Wanderers
Prediction: 2 - 0
I can't see how City are going to rotate their five first team forwards this season and keep all of them happy. Scoring two and keeping a clean sheet against a team still finding their feet in the league should not be a problem though.

Wigan Athletic - Manchester United
Prediction: 1 - 1
Most of United's first choice defenders are in the treatment room, and their forwards are struggling to score. A good chance for Wigan to finally get some joy in this fixture.

West Ham United - Tottenham Hotspur
Prediction: 2 - 1
Spurs are sitting pretty at the top of the table, but I fancy West Ham to take all three points in this one.

Burnley - Everton
Prediction: 0 - 1
Everton are about to lose their defensive lynchpin. But yet, I can just about see David Moyes getting a clean sheet out of them. That, and the awful performance against Arsenal would have given them plenty to work on for the past week.

Fulham - Chelsea
Prediction: 1 - 2
Fulham under Roy Hodgson have improved tremendously, and will be no pushovers. Chelsea under Carlo Ancelotti are also starting to show that they are able to grind out wins whatever it takes. I take Chelsea to score another late goal here.

Liverpool - Aston Villa
Prediction: 2 - 0
Villa looked worryingly clueless against Wigan on the opening day of the season. The way they played seemed to be screaming out mid-table mediocrity, and with Manchester City, Fulham and even Sunderland improving, that might just be where they will end up. Liverpool should carry forward the momentum that they built up in the match against Stoke.

Rant: What's Going On At Anfield? 20 August, 2009

The new season's barely a week old, and already there were worries about Rafa Benitez's future at Liverpool. A day before their game against Stoke, rumours began to surface that Benitez had, (or was about to, depending on who you believe) leave his post. Hours later, things got worse as bookmakers stopped taking bets on him being the first Premiership manager to leave his club this season.

A good win against Stoke City, coupled with denials from both club and manager have since made things look more rosy, but Liverpool fans might worry about whether it is just paper over deeper running fault lines, and rightly so too.

Rafa Benitez is probably Liverpool's best manager in more than a decade. He has got them closer to the Premiership title than they have ever been since its inception, in addition to delivering the biggest prize in club football.

Fans who remember Gerard Houllier, or (worse) Roy Evans, or (gasp!) Graeme Souness will know how difficult it was in those days before Benitez took over.

Simply put, Liverpool have got to keep hold of Benitez to retain any real hope of winning silverware this season. Any upheaval in this area will yet again set them back a few steps.

Summary Review: Round 2 (18/08/2009 and 19/08/2009)

Biggest result of the round was definitely Burnley's win over Manchester United. United saw more of the ball, had chances to score (a penalty, no less). and would not be undeserved had they left Turf Moor with a point or three. However, most crucially, they did not score, and Burnley can take heart from their performance and the three points; they might just continue to prove their critics wrong and stay in the Premier League.

Tottenham Hotspur continued their good start to the season by putting five past Hull City. They are starting to look a very balanced and formidable side. Palacios is doing brilliantly in the middle while on the flanks, Modric and Lennon are providing plenty of penetration.

Liverpool got their season kick started with a solid home win over Stoke City while Chelsea had to come from behind once again, this time against Sunderland. The two remaining matches of a reduced fixture round saw the other two promoted teams - Wolverhampton Wanderers and Birmingham City - post their first wins, against Wigan Athletic and Portsmouth respectively.

Predictions

Sunderland - Chelsea
Prediction: 0 - 1
Result: 1 - 3

Wigan Athletic - Wolverhampton Wanderers
Prediction: 2 - 0
Result: 0 - 1

Birmingham City - Portsmouth
Prediction: 2 - 1
Result: 1 - 0

Hull City - Tottenham Hotspur
Prediction: 1 - 2
Result: 1 - 5

Burnley - Manchester United
Prediction: 1 - 3
Result: 1 - 0

Liverpool - Stoke City
Prediction: 3 - 1
Result: 4 - 0

Round 2 Tally: 6 Predictions; 0 Correct Scores; 4 Correct Outcomes
Season Tally: 16 Predictions; 0 Correct Scores; 8 Correct Outcomes

Betting

Wigan Athletic - Wolverhampton Wanderers
Bet: £20 on Home Win at 1.72
Result: Away Win (Lost £20.00)

Birmingham City - Portsmouth
Bet: £20 on Home Win at 2.10
Result: Home Win (Won £22.00)

Hull City - Tottenham Hotspur
Bet: £20 on Away Win at 2.00
Result: Away Win (Won £20.00)

Round 2 Tally: £60.00 in Bets; £22.00 in Takings
Season Tally: £150.00 in Bets; -£15.60 in Takings

Fantasy Football

Another poor gameweek saw my team take just 30 points. Franck Queudrue (clean sheet), Aaron Lennon (assists and bonus) and Darren Bent (goal) were the only significant scorers for the team (i.e. they got more than just the one or two points for being involved in a match).

Petr Cech still failed to get a clean sheet, Yuri Zhirkov still have yet to recover from injury, and Wayne Rooney - my captain for the gameweek - did not make a goalscoring contribution against Burnley as I had hoped (why didn't he take that penalty instead).

From last season's experience, to be in a chance of taking any prize, a team has to score an average of at least 60 to 70 points each gameweek. After two gameweeks, my team has got just a total score of 61 points.

Fantasy Premier League Team Selection for Gameweek 2 18 August, 2009

I have transferred out Martin Skrtel (Liverpool) as he will be out for the next couple of weeks, and brought in Franck Quedrue (Birmingham City) on a stop-gap basis as Birmingham have a couple of home games coming up against relatively easier teams.

Goalkeeper:
Petr Cech (Chelsea)

Defenders:
Yuri Zhirkov (Chelsea)
Franck Quedrue (Birmingham City)
Vedran Corluka (Tottenham Hotspur)

Midfielders:
Tim Cahill (Everton)
Aaron Lennon (Tottenham Hotspur)
Clint Dempsey (Fulham)
Lee Cattermole (Sunderland)

Forwards:
Cameron Jerome (Birmingham City)
Darren Bent (Sunderland)
Wayne Rooney (Manchester United) captain

Team selection for this gameweek is a no-brainer due to the fact that there will only be six games to be played; there will only be at most nine players scoring points for me! Rooney takes the captain's armband as I fancy him to score a goal or perhaps lay on an assist against Burnley.

Betting Tips for Round 2 (18/08/2009 and 19/08/2009)

Wigan Athletic - Wolverhampton Wanderers
Home: 1.72 | Draw: 3.50 | Away: 5.00
Bet: £20 on Home Win
Bank on Wigan continuing their impressive start to the season and overcoming newly promoted Wolves.

Birmingham City - Portsmouth
Home: 2.10 | Draw: 3.30 | Away: 3.50
Bet: £20 on Home Win
Attractive odds for the home team as both teams are quite evenly matched.

Hull City - Tottenham Hotspur
Home: 4.00 | Draw: 3.20 | Away: 2.00
Bet: £20 on Away Win
By no means a straightforward match for Spurs, but worth a small flutter on them come away with a narrow win.

Match Predictions for Round 2 (18/08/2009 and 19/08/2009)

Sunderland - Chelsea
Prediction: 0 - 1
Chelsea's experience and quality should see them past Sunderland, but it will be a narrow win as Sunderland have shown that they are no pushovers.

Wigan Athletic - Wolverhamption Wanderers
Prediction: 2 - 0
Wigan did very well to come away from Villa Park with all three points, and the question will be whether they can keep up that level of performance week after week. That remains to be seen, but they should still be good enough to beat newly promoted Wolves.

Birmingham City - Portsmouth
Prediction: 2 - 1
A narrow defeat to Manchester United was did not tell the complete story as Birmingham could easily have lost by a few more. However, I still fancy them to take all three points as Portsmouth have clearly been weakened by key departures.

Hull City - Tottenham Hotspur
Prediction: 1 - 2
Spurs were very impressive against Liverpool and should win this one, though Hull City might be in with a chance of taking at least a point if they play as they did against Chelsea.

Burnley - Manchester United
Prediction: 1 - 3
Manchester United's injury woes deepened with Evans joining Ferdinand and Vidic on the sideline. Their attack should still be too good for Burnley though.

Liverpool - Stoke City
Prediction: 3 - 1
With Agger already out, the worst time to lose Skrtel as well would precisely be just before playing Stoke. Liverpool's defence will have to be on their toes to prevent Stoke scoring from a set piece. Fortunately for them, Torres and Gerrard will be more than a handful for Stoke's defenders.

Rant: Dream Debuts 17 August, 2009

A highlight on the five players who made goalscoring debuts for their new clubs in the opening weekend of the season.

Stephen Hunt

Petr Cech's nightmare gave Chelsea a scare again when he took advantage of their failure to clear their lines properly to score the first goal of the season. Hull were just minutes away from leaving Stamford Bridge with a point when Drogba struck a late winner for Chelsea.

Emmanuel Adebayor

Gave Manchester City an early lead with a crucial and well-taken goal. Perhaps a sign of bigger things to come both from City and their new signing.

Darren Bent

Scored the winning goal to give Sunderland a winning start to the season with a typical Darren Bent goal. An accurate an powerful header at the far post showed why Steve Bruce was so keen to have him on board.

Thomas Vermaelen

Powered home a header to score Arsenal's second (of an eventual six) goals against Everton. Also did well defensively to keep Everton at bay and helped Arsenal to a very impressive start to the season - a perfect reply to detractors who were questioning their title credentials.

Sebastien Bassong

Broke Liverpool's resolve by putting Spurs in front for the second time in the match just minutes after Gerrard had pegged them back from the spot. Performed admirably at the back as well - in tandem with Ledley King - to keep a Liverpool front line spearheaded by Torres relatively quiet.

Summary Review: Round 1 (15/08/2009 and 16/08/2009)

Arsenal were the big winners of the weekend, tearing apart Everton at Goodison Park. Elsewhere, Chelsea were the better team but required a late wonder (or fluke) goal from Drogba to bag all three points against Hull, Manchester United ran out comfortable but narrow winners against Birmingham, and Liverpool went down to an impressive Spurs side at White Hart Lane.

Good solid away wins too for Fulham, West Ham, Manchester City, Sunderland and Wigan, all of whom kept clean sheets as well. Manchester City's project seemed to have taken off positively while Wigan made light of key departures to totally dominate proceedings at Villa Park.

Finally, Stoke beat Burnley with a couple of goals resulting from set pieces, as all three newly promoted sides went away with no point on the opening weekend.

Predictions

Chelsea - Hull City
Prediction: 3 - 0
Result: 2 - 1

Portsmouth - Fulham
Prediction: 1 - 2
Result: 0 - 1

Wolverhampton Wanderers - West Ham United
Prediction: 2 - 2
Result: 0 - 2

Blackburn Rovers - Manchester City
Prediction: 1 - 1
Result: 0 - 2

Bolton Wanderers - Sunderland
Prediction: 1 - 1
Result: 0 - 1

Aston Villa - Wigan Athletic
Prediction: 2 - 0
Result: 0 - 2

Stoke City - Burnley
Prediction: 1 - 0
Result: 2 - 0

Everton - Arsenal
Prediction: 2 - 2
Result: 1 - 6

Manchester United - Birmingham
Prediction: 2 - 1
Result: 1 - 0

Tottenham Hotspur - Liverpool
Prediction: 1 - 1
Result: 2 - 1

Round 1 Tally: 10 Predictions; 0 Correct Scores; 4 Correct Outcomes
Season Tally: 10 Predictions; 0 Correct Scores; 4 Correct Outcomes

Betting

Aston Villa - Wigan Athletic
Bet: £50 on Home Win at 1.72
Result: Away Win (Lost £50.00)

Portsmouth - Fulham
Bet: £20 on Away Win at 2.62
Result: Away Win (Won £32.40)

Everton - Arsenal
Bet: £10 on Draw at 3.20
Result: Away Win (Lost £10.00)

Tottenham Hotspur - Liverpool
Bet: £10 on Draw at 3.30
Result: Home Win (Lost £10.00)

Round 1 Tally: £90.00 in Bets; -£37.60 in Takings
Season Tally: £90.00 in Bets; -£37.60 in Takings

Fantasy Football

I made a boo-boo on this one. After writing about the team that I had intended to put out, I must have forgotten to actually save the team. I ended up with Bent and Fellaini on the bench as unused substitutes, and Jerome in the team as captain!

Hence I ended up with a miserly 31 points for this round. That's not to say that I would have gotten many more points had my intended team were really put out though; I would have taken just 4 more points.

Rant: Why Players Got Their Heads Turned by Manchester City 16 August, 2009

Regardless of what those players said, i do not believe that City will be challenging for the title or even a Champions League placing for the next two years. They will more likely be jostling with Everton, Villa and Spurs for Europa League qualification.

Of course, it is the higher wages that Manchester City are willing to offer, or at least in part because of that. But this has already been talked about to death. My take is that the wages they get are not just simply higher (in the sense of maybe £5,000 or £10,000 more). No. What these players are getting is equivalent to what top players in top teams are being paid.

Make no mistake. Barry, Tevez, Toure, Adebayor and Lescott are very good players. Barry and Lescott were one of the best players for Villa and Everton respectively last season, Tevez was an important player in Manchester United's past two successful campaigns, and Adebayor was second top goalscorer for Arsenal last season (and their top scorer the season before).

But they are not top players. Simply put, Barry is no Alonso, Tevez is not as good as Rooney, Adebayor is not in the same class as Eto'o, and Terry is a better player than either Toure or Lescott.

And yet, what these players are being paid (or will be paid, in the case of Lescott) at City, are probably in the same bracket as what Alonso, Rooney, Eto'o and Terry are being paid at Real Madrid, Manchester United, Inter and Chelsea respectively.

That is also probably why City have failed to attract players like Terry and Eto'o (though they did come a bit close with Terry). Yes, Terry and Eto'o would probably have been paid even higher at City, but they are alredy recognised as two of the top players in the world, and it is considerably harder to lure them with just higher wages alone (similar reasons to why they failed with Kaka previously).

Comment: Wenger's Myopia 15 August, 2009

Comment on article on ESPN Soccernet - Wenger admits to seeing what he didn't see

So Arsene Wenger has finally admitted what we have suspected all along - that he didn't have poor eyesight and did in fact witness his players' wrongdoings, contrary to what he had previously claimed.

Frankly, I don't see what's wrong with doing that (protecting his players in front of the press). To build a closely-knit team who are willing to fight for one another and to fight for the manager, a little bit of blind loyalty and siege mentality is needed. And this is no more true than with regards to the manager - he cannot afford to lose any of the respect or trust that his players have for him. Contrast this with the mess up caused by Hull City manager Phil Brown.

Of course, the media will not agree with this as it gives them less to write about.

Fantasy Premier League Team Selection for Gameweek 1

Goalkeeper:
Petr Cech (Chelsea) captain

Defenders:
Gael Clichy (Arsenal)
Yuri Zhirkov (Chelsea)
Martin Skrtel (Liverpool)

Midfielders:
Marouane Fellaini (Everton)
Tim Cahill (Everton)
Aaron Lennon (Tottenham Hotspur)
Clint Dempsey (Fulham)
Lee Cattermole (Sunderland)

Forwards:
Darren Bent (Sunderland)
Wayne Rooney (Manchester United)

I've left Joseph Yobo and Vedran Corluka on the bench as their teams are facing Arsenal and Liverpool respectively, and are likely to let in at least one or two goals. Cameron Jerome sits out as I don't fancy him contributing much at Old Trafford. Petr Cech has been named as captain as I fancy Chelsea to keep a clean sheet (and Yuri Zhirkov is still a slight injury doubt).

Betting Tips for Round 1 (15/08/2009 and 16/08/2009)

In this series, I will be making virtual bets on selected matches - selected matches because not all games may be worth having a go. I will also be keeping track of my cumulative winnings/losses (hopefully winnings!). For this purpose, i will be using odds offered by Ladbrokes.

Some of my betting tips may even contradict the predictions that I gave in the earlier post (or so it will seem). That is because when betting, I consider the odds offered and not simply plump for the favourites. I may predict that a team will scrap past their opponents, but the odds offered for the other team may make them a more valuable proposition.

Here's this weekend's tips for a start.

Aston Villa - Wigan Athletic
Home: 1.72 | Draw: 3.50 | Away: 5.00
Bet: £50 on Home Win
Pretty decent odds of 1.72 in a match which should not pose major problems for the home team.

Portsmouth - Fulham
Home: 2.62 | Draw: 3.30 | Away: 2.62
Bet: £20 on Away Win
I feel that Fulham are slight favourites in this match even after discounting for home advantage. Worth a small bet given the odds of 2.62.

Everton - Arsenal
Home: 3.00 | Draw: 3.20 | Away: 2.37
Bet: £10 on Draw
The away team is the stronger team, but not by much, and the home team is good enough to spring a surprise or two. A small flutter on a likely outcome.

Tottenham Hotspur - Liverpool
Home: 3.00 | Draw: 3.30 | Away: 2.30
Bet: £10 on Draw
Same reasoning as the match up between Everton and Arsenal. An away win is not a foregone conclusion even though Liverpool will rightly be the favourites.

Match Predictions for Round 1 (15/08/2009 and 16/08/2009)

Chelsea - Hull City
Prediction: 3 - 0
My feeling is that Hull City will struggle badly this season, and Chelsea under Ancelotti will simply be too strong for them, especially since this game is at Stamford Bridge

Portsmouth - Fulham
Prediction: 1 - 2
Fulham to continue the good work they left off last season, and will scrape through with a narrow win for this away game.

Wolverhampton Wanderers - West Ham United
Prediction: 2 - 2
Even though I predicted that Wolves will be in for a relegation struggle, they may start off the season relatively well with momentum carried forward from their Championship exploits. West Ham will have to come to terms with the departure of Neill.

Blackburn Rovers - Manchester City
Prediction: 1 - 1
Blackburn will be more solid this season under the continued stewardship of Allardyce. Manchester City will finish the season strongly (if they have not sacked Hughes by then), but may start off slower as the new signings get to know one another better.

Bolton Wanderers - Sunderland
Prediction: 1 - 1
Bolton will again be steady but unspectacular. Sunderland will do better this season under Bruce and with a number of key signings, but will have to settle for an away draw on the opening day.

Aston Villa - Wigan Athletic
Prediction: 2 - 0
Wigan is another team that I predicted to struggle this season, especially earlier on as Martinez is finding his feet in the Premiership. Aston Villa faded away towards the second half of last season, but with a decent squad and a summer of rest, this fixture should not pose big problems for them.

Stoke City - Burnley
Prediction: 1 - 0
Will probably be a boring match with few chances for both teams. Stoke to nick it with one of their typical goals.

Everton - Arsenal
Prediction: 2 - 2
Will be one of the more exciting matches this round. Arsenal with their attacking prowess will not be short of goals. Unfortunately for them, Everton will be capable of scoring a couple as well, with proven goalscorers like Cahill, Saha, Jo and Fellaini, especially when the centre of defence is still a suspect area for Arsenal.

Manchester United - Birmingham
Prediction: 2 - 1
Easy match for Manchester United but only on paper. In reality, they will have to come to terms with the departure of Ronaldo in the earlier part of the season, and in addition, will be missing a couple of players (especially Vidic) through injury.

Tottenham Hotspur - Liverpool
Prediction: 1 - 1
Another of the more exciting matches for the round. Tottenham will do better this season with the improving Lennon and Modric, and the partnership of Crouch and Defoe. Liverpool will be happy with an opening day draw away to a good team, with Gerrard and Torres again the key men, as they get used to life without Alonso.

My Fantasy League Squad 14 August, 2009

My squad for the Fantasy Premier League game:

Goalkeepers
Petr Cech (Chelsea, £6.5) - Ancelotti will make Chelsea hard to beat and strong defensively. Expect clean sheets along the way.
Ross Turnbull (Chelsea, £5.0) - In fact, I'm so confident about Chelsea keeping clean sheets, that i'm choosing Turnbull, for the times when Cech does not play.

Defenders
Martin Skrtel (Liverpool, £6.0) - Liverpool won't be conceding too many either, and Skrtel should get plenty of games if he stays fit this season.
Joseph Yobo (Everton, £6.0) - Significantly cheaper than his partner Lescott in a well-organised defence. Should get games with Jagielka out till November.
Yuri Zhirkov (Chelsea, £7.5) - Not just for Chelsea's ability to keep clean sheet, but also for his attacking abilities and for the chance that he may sometimes play further upfield.
Verdran Corluka (Tottenham Hotspur, £5.5) - Good performer in a Tottenham team that should do better this season than the last. Also tends to push up.
Gael Clichy (Arsenal, £6.5) - Another attack-minded fullback. Shouldn't be conceding too many goals either.

Midfielders
Tim Cahill (Everton, £8.5) - Proven goalscoring midfielder.
Aaron Lennon (Tottenham Hotspur, £7.5) - His final ball has been improving last season, and should continue to do so this season, and coupled with his pace, should be grabbing a few assists and goals.
Clint Dempsey (Fulham, £6.5) - Key player of a Fulham team that performed beyond expectations last season. Won't fare too badly this season either.
Lee Cattermole (Sunderland, £5.0) - Won't account for too many goals or assists, but should be putting in many key performances in the centre of Sunderland's midfield.
Marouane Fellaini (Everton, £7.0) - Another goalscoring midfielder who also usually plays well.

Forwards
Darren Bent (Sunderland, £7.0) - Proven goalscorer who should get more opportunities at Sunderland.
Wayne Rooney (Manchester United, £11.0) - More chances to play in the centre will result in more goals and assists.
Cameron Jerome (Birmingham City, £4.5) - Most promising player for that price range.

League Table Predictions for the New Season 13 August, 2009

The Top Four

1. Chelsea - Little to choose between them and Manchester United. My guess is that Ancelotti will continue the good work done by Hiddink towards the end of last season, and will make them difficult to beat once again (as they were under Mourinho).

2. Manchester United - Ronaldo's departure will be a huge loss, but may yet allow players like Rooney, Berbatov and Nani to shine. I don't expect them to do much worse than last season, but probably enough for Chelsea to nick it.

3. Liverpool - My feeling is that Alonso's departure will be felt even more keenly by Liverpool than Ronaldo's by Manchester United. He was their engine room allowing Gerrard to roam free behind Torres.

4. Arsenal - Still have not signed the dominant defensive midfielder that they lacked. The maturing talents of Fabregas, Walcott and Wilshere, and a full pre-season for Arshavin will see them do better than last season, but not enough to threaten the top three positions.

Europe Hopefuls

5. Manchester City - Good signings all round. Barry will be crucial for them, operating alongside Ireland behind the likes of Robinho and Tevez. But they will need a couple of big signings to really push for a top-four place - players like Terry and Eto'o.

6. Everton - A lack of squad improvement sees them drop a place. Their current squad and manager are good enough to keep them in the Europa Cup position though.

7. Tottenham Hotspur - Made a few interesting signings. Crouch will be complement the likes of Keane and Defoe, and Bassong should provide useful defensive backup.

8. Aston Villa - I don't see Downing being better than Young or Milner, but he will definitely help ease the burden on a thin squad. A lack of further substantial strenthening sees them overtaken by both Manchester City and Tottenham Hotspur.

9. Fulham - Punched above their weight last season, and much this season will depend on whether they can keep hold of Hangeland.

Mid-Table Safety

10. Sunderland - The arrival of Bruce, and good signings in key areas of the pitch (Cattermole and Bent) sees them improving significantly on last season's showing.

11. West Ham United - Great job done by Zola last season, but a lack of transfer funds and the departure of Neill means that they are unlikely to improve on that showing.

12. Blackburn Rovers - More time for Allardyce to work on the squad after the successful rescue job last season. An improvement on the cards.

13. Bolton Wanderers - I don't expect them to make further progress under Megson, though he did well to keep them in safety and will continue to do the same this season.

14. Portsmouth - Almost in the same boat as Bolton. An unspectacular manager who will keep them away from relegation, and a lack of transfer money to improve on the squad.

The Strugglers

15. Stoke City - Did well with an unconventional style of play last season. Can't see them doing as well this season, but should still finish ahead of this pack.

16. Birmingham City - Their collective Premier League experience will be crucial and will see them just about avoid going straight back down.

17. Wigan Athletic - Will miss Bruce, and will miss Cattermole and Valencia. Martinez is talented but may be too inexperienced for the Premier League. Will be fighting for their lives.

18. Wolverhampton Wanderers - A decent squad with a decent chance of staying up. Will be scraping with Wigan for that valuable 17th place.

19. Hull City - I still think that Brown lost his squad with that on-pitch team talk last season. Things went downhill from then on and they survived by the skin of their teeth. Expect the downhill journey to carry on this season.

20. Burnley Another young talented manager, but the squad will just be too lightweight to avoid the drop.

Three Months of Agony Finally Over... Soon

Two more days to go, and the English Premier League season will begin again. For all you footy fans like myself, the past three months must have felt like years!

Will defending champions Manchester United do it again? The odds seem to be against them. No team has ever done four-in-a-row, and to have to do it without their most influential player of the last three - victorious - campaigns will be doubly hard.

Will Liverpool close the gap further and perhaps sneak it? Xabi Alonso was perhaps the third most important player (behind Gerrard and Torres) of a rather successful season and may prove to be a crucial loss. Will Alberto Aquilani prove to be an adequate replacement?

What about Chelsea? Contrary to expectations, they have not spent much this season (not yet anyway), but they do have a new manager in Carlo Ancelotti - a proven winner in the Serie A.

Arsenal have yet to buy the player that they missed the most for the past couple of seasons - a dominant defensive midfielder. Will they come up short again, or will the exciting talents of Fabregas, Arshavin, Walcott and Van Persie make up for their shortcomings?

And then there's Manchester City with their cash and bevy of new players. Will they upset the applecart and break up the top-four monopoly? Or will they languish in mid-table behind the likes of Everton, Aston Villa and Tottenham Hotspur?

Stay tuned for my predictions of the 2009/2010 season!