⚽ English Premier League Season: 2024/2025

[AYOBA]

There is a Tottenham - Arsenal match at the weekend. I think that it is the biggest event in the PL this week.    Do you think Tottenham stand a chance against Arsenal here?

I have checked the head-to-head matches. Tottenham can't defeat Arsenal for 4 matches. No matter it is away or home. I can't say they started this season better than the last one either. But both teams here can score goals easily. If I bet probably my choice would be both teams to score.    But if I bet on a side here, I would prefer Arsenal truthfully. I see them still strong with Arteta. If only they signed a striker like Gyökeres also...

I also will predict Arsenal always against Tottenham, the problem Arsenal is having now aside the urgent need of a striker few active players will not be present including Odegaard and his absence can affect the team because Arteta use him regular most times FT. I always trust Arteta to come out with new strategy so I will not be surprised if he reshuffle the players and their key role, mere watching at Arsenal previous performance against Brighton despite the absence of Rice they brought out their best and it seems Riccardo Calafiori is a good player from my observation.

When ever I had that Arsenal having a match I always put much hope for them, because of the kind team they are; so in this case forget say Arsenal some players will be absent in their coming matches against Tottenham, because apart from odegard Arsenal still having some strike that will keep that position very standard as well.

According to some people’s that Tottenham are also a strong team, but this season will not be easy for them, accept Arteta is know more in the Arsenal club as a manager if not he always try his possible best to make sure the Arsenal team always comes first or second.

[JollyGood]

Todd Boehly holds the highest individual share at 13%, while Eghbali, the Clearlake Capital representative, holds individual 2%. If Todd Boehly is able to persuade Clearlake Capital investors to sell their shares for a profit, it will work out. Another option is to persuade Clearlake Capital investors to remove Eghbali and allow the club to hire a football CEO to run the club's activities as he sees fit.

Boehly is the only real publicly known face of the ownership of Chelsea football club therefore maybe he stands a better chance than the others to win control with the backing of the fans. That 13% he owns makes him the largest single shareholder but overall Clearlake Capital own 61.5% as a group (even though Eghbali owns 2% on his own) therefore it will get more messy before things become clear.

Hmm...  And it's not gonna look good if they're gonna lose their next match vs 'lowly' Bournemouth which I think could win esp if we look at how Chelsea doesn't really all that good rn.  I think they need an 'enforcer' in the midfield.  A guy who commits tactical fouls to stop the opposing club's momentum during an offensive build up.

But yeah, I'm looking at Bournemouth or draw double chance and both teams to score combo at 2.35.  Double chance doesn't pay much at 1.78 or something and so does BTTS and over 2.5 goals.

If Chelsea drop points in their next game, it might make them realise how much they needed Osimhen to bring a flare and style of play they badly needed. Why on earth Chelsea paid £115 million (£100 million + £15 million with performance related add-ons) for an average player in Caicedo is a question that should be asked because he never lived up to the price or his potential. Liverpool and Brighton agreed to a £111 million sale for Caicedo and he was close to discussing personal terms but after Chelsea told them they wanted him he opted to go there instead. Sadly for him, it did not work at Chelsea and he looks like a £5 million average player from the Championship instead of a record breaking fantastic footballer in the Premier League.

If Chelsea buy a midfielder as you suggest, they need to find players that are going to impact the team in a positive way.

[Distraction]

Liverpool must be the team that made the least amount of transfers in the summer when we compare them to other top teams in the PL. However Arne Slot has started his Liverpool career really fast. 

They didn't concede any goal in the first 3 matches and there wasn't any problem with productivity either. Salah also looks very motivated on his game. At least they didn't lose him to a Saudi Arabia team yet.

What do you think about Liverpool's chances with the PL trophy this season? Of course Manchester City outweigh them and Arsenal both on paper. But I would love to see a title race among all these 3 teams. 

[CryptopreneurBrainboss]

If Chelsea drop points in their next game, it might make them realise how much they needed Osimhen to bring a flare and style of play they badly needed. Why on earth Chelsea paid £115 million (£100 million + $15 million with performance related add-ons) for an average player in Caicedo is a question that should be asked because he never lived up to the price or his potential.

We were scammed that's all I can say, Caicedo balling at Brighton was because of the system they were playing at Brighton and not because he was an outstanding player.

If he was one, we should have seen some masterclass from him at Chelsea irrespective of how bad the other players have been but instead we keep seeing disasters displays from him. I just think we needed Osimhen and the board knows this but they won't admit to it.

Jackson turning into a prime Drogba this season still won't end the debate that we need a proven striker. He isn't looking like someone that can lead Chelsea to a title winning season.

He doesn't just have that courage in him. We can't depend on him to give us goals at critical times. He gets 7 chances, misses 5, scores 2 (offside goals)  and gives you 1 goal, is that someone we can depend on?.

[JollyGood]

We were scammed that's all I can say, Caicedo balling at Brighton was because of the system they were playing at Brighton and not because he was an outstanding player.

If he was one, we should have seen some masterclass from him at Chelsea irrespective of how bad the other players have been but instead we keep seeing disasters displays from him. I just think we needed Osimhen and the board knows this but they won't admit to it.

Brighton must have been extremely happy at selling Caicedo as they received a phenomenal amount for him but that system (as you mentioned) really suited him, his playing style had similarities to the way Kante performed but he become a failure since joining Chelsea.

As for Osimhen, if he had joined Chelsea all the players would have raised their level and that would have included Caicedo too but instead we are watching a team that has potential but does not seem to get anywhere close to reaching it.

Jackson turning into a prime Drogba this season still won't end the debate that we need a proven striker. He isn't looking like someone that can lead Chelsea to a title winning season.

He doesn't just have that courage in him. We can't depend on him to give us goals at critical times. He gets 7 chances, misses 5, scores 2 (offside goals)  and gives you 1 goal, is that someone we can depend on?.

Drogba was a fantastic player at Chelsea. When he did not find the back of the net he was contributing in other ways on the pitch and Chelsea fans adored him for the 8 years he was at the club. He ended up with 157 goals from 341 games in that time before he was sold. Jackson has potential but he is never going to get close to what and what Drogba was for Chelsea. He seems to show skills and desire as well as potential but shows it in patches, he is never consistent.

They will not go out and buy a new striker therefore they have to work with the players that are with them.

[Igebotz]

We were scammed that's all I can say, Caicedo balling at Brighton was because of the system they were playing at Brighton and not because he was an outstanding player.

If he was one, we should have seen some masterclass from him at Chelsea irrespective of how bad the other players have been but instead we keep seeing disasters displays from him. I just think we needed Osimhen and the board knows this but they won't admit to it.

Brighton must have been extremely happy at selling Caicedo as they received a phenomenal amount for him but that system (as you mentioned) really suited him, his playing style had similarities to the way Kante performed but he become a failure since joining Chelsea.

I don't know if we're watching the same Caicedo - Dude has been putting out a good rating since the end of last season. Caicedo and Enzo double pivot hasn't worked out quite well but there are visible progress.

[JollyGood]

We are watching the same player 

Caicedo has not been consistent. He has shown good ball control in patches and that has been his problem probably because he is suffering from lack of confidence but if Chelsea put a few consecutive wins together maybe he will gain consistency. The first player that comes to mind when I think about Chelsea is Palmer because whether the team is winning or losing he is the one player that always gives 100% when he is on the pitch. The next is Caicedo because of the price they paid to buy him yet he failed to deliver.

I don't know if we're watching the same Caicedo - Dude has been putting out a good rating since the end of last season. Caicedo and Enzo double pivot hasn't worked out quite well but there are visible progress.

[CryptopreneurBrainboss]

I don't know if we're watching the same Caicedo - Dude has been putting out a good rating since the end of last season. Caicedo and Enzo double pivot hasn't worked out quite well but there are visible progress.

Good rating for a £100 million player, isn't that around the same price rage Declan rice was acquired so can you compare both impacts in their team.

One is leading his team as title contenders while Caicedo is leading the Mandem FC. He improved I'm not gonna lie because at first he was disastrous but things changed when he was being paired more with Gallagher but we can't have that anymore as Gallagher has been sold.  

Don't get why the manager isn't seeing what we're seeing. Pairing Caicedo with Enzo is a match made in hell but they won't stop because they want to get value for the money they wasted on both players especially that Enzo.

Romeo Lavia is still going to be unavailable for the Bournemouth game today and we're left with another game we're likely to watch Enzo and Caicedo play together. Lavia injuries isn't helping matters because I'm sure if he was fit, those two will never play together for 90mins.

[Igebotz]

One is leading his team as title contenders while Caicedo is leading the Mandem FC. He improved I'm not gonna lie because at first he was disastrous but things changed when he was being paired more with Gallagher but we can't have that anymore as Gallagher has been sold. 

D. Rice hasn't done anything exceptional, and if he had moved to Chelsea, he would still be struggling with the rest of the club; if Caicedo had moved to Arsenal, they would still be competing for the league, and you would have wished we had Caicedo rather than Rice.

Arsenal is already a balanced team, making it far too simple for any player to succeed; it takes a truly exceptional player to excel in an unbalanced team like Chelsea. Caicedo is an excellent player, and you will see his value when the squad achieves balance.

[JollyGood]

It is true Rice has not done anything exceptional at Arsenal and because the team was already performing well before he arrived he cannot be credited with much. I am not sure exactly how Caicedo would have performed if he went to Arsenal. Even if the team were performing well, would his performances have been worthy of the £100 million price to buy him?

There is no doubt Rice does not play like a £100 million player and nor does Caicedo but the difference is Rice being full of confidence whereas Caicedo is finding it difficult living with the price attached to his sale.

Rice settled in well at Arsenal and it is clear the £100 million price they paid to buy him from West Ham United did not affect him. On the contrary, Caicedo seems the complete opposite.

D. Rice hasn't done anything exceptional, and if he had moved to Chelsea, he would still be struggling with the rest of the club; if Caicedo had moved to Arsenal, they would still be competing for the league, and you would have wished we had Caicedo rather than Rice.

Arsenal is already a balanced team, making it far too simple for any player to succeed; it takes a truly exceptional player to excel in an unbalanced team like Chelsea. Caicedo is an excellent player, and you will see his value when the squad achieves balance.

[Igebotz]

There is no doubt Rice does not play like a £100 million player and nor does Caicedo but the difference is Rice being full of confidence whereas Caicedo is finding it difficult living with the price attached to his sale.

Rice settled in well at Arsenal and it is clear the £100 million price they paid to buy him from West Ham United did not affect him. On the contrary, Caicedo seems the complete opposite.

The difference is that one is older, a former West Ham captain, and has played in the league his entire life, whereas the other has only been in the league for three years and plays for a more difficult team.

If Caicedo was on the Arsenal team, you wouldn't know if he was performing at his best since the structure allows everyone to succeed.

[Distraction]

Manchester United were amazing today don't you think?    They really owned the game and got a nice 3-0 win. As I must have said before, I wasn't expecting this match to be one-sided. I would like this to be a good sign for their future results. Consistency is the most important thing. Erik ten Hag must be aware of that. There is no room to be complacent.

I want to watch Garnacho in the starting eleven in Rashford's position. Just because Rashford scored today, I don't think he is a good choice. He needs to do much more to prove himself.

I just don't like him being great in one season but terrible in another...

[HajiBagi]

Manchester United were amazing today don't you think?    They really owned the game and got a nice 3-0 win. As I must have said before, I wasn't expecting this match to be one-sided. I would like this to be a good sign for their future results. Consistency is the most important thing. Erik ten Hag must be aware of that. There is no room to be complacent.

I want to watch Garnacho in the starting eleven in Rashford's position. Just because Rashford scored today, I don't think he is a good choice. He needs to do much more to prove himself.

I just don't like him being great in one season but terrible in another...

Congratulations to Manchester United for winning today's match, any time Manchester United wins a match I think we need to congratulate them because they are not a team that can win a match this week and still win in their next match, Manchester united plays well today and they deserve to be hype and give them their credit of being performing well today, Is like Onana has decided to be a good goalkeeper for Manchester united today because I didn't believe that He can save the penalty that he saves in the match and that penalty save was the one that gives Manchester united player more confident to play well in the match.

Rashford performed well today because he scored a goal but Garnacho is my favorite player who should be starting every game for Manchester United, Garnacho always shows that he deserves more minutes than Rashford because after bringing Garnacho from the bench in 73 minutes he scored a goal before the match should end and make Manchester United win the game 3 goals without not conceding any goal, Manchester united have performed well today, we don't know what they will play in next games.

[JollyGood]

RESULTS:

Southampton 0-3 Manchester United 
Brighton and Hove Albion 0-0 Ipswich Town 
Crystal Palace 2-2 Leicester City 
Fulham 1-1 West Ham United 
Liverpool 0-1 Nottingham Forest 
Manchester City 2-1 Brentford
Aston Villa 3-2 Everton

Manchester United shocked me by winning 0-3 at Southampton. Aston Villa come from 0-2 down to win the game 3-2 as Everton drop points again after leading by two goals. Shock of the day has to be Nottingham Forest beating Liverpool by a goal at Anfield.

In the evening kick-off Bournemouth are hosting Chelsea, the game is currently 0-0 after 30 minutes.

[JollyGood]

The result from the late evening game played yesterday was: Bournemouth 0-1 Chelsea

Chelsea left it until the 86th minute to score and get the narrow but very vital victory. Bournemouth played very well but could not manage to take the lead even though they had a penalty (which was saved by Sanchez) and they hit the woodwork twice. Chelsea need to improve rapidly otherwise against stronger opponent they will sufer heavy defeats.

These are the games taking place today Sunday 15th September:

Tottenham Hotspur vs Arsenal
Wolverhampton Wanderers vs Newcastle United

The North London derby takes place today. The majority will be convinced Arsenal will win but I am edging towards a draw or Tottenham victory  

[Distraction]

The first half of the Tottenham - Arsenal match was a mess... Nothing near my expectation. Both teams had an xG around 0.40. What a poor stats! 

I was expecting to see both teams scoring and over 2.5 goals. Who knows how many people bet on those for this match. There is still another half to be played of course. But with this kind of a pace, I don't expect many goals to be scored. Havertz and Porro are the ones that drew my attention the most in the first half by the way. They really look promising to score if we see a better game. Pedro Porro is really good with goal contribution for a defender. 

[Igebotz]

RESULTS:
Manchester United shocked me by winning 0-3 at Southampton. Aston Villa come from 0-2 down to win the game 3-2 as Everton drop points again after leading by two goals. Shock of the day has to be Nottingham Forest beating Liverpool by a goal at Anfield.

Told you Manutd can be ass but Southampton is never a match, they're easily one of the worst promoted side this season. Everything is pointing them back to relegation.

[JollyGood]

RESULTS:

Tottenham Hotspur 0-1 Arsenal
Wolverhampton Wanderers 1-2 Newcastle United

The first half of the Tottenham - Arsenal match was a mess... Nothing near my expectation. Both teams had an xG around 0.40. What a poor stats!  

I was expecting to see both teams scoring and over 2.5 goals. Who knows how many people bet on those for this match. There is still another half to be played of course. But with this kind of a pace, I don't expect many goals to be scored. Havertz and Porro are the ones that drew my attention the most in the first half by the way. They really look promising to score if we see a better game. Pedro Porro is really good with goal contribution for a defender.  

Well, there was a view by ex-players in the television panel that the goal should not have been allowed to stand as there was a foul in the run up to the ball going in the back of the net. Tottenham need to find a balance in their team soon because if they drop too many points they will be unable to stay in the chase for a top four finish. Even though they lost the game, I think they are a solid team and they will finish the season in the top six or seven. As for Arsenal, they will be fighting Manchester City for the whole season as they try to become Premier League champions.

Told you Manutd can be ass but Southampton is never a match, they're easily one of the worst promoted side this season. Everything is pointing them back to relegation.

You proved to be right  

Southampton could be heading back down to the Championship. The other two teams that joined them via promotion last season (Leicester City and Ipswich Town) also seem as though they will be in the group alongside Everton trying to stay in the Premier League. About Manchester United, I still think Ten Hag will be sacked before the end of the season.

[CryptopreneurBrainboss]

RESULTS:

Tottenham Hotspur 0-1 Arsenal

Was there any doubts that Arsenal was going to win this match from anyone because I didn't have one. Arsenal are on an impressive away win form in 2024 (I think about 10 wins so far before this game and now they have made it 11).

The game was indeed a derby, there was everything, from the suspense to the excitement and I'm happy for Arsenal. They have improved so well as a team and I think it's about time they win the league.

It might be too soon giving them my support as my team isn't playing that well to compete for the title and Manchester city are still there, dominating all their games but Arsenal are looking more focused this season to me.

Arteta has something special going on and I just hope he doesn't get distracted and stay focused on winning games,  pushing it until the final day because this is already looking like another season that the title race will go down to the last day.

[tokeweed]

^  I wouldn't say 'no doubt' as it's a derby and Arsenal is away.  The derby thing makes it kinda sketchy if you bet on Arsenal...  Imagine sweating the match and waiting for a goal for a whole 64 mins.    And it's not even over as an equalizer would make you lose the bet.

And what were the odds?  It's a very greasy bet if you took Arsenal -0.5.    I'm thinking the line was 1.85 or something.  Not a good bet for an away game.