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ⁱᵗ ʷᵃˢ ᵗʰᵉ ᵗᵒᵘᵍʰᵉˢᵗ ᵐᵒᵐᵉⁿᵗ ᵒᶠ ᵐʸ ᶜᵃʳᵉᵉʳ. ᵇᵉᶠᵒʳᵉ ⁱ ˡᵉᶠᵗ ᶠᵒʳ ᵗʰᵉ ᶠⁱⁿᵃˡˢ ᵐʸ ᵇᵘᵈᵈʰⁱˢᵗ ˢᵖⁱʳⁱᵗᵘᵃˡ ᵐᵃˢᵗᵉʳ ᵗᵒˡᵈ ᵐᵉ ᵗʰᵃᵗ ⁱ ʷᵒᵘˡᵈ ᵇᵉ ᶜᵒⁿᶠʳᵒⁿᵗᵉᵈ ʷⁱᵗʰ ᵃ ˡᵒᵗ ᵒᶠ ᵖʳᵒᵇˡᵉᵐˢ ᵃⁿᵈ ᵗʰᵃᵗ ᵉᵛᵉʳʸᵗʰⁱⁿᵍ ʷᵒᵘˡᵈ ᵇᵉ ᵈᵉᶜⁱᵈᵉᵈ ᵃᵗ ᵗʰᵉ ᵛᵉʳʸ ˡᵃˢᵗ ᵐⁱⁿᵘᵗᵉ. ᵃᵗ ᵗʰᵉ ᵗⁱᵐᵉ ⁱ ᵈⁱᵈⁿ’ᵗ ʳᵉᵃˡⁱᶻᵉ ʰⁱˢ ᵖʳᵉᵈⁱᶜᵗⁱᵒⁿ ʷᵒᵘˡᵈ ᵇᵉ ˢᵒ ᵃᶜᶜᵘʳᵃᵗᵉ.
ᵗʰᵉ ᶠⁱⁿᵃˡˢ ᵈⁱᵈ ⁿᵒᵗ ˢᵗᵃʳᵗ ʷᵉˡˡ, ᵃⁿᵈ ⁱ ᶠᵉˡᵗ ᵗʰᵉ ᵖʳᵉˢˢᵘʳᵉ. ᵗʰᵉʳᵉ ʷᵃˢ ᵗᵒᵒ ᵐᵘᶜʰ ʳᵉˢᵖᵒⁿˢⁱᵇⁱˡⁱᵗʸ. ᵃᶠᵗᵉʳ ᵃˡˡ, ⁱᵗ ʷᵃˢ ᵐᵉᵃⁿᵗ ᵗᵒ ᵇᵉ ‘ᵐʸ’ ʷᵒʳˡᵈ ᶜᵘᵖ. ⁱᵗ ʷᵃˢ ᶠᵃˡˡⁱⁿᵍ ᵃᵖᵃʳᵗ ⁱⁿ ᶠʳᵒⁿᵗ ᵒᶠ ᵐᵉ ᵃⁿᵈ ⁱ ᶜᵒᵘˡᵈⁿ’ᵗ ᵐᵃᵏᵉ ᵃ ᵐᵃʳᵏ ᵒⁿ ⁱᵗ. ⁱᶠ ⁱ ʰᵃᵈⁿ’ᵗ ʰᵃᵈ ᵐʸ ᶠᵃⁱᵗʰ ⁱⁿ ᵗʰᵉ ᵍᵒʰᵒⁿᶻᵒⁿ [ᵗʰᵉ ᵉⁿᵗⁱᵗʸ ᵒᶠ ᵗʰᵉ ᵒⁿᵉⁿᵉˢˢ ᵒᶠ ᵗʰᵉ ᵖᵉʳˢᵒⁿ ᵃⁿᵈ ᵗʰᵉ ˡᵃʷ], ⁱᵗ ʷᵒᵘˡᵈ ʰᵃᵛᵉ ᵃˡˡ ᵇᵉᵉⁿ ᵃ ᵗᵉʳʳⁱᵇˡᵉ ⁿⁱᵍʰᵗᵐᵃʳᵉ. ⁱ ᵖʳᵃʸᵉᵈ ᵃ ˡᵒᵗ. ᵗʰᵉ ᵐᵒʳᵉ ᵈⁱᶠᶠⁱᶜᵘˡᵗ ᵗʰⁱⁿᵍˢ ᵍᵒᵗ, ᵗʰᵉ ᵐᵒʳᵉ ⁱ ᵏᵉᵖᵗ ᵗᵒ ᵐʸˢᵉˡᶠ ᵃⁿᵈ ᵗʳⁱᵉᵈ ᵗᵒ ᶠⁱⁿᵈ ᵐʸ ⁱⁿⁿᵉʳ ˢᵗʳᵉⁿᵍᵗʰ, ᵒᶠᵗᵉⁿ ᵇʸ ᶜʰᵃⁿᵗⁱⁿᵍ ᵗʰᵉ ᵈᵃⁱᵐᵒᵏᵘ ⁱⁿ ᵃᵇˢᵒˡᵘᵗᵉ ˢⁱˡᵉⁿᶜᵉ.
ᵇᵘᵗ ᵉᵛᵉʳʸᵗʰⁱⁿᵍ ᶜʰᵃⁿᵍᵉᵈ ᶠʳᵒᵐ ᵗʰᵉ ᵐᵒᵐᵉⁿᵗ ⁱ ᵉᵠᵘᵃˡⁱˢᵉᵈ ⁱⁿ ᵗʰᵉ ᶠⁱⁿᵃˡ ᵐⁱⁿᵘᵗᵉˢ ᵃᵍᵃⁱⁿˢᵗ ⁿⁱᵍᵉʳⁱᵃ. ⁱ ᵍᵒᵗ ᵗʰᵉ ᵇᵃˡˡ, ᵏⁱᶜᵏᵉᵈ ⁱᵗ ᵃⁿᵈ ⁱᵗ ʷᵉⁿᵗ ᵗʰʳᵒᵘᵍʰ ᵗʰᵉ ᵈᵉᶠᵉⁿᵈᵉʳ’ˢ ˡᵉᵍˢ ᵃⁿᵈ ˡᵃⁿᵈᵉᵈ ᵒⁿ ᵗʰᵉ ʳⁱᵍʰᵗ ᵖᵒˢᵗ. ⁱᵗ ʷᵃˢ ⁱᵐᵖᵒˢˢⁱᵇˡᵉ ᵗᵒ ˢᵃᵛᵉ. ᵐᵃⁿʸ ᵖᵉᵒᵖˡᵉ ᶜᵃˡˡᵉᵈ ⁱᵗ ˡᵘᶜᵏʸ, ᵃⁿᵈ ʷʰᵉⁿ ʸᵒᵘ ˢᶜᵒʳᵉ ⁱⁿ ᵗʰᵉ ⁹⁰ᵗʰ ᵐⁱⁿᵘᵗᵉ ᵗʰᵉʳᵉ’ˢ ᵃˡʷᵃʸˢ ᵃ ˡⁱᵗᵗˡᵉ ᵇⁱᵗ ᵒᶠ ˡᵘᶜᵏ, ᵇᵘᵗ ᵗʰᵉⁿ ᵃᵍᵃⁱⁿ… ᵐᵃʸᵇᵉ ᵗʰᵉʳᵉ ʷᵃˢ ˢᵒᵐᵉᵗʰⁱⁿᵍ ˢᵖᵉᶜⁱᵃˡ ⁱⁿ ᵗʰᵃᵗ ᵐᵒᵐᵉⁿᵗ. ᵐᵃʸᵇᵉ, ᵗʰᵃᵗ ᵗⁱᵐᵉ ᵐʸ ᵐᵃˢᵗᵉʳ ᵍᵃᵛᵉ ᵐᵉ ᵃ ᵇⁱᵗ ᵐᵒʳᵉ ʰᵉˡᵖ ᵗʰᵃⁿ ᵘˢᵘᵃˡ. ᵒʳ ᵐᵃʸᵇᵉ ᵐʸ ᶠᵃⁱᵗʰ ʰᵉˡᵖᵉᵈ ᵐᵉ, ᵐʸ ᵇᵉˡⁱᵉᶠ ⁱⁿ ᵐʸˢᵉˡᶠ, ᵐʸ ⁱⁿⁿᵉʳ ᵖᵉᵃᶜᵉ.
ᵃᶠᵗᵉʳ ᵗʰᵃᵗ ᵍᵒᵃˡ ⁱ ˢᵗᵒᵖᵖᵉᵈ ᶠᵉᵉˡⁱⁿᵍ ˢᵒ ᵃⁿˣⁱᵒᵘˢ. ⁱ ˢᵗᵃʳᵗᵉᵈ ᵖˡᵃʸⁱⁿᵍ ʷⁱᵗʰ ᵉᵃˢᵉ. ⁱ ᶠʳᵉᵉᵈ ᵐʸˢᵉˡᶠ ᵒⁿᶜᵉ ᵃᵍᵃⁱⁿ. ⁱᵗ ʷᵃˢ ᵃ ᶠᵘⁿᵈᵃᵐᵉⁿᵗᵃˡ ᵐᵒᵐᵉⁿᵗ. ᶠʳᵒᵐ ᵗʰᵉⁿ ᵒⁿ ᵐʸ ʷᵒʳˡᵈ ᶜᵘᵖ ᵍᵒᵗ ᵃ ˡᵒᵗ ᵇᵉᵗᵗᵉʳ. ᵇᵘᵗ ⁱ ᵈⁱᵈ ᵖⁱᶜᵏ ᵘᵖ ᵃⁿ ⁱⁿʲᵘʳʸ ⁱⁿ ᵗʰᵉ ˢᵉᵐⁱ⁻ᶠⁱⁿᵃˡ ᵃᵍᵃⁱⁿˢᵗ ᵇᵘˡᵍᵃʳⁱᵃ. ⁱᵗ ʷᵃˢⁿ’ᵗ ᵃⁿʸᵗʰⁱⁿᵍ ˢᵉʳⁱᵒᵘˢ, ʲᵘˢᵗ ᵃ ᵗⁱʳᵉᵈ ᵐᵘˢᶜˡᵉ, ᵇᵘᵗ ⁱᵗ ᵃᶠᶠᵉᶜᵗᵉᵈ ᵐʸ ᵖʳᵉᵖᵃʳᵃᵗⁱᵒⁿ ᶠᵒʳ ᵗʰᵉ ᶠⁱⁿᵃˡ. ʷʰᵃᵗ ʷᵒᵘˡᵈ ʰᵃᵛᵉ ᵇᵉᵉⁿ ᵃ ᵐⁱⁿᵒʳ ⁱⁿʲᵘʳʸ ⁱⁿ ᵃⁿʸ ᵒᵗʰᵉʳ ˢⁱᵗᵘᵃᵗⁱᵒⁿ ʷᵃˢ ᵐᵒʳᵉ ˢᵉʳⁱᵒᵘˢ ᵇᵉᶜᵃᵘˢᵉ ᵒᶠ ᵗʰᵉ ˢⁱᵗᵘᵃᵗⁱᵒⁿ. ᵇᵘᵗ ⁱ ʷᵃˢ ᵈᵉˢᵖᵉʳᵃᵗᵉ ᵗᵒ ᵖˡᵃʸ. ⁱ ʷᵒᵘˡᵈ ʰᵃᵛᵉ ᵖˡᵃʸᵉᵈ ᵉᵛᵉⁿ ⁱᶠ ᵗʰᵉʸ’ᵈ ᶜᵘᵗ ᵒᶠᶠ ᵐʸ ˡᵉᵍ. ᵐʸ ᵃᵖᵖᵉᵃʳᵃⁿᶜᵉ ⁱⁿ ᵗʰᵃᵗ ᵍᵃᵐᵉ ˢᵗⁱˡˡ ᶜᵃᵘˢᵉˢ ᶜᵒⁿᵗʳᵒᵛᵉʳˢʸ ᵇᵘᵗ ⁱ ᶠᵉˡᵗ ᵒᵏ, ᵒᵗʰᵉʳʷⁱˢᵉ ⁱ ʷᵒᵘˡᵈⁿ’ᵗ ʰᵃᵛᵉ ᵖˡᵃʸᵉᵈ. ⁱ ᵗʳᵃⁱⁿᵉᵈ ᵗʰᵉ ʷʰᵒˡᵉ ᵐᵒʳⁿⁱⁿᵍ. ⁱ ᵗʳᵃⁱⁿᵉᵈ ⁱⁿ ᵗʰᵉ ʰᵒᵗᵉˡ ⁱⁿ ᵃ ʳᵒᵒᵐ ᵘˢᵉᵈ ᶠᵒʳ ʷᵉᵈᵈⁱⁿᵍ ʳᵉᶜᵉᵖᵗⁱᵒⁿˢ. ⁱ ʰᵃᵈ ᵐʸ ᵗʳᵃⁱⁿᵉʳˢ ᵒⁿ ᵃⁿᵈ ⁱ ʷᵃˢ ᵏⁱᶜᵏⁱⁿᵍ ᵗʰᵉ ᵇᵃˡˡ ᵃᵍᵃⁱⁿˢᵗ ᵗʰᵉ ʷᵃˡˡ ᵘⁿᵗⁱˡ ⁱ ʷᵃˢ ᵗʰʳᵒᵘᵍʰ. ᵐʸ ᵐᵘˢᶜˡᵉˢ ʷᵉʳᵉ ᵒᵏ ᵃⁿᵈ ˢᵒ ʷᵉʳᵉ ᵐʸ ˡᵉᵍˢ, ʳᵉᵍᵃʳᵈˡᵉˢˢ ᵒᶠ ᵗʰᵉ ⁱⁿʲᵘʳⁱᵉˢ. ᵇᵘᵗ ᵗʰᵉ ⁱᵗᵃˡʸ ᵗᵉᵃᵐ ʰᵃᵈ ʰᵃᵈ ᵃ ˢⁱˣ⁻ʰᵒᵘʳ ᶠˡⁱᵍʰᵗ ᵗᵒ ᶜᵃˡⁱᶠᵒʳⁿⁱᵃ ʷʰⁱˡᵉ ᵇʳᵃᶻⁱˡ ʷᵉʳᵉ ᵃˡʳᵉᵃᵈʸ ᵗʰᵉʳᵉ ᵃⁿᵈ ᵗʰᵃᵗ ʷᵃˢ ᵗᵒ ᵗʰᵉⁱʳ ᵃᵈᵛᵃⁿᵗᵃᵍᵉ. ᵃⁿᵈ ᵗʰᵉʸ ʰᵃᵈ ᵃⁿ ᵉᵃˢⁱᵉʳ ᵖᵃᵗʰ ᵗᵒ ᵗʰᵉ ᶠⁱⁿᵃˡ. ᵐᵃʸᵇᵉ ᵃᵗ ᵗʰᵉ ᵇᵉᵍⁱⁿⁿⁱⁿᵍ ᵒᶠ ᵗʰᵉ ᵍᵃᵐᵉ ⁱ ᶜᵒᵘˡᵈⁿ’ᵗ ˡᵉᵗ ᵍᵒ, ˢᵘᵇᶜᵒⁿˢᶜⁱᵒᵘˢˡʸ ⁱ ʷᵃˢ ʷᵒʳʳⁱᵉᵈ ᵃᵇᵒᵘᵗ ʰᵘʳᵗⁱⁿᵍ ᵐʸˢᵉˡᶠ, ᵇᵘᵗ ᵃᶠᵗᵉʳ ᵃ ʷʰⁱˡᵉ ⁱ ᵍᵒᵗ ᵒᵛᵉʳ ᵗʰᵃᵗ. ʰᵒʷᵉᵛᵉʳ ⁱ ᵈⁱᵈⁿ’ᵗ ʰᵃᵛᵉ ᵃ ᵍʳᵉᵃᵗ ᵍᵃᵐᵉ, ᵃⁿᵈ ⁿᵉⁱᵗʰᵉʳ ᵈⁱᵈ ᵗʰᵉ ᵗᵉᵃᵐ. ʷᵉ ʷᵉʳᵉ ᵏⁿᵃᶜᵏᵉʳᵉᵈ.
ᵃˢ ᶠᵒʳ ᵗʰᵉ ᵖᵉⁿᵃˡᵗʸ, ⁱ ᵈᵒⁿ’ᵗ ʷᵃⁿᵗ ᵗᵒ ᵇʳᵃᵍ ᵇᵘᵗ ⁱ’ᵛᵉ ᵒⁿˡʸ ᵉᵛᵉʳ ᵐⁱˢˢᵉᵈ ᵃ ᶜᵒᵘᵖˡᵉ ᵒᶠ ᵖᵉⁿᵃˡᵗⁱᵉˢ ⁱⁿ ᵐʸ ᶜᵃʳᵉᵉʳ. ᵃⁿᵈ ᵗʰᵉʸ ʷᵉʳᵉ ᵇᵉᶜᵃᵘˢᵉ ᵗʰᵉ ᵍᵒᵃˡᵏᵉᵉᵖᵉʳ ˢᵃᵛᵉᵈ ᵗʰᵉᵐ ⁿᵒᵗ ᵇᵉᶜᵃᵘˢᵉ ⁱ ˢʰᵒᵗ ʷⁱᵈᵉ. ᵗʰᵃᵗ’ˢ ʲᵘˢᵗ ˢᵒ ʸᵒᵘ ᵘⁿᵈᵉʳˢᵗᵃⁿᵈ ᵗʰᵃᵗ ᵗʰᵉʳᵉ ⁱˢ ⁿᵒ ᵉᵃˢʸ ᵉˣᵖˡᵃⁿᵃᵗⁱᵒⁿ ᶠᵒʳ ʷʰᵃᵗ ʰᵃᵖᵖᵉⁿᵉᵈ ᵃᵗ ᵖᵃˢᵃᵈᵉⁿᵃ. ʷʰᵉⁿ ⁱ ʷᵉⁿᵗ ᵘᵖ ᵗᵒ ᵗʰᵉ ˢᵖᵒᵗ ⁱ ʷᵃˢ ᵖʳᵉᵗᵗʸ ˡᵘᶜⁱᵈ, ᵃˢ ᵐᵘᶜʰ ᵃˢ ᵒⁿᵉ ᶜᵃⁿ ᵇᵉ ⁱⁿ ᵗʰᵃᵗ ᵏⁱⁿᵈ ᵒᶠ ˢⁱᵗᵘᵃᵗⁱᵒⁿ. ⁱ ᵏⁿᵉʷ ᵗᵃᶠᶠᵃʳᵉˡ ᵃˡʷᵃʸˢ ᵈⁱᵛᵉᵈ ˢᵒ ⁱ ᵈᵉᶜⁱᵈᵉᵈ ᵗᵒ ˢʰᵒᵒᵗ ᶠᵒʳ ᵗʰᵉ ᵐⁱᵈᵈˡᵉ, ᵃᵇᵒᵘᵗ ʰᵃˡᶠʷᵃʸ ᵘᵖ, ˢᵒ ʰᵉ ᶜᵒᵘˡᵈⁿ’ᵗ ᵍᵉᵗ ⁱᵗ ʷⁱᵗʰ ʰⁱˢ ᶠᵉᵉᵗ. ⁱᵗ ʷᵃˢ ᵃⁿ ⁱⁿᵗᵉˡˡⁱᵍᵉⁿᵗ ᵈᵉᶜⁱˢⁱᵒⁿ ᵇᵉᶜᵃᵘˢᵉ ᵗᵃᶠᶠᵃʳᵉˡ ᵈⁱᵈ ᵍᵒ ᵗᵒ ʰⁱˢ ˡᵉᶠᵗ, ᵃⁿᵈ ʰᵉ ʷᵒᵘˡᵈ ⁿᵉᵛᵉʳ ʰᵃᵛᵉ ᵍᵒᵗ ᵗᵒ ᵗʰᵉ ˢʰᵒᵗ ⁱ ᵖˡᵃⁿⁿᵉᵈ.
ᵘⁿᶠᵒʳᵗᵘⁿᵃᵗᵉˡʸ, ᵃⁿᵈ ⁱ ᵈᵒⁿ’ᵗ ᵏⁿᵒʷ ʰᵒʷ, ᵗʰᵉ ᵇᵃˡˡ ʷᵉⁿᵗ ᵘᵖ ᵗʰʳᵉᵉ ᵐᵉᵗʳᵉˢ ᵃⁿᵈ ᶠˡᵉʷ ᵒᵛᵉʳ ᵗʰᵉ ᶜʳᵒˢˢᵇᵃʳ. ᵃˢ ᶠᵒʳ ᵗᵃᵏⁱⁿᵍ ᵗʰᵉ ᵖᵉⁿᵃˡᵗʸ ⁱⁿ ᵗʰᵉ ᶠⁱʳˢᵗ ᵖˡᵃᶜᵉ, ⁱ ʷᵃˢ ᵏⁿᵃᶜᵏᵉʳᵉᵈ, ᵇᵘᵗ ⁱ ʷᵃˢ ᵗʰᵉ ᵗᵉᵃᵐ’ˢ ᵖᵉⁿᵃˡᵗʸ ᵗᵃᵏᵉʳ. ⁱ’ᵛᵉ ⁿᵉᵛᵉʳ ʳᵘⁿ ᵃʷᵃʸ ᶠʳᵒᵐ ᵐʸ ʳᵉˢᵖᵒⁿˢⁱᵇⁱˡⁱᵗⁱᵉˢ. ᵒⁿˡʸ ᵗʰᵒˢᵉ ʷʰᵒ ʰᵃᵛᵉ ᵗʰᵉ ᶜᵒᵘʳᵃᵍᵉ ᵗᵒ ᵗᵃᵏᵉ ᵃ ᵖᵉⁿᵃˡᵗʸ ᵐⁱˢˢ ᵗʰᵉᵐ. ⁱ ᶠᵃⁱˡᵉᵈ ᵗʰᵃᵗ ᵗⁱᵐᵉ. ᵖᵉʳⁱᵒᵈ. ᵃⁿᵈ ⁱᵗ ᵃᶠᶠᵉᶜᵗᵉᵈ ᵐᵉ ᶠᵒʳ ʸᵉᵃʳˢ. ⁱᵗ ᵗʰᵉ ʷᵒʳˢᵗ ᵐᵒᵐᵉⁿᵗ ᵒᶠ ᵐʸ ᶜᵃʳᵉᵉʳ. ⁱ ˢᵗⁱˡˡ ᵈʳᵉᵃᵐ ᵃᵇᵒᵘᵗ ⁱᵗ. ⁱᶠ ⁱ ᶜᵒᵘˡᵈ ᵉʳᵃˢᵉ ᵃ ᵐᵒᵐᵉⁿᵗ ᶠʳᵒᵐ ᵐʸ ᶜᵃʳᵉᵉʳ, ⁱᵗ ʷᵒᵘˡᵈ ᵇᵉ ᵗʰᵃᵗ ᵒⁿᵉ.
ʷʰᵃᵗ ⁱˢ ˢᵒᵐᵉᵗⁱᵐᵉˢ ᶠᵒʳᵍᵒᵗᵗᵉⁿ ⁱˢ ᵗʰᵃᵗ ᵉᵛᵉⁿ ⁱᶠ ⁱ ʰᵃᵈ ˢᶜᵒʳᵉᵈ, ᵇʳᵃᶻⁱˡ ᶜᵒᵘˡᵈ ˢᵗⁱˡˡ ʰᵃᵛᵉ ʷᵒⁿ ʷⁱᵗʰ ᵗʰᵉ ˡᵃˢᵗ ᵖᵉⁿᵃˡᵗʸ ᵇᵉᶜᵃᵘˢᵉ ᵇᵉᶠᵒʳᵉ ᵐᵉ ᵇᵃʳᵉˢⁱ ᵃⁿᵈ ᵐᵃˢˢᵃʳᵒ ʰᵃᵈ ᵇᵒᵗʰ ᵐⁱˢˢᵉᵈ. ᵗʰᵃᵗ’ˢ ᵖᵃʳᵗ ᵒᶠ ᵗʰᵉ ᵍᵃᵐᵉ. ⁱ ᵐⁱˢˢᵉᵈ ᵗʰᵉ ˡᵃˢᵗ ᵖᵉⁿᵃˡᵗʸ, ᵗʰᵉʳᵉᵇʸ ‘ᶜᵃⁿᶜᵉˡˡⁱⁿᵍ ᵒᵘᵗ’ ᵗʰᵒˢᵉ ᵇʸ ᵇᵃʳᵉˢⁱ ᵃⁿᵈ ᵐᵃˢˢᵃʳᵒ. ᵗʰᵉʸ ʰᵃᵈ ᵗᵒ ᶜʰᵒˢᵉ ᵒⁿᵉ ⁱᵐᵃᵍᵉ ᶠʳᵒᵐ ᵗʰᵉ ᶠⁱⁿᵃˡˢ ᵃⁿᵈ ᵗʰᵉʸ ᶜʰᵒˢᵉ ᵐʸ ᵐⁱˢᵗᵃᵏᵉ. ᶠᵒʳ ᵃ ᶜʰᵃⁿᵍᵉ. ᵗʰᵉʸ ʷᵃⁿᵗᵉᵈ ᵃ ˡᵃᵐᵇ ᵗᵒ ˢˡᵃᵘᵍʰᵗᵉʳ ᵃⁿᵈ ᶜʰᵒˢᵉ ᵐᵉ. ᶠᵒʳᵍᵉᵗᵗⁱⁿᵍ ᵗʰᵃᵗ ʷⁱᵗʰᵒᵘᵗ ᵐᵉ ʷᵉ ʷᵒᵘˡᵈ ⁿᵉᵛᵉʳ ʰᵃᵛᵉ ʳᵉᵃᶜʰᵉᵈ ᵗʰᵒˢᵉ ᶠⁱⁿᵃˡˢ. ᵃᶠᵗᵉʳ ᵐʸ ᵐⁱˢˢ ⁱ ˡᵒᵒᵏᵉᵈ ˢᵗᵘⁿⁿᵉᵈ, ᵃⁿᵈ ᵗʰᵃᵗ ˡᵒᵒᵏ ˢᵗᵃʸᵉᵈ ʷⁱᵗʰ ᵐᵉ ᶠᵒʳ ᵃ ˡᵒⁿᵍ ᵗⁱᵐᵉ. ⁱ ʲᵘˢᵗ ᶜᵒᵘˡᵈⁿ’ᵗ ᵃᶜᶜᵉᵖᵗ ʰᵒʷ ⁱᵗ ʰᵃᵈ ᵉⁿᵈᵉᵈ. ʷʰᵉⁿ ᵐʸ ᵗᵉᵃᵐᵐᵃᵗᵉˢ ʷᵉⁿᵗ ᵗᵒ ˢᵘᵖᵖᵉʳ, ⁱ ˡᵒᶜᵏᵉᵈ ᵐʸˢᵉˡᶠ ⁱⁿ ᵐʸ ʳᵒᵒᵐ.
ᵇᵘᵗ ˡᵒᵒᵏⁱⁿᵍ ᵇᵃᶜᵏ ⁱ ʰᵃᵛᵉ ᵗᵒ ˢᵃʸ ᵗʰᵃᵗ ˡᵒˢⁱⁿᵍ ᵃ ʷᵒʳˡᵈ ᶜᵘᵖ ᶠⁱⁿᵃˡ ᵒⁿ ᵖᵉⁿᵃˡᵗⁱᵉˢ ⁱˢ ˢᵒᵐᵉᵗʰⁱⁿᵍ ᵗʰᵃᵗ ⁱ’ˡˡ ⁿᵉᵛᵉʳ ᵃᵍʳᵉᵉ ʷⁱᵗʰ. ⁱᶠ ʸᵒᵘ ˡᵒˢᵉ ᵒⁿ ᵗʰᵉ ᵖⁱᵗᶜʰ, ᵗʰᵃᵗ’ˢ ᶠⁱⁿᵉ, ⁱᵗ’ˢ ʳⁱᵍʰᵗ. ᵉᵛᵉⁿ ⁱᶠ ʸᵒᵘ ᵈᵉˢᵉʳᵛᵉᵈ ˢᵒᵐᵉᵗʰⁱⁿᵍ ᵈⁱᶠᶠᵉʳᵉⁿᵗ. ᵇᵘᵗ ʷⁱᵗʰ ᵖᵉⁿᵃˡᵗⁱᵉˢ, ⁿᵒ, ᵗʰᵃᵗ’ˢ ⁿᵒᵗ ʳⁱᵍʰᵗ. ⁱˢ ⁱᵗ ʳⁱᵍʰᵗ ᵗʰᵃᵗ ᶠᵒᵘʳ ʸᵉᵃʳˢ ᵒᶠ ˢᵃᶜʳⁱᶠⁱᶜᵉ ᵃʳᵉ ᵈᵉᶜⁱᵈᵉᵈ ᵇʸ ᵗʰʳᵉᵉ ᵐⁱⁿᵘᵗᵉˢ ᵒᶠ ᵖᵉⁿᵃˡᵗⁱᵉˢ? ⁱ ᵈᵒⁿ’ᵗ ᵗʰⁱⁿᵏ ˢᵒ. ˡᵒˢⁱⁿᵍ ᵗʰᵃᵗ ʷᵃʸ ⁱˢⁿ’ᵗ ʳⁱᵍʰᵗ, ᵃⁿᵈ ⁿᵉⁱᵗʰᵉʳ ⁱˢ ʷⁱⁿⁿⁱⁿᵍ ᵗʰᵃᵗ ʷᵃʸ. ᵗʰᵉ ᵍᵒˡᵈᵉⁿ ᵍᵒᵃˡ ⁱˢ ᵐᵘᶜʰ ᵇᵉᵗᵗᵉʳ. ᵒʳ ᵗʰᵉ ʷᵃʸ ᵗʰᵉʸ ᵘˢᵉᵈ ᵗᵒ ᵈᵒ ⁱᵗ – ᵖˡᵃʸ ᵃ ʳᵉᵐᵃᵗᶜʰ.
ᵃᶠᵗᵉʳ ᵗʰᵉ ᶠⁱⁿᵃˡ [ᵗᵉᵃᵐ ᵐᵃⁿᵃᵍᵉʳ ᵃʳʳⁱᵍᵒ] ˢᵃᶜᶜʰⁱ’ˢ ᵃᵗᵗⁱᵗᵘᵈᵉ ᵗᵒʷᵃʳᵈˢ ᵐᵉ ᶜʰᵃⁿᵍᵉᵈ ᶜᵒᵐᵖˡᵉᵗᵉˡʸ. ⁱ ʷᵃˢ ²⁷, ᵇᵘᵗ ˢᵃᶜᶜʰⁱ ᶜᵃˡˡᵉᵈ ᵐᵉ ᵘᵖ ˡᵉˢˢ ᵃⁿᵈ ˡᵉˢˢ. ᵗʰᵉ ˡᵃˢᵗ ᵗⁱᵐᵉ ʷᵃˢ ⁶ ˢᵉᵖᵗᵉᵐᵇᵉʳ, ¹⁹⁹⁴. ⁱ ᵖˡᵃʸᵉᵈ ᵗʰᵉ ᶠⁱⁿᵃˡ ᶠᵉʷ ᵐⁱⁿᵘᵗᵉˢ ᵃⁿᵈ ᵗʰᵉⁿ ⁿᵒᵗʰⁱⁿᵍ. ⁱ ʷᵃˢ ʰᵒᵖⁱⁿᵍ ᶠᵒʳ ᵃ ˡⁱᵗᵗˡᵉ ᵍʳᵃᵗⁱᵗᵘᵈᵉ ᶠʳᵒᵐ ʰⁱᵐ. ⁱ ʷᵒᵘˡᵈ ʰᵃᵛᵉ ᵘⁿᵈᵉʳˢᵗᵒᵒᵈ ⁱᶠ ⁱᵗ ʷᵃˢ ᵃ ᵗᵉᶜʰⁿⁱᶜᵃˡ ᵈᵉᶜⁱˢⁱᵒⁿ ᵇᵘᵗ ⁱᵗ ʷᵃˢⁿ’ᵗ. ⁱᵗ ˢᵉᵉᵐᵉᵈ ᵐᵒʳᵉ ᵖᵉʳˢᵒⁿᵃˡ.
ʷᵉ ˢᵃʷ ᵉᵃᶜʰ ᵒᵗʰᵉʳ ⁱⁿ ᶜᵒᵐᵒ, ⁿᵒᵗ ˡᵒⁿᵍ ᵃᵍᵒ, ᵗᵒ ᶠⁱˡᵐ ᵃ ᶜᵒᵐᵐᵉʳᶜⁱᵃˡ ʷʰᵉʳᵉ ᵗʰᵉ ᵖᵉⁿᵃˡᵗʸ ᵃᵗ ᵖᵃˢᵃᵈᵉⁿᵃ ʷᵉⁿᵗ ⁱⁿ ᵃⁿᵈ ʷᵉ ʷᵒⁿ ᵗʰᵉ ʷᵒʳˡᵈ ᶜᵘᵖ. ᵃⁿᵈ ᵗʰᵉ ʰᵘᵍ ᵇᵉᵗʷᵉᵉⁿ ᵐᵉ ᵃⁿᵈ ˢᵃᶜᶜʰⁱ ᵃⁿᵈ ᵐᵉ ʷᵃˢ ᵛᵉʳʸ ʳᵉᵃˡ. ᵈᵘʳⁱⁿᵍ ᵗʰᵉ ˢʰᵒᵒᵗ, ᵉᵛᵉʳʸ ᵗⁱᵐᵉ ʷᵉ ʰᵃᵈ ᵃ ᵇʳᵉᵃᵏ, ᵃˡˡ ʰᵉ ᵈⁱᵈ ʷᵃˢ ᵗᵃˡᵏ ᵗᵒ ᵐᵉ ᵃⁿᵈ ᵗʳʸ ᵗᵒ ᵉˣᵖˡᵃⁱⁿ. ʷᵉ ʷᵉʳᵉ ˢⁱᵗᵗⁱⁿᵍ ᵒⁿ ᵗʷᵒ ᶠᵒᵒᵗᵇᵃˡˡˢ ᵃⁿᵈ ʳᵉᵖˡᵃʸᵉᵈ ᵗʰᵉ ʷᵒʳˡᵈ ᶜᵘᵖ ᶠⁱⁿᵃˡ. ᵃⁿᵈ ᵗʰⁱˢ ᵗⁱᵐᵉ ʷᵉ ʷᵒⁿ ⁱᵗ.Copy to Clipboard
ᵗʰᵉ ᶠⁱⁿᵃˡˢ ᵈⁱᵈ ⁿᵒᵗ ˢᵗᵃʳᵗ ʷᵉˡˡ, ᵃⁿᵈ ⁱ ᶠᵉˡᵗ ᵗʰᵉ ᵖʳᵉˢˢᵘʳᵉ. ᵗʰᵉʳᵉ ʷᵃˢ ᵗᵒᵒ ᵐᵘᶜʰ ʳᵉˢᵖᵒⁿˢⁱᵇⁱˡⁱᵗʸ. ᵃᶠᵗᵉʳ ᵃˡˡ, ⁱᵗ ʷᵃˢ ᵐᵉᵃⁿᵗ ᵗᵒ ᵇᵉ ‘ᵐʸ’ ʷᵒʳˡᵈ ᶜᵘᵖ. ⁱᵗ ʷᵃˢ ᶠᵃˡˡⁱⁿᵍ ᵃᵖᵃʳᵗ ⁱⁿ ᶠʳᵒⁿᵗ ᵒᶠ ᵐᵉ ᵃⁿᵈ ⁱ ᶜᵒᵘˡᵈⁿ’ᵗ ᵐᵃᵏᵉ ᵃ ᵐᵃʳᵏ ᵒⁿ ⁱᵗ. ⁱᶠ ⁱ ʰᵃᵈⁿ’ᵗ ʰᵃᵈ ᵐʸ ᶠᵃⁱᵗʰ ⁱⁿ ᵗʰᵉ ᵍᵒʰᵒⁿᶻᵒⁿ [ᵗʰᵉ ᵉⁿᵗⁱᵗʸ ᵒᶠ ᵗʰᵉ ᵒⁿᵉⁿᵉˢˢ ᵒᶠ ᵗʰᵉ ᵖᵉʳˢᵒⁿ ᵃⁿᵈ ᵗʰᵉ ˡᵃʷ], ⁱᵗ ʷᵒᵘˡᵈ ʰᵃᵛᵉ ᵃˡˡ ᵇᵉᵉⁿ ᵃ ᵗᵉʳʳⁱᵇˡᵉ ⁿⁱᵍʰᵗᵐᵃʳᵉ. ⁱ ᵖʳᵃʸᵉᵈ ᵃ ˡᵒᵗ. ᵗʰᵉ ᵐᵒʳᵉ ᵈⁱᶠᶠⁱᶜᵘˡᵗ ᵗʰⁱⁿᵍˢ ᵍᵒᵗ, ᵗʰᵉ ᵐᵒʳᵉ ⁱ ᵏᵉᵖᵗ ᵗᵒ ᵐʸˢᵉˡᶠ ᵃⁿᵈ ᵗʳⁱᵉᵈ ᵗᵒ ᶠⁱⁿᵈ ᵐʸ ⁱⁿⁿᵉʳ ˢᵗʳᵉⁿᵍᵗʰ, ᵒᶠᵗᵉⁿ ᵇʸ ᶜʰᵃⁿᵗⁱⁿᵍ ᵗʰᵉ ᵈᵃⁱᵐᵒᵏᵘ ⁱⁿ ᵃᵇˢᵒˡᵘᵗᵉ ˢⁱˡᵉⁿᶜᵉ.
ᵇᵘᵗ ᵉᵛᵉʳʸᵗʰⁱⁿᵍ ᶜʰᵃⁿᵍᵉᵈ ᶠʳᵒᵐ ᵗʰᵉ ᵐᵒᵐᵉⁿᵗ ⁱ ᵉᵠᵘᵃˡⁱˢᵉᵈ ⁱⁿ ᵗʰᵉ ᶠⁱⁿᵃˡ ᵐⁱⁿᵘᵗᵉˢ ᵃᵍᵃⁱⁿˢᵗ ⁿⁱᵍᵉʳⁱᵃ. ⁱ ᵍᵒᵗ ᵗʰᵉ ᵇᵃˡˡ, ᵏⁱᶜᵏᵉᵈ ⁱᵗ ᵃⁿᵈ ⁱᵗ ʷᵉⁿᵗ ᵗʰʳᵒᵘᵍʰ ᵗʰᵉ ᵈᵉᶠᵉⁿᵈᵉʳ’ˢ ˡᵉᵍˢ ᵃⁿᵈ ˡᵃⁿᵈᵉᵈ ᵒⁿ ᵗʰᵉ ʳⁱᵍʰᵗ ᵖᵒˢᵗ. ⁱᵗ ʷᵃˢ ⁱᵐᵖᵒˢˢⁱᵇˡᵉ ᵗᵒ ˢᵃᵛᵉ. ᵐᵃⁿʸ ᵖᵉᵒᵖˡᵉ ᶜᵃˡˡᵉᵈ ⁱᵗ ˡᵘᶜᵏʸ, ᵃⁿᵈ ʷʰᵉⁿ ʸᵒᵘ ˢᶜᵒʳᵉ ⁱⁿ ᵗʰᵉ ⁹⁰ᵗʰ ᵐⁱⁿᵘᵗᵉ ᵗʰᵉʳᵉ’ˢ ᵃˡʷᵃʸˢ ᵃ ˡⁱᵗᵗˡᵉ ᵇⁱᵗ ᵒᶠ ˡᵘᶜᵏ, ᵇᵘᵗ ᵗʰᵉⁿ ᵃᵍᵃⁱⁿ… ᵐᵃʸᵇᵉ ᵗʰᵉʳᵉ ʷᵃˢ ˢᵒᵐᵉᵗʰⁱⁿᵍ ˢᵖᵉᶜⁱᵃˡ ⁱⁿ ᵗʰᵃᵗ ᵐᵒᵐᵉⁿᵗ. ᵐᵃʸᵇᵉ, ᵗʰᵃᵗ ᵗⁱᵐᵉ ᵐʸ ᵐᵃˢᵗᵉʳ ᵍᵃᵛᵉ ᵐᵉ ᵃ ᵇⁱᵗ ᵐᵒʳᵉ ʰᵉˡᵖ ᵗʰᵃⁿ ᵘˢᵘᵃˡ. ᵒʳ ᵐᵃʸᵇᵉ ᵐʸ ᶠᵃⁱᵗʰ ʰᵉˡᵖᵉᵈ ᵐᵉ, ᵐʸ ᵇᵉˡⁱᵉᶠ ⁱⁿ ᵐʸˢᵉˡᶠ, ᵐʸ ⁱⁿⁿᵉʳ ᵖᵉᵃᶜᵉ.
ᵃᶠᵗᵉʳ ᵗʰᵃᵗ ᵍᵒᵃˡ ⁱ ˢᵗᵒᵖᵖᵉᵈ ᶠᵉᵉˡⁱⁿᵍ ˢᵒ ᵃⁿˣⁱᵒᵘˢ. ⁱ ˢᵗᵃʳᵗᵉᵈ ᵖˡᵃʸⁱⁿᵍ ʷⁱᵗʰ ᵉᵃˢᵉ. ⁱ ᶠʳᵉᵉᵈ ᵐʸˢᵉˡᶠ ᵒⁿᶜᵉ ᵃᵍᵃⁱⁿ. ⁱᵗ ʷᵃˢ ᵃ ᶠᵘⁿᵈᵃᵐᵉⁿᵗᵃˡ ᵐᵒᵐᵉⁿᵗ. ᶠʳᵒᵐ ᵗʰᵉⁿ ᵒⁿ ᵐʸ ʷᵒʳˡᵈ ᶜᵘᵖ ᵍᵒᵗ ᵃ ˡᵒᵗ ᵇᵉᵗᵗᵉʳ. ᵇᵘᵗ ⁱ ᵈⁱᵈ ᵖⁱᶜᵏ ᵘᵖ ᵃⁿ ⁱⁿʲᵘʳʸ ⁱⁿ ᵗʰᵉ ˢᵉᵐⁱ⁻ᶠⁱⁿᵃˡ ᵃᵍᵃⁱⁿˢᵗ ᵇᵘˡᵍᵃʳⁱᵃ. ⁱᵗ ʷᵃˢⁿ’ᵗ ᵃⁿʸᵗʰⁱⁿᵍ ˢᵉʳⁱᵒᵘˢ, ʲᵘˢᵗ ᵃ ᵗⁱʳᵉᵈ ᵐᵘˢᶜˡᵉ, ᵇᵘᵗ ⁱᵗ ᵃᶠᶠᵉᶜᵗᵉᵈ ᵐʸ ᵖʳᵉᵖᵃʳᵃᵗⁱᵒⁿ ᶠᵒʳ ᵗʰᵉ ᶠⁱⁿᵃˡ. ʷʰᵃᵗ ʷᵒᵘˡᵈ ʰᵃᵛᵉ ᵇᵉᵉⁿ ᵃ ᵐⁱⁿᵒʳ ⁱⁿʲᵘʳʸ ⁱⁿ ᵃⁿʸ ᵒᵗʰᵉʳ ˢⁱᵗᵘᵃᵗⁱᵒⁿ ʷᵃˢ ᵐᵒʳᵉ ˢᵉʳⁱᵒᵘˢ ᵇᵉᶜᵃᵘˢᵉ ᵒᶠ ᵗʰᵉ ˢⁱᵗᵘᵃᵗⁱᵒⁿ. ᵇᵘᵗ ⁱ ʷᵃˢ ᵈᵉˢᵖᵉʳᵃᵗᵉ ᵗᵒ ᵖˡᵃʸ. ⁱ ʷᵒᵘˡᵈ ʰᵃᵛᵉ ᵖˡᵃʸᵉᵈ ᵉᵛᵉⁿ ⁱᶠ ᵗʰᵉʸ’ᵈ ᶜᵘᵗ ᵒᶠᶠ ᵐʸ ˡᵉᵍ. ᵐʸ ᵃᵖᵖᵉᵃʳᵃⁿᶜᵉ ⁱⁿ ᵗʰᵃᵗ ᵍᵃᵐᵉ ˢᵗⁱˡˡ ᶜᵃᵘˢᵉˢ ᶜᵒⁿᵗʳᵒᵛᵉʳˢʸ ᵇᵘᵗ ⁱ ᶠᵉˡᵗ ᵒᵏ, ᵒᵗʰᵉʳʷⁱˢᵉ ⁱ ʷᵒᵘˡᵈⁿ’ᵗ ʰᵃᵛᵉ ᵖˡᵃʸᵉᵈ. ⁱ ᵗʳᵃⁱⁿᵉᵈ ᵗʰᵉ ʷʰᵒˡᵉ ᵐᵒʳⁿⁱⁿᵍ. ⁱ ᵗʳᵃⁱⁿᵉᵈ ⁱⁿ ᵗʰᵉ ʰᵒᵗᵉˡ ⁱⁿ ᵃ ʳᵒᵒᵐ ᵘˢᵉᵈ ᶠᵒʳ ʷᵉᵈᵈⁱⁿᵍ ʳᵉᶜᵉᵖᵗⁱᵒⁿˢ. ⁱ ʰᵃᵈ ᵐʸ ᵗʳᵃⁱⁿᵉʳˢ ᵒⁿ ᵃⁿᵈ ⁱ ʷᵃˢ ᵏⁱᶜᵏⁱⁿᵍ ᵗʰᵉ ᵇᵃˡˡ ᵃᵍᵃⁱⁿˢᵗ ᵗʰᵉ ʷᵃˡˡ ᵘⁿᵗⁱˡ ⁱ ʷᵃˢ ᵗʰʳᵒᵘᵍʰ. ᵐʸ ᵐᵘˢᶜˡᵉˢ ʷᵉʳᵉ ᵒᵏ ᵃⁿᵈ ˢᵒ ʷᵉʳᵉ ᵐʸ ˡᵉᵍˢ, ʳᵉᵍᵃʳᵈˡᵉˢˢ ᵒᶠ ᵗʰᵉ ⁱⁿʲᵘʳⁱᵉˢ. ᵇᵘᵗ ᵗʰᵉ ⁱᵗᵃˡʸ ᵗᵉᵃᵐ ʰᵃᵈ ʰᵃᵈ ᵃ ˢⁱˣ⁻ʰᵒᵘʳ ᶠˡⁱᵍʰᵗ ᵗᵒ ᶜᵃˡⁱᶠᵒʳⁿⁱᵃ ʷʰⁱˡᵉ ᵇʳᵃᶻⁱˡ ʷᵉʳᵉ ᵃˡʳᵉᵃᵈʸ ᵗʰᵉʳᵉ ᵃⁿᵈ ᵗʰᵃᵗ ʷᵃˢ ᵗᵒ ᵗʰᵉⁱʳ ᵃᵈᵛᵃⁿᵗᵃᵍᵉ. ᵃⁿᵈ ᵗʰᵉʸ ʰᵃᵈ ᵃⁿ ᵉᵃˢⁱᵉʳ ᵖᵃᵗʰ ᵗᵒ ᵗʰᵉ ᶠⁱⁿᵃˡ. ᵐᵃʸᵇᵉ ᵃᵗ ᵗʰᵉ ᵇᵉᵍⁱⁿⁿⁱⁿᵍ ᵒᶠ ᵗʰᵉ ᵍᵃᵐᵉ ⁱ ᶜᵒᵘˡᵈⁿ’ᵗ ˡᵉᵗ ᵍᵒ, ˢᵘᵇᶜᵒⁿˢᶜⁱᵒᵘˢˡʸ ⁱ ʷᵃˢ ʷᵒʳʳⁱᵉᵈ ᵃᵇᵒᵘᵗ ʰᵘʳᵗⁱⁿᵍ ᵐʸˢᵉˡᶠ, ᵇᵘᵗ ᵃᶠᵗᵉʳ ᵃ ʷʰⁱˡᵉ ⁱ ᵍᵒᵗ ᵒᵛᵉʳ ᵗʰᵃᵗ. ʰᵒʷᵉᵛᵉʳ ⁱ ᵈⁱᵈⁿ’ᵗ ʰᵃᵛᵉ ᵃ ᵍʳᵉᵃᵗ ᵍᵃᵐᵉ, ᵃⁿᵈ ⁿᵉⁱᵗʰᵉʳ ᵈⁱᵈ ᵗʰᵉ ᵗᵉᵃᵐ. ʷᵉ ʷᵉʳᵉ ᵏⁿᵃᶜᵏᵉʳᵉᵈ.
ᵃˢ ᶠᵒʳ ᵗʰᵉ ᵖᵉⁿᵃˡᵗʸ, ⁱ ᵈᵒⁿ’ᵗ ʷᵃⁿᵗ ᵗᵒ ᵇʳᵃᵍ ᵇᵘᵗ ⁱ’ᵛᵉ ᵒⁿˡʸ ᵉᵛᵉʳ ᵐⁱˢˢᵉᵈ ᵃ ᶜᵒᵘᵖˡᵉ ᵒᶠ ᵖᵉⁿᵃˡᵗⁱᵉˢ ⁱⁿ ᵐʸ ᶜᵃʳᵉᵉʳ. ᵃⁿᵈ ᵗʰᵉʸ ʷᵉʳᵉ ᵇᵉᶜᵃᵘˢᵉ ᵗʰᵉ ᵍᵒᵃˡᵏᵉᵉᵖᵉʳ ˢᵃᵛᵉᵈ ᵗʰᵉᵐ ⁿᵒᵗ ᵇᵉᶜᵃᵘˢᵉ ⁱ ˢʰᵒᵗ ʷⁱᵈᵉ. ᵗʰᵃᵗ’ˢ ʲᵘˢᵗ ˢᵒ ʸᵒᵘ ᵘⁿᵈᵉʳˢᵗᵃⁿᵈ ᵗʰᵃᵗ ᵗʰᵉʳᵉ ⁱˢ ⁿᵒ ᵉᵃˢʸ ᵉˣᵖˡᵃⁿᵃᵗⁱᵒⁿ ᶠᵒʳ ʷʰᵃᵗ ʰᵃᵖᵖᵉⁿᵉᵈ ᵃᵗ ᵖᵃˢᵃᵈᵉⁿᵃ. ʷʰᵉⁿ ⁱ ʷᵉⁿᵗ ᵘᵖ ᵗᵒ ᵗʰᵉ ˢᵖᵒᵗ ⁱ ʷᵃˢ ᵖʳᵉᵗᵗʸ ˡᵘᶜⁱᵈ, ᵃˢ ᵐᵘᶜʰ ᵃˢ ᵒⁿᵉ ᶜᵃⁿ ᵇᵉ ⁱⁿ ᵗʰᵃᵗ ᵏⁱⁿᵈ ᵒᶠ ˢⁱᵗᵘᵃᵗⁱᵒⁿ. ⁱ ᵏⁿᵉʷ ᵗᵃᶠᶠᵃʳᵉˡ ᵃˡʷᵃʸˢ ᵈⁱᵛᵉᵈ ˢᵒ ⁱ ᵈᵉᶜⁱᵈᵉᵈ ᵗᵒ ˢʰᵒᵒᵗ ᶠᵒʳ ᵗʰᵉ ᵐⁱᵈᵈˡᵉ, ᵃᵇᵒᵘᵗ ʰᵃˡᶠʷᵃʸ ᵘᵖ, ˢᵒ ʰᵉ ᶜᵒᵘˡᵈⁿ’ᵗ ᵍᵉᵗ ⁱᵗ ʷⁱᵗʰ ʰⁱˢ ᶠᵉᵉᵗ. ⁱᵗ ʷᵃˢ ᵃⁿ ⁱⁿᵗᵉˡˡⁱᵍᵉⁿᵗ ᵈᵉᶜⁱˢⁱᵒⁿ ᵇᵉᶜᵃᵘˢᵉ ᵗᵃᶠᶠᵃʳᵉˡ ᵈⁱᵈ ᵍᵒ ᵗᵒ ʰⁱˢ ˡᵉᶠᵗ, ᵃⁿᵈ ʰᵉ ʷᵒᵘˡᵈ ⁿᵉᵛᵉʳ ʰᵃᵛᵉ ᵍᵒᵗ ᵗᵒ ᵗʰᵉ ˢʰᵒᵗ ⁱ ᵖˡᵃⁿⁿᵉᵈ.
ᵘⁿᶠᵒʳᵗᵘⁿᵃᵗᵉˡʸ, ᵃⁿᵈ ⁱ ᵈᵒⁿ’ᵗ ᵏⁿᵒʷ ʰᵒʷ, ᵗʰᵉ ᵇᵃˡˡ ʷᵉⁿᵗ ᵘᵖ ᵗʰʳᵉᵉ ᵐᵉᵗʳᵉˢ ᵃⁿᵈ ᶠˡᵉʷ ᵒᵛᵉʳ ᵗʰᵉ ᶜʳᵒˢˢᵇᵃʳ. ᵃˢ ᶠᵒʳ ᵗᵃᵏⁱⁿᵍ ᵗʰᵉ ᵖᵉⁿᵃˡᵗʸ ⁱⁿ ᵗʰᵉ ᶠⁱʳˢᵗ ᵖˡᵃᶜᵉ, ⁱ ʷᵃˢ ᵏⁿᵃᶜᵏᵉʳᵉᵈ, ᵇᵘᵗ ⁱ ʷᵃˢ ᵗʰᵉ ᵗᵉᵃᵐ’ˢ ᵖᵉⁿᵃˡᵗʸ ᵗᵃᵏᵉʳ. ⁱ’ᵛᵉ ⁿᵉᵛᵉʳ ʳᵘⁿ ᵃʷᵃʸ ᶠʳᵒᵐ ᵐʸ ʳᵉˢᵖᵒⁿˢⁱᵇⁱˡⁱᵗⁱᵉˢ. ᵒⁿˡʸ ᵗʰᵒˢᵉ ʷʰᵒ ʰᵃᵛᵉ ᵗʰᵉ ᶜᵒᵘʳᵃᵍᵉ ᵗᵒ ᵗᵃᵏᵉ ᵃ ᵖᵉⁿᵃˡᵗʸ ᵐⁱˢˢ ᵗʰᵉᵐ. ⁱ ᶠᵃⁱˡᵉᵈ ᵗʰᵃᵗ ᵗⁱᵐᵉ. ᵖᵉʳⁱᵒᵈ. ᵃⁿᵈ ⁱᵗ ᵃᶠᶠᵉᶜᵗᵉᵈ ᵐᵉ ᶠᵒʳ ʸᵉᵃʳˢ. ⁱᵗ ᵗʰᵉ ʷᵒʳˢᵗ ᵐᵒᵐᵉⁿᵗ ᵒᶠ ᵐʸ ᶜᵃʳᵉᵉʳ. ⁱ ˢᵗⁱˡˡ ᵈʳᵉᵃᵐ ᵃᵇᵒᵘᵗ ⁱᵗ. ⁱᶠ ⁱ ᶜᵒᵘˡᵈ ᵉʳᵃˢᵉ ᵃ ᵐᵒᵐᵉⁿᵗ ᶠʳᵒᵐ ᵐʸ ᶜᵃʳᵉᵉʳ, ⁱᵗ ʷᵒᵘˡᵈ ᵇᵉ ᵗʰᵃᵗ ᵒⁿᵉ.
ʷʰᵃᵗ ⁱˢ ˢᵒᵐᵉᵗⁱᵐᵉˢ ᶠᵒʳᵍᵒᵗᵗᵉⁿ ⁱˢ ᵗʰᵃᵗ ᵉᵛᵉⁿ ⁱᶠ ⁱ ʰᵃᵈ ˢᶜᵒʳᵉᵈ, ᵇʳᵃᶻⁱˡ ᶜᵒᵘˡᵈ ˢᵗⁱˡˡ ʰᵃᵛᵉ ʷᵒⁿ ʷⁱᵗʰ ᵗʰᵉ ˡᵃˢᵗ ᵖᵉⁿᵃˡᵗʸ ᵇᵉᶜᵃᵘˢᵉ ᵇᵉᶠᵒʳᵉ ᵐᵉ ᵇᵃʳᵉˢⁱ ᵃⁿᵈ ᵐᵃˢˢᵃʳᵒ ʰᵃᵈ ᵇᵒᵗʰ ᵐⁱˢˢᵉᵈ. ᵗʰᵃᵗ’ˢ ᵖᵃʳᵗ ᵒᶠ ᵗʰᵉ ᵍᵃᵐᵉ. ⁱ ᵐⁱˢˢᵉᵈ ᵗʰᵉ ˡᵃˢᵗ ᵖᵉⁿᵃˡᵗʸ, ᵗʰᵉʳᵉᵇʸ ‘ᶜᵃⁿᶜᵉˡˡⁱⁿᵍ ᵒᵘᵗ’ ᵗʰᵒˢᵉ ᵇʸ ᵇᵃʳᵉˢⁱ ᵃⁿᵈ ᵐᵃˢˢᵃʳᵒ. ᵗʰᵉʸ ʰᵃᵈ ᵗᵒ ᶜʰᵒˢᵉ ᵒⁿᵉ ⁱᵐᵃᵍᵉ ᶠʳᵒᵐ ᵗʰᵉ ᶠⁱⁿᵃˡˢ ᵃⁿᵈ ᵗʰᵉʸ ᶜʰᵒˢᵉ ᵐʸ ᵐⁱˢᵗᵃᵏᵉ. ᶠᵒʳ ᵃ ᶜʰᵃⁿᵍᵉ. ᵗʰᵉʸ ʷᵃⁿᵗᵉᵈ ᵃ ˡᵃᵐᵇ ᵗᵒ ˢˡᵃᵘᵍʰᵗᵉʳ ᵃⁿᵈ ᶜʰᵒˢᵉ ᵐᵉ. ᶠᵒʳᵍᵉᵗᵗⁱⁿᵍ ᵗʰᵃᵗ ʷⁱᵗʰᵒᵘᵗ ᵐᵉ ʷᵉ ʷᵒᵘˡᵈ ⁿᵉᵛᵉʳ ʰᵃᵛᵉ ʳᵉᵃᶜʰᵉᵈ ᵗʰᵒˢᵉ ᶠⁱⁿᵃˡˢ. ᵃᶠᵗᵉʳ ᵐʸ ᵐⁱˢˢ ⁱ ˡᵒᵒᵏᵉᵈ ˢᵗᵘⁿⁿᵉᵈ, ᵃⁿᵈ ᵗʰᵃᵗ ˡᵒᵒᵏ ˢᵗᵃʸᵉᵈ ʷⁱᵗʰ ᵐᵉ ᶠᵒʳ ᵃ ˡᵒⁿᵍ ᵗⁱᵐᵉ. ⁱ ʲᵘˢᵗ ᶜᵒᵘˡᵈⁿ’ᵗ ᵃᶜᶜᵉᵖᵗ ʰᵒʷ ⁱᵗ ʰᵃᵈ ᵉⁿᵈᵉᵈ. ʷʰᵉⁿ ᵐʸ ᵗᵉᵃᵐᵐᵃᵗᵉˢ ʷᵉⁿᵗ ᵗᵒ ˢᵘᵖᵖᵉʳ, ⁱ ˡᵒᶜᵏᵉᵈ ᵐʸˢᵉˡᶠ ⁱⁿ ᵐʸ ʳᵒᵒᵐ.
ᵇᵘᵗ ˡᵒᵒᵏⁱⁿᵍ ᵇᵃᶜᵏ ⁱ ʰᵃᵛᵉ ᵗᵒ ˢᵃʸ ᵗʰᵃᵗ ˡᵒˢⁱⁿᵍ ᵃ ʷᵒʳˡᵈ ᶜᵘᵖ ᶠⁱⁿᵃˡ ᵒⁿ ᵖᵉⁿᵃˡᵗⁱᵉˢ ⁱˢ ˢᵒᵐᵉᵗʰⁱⁿᵍ ᵗʰᵃᵗ ⁱ’ˡˡ ⁿᵉᵛᵉʳ ᵃᵍʳᵉᵉ ʷⁱᵗʰ. ⁱᶠ ʸᵒᵘ ˡᵒˢᵉ ᵒⁿ ᵗʰᵉ ᵖⁱᵗᶜʰ, ᵗʰᵃᵗ’ˢ ᶠⁱⁿᵉ, ⁱᵗ’ˢ ʳⁱᵍʰᵗ. ᵉᵛᵉⁿ ⁱᶠ ʸᵒᵘ ᵈᵉˢᵉʳᵛᵉᵈ ˢᵒᵐᵉᵗʰⁱⁿᵍ ᵈⁱᶠᶠᵉʳᵉⁿᵗ. ᵇᵘᵗ ʷⁱᵗʰ ᵖᵉⁿᵃˡᵗⁱᵉˢ, ⁿᵒ, ᵗʰᵃᵗ’ˢ ⁿᵒᵗ ʳⁱᵍʰᵗ. ⁱˢ ⁱᵗ ʳⁱᵍʰᵗ ᵗʰᵃᵗ ᶠᵒᵘʳ ʸᵉᵃʳˢ ᵒᶠ ˢᵃᶜʳⁱᶠⁱᶜᵉ ᵃʳᵉ ᵈᵉᶜⁱᵈᵉᵈ ᵇʸ ᵗʰʳᵉᵉ ᵐⁱⁿᵘᵗᵉˢ ᵒᶠ ᵖᵉⁿᵃˡᵗⁱᵉˢ? ⁱ ᵈᵒⁿ’ᵗ ᵗʰⁱⁿᵏ ˢᵒ. ˡᵒˢⁱⁿᵍ ᵗʰᵃᵗ ʷᵃʸ ⁱˢⁿ’ᵗ ʳⁱᵍʰᵗ, ᵃⁿᵈ ⁿᵉⁱᵗʰᵉʳ ⁱˢ ʷⁱⁿⁿⁱⁿᵍ ᵗʰᵃᵗ ʷᵃʸ. ᵗʰᵉ ᵍᵒˡᵈᵉⁿ ᵍᵒᵃˡ ⁱˢ ᵐᵘᶜʰ ᵇᵉᵗᵗᵉʳ. ᵒʳ ᵗʰᵉ ʷᵃʸ ᵗʰᵉʸ ᵘˢᵉᵈ ᵗᵒ ᵈᵒ ⁱᵗ – ᵖˡᵃʸ ᵃ ʳᵉᵐᵃᵗᶜʰ.
ᵃᶠᵗᵉʳ ᵗʰᵉ ᶠⁱⁿᵃˡ [ᵗᵉᵃᵐ ᵐᵃⁿᵃᵍᵉʳ ᵃʳʳⁱᵍᵒ] ˢᵃᶜᶜʰⁱ’ˢ ᵃᵗᵗⁱᵗᵘᵈᵉ ᵗᵒʷᵃʳᵈˢ ᵐᵉ ᶜʰᵃⁿᵍᵉᵈ ᶜᵒᵐᵖˡᵉᵗᵉˡʸ. ⁱ ʷᵃˢ ²⁷, ᵇᵘᵗ ˢᵃᶜᶜʰⁱ ᶜᵃˡˡᵉᵈ ᵐᵉ ᵘᵖ ˡᵉˢˢ ᵃⁿᵈ ˡᵉˢˢ. ᵗʰᵉ ˡᵃˢᵗ ᵗⁱᵐᵉ ʷᵃˢ ⁶ ˢᵉᵖᵗᵉᵐᵇᵉʳ, ¹⁹⁹⁴. ⁱ ᵖˡᵃʸᵉᵈ ᵗʰᵉ ᶠⁱⁿᵃˡ ᶠᵉʷ ᵐⁱⁿᵘᵗᵉˢ ᵃⁿᵈ ᵗʰᵉⁿ ⁿᵒᵗʰⁱⁿᵍ. ⁱ ʷᵃˢ ʰᵒᵖⁱⁿᵍ ᶠᵒʳ ᵃ ˡⁱᵗᵗˡᵉ ᵍʳᵃᵗⁱᵗᵘᵈᵉ ᶠʳᵒᵐ ʰⁱᵐ. ⁱ ʷᵒᵘˡᵈ ʰᵃᵛᵉ ᵘⁿᵈᵉʳˢᵗᵒᵒᵈ ⁱᶠ ⁱᵗ ʷᵃˢ ᵃ ᵗᵉᶜʰⁿⁱᶜᵃˡ ᵈᵉᶜⁱˢⁱᵒⁿ ᵇᵘᵗ ⁱᵗ ʷᵃˢⁿ’ᵗ. ⁱᵗ ˢᵉᵉᵐᵉᵈ ᵐᵒʳᵉ ᵖᵉʳˢᵒⁿᵃˡ.
ʷᵉ ˢᵃʷ ᵉᵃᶜʰ ᵒᵗʰᵉʳ ⁱⁿ ᶜᵒᵐᵒ, ⁿᵒᵗ ˡᵒⁿᵍ ᵃᵍᵒ, ᵗᵒ ᶠⁱˡᵐ ᵃ ᶜᵒᵐᵐᵉʳᶜⁱᵃˡ ʷʰᵉʳᵉ ᵗʰᵉ ᵖᵉⁿᵃˡᵗʸ ᵃᵗ ᵖᵃˢᵃᵈᵉⁿᵃ ʷᵉⁿᵗ ⁱⁿ ᵃⁿᵈ ʷᵉ ʷᵒⁿ ᵗʰᵉ ʷᵒʳˡᵈ ᶜᵘᵖ. ᵃⁿᵈ ᵗʰᵉ ʰᵘᵍ ᵇᵉᵗʷᵉᵉⁿ ᵐᵉ ᵃⁿᵈ ˢᵃᶜᶜʰⁱ ᵃⁿᵈ ᵐᵉ ʷᵃˢ ᵛᵉʳʸ ʳᵉᵃˡ. ᵈᵘʳⁱⁿᵍ ᵗʰᵉ ˢʰᵒᵒᵗ, ᵉᵛᵉʳʸ ᵗⁱᵐᵉ ʷᵉ ʰᵃᵈ ᵃ ᵇʳᵉᵃᵏ, ᵃˡˡ ʰᵉ ᵈⁱᵈ ʷᵃˢ ᵗᵃˡᵏ ᵗᵒ ᵐᵉ ᵃⁿᵈ ᵗʳʸ ᵗᵒ ᵉˣᵖˡᵃⁱⁿ. ʷᵉ ʷᵉʳᵉ ˢⁱᵗᵗⁱⁿᵍ ᵒⁿ ᵗʷᵒ ᶠᵒᵒᵗᵇᵃˡˡˢ ᵃⁿᵈ ʳᵉᵖˡᵃʸᵉᵈ ᵗʰᵉ ʷᵒʳˡᵈ ᶜᵘᵖ ᶠⁱⁿᵃˡ. ᵃⁿᵈ ᵗʰⁱˢ ᵗⁱᵐᵉ ʷᵉ ʷᵒⁿ ⁱᵗ.Copy to Clipboard
----you-have-to-laugh---, Correct
1)Tigers Woods chip in at the 16th hole in the Masters on April 10th 2005 - voted the greatest in Masters history - https://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/av/golf/47927304
Des Pond - Correct
6) 'Fosbury Flop' - the new way of jumping the high jump
The Fosbury Flop is a jumping style used in the track and field sport of high jump. It was popularized and perfected by American athlete D!ck Fosbury, whose gold medal in the 1968 Summer Olympics in Mexico City brought it to the world's attention. The flop became the dominant style of the event; before Fosbury, most elite jumpers used the straddle technique, Western Roll, Eastern cut-off or scissors jump to clear the bar.
----you-have-to-laugh---, Correct
8)Derek Redmond, 400m Semi final, Barcelona Olympics 1992, pull his hamstring, carried on running alone with all the other runners finished, dad ran on track and helped him to the line, he was disqualified for 'being helped over the line' and being and straying out of lane.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=t2G8KVzTwfw
10)Des Pond - Correct
Soldering becomes first man to beat Nadal at the French Open
He’s won the first 4 between 2005-2008, lost to Soderling in 09, won the next 5 between 2010-2014, this loss was his only one in 9 years at the same tournament.
Des Pond - sort of Correct
11)Messi makes his La Liga debut for Barceloa on the 16th October 2004 v Espanyol
Came on in the 82nd minute for Deco in frnt of 34,500 fans away from home. His actual first team debut was against Mourinho’s Porto in a friendly a year earlier. But the pic below is when he made his first ever league apperance
morpteh mackem - Correct
13) Andreas Escobar's own goal v USA in the 94 World Cup - "occurred in Colombia's second group match, Stretching to block a cross from American midfielder John Harkes, he inadvertently deflected the ball into his own net. The United States took a 1–0 lead and ended up winning 2–1" After the 1994 FIFA World Cup, Escobar decided to return to Colombia instead of visiting relatives in Las Vegas, Nevada.[11] On the evening of 1 July 1994, five days after the elimination of Colombia from the World Cup, Escobar called his friends, and they went to a bar in the El Poblado neighbourhood in Medellín. Then they went to a liquor store. Shortly afterwards, they arrived at the El Indio nightclub. His friends split up. At approximately 3:00 the next morning, Escobar was alone in the parking lot of El Indio, in his car, when three men appeared. They began arguing with him. Two of the men took out handguns. Escobar was shot six times with a .38 calibre pistol. It was reported that the killer shouted "¡Gol!" ("Goal!") after every shot, once for each time the South American football commentator said it during the broadcast. The group then drove away in a Toyota pick-up truck, leaving Escobar to bleed to death. Escobar was taken to the hospital where he died 45 minutes later.
The murder was widely believed to be a punishment for the own goal. In the UK, the BBC issued a public apology after its football pundit Alan Hansen commented during the World Cup's Round of 16 match between Argentina and Romania that "The Argentine defender wants shooting for a mistake like that," on 3 July, a day after the murder of Escobar.
----you-have-to-laugh--- - Correct
14) Ben Johnson winning Gold in the 100m final in Seoul, Korea, 1988
The men's 100 meters at the 1988 Summer Olympics in Seoul, South Korea saw world champion Ben Johnson of Canada defeat defending Olympic champion Carl Lewis of the United States in a world record time of 9.79, breaking his own record of 9.83 that he had set at the 1987 World Championships in Rome. Two days later, Johnson was stripped of his gold medal and world record by the International Olympic Committee (IOC) after he tested positive for stanozolol. The gold medal was then awarded to the original silver medalist Lewis, who had run 9.92. On 30 September 1989, following Johnson's admission to steroid use between 1981 and 1988, the IAAF rescinded his world record of 9.83 from the 1987 World Championship Final and stripped Johnson of his World Championship gold medal, which was also awarded to Lewis, who initially finished second. This made Lewis the first man to repeat as Olympic champion in the 100 metres (second, if Archie Hahn's 1906 Intercalated Games title is recognized) Johnson was not the only participant whose success was questioned: Lewis had tested positive at the Olympic Trials for pseudoephedrine, ephedrine and phenylpropanolamine. Lewis defended himself, claiming that he had accidentally consumed the banned substances. After the supplements that he had taken were analyzed to prove his claims, the USOC accepted his claim of inadvertent use, since a dietary supplement he ingested was found to contain "Ma huang", the Chinese name for Ephedra (ephedrine is known to help weight loss).Fellow Santa Monica Track Club teammates Joe DeLoach and Floyd Heard were also found to have the same banned stimulants in their systems, and were cleared to compete for the same reason
[img]https://community.cdnbf.net/community.betfair.com/user/mesmerised/large/787f0bbab1731d5cb7ae96da994414d1.png?v=260400[img]
morpteh mackem - Correct
15) Roberto Baggio's decisive penalty miss in the World Cup final 1994, Taffarel on his knees celebrating
"it was the toughest moment of my career. before i left for the finals my buddhist spiritual master told me that i would be confronted with a lot of problems and that everything would be decided at the very last minute. at the time i didn’t realize his prediction would be so accurate.
the finals did not start well, and i felt the pressure. there was too much responsibility. after all, it was meant to be ‘my’ world cup. it was falling apart in front of me and i couldn’t make a mark on it. if i hadn’t had my faith in the gohonzon [the entity of the oneness of the person and the law], it would have all been a terrible nightmare. i prayed a lot. the more difficult things got, the more i kept to myself and tried to find my inner strength, often by chanting the daimoku in absolute silence.
but everything changed from the moment i equalised in the final minutes against nigeria. i got the ball, kicked it and it went through the defender’s legs and landed on the right post. it was impossible to save. many people called it lucky, and when you score in the 90th minute there’s always a little bit of luck, but then again… maybe there was something special in that moment. maybe, that time my master gave me a bit more help than usual. or maybe my faith helped me, my belief in myself, my inner peace.
after that goal i stopped feeling so anxious. i started playing with ease. i freed myself once again. it was a fundamental moment. from then on my world cup got a lot better. but i did pick up an injury in the semi-final against bulgaria. it wasn’t anything serious, just a tired muscle, but it affected my preparation for the final. what would have been a minor injury in any other situation was more serious because of the situation. but i was desperate to play. i would have played even if they’d cut off my leg. my appearance in that game still causes controversy but i felt ok, otherwise i wouldn’t have played. i trained the whole morning. i trained in the hotel in a room used for wedding receptions. i had my trainers on and i was kicking the ball against the wall until i was through. my muscles were ok and so were my legs, regardless of the injuries. but the italy team had had a six-hour flight to california while brazil were already there and that was to their advantage. and they had an easier path to the final. maybe at the beginning of the game i couldn’t let go, subconsciously i was worried about hurting myself, but after a while i got over that. however i didn’t have a great game, and neither did the team. we were knackered.
as for the penalty, i don’t want to brag but i’ve only ever missed a couple of penalties in my career. and they were because the goalkeeper saved them not because i shot wide. that’s just so you understand that there is no easy explanation for what happened at pasadena. when i went up to the spot i was pretty lucid, as much as one can be in that kind of situation. i knew taffarel always dived so i decided to shoot for the middle, about halfway up, so he couldn’t get it with his feet. it was an intelligent decision because taffarel did go to his left, and he would never have got to the shot i planned.
unfortunately, and i don’t know how, the ball went up three metres and flew over the crossbar. as for taking the penalty in the first place, i was knackered, but i was the team’s penalty taker. i’ve never run away from my responsibilities. only those who have the courage to take a penalty miss them. i failed that time. period. and it affected me for years. it the worst moment of my career. i still dream about it. if i could erase a moment from my career, it would be that one.
what is sometimes forgotten is that even if i had scored, brazil could still have won with the last penalty because before me baresi and massaro had both missed. that’s part of the game. i missed the last penalty, thereby ‘cancelling out’ those by baresi and massaro. they had to chose one image from the finals and they chose my mistake. for a change. they wanted a lamb to slaughter and chose me. forgetting that without me we would never have reached those finals. after my miss i looked stunned, and that look stayed with me for a long time. i just couldn’t accept how it had ended. when my teammates went to supper, i locked myself in my room.
but looking back i have to say that losing a world cup final on penalties is something that i’ll never agree with. if you lose on the pitch, that’s fine, it’s right. even if you deserved something different. but with penalties, no, that’s not right. is it right that four years of sacrifice are decided by three minutes of penalties? i don’t think so. losing that way isn’t right, and neither is winning that way. the golden goal is much better. or the way they used to do it – play a rematch.
after the final [team manager arrigo] sacchi’s attitude towards me changed completely. i was 27, but sacchi called me up less and less. the last time was 6 september, 1994. i played the final few minutes and then nothing. i was hoping for a little gratitude from him. i would have understood if it was a technical decision but it wasn’t. it seemed more personal.
we saw each other in como, not long ago, to film a commercial where the penalty at pasadena went in and we won the world cup. and the hug between me and sacchi and me was very real. during the shoot, every time we had a break, all he did was talk to me and try to explain. we were sitting on two footballs and replayed the world cup final. and this time we won it."
Aspro, Correct
16) Roger Bannister becoming first person to break the 4 minute mile on the 6th May 1964, clocking 3:59.4
18)Des Pond - Correct
Makwala’s Solo run in the 200m heats to qualify for the World Championships final in 2017
As I remember he claimed the IAAF wanted him out so Van Niekerk could have a free run to Gold, as they needed a new star to replace Bolt, I watched this live, one of the most surreal sporting moments.
Isaac Makwala, a sprinter from Botswana, was granted a rare solo time trial in the 200 meters at the World Championships after he was quarantined following a large norovirus outbreak at the championships. The IAAF’s decision came a day after Makwala was banned from competing in the 400 meter final after officials determined he was affected with the norovirus.
Makwala was allowed to re-run the 200m heats, so he had to do so alone. Makwala needed to clock 20.53 seconds and did so easily, recording 20.20 and then doing five push-ups immediately afterward, proving he’s fit.
That earned Makwala a spot in the semifinals later Wednesday night. Out of lane 1, he finished second in his semifinal in 20.14, raising his right arm convincingly while crossing the finish line. He’s into Thursday’s final.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4dubBBwi8YY
Penance - Correct
21)Tank Man at Tiananmen Square - this photo is not the normal one’s you see, I think it was only published in 2009 for the first time, which is why I posted it.
Tank Man (also known as the Unknown Protester or Unknown Rebel) is the nickname of an unidentified Chinese man who stood in front of a column of tanks leaving Tiananmen Square in Beijing on June 5, 1989, the day after the Chinese government's violent crackdown on the Tiananmen protests. As the lead tank maneuvered to pass by the man, he repeatedly shifted his position in order to obstruct the tank's attempted path around him. The incident was filmed and shared to a worldwide audience. Internationally, it is considered one of the most iconic images of all time. Inside China, the image and the accompanying events are subject to censorship.
Aspro - Correct
23)Oldest photo in the World
View from the Window at Le Gras[2] is a heliographic image and the oldest surviving camera photograph. It was created by French inventor Nicéphore Niépce in either 1826 (February 2–9?) or 1827 in Saint-Loup-de-Varennes, France, and shows parts of the buildings and surrounding countryside of his estate, Le Gras, as seen from a high window.
[ii]3 images below are the original, colourised and enhanced versions
1)Tigers Woods chip in at the 16th hole in the Masters on April 10th 2005 - voted the greatest in Masters history - https://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/av/golf/47927304
Des Pond - Correct
6) 'Fosbury Flop' - the new way of jumping the high jump
The Fosbury Flop is a jumping style used in the track and field sport of high jump. It was popularized and perfected by American athlete D!ck Fosbury, whose gold medal in the 1968 Summer Olympics in Mexico City brought it to the world's attention. The flop became the dominant style of the event; before Fosbury, most elite jumpers used the straddle technique, Western Roll, Eastern cut-off or scissors jump to clear the bar.
----you-have-to-laugh---, Correct
8)Derek Redmond, 400m Semi final, Barcelona Olympics 1992, pull his hamstring, carried on running alone with all the other runners finished, dad ran on track and helped him to the line, he was disqualified for 'being helped over the line' and being and straying out of lane.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=t2G8KVzTwfw
10)Des Pond - Correct
Soldering becomes first man to beat Nadal at the French Open
He’s won the first 4 between 2005-2008, lost to Soderling in 09, won the next 5 between 2010-2014, this loss was his only one in 9 years at the same tournament.
Des Pond - sort of Correct
11)Messi makes his La Liga debut for Barceloa on the 16th October 2004 v Espanyol
Came on in the 82nd minute for Deco in frnt of 34,500 fans away from home. His actual first team debut was against Mourinho’s Porto in a friendly a year earlier. But the pic below is when he made his first ever league apperance
morpteh mackem - Correct
13) Andreas Escobar's own goal v USA in the 94 World Cup - "occurred in Colombia's second group match, Stretching to block a cross from American midfielder John Harkes, he inadvertently deflected the ball into his own net. The United States took a 1–0 lead and ended up winning 2–1" After the 1994 FIFA World Cup, Escobar decided to return to Colombia instead of visiting relatives in Las Vegas, Nevada.[11] On the evening of 1 July 1994, five days after the elimination of Colombia from the World Cup, Escobar called his friends, and they went to a bar in the El Poblado neighbourhood in Medellín. Then they went to a liquor store. Shortly afterwards, they arrived at the El Indio nightclub. His friends split up. At approximately 3:00 the next morning, Escobar was alone in the parking lot of El Indio, in his car, when three men appeared. They began arguing with him. Two of the men took out handguns. Escobar was shot six times with a .38 calibre pistol. It was reported that the killer shouted "¡Gol!" ("Goal!") after every shot, once for each time the South American football commentator said it during the broadcast. The group then drove away in a Toyota pick-up truck, leaving Escobar to bleed to death. Escobar was taken to the hospital where he died 45 minutes later.
The murder was widely believed to be a punishment for the own goal. In the UK, the BBC issued a public apology after its football pundit Alan Hansen commented during the World Cup's Round of 16 match between Argentina and Romania that "The Argentine defender wants shooting for a mistake like that," on 3 July, a day after the murder of Escobar.
----you-have-to-laugh--- - Correct
14) Ben Johnson winning Gold in the 100m final in Seoul, Korea, 1988
The men's 100 meters at the 1988 Summer Olympics in Seoul, South Korea saw world champion Ben Johnson of Canada defeat defending Olympic champion Carl Lewis of the United States in a world record time of 9.79, breaking his own record of 9.83 that he had set at the 1987 World Championships in Rome. Two days later, Johnson was stripped of his gold medal and world record by the International Olympic Committee (IOC) after he tested positive for stanozolol. The gold medal was then awarded to the original silver medalist Lewis, who had run 9.92. On 30 September 1989, following Johnson's admission to steroid use between 1981 and 1988, the IAAF rescinded his world record of 9.83 from the 1987 World Championship Final and stripped Johnson of his World Championship gold medal, which was also awarded to Lewis, who initially finished second. This made Lewis the first man to repeat as Olympic champion in the 100 metres (second, if Archie Hahn's 1906 Intercalated Games title is recognized) Johnson was not the only participant whose success was questioned: Lewis had tested positive at the Olympic Trials for pseudoephedrine, ephedrine and phenylpropanolamine. Lewis defended himself, claiming that he had accidentally consumed the banned substances. After the supplements that he had taken were analyzed to prove his claims, the USOC accepted his claim of inadvertent use, since a dietary supplement he ingested was found to contain "Ma huang", the Chinese name for Ephedra (ephedrine is known to help weight loss).Fellow Santa Monica Track Club teammates Joe DeLoach and Floyd Heard were also found to have the same banned stimulants in their systems, and were cleared to compete for the same reason
[img]https://community.cdnbf.net/community.betfair.com/user/mesmerised/large/787f0bbab1731d5cb7ae96da994414d1.png?v=260400[img]
morpteh mackem - Correct
15) Roberto Baggio's decisive penalty miss in the World Cup final 1994, Taffarel on his knees celebrating
"it was the toughest moment of my career. before i left for the finals my buddhist spiritual master told me that i would be confronted with a lot of problems and that everything would be decided at the very last minute. at the time i didn’t realize his prediction would be so accurate.
the finals did not start well, and i felt the pressure. there was too much responsibility. after all, it was meant to be ‘my’ world cup. it was falling apart in front of me and i couldn’t make a mark on it. if i hadn’t had my faith in the gohonzon [the entity of the oneness of the person and the law], it would have all been a terrible nightmare. i prayed a lot. the more difficult things got, the more i kept to myself and tried to find my inner strength, often by chanting the daimoku in absolute silence.
but everything changed from the moment i equalised in the final minutes against nigeria. i got the ball, kicked it and it went through the defender’s legs and landed on the right post. it was impossible to save. many people called it lucky, and when you score in the 90th minute there’s always a little bit of luck, but then again… maybe there was something special in that moment. maybe, that time my master gave me a bit more help than usual. or maybe my faith helped me, my belief in myself, my inner peace.
after that goal i stopped feeling so anxious. i started playing with ease. i freed myself once again. it was a fundamental moment. from then on my world cup got a lot better. but i did pick up an injury in the semi-final against bulgaria. it wasn’t anything serious, just a tired muscle, but it affected my preparation for the final. what would have been a minor injury in any other situation was more serious because of the situation. but i was desperate to play. i would have played even if they’d cut off my leg. my appearance in that game still causes controversy but i felt ok, otherwise i wouldn’t have played. i trained the whole morning. i trained in the hotel in a room used for wedding receptions. i had my trainers on and i was kicking the ball against the wall until i was through. my muscles were ok and so were my legs, regardless of the injuries. but the italy team had had a six-hour flight to california while brazil were already there and that was to their advantage. and they had an easier path to the final. maybe at the beginning of the game i couldn’t let go, subconsciously i was worried about hurting myself, but after a while i got over that. however i didn’t have a great game, and neither did the team. we were knackered.
as for the penalty, i don’t want to brag but i’ve only ever missed a couple of penalties in my career. and they were because the goalkeeper saved them not because i shot wide. that’s just so you understand that there is no easy explanation for what happened at pasadena. when i went up to the spot i was pretty lucid, as much as one can be in that kind of situation. i knew taffarel always dived so i decided to shoot for the middle, about halfway up, so he couldn’t get it with his feet. it was an intelligent decision because taffarel did go to his left, and he would never have got to the shot i planned.
unfortunately, and i don’t know how, the ball went up three metres and flew over the crossbar. as for taking the penalty in the first place, i was knackered, but i was the team’s penalty taker. i’ve never run away from my responsibilities. only those who have the courage to take a penalty miss them. i failed that time. period. and it affected me for years. it the worst moment of my career. i still dream about it. if i could erase a moment from my career, it would be that one.
what is sometimes forgotten is that even if i had scored, brazil could still have won with the last penalty because before me baresi and massaro had both missed. that’s part of the game. i missed the last penalty, thereby ‘cancelling out’ those by baresi and massaro. they had to chose one image from the finals and they chose my mistake. for a change. they wanted a lamb to slaughter and chose me. forgetting that without me we would never have reached those finals. after my miss i looked stunned, and that look stayed with me for a long time. i just couldn’t accept how it had ended. when my teammates went to supper, i locked myself in my room.
but looking back i have to say that losing a world cup final on penalties is something that i’ll never agree with. if you lose on the pitch, that’s fine, it’s right. even if you deserved something different. but with penalties, no, that’s not right. is it right that four years of sacrifice are decided by three minutes of penalties? i don’t think so. losing that way isn’t right, and neither is winning that way. the golden goal is much better. or the way they used to do it – play a rematch.
after the final [team manager arrigo] sacchi’s attitude towards me changed completely. i was 27, but sacchi called me up less and less. the last time was 6 september, 1994. i played the final few minutes and then nothing. i was hoping for a little gratitude from him. i would have understood if it was a technical decision but it wasn’t. it seemed more personal.
we saw each other in como, not long ago, to film a commercial where the penalty at pasadena went in and we won the world cup. and the hug between me and sacchi and me was very real. during the shoot, every time we had a break, all he did was talk to me and try to explain. we were sitting on two footballs and replayed the world cup final. and this time we won it."
Aspro, Correct
16) Roger Bannister becoming first person to break the 4 minute mile on the 6th May 1964, clocking 3:59.4
18)Des Pond - Correct
Makwala’s Solo run in the 200m heats to qualify for the World Championships final in 2017
As I remember he claimed the IAAF wanted him out so Van Niekerk could have a free run to Gold, as they needed a new star to replace Bolt, I watched this live, one of the most surreal sporting moments.
Isaac Makwala, a sprinter from Botswana, was granted a rare solo time trial in the 200 meters at the World Championships after he was quarantined following a large norovirus outbreak at the championships. The IAAF’s decision came a day after Makwala was banned from competing in the 400 meter final after officials determined he was affected with the norovirus.
Makwala was allowed to re-run the 200m heats, so he had to do so alone. Makwala needed to clock 20.53 seconds and did so easily, recording 20.20 and then doing five push-ups immediately afterward, proving he’s fit.
That earned Makwala a spot in the semifinals later Wednesday night. Out of lane 1, he finished second in his semifinal in 20.14, raising his right arm convincingly while crossing the finish line. He’s into Thursday’s final.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4dubBBwi8YY
Penance - Correct
21)Tank Man at Tiananmen Square - this photo is not the normal one’s you see, I think it was only published in 2009 for the first time, which is why I posted it.
Tank Man (also known as the Unknown Protester or Unknown Rebel) is the nickname of an unidentified Chinese man who stood in front of a column of tanks leaving Tiananmen Square in Beijing on June 5, 1989, the day after the Chinese government's violent crackdown on the Tiananmen protests. As the lead tank maneuvered to pass by the man, he repeatedly shifted his position in order to obstruct the tank's attempted path around him. The incident was filmed and shared to a worldwide audience. Internationally, it is considered one of the most iconic images of all time. Inside China, the image and the accompanying events are subject to censorship.
Aspro - Correct
23)Oldest photo in the World
View from the Window at Le Gras[2] is a heliographic image and the oldest surviving camera photograph. It was created by French inventor Nicéphore Niépce in either 1826 (February 2–9?) or 1827 in Saint-Loup-de-Varennes, France, and shows parts of the buildings and surrounding countryside of his estate, Le Gras, as seen from a high window.
[ii]3 images below are the original, colourised and enhanced versions
----you-have-to-laugh---, Correct
1)Tigers Woods chip in at the 16th hole in the Masters on April 10th 2005 - voted the greatest in Masters history - https://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/av/golf/47927304
Des Pond - Correct
6) 'Fosbury Flop' - the new way of jumping the high jump
The Fosbury Flop is a jumping style used in the track and field sport of high jump. It was popularized and perfected by American athlete D!ck Fosbury, whose gold medal in the 1968 Summer Olympics in Mexico City brought it to the world's attention. The flop became the dominant style of the event; before Fosbury, most elite jumpers used the straddle technique, Western Roll, Eastern cut-off or scissors jump to clear the bar.
----you-have-to-laugh---, Correct
8)Derek Redmond, 400m Semi final, Barcelona Olympics 1992, pull his hamstring, carried on running alone with all the other runners finished, dad ran on track and helped him to the line, he was disqualified for 'being helped over the line' and being and straying out of lane.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=t2G8KVzTwfw
10)Des Pond - Correct
Soldering becomes first man to beat Nadal at the French Open
He’s won the first 4 between 2005-2008, lost to Soderling in 09, won the next 5 between 2010-2014, this loss was his only one in 9 years at the same tournament.
Des Pond - sort of Correct
11)Messi makes his La Liga debut for Barceloa on the 16th October 2004 v Espanyol
Came on in the 82nd minute for Deco in frnt of 34,500 fans away from home. His actual first team debut was against Mourinho’s Porto in a friendly a year earlier. But the pic below is when he made his first ever league apperance
morpteh mackem - Correct
13) Andreas Escobar's own goal v USA in the 94 World Cup - "occurred in Colombia's second group match, Stretching to block a cross from American midfielder John Harkes, he inadvertently deflected the ball into his own net. The United States took a 1–0 lead and ended up winning 2–1" After the 1994 FIFA World Cup, Escobar decided to return to Colombia instead of visiting relatives in Las Vegas, Nevada.[11] On the evening of 1 July 1994, five days after the elimination of Colombia from the World Cup, Escobar called his friends, and they went to a bar in the El Poblado neighbourhood in Medellín. Then they went to a liquor store. Shortly afterwards, they arrived at the El Indio nightclub. His friends split up. At approximately 3:00 the next morning, Escobar was alone in the parking lot of El Indio, in his car, when three men appeared. They began arguing with him. Two of the men took out handguns. Escobar was shot six times with a .38 calibre pistol. It was reported that the killer shouted "¡Gol!" ("Goal!") after every shot, once for each time the South American football commentator said it during the broadcast. The group then drove away in a Toyota pick-up truck, leaving Escobar to bleed to death. Escobar was taken to the hospital where he died 45 minutes later.
The murder was widely believed to be a punishment for the own goal. In the UK, the BBC issued a public apology after its football pundit Alan Hansen commented during the World Cup's Round of 16 match between Argentina and Romania that "The Argentine defender wants shooting for a mistake like that," on 3 July, a day after the murder of Escobar.
----you-have-to-laugh--- - Correct
14) Ben Johnson winning Gold in the 100m final in Seoul, Korea, 1988
The men's 100 meters at the 1988 Summer Olympics in Seoul, South Korea saw world champion Ben Johnson of Canada defeat defending Olympic champion Carl Lewis of the United States in a world record time of 9.79, breaking his own record of 9.83 that he had set at the 1987 World Championships in Rome. Two days later, Johnson was stripped of his gold medal and world record by the International Olympic Committee (IOC) after he tested positive for stanozolol. The gold medal was then awarded to the original silver medalist Lewis, who had run 9.92. On 30 September 1989, following Johnson's admission to steroid use between 1981 and 1988, the IAAF rescinded his world record of 9.83 from the 1987 World Championship Final and stripped Johnson of his World Championship gold medal, which was also awarded to Lewis, who initially finished second. This made Lewis the first man to repeat as Olympic champion in the 100 metres (second, if Archie Hahn's 1906 Intercalated Games title is recognized) Johnson was not the only participant whose success was questioned: Lewis had tested positive at the Olympic Trials for pseudoephedrine, ephedrine and phenylpropanolamine. Lewis defended himself, claiming that he had accidentally consumed the banned substances. After the supplements that he had taken were analyzed to prove his claims, the USOC accepted his claim of inadvertent use, since a dietary supplement he ingested was found to contain "Ma huang", the Chinese name for Ephedra (ephedrine is known to help weight loss).Fellow Santa Monica Track Club teammates Joe DeLoach and Floyd Heard were also found to have the same banned stimulants in their systems, and were cleared to compete for the same reason
morpteh mackem - Correct
15) Roberto Baggio's decisive penalty miss in the World Cup final 1994, Taffarel on his knees celebrating
"it was the toughest moment of my career. before i left for the finals my buddhist spiritual master told me that i would be confronted with a lot of problems and that everything would be decided at the very last minute. at the time i didn’t realize his prediction would be so accurate.
the finals did not start well, and i felt the pressure. there was too much responsibility. after all, it was meant to be ‘my’ world cup. it was falling apart in front of me and i couldn’t make a mark on it. if i hadn’t had my faith in the gohonzon [the entity of the oneness of the person and the law], it would have all been a terrible nightmare. i prayed a lot. the more difficult things got, the more i kept to myself and tried to find my inner strength, often by chanting the daimoku in absolute silence.
but everything changed from the moment i equalised in the final minutes against nigeria. i got the ball, kicked it and it went through the defender’s legs and landed on the right post. it was impossible to save. many people called it lucky, and when you score in the 90th minute there’s always a little bit of luck, but then again… maybe there was something special in that moment. maybe, that time my master gave me a bit more help than usual. or maybe my faith helped me, my belief in myself, my inner peace.
after that goal i stopped feeling so anxious. i started playing with ease. i freed myself once again. it was a fundamental moment. from then on my world cup got a lot better. but i did pick up an injury in the semi-final against bulgaria. it wasn’t anything serious, just a tired muscle, but it affected my preparation for the final. what would have been a minor injury in any other situation was more serious because of the situation. but i was desperate to play. i would have played even if they’d cut off my leg. my appearance in that game still causes controversy but i felt ok, otherwise i wouldn’t have played. i trained the whole morning. i trained in the hotel in a room used for wedding receptions. i had my trainers on and i was kicking the ball against the wall until i was through. my muscles were ok and so were my legs, regardless of the injuries. but the italy team had had a six-hour flight to california while brazil were already there and that was to their advantage. and they had an easier path to the final. maybe at the beginning of the game i couldn’t let go, subconsciously i was worried about hurting myself, but after a while i got over that. however i didn’t have a great game, and neither did the team. we were knackered.
as for the penalty, i don’t want to brag but i’ve only ever missed a couple of penalties in my career. and they were because the goalkeeper saved them not because i shot wide. that’s just so you understand that there is no easy explanation for what happened at pasadena. when i went up to the spot i was pretty lucid, as much as one can be in that kind of situation. i knew taffarel always dived so i decided to shoot for the middle, about halfway up, so he couldn’t get it with his feet. it was an intelligent decision because taffarel did go to his left, and he would never have got to the shot i planned.
unfortunately, and i don’t know how, the ball went up three metres and flew over the crossbar. as for taking the penalty in the first place, i was knackered, but i was the team’s penalty taker. i’ve never run away from my responsibilities. only those who have the courage to take a penalty miss them. i failed that time. period. and it affected me for years. it the worst moment of my career. i still dream about it. if i could erase a moment from my career, it would be that one.
what is sometimes forgotten is that even if i had scored, brazil could still have won with the last penalty because before me baresi and massaro had both missed. that’s part of the game. i missed the last penalty, thereby ‘cancelling out’ those by baresi and massaro. they had to chose one image from the finals and they chose my mistake. for a change. they wanted a lamb to slaughter and chose me. forgetting that without me we would never have reached those finals. after my miss i looked stunned, and that look stayed with me for a long time. i just couldn’t accept how it had ended. when my teammates went to supper, i locked myself in my room.
but looking back i have to say that losing a world cup final on penalties is something that i’ll never agree with. if you lose on the pitch, that’s fine, it’s right. even if you deserved something different. but with penalties, no, that’s not right. is it right that four years of sacrifice are decided by three minutes of penalties? i don’t think so. losing that way isn’t right, and neither is winning that way. the golden goal is much better. or the way they used to do it – play a rematch.
after the final [team manager arrigo] sacchi’s attitude towards me changed completely. i was 27, but sacchi called me up less and less. the last time was 6 september, 1994. i played the final few minutes and then nothing. i was hoping for a little gratitude from him. i would have understood if it was a technical decision but it wasn’t. it seemed more personal.
we saw each other in como, not long ago, to film a commercial where the penalty at pasadena went in and we won the world cup. and the hug between me and sacchi and me was very real. during the shoot, every time we had a break, all he did was talk to me and try to explain. we were sitting on two footballs and replayed the world cup final. and this time we won it."
Aspro, Correct
16) Roger Bannister becoming first person to break the 4 minute mile on the 6th May 1964, clocking 3:59.4
18)Des Pond - Correct
Makwala’s Solo run in the 200m heats to qualify for the World Championships final in 2017
As I remember he claimed the IAAF wanted him out so Van Niekerk could have a free run to Gold, as they needed a new star to replace Bolt, I watched this live, one of the most surreal sporting moments.
Isaac Makwala, a sprinter from Botswana, was granted a rare solo time trial in the 200 meters at the World Championships after he was quarantined following a large norovirus outbreak at the championships. The IAAF’s decision came a day after Makwala was banned from competing in the 400 meter final after officials determined he was affected with the norovirus.
Makwala was allowed to re-run the 200m heats, so he had to do so alone. Makwala needed to clock 20.53 seconds and did so easily, recording 20.20 and then doing five push-ups immediately afterward, proving he’s fit.
That earned Makwala a spot in the semifinals later Wednesday night. Out of lane 1, he finished second in his semifinal in 20.14, raising his right arm convincingly while crossing the finish line. He’s into Thursday’s final.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4dubBBwi8YY
Penance - Correct
21)Tank Man at Tiananmen Square - this photo is not the normal one’s you see, I think it was only published in 2009 for the first time, which is why I posted it.
Tank Man (also known as the Unknown Protester or Unknown Rebel) is the nickname of an unidentified Chinese man who stood in front of a column of tanks leaving Tiananmen Square in Beijing on June 5, 1989, the day after the Chinese government's violent crackdown on the Tiananmen protests. As the lead tank maneuvered to pass by the man, he repeatedly shifted his position in order to obstruct the tank's attempted path around him. The incident was filmed and shared to a worldwide audience. Internationally, it is considered one of the most iconic images of all time. Inside China, the image and the accompanying events are subject to censorship.
Aspro - Correct
23)Oldest photo in the World
View from the Window at Le Gras[2] is a heliographic image and the oldest surviving camera photograph. It was created by French inventor Nicéphore Niépce in either 1826 (February 2–9?) or 1827 in Saint-Loup-de-Varennes, France, and shows parts of the buildings and surrounding countryside of his estate, Le Gras, as seen from a high window.
[ii]3 images below are the original, colourised and enhanced versions
1)Tigers Woods chip in at the 16th hole in the Masters on April 10th 2005 - voted the greatest in Masters history - https://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/av/golf/47927304
Des Pond - Correct
6) 'Fosbury Flop' - the new way of jumping the high jump
The Fosbury Flop is a jumping style used in the track and field sport of high jump. It was popularized and perfected by American athlete D!ck Fosbury, whose gold medal in the 1968 Summer Olympics in Mexico City brought it to the world's attention. The flop became the dominant style of the event; before Fosbury, most elite jumpers used the straddle technique, Western Roll, Eastern cut-off or scissors jump to clear the bar.
----you-have-to-laugh---, Correct
8)Derek Redmond, 400m Semi final, Barcelona Olympics 1992, pull his hamstring, carried on running alone with all the other runners finished, dad ran on track and helped him to the line, he was disqualified for 'being helped over the line' and being and straying out of lane.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=t2G8KVzTwfw
10)Des Pond - Correct
Soldering becomes first man to beat Nadal at the French Open
He’s won the first 4 between 2005-2008, lost to Soderling in 09, won the next 5 between 2010-2014, this loss was his only one in 9 years at the same tournament.
Des Pond - sort of Correct
11)Messi makes his La Liga debut for Barceloa on the 16th October 2004 v Espanyol
Came on in the 82nd minute for Deco in frnt of 34,500 fans away from home. His actual first team debut was against Mourinho’s Porto in a friendly a year earlier. But the pic below is when he made his first ever league apperance
morpteh mackem - Correct
13) Andreas Escobar's own goal v USA in the 94 World Cup - "occurred in Colombia's second group match, Stretching to block a cross from American midfielder John Harkes, he inadvertently deflected the ball into his own net. The United States took a 1–0 lead and ended up winning 2–1" After the 1994 FIFA World Cup, Escobar decided to return to Colombia instead of visiting relatives in Las Vegas, Nevada.[11] On the evening of 1 July 1994, five days after the elimination of Colombia from the World Cup, Escobar called his friends, and they went to a bar in the El Poblado neighbourhood in Medellín. Then they went to a liquor store. Shortly afterwards, they arrived at the El Indio nightclub. His friends split up. At approximately 3:00 the next morning, Escobar was alone in the parking lot of El Indio, in his car, when three men appeared. They began arguing with him. Two of the men took out handguns. Escobar was shot six times with a .38 calibre pistol. It was reported that the killer shouted "¡Gol!" ("Goal!") after every shot, once for each time the South American football commentator said it during the broadcast. The group then drove away in a Toyota pick-up truck, leaving Escobar to bleed to death. Escobar was taken to the hospital where he died 45 minutes later.
The murder was widely believed to be a punishment for the own goal. In the UK, the BBC issued a public apology after its football pundit Alan Hansen commented during the World Cup's Round of 16 match between Argentina and Romania that "The Argentine defender wants shooting for a mistake like that," on 3 July, a day after the murder of Escobar.
----you-have-to-laugh--- - Correct
14) Ben Johnson winning Gold in the 100m final in Seoul, Korea, 1988
The men's 100 meters at the 1988 Summer Olympics in Seoul, South Korea saw world champion Ben Johnson of Canada defeat defending Olympic champion Carl Lewis of the United States in a world record time of 9.79, breaking his own record of 9.83 that he had set at the 1987 World Championships in Rome. Two days later, Johnson was stripped of his gold medal and world record by the International Olympic Committee (IOC) after he tested positive for stanozolol. The gold medal was then awarded to the original silver medalist Lewis, who had run 9.92. On 30 September 1989, following Johnson's admission to steroid use between 1981 and 1988, the IAAF rescinded his world record of 9.83 from the 1987 World Championship Final and stripped Johnson of his World Championship gold medal, which was also awarded to Lewis, who initially finished second. This made Lewis the first man to repeat as Olympic champion in the 100 metres (second, if Archie Hahn's 1906 Intercalated Games title is recognized) Johnson was not the only participant whose success was questioned: Lewis had tested positive at the Olympic Trials for pseudoephedrine, ephedrine and phenylpropanolamine. Lewis defended himself, claiming that he had accidentally consumed the banned substances. After the supplements that he had taken were analyzed to prove his claims, the USOC accepted his claim of inadvertent use, since a dietary supplement he ingested was found to contain "Ma huang", the Chinese name for Ephedra (ephedrine is known to help weight loss).Fellow Santa Monica Track Club teammates Joe DeLoach and Floyd Heard were also found to have the same banned stimulants in their systems, and were cleared to compete for the same reason
morpteh mackem - Correct
15) Roberto Baggio's decisive penalty miss in the World Cup final 1994, Taffarel on his knees celebrating
"it was the toughest moment of my career. before i left for the finals my buddhist spiritual master told me that i would be confronted with a lot of problems and that everything would be decided at the very last minute. at the time i didn’t realize his prediction would be so accurate.
the finals did not start well, and i felt the pressure. there was too much responsibility. after all, it was meant to be ‘my’ world cup. it was falling apart in front of me and i couldn’t make a mark on it. if i hadn’t had my faith in the gohonzon [the entity of the oneness of the person and the law], it would have all been a terrible nightmare. i prayed a lot. the more difficult things got, the more i kept to myself and tried to find my inner strength, often by chanting the daimoku in absolute silence.
but everything changed from the moment i equalised in the final minutes against nigeria. i got the ball, kicked it and it went through the defender’s legs and landed on the right post. it was impossible to save. many people called it lucky, and when you score in the 90th minute there’s always a little bit of luck, but then again… maybe there was something special in that moment. maybe, that time my master gave me a bit more help than usual. or maybe my faith helped me, my belief in myself, my inner peace.
after that goal i stopped feeling so anxious. i started playing with ease. i freed myself once again. it was a fundamental moment. from then on my world cup got a lot better. but i did pick up an injury in the semi-final against bulgaria. it wasn’t anything serious, just a tired muscle, but it affected my preparation for the final. what would have been a minor injury in any other situation was more serious because of the situation. but i was desperate to play. i would have played even if they’d cut off my leg. my appearance in that game still causes controversy but i felt ok, otherwise i wouldn’t have played. i trained the whole morning. i trained in the hotel in a room used for wedding receptions. i had my trainers on and i was kicking the ball against the wall until i was through. my muscles were ok and so were my legs, regardless of the injuries. but the italy team had had a six-hour flight to california while brazil were already there and that was to their advantage. and they had an easier path to the final. maybe at the beginning of the game i couldn’t let go, subconsciously i was worried about hurting myself, but after a while i got over that. however i didn’t have a great game, and neither did the team. we were knackered.
as for the penalty, i don’t want to brag but i’ve only ever missed a couple of penalties in my career. and they were because the goalkeeper saved them not because i shot wide. that’s just so you understand that there is no easy explanation for what happened at pasadena. when i went up to the spot i was pretty lucid, as much as one can be in that kind of situation. i knew taffarel always dived so i decided to shoot for the middle, about halfway up, so he couldn’t get it with his feet. it was an intelligent decision because taffarel did go to his left, and he would never have got to the shot i planned.
unfortunately, and i don’t know how, the ball went up three metres and flew over the crossbar. as for taking the penalty in the first place, i was knackered, but i was the team’s penalty taker. i’ve never run away from my responsibilities. only those who have the courage to take a penalty miss them. i failed that time. period. and it affected me for years. it the worst moment of my career. i still dream about it. if i could erase a moment from my career, it would be that one.
what is sometimes forgotten is that even if i had scored, brazil could still have won with the last penalty because before me baresi and massaro had both missed. that’s part of the game. i missed the last penalty, thereby ‘cancelling out’ those by baresi and massaro. they had to chose one image from the finals and they chose my mistake. for a change. they wanted a lamb to slaughter and chose me. forgetting that without me we would never have reached those finals. after my miss i looked stunned, and that look stayed with me for a long time. i just couldn’t accept how it had ended. when my teammates went to supper, i locked myself in my room.
but looking back i have to say that losing a world cup final on penalties is something that i’ll never agree with. if you lose on the pitch, that’s fine, it’s right. even if you deserved something different. but with penalties, no, that’s not right. is it right that four years of sacrifice are decided by three minutes of penalties? i don’t think so. losing that way isn’t right, and neither is winning that way. the golden goal is much better. or the way they used to do it – play a rematch.
after the final [team manager arrigo] sacchi’s attitude towards me changed completely. i was 27, but sacchi called me up less and less. the last time was 6 september, 1994. i played the final few minutes and then nothing. i was hoping for a little gratitude from him. i would have understood if it was a technical decision but it wasn’t. it seemed more personal.
we saw each other in como, not long ago, to film a commercial where the penalty at pasadena went in and we won the world cup. and the hug between me and sacchi and me was very real. during the shoot, every time we had a break, all he did was talk to me and try to explain. we were sitting on two footballs and replayed the world cup final. and this time we won it."
Aspro, Correct
16) Roger Bannister becoming first person to break the 4 minute mile on the 6th May 1964, clocking 3:59.4
18)Des Pond - Correct
Makwala’s Solo run in the 200m heats to qualify for the World Championships final in 2017
As I remember he claimed the IAAF wanted him out so Van Niekerk could have a free run to Gold, as they needed a new star to replace Bolt, I watched this live, one of the most surreal sporting moments.
Isaac Makwala, a sprinter from Botswana, was granted a rare solo time trial in the 200 meters at the World Championships after he was quarantined following a large norovirus outbreak at the championships. The IAAF’s decision came a day after Makwala was banned from competing in the 400 meter final after officials determined he was affected with the norovirus.
Makwala was allowed to re-run the 200m heats, so he had to do so alone. Makwala needed to clock 20.53 seconds and did so easily, recording 20.20 and then doing five push-ups immediately afterward, proving he’s fit.
That earned Makwala a spot in the semifinals later Wednesday night. Out of lane 1, he finished second in his semifinal in 20.14, raising his right arm convincingly while crossing the finish line. He’s into Thursday’s final.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4dubBBwi8YY
Penance - Correct
21)Tank Man at Tiananmen Square - this photo is not the normal one’s you see, I think it was only published in 2009 for the first time, which is why I posted it.
Tank Man (also known as the Unknown Protester or Unknown Rebel) is the nickname of an unidentified Chinese man who stood in front of a column of tanks leaving Tiananmen Square in Beijing on June 5, 1989, the day after the Chinese government's violent crackdown on the Tiananmen protests. As the lead tank maneuvered to pass by the man, he repeatedly shifted his position in order to obstruct the tank's attempted path around him. The incident was filmed and shared to a worldwide audience. Internationally, it is considered one of the most iconic images of all time. Inside China, the image and the accompanying events are subject to censorship.
Aspro - Correct
23)Oldest photo in the World
View from the Window at Le Gras[2] is a heliographic image and the oldest surviving camera photograph. It was created by French inventor Nicéphore Niépce in either 1826 (February 2–9?) or 1827 in Saint-Loup-de-Varennes, France, and shows parts of the buildings and surrounding countryside of his estate, Le Gras, as seen from a high window.
[ii]3 images below are the original, colourised and enhanced versions
Sun rises on Wimbledon, filled with Strawberries and cream, Pimms and ice cubes crushed, along with many hopes and dreams, tales from Barker and chums, we’ve heard a million times before, no more Boris, but there’s someone knocking on his prison door. Henman Hill alive with the sound of clanging glasses, held aloft by toffs and sozzled middle classes. Castle’s on the mic, with his generic drools, first week passes, with obligatory slips and falls. A Federerless draw breaks a new dawn, a young Spaniard rises, a new star is born. Plucky Brits all out by round 2, the media cries, Konta hung up her racquet too early, an Aussie in disguise. Come on Tim, yells from the back row, You cannot be Serious, winces McEnroe. English Rose set to bloom, an injured Emma, grass’s come to soon. People’s Sunday is no more, second Sunday yields cheers galore, as the Sun will set on courts evergreen, 2 weeks will pass, with Tennis never before seen. The Golden trophy’s sealed with a kiss, the race to Goatness, brings a new twist.
Ladies, Gentleman, Welcome…..to Wimbledon 2022
Section 1
Novak’s first round Korean opponent will be Kwon too soon and Novak will probably finish the tournament over the moon with his his 21st grand slam title, is the very boring and inevitable conclusion, so instead of making it a tedious read I shall be making an alternative pick for the Wimbledon title on the off chance the apple cart in 2 weeks time has been upset. In the meantime Novax’s likely route to the final looks like Kwon > The Kokk > Kecmanovic > Opelka/Van Rijthoven > Alcatrash > Hurkacz/Norrie/Dimtrov > Berrettini/Kyrgios/Felix/Nadal, he’s 1.8 to win.
One interesting player in Novak’s quarter is the late bloomer, 25 year old Dutchman Van Rijthoven who had never won an ATP level match before last week, he’ll will have to get through Delbonis > Opelka > Basilashvili to met him in Round 4, he was given a Wildcard after winning Hertogenbosch last week, one of 3 Dutchman in the field he’s suffered wrist injuries for the last few years putting him in a false ranking position, just by winning his home tournament after being odds against in all 5 matches beating 3 top 15 players along the way including the exiled, transitional World number 1, Medvedev, he jumped 100 places and almost doubled his ranking points. Fellow Dutchie and former coach krajicek cites his new found strong mentality mentioning this area had been a weak point in previous years. Demonstrated the key attributes of spin and slice on the faster surface that used on grass will cause even the best players problems. This time last year he was playing in an ITF tournie called ‘M25 The Hague’, no me neither. Don’t see any reason why he can’t reach R4, Good luck to him.
Alcaraz has no real grass court history having only played just 2 matches on tour on the surface and both at Wimbledon last year and being beaten by Med in straights in the second, though he played fairly well for a debutant despite winning few games, given how short the grass season is and how few tournaments anyone plays on it, it will take him more time to adapt just as Nadal did at the same age being Mulled by Gilles in Round 2 in 2005, he’ll need to change his second serve as the kick serve will not be as effective and will need to incorporate more slice on it. He missed Queen’s with a ‘slight elbow injury’ which doesn’t help, it’s one surface where you need practice as you have very little muscle memory when it comes to footwork (maybe except for older players were rest is more beneficial), at least for the first week, second week with warmer weather and worn ground it’d feel more like a hard court, or harder court. His likely route to the quarters is Struff > Griekspoor > Clarke > Isner/Sinner/Murray. Can’t see Struff having any kind of Stuttgart inspired run from 3 years ago. Griekspoor is extremely limited, I’m probably being generous having Clarke reaching round 3 and Murray is a big question mark with his recent injuries and no warm up matches for this tournament. All that aside, Carlos is way too dynamic a player not to win this tournament at some point in the future even if his run ends here in the quarters which it probably will do,.“ Asked if he could be a contender on grass, Alcaraz said: “I hope so but I don’t think this year it’s going to be my surface. For sure in the future I can play pretty good on this surface if I play tournaments before Wimbledon and I think I will feel comfortable playing on this surface.”
10th seed Sinner has never won a grass court match at tour level and starts with Stan I must point to the head after winning key points Wawrinka, I’d imagine with no ranking points Stan will not be as motivated as he would be ordinarily given he’s been relying on Wildcards this year to build up on his 235th position in the world, it’s points he needs given his realistic chance of winning the main prize is slim to zero he’ll probably tank this giving Sinner his first win. I’d be surprised if he exerted much energy at his age to win a load of matches here that will inhibit his chances of climbing the rankings during the American swing. Murray was advising Jannick how to play on grass last summer, they’ll could meet here in round 3 but I wouldn’t rule out big John Isner upsurping him.
Quarter winner: Djokovic @ 1.36
Value punt: Rijthoven @ 50
Section 2
Casper Ruud, one of the most underwhelming French Open finalists I’ve seen in a long while probably since Verkerk in 2003, doesn’t like grass and said earlier in the year he’ll practice for it by playing Golf, I wonder what his handicap is in Golf because his tennis equivalent on the green is probably 28, you’re not winning Wimbledon needing 100 shots, so to speak, stick to clay. He should beat fellow dirtballer, Ramos-Vinolas but I think Humbert who’s had some excellent results on grass in recent times including winning Halle last year, would beat him in Round 2, even the matches his lost in the warm up events this year have only been lost in narrow 3rd setters. I can see him getting through Etchverry > Ruud > Goffin> and possibly Tiafoe before losing in the quarters. Speaking of Francis, it always feels like he’s on the verge of making a great run at a slam but apart from Australia in few years ago, it never really happens, he looks tailor made for grass and if there’s one surprise to win a quarter it could be him finally. Maybe it’s because players of his showman mentality tend to be more motivated on the bigger stage idk, but there is talent there regardless.
Usually with Grand slams there is added pressure on players who done well the previous seasons as it mens they have a bucket load of ranking points to defend, that wont be the case this year and it will help the likes of 2021 Wimbledon Semi finalist Hurkacz who is not used to defending points in the latter stages of slams as his record in them is quite poor, (incidentally he hit a great backhand down the line shot on the slide to set up set point v Novak at Wimbledon 2-3 years ago that has lived long in the memory) . He goes into this tournament knowing he’s already lost the pts he accrued thanks to the dumb decision by the ATP. The polite Pole however has just won Halle beating a high calibre field including Felix the cat, Kyrgios and Medvedev. I don’t know why he’s only made it to the second week in the 4 majors only once as he has everything in his locker to making the second week consistently, first strike tennis he possesses and ability to retrieve low bouncing balls on grass makes him suitable for it, though defending on this surface at 6ft5 probably drains energy but should be good for winning this quarter, Davidovich-Fokina > Vesely > Paul > Norrie/Dimitrov > Humbert/Tiafoe, some fairly dangerous floaters in there, it’s a very open quarter but he is favourite at 3.0. I couldn’t predict Dimitrov with any confidence as he’s the archetypal hit and miss player.
Quarter winner: Hurkacz @ 3.0
Value punt: Tiafoe @ 20’s
Section 3
Berrettini and his ultra thin legs are back in business having been forced to miss Roland Garros with injury, he’s won over 90% of his grass court matches in the last 3 years, 31 from 34 matches, comes in off of the back of winning Stuttgart and Queens, likely route to victory is Garin > Bonzi > De Minaur > Kyrgios > Felix/Nadal/Cilic > Novak, a basic breakdown of why he’s so effective on grass is that returning such big serving bombs and forehand shots is more difficult here than it is on on hard or clay and if you do return the ball to his backhand, the slice bh shot he has forces opponents to return more aerially given the low ball trajectory on impact which tees up another rocket winner, first strike tennis strikes again, his game-plan is all about keeping points short. Like Hurkacz he is another player with no pressure to do well knowing the 1200 pts from 2021 are gone already, has also said “"It will be record prize money this year so everyone is willing to play, but also because it is Wimbledon and one of the most important tournaments we have." which at least shows motivation unlike Osaka who’s called it an exhibition event. Potential Round 4 banana skin in De Minaur who looks pretty adept on grass.
I find it difficult to give Tsitsipas any chance of making the second week let alone any further even though he’s the 4th seed, it’s no reflection of his grass ability otherwise he barely make any seed (exaggerate to emphasis a point), he’ll probably lose to Kyrgios in round 3. Problem being he has a poor return on service and has had a fairly mediocre backhand slice unlike Berrettini (though has got better in 2022) and that’s a shot that works wonders on grass and is very difficult to deal with, one of the main reasons Barty won in the women’s last year. His record at Wimbledon is R1-R4-R1-R1, he’ll put out Ritschard in the first round but could easily be ‘upset’ in the 2nd to Jordan Thompson who is one of the few who seems to really like playing on the surface, but probably R3 to Hades. 7th favourite to win Wimbledon but I have him 5th fav to get out of his quarter alive. He may have done well this week at Nadal’s tournament but he’s played a low calibre field in general.
Kyrgios has pulled out of Mallorca this week as a precaution with what is probably a phantom abdominal strain in order to be properly prepared for Wimbledon rather that arriving last minute.com off of the back of long week should he have reached the final, he only turned up to collect his 10 grand but has had enough grass court practice this month in Germany anyway, he said at some Basketball event earlier this year he’s the best grass court player in the world, he is a mug, but there is an element of truth in this based on pure ability rather than being able to put medals on the table won on this surface, because he’s never won any, apart from a lowly challenger in Nottingham a few years ago. It may seem inconsequential and trivial but he is happy off court having bought his first home with his girlfriend, this as Alex Ferguson always used to say is vital for a players performance, if they’re happy off court they’re happy on it and you’re more likely to see the best of them. He is easily the most naturally talented player on tour outside of Nadal and Novak. Speaking of mugs I must be one to be even considering him to be winning this quarter but if there ever was a time it feels like now. Jubb > Krajinovic > Tsitsipas > Shapovalov/Bautista Agut is his likely route out of this quarter. It probably wasn’t the wisest of choice by RBA to play on the Spanish island this week, at his age he should be valuing rest over match practice in warm up events so close to the start.
Onto the last featured player of this section, the Shap. I find his whinging outbursts at times annoying but he is a talented player, having said that he is now looking like a player not as backable as he was a few months ago hence a nose dive in the odds, he had a fairly poor 2021 outside of a half decent Wimbledon run, but is now coming into Wimbledon 2022 on a 6 game losing run having started 5 of them as favourite, no idea what the reason is either, he is either being poorly coached or has some other personal issues idk, but his results are way below his natural ability, whilst winning the tournament is motivation in itself the fact he can’t defend the semi points from last year does make you question the levels of desire to reach the last 4 again especially given his form and confidence . Earlier this year in February on the Felix thread I made I mentioned he was 20’s, he’s now 125’s whilst Felix has stayed close to the same. All that said that price for his talent cannot be overlooked, form or no form.
I’ve already gone for two short priced quarters winners and can’t be doing with a third especially given Nick is a genuine threat should he meet Berrettini, and so maybe against my better judgement I’m plumping for this head case, incidentally I saw quote from Wilander recently who said his style is a bad example to kids as he doesn’t use his feet when smashing a forehand and instead just slaps the ball, I must be missing something, it’s a great disguised shot that often leaves opponents flat footed, looks aesthetically pleasing too..
.
Quarter winner: Kyrgios @ 6.5
Value punt: Brooksby @ 40’s, Bergs @ 80’s
Section 4
Pretty uninspiring section on the whole.
Nadal and his sleeping foot are playing apparently, he’s fav to win this quarter @ 2.25 and 3rd fav to win the tournament outright @ 7/1, one minute retirement is predicted from the sport, the next he says "I can walk normal most of the days, almost every single day. That's for me the main issue," said the 36-year-old Spaniard at Wimbledon on Saturday. "When I wake up, I don't have this pain that I was having for the last year and a half, so quite happy about that. "And second thing, practicing. Since the last two weeks, I didn't have one day of these terrible days that I can't move at all. The feeling and overall feelings are positive”….it’s an early Xmas miracle. His route to the final looks like Cerundolo > Querrey > Kudla > Cilic > Felix > Kyrgios/Berrettini > Novax. Not much to say here as you never really know whether it’s all smoke and mirrors. I’ve actually edited this part to shoehorn in the above quotes, which subsequently does weaken my hopes and expectations for Felix, oh well, but yes, a fully fit Nadal in theory should be making to the final but I shall plough on with the Cat regardless.
Auger-Aliassime has been my long term prediction to win Wimbledon one day and there’s no reason why it can’t be this year, his aggressive style really suits grass, there are 2 simple ingredients to winning a slam, having the game-style suitable to a surface and having it between the ears, he is very well psychologically conditioned to cope in high pressure moments unlike his compatriot Shapovalov, and many other tennis players alike. Lost to an inspired and eventual winner Van Rijthoven in Holland in a 3rd set tie breaker, and to eventual winner Hurkacz in Germany in 2 close tie breakers, off of the back of quarter, semi and final appearance last year in the 3 warm events to Wimbledon in 2021. Also last year he admitted grass is the most difficult surface but because he loves playing on it, unlike many other players who have lost before they’ve hit the court simply because they believe it belongs to cows and sheep, it means he can overcome the barrier mentally. “The first thing that comes to mind is the beauty of it, how nice the feeling is under your feet to be on something so soft and so nice and I think that the fact that we move and there is no sound, just the sound of the ball you hit is a very nice feeling.” Sounds like he’s away with the fairies but whatever works for you. His likely route to the final is Cressy > Sock > Evans > Fritz > Cilic/Nadal > Berrettini/Kyrgios > Novaxx.
Quarter winner: Auger-Aliassime @ 4/1
Value punt: Van de Zandschulp @ 33’s
Footnote: half decent players in this tournament on grass other than the big names, Evans, Querrey, Isner, Goffin, RBA, Thompson, Humbert, Bonzi, Kudla, Otte, Lopez, Bergs, Rijthoven.
[WTA/b]
[b]Section 1
Swiatek is on a 35 match unbeaten run stretching back to 16th of February spanning 6 tournament wins, with a couple of Billi Jean King matches sandwiched in between, it’s the joint longest unbeaten run on tour in the 21st century shared with Venus and here she is at the foot of a new tournament ready to chase down the The Venus Rosewater Dish itself, I had to shoehorn these 2 Venus quotes in somehow.
Iga won Junior Wimbledon 3 years ago, but comparing that to the main tour is apples and oranges. For her on grass it’s all about adaption, possess the basic attributes to be a success here long term, hits big, moves well, retrieves well but it’s all about technical adaptation, hitting flatter harder shots when facing the faster lower bounces as her huge topspin shots will be nullified somewhat compared to the effect they have on clay, kick serve is the best on tour, not as effective on grass, the extreme grip/big wide racquet swings that bamboozled opponents also wont work as well, will have to hit a lot of shorter at times…there’s been no transitional period in the form of match play from the clay to the grass which is red flag for someone with little experience here. A semi final at best but I’d fancy Andreescu at this juncture to win the quarter. In a years time she’ll much more oven ready to win. She has Aga’s old coach who will be a plus given it was her favourite surface. Aga the squatter could become Iga the squatter. I don’t see how she can’t be expected to clean up here based on recent results on other surfaces especially considering she has no real record on grass to write home about, has only ever won 4 main matches and they were against weak players.
Whilst many claim surfaces play more similarly than they did compared to yesteryear (speeds are closer), the key differences are still big enough to explain the disparity in match records that players have, some top players excel on hard but not on clay, some on clay and not on hard etc, it’s usually a reflection of their physical makeup which in turn dictates their playing style (as well as what they’ve all grown up on), along with the will to adapt to and embrace what’s under their feet. At slam level, Kerber, Pliskova, Kvitova, Azarenka, Osaka, all good or have been good on hard courts, poor on clay, Henin was an all round player but won 4 French open titles and no Wimbledon’s for a reason, and not always because of the Williams sisters, losing to Demenitieva, Pierce, Bartoli.
Likely route to the final is Fett > Kovinic > Cornet > Golubic/Krejcikova > /Andreescu > Martic/Vekic > Kvitova/Halep/Muchova/Gauff/Anisimova/Pliskova, fairly straight forward wins for the first 4 round though if she clipped any hurdle in the first week I’d have to say it’d have to be Alize who’s beaten better grass players than Iga in recent years and looked good recently, but @ 2.5 strong fave to win the tournament? not for me. I went against the odds rather than the player at the French knowing full well she’d probably win but here it’s different as I’m going against both for the aforementioned reasons.
There are 5 slam winners in this section, the others are Andreescu, Muguruza, Stephens and Krejcikova, dangerous floaters in Rybakina, peculiar Pegula, and Vekic, a half decent grass court player, There’s also rising star Zheng, never won on grass but you have to start somewhere.
Like in a lot WTA encounters one of highlights is the looks and the handshake at the net, sometimes it’s almost worth the entrance fee alone and often tells the story of the match, if handshakes could speak, Garbine’s to Giorgi at the net in Eastbourne would say “well done on your little win but this tournament means nothing to me”, looks done as a top level player atm, don’t know how she’s still top 10, had a very poor year in stark contrast to 2021 winning only 8 of 19 matches (42%) she often starts off matches well (won the first set 13 times from the 19) but then collapses for whatever reason, fitness, motivation etc, does not look like she moves as well as she used to….not backable here at all given all that and her draw projection to the final, Minnen > Stephens/Zheng > Rybakina/Bianca > Pegula/Vekic > Swiatek > Pliskova/Gauff/Halep/Muchova/Kvitova/. Conchita was voted WTA coach of the year last year, if WTA had a Razzies version for worst coach of the year she’d probably win that this year as well. Needs a change and a different voice in her head.
Andreescu route to the final looks like Bektas > Rybakina > Stephens/Muguruza > Pegula/Martic > Swiatek >Kvitova/Halep/Muchova/Gauff/Anisimova/Pliskova , whilst Bianca has never beaten anyone significant on grass it doesn’t matters, she plays well on it and came very close to beating Pliskova in Berlin, her progress over the last couple of years has been stunted by injury (and covid), now that’s out the way I wouldn’t be surprised to see her win this tournament outright at all, she’s currently around the 10th favourite @ 28/1 best price, ridiculously behind 40 years and 9 months old Serena playing her first match of 2022. The rest ahead of her are justified, even Haddad Maia. Easily one of the most naturally talented players on tour she looks fitter now than 3 years ago when she won the US Open, deciding to miss the start of the season is paying off. She seemed to hitting the baller deeper against Kasatkina than against Swan, if hitting short balls against the big hitters she’ll be eaten for breakfast, intelligent enough not to.
Listed Rybakina as a dangerous floater but she herself has a tricky player to beat in Round 1 in Shuai Zhang at least she did, after Keys withdrew she now plays Coco found a way, Zhang however who is no gimmie for anyone having won 18 of her 28 grass matches in the last 3 seasons, that’s not what makes her tricky, it’s because Shaui Zhang never knows what Shuai Zhang is going to do next. Having said that she retired in the Birmingham final at 54 down in the first set with a neck injury, she was expected to play 3 matches in one day, 2 singles and a doubles final, what kind of tournament organisation is that. Incidentally it’s extremely rare players retire in finals yet on the same day over in Germany, Bencic retired from her final against Jabeur with an ankle injury. Zhang missed Eastbourne to recover and is almost 2/1 to win this match, fully fit looks decent value. Rybakina has demonstrated last year and in 2019 she is suited to grass but the unscientific analysis is, I’m not feeling her this year. No surprise to see her lose early in round 2 to Bianca.
Low expectations for Babora with 2 straight losses after coming back from the elbow injury she had, she needed a fairly kind draw at Wimbledon, she has that in round 1 but would think Golubic would knock her out in Round 2 given the above.
It’s hard to believe Sloane square Stephens will be 30 next year, when she won the US Open in 2017 I thought she’d finish up on 4-5 slams, now it’s hard to see her finishing with 4-5 semi final appearances at the slams or maybe that’s just So Disrespectful, if the eyes are the window to the soul, when you look at hers you often see fear and lack of self belief which is a shame for one of the more naturally gifted players who actually have a tennis brain and don’t just hack at everything, like your Kasatkina’s and Svitolina’s. She is in a fairly tough section with a Zheng > Muguruza > Andreescu/Ryba > Vekic/Pegula > Swiatek > HalepMuchova/Kvitova/Gauff etc. I think we could be looking an an early round 1 bath.
Other mentions, I think Golubic could well make the 4th round, Petkovic > Krejcikova > Tomljanovic, the latter whom she has just recently beaten in Nottingham. Haven’t mentioned Dart at all yet, she gives me strong ‘plucky Brit loses narrow 2nd round match’ vibes, at least she’s here on merit and not by wildcard.
Quarter winner: Andreescu @ 9/1
Value punt: Cornet @ 66/1
Section 2
Badosa’s no look handshake with Burrage on the south coast said “thanks for the practice b1tch I had no intention of winning this match anyway”, a lot of people don’t like her demeanour but show me a good loser and I’ll show you a loser etc, having said that to me she doesn’t look comfortable or natural on grass in terms of moving well, didn’t know when to go to the net, when not to. I see her projected draw as Chirico > Paquet > Kvitova > Halep/Muchova > Pliskova / Gauff / Anismimova / Andreescu / Swiatek, on paper looks like round 3 given P3tra’s new found form on her best surface. She is a good hard court player but wont be missed here.
Speaking of Big foot, matches are not won on paper and she has a tricky round 2 match against Yascreamska, the odds suggest she’ll be double bagelling pocket rocket Paolini at 14/1 in the first, who has beaten Collins and Sabalenka on grass before, the old old Kvitova would have been a shoe in for both matches but it wouldn’t be a shock to me to see her go out in round 1 despite the odds, I find her to be that unreliable these days even though she has played well all week in Eastbourne. Insitinct tells me her run there is a flash in the pan, the most difficult seed to predict. Incidentally, she is still imo the best player on tour who never reached World number 1 when she was at her best. Probably loses to Simona in the fourth.
Halep like Kyrgios decided she’d had enough grass court practice and pulled out of her Semi final match against Andreescu in Bad Homburg with a neck injury that probably doesn’t exist, but she looks very backable at 18/1 to win the tournament, she’s won 6 of her 7 grass matches in the lead up to Wimbledon and must have won of the highest % wins on tour this year, yet she seems to be overlooked as a realistic winner again. Her route through is Muchova > Flipkins > Giorgi > Kvitova/Yastremska/Badosa > Gauff/ Aninismova/Pliskova > Andreescu/Swiatek. Whilst Muchova is a good grass court player I don’t see her being much of a problem for an in form Halep at all, it’ll be a battle of relentless compact swing hitting in round 3 v Camilla who’ll you just know will start off well before fading when under pressure, no doubt Doc Brown will be making an appearance to coach her from the sides, only in the quarters do I see her being tested assuming it’s Gauff as Halep is just a bad match up for Kaplis, Amanda had no answers for her in Germany either and that too looked liked a bad match up, best serving performance I’ve seen from her in years hitting 10 aces and 31 winners, she hit a total of 15 aces in the whole of Wimbledon during her run to the title here in 2019. I suppose mouratoglou should be claiming some credit. Having said all of that, it’s being dressed up as a nightmare draw for her, not for me, not til the last 8 begins anyway. She does however join the list of seeded players who do have a so called tough or tricky round 1 match on paper, along with, Pegula (Vekic), Collins (Bouzkova), Raducanu (Van Uytvanck), Trevisan (Cocciaretto), Putinseva (Cornet) and Teichmann (Tomljanovic), I’ll probably throw in Matincova for Pliskova as well which is no straightforward win.
Gauff’s draw looks like Ruse > Schunk > Anisimova > Pliskova > Halep > Andreescu/Swiatek. Cori recently beat Kaplis in Berlin in 2 close sets saving sets points in the first when 54 down with some good underhand slices to the back of the court. Being pushed forward by her marketing and being so massively overhyped from an early age by the media and especially the BBC made a lot of tennis followers rather than Joe Public, rally against her as they don’t like players foisted on them whilst being told she is the next best thing since bread, given wildcards at 15 she hadn’t earnt and put on show-courts in front of others she hadn’t deserved, all that aside she is a genuine top talent who is going to win this tournament one day and will be top 5 given she is good on all surfaces, but she is never going to be the next Serena or Venus as often mooted by many just because she’s Afro American, lazy comparison, she doesn’t have that kind of dominating game, she just has a very good all round one, think she will meet Halep in the quarters.
Other mentions: Serena, impossible to gage exactly where she’s at considering she hasn’t played a single match in 12 months and is virtually retired at nearly 41, I couldn’t back her outright with stolen money, out in round 3 to Pliskova assuming she doesn’t retire in one of her previous 2 rounds which seems likely. I’ve completely overlooked Boulter thus far who’s had a very decent run on grass this season, beat the real Pliskova whom she could meet in round 2 again, Riske who’s best surface it is and narrowly lost to Petra, though she did eat a bagel half way through the match.
Quarter winner: Halep @ 6/1
Value punt: Yastremska @ 66/1, Boulter @ 80/1
Section 3
3rd seed, 3rd ranked Jabuer is the strong favourite to win the 3rd section after winning her 3rd tournament recently at 2/1 and is 2nd favourite to win Wimbledon at 9/1 behind Swiatek. Once bitten twice shy, I backed her to win the French and she lost to Linette in round 1 albeit a confirmed banana skin match, this time she begins with a 10/1 shot in Bjorklund who off the top of my head, I don’t think I’ve ever seen play, she’s basically a bone fide ITF level player who shoud be steamrolled. I wont be predicting her to win again largely because I think their are better other value options around and not because she’s not a genuine contender which she definitely is, there are not many reasons to oppose her at all. Jabba won Birmingham last year, reached the quarters of Wimbledon, beating Venus, Garbine and Swiatek along the way, won Berlin this year, projected route is Bjorklund > Marino > Kanepi/Tauson > Kerber/Mertens > Kostyuk/Garcia/Van Uytvanck > Penko/Bencic/Haddad Maia/Kontaveit/Sakkari.
I’m glad that at the beginning of the season I set my goals high, and said that I want to hold titles, win a Grand Slam and be top five. There is one more to achieve [a major] and hopefully I will achieve it. “It would mean a lot [to win Wimbledon]. It’s just such a great tournament. I remember the crowd last year was amazing. It’s a surface that I can play really well on and I can enjoy myself. And that’s why I would love to get the Wimbledon trophy.
"Hopefully I will be ready. My eyes are on Wimbledon.” And the 27-year-old attributes her success on the surface to football. “I love grass. I have a love relationship with the grass,” she said ahead of her doubles campaign with the 23-time Major champion in Eastbourne. “Everything started with football because I'm a huge football fan.” Explaining how the game helped her with her tennis, Jabeur continued: “I feel when I step on the court it's like playing football for me. Usually when I do that, I'm never tired, I'm always enjoying myself so that's why maybe I'm having a great time there.” And the new world No 3 also thought the grass was good for the variety in her game. “Also my game suits very well the grass,” she said. “You can really disturb a lot of players, the slices, the drop shot, you can never know if I'm hitting or changing the rhythm so I think that's a big advantage for me.“And the fact that I can adapt my game also on grass could help me really get more wins. Also winning a lot of matches on it, I think, gives me more and more confidence.” Jabeur is also hoping for a good run at Wimbledon following her shock first-round exit at the French Open, where she was one of the favourites for the title.
Collins is coming off of the back of 3 poor tournaments no history on grass to speak off, it would be no surprise to anyone to see 7th seed lose to Booze cruise kova in Round 1, odds are closely matched which for a 7th seeded player they shouldn’t be, I see Riske as one of the very few grass specialists to win that mini section and reach round 3 beating In-Albon > Siniakova >Collins/Bouzkova before losing to Van Uytvanck, Garcia or Kostyuk in the fourth. A big shame Raducanu has been ravished by injuries all year because I’d have tipped her to win the tournament as a dark horse, sort of, but she’s not backable at all at the minute and is probably at Wimbledon just to give it a go, struggle to see her beating Alison in Round 1 because of this, she’s ranked 10th against an unseeded player whose peak ranking is 37 yet she’s around 2.4 to win the match which tells the story, if there is one slam where the Ginger Belgian could win a quarter it’s be on grass as it’s her best surface by far, said after winning Surbiton “I love to play on grass so I’m really happy with the win.
“My level rose throughout the week, I just love to have the low bounces, the serves, it’s important you have to stay aggressive, that’s what I like a lot about the grass and that’s what I had to do. Also the variety with the slice is what I did today and be patient a little bit, so yeah happy about that.” Unfortunantley for her she runs into Garcia who has just beaten Andreescu to win Bad Homburg, her 3rd title on grass.
Bar far the biggest threat to Jabuer in this quarter is none of the above, it’s Kerber in round 4 should she get past Mind the Gap > Linette > Mertens, didn’t look that interested to me against Alize in Germany at least in the last set, probably looking to conserve energy at her pension age of 34, still more than good enough to get back to the semi’s where she was last year losing to the Aboriginal Golfer. Despite Garcia’s purple patch no self respecting gambling man would back her with confidence, there is zero mental consistency to her game.
Quarter winner: Kerber @ 5/1
Value punt: Kostyuk @ 25/1 Van Uytvanck @ 30/1, Riske@ 20/1
Section 4
I honestly do not know how Kontaveit has reached 2nd in the world, she is strictly a Round 3 level player in the slams and has basically been dining out on her indoor results, to be 2nd in the world having only ever made one solitary quarter finals in the majors is laughable, but that’s the way the cookie crumbles with the ranking system. Her projected route is Pera > Niemeier > Kalinina > Haddad Maia/Bencic > Penko/SoranaGoat/Sakkari > Kerber/Jabeur….Kalinina had a good run at Eastbourne beating Sorana, Sakkari and Poots in boots before losing to Ostapancake, also had a lot of good wins against top players all year. Would be no surprise to me to see Anett getting beating in the the 3rd. Niemeier who must eat at the same breakfast table as Ostapenko, Baptiste and Kanepi of a morning, and who was unlucky with injury losing to Stephens at the French, would have half a a chance as a big server and big forehand, gave Bencic a run for her money in Birmingham, but she’s too slow a mover for Kontaveit on a quicker surface, in fact she’s a poor mover. Low expectations for AK either way.
For my money Bencic along with the likes of Osaka, Andreescu, Swiatek etc, is one of the most naturally gifted players but has been a career disappointment in the slams, junior champions at the French and Wimbledon and picked to be a multi slam winner from the off, she’s made one lone semi by the age of 25. A question mark here given she hurt her ankle last week in the Berlin final and was forced to retire…. “Speaking briefly after the match Bencic explained that she felt something in her ankle which is not very good news. She is unsure how bad it is and it seems like it might not be that bad because she did not seem too worried after the match:
"I just slipped, not sure how. I feel it's something in my ankle/Achilles. I'm going to evaluate it with the doctors, go home and rest. It was a very positive week. My tennis was great. I'm happy with my level." Plays first round match aganst former world number 12 Wang, who’s coached by former Wimbledon winner Pat Cash, she hasn’t had the chance to play here since she started working with him 18 months ago, no gimmie for Belinda despite the odds.
I fancy Sakkari chances here to win not only her quarter but her half and make the final, she’s one of the best movers out there and grass suits her game perfectly even if past results show it’s not her best surface, her route to the final looks like Hives > Gavrilova > Cirstea > Penko > Haddad Maia > Kerber/Jabeur. Picked up 5 wins from 8 matches in 3 tournaments, she said she wanted to start her grass season earlier as the more she plays the better she feels, which is the reason I can’t understand why Iga skipped the warm ups completely. One caveat is that Daria is one player you can trip up against if you’re not on it, another player in a false ranking position after barely playing the last couple of years. Not wanting to fat shame again, you have to wonder if Penko is going to have the core fitness to sustain a run here even though she’s favourite to win the bottom quarter at 4.5. She hasn’t won more than 2 matches in a row at a slam in 4 years.
Finally Haddad Maia cannot be ignored, she’s just won 12 of 14 matches on grass in the last few weeks winning back to back tournaments in the midlands beating, Halep, Kvitova, Riske, Giorgi, Zhang, Sakkari, Martincova along the way, she also beat grass lover Rybarikova 3 years ago on in an ITF and Murugurza at Wimbledon, yet my instict with here is just ‘meh’, probably because she has vulture written all over her.
Quarter winner: Sakkari @ 6/1
Value punt: Cirstea @ 30/1, Kalinina @ 30/1
Overview ATP
Quarter winners predictions
1. Djokovic @ 1.36, 2. Hurkacz @ 3.75, 3. Kyrgios @ 6.5 4. Auger-Alissime @ 4/1
Quarter winners - Value punts:
1.Rijthoven @ 50’s, 2. Tiafoe @ 20’s, 3. Brooksby @ 40’s, Bergs @ 80’s, 4. Van de Zandschulp @ 33’S.
Quarter Final line ups prediction
Djokovic v Alcaraz
Tiafoe v Hurkacz
Berrettini v Kyrgios
Felix v Cilic
Tournament winner prediction
Auger-Aliassime @ 18/1
Tournament winner - Value punts:
Kyrgios 28/1, Shapovalov @ 125/1
To reach the final prediction
Felix @ 7/1
To reach the final - value punts
Shappvalov @ 80/1, Norrie 100/1
To meet in the final
Novak and Felix @11/1
To meet in the final - value punt
Felix and Hurkacz @ 66/1
Shapovalov and Djokovic@ 66/1
Cilic and Djokovic @ 20/1
Hurkacz and Cilic @ 125/1
Hurkacz and Kyrgios 125/1
Overview WTA
Quarter winners predictions WTA
1. Andreescu @ 9/1, 2. Halep @ 6/1, 3. Kerber@ 5/1 4. Sakkari @ 6/1
Quarter winner - Value punts:
1.Cornet @ 66/1, 2. Yastremska @ 66/1, Boulter @80/1 3. Van Uytvanck @ 30/1, Riske @ 20/1, 4. Cirstea @ 30/1, Kalinina @ 30/1
Quarter Final line ups prediction
Swiatek v Andreescu
Halep v Gauff
Kostyuk v Kerber
Sakkari v Kalinina
Tournament winner prediction
Sakkari @ 33/1
Tournament winner - value punts
Andreescu @ 33/1, Golubic @ 500/1, Yastremska @ 600/1
To reach the final prediction
Halep @ 12/1
To reach the final - value punt
Pliskova @ 22/1, Boulter @ 250/1, Yastremska @ 250/1
To meet in the final prediction
Halep v Sakkari final @ 125/1
To meet in the final - value punts
Sakkari v Gauff @ 100/1
Sakkari v Andreescu @ 150/1
Andreescu v Jabeur @ 80/1
Halep v Kerber @ 125/1
Halep v Jabeur @ 50/1
Halep v Haddad @100/1
Gauff v Kerber @ 100/1
Pliskova v Jabeur @125/1
Kvitova v Kerber @ 100/1
Yes Novak will probably win, but it’s no fun basing everything around such a short priced fave. All prices quoted above are the best prices available with the bookies at the time according to oddscheker.
My entire pre draw picks in the spoilers below
Spoiler: Show
ATP
R1
Djokovic
Kokkinakis
Tabilo
Kecmanovic
Basilashvili
Halys
Van Rijthoven
Opelka
Sinner
Altmaier
Murray
Isner
Otte
Clarke
Griekspoor
Alcaraz
Ruud
Humbert
Goffin
Baez
Tiafoe
Marterer
Bublik
Carreno Busta
Norrie
Monteiro
Peniston
Dimitrov
Paul
Mannarino
Vesely
Hurkacz
Berrettini
Huesler
Bonzi
Brooksby
De Minaur
Bergs
Broady
Schwartzman
Shapovalov
Nakashima
Koepfer
Bautista Agut
Krajinovic
Kyrgios
Thompson
Tsitsipas
Auger Aliassime
Sock
Novak
Evans
Giron
Martinez Portero
Tseng
Fritz
Cilic
Gasquet
Ruusuvuori
Van de Zandschulp
Kudla
Popyrin
Querrey
Nadal
R2
Djokovic
Kecmanovic
Basilashvili
Van Rijthoven
Sinner
Murray
Otte
Alcaraz
Humbert
Goffin
Tiafoe
Bublik
Norrie
Dimitrov
Paul
Hurkacz
Berrettini
Brooksby
De Minaur
Schwartzman
Shapovalov
Bautista Agut
Kyrgios
Tsitsipas
Auger Aliassime
Evans
Giron
Fritz
Cilic
Van de Zandschulp
Popyrin
Nadal
R3
Djokovic
Van Rijthoven
Murray
Alcaraz
Humbert
Tiafoe
Norrie
Hurkacz
Berrettini
De Minaur
Shapovalov
Kyrgios
Auger Aliassime
Fritz
Cilic
Nadal
R4
Djokovic
Murray
Tiafoe
Hurkacz
Berrettini
Kyrgios
Auger Aliassime
Cilic
QF
Djokovic
Hurkacz
Kyrgios
Auger Aliassime
SF
Djokovic
Auger Aliassime
F
Auger Aliassime
Spoiler: Show
Ladies, Gentleman, Welcome…..to Wimbledon 2022
Section 1
Novak’s first round Korean opponent will be Kwon too soon and Novak will probably finish the tournament over the moon with his his 21st grand slam title, is the very boring and inevitable conclusion, so instead of making it a tedious read I shall be making an alternative pick for the Wimbledon title on the off chance the apple cart in 2 weeks time has been upset. In the meantime Novax’s likely route to the final looks like Kwon > The Kokk > Kecmanovic > Opelka/Van Rijthoven > Alcatrash > Hurkacz/Norrie/Dimtrov > Berrettini/Kyrgios/Felix/Nadal, he’s 1.8 to win.
One interesting player in Novak’s quarter is the late bloomer, 25 year old Dutchman Van Rijthoven who had never won an ATP level match before last week, he’ll will have to get through Delbonis > Opelka > Basilashvili to met him in Round 4, he was given a Wildcard after winning Hertogenbosch last week, one of 3 Dutchman in the field he’s suffered wrist injuries for the last few years putting him in a false ranking position, just by winning his home tournament after being odds against in all 5 matches beating 3 top 15 players along the way including the exiled, transitional World number 1, Medvedev, he jumped 100 places and almost doubled his ranking points. Fellow Dutchie and former coach krajicek cites his new found strong mentality mentioning this area had been a weak point in previous years. Demonstrated the key attributes of spin and slice on the faster surface that used on grass will cause even the best players problems. This time last year he was playing in an ITF tournie called ‘M25 The Hague’, no me neither. Don’t see any reason why he can’t reach R4, Good luck to him.
Alcaraz has no real grass court history having only played just 2 matches on tour on the surface and both at Wimbledon last year and being beaten by Med in straights in the second, though he played fairly well for a debutant despite winning few games, given how short the grass season is and how few tournaments anyone plays on it, it will take him more time to adapt just as Nadal did at the same age being Mulled by Gilles in Round 2 in 2005, he’ll need to change his second serve as the kick serve will not be as effective and will need to incorporate more slice on it. He missed Queen’s with a ‘slight elbow injury’ which doesn’t help, it’s one surface where you need practice as you have very little muscle memory when it comes to footwork (maybe except for older players were rest is more beneficial), at least for the first week, second week with warmer weather and worn ground it’d feel more like a hard court, or harder court. His likely route to the quarters is Struff > Griekspoor > Clarke > Isner/Sinner/Murray. Can’t see Struff having any kind of Stuttgart inspired run from 3 years ago. Griekspoor is extremely limited, I’m probably being generous having Clarke reaching round 3 and Murray is a big question mark with his recent injuries and no warm up matches for this tournament. All that aside, Carlos is way too dynamic a player not to win this tournament at some point in the future even if his run ends here in the quarters which it probably will do,.“ Asked if he could be a contender on grass, Alcaraz said: “I hope so but I don’t think this year it’s going to be my surface. For sure in the future I can play pretty good on this surface if I play tournaments before Wimbledon and I think I will feel comfortable playing on this surface.”
10th seed Sinner has never won a grass court match at tour level and starts with Stan I must point to the head after winning key points Wawrinka, I’d imagine with no ranking points Stan will not be as motivated as he would be ordinarily given he’s been relying on Wildcards this year to build up on his 235th position in the world, it’s points he needs given his realistic chance of winning the main prize is slim to zero he’ll probably tank this giving Sinner his first win. I’d be surprised if he exerted much energy at his age to win a load of matches here that will inhibit his chances of climbing the rankings during the American swing. Murray was advising Jannick how to play on grass last summer, they’ll could meet here in round 3 but I wouldn’t rule out big John Isner upsurping him.
Quarter winner: Djokovic @ 1.36
Value punt: Rijthoven @ 50
Section 2
Casper Ruud, one of the most underwhelming French Open finalists I’ve seen in a long while probably since Verkerk in 2003, doesn’t like grass and said earlier in the year he’ll practice for it by playing Golf, I wonder what his handicap is in Golf because his tennis equivalent on the green is probably 28, you’re not winning Wimbledon needing 100 shots, so to speak, stick to clay. He should beat fellow dirtballer, Ramos-Vinolas but I think Humbert who’s had some excellent results on grass in recent times including winning Halle last year, would beat him in Round 2, even the matches his lost in the warm up events this year have only been lost in narrow 3rd setters. I can see him getting through Etchverry > Ruud > Goffin> and possibly Tiafoe before losing in the quarters. Speaking of Francis, it always feels like he’s on the verge of making a great run at a slam but apart from Australia in few years ago, it never really happens, he looks tailor made for grass and if there’s one surprise to win a quarter it could be him finally. Maybe it’s because players of his showman mentality tend to be more motivated on the bigger stage idk, but there is talent there regardless.
Usually with Grand slams there is added pressure on players who done well the previous seasons as it mens they have a bucket load of ranking points to defend, that wont be the case this year and it will help the likes of 2021 Wimbledon Semi finalist Hurkacz who is not used to defending points in the latter stages of slams as his record in them is quite poor, (incidentally he hit a great backhand down the line shot on the slide to set up set point v Novak at Wimbledon 2-3 years ago that has lived long in the memory) . He goes into this tournament knowing he’s already lost the pts he accrued thanks to the dumb decision by the ATP. The polite Pole however has just won Halle beating a high calibre field including Felix the cat, Kyrgios and Medvedev. I don’t know why he’s only made it to the second week in the 4 majors only once as he has everything in his locker to making the second week consistently, first strike tennis he possesses and ability to retrieve low bouncing balls on grass makes him suitable for it, though defending on this surface at 6ft5 probably drains energy but should be good for winning this quarter, Davidovich-Fokina > Vesely > Paul > Norrie/Dimitrov > Humbert/Tiafoe, some fairly dangerous floaters in there, it’s a very open quarter but he is favourite at 3.0. I couldn’t predict Dimitrov with any confidence as he’s the archetypal hit and miss player.
Quarter winner: Hurkacz @ 3.0
Value punt: Tiafoe @ 20’s
Section 3
Berrettini and his ultra thin legs are back in business having been forced to miss Roland Garros with injury, he’s won over 90% of his grass court matches in the last 3 years, 31 from 34 matches, comes in off of the back of winning Stuttgart and Queens, likely route to victory is Garin > Bonzi > De Minaur > Kyrgios > Felix/Nadal/Cilic > Novak, a basic breakdown of why he’s so effective on grass is that returning such big serving bombs and forehand shots is more difficult here than it is on on hard or clay and if you do return the ball to his backhand, the slice bh shot he has forces opponents to return more aerially given the low ball trajectory on impact which tees up another rocket winner, first strike tennis strikes again, his game-plan is all about keeping points short. Like Hurkacz he is another player with no pressure to do well knowing the 1200 pts from 2021 are gone already, has also said “"It will be record prize money this year so everyone is willing to play, but also because it is Wimbledon and one of the most important tournaments we have." which at least shows motivation unlike Osaka who’s called it an exhibition event. Potential Round 4 banana skin in De Minaur who looks pretty adept on grass.
I find it difficult to give Tsitsipas any chance of making the second week let alone any further even though he’s the 4th seed, it’s no reflection of his grass ability otherwise he barely make any seed (exaggerate to emphasis a point), he’ll probably lose to Kyrgios in round 3. Problem being he has a poor return on service and has had a fairly mediocre backhand slice unlike Berrettini (though has got better in 2022) and that’s a shot that works wonders on grass and is very difficult to deal with, one of the main reasons Barty won in the women’s last year. His record at Wimbledon is R1-R4-R1-R1, he’ll put out Ritschard in the first round but could easily be ‘upset’ in the 2nd to Jordan Thompson who is one of the few who seems to really like playing on the surface, but probably R3 to Hades. 7th favourite to win Wimbledon but I have him 5th fav to get out of his quarter alive. He may have done well this week at Nadal’s tournament but he’s played a low calibre field in general.
Kyrgios has pulled out of Mallorca this week as a precaution with what is probably a phantom abdominal strain in order to be properly prepared for Wimbledon rather that arriving last minute.com off of the back of long week should he have reached the final, he only turned up to collect his 10 grand but has had enough grass court practice this month in Germany anyway, he said at some Basketball event earlier this year he’s the best grass court player in the world, he is a mug, but there is an element of truth in this based on pure ability rather than being able to put medals on the table won on this surface, because he’s never won any, apart from a lowly challenger in Nottingham a few years ago. It may seem inconsequential and trivial but he is happy off court having bought his first home with his girlfriend, this as Alex Ferguson always used to say is vital for a players performance, if they’re happy off court they’re happy on it and you’re more likely to see the best of them. He is easily the most naturally talented player on tour outside of Nadal and Novak. Speaking of mugs I must be one to be even considering him to be winning this quarter but if there ever was a time it feels like now. Jubb > Krajinovic > Tsitsipas > Shapovalov/Bautista Agut is his likely route out of this quarter. It probably wasn’t the wisest of choice by RBA to play on the Spanish island this week, at his age he should be valuing rest over match practice in warm up events so close to the start.
Onto the last featured player of this section, the Shap. I find his whinging outbursts at times annoying but he is a talented player, having said that he is now looking like a player not as backable as he was a few months ago hence a nose dive in the odds, he had a fairly poor 2021 outside of a half decent Wimbledon run, but is now coming into Wimbledon 2022 on a 6 game losing run having started 5 of them as favourite, no idea what the reason is either, he is either being poorly coached or has some other personal issues idk, but his results are way below his natural ability, whilst winning the tournament is motivation in itself the fact he can’t defend the semi points from last year does make you question the levels of desire to reach the last 4 again especially given his form and confidence . Earlier this year in February on the Felix thread I made I mentioned he was 20’s, he’s now 125’s whilst Felix has stayed close to the same. All that said that price for his talent cannot be overlooked, form or no form.
I’ve already gone for two short priced quarters winners and can’t be doing with a third especially given Nick is a genuine threat should he meet Berrettini, and so maybe against my better judgement I’m plumping for this head case, incidentally I saw quote from Wilander recently who said his style is a bad example to kids as he doesn’t use his feet when smashing a forehand and instead just slaps the ball, I must be missing something, it’s a great disguised shot that often leaves opponents flat footed, looks aesthetically pleasing too..
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Quarter winner: Kyrgios @ 6.5
Value punt: Brooksby @ 40’s, Bergs @ 80’s
Section 4
Pretty uninspiring section on the whole.
Nadal and his sleeping foot are playing apparently, he’s fav to win this quarter @ 2.25 and 3rd fav to win the tournament outright @ 7/1, one minute retirement is predicted from the sport, the next he says "I can walk normal most of the days, almost every single day. That's for me the main issue," said the 36-year-old Spaniard at Wimbledon on Saturday. "When I wake up, I don't have this pain that I was having for the last year and a half, so quite happy about that. "And second thing, practicing. Since the last two weeks, I didn't have one day of these terrible days that I can't move at all. The feeling and overall feelings are positive”….it’s an early Xmas miracle. His route to the final looks like Cerundolo > Querrey > Kudla > Cilic > Felix > Kyrgios/Berrettini > Novax. Not much to say here as you never really know whether it’s all smoke and mirrors. I’ve actually edited this part to shoehorn in the above quotes, which subsequently does weaken my hopes and expectations for Felix, oh well, but yes, a fully fit Nadal in theory should be making to the final but I shall plough on with the Cat regardless.
Auger-Aliassime has been my long term prediction to win Wimbledon one day and there’s no reason why it can’t be this year, his aggressive style really suits grass, there are 2 simple ingredients to winning a slam, having the game-style suitable to a surface and having it between the ears, he is very well psychologically conditioned to cope in high pressure moments unlike his compatriot Shapovalov, and many other tennis players alike. Lost to an inspired and eventual winner Van Rijthoven in Holland in a 3rd set tie breaker, and to eventual winner Hurkacz in Germany in 2 close tie breakers, off of the back of quarter, semi and final appearance last year in the 3 warm events to Wimbledon in 2021. Also last year he admitted grass is the most difficult surface but because he loves playing on it, unlike many other players who have lost before they’ve hit the court simply because they believe it belongs to cows and sheep, it means he can overcome the barrier mentally. “The first thing that comes to mind is the beauty of it, how nice the feeling is under your feet to be on something so soft and so nice and I think that the fact that we move and there is no sound, just the sound of the ball you hit is a very nice feeling.” Sounds like he’s away with the fairies but whatever works for you. His likely route to the final is Cressy > Sock > Evans > Fritz > Cilic/Nadal > Berrettini/Kyrgios > Novaxx.
Quarter winner: Auger-Aliassime @ 4/1
Value punt: Van de Zandschulp @ 33’s
Footnote: half decent players in this tournament on grass other than the big names, Evans, Querrey, Isner, Goffin, RBA, Thompson, Humbert, Bonzi, Kudla, Otte, Lopez, Bergs, Rijthoven.
[WTA/b]
[b]Section 1
Swiatek is on a 35 match unbeaten run stretching back to 16th of February spanning 6 tournament wins, with a couple of Billi Jean King matches sandwiched in between, it’s the joint longest unbeaten run on tour in the 21st century shared with Venus and here she is at the foot of a new tournament ready to chase down the The Venus Rosewater Dish itself, I had to shoehorn these 2 Venus quotes in somehow.
Iga won Junior Wimbledon 3 years ago, but comparing that to the main tour is apples and oranges. For her on grass it’s all about adaption, possess the basic attributes to be a success here long term, hits big, moves well, retrieves well but it’s all about technical adaptation, hitting flatter harder shots when facing the faster lower bounces as her huge topspin shots will be nullified somewhat compared to the effect they have on clay, kick serve is the best on tour, not as effective on grass, the extreme grip/big wide racquet swings that bamboozled opponents also wont work as well, will have to hit a lot of shorter at times…there’s been no transitional period in the form of match play from the clay to the grass which is red flag for someone with little experience here. A semi final at best but I’d fancy Andreescu at this juncture to win the quarter. In a years time she’ll much more oven ready to win. She has Aga’s old coach who will be a plus given it was her favourite surface. Aga the squatter could become Iga the squatter. I don’t see how she can’t be expected to clean up here based on recent results on other surfaces especially considering she has no real record on grass to write home about, has only ever won 4 main matches and they were against weak players.
Whilst many claim surfaces play more similarly than they did compared to yesteryear (speeds are closer), the key differences are still big enough to explain the disparity in match records that players have, some top players excel on hard but not on clay, some on clay and not on hard etc, it’s usually a reflection of their physical makeup which in turn dictates their playing style (as well as what they’ve all grown up on), along with the will to adapt to and embrace what’s under their feet. At slam level, Kerber, Pliskova, Kvitova, Azarenka, Osaka, all good or have been good on hard courts, poor on clay, Henin was an all round player but won 4 French open titles and no Wimbledon’s for a reason, and not always because of the Williams sisters, losing to Demenitieva, Pierce, Bartoli.
Likely route to the final is Fett > Kovinic > Cornet > Golubic/Krejcikova > /Andreescu > Martic/Vekic > Kvitova/Halep/Muchova/Gauff/Anisimova/Pliskova, fairly straight forward wins for the first 4 round though if she clipped any hurdle in the first week I’d have to say it’d have to be Alize who’s beaten better grass players than Iga in recent years and looked good recently, but @ 2.5 strong fave to win the tournament? not for me. I went against the odds rather than the player at the French knowing full well she’d probably win but here it’s different as I’m going against both for the aforementioned reasons.
There are 5 slam winners in this section, the others are Andreescu, Muguruza, Stephens and Krejcikova, dangerous floaters in Rybakina, peculiar Pegula, and Vekic, a half decent grass court player, There’s also rising star Zheng, never won on grass but you have to start somewhere.
Like in a lot WTA encounters one of highlights is the looks and the handshake at the net, sometimes it’s almost worth the entrance fee alone and often tells the story of the match, if handshakes could speak, Garbine’s to Giorgi at the net in Eastbourne would say “well done on your little win but this tournament means nothing to me”, looks done as a top level player atm, don’t know how she’s still top 10, had a very poor year in stark contrast to 2021 winning only 8 of 19 matches (42%) she often starts off matches well (won the first set 13 times from the 19) but then collapses for whatever reason, fitness, motivation etc, does not look like she moves as well as she used to….not backable here at all given all that and her draw projection to the final, Minnen > Stephens/Zheng > Rybakina/Bianca > Pegula/Vekic > Swiatek > Pliskova/Gauff/Halep/Muchova/Kvitova/. Conchita was voted WTA coach of the year last year, if WTA had a Razzies version for worst coach of the year she’d probably win that this year as well. Needs a change and a different voice in her head.
Andreescu route to the final looks like Bektas > Rybakina > Stephens/Muguruza > Pegula/Martic > Swiatek >Kvitova/Halep/Muchova/Gauff/Anisimova/Pliskova , whilst Bianca has never beaten anyone significant on grass it doesn’t matters, she plays well on it and came very close to beating Pliskova in Berlin, her progress over the last couple of years has been stunted by injury (and covid), now that’s out the way I wouldn’t be surprised to see her win this tournament outright at all, she’s currently around the 10th favourite @ 28/1 best price, ridiculously behind 40 years and 9 months old Serena playing her first match of 2022. The rest ahead of her are justified, even Haddad Maia. Easily one of the most naturally talented players on tour she looks fitter now than 3 years ago when she won the US Open, deciding to miss the start of the season is paying off. She seemed to hitting the baller deeper against Kasatkina than against Swan, if hitting short balls against the big hitters she’ll be eaten for breakfast, intelligent enough not to.
Listed Rybakina as a dangerous floater but she herself has a tricky player to beat in Round 1 in Shuai Zhang at least she did, after Keys withdrew she now plays Coco found a way, Zhang however who is no gimmie for anyone having won 18 of her 28 grass matches in the last 3 seasons, that’s not what makes her tricky, it’s because Shaui Zhang never knows what Shuai Zhang is going to do next. Having said that she retired in the Birmingham final at 54 down in the first set with a neck injury, she was expected to play 3 matches in one day, 2 singles and a doubles final, what kind of tournament organisation is that. Incidentally it’s extremely rare players retire in finals yet on the same day over in Germany, Bencic retired from her final against Jabeur with an ankle injury. Zhang missed Eastbourne to recover and is almost 2/1 to win this match, fully fit looks decent value. Rybakina has demonstrated last year and in 2019 she is suited to grass but the unscientific analysis is, I’m not feeling her this year. No surprise to see her lose early in round 2 to Bianca.
Low expectations for Babora with 2 straight losses after coming back from the elbow injury she had, she needed a fairly kind draw at Wimbledon, she has that in round 1 but would think Golubic would knock her out in Round 2 given the above.
It’s hard to believe Sloane square Stephens will be 30 next year, when she won the US Open in 2017 I thought she’d finish up on 4-5 slams, now it’s hard to see her finishing with 4-5 semi final appearances at the slams or maybe that’s just So Disrespectful, if the eyes are the window to the soul, when you look at hers you often see fear and lack of self belief which is a shame for one of the more naturally gifted players who actually have a tennis brain and don’t just hack at everything, like your Kasatkina’s and Svitolina’s. She is in a fairly tough section with a Zheng > Muguruza > Andreescu/Ryba > Vekic/Pegula > Swiatek > HalepMuchova/Kvitova/Gauff etc. I think we could be looking an an early round 1 bath.
Other mentions, I think Golubic could well make the 4th round, Petkovic > Krejcikova > Tomljanovic, the latter whom she has just recently beaten in Nottingham. Haven’t mentioned Dart at all yet, she gives me strong ‘plucky Brit loses narrow 2nd round match’ vibes, at least she’s here on merit and not by wildcard.
Quarter winner: Andreescu @ 9/1
Value punt: Cornet @ 66/1
Section 2
Badosa’s no look handshake with Burrage on the south coast said “thanks for the practice b1tch I had no intention of winning this match anyway”, a lot of people don’t like her demeanour but show me a good loser and I’ll show you a loser etc, having said that to me she doesn’t look comfortable or natural on grass in terms of moving well, didn’t know when to go to the net, when not to. I see her projected draw as Chirico > Paquet > Kvitova > Halep/Muchova > Pliskova / Gauff / Anismimova / Andreescu / Swiatek, on paper looks like round 3 given P3tra’s new found form on her best surface. She is a good hard court player but wont be missed here.
Speaking of Big foot, matches are not won on paper and she has a tricky round 2 match against Yascreamska, the odds suggest she’ll be double bagelling pocket rocket Paolini at 14/1 in the first, who has beaten Collins and Sabalenka on grass before, the old old Kvitova would have been a shoe in for both matches but it wouldn’t be a shock to me to see her go out in round 1 despite the odds, I find her to be that unreliable these days even though she has played well all week in Eastbourne. Insitinct tells me her run there is a flash in the pan, the most difficult seed to predict. Incidentally, she is still imo the best player on tour who never reached World number 1 when she was at her best. Probably loses to Simona in the fourth.
Halep like Kyrgios decided she’d had enough grass court practice and pulled out of her Semi final match against Andreescu in Bad Homburg with a neck injury that probably doesn’t exist, but she looks very backable at 18/1 to win the tournament, she’s won 6 of her 7 grass matches in the lead up to Wimbledon and must have won of the highest % wins on tour this year, yet she seems to be overlooked as a realistic winner again. Her route through is Muchova > Flipkins > Giorgi > Kvitova/Yastremska/Badosa > Gauff/ Aninismova/Pliskova > Andreescu/Swiatek. Whilst Muchova is a good grass court player I don’t see her being much of a problem for an in form Halep at all, it’ll be a battle of relentless compact swing hitting in round 3 v Camilla who’ll you just know will start off well before fading when under pressure, no doubt Doc Brown will be making an appearance to coach her from the sides, only in the quarters do I see her being tested assuming it’s Gauff as Halep is just a bad match up for Kaplis, Amanda had no answers for her in Germany either and that too looked liked a bad match up, best serving performance I’ve seen from her in years hitting 10 aces and 31 winners, she hit a total of 15 aces in the whole of Wimbledon during her run to the title here in 2019. I suppose mouratoglou should be claiming some credit. Having said all of that, it’s being dressed up as a nightmare draw for her, not for me, not til the last 8 begins anyway. She does however join the list of seeded players who do have a so called tough or tricky round 1 match on paper, along with, Pegula (Vekic), Collins (Bouzkova), Raducanu (Van Uytvanck), Trevisan (Cocciaretto), Putinseva (Cornet) and Teichmann (Tomljanovic), I’ll probably throw in Matincova for Pliskova as well which is no straightforward win.
Gauff’s draw looks like Ruse > Schunk > Anisimova > Pliskova > Halep > Andreescu/Swiatek. Cori recently beat Kaplis in Berlin in 2 close sets saving sets points in the first when 54 down with some good underhand slices to the back of the court. Being pushed forward by her marketing and being so massively overhyped from an early age by the media and especially the BBC made a lot of tennis followers rather than Joe Public, rally against her as they don’t like players foisted on them whilst being told she is the next best thing since bread, given wildcards at 15 she hadn’t earnt and put on show-courts in front of others she hadn’t deserved, all that aside she is a genuine top talent who is going to win this tournament one day and will be top 5 given she is good on all surfaces, but she is never going to be the next Serena or Venus as often mooted by many just because she’s Afro American, lazy comparison, she doesn’t have that kind of dominating game, she just has a very good all round one, think she will meet Halep in the quarters.
Other mentions: Serena, impossible to gage exactly where she’s at considering she hasn’t played a single match in 12 months and is virtually retired at nearly 41, I couldn’t back her outright with stolen money, out in round 3 to Pliskova assuming she doesn’t retire in one of her previous 2 rounds which seems likely. I’ve completely overlooked Boulter thus far who’s had a very decent run on grass this season, beat the real Pliskova whom she could meet in round 2 again, Riske who’s best surface it is and narrowly lost to Petra, though she did eat a bagel half way through the match.
Quarter winner: Halep @ 6/1
Value punt: Yastremska @ 66/1, Boulter @ 80/1
Section 3
3rd seed, 3rd ranked Jabuer is the strong favourite to win the 3rd section after winning her 3rd tournament recently at 2/1 and is 2nd favourite to win Wimbledon at 9/1 behind Swiatek. Once bitten twice shy, I backed her to win the French and she lost to Linette in round 1 albeit a confirmed banana skin match, this time she begins with a 10/1 shot in Bjorklund who off the top of my head, I don’t think I’ve ever seen play, she’s basically a bone fide ITF level player who shoud be steamrolled. I wont be predicting her to win again largely because I think their are better other value options around and not because she’s not a genuine contender which she definitely is, there are not many reasons to oppose her at all. Jabba won Birmingham last year, reached the quarters of Wimbledon, beating Venus, Garbine and Swiatek along the way, won Berlin this year, projected route is Bjorklund > Marino > Kanepi/Tauson > Kerber/Mertens > Kostyuk/Garcia/Van Uytvanck > Penko/Bencic/Haddad Maia/Kontaveit/Sakkari.
I’m glad that at the beginning of the season I set my goals high, and said that I want to hold titles, win a Grand Slam and be top five. There is one more to achieve [a major] and hopefully I will achieve it. “It would mean a lot [to win Wimbledon]. It’s just such a great tournament. I remember the crowd last year was amazing. It’s a surface that I can play really well on and I can enjoy myself. And that’s why I would love to get the Wimbledon trophy.
"Hopefully I will be ready. My eyes are on Wimbledon.” And the 27-year-old attributes her success on the surface to football. “I love grass. I have a love relationship with the grass,” she said ahead of her doubles campaign with the 23-time Major champion in Eastbourne. “Everything started with football because I'm a huge football fan.” Explaining how the game helped her with her tennis, Jabeur continued: “I feel when I step on the court it's like playing football for me. Usually when I do that, I'm never tired, I'm always enjoying myself so that's why maybe I'm having a great time there.” And the new world No 3 also thought the grass was good for the variety in her game. “Also my game suits very well the grass,” she said. “You can really disturb a lot of players, the slices, the drop shot, you can never know if I'm hitting or changing the rhythm so I think that's a big advantage for me.“And the fact that I can adapt my game also on grass could help me really get more wins. Also winning a lot of matches on it, I think, gives me more and more confidence.” Jabeur is also hoping for a good run at Wimbledon following her shock first-round exit at the French Open, where she was one of the favourites for the title.
Collins is coming off of the back of 3 poor tournaments no history on grass to speak off, it would be no surprise to anyone to see 7th seed lose to Booze cruise kova in Round 1, odds are closely matched which for a 7th seeded player they shouldn’t be, I see Riske as one of the very few grass specialists to win that mini section and reach round 3 beating In-Albon > Siniakova >Collins/Bouzkova before losing to Van Uytvanck, Garcia or Kostyuk in the fourth. A big shame Raducanu has been ravished by injuries all year because I’d have tipped her to win the tournament as a dark horse, sort of, but she’s not backable at all at the minute and is probably at Wimbledon just to give it a go, struggle to see her beating Alison in Round 1 because of this, she’s ranked 10th against an unseeded player whose peak ranking is 37 yet she’s around 2.4 to win the match which tells the story, if there is one slam where the Ginger Belgian could win a quarter it’s be on grass as it’s her best surface by far, said after winning Surbiton “I love to play on grass so I’m really happy with the win.
“My level rose throughout the week, I just love to have the low bounces, the serves, it’s important you have to stay aggressive, that’s what I like a lot about the grass and that’s what I had to do. Also the variety with the slice is what I did today and be patient a little bit, so yeah happy about that.” Unfortunantley for her she runs into Garcia who has just beaten Andreescu to win Bad Homburg, her 3rd title on grass.
Bar far the biggest threat to Jabuer in this quarter is none of the above, it’s Kerber in round 4 should she get past Mind the Gap > Linette > Mertens, didn’t look that interested to me against Alize in Germany at least in the last set, probably looking to conserve energy at her pension age of 34, still more than good enough to get back to the semi’s where she was last year losing to the Aboriginal Golfer. Despite Garcia’s purple patch no self respecting gambling man would back her with confidence, there is zero mental consistency to her game.
Quarter winner: Kerber @ 5/1
Value punt: Kostyuk @ 25/1 Van Uytvanck @ 30/1, Riske@ 20/1
Section 4
I honestly do not know how Kontaveit has reached 2nd in the world, she is strictly a Round 3 level player in the slams and has basically been dining out on her indoor results, to be 2nd in the world having only ever made one solitary quarter finals in the majors is laughable, but that’s the way the cookie crumbles with the ranking system. Her projected route is Pera > Niemeier > Kalinina > Haddad Maia/Bencic > Penko/SoranaGoat/Sakkari > Kerber/Jabeur….Kalinina had a good run at Eastbourne beating Sorana, Sakkari and Poots in boots before losing to Ostapancake, also had a lot of good wins against top players all year. Would be no surprise to me to see Anett getting beating in the the 3rd. Niemeier who must eat at the same breakfast table as Ostapenko, Baptiste and Kanepi of a morning, and who was unlucky with injury losing to Stephens at the French, would have half a a chance as a big server and big forehand, gave Bencic a run for her money in Birmingham, but she’s too slow a mover for Kontaveit on a quicker surface, in fact she’s a poor mover. Low expectations for AK either way.
For my money Bencic along with the likes of Osaka, Andreescu, Swiatek etc, is one of the most naturally gifted players but has been a career disappointment in the slams, junior champions at the French and Wimbledon and picked to be a multi slam winner from the off, she’s made one lone semi by the age of 25. A question mark here given she hurt her ankle last week in the Berlin final and was forced to retire…. “Speaking briefly after the match Bencic explained that she felt something in her ankle which is not very good news. She is unsure how bad it is and it seems like it might not be that bad because she did not seem too worried after the match:
"I just slipped, not sure how. I feel it's something in my ankle/Achilles. I'm going to evaluate it with the doctors, go home and rest. It was a very positive week. My tennis was great. I'm happy with my level." Plays first round match aganst former world number 12 Wang, who’s coached by former Wimbledon winner Pat Cash, she hasn’t had the chance to play here since she started working with him 18 months ago, no gimmie for Belinda despite the odds.
I fancy Sakkari chances here to win not only her quarter but her half and make the final, she’s one of the best movers out there and grass suits her game perfectly even if past results show it’s not her best surface, her route to the final looks like Hives > Gavrilova > Cirstea > Penko > Haddad Maia > Kerber/Jabeur. Picked up 5 wins from 8 matches in 3 tournaments, she said she wanted to start her grass season earlier as the more she plays the better she feels, which is the reason I can’t understand why Iga skipped the warm ups completely. One caveat is that Daria is one player you can trip up against if you’re not on it, another player in a false ranking position after barely playing the last couple of years. Not wanting to fat shame again, you have to wonder if Penko is going to have the core fitness to sustain a run here even though she’s favourite to win the bottom quarter at 4.5. She hasn’t won more than 2 matches in a row at a slam in 4 years.
Finally Haddad Maia cannot be ignored, she’s just won 12 of 14 matches on grass in the last few weeks winning back to back tournaments in the midlands beating, Halep, Kvitova, Riske, Giorgi, Zhang, Sakkari, Martincova along the way, she also beat grass lover Rybarikova 3 years ago on in an ITF and Murugurza at Wimbledon, yet my instict with here is just ‘meh’, probably because she has vulture written all over her.
Quarter winner: Sakkari @ 6/1
Value punt: Cirstea @ 30/1, Kalinina @ 30/1
Overview ATP
Quarter winners predictions
1. Djokovic @ 1.36, 2. Hurkacz @ 3.75, 3. Kyrgios @ 6.5 4. Auger-Alissime @ 4/1
Quarter winners - Value punts:
1.Rijthoven @ 50’s, 2. Tiafoe @ 20’s, 3. Brooksby @ 40’s, Bergs @ 80’s, 4. Van de Zandschulp @ 33’S.
Quarter Final line ups prediction
Djokovic v Alcaraz
Tiafoe v Hurkacz
Berrettini v Kyrgios
Felix v Cilic
Tournament winner prediction
Auger-Aliassime @ 18/1
Tournament winner - Value punts:
Kyrgios 28/1, Shapovalov @ 125/1
To reach the final prediction
Felix @ 7/1
To reach the final - value punts
Shappvalov @ 80/1, Norrie 100/1
To meet in the final
Novak and Felix @11/1
To meet in the final - value punt
Felix and Hurkacz @ 66/1
Shapovalov and Djokovic@ 66/1
Cilic and Djokovic @ 20/1
Hurkacz and Cilic @ 125/1
Hurkacz and Kyrgios 125/1
Overview WTA
Quarter winners predictions WTA
1. Andreescu @ 9/1, 2. Halep @ 6/1, 3. Kerber@ 5/1 4. Sakkari @ 6/1
Quarter winner - Value punts:
1.Cornet @ 66/1, 2. Yastremska @ 66/1, Boulter @80/1 3. Van Uytvanck @ 30/1, Riske @ 20/1, 4. Cirstea @ 30/1, Kalinina @ 30/1
Quarter Final line ups prediction
Swiatek v Andreescu
Halep v Gauff
Kostyuk v Kerber
Sakkari v Kalinina
Tournament winner prediction
Sakkari @ 33/1
Tournament winner - value punts
Andreescu @ 33/1, Golubic @ 500/1, Yastremska @ 600/1
To reach the final prediction
Halep @ 12/1
To reach the final - value punt
Pliskova @ 22/1, Boulter @ 250/1, Yastremska @ 250/1
To meet in the final prediction
Halep v Sakkari final @ 125/1
To meet in the final - value punts
Sakkari v Gauff @ 100/1
Sakkari v Andreescu @ 150/1
Andreescu v Jabeur @ 80/1
Halep v Kerber @ 125/1
Halep v Jabeur @ 50/1
Halep v Haddad @100/1
Gauff v Kerber @ 100/1
Pliskova v Jabeur @125/1
Kvitova v Kerber @ 100/1
Yes Novak will probably win, but it’s no fun basing everything around such a short priced fave. All prices quoted above are the best prices available with the bookies at the time according to oddscheker.
My entire pre draw picks in the spoilers below
Spoiler: Show
ATP
R1
Djokovic
Kokkinakis
Tabilo
Kecmanovic
Basilashvili
Halys
Van Rijthoven
Opelka
Sinner
Altmaier
Murray
Isner
Otte
Clarke
Griekspoor
Alcaraz
Ruud
Humbert
Goffin
Baez
Tiafoe
Marterer
Bublik
Carreno Busta
Norrie
Monteiro
Peniston
Dimitrov
Paul
Mannarino
Vesely
Hurkacz
Berrettini
Huesler
Bonzi
Brooksby
De Minaur
Bergs
Broady
Schwartzman
Shapovalov
Nakashima
Koepfer
Bautista Agut
Krajinovic
Kyrgios
Thompson
Tsitsipas
Auger Aliassime
Sock
Novak
Evans
Giron
Martinez Portero
Tseng
Fritz
Cilic
Gasquet
Ruusuvuori
Van de Zandschulp
Kudla
Popyrin
Querrey
Nadal
R2
Djokovic
Kecmanovic
Basilashvili
Van Rijthoven
Sinner
Murray
Otte
Alcaraz
Humbert
Goffin
Tiafoe
Bublik
Norrie
Dimitrov
Paul
Hurkacz
Berrettini
Brooksby
De Minaur
Schwartzman
Shapovalov
Bautista Agut
Kyrgios
Tsitsipas
Auger Aliassime
Evans
Giron
Fritz
Cilic
Van de Zandschulp
Popyrin
Nadal
R3
Djokovic
Van Rijthoven
Murray
Alcaraz
Humbert
Tiafoe
Norrie
Hurkacz
Berrettini
De Minaur
Shapovalov
Kyrgios
Auger Aliassime
Fritz
Cilic
Nadal
R4
Djokovic
Murray
Tiafoe
Hurkacz
Berrettini
Kyrgios
Auger Aliassime
Cilic
QF
Djokovic
Hurkacz
Kyrgios
Auger Aliassime
SF
Djokovic
Auger Aliassime
F
Auger Aliassime
Spoiler: Show
WTA
R1
Swiatek
Kovinic
Liu
Cornet
Tomljanovic
Rus
Golubic
Krejcikova
Muguruza
Stephens
Andreescu
Rybakina
Martic
Kucova
Dart
Vekic
Badosa Gibert
Paquet
Yastremska
Kvitova
Giorgi
Peterson
Flipkens
Halep
Gauff
Buzarnescu
Brengle
Anisimova
Sorribes Tormo
Williams
Boulter
Pliskova
Bouzkova
Li
Chwalinska
Riske
Zhang
Kostyuk
Garcia
Van Uytvanck
Kerber
Linette
Zidansek
Mertens
Kanepi
Hontama
Marino
Jabeur
Sakkari
Saville
Sharma
Cirstea
Cocciaretto
Begu
Wickmayer
Ostapenko
Bencic
Watson
Galfi
Haddad Maia
Kalinina
Burrage
Niemeier
Kontaveit
R2
Swiatek
Cornet
Tomljanovic
Golubic
Muguruza
Andreescu
Martic
Vekic
Badosa Gibert
Kvitova
Giorgi
Halep
Gauff
Anisimova
Williams
Pliskova
Bouzkova
Riske
Kostyuk
Van Uytvanck
Kerber
Mertens
Kanepi
Jabeur
Sakkari
Cirstea
Begu
Ostapenko
Bencic
Haddad Maia
Kalinina
Kontaveit
R3
Swiatek
Golubic
Andreescu
Vekic
Kvitova
Halep
Gauff
Pliskova
Riske
Kostyuk
Kerber
Jabeur
Sakkari
Ostapenko
Haddad Maia
Kalinina
R4
Swiatek
Andreescu
Halep
Gauff
Kostyuk
Kerber
Sakkari
Kalinina
QF
Andreescu
Halep
Kerber
Sakkari
SF
Halep
Sakkari
F
Sakkari
R1
Swiatek
Kovinic
Liu
Cornet
Tomljanovic
Rus
Golubic
Krejcikova
Muguruza
Stephens
Andreescu
Rybakina
Martic
Kucova
Dart
Vekic
Badosa Gibert
Paquet
Yastremska
Kvitova
Giorgi
Peterson
Flipkens
Halep
Gauff
Buzarnescu
Brengle
Anisimova
Sorribes Tormo
Williams
Boulter
Pliskova
Bouzkova
Li
Chwalinska
Riske
Zhang
Kostyuk
Garcia
Van Uytvanck
Kerber
Linette
Zidansek
Mertens
Kanepi
Hontama
Marino
Jabeur
Sakkari
Saville
Sharma
Cirstea
Cocciaretto
Begu
Wickmayer
Ostapenko
Bencic
Watson
Galfi
Haddad Maia
Kalinina
Burrage
Niemeier
Kontaveit
R2
Swiatek
Cornet
Tomljanovic
Golubic
Muguruza
Andreescu
Martic
Vekic
Badosa Gibert
Kvitova
Giorgi
Halep
Gauff
Anisimova
Williams
Pliskova
Bouzkova
Riske
Kostyuk
Van Uytvanck
Kerber
Mertens
Kanepi
Jabeur
Sakkari
Cirstea
Begu
Ostapenko
Bencic
Haddad Maia
Kalinina
Kontaveit
R3
Swiatek
Golubic
Andreescu
Vekic
Kvitova
Halep
Gauff
Pliskova
Riske
Kostyuk
Kerber
Jabeur
Sakkari
Ostapenko
Haddad Maia
Kalinina
R4
Swiatek
Andreescu
Halep
Gauff
Kostyuk
Kerber
Sakkari
Kalinina
QF
Andreescu
Halep
Kerber
Sakkari
SF
Halep
Sakkari
F
Sakkari
20. BOURNEMOUTH
Parkerball is back. Inexplicably the Cherries lasted 5 years in this league last time out despite being opened up more times than Mia Khalifa. What he has demonstrated thus far in his short managerial career is that he’s too good for the Championship but not quite brave or smart enough for the Premiership. The problem being as well organised as his teams are (20 clean sheets last season/best defence in the league), is that it’s not a strategy you can expect to be successful at the top table as we saw when he managed Fulham who were relegated despite 5 surviving teams above having conceded more goals. You stand a better chance of retaining your place if like Howe you are more open and expansive with lesser players than just sitting back hoping to counter. They took the lead in games 33 times in 21/22 and lost it on 8 occasions throwing away 18 pts, given how many fewer times they’ll be taking any lead this season, they’ll need to be far more proactive and on the front foot taking it to teams instead or being reactive, but I can’t see it with Parker who’ll revert to type. Their most notable signing so far is Marcus Tavernier, 10 million pound midfielder from Middlesbrough who scored 5 goals and made 5 assists in 44 matches, hardly breeds confidence, positive news is Brooks is back, Solanke is in great form after finding his level/home, Cook, Billing and Fredericks are Prem standard players along with former Arsenal academy and left wing attacker, Jaidon Anthony. But Overall their squad does not look strong enough to survive, a squad that still contains 12 players from the side that went down in 2020.
19. SOUTHAMPTON
How Hasenhuttl has survived two 9-0 losses is anyone’s guess but the Southampton Hierarchy seem to like him. They were a pretty innocuous team last year with no real threat for relegation despite finishing 15th, they were 15 pts above the drop by the finishing line. Between January 2021 til the first game of October they went on a run of 5 wins, 6 draws and 18 lost games in the league. In nearly a quarter of all prem games last season they lost by at least 3 goals. The Key stat lies in the home v away record, an average home record of wins/loses/goal difference , but had the most away goals conceded in the whole league with 43, almost twice as many as at home with only 3 wins in 19 games, that tells me their squad lacks the character and mettle to go to away grounds and grind results out which has to be a reflection on the manager. Having said that in pre season he’s been playing teams with a back 3 with Bazunu likely to replace McCarthy who last season had a touch of the David James’s about him. New signings include young French forward Mara from Bordeaux for £11.7 mil, probably as an understudy to Che Adams, defensive mid Lavia as a backup for Romeu, Bella-Kotchap for £9 mil from Bochum to play in the back 3 and Aribo from Rangers. 6 of these new signings have an average age of just over 21. Not enough quality in this squad to inspire any kind of confidence to think that they wont be down the bottom yet again this time round. Ralph has said he wants his player to get as high up the pitch as possible which they were already doing last season hence 4th in the list for most corners. Their biggest asset is still Ward Prowse but he is pretty much wholly reliant on set pieces. It’s a possibility he’s still in the job as like Pochettinho was at Tottenham as he’s a pretty low maintenance manager who wont rock the boat, who doesn’t demand top players with top transfer fees and will tolerate whatever he’s given. I can’t see much change in 22/23 given the new transfers and they will probably continue to be outplayed with and without the ball, you often see teams that struggle in the latter part of one season carrying it on into the next, the Austrian will have to pull something out of the hat to survive relegation, the hills are alive with the sound of the trap door opening.
18. LEEDS
It’s hard to have any faith in Ted Lasso, he has little experience or track record at this level, the Austrian Bundesliga is probably the equivalent of the MLS where he had his best spell, but he lasted just 21 games at Leipzig which is notch or 2 below the Premier League. Selling Raphinha and Phillips and replacing them with the likes of Aaaronson, Roca and Adams has a Harrods to Lidl feel about it. I can’t confess to ever have seen Roca play but he comes in as the new holding mid who could barely get a kick at Bayern (I suppose no shame) whilst his predecessor has gone on to City. Aaaronson plays the number 10 role but his goals/assists record even in goal crazy Austria is poor, 5 goals and 4 assists in the season he played under Marsch there, number reversed last season. One player however who looks impressive is £21 million pound Colombian signing, Sinisterra, who comes with good stats albeit in the Eredivise, but more importantly looks good on Youtube. Modern couch potato scouting. Very quick feet, 23 goals and 14 assists in 49 matches for Feyenoord last season, 1st for attempted dribbles and 1st for possession won in the last third which fits into the managers (targeted) high pressing style, as opposed to Bielsa’s 90 minute high octane pressing, hence more defensive stability shown towards the end of the season and less chances conceded on goal. He’s been cited as the Raphinha replacement although he played as a left winger for the Dutch club, but is right footed and could play either side. I would like to see Leeds survive as their fans and the atmosphere at Elland road are/is an asset to the league, would also like to see the manager succeed as he’s tried his best to fit in, using English terminology such as football rather than soccer and generally taking ‘touch down’s chants and quips quite well. He wants to be taking seriously but given the 3 incoming clubs from the Championship who look in better shape to survive than the 3 that just went down, it’ll be a much tougher fight for survival this time round.
17. EVERTON
In fairness to privately educated Lampard, his managerial record is skewed somewhat, at Derby his end of season record was near identical to his predecessor’s, Gary Rowlett, Points: (75/74), Wins/Draws/Loses: (20/15/11 - 20/14/12) , Goals F/A (69/48 - 69/54) and both finishing 6th, a good record for his first season, neither took them forwards or backwards, at Chelsea he walked into a team that had a 6 month transfer embargo and then had new signings foisted upon him that he clearly didn’t want and didn’t always play, such as Werner and Havertz, and was promptly sacked at first sign of trouble in favour of a German manager who would actually play their expensive German signings, then there’s Everton, a basket case of a club thanks to the owner Moshiri mis-spending and hiring of Benitez. Jury is out on Fat Frank.
Having spunked a lot of money on average players in recent years on the likes of Iwobi, Allan, Kean, Gbamin (you’ll have to google), so far on the eve of a new season, Moshiri has decided to put his Iranian wallet away this time, sell Richarlison, not to replace him and not to sign a back up to Calvert Lewin who they suffered without when injured last year, (and now injured again for the next 4 weeks) he’s a decent striker but a club like Everton that’s it, they should be looking for an upgrade never mind a back up. The reality is with the financial losses they posted earlier this year it looks unlikely substantial improvements will be made. Frank probably regrets taking the job at this juncture. Looking at their projected line up for the start of 22/23, it looks set to be another season of struggle, Tarkowski is a good signing but along with McNeil, both were still part of the reason Burnley were relegated themselves last season, they conceded 66 goals in the last campaign which was their most ever in a Premier League campaign. Everton are one of 6 clubs to have played every season since the inception of the Premiership in 1992, unless some quality signings are made in the areas where they need them before the window shuts, they could be soon playing in the Championship in a new 52000 capacity stadium with no guarantee to come back with parachute payments soon to be revised. On the plus side Gordon is a good player. The less said about Dele Alli, the better. Currently linked with Ajorque from Strasbourg as an emergency, panic stations, I have them just surviving again on the premise that they will now have to spend big on a forward to save their skins, with the rest of the squad just being about good enough to avoid the drop. Frank is a strong candidate to be sacked first with Fat Sam to come in yet again to save the day.
16. BRENTFORD
The impact of Eriksen was probably overstated last year having scored 1 goal and made 4 assists but an asset nonetheless he was as his forward passing/thinking helped the whole team. Brentford have made 3 notable signings so far in £17 mil left winger Lewis - Potter from Hull who scored 12 and made 3 assists last year, £15 mil left back Hickey (played as wing back or full back either side for Bologna) who was linked with Bayern and Arsenal, and seasoned centre back stalwart, Ben Mee. They finished comfortably away from relegation season gone and won more games (13) in their first season in the Premier League than any other newly promoted club coming up for the first time, bar Wigan (15) and Reading (16), were also 10th ranked for clean sheets (9). On the flip side they were 4th for clearances and saves behind the likes of Norwich, Burnley and Watford, 5th for most losses and 3rd for most long balls which all highlights the lack of strength in ball possession and quality of defending, to me it feels like the signings that the bus stop in Hounslow really needed to make was a real play-maker to play alongside Norgaard and to replace Eriksen. Always like to see London clubs stay up so hope they can do it.
15. FULHAM
Marco Silva unlike fellow compatriot Nuno Espirito Sanchez has not saturated the club with Portuguese players and instead gained promotion back to the top flight with a reliance on a core squad of English players.
Their 3rd promotion to the Promised land in just 4 years with a pattern of 3rd/ 19th / 4th / 18th / 1st and it’s hard to bet against that trend continuing even if they do have Mitrovic who’s goal record follows a similar pattern from Premier league to Championship of 11/ 26 / 3 / 43 / ?, he can do it on a cold, wet, windy Monday night in Stoke because he’s a tough Serbian bar steward but maybe the shiny bowls of the Emirates and White Hart Pain are not up his street. Fulham have signed defensive mid Palhinha from Sporting Lisbon for £18 mil, Journeyman Andreas Pereira from Man United and 27 year old Right back Mbabu from Wolfsburg for 5 mil, who replaces loanee and new FPL favourite Neco Williams. For a club of this stature it’s not bad business but it’s not enough to think they’re not going to struggle yet again especially considering the sale of Carvalho to Liverpool who hit 11 goals and made 7 assists last season which is only behind Mitrovic and Wilson in terms of goal contributions, he hasn’t been replaced. Having said all that their approach to the transfer market is far better than it has been in years gone by, in 2018 they spunked over 100 mil on arrival back to Premier League on the likes of Mawson, who was then loaned to Bristol City and is now without a club, Anguissa who was loaned to Napoli and worst of all, £27 mil Seri, me neither, and in 2020 they fleshed out the squad with a load of loanees who all looked like they’d met each other in the car park before a match, which they probably did.
Winning the Championship with a record 106 goals, gaining promotion as Champions instead of through the play offs as per the last two times and a sensible spending spree in areas they needed strengthening in gives me the vibes that they will just have enough to stay up even with the loss of Carvalho, just.
14. BRIGHTON
If you saw Graham Potter sitting down for 5 minutes on a park bench somewhere this winter you’d offer him some loose change and cup of tea, despite the homelessness look, it disguises the fact he’s a very good English manager who led Brighton to their highest ever finish in the clubs 121 year history. Imagine how well they’d have done if their home form was anything to write home about considering they’d only won 5 from 19 and picked up 7 more points away from home which is unusual in any given season for any team. What makes Potter a good coach is the fact that for my money under his leadership Brighton’s overall results look to make them a team that is greater than the sum of it’s parts and that’s down to the manager. They finished last season having being ranked 6th in terms of most touches inside the opposing teams box yet were the 5th lowest scorers in the league, equal with Leeds who just scrapped relegation, the story being their attack is not as good as their defence. Undav has signed from the Belgian league having won the title with Union St. Gilloise, finishing as top scorer with 26 goals and with 10 assists, more goal involvements than any other player in the league. Yet it’s still the Belgian league so who knows if he’ll turn out to be any better than Maupay (who looks to be leaving) or Welbeck. In fairness Trossard also came from the Belgian league and looks a Premier League standard player. Only 2 other key signings in £10.5 million pound, 18 year old second striker, Enciso from the Paraguayan league where he scored 11 goals in 14 league games last season for Libertad, along with left winger Adingra from the Danish club Nordsjaelland for £7.2 mil, he’s been loaned straight back out however to Undav’s previous club in Belgium. Bissouma is a massive loss for Brighton and he hasn’t been replaced, with the much sought after, as will Cucurella who’s signed for Chelsea for £52.5 mil. If you want something in football, you generally have to overpay for it. As much as I rate Potter, you can’t keep trying to punch above your weight every season and expect similar results, their first choice 11 going into the new season has a bottom six feel to it, it’s only thanks to the manager they’ve been nowhere near it, however based on key departures of Bissouma and Cucurella, along with everyone around them strengthening, I can only see them slipping down the table into the bottom half from the 9th position they finished in last year.
13. NOTTINGHAM FOREST
Discluding Derby who had points deductions foisted upon them, when Steve Cooper took over Forest they were bottom with 4 pts after 8 games and had been out of the Premier league for 22 years, finishing the season with a 60% win rate, 4th in the league and coming up through the play offs, not to mentioning knocking out established top flight sides from the Cup, Cooper was hands down the manager of the year in the Championship last season, at least that’s what I thought, turns out the Luton manager was given the award. Nonetheless their performances against Arsenal, Leicester and Liverpool with much of the same key squad members they have going into the new season is enough to know they have enough strength in depth to survive their first season back. They’ve let only 3 keys players from last season leave the club in Goalkeeper Samba (replaced by loanee Henderson), centre back Figueiredo (replaced by 9 Mil Niakhate from Mainz) and ageing centre forward, Grabban (replaced with Awoniyi, £18.4 mil signing from Union Berlin). Those mainstay players from 21/22 however may not even make the starting line up given Forest have been far and away the busiest club in the transfer market with the widely suggested first choice 11’s only including 4 of the main players from the team that gained promotion, those being Worrall, McKenna, Yates and Johnson expected to keep their places. Other notable signings has obviously been Tik Tokker Jessica Lingard who I’ve never rated, but for a newly promoted club to sign player from Manchester United still in his prime for no transfer fee, is a good signing. Though turning down West Ham and European football albeit the third tier of; for more money at Forest says more about the pull of a fat wage packet then the club at the present time. He should start well hoping to make the plane to Qatar. Other mentionable signings are Omar Richards for £7.65 mil who didn’t quite make the grade at Bayern but was a known face to Cooper having played in the Championship at Reading previously, and Neco Williams from Liverpool for £18 mil who looks to try and replace Djed Spence. There’s no Greek gifts from the Greek owner Evangelos Marinakos, he has delivered the goods. The only caveat is that since 2015 he’s had about 8 different permanent managers in charge of his other club Olympiakos (incl Marco Silva), he’d be making a mistake if he sacks Cooper at the first sight of trouble. I not only fully expect Forest to survive, I think they’ll finish the season higher than the other two newly promoted clubs as well.
12. WOLVES
Jimenez doesn’t look the same player since he’s come back from his head injury and now he’s out again for the first month of the season with the possibility of Neto filling the role. The Mexican was top scorer last season with just 6 goals, Neto close behind with 5 (out injured with a knee injury for a while), yet they still managed to finish 10th with 16 wins which is their joint record in 8 seasons in the Premiership. They were only the 3rd team in Prem history to finish in the top 10 with as little as 38 goals, the only 3 teams in the league last season that scored less were all relegated, yet the owner seems content to wing it again going into the new season. Lage to me is a a direct continuation from the boring Nuno Sanchez who played the same predictable 352 system and who in his last season also had a team that accrued a measly 36 goals.
If it wasn’t for Sa who out exceeded his goal prevention expectation by 7.6 (highest rated keeper), and Kilman coming to the fore, they’d have been real relegation fodder, they were heading that way with their end of season form with 11pts from the last 14 games, the only major signing so far is a central defender in Collins from Burnley, the one area where they are already fairly strong, they strengthen even more which tells me it’s going to be more of the same when really they need to change formation and system to make any kind of progression, which apparently Lage has hinted at, remains to be seen. Gibbs White returning however having scored 12 goals and making 9 assists on loan at Sheffield United will help, but it doesn’t feel enough and unless they make a key forward signing I can only see them struggling to make the top half of the table. The squad looks stale. Traore coming back is not a plus point, flatters to deceive.
11. CRYSTAL PALACE
Paddy finished a respectable 12th in his first season in charge at Selhurst park having taking over from Hodgeasauraus, the more attacking style of play resulted in 9 more goals, but improved defensively as well as the goal difference on the previous season was up by +29, outside of the top 6, only West Ham had a better GD. 6th on the list for most clean sheets. The only real weak point was defending set pieces with Leicester, Everton and Leeds being the only teams conceding more from them.
Going into the new season will just be a continuation of the previous seasons development and evolution, however losing Gallagher cannot be underestimated and Paddy will need to find someone else to step up fill the void, bar Zaha who hit a career best 14 goals in the league last season + 1 assist, the Chelsea loanee was second for most goal contributions with 8 goals and 3 assists.Further out wide there is a very talented player in Olise who is yet to be capped at International level for a senior side yet can represent 4 different countries, if Southgate had any nous he’d have called him by now but as it is, he looks set to play for France having recently played for their Under 21’s. There could be some instability towards the end of the 22/23 season as Zaha’s contract will be up and with fans on his back it usually points towards a dip in form. The only criticism I’d have of Paddy long legs is that it’s difficult to predict his line-ups which may keep oppositions guessing but it also means it’s difficult for players to build up telepathic understanding on the pitch and is not good for a strikers confidence to score one week and be benched the next, an issue that may be reflected in the fact they drew 15 games which was more than any other team, every man knows their job but they need to work with each other more to finish it. Palace have only made 2 noteworthy signings thus far this summer, Doucoure a £20 million pound, defensive midfield signing from Lens and 22 year old centre back Chris Richards from Bayern for £11 mil who played over 1300 minutes in the league for them last season. 2 Decent signings. With the loss of Gallagher and his bundle of energy from the team and with no replacement, I can only see Palace making marginal improvements in terms of league position but should have no real threat of relegation.
10. LEICESTER
All quiet on the Western front. At time of going to print, Leicester are the only team in the top 5 leagues in Europe not to have made a single signing, the old adage standing still is going backwards is prevalent especially with 35 year old Vardy still expected to lead the attack going into a new season, despite having great stats last year, his biggest strength was always pace. In fairness to the ghost of Shankly, Rodgers had to contend with key injuries to the likes of Fofana, Vardy, Pereira and Justin consequently resulting in fit players at times being played out of position, being 3rd on the list for most saves and most tackles having to be made. It’s been said Schmeichel was not the same keeper he has been in previous years hence his move to Nice, but according to xG, Leicester should of conceded about 10 goals more than they did, then again, they finished rock bottom in defending set pieces, conceding 17 from corners. At least with Fofana and Evans back that stat should change.
Like Matryoshka Dolls, Maddison is also full of himself, he was however 9th on the list for goal involvements last season but he wont be stepping it up as all players do towards a World Cup because he has no chance of making it. Southgate probably rates the player but not the personality, either do I, the 1 cap wonder deliberately had Maitland-Niles sent off one year then laughed about in the interview afterwards, has that look about him that whatever you’ve done, he’s done it better. You’ve been to Tenefife recently? doesn’t matter, Maddy’s has been to Elevenerife.
Providing they keep the likes of Maddison and Tieleman however, their squad still is strong enough to maintain a top 10 finish, but there’s no chance of European football. His recent quote was “my honest opinion is that [the squad] is not going to be the level I would have wanted” and “really respects the club, so I don’t go to war with them” - translation “my squad are not good enough to finish higher than 8th again unless you show me the colour of your money”. Not much more to say for a club who’s owner has short hands and deep pockets these days.
9. NEWCASTLE
One of the funnier sights last season was at Selhurst Park where in reply to Palace fans holding aloft Anti Newcastle Ownership banners protesting against their new moneybag owners, citing Terrorism, Censorship, Beheadings and persecutions, was the Geordies all waving £20 pound notes straight back at them
The difference between Bruce and Howe is night and day, from stodgy defensive football with 5 at the back to attractive 433, attack minded football, another key difference is Pre season, Bruce’s pre seasons often lacked intensity hence being undercooked going into new seasons, whereas Howe’s has been the opposite with matches this summer against 1860 Munich, Mainz, Benfica, Atalanta and Bilbao, compare and contrast that to cabbage heads this time last year, York, Doncaster, Rotherham, Burton, Norwich, the year before that was not much better either preparing for 20/21 against all Championship clubs.
Unlike when Abramovich took over splashing the cash, the hand choppers are ironically taking the more subtle approach by not signing world stars and instead purchasing players they need rather than players the fans would want, the likes of does what it says on the tin Chris Wood, Trippier and Dan Burn, you do wonder though when they will step up their spending spree and start signing established world renowned names, Robinho was the first for City and one big name would be all it’d take to really get the ball rolling as long as they pay them 500 bags a week. In the meantime cheap and cheerful Almiron has scored 6 pre season goals and has probably done enough to displace Fraser from the team, Wilson will start every match with Wood as back up, as for the goalkeeping situation,Fumata Bianca has fogged up the Tyne this summer indicating it’s 50/50 between the Pope and Dubravka after both having played 3 games each in pre season, however, my sources at the club tell me white plumes will soon reveal Saint Nick as the clubs number 1. Rumours Dubravka will be a makeweight for Maddison with Kasper seemingly on his way out the Leicester door.
Adding to Guimaraes, Targett, Wood, Trippier and the permanent singing of Willock, is £33 million pound defender Botman from Lille who prefers to play as the left sided centre back, where Burn plays. Interesting to see if it’ll be one or other or both, as Schar has done well enough to keep his place.
They finished 11th last season with 49 pts, so far they haven’t made enough significant signings to indicate they’ll be pushing for top 6 yet, but will definitely be contending for best of the rest alongside West Ham and Villa, considering their record since regaining promotion back to land of milk and honey 5 seasons ago, is 10th, 13th, 13th 12th, 11th, that 7th-9th place finish would be a positive step forward and a clear indication of progression, they can kick on from there but anyone expecting them to make top 4 this season are delusional. Not even Newcastle fans are that delusional, I think.
8. ASTON VILLA
After taking over from Dean Smith (who I thought did a pretty good job overall at Villa whilst having to contend with losing Grealish), Gerrard’s honeymoon period at Villas lasted about 6 games before winning only 1 of the next 7, followed by a steady end to the season with with 5 wins, 3 draw and 6 losses from the last 14 matches to finish comfortably in 14th place. His name alone attracted Coutinho to the club who contributed with 5 goals and 3 assists. Having said that only 3 other clubs lost more games than Villa and 2 of them were relegated. When you look at some of the key stats such as expected goals against and for it’s very average, yet during his time in charge only 8 other clubs picked up more points in the league which is a sign they are more than capable of a top 10 finish especially now he can mould the club into his own shape with some new signings which he has done with Diego Carlos in central defence, a £27 mil signing from Sevilla and Kamara as a freebie from Marseille who’ll probably start over Luiz. Bailey has been in good pre season form with 3 goals and an assist and will also probably be in a first choice 11 at this point, I’d imagine Ramsey would be preferred to Buendia. Looks like a lot of Ings pace has gone and he’ll probably rotate with Watkins who over the course of the season rather than being played as a piar. Given the shoring up in defence with signings of DM Kamara and Carlos you’d imagine a lot of those losses will turn into draws and wins, on paper I can’t see them finishing anywhere below 10th. One more footnote, if you want to place a bet for Villa’s player of the season for 22/23 then a value punt would be on Matty Cash in the Attic looks shrewd to me.
7. WEST HAM
It’s amazing West Ham still managed to finish 7th having the burden and weight of the Europa League around their necks, in all the games that followed a European night, they only went onto win 4 of 12 games, even more amazing considering they made the last 4 having no real back up for loneman Antonio, only now have they finally addressed the issue with the signing of £32 million pound signing 6ft4 monster Scamacca from Sassuolo, who’ll now probably take his place, had 16 goals and no assists in Serie A in 21/22 which tells you the kind of out and out striker he is and that West Ham needs, those goals put him 6th in the top scorers list which for a club that finished mid table is not bad at all. An Italian correspondent said out of all the strikers in Italy, he the most suitable to play in the Premier League in terms of his physicality. European football was probably the main contributor in the Moyes’s side dropping 9pts from the previous season and 3 less wins. A new striker was long overdue given Antonio will be 33 in March and has only managed 10 league goals in each of the last 3 seasons (in part thanks to injuries limiting the number of matches played in 2 of those 3).
Ranked 3rd for most crosses of the ball with 802 (cue Scamacca signing), just behind Liverpool with 869 and number 1, Man City with 897 and were 10th for most long balls, a far cry from the stigma that the likes of Moyes has carried in years gone by, they are these days a decent footballing team to watch. Speaking of Moyes if he had any sense he’d bin off the Conference league and focus of main course, incidentally to my surprise, as much as I derided this tournament before it started, there were many games in it that I actually enjoyed watching, in part thanks to the fact you could see how much it meant to the clubs that ordinarily would be no where near Europe, but for the likes of West Ham it should be filed under ‘a useful run-out for our second string players only’. Other notable signings for 22/23 are £31.5 mil Centre back Aguerd from Rennes who’ll partner Zouma, centre mid Downes from Swansea for ( a permanent fee of) £9.5 mil who’ll compete with Soucek and keeper Areola from PSG for £8.3 mil who probably be second choice given Flappianski started 5 of the 6 pre season games. Looking at their first choice 11 and bench, they will again be competing for the best of the rest position in 7th place with the likes of Villa and Newcastle.Though West Ham fans will believe they can make top 6 which is not that implausible.
6. MANCHESTER UNITED
United are going into their tenth season after last winning the Premier League title and will extend the run into the 11th under the guidance of Beldar from coneheads who’ll need time and money to mould the squad into his own shape, and a lot of moulding it will be. Whilst an underwhelming character he is at least comes through the door with far more credentials as a top level manager than his predecessor Rangnick who was largely an unknown figure in his own house let alone in football. As opposed to Solskjaers’ old skool 442 counter attacking style of football hitting teams on the break a la Fergie, Ten Haag is prefers possession based football whilst pressing from the front but is also adaptable having played Tadic as a false 9 at Ajax but Haller as the target man on different occasions dependant upon opposition, the formation he deployed however was strictly 433. What Man United actually need at this point in time is not only a good manager with a proven track record but also a disciplinarian (highlighted by players leaving the Rayo Vallecano match early which under Fergie would have been met with death by lethal Glaswegian stare the next morning) which apparently he is not, quite and unassuming are characteristics attributed to him by those that have worked in his set up which could be a red flag from the off. There’s also the fact he’s making a huge jump from the Eredivisie to the Premier League with no real history of managing the egos that infest the club. He is a big question mark and will need time regardless as the club needs a lot of patch up work.
United finished with their lowest ever points total in the Premier League, fewest wins and most goals against compared to the previous 30 seasons and haven’t really made any stand out signings in the transfer window to suggest they’ll come on leaps and bounds in the next 12 months. They’ve signed 5ft7inch centre back in Argentine Martinez from Ajax for over 50 million (which looks overpriced already) and left back cover Malacia from Feyenoord for £13.5 mil along with Eriksen who looks set to be a back up to Fernandes, other than that it’s much off the same going forward as day 623 of the Frankie De Jong transfer saga rumbles on. Ronaldo wants Champions League football but nobody wants the non pressing forward in their Champions League team at the age of 37 so it looks like he’ll stay at be Ten Haag’s Lukaku. On the positive side United have a lot of genuinely good players in the front 6 from Sancho who’ll be like a new signing, a rejuvenated Rashford desperate to make the World Cup, Fernandes who’ll fit the system well, Martial who’s played well all pre season and super sub Eriksen, a fully fit Luke Shaw is an asset more in attack than defence and Maguire cannot get any worse than last season, he is not as as bad as everyone makes out, his confidence was shot to pieces, the break will probably bring a new dawn. The mug fans booing him in pre season in Australia are not fans are just that, mugs.
I anticipate a strong start against Brighton and home and Brentford away but at the end of the season it’ll simply be filed under ‘transition’.
5. TOTTENHAM
The biggest asset they have is the manager Conte who was directly responsible for their end of season form where they outperformed their capabilities to finish in the top 4 with 8 wins from the last 10 matches, he is off of the top of my head, the only world class player or manager that has actually signed for the club whilst in their prime, on the flip side they were in large parts helped by Arsenal and United who were like two fatties trying to keep their balance on an ice rink, every move they made forward they slipped on their backsides as Spurs glided past on one leg sipping some herbal tea, both now start the season in better shape for various reasons though with United it was already a low bar. Signings such as Kulusevski and Bentacur who were both Juventus bench players, along with Richarlison (who is not worth 52 mil), Perisic and Bissouma, are all good players but are not of the calibre that are going to take a club from 4th to title challengers this season, 3rd favs is probably a knee-jerk reaction to end of season form and who the manager is rather than reality. Wing backs as throughout the manager’s career will be key to anything Tottenham do going forward but you have to question whether Perisic will keep a consistent level of performance across the course of the season in such a high energy position in what is the fastest and most physical league in world football, the quality is still there however, he’s not coming for a last big pay cheque. Conte has managed to extract excellent performances from Moses in the right wing back position in the past at Chelsea en route to winning the league in 2017 so no reason why neither Doherty or Emerson can also play above their stations on the other side of the pitch, both being of a similar level. Neither Moses or Alonso contributed many assists to the team as the idea was simply to stretch the opposition to create overloads to give space to Costa and Hazard to work in, a system that has and will work well for Son and Kane going forward. Despite having a more transitional style of play rather than possession based, Tottenham, finished the season 4th on the list of most passes made behind City, Liverpool and Chelsea. They are in good shape and are set up well going into the new season but for me 3rd place really is the ceiling, I have them 5th, the only way the season can implode completely is if results dip towards Xmas, Conte throws a strop demanding more transfers, none are forthcoming and he walks, which given how temperamental he can be, is a possibility.
4. ARSENAL
Signing Brazilian forward Jesus for less than 50 mil after having just won the league title was probably the shrewdest bit of business done by any club this summer, followed by the excellent acquisition of the versatile Zinchenko who was man of the match in the play off matches for the World Cup despite being on the losing side. Not often cast offs as high quality as these two are signed by Arsenal who in years gone by have acquired dross in the summer windows in the form of your Silvestre’s and Welbeck’s instead. You have to wonder if this is Pep doing Arteta a favour and that bigger offers were made elsewhere, regardless they will both be big assets for the club this season, Zincheko can either fill in for the injury prone Tierney at left back or play on the left wing as he does for his country. Incidentally It literally makes no sense Guardiola let either go along with Sterling. Jesus scored 7 goals in 5 pre season games (and as fantasy footballer players will know is currently the highest % owned player in fpl with 73% of the 5.6 million entrants owning him).
Arsenal went through a period 2 years ago where probably every other club in the top 5 divisions in Europe would have sacked the manager, Emery was sacked for less, yet the club stuck by him more so to save their own backs rather than his knowing appointing yet another failed manager who’d spent big would cost them their jobs, nonetheless Arteta has ploughed on regardless with the youngest squad in the league by a whole year which clearly cost the club top 4 towards the run-in, Brentford having the second youngest. It’s not a coincidence this is the case as he’s clearly targeted promoting youth in his first job as a young manager himself knowing full well they’re more likely to listen to him rather than the established players such as Aubameyang who was eventually moved on, it’s reminiscent of the second part of Wenger’s reign from 2006 onwards to take control of the dressing room. 8th was followed by 8th and 5th in the last 3 years and anything less then Champions League football this season has to be seen as failure given the time and funds the manager has been given by the hierarchy. The squad is now strong enough to at least compete again for top 4 but one of the factors that could make that little bit of difference between Arteta and Haag or Conte’s is that those managers are that bit more wily, experienced and street smart then where Mikel is at this juncture which means top 4 could be misse again but definitely not out of the question, it’ll be neck and neck and I’m backing 4th. The slow boat to Istanbul however was missed last season as the club could have attracted even better players with top flight European football but we did everything we possibly could towards the end of the season to not qualify for the Champions League, it was like watching a drunk trying to break into a house only for his wife a while late to open the door and let him in, by the time he realised he was home with the key in his pocket it was too late. Martinelli looks set to start this season and I wouldn’t be surprised if he ends up being our player of the year, he’s starting to look like belongs at the very top level for me, Saliba could pair up with Gabriel at the back but most fancy White to keep his place. I know next to nothing about £31 million pound midfielder, Fabio Vieira from Porto but at least he doesn’t have the same 70 million pound price tag that weighed down Pepe, let’s hope the scouting has been a lot better this time. Same goes for 19 year old right winger, Marquinhos who’s signed from Sao Paulo for just over £3 million. If Arteta does not achieve top 4 this season I’d imagine it’d be his last having spent hundreds of millions during his tenure, it’s time to deliver today not tomorrow. Many want him gone now but every manager in an ideal world, needs 3 full seasons to get all the players they want in, and all the players they want out to be judge properly, they’d be no point in ripping up and starting again right now. Incidentally not looking forward to another one of these nonsense fly on the wall documentaries set to be released on Amazon Prime, they are so cringy and have already seen a snippet showing the manager filtering in You’ll Never Walk Alone chants on the training ground to help prepare the team for big atmosphere, I’ll be washing my hair. Good luck to Lack of threat (Lacazette) back at his old club Lyon, a good servant to the club even it he was never ultimately good enough.
3. CHELSEA
Chelsea reached both domestic finals and were in the top 5 for all the positive stats that football is measured in these days, expected goals against, (xGA) clean sheets, passes, shots on goal, corners, goals in and outside of the box etc, yet they had an overall underwhelming season in which they went into as many people’s favourite to win the league after just signing Lukaku for 90 mil off of the back of winning the Champions League with Tuchel’s stock sky high. Massive changes at the club has taken place with the Oligarch sent packing and another new American coming through the Premier League doors, the 90 mil flop sent back to Italy, signing Sterling for 50 mil which is a steal but losing one of the best defenders in Europe in his prime in Antonio Rudiger. There’s a corridor of uncertainty sandwiched in between the new season and the last with Tuchel sending out transfer smoke signals to the new owner after their 4 nil crushing at the hands of Arsenal in pre season, "So we had an urgent appeal for quality players, a huge amount of quality players. We got two quality players but we are not competitive like this. Unfortunately you could see it today.", since that match they’ve been linked with all and sundry as yet, no other key player has put pen to paper (bar Cucurella). 18 year old midfielder Chukwumeka has signed however for 20 mil but will no doubt be farmed straight back out on loan for the next few seasons. A big part of the reason why Chelsea did not fulfil their potential in 21/22 was because of the loses to Reece James and Ben Chilwell to injuries, their output down the flanks was fundamental to Chelsea success previously as well as Lukaku being the epitome of what a square peg in a round hole looks like, he didn’t fit Tuchel’s system and slowed the pace of their game down, to get the best out him you have to play through him yet Chelsea’s quick build up play down the channels often resulted in him having few touches, he set a record of fewest touches in a premier league game against Palace with just 7 and left the club with probably a stat that summed up his time at Chelsea, ”498th place out of 518 players with an average of 27.1 touches for every 90 minutes”.
Havertz instead filled the role, a hybrid player that scores like a number 9 but turns and finds space like a number 10. Having said that, if he leads the line this season I can’t see him getting the kind of numbers in front of goal that would be required to make any kind of impression in a title race, he would still suit feeding a striker rather than being the focal point. Koulibaly while not as good bringing the ball out of defence and getting attacks going as Rudiger was, is the best possible centre back signing Chelsea could have made to replace him this summer, despite being 2 years older he is still at the top of his game having won the African cup of Nations, helped Senegal to qualify for the world cup and is only leaving 3rd placed Napoli for the same reasons Insigne and Mertens left, president De Laurentiis was on a cost cutting exercise asking for players to half their wages whilst making a statement refusing to sign African players unless they opted out of ACON. Looking at their potential line up for the new season of Mendy-James-Silva-Gvardiol (rumoured?)-Koulibaly-Chilwell-Mount-Kante-Kovic... is still very strong with Ziyech, Pulisic, Werner, Broja and Alonso as back up, there is plenty of strength in depth but mostly from wide areas, where they’ll probably fall down is not buying a top class finisher and therefore cannot see them pushing Liverpool and City for the top spot who have both signed Nunez and Haaland respectively. As I write they are currently being linked with De Jong, that wont make the difference. The most striking thing for me looking at this squad is how they clearly lack any kind of characters in the team, gone are the day of Terry-Lampard-Drogba, instead it’s Silva-Mount-Havertz, this is an underrated attribute to any team and could cost them.
2. MANCHESTER CITY
Selling Sterling in his prime and for just 50 mil seems a very strange move considering the goal contributions Raheem made over the last 5 seasons, from 2017/18 they were 18 goals, 11 assists, followed by 17/9, 20/1, 10/7 and 13/5 last season which often put him in the top 2 players for City goal involvements, moreover, he offers something different than the other attacking players, pace, now they’ll be even more reliant from wide areas on the likes of Cancelo and Walker. Letting second striker Jesus and Zincheko leave whilst chasing Cucurella (signed for Chelsea) also seem like peculiar decisions, but I’m sure the oracle that is Pep has a Grand Masterplan and we’ll all sit back and marvel at by the end of the season at his brilliance. What however was great business, thanks to a bit of fortune in timing, was the purchase of Haaland for £54 mil who ordinarily in today’s market would have cost £150 mil plus if it wasn’t for his contract situation at Dortmund. Anyone thinking Haaland wont adapt to City or vice versa are barking up the wrong tree, he imo is genuine world class player who moves unbelievable well for a big man, the only question mark is how long will it take to settle in and can he avoid the injuries he’s already picked up in his short career which incidentally does not make him value for top scorer. In the Champions League he’s already scored 15 goals in 13 games, more than Kane who’s pushing 30.
Pep must also think a lot of Alvarez who scored 11 goals in 17 games on loan for River Plate last season to keep him and sell Gabriel to Arsenal. City had the worst cross completion rate in the league in 20/21 despite being 2nd for most crosses made, with Haaland’s aerial ability not only will this stat improve but it may also explain Sterling’s departure who ‘s been coached for years to get in behind the last defender from wide areas before cutting the ball in towards your Aguero’s or De Bruyne’s, and so is now looking for a different way of playing or least an alternative way of playing. Ironically his first goal against Bayern in pre season was from your traditional cut back goal City have fine tuned over the years.
For my money Grealish is completely wasted at City, it feels like he’s been put in a box and had the talent squeezed out of him, he should be playing more centrally, running with the ball and creating plenty of goal scoring chances, yet he looks suppressed in his role at City, many think this’ll be his breakthrough year at the club but it’s hard to see anything changing, he’ll still be required not to hang on to the ball too long and to find and create space for others with one-two touch passes. Wasting his talent even if Pep plays him more. No team made fewer substitutions than City last year either so the new 5 sub rule wont be befitting benched players that much either.
On the whole City will still be far far too strong for any other team in the league bar Liverpool this season as has been the case for the last few years, it’ll be these two battling it out for the title.
1. LIVERPOOL
All the data, stats, styles of play and mangers aside, sometimes you have to go with instinct and mine says Liverpool will win the league this season. Just like City there is not a single weakness in their first choice 11 and have enough strength in depth to cope in most key areas. Van Dijk came back from injury last season to help the club keep 9 more clean sheets and concede 16 less goals. In 21/22 they ranked first for clean sheets, shots, goals inside the box and crosses, second for wins, goals, passes and corners.
3 new signings have been made in centre forward Nunez from Benfica for £67 mil, Carvalho from Fulham for just over 5 mil and right back cover Calvin Ramsey from Aberdeen for £4.4 mil. Signing Dawin is Klopp deliberately moving away from the way in which he has previously wanted his front 3 to operate, Firmino did a great job in being the link up player for Mane and Salah for the last few years but Nunez is an out and out goalscoring striker and far more direct than the Brazilian, it would be of no surprise to me to see him outscore Salah from here on in. Scored 26 goals in 28 league games in Portugal last season, regardless of the strength of the league having done my youtube scouting again, seen him in the Champions League against Liverpool and Ajax and 1 pre season game, is enough to know there’s no reason why he wont hit the ground running, there’s no chance he’s going to flop and will be one of the stars of the season. Salah was number 1 on the assists chart last year with 13 and you can only imagine that stat will increase feeding Nunez through the middle, Trent was second on the list(12) with Robertson joint 3rd with 10. Tsimikas is good cover for Robertson but if Trent is injured the team will feel his absence with no sufficient back up with proven experience. Not much more to say, they are the finished article to me who’s record in the transfer market has been superb in recent years with Klopp and the scouting network quickly identifying the players they need to fit into his 433 (or adapted 4141) pressing system, the speed at which they pass out from the back and one touch passing is second to none. They consistently demonstrate to other teams in the league how to deal with City with their intense gegenpressing and higher line subsequently condensing space and reducing chances of balls hit over top with extra men attacking the ball when the opposition have it. Other teams do not have the luxury of the quality of players Liverpool have but it’s a better tactic than sitting back and defending for 90 minutes. Arsenal also showed at least for one half against City at the Emirates how successful counter pressing city players can be. Mane is a loss and I’d prefer him over Diaz but the gap in class between them is still wafer thin. 2nd Premier League titlefor me this time in front of their own fans, rather than the fans that came dressed as empty red seats last time round thanks to the pandemic.
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Full table
Spoiler: Show
My predictions in full
What a super computer has predicted
1. Manchester City
2. Liverpool
3. Chelsea
4. Tottenham Hotspur
5. Manchester United
6. Newcastle United
7. Arsenal
8. West Ham United
9. Leicester City
10. Aston Villa
11. Brighton & Hove Albion
12. Crystal Palace
13. Wolverhampton Wanderers
14. Everton
15. Southampton
16. Leeds United
17. Brentford
18. Fulham
19. AFC Bournemouth
20. Play-off winners (Nottingham Forest)
https://www.sporf.com/supercomputer-predicts-next-seasons-premier-league-table-2022-23/
[/spoiler[
Full list of predictions for the season
Premier League: Liverpool @ 3.5
Relegation: Bournemouth@ 1.44, Southampton @ 4.0, Leeds @ 3.3
Relegation treble: Bournemouth/Southampton/Leeds @ 28/1
Top Scorer: Nunez @ 13/1
Winner/Top scorer double: Liverpool/Nunez @ 33/1
First manager sacked: Jessy Marsch @ 6/1
To finish Bottom: Bournemouth @ 2.0
PFA Player of the Year: Nunez @ 25/1
PFA Young player of the year: Martinelli @ 6/1
Straight Tricast: 1. Liverpool, 2. City, 3. Chelsea: @ 14/1
Bottom on Xmas day: Bournemouth @ 7/2
Season Handicap: West Ham +33 @ 16/1
Most Assists: Salah @ 20/1
Championship winner: Norwich @ 13/2
- Promotion: Blackburn @ 8/1
League 1 winner: Peterborough : 8/1
League 2 winner: Bradford 8/1
FA Cup: Chelsea @ 7/1
League Cup: Tottenham @9/1
La Liga: Barcelona @ 7/5
Serie A: Juventus @ 2.0
Scotland: Rangers @5/4
Champions League: PSG @ 6/1
Europa League: Roma at 14/1
World Cup winners: Argentina @ 8/1
Top World Cup scorer: Neymar @ 20/1
To reach final: Argentina @ 4/1, Portugal @ 13/2
To qualify from groups: Wales @ 6/5, Poland @ evens, Serbia @ 11/10
Balon Do'r: @ 50/1 (would need to win the World Cup to steal it from Karim)
Kind Regards.
Parkerball is back. Inexplicably the Cherries lasted 5 years in this league last time out despite being opened up more times than Mia Khalifa. What he has demonstrated thus far in his short managerial career is that he’s too good for the Championship but not quite brave or smart enough for the Premiership. The problem being as well organised as his teams are (20 clean sheets last season/best defence in the league), is that it’s not a strategy you can expect to be successful at the top table as we saw when he managed Fulham who were relegated despite 5 surviving teams above having conceded more goals. You stand a better chance of retaining your place if like Howe you are more open and expansive with lesser players than just sitting back hoping to counter. They took the lead in games 33 times in 21/22 and lost it on 8 occasions throwing away 18 pts, given how many fewer times they’ll be taking any lead this season, they’ll need to be far more proactive and on the front foot taking it to teams instead or being reactive, but I can’t see it with Parker who’ll revert to type. Their most notable signing so far is Marcus Tavernier, 10 million pound midfielder from Middlesbrough who scored 5 goals and made 5 assists in 44 matches, hardly breeds confidence, positive news is Brooks is back, Solanke is in great form after finding his level/home, Cook, Billing and Fredericks are Prem standard players along with former Arsenal academy and left wing attacker, Jaidon Anthony. But Overall their squad does not look strong enough to survive, a squad that still contains 12 players from the side that went down in 2020.
19. SOUTHAMPTON
How Hasenhuttl has survived two 9-0 losses is anyone’s guess but the Southampton Hierarchy seem to like him. They were a pretty innocuous team last year with no real threat for relegation despite finishing 15th, they were 15 pts above the drop by the finishing line. Between January 2021 til the first game of October they went on a run of 5 wins, 6 draws and 18 lost games in the league. In nearly a quarter of all prem games last season they lost by at least 3 goals. The Key stat lies in the home v away record, an average home record of wins/loses/goal difference , but had the most away goals conceded in the whole league with 43, almost twice as many as at home with only 3 wins in 19 games, that tells me their squad lacks the character and mettle to go to away grounds and grind results out which has to be a reflection on the manager. Having said that in pre season he’s been playing teams with a back 3 with Bazunu likely to replace McCarthy who last season had a touch of the David James’s about him. New signings include young French forward Mara from Bordeaux for £11.7 mil, probably as an understudy to Che Adams, defensive mid Lavia as a backup for Romeu, Bella-Kotchap for £9 mil from Bochum to play in the back 3 and Aribo from Rangers. 6 of these new signings have an average age of just over 21. Not enough quality in this squad to inspire any kind of confidence to think that they wont be down the bottom yet again this time round. Ralph has said he wants his player to get as high up the pitch as possible which they were already doing last season hence 4th in the list for most corners. Their biggest asset is still Ward Prowse but he is pretty much wholly reliant on set pieces. It’s a possibility he’s still in the job as like Pochettinho was at Tottenham as he’s a pretty low maintenance manager who wont rock the boat, who doesn’t demand top players with top transfer fees and will tolerate whatever he’s given. I can’t see much change in 22/23 given the new transfers and they will probably continue to be outplayed with and without the ball, you often see teams that struggle in the latter part of one season carrying it on into the next, the Austrian will have to pull something out of the hat to survive relegation, the hills are alive with the sound of the trap door opening.
18. LEEDS
It’s hard to have any faith in Ted Lasso, he has little experience or track record at this level, the Austrian Bundesliga is probably the equivalent of the MLS where he had his best spell, but he lasted just 21 games at Leipzig which is notch or 2 below the Premier League. Selling Raphinha and Phillips and replacing them with the likes of Aaaronson, Roca and Adams has a Harrods to Lidl feel about it. I can’t confess to ever have seen Roca play but he comes in as the new holding mid who could barely get a kick at Bayern (I suppose no shame) whilst his predecessor has gone on to City. Aaaronson plays the number 10 role but his goals/assists record even in goal crazy Austria is poor, 5 goals and 4 assists in the season he played under Marsch there, number reversed last season. One player however who looks impressive is £21 million pound Colombian signing, Sinisterra, who comes with good stats albeit in the Eredivise, but more importantly looks good on Youtube. Modern couch potato scouting. Very quick feet, 23 goals and 14 assists in 49 matches for Feyenoord last season, 1st for attempted dribbles and 1st for possession won in the last third which fits into the managers (targeted) high pressing style, as opposed to Bielsa’s 90 minute high octane pressing, hence more defensive stability shown towards the end of the season and less chances conceded on goal. He’s been cited as the Raphinha replacement although he played as a left winger for the Dutch club, but is right footed and could play either side. I would like to see Leeds survive as their fans and the atmosphere at Elland road are/is an asset to the league, would also like to see the manager succeed as he’s tried his best to fit in, using English terminology such as football rather than soccer and generally taking ‘touch down’s chants and quips quite well. He wants to be taking seriously but given the 3 incoming clubs from the Championship who look in better shape to survive than the 3 that just went down, it’ll be a much tougher fight for survival this time round.
17. EVERTON
In fairness to privately educated Lampard, his managerial record is skewed somewhat, at Derby his end of season record was near identical to his predecessor’s, Gary Rowlett, Points: (75/74), Wins/Draws/Loses: (20/15/11 - 20/14/12) , Goals F/A (69/48 - 69/54) and both finishing 6th, a good record for his first season, neither took them forwards or backwards, at Chelsea he walked into a team that had a 6 month transfer embargo and then had new signings foisted upon him that he clearly didn’t want and didn’t always play, such as Werner and Havertz, and was promptly sacked at first sign of trouble in favour of a German manager who would actually play their expensive German signings, then there’s Everton, a basket case of a club thanks to the owner Moshiri mis-spending and hiring of Benitez. Jury is out on Fat Frank.
Having spunked a lot of money on average players in recent years on the likes of Iwobi, Allan, Kean, Gbamin (you’ll have to google), so far on the eve of a new season, Moshiri has decided to put his Iranian wallet away this time, sell Richarlison, not to replace him and not to sign a back up to Calvert Lewin who they suffered without when injured last year, (and now injured again for the next 4 weeks) he’s a decent striker but a club like Everton that’s it, they should be looking for an upgrade never mind a back up. The reality is with the financial losses they posted earlier this year it looks unlikely substantial improvements will be made. Frank probably regrets taking the job at this juncture. Looking at their projected line up for the start of 22/23, it looks set to be another season of struggle, Tarkowski is a good signing but along with McNeil, both were still part of the reason Burnley were relegated themselves last season, they conceded 66 goals in the last campaign which was their most ever in a Premier League campaign. Everton are one of 6 clubs to have played every season since the inception of the Premiership in 1992, unless some quality signings are made in the areas where they need them before the window shuts, they could be soon playing in the Championship in a new 52000 capacity stadium with no guarantee to come back with parachute payments soon to be revised. On the plus side Gordon is a good player. The less said about Dele Alli, the better. Currently linked with Ajorque from Strasbourg as an emergency, panic stations, I have them just surviving again on the premise that they will now have to spend big on a forward to save their skins, with the rest of the squad just being about good enough to avoid the drop. Frank is a strong candidate to be sacked first with Fat Sam to come in yet again to save the day.
16. BRENTFORD
The impact of Eriksen was probably overstated last year having scored 1 goal and made 4 assists but an asset nonetheless he was as his forward passing/thinking helped the whole team. Brentford have made 3 notable signings so far in £17 mil left winger Lewis - Potter from Hull who scored 12 and made 3 assists last year, £15 mil left back Hickey (played as wing back or full back either side for Bologna) who was linked with Bayern and Arsenal, and seasoned centre back stalwart, Ben Mee. They finished comfortably away from relegation season gone and won more games (13) in their first season in the Premier League than any other newly promoted club coming up for the first time, bar Wigan (15) and Reading (16), were also 10th ranked for clean sheets (9). On the flip side they were 4th for clearances and saves behind the likes of Norwich, Burnley and Watford, 5th for most losses and 3rd for most long balls which all highlights the lack of strength in ball possession and quality of defending, to me it feels like the signings that the bus stop in Hounslow really needed to make was a real play-maker to play alongside Norgaard and to replace Eriksen. Always like to see London clubs stay up so hope they can do it.
15. FULHAM
Marco Silva unlike fellow compatriot Nuno Espirito Sanchez has not saturated the club with Portuguese players and instead gained promotion back to the top flight with a reliance on a core squad of English players.
Their 3rd promotion to the Promised land in just 4 years with a pattern of 3rd/ 19th / 4th / 18th / 1st and it’s hard to bet against that trend continuing even if they do have Mitrovic who’s goal record follows a similar pattern from Premier league to Championship of 11/ 26 / 3 / 43 / ?, he can do it on a cold, wet, windy Monday night in Stoke because he’s a tough Serbian bar steward but maybe the shiny bowls of the Emirates and White Hart Pain are not up his street. Fulham have signed defensive mid Palhinha from Sporting Lisbon for £18 mil, Journeyman Andreas Pereira from Man United and 27 year old Right back Mbabu from Wolfsburg for 5 mil, who replaces loanee and new FPL favourite Neco Williams. For a club of this stature it’s not bad business but it’s not enough to think they’re not going to struggle yet again especially considering the sale of Carvalho to Liverpool who hit 11 goals and made 7 assists last season which is only behind Mitrovic and Wilson in terms of goal contributions, he hasn’t been replaced. Having said all that their approach to the transfer market is far better than it has been in years gone by, in 2018 they spunked over 100 mil on arrival back to Premier League on the likes of Mawson, who was then loaned to Bristol City and is now without a club, Anguissa who was loaned to Napoli and worst of all, £27 mil Seri, me neither, and in 2020 they fleshed out the squad with a load of loanees who all looked like they’d met each other in the car park before a match, which they probably did.
Winning the Championship with a record 106 goals, gaining promotion as Champions instead of through the play offs as per the last two times and a sensible spending spree in areas they needed strengthening in gives me the vibes that they will just have enough to stay up even with the loss of Carvalho, just.
14. BRIGHTON
If you saw Graham Potter sitting down for 5 minutes on a park bench somewhere this winter you’d offer him some loose change and cup of tea, despite the homelessness look, it disguises the fact he’s a very good English manager who led Brighton to their highest ever finish in the clubs 121 year history. Imagine how well they’d have done if their home form was anything to write home about considering they’d only won 5 from 19 and picked up 7 more points away from home which is unusual in any given season for any team. What makes Potter a good coach is the fact that for my money under his leadership Brighton’s overall results look to make them a team that is greater than the sum of it’s parts and that’s down to the manager. They finished last season having being ranked 6th in terms of most touches inside the opposing teams box yet were the 5th lowest scorers in the league, equal with Leeds who just scrapped relegation, the story being their attack is not as good as their defence. Undav has signed from the Belgian league having won the title with Union St. Gilloise, finishing as top scorer with 26 goals and with 10 assists, more goal involvements than any other player in the league. Yet it’s still the Belgian league so who knows if he’ll turn out to be any better than Maupay (who looks to be leaving) or Welbeck. In fairness Trossard also came from the Belgian league and looks a Premier League standard player. Only 2 other key signings in £10.5 million pound, 18 year old second striker, Enciso from the Paraguayan league where he scored 11 goals in 14 league games last season for Libertad, along with left winger Adingra from the Danish club Nordsjaelland for £7.2 mil, he’s been loaned straight back out however to Undav’s previous club in Belgium. Bissouma is a massive loss for Brighton and he hasn’t been replaced, with the much sought after, as will Cucurella who’s signed for Chelsea for £52.5 mil. If you want something in football, you generally have to overpay for it. As much as I rate Potter, you can’t keep trying to punch above your weight every season and expect similar results, their first choice 11 going into the new season has a bottom six feel to it, it’s only thanks to the manager they’ve been nowhere near it, however based on key departures of Bissouma and Cucurella, along with everyone around them strengthening, I can only see them slipping down the table into the bottom half from the 9th position they finished in last year.
13. NOTTINGHAM FOREST
Discluding Derby who had points deductions foisted upon them, when Steve Cooper took over Forest they were bottom with 4 pts after 8 games and had been out of the Premier league for 22 years, finishing the season with a 60% win rate, 4th in the league and coming up through the play offs, not to mentioning knocking out established top flight sides from the Cup, Cooper was hands down the manager of the year in the Championship last season, at least that’s what I thought, turns out the Luton manager was given the award. Nonetheless their performances against Arsenal, Leicester and Liverpool with much of the same key squad members they have going into the new season is enough to know they have enough strength in depth to survive their first season back. They’ve let only 3 keys players from last season leave the club in Goalkeeper Samba (replaced by loanee Henderson), centre back Figueiredo (replaced by 9 Mil Niakhate from Mainz) and ageing centre forward, Grabban (replaced with Awoniyi, £18.4 mil signing from Union Berlin). Those mainstay players from 21/22 however may not even make the starting line up given Forest have been far and away the busiest club in the transfer market with the widely suggested first choice 11’s only including 4 of the main players from the team that gained promotion, those being Worrall, McKenna, Yates and Johnson expected to keep their places. Other notable signings has obviously been Tik Tokker Jessica Lingard who I’ve never rated, but for a newly promoted club to sign player from Manchester United still in his prime for no transfer fee, is a good signing. Though turning down West Ham and European football albeit the third tier of; for more money at Forest says more about the pull of a fat wage packet then the club at the present time. He should start well hoping to make the plane to Qatar. Other mentionable signings are Omar Richards for £7.65 mil who didn’t quite make the grade at Bayern but was a known face to Cooper having played in the Championship at Reading previously, and Neco Williams from Liverpool for £18 mil who looks to try and replace Djed Spence. There’s no Greek gifts from the Greek owner Evangelos Marinakos, he has delivered the goods. The only caveat is that since 2015 he’s had about 8 different permanent managers in charge of his other club Olympiakos (incl Marco Silva), he’d be making a mistake if he sacks Cooper at the first sight of trouble. I not only fully expect Forest to survive, I think they’ll finish the season higher than the other two newly promoted clubs as well.
12. WOLVES
Jimenez doesn’t look the same player since he’s come back from his head injury and now he’s out again for the first month of the season with the possibility of Neto filling the role. The Mexican was top scorer last season with just 6 goals, Neto close behind with 5 (out injured with a knee injury for a while), yet they still managed to finish 10th with 16 wins which is their joint record in 8 seasons in the Premiership. They were only the 3rd team in Prem history to finish in the top 10 with as little as 38 goals, the only 3 teams in the league last season that scored less were all relegated, yet the owner seems content to wing it again going into the new season. Lage to me is a a direct continuation from the boring Nuno Sanchez who played the same predictable 352 system and who in his last season also had a team that accrued a measly 36 goals.
If it wasn’t for Sa who out exceeded his goal prevention expectation by 7.6 (highest rated keeper), and Kilman coming to the fore, they’d have been real relegation fodder, they were heading that way with their end of season form with 11pts from the last 14 games, the only major signing so far is a central defender in Collins from Burnley, the one area where they are already fairly strong, they strengthen even more which tells me it’s going to be more of the same when really they need to change formation and system to make any kind of progression, which apparently Lage has hinted at, remains to be seen. Gibbs White returning however having scored 12 goals and making 9 assists on loan at Sheffield United will help, but it doesn’t feel enough and unless they make a key forward signing I can only see them struggling to make the top half of the table. The squad looks stale. Traore coming back is not a plus point, flatters to deceive.
11. CRYSTAL PALACE
Paddy finished a respectable 12th in his first season in charge at Selhurst park having taking over from Hodgeasauraus, the more attacking style of play resulted in 9 more goals, but improved defensively as well as the goal difference on the previous season was up by +29, outside of the top 6, only West Ham had a better GD. 6th on the list for most clean sheets. The only real weak point was defending set pieces with Leicester, Everton and Leeds being the only teams conceding more from them.
Going into the new season will just be a continuation of the previous seasons development and evolution, however losing Gallagher cannot be underestimated and Paddy will need to find someone else to step up fill the void, bar Zaha who hit a career best 14 goals in the league last season + 1 assist, the Chelsea loanee was second for most goal contributions with 8 goals and 3 assists.Further out wide there is a very talented player in Olise who is yet to be capped at International level for a senior side yet can represent 4 different countries, if Southgate had any nous he’d have called him by now but as it is, he looks set to play for France having recently played for their Under 21’s. There could be some instability towards the end of the 22/23 season as Zaha’s contract will be up and with fans on his back it usually points towards a dip in form. The only criticism I’d have of Paddy long legs is that it’s difficult to predict his line-ups which may keep oppositions guessing but it also means it’s difficult for players to build up telepathic understanding on the pitch and is not good for a strikers confidence to score one week and be benched the next, an issue that may be reflected in the fact they drew 15 games which was more than any other team, every man knows their job but they need to work with each other more to finish it. Palace have only made 2 noteworthy signings thus far this summer, Doucoure a £20 million pound, defensive midfield signing from Lens and 22 year old centre back Chris Richards from Bayern for £11 mil who played over 1300 minutes in the league for them last season. 2 Decent signings. With the loss of Gallagher and his bundle of energy from the team and with no replacement, I can only see Palace making marginal improvements in terms of league position but should have no real threat of relegation.
10. LEICESTER
All quiet on the Western front. At time of going to print, Leicester are the only team in the top 5 leagues in Europe not to have made a single signing, the old adage standing still is going backwards is prevalent especially with 35 year old Vardy still expected to lead the attack going into a new season, despite having great stats last year, his biggest strength was always pace. In fairness to the ghost of Shankly, Rodgers had to contend with key injuries to the likes of Fofana, Vardy, Pereira and Justin consequently resulting in fit players at times being played out of position, being 3rd on the list for most saves and most tackles having to be made. It’s been said Schmeichel was not the same keeper he has been in previous years hence his move to Nice, but according to xG, Leicester should of conceded about 10 goals more than they did, then again, they finished rock bottom in defending set pieces, conceding 17 from corners. At least with Fofana and Evans back that stat should change.
Like Matryoshka Dolls, Maddison is also full of himself, he was however 9th on the list for goal involvements last season but he wont be stepping it up as all players do towards a World Cup because he has no chance of making it. Southgate probably rates the player but not the personality, either do I, the 1 cap wonder deliberately had Maitland-Niles sent off one year then laughed about in the interview afterwards, has that look about him that whatever you’ve done, he’s done it better. You’ve been to Tenefife recently? doesn’t matter, Maddy’s has been to Elevenerife.
Providing they keep the likes of Maddison and Tieleman however, their squad still is strong enough to maintain a top 10 finish, but there’s no chance of European football. His recent quote was “my honest opinion is that [the squad] is not going to be the level I would have wanted” and “really respects the club, so I don’t go to war with them” - translation “my squad are not good enough to finish higher than 8th again unless you show me the colour of your money”. Not much more to say for a club who’s owner has short hands and deep pockets these days.
9. NEWCASTLE
One of the funnier sights last season was at Selhurst Park where in reply to Palace fans holding aloft Anti Newcastle Ownership banners protesting against their new moneybag owners, citing Terrorism, Censorship, Beheadings and persecutions, was the Geordies all waving £20 pound notes straight back at them
The difference between Bruce and Howe is night and day, from stodgy defensive football with 5 at the back to attractive 433, attack minded football, another key difference is Pre season, Bruce’s pre seasons often lacked intensity hence being undercooked going into new seasons, whereas Howe’s has been the opposite with matches this summer against 1860 Munich, Mainz, Benfica, Atalanta and Bilbao, compare and contrast that to cabbage heads this time last year, York, Doncaster, Rotherham, Burton, Norwich, the year before that was not much better either preparing for 20/21 against all Championship clubs.
Unlike when Abramovich took over splashing the cash, the hand choppers are ironically taking the more subtle approach by not signing world stars and instead purchasing players they need rather than players the fans would want, the likes of does what it says on the tin Chris Wood, Trippier and Dan Burn, you do wonder though when they will step up their spending spree and start signing established world renowned names, Robinho was the first for City and one big name would be all it’d take to really get the ball rolling as long as they pay them 500 bags a week. In the meantime cheap and cheerful Almiron has scored 6 pre season goals and has probably done enough to displace Fraser from the team, Wilson will start every match with Wood as back up, as for the goalkeeping situation,Fumata Bianca has fogged up the Tyne this summer indicating it’s 50/50 between the Pope and Dubravka after both having played 3 games each in pre season, however, my sources at the club tell me white plumes will soon reveal Saint Nick as the clubs number 1. Rumours Dubravka will be a makeweight for Maddison with Kasper seemingly on his way out the Leicester door.
Adding to Guimaraes, Targett, Wood, Trippier and the permanent singing of Willock, is £33 million pound defender Botman from Lille who prefers to play as the left sided centre back, where Burn plays. Interesting to see if it’ll be one or other or both, as Schar has done well enough to keep his place.
They finished 11th last season with 49 pts, so far they haven’t made enough significant signings to indicate they’ll be pushing for top 6 yet, but will definitely be contending for best of the rest alongside West Ham and Villa, considering their record since regaining promotion back to land of milk and honey 5 seasons ago, is 10th, 13th, 13th 12th, 11th, that 7th-9th place finish would be a positive step forward and a clear indication of progression, they can kick on from there but anyone expecting them to make top 4 this season are delusional. Not even Newcastle fans are that delusional, I think.
8. ASTON VILLA
After taking over from Dean Smith (who I thought did a pretty good job overall at Villa whilst having to contend with losing Grealish), Gerrard’s honeymoon period at Villas lasted about 6 games before winning only 1 of the next 7, followed by a steady end to the season with with 5 wins, 3 draw and 6 losses from the last 14 matches to finish comfortably in 14th place. His name alone attracted Coutinho to the club who contributed with 5 goals and 3 assists. Having said that only 3 other clubs lost more games than Villa and 2 of them were relegated. When you look at some of the key stats such as expected goals against and for it’s very average, yet during his time in charge only 8 other clubs picked up more points in the league which is a sign they are more than capable of a top 10 finish especially now he can mould the club into his own shape with some new signings which he has done with Diego Carlos in central defence, a £27 mil signing from Sevilla and Kamara as a freebie from Marseille who’ll probably start over Luiz. Bailey has been in good pre season form with 3 goals and an assist and will also probably be in a first choice 11 at this point, I’d imagine Ramsey would be preferred to Buendia. Looks like a lot of Ings pace has gone and he’ll probably rotate with Watkins who over the course of the season rather than being played as a piar. Given the shoring up in defence with signings of DM Kamara and Carlos you’d imagine a lot of those losses will turn into draws and wins, on paper I can’t see them finishing anywhere below 10th. One more footnote, if you want to place a bet for Villa’s player of the season for 22/23 then a value punt would be on Matty Cash in the Attic looks shrewd to me.
7. WEST HAM
It’s amazing West Ham still managed to finish 7th having the burden and weight of the Europa League around their necks, in all the games that followed a European night, they only went onto win 4 of 12 games, even more amazing considering they made the last 4 having no real back up for loneman Antonio, only now have they finally addressed the issue with the signing of £32 million pound signing 6ft4 monster Scamacca from Sassuolo, who’ll now probably take his place, had 16 goals and no assists in Serie A in 21/22 which tells you the kind of out and out striker he is and that West Ham needs, those goals put him 6th in the top scorers list which for a club that finished mid table is not bad at all. An Italian correspondent said out of all the strikers in Italy, he the most suitable to play in the Premier League in terms of his physicality. European football was probably the main contributor in the Moyes’s side dropping 9pts from the previous season and 3 less wins. A new striker was long overdue given Antonio will be 33 in March and has only managed 10 league goals in each of the last 3 seasons (in part thanks to injuries limiting the number of matches played in 2 of those 3).
Ranked 3rd for most crosses of the ball with 802 (cue Scamacca signing), just behind Liverpool with 869 and number 1, Man City with 897 and were 10th for most long balls, a far cry from the stigma that the likes of Moyes has carried in years gone by, they are these days a decent footballing team to watch. Speaking of Moyes if he had any sense he’d bin off the Conference league and focus of main course, incidentally to my surprise, as much as I derided this tournament before it started, there were many games in it that I actually enjoyed watching, in part thanks to the fact you could see how much it meant to the clubs that ordinarily would be no where near Europe, but for the likes of West Ham it should be filed under ‘a useful run-out for our second string players only’. Other notable signings for 22/23 are £31.5 mil Centre back Aguerd from Rennes who’ll partner Zouma, centre mid Downes from Swansea for ( a permanent fee of) £9.5 mil who’ll compete with Soucek and keeper Areola from PSG for £8.3 mil who probably be second choice given Flappianski started 5 of the 6 pre season games. Looking at their first choice 11 and bench, they will again be competing for the best of the rest position in 7th place with the likes of Villa and Newcastle.Though West Ham fans will believe they can make top 6 which is not that implausible.
6. MANCHESTER UNITED
United are going into their tenth season after last winning the Premier League title and will extend the run into the 11th under the guidance of Beldar from coneheads who’ll need time and money to mould the squad into his own shape, and a lot of moulding it will be. Whilst an underwhelming character he is at least comes through the door with far more credentials as a top level manager than his predecessor Rangnick who was largely an unknown figure in his own house let alone in football. As opposed to Solskjaers’ old skool 442 counter attacking style of football hitting teams on the break a la Fergie, Ten Haag is prefers possession based football whilst pressing from the front but is also adaptable having played Tadic as a false 9 at Ajax but Haller as the target man on different occasions dependant upon opposition, the formation he deployed however was strictly 433. What Man United actually need at this point in time is not only a good manager with a proven track record but also a disciplinarian (highlighted by players leaving the Rayo Vallecano match early which under Fergie would have been met with death by lethal Glaswegian stare the next morning) which apparently he is not, quite and unassuming are characteristics attributed to him by those that have worked in his set up which could be a red flag from the off. There’s also the fact he’s making a huge jump from the Eredivisie to the Premier League with no real history of managing the egos that infest the club. He is a big question mark and will need time regardless as the club needs a lot of patch up work.
United finished with their lowest ever points total in the Premier League, fewest wins and most goals against compared to the previous 30 seasons and haven’t really made any stand out signings in the transfer window to suggest they’ll come on leaps and bounds in the next 12 months. They’ve signed 5ft7inch centre back in Argentine Martinez from Ajax for over 50 million (which looks overpriced already) and left back cover Malacia from Feyenoord for £13.5 mil along with Eriksen who looks set to be a back up to Fernandes, other than that it’s much off the same going forward as day 623 of the Frankie De Jong transfer saga rumbles on. Ronaldo wants Champions League football but nobody wants the non pressing forward in their Champions League team at the age of 37 so it looks like he’ll stay at be Ten Haag’s Lukaku. On the positive side United have a lot of genuinely good players in the front 6 from Sancho who’ll be like a new signing, a rejuvenated Rashford desperate to make the World Cup, Fernandes who’ll fit the system well, Martial who’s played well all pre season and super sub Eriksen, a fully fit Luke Shaw is an asset more in attack than defence and Maguire cannot get any worse than last season, he is not as as bad as everyone makes out, his confidence was shot to pieces, the break will probably bring a new dawn. The mug fans booing him in pre season in Australia are not fans are just that, mugs.
I anticipate a strong start against Brighton and home and Brentford away but at the end of the season it’ll simply be filed under ‘transition’.
5. TOTTENHAM
The biggest asset they have is the manager Conte who was directly responsible for their end of season form where they outperformed their capabilities to finish in the top 4 with 8 wins from the last 10 matches, he is off of the top of my head, the only world class player or manager that has actually signed for the club whilst in their prime, on the flip side they were in large parts helped by Arsenal and United who were like two fatties trying to keep their balance on an ice rink, every move they made forward they slipped on their backsides as Spurs glided past on one leg sipping some herbal tea, both now start the season in better shape for various reasons though with United it was already a low bar. Signings such as Kulusevski and Bentacur who were both Juventus bench players, along with Richarlison (who is not worth 52 mil), Perisic and Bissouma, are all good players but are not of the calibre that are going to take a club from 4th to title challengers this season, 3rd favs is probably a knee-jerk reaction to end of season form and who the manager is rather than reality. Wing backs as throughout the manager’s career will be key to anything Tottenham do going forward but you have to question whether Perisic will keep a consistent level of performance across the course of the season in such a high energy position in what is the fastest and most physical league in world football, the quality is still there however, he’s not coming for a last big pay cheque. Conte has managed to extract excellent performances from Moses in the right wing back position in the past at Chelsea en route to winning the league in 2017 so no reason why neither Doherty or Emerson can also play above their stations on the other side of the pitch, both being of a similar level. Neither Moses or Alonso contributed many assists to the team as the idea was simply to stretch the opposition to create overloads to give space to Costa and Hazard to work in, a system that has and will work well for Son and Kane going forward. Despite having a more transitional style of play rather than possession based, Tottenham, finished the season 4th on the list of most passes made behind City, Liverpool and Chelsea. They are in good shape and are set up well going into the new season but for me 3rd place really is the ceiling, I have them 5th, the only way the season can implode completely is if results dip towards Xmas, Conte throws a strop demanding more transfers, none are forthcoming and he walks, which given how temperamental he can be, is a possibility.
4. ARSENAL
Signing Brazilian forward Jesus for less than 50 mil after having just won the league title was probably the shrewdest bit of business done by any club this summer, followed by the excellent acquisition of the versatile Zinchenko who was man of the match in the play off matches for the World Cup despite being on the losing side. Not often cast offs as high quality as these two are signed by Arsenal who in years gone by have acquired dross in the summer windows in the form of your Silvestre’s and Welbeck’s instead. You have to wonder if this is Pep doing Arteta a favour and that bigger offers were made elsewhere, regardless they will both be big assets for the club this season, Zincheko can either fill in for the injury prone Tierney at left back or play on the left wing as he does for his country. Incidentally It literally makes no sense Guardiola let either go along with Sterling. Jesus scored 7 goals in 5 pre season games (and as fantasy footballer players will know is currently the highest % owned player in fpl with 73% of the 5.6 million entrants owning him).
Arsenal went through a period 2 years ago where probably every other club in the top 5 divisions in Europe would have sacked the manager, Emery was sacked for less, yet the club stuck by him more so to save their own backs rather than his knowing appointing yet another failed manager who’d spent big would cost them their jobs, nonetheless Arteta has ploughed on regardless with the youngest squad in the league by a whole year which clearly cost the club top 4 towards the run-in, Brentford having the second youngest. It’s not a coincidence this is the case as he’s clearly targeted promoting youth in his first job as a young manager himself knowing full well they’re more likely to listen to him rather than the established players such as Aubameyang who was eventually moved on, it’s reminiscent of the second part of Wenger’s reign from 2006 onwards to take control of the dressing room. 8th was followed by 8th and 5th in the last 3 years and anything less then Champions League football this season has to be seen as failure given the time and funds the manager has been given by the hierarchy. The squad is now strong enough to at least compete again for top 4 but one of the factors that could make that little bit of difference between Arteta and Haag or Conte’s is that those managers are that bit more wily, experienced and street smart then where Mikel is at this juncture which means top 4 could be misse again but definitely not out of the question, it’ll be neck and neck and I’m backing 4th. The slow boat to Istanbul however was missed last season as the club could have attracted even better players with top flight European football but we did everything we possibly could towards the end of the season to not qualify for the Champions League, it was like watching a drunk trying to break into a house only for his wife a while late to open the door and let him in, by the time he realised he was home with the key in his pocket it was too late. Martinelli looks set to start this season and I wouldn’t be surprised if he ends up being our player of the year, he’s starting to look like belongs at the very top level for me, Saliba could pair up with Gabriel at the back but most fancy White to keep his place. I know next to nothing about £31 million pound midfielder, Fabio Vieira from Porto but at least he doesn’t have the same 70 million pound price tag that weighed down Pepe, let’s hope the scouting has been a lot better this time. Same goes for 19 year old right winger, Marquinhos who’s signed from Sao Paulo for just over £3 million. If Arteta does not achieve top 4 this season I’d imagine it’d be his last having spent hundreds of millions during his tenure, it’s time to deliver today not tomorrow. Many want him gone now but every manager in an ideal world, needs 3 full seasons to get all the players they want in, and all the players they want out to be judge properly, they’d be no point in ripping up and starting again right now. Incidentally not looking forward to another one of these nonsense fly on the wall documentaries set to be released on Amazon Prime, they are so cringy and have already seen a snippet showing the manager filtering in You’ll Never Walk Alone chants on the training ground to help prepare the team for big atmosphere, I’ll be washing my hair. Good luck to Lack of threat (Lacazette) back at his old club Lyon, a good servant to the club even it he was never ultimately good enough.
3. CHELSEA
Chelsea reached both domestic finals and were in the top 5 for all the positive stats that football is measured in these days, expected goals against, (xGA) clean sheets, passes, shots on goal, corners, goals in and outside of the box etc, yet they had an overall underwhelming season in which they went into as many people’s favourite to win the league after just signing Lukaku for 90 mil off of the back of winning the Champions League with Tuchel’s stock sky high. Massive changes at the club has taken place with the Oligarch sent packing and another new American coming through the Premier League doors, the 90 mil flop sent back to Italy, signing Sterling for 50 mil which is a steal but losing one of the best defenders in Europe in his prime in Antonio Rudiger. There’s a corridor of uncertainty sandwiched in between the new season and the last with Tuchel sending out transfer smoke signals to the new owner after their 4 nil crushing at the hands of Arsenal in pre season, "So we had an urgent appeal for quality players, a huge amount of quality players. We got two quality players but we are not competitive like this. Unfortunately you could see it today.", since that match they’ve been linked with all and sundry as yet, no other key player has put pen to paper (bar Cucurella). 18 year old midfielder Chukwumeka has signed however for 20 mil but will no doubt be farmed straight back out on loan for the next few seasons. A big part of the reason why Chelsea did not fulfil their potential in 21/22 was because of the loses to Reece James and Ben Chilwell to injuries, their output down the flanks was fundamental to Chelsea success previously as well as Lukaku being the epitome of what a square peg in a round hole looks like, he didn’t fit Tuchel’s system and slowed the pace of their game down, to get the best out him you have to play through him yet Chelsea’s quick build up play down the channels often resulted in him having few touches, he set a record of fewest touches in a premier league game against Palace with just 7 and left the club with probably a stat that summed up his time at Chelsea, ”498th place out of 518 players with an average of 27.1 touches for every 90 minutes”.
Havertz instead filled the role, a hybrid player that scores like a number 9 but turns and finds space like a number 10. Having said that, if he leads the line this season I can’t see him getting the kind of numbers in front of goal that would be required to make any kind of impression in a title race, he would still suit feeding a striker rather than being the focal point. Koulibaly while not as good bringing the ball out of defence and getting attacks going as Rudiger was, is the best possible centre back signing Chelsea could have made to replace him this summer, despite being 2 years older he is still at the top of his game having won the African cup of Nations, helped Senegal to qualify for the world cup and is only leaving 3rd placed Napoli for the same reasons Insigne and Mertens left, president De Laurentiis was on a cost cutting exercise asking for players to half their wages whilst making a statement refusing to sign African players unless they opted out of ACON. Looking at their potential line up for the new season of Mendy-James-Silva-Gvardiol (rumoured?)-Koulibaly-Chilwell-Mount-Kante-Kovic... is still very strong with Ziyech, Pulisic, Werner, Broja and Alonso as back up, there is plenty of strength in depth but mostly from wide areas, where they’ll probably fall down is not buying a top class finisher and therefore cannot see them pushing Liverpool and City for the top spot who have both signed Nunez and Haaland respectively. As I write they are currently being linked with De Jong, that wont make the difference. The most striking thing for me looking at this squad is how they clearly lack any kind of characters in the team, gone are the day of Terry-Lampard-Drogba, instead it’s Silva-Mount-Havertz, this is an underrated attribute to any team and could cost them.
2. MANCHESTER CITY
Selling Sterling in his prime and for just 50 mil seems a very strange move considering the goal contributions Raheem made over the last 5 seasons, from 2017/18 they were 18 goals, 11 assists, followed by 17/9, 20/1, 10/7 and 13/5 last season which often put him in the top 2 players for City goal involvements, moreover, he offers something different than the other attacking players, pace, now they’ll be even more reliant from wide areas on the likes of Cancelo and Walker. Letting second striker Jesus and Zincheko leave whilst chasing Cucurella (signed for Chelsea) also seem like peculiar decisions, but I’m sure the oracle that is Pep has a Grand Masterplan and we’ll all sit back and marvel at by the end of the season at his brilliance. What however was great business, thanks to a bit of fortune in timing, was the purchase of Haaland for £54 mil who ordinarily in today’s market would have cost £150 mil plus if it wasn’t for his contract situation at Dortmund. Anyone thinking Haaland wont adapt to City or vice versa are barking up the wrong tree, he imo is genuine world class player who moves unbelievable well for a big man, the only question mark is how long will it take to settle in and can he avoid the injuries he’s already picked up in his short career which incidentally does not make him value for top scorer. In the Champions League he’s already scored 15 goals in 13 games, more than Kane who’s pushing 30.
Pep must also think a lot of Alvarez who scored 11 goals in 17 games on loan for River Plate last season to keep him and sell Gabriel to Arsenal. City had the worst cross completion rate in the league in 20/21 despite being 2nd for most crosses made, with Haaland’s aerial ability not only will this stat improve but it may also explain Sterling’s departure who ‘s been coached for years to get in behind the last defender from wide areas before cutting the ball in towards your Aguero’s or De Bruyne’s, and so is now looking for a different way of playing or least an alternative way of playing. Ironically his first goal against Bayern in pre season was from your traditional cut back goal City have fine tuned over the years.
For my money Grealish is completely wasted at City, it feels like he’s been put in a box and had the talent squeezed out of him, he should be playing more centrally, running with the ball and creating plenty of goal scoring chances, yet he looks suppressed in his role at City, many think this’ll be his breakthrough year at the club but it’s hard to see anything changing, he’ll still be required not to hang on to the ball too long and to find and create space for others with one-two touch passes. Wasting his talent even if Pep plays him more. No team made fewer substitutions than City last year either so the new 5 sub rule wont be befitting benched players that much either.
On the whole City will still be far far too strong for any other team in the league bar Liverpool this season as has been the case for the last few years, it’ll be these two battling it out for the title.
1. LIVERPOOL
All the data, stats, styles of play and mangers aside, sometimes you have to go with instinct and mine says Liverpool will win the league this season. Just like City there is not a single weakness in their first choice 11 and have enough strength in depth to cope in most key areas. Van Dijk came back from injury last season to help the club keep 9 more clean sheets and concede 16 less goals. In 21/22 they ranked first for clean sheets, shots, goals inside the box and crosses, second for wins, goals, passes and corners.
3 new signings have been made in centre forward Nunez from Benfica for £67 mil, Carvalho from Fulham for just over 5 mil and right back cover Calvin Ramsey from Aberdeen for £4.4 mil. Signing Dawin is Klopp deliberately moving away from the way in which he has previously wanted his front 3 to operate, Firmino did a great job in being the link up player for Mane and Salah for the last few years but Nunez is an out and out goalscoring striker and far more direct than the Brazilian, it would be of no surprise to me to see him outscore Salah from here on in. Scored 26 goals in 28 league games in Portugal last season, regardless of the strength of the league having done my youtube scouting again, seen him in the Champions League against Liverpool and Ajax and 1 pre season game, is enough to know there’s no reason why he wont hit the ground running, there’s no chance he’s going to flop and will be one of the stars of the season. Salah was number 1 on the assists chart last year with 13 and you can only imagine that stat will increase feeding Nunez through the middle, Trent was second on the list(12) with Robertson joint 3rd with 10. Tsimikas is good cover for Robertson but if Trent is injured the team will feel his absence with no sufficient back up with proven experience. Not much more to say, they are the finished article to me who’s record in the transfer market has been superb in recent years with Klopp and the scouting network quickly identifying the players they need to fit into his 433 (or adapted 4141) pressing system, the speed at which they pass out from the back and one touch passing is second to none. They consistently demonstrate to other teams in the league how to deal with City with their intense gegenpressing and higher line subsequently condensing space and reducing chances of balls hit over top with extra men attacking the ball when the opposition have it. Other teams do not have the luxury of the quality of players Liverpool have but it’s a better tactic than sitting back and defending for 90 minutes. Arsenal also showed at least for one half against City at the Emirates how successful counter pressing city players can be. Mane is a loss and I’d prefer him over Diaz but the gap in class between them is still wafer thin. 2nd Premier League titlefor me this time in front of their own fans, rather than the fans that came dressed as empty red seats last time round thanks to the pandemic.
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Full table
Spoiler: Show
My predictions in full
| 1 | LIVERPOOL | |
| 2 | MAN CITY | |
| 3 | ||
| 4 | ARSENAL | |
| 5 | TOTTENHAM | |
| 6 | MAN UNITED | |
| 7 | WEST HAM | |
| 8 | ASTON VILLA | |
| 9 | NEWCASTLE | |
| 10 | LEICESTER | |
| 11 | CRYSTAL PALACE | |
| 12 | WOLVES | |
| 13 | NOTTINGHAM FOREST | |
| 14 | BRIGHTON | |
| 15 | FULHAM | |
| 16 | BRENTFORD | |
| 17 | EVERTON | |
| 18 | LEEDS | |
| 19 | SOUTHAMPTON | |
| 20 | BOURNEMOUTH |
What a super computer has predicted
1. Manchester City
2. Liverpool
3. Chelsea
4. Tottenham Hotspur
5. Manchester United
6. Newcastle United
7. Arsenal
8. West Ham United
9. Leicester City
10. Aston Villa
11. Brighton & Hove Albion
12. Crystal Palace
13. Wolverhampton Wanderers
14. Everton
15. Southampton
16. Leeds United
17. Brentford
18. Fulham
19. AFC Bournemouth
20. Play-off winners (Nottingham Forest)
https://www.sporf.com/supercomputer-predicts-next-seasons-premier-league-table-2022-23/
[/spoiler[
Full list of predictions for the season
Premier League: Liverpool @ 3.5
Relegation: Bournemouth@ 1.44, Southampton @ 4.0, Leeds @ 3.3
Relegation treble: Bournemouth/Southampton/Leeds @ 28/1
Top Scorer: Nunez @ 13/1
Winner/Top scorer double: Liverpool/Nunez @ 33/1
First manager sacked: Jessy Marsch @ 6/1
To finish Bottom: Bournemouth @ 2.0
PFA Player of the Year: Nunez @ 25/1
PFA Young player of the year: Martinelli @ 6/1
Straight Tricast: 1. Liverpool, 2. City, 3. Chelsea: @ 14/1
Bottom on Xmas day: Bournemouth @ 7/2
Season Handicap: West Ham +33 @ 16/1
Most Assists: Salah @ 20/1
Championship winner: Norwich @ 13/2
- Promotion: Blackburn @ 8/1
League 1 winner: Peterborough : 8/1
League 2 winner: Bradford 8/1
FA Cup: Chelsea @ 7/1
League Cup: Tottenham @9/1
La Liga: Barcelona @ 7/5
Serie A: Juventus @ 2.0
Scotland: Rangers @5/4
Champions League: PSG @ 6/1
Europa League: Roma at 14/1
World Cup winners: Argentina @ 8/1
Top World Cup scorer: Neymar @ 20/1
To reach final: Argentina @ 4/1, Portugal @ 13/2
To qualify from groups: Wales @ 6/5, Poland @ evens, Serbia @ 11/10
Balon Do'r: @ 50/1 (would need to win the World Cup to steal it from Karim)
Kind Regards.
20. BOURNEMOUTH
Parkerball is back. Inexplicably the Cherries lasted 5 years in this league last time out despite being opened up more times than Mia Khalifa. What he has demonstrated thus far in his short managerial career is that he’s too good for the Championship but not quite brave or smart enough for the Premiership. The problem being as well organised as his teams are (20 clean sheets last season/best defence in the league), is that it’s not a strategy you can expect to be successful at the top table as we saw when he managed Fulham who were relegated despite 5 surviving teams above having conceded more goals. You stand a better chance of retaining your place if like Howe you are more open and expansive with lesser players than just sitting back hoping to counter. They took the lead in games 33 times in 21/22 and lost it on 8 occasions throwing away 18 pts, given how many fewer times they’ll be taking any lead this season, they’ll need to be far more proactive and on the front foot taking it to teams instead or being reactive, but I can’t see it with Parker who’ll revert to type. Their most notable signing so far is Marcus Tavernier, 10 million pound midfielder from Middlesbrough who scored 5 goals and made 5 assists in 44 matches, hardly breeds confidence, positive news is Brooks is back, Solanke is in great form after finding his level/home, Cook, Billing and Fredericks are Prem standard players along with former Arsenal academy and left wing attacker, Jaidon Anthony. But Overall their squad does not look strong enough to survive, a squad that still contains 12 players from the side that went down in 2020.
19. SOUTHAMPTON
How Hasenhuttl has survived two 9-0 losses is anyone’s guess but the Southampton Hierarchy seem to like him. They were a pretty innocuous team last year with no real threat for relegation despite finishing 15th, they were 15 pts above the drop by the finishing line. Between January 2021 til the first game of October they went on a run of 5 wins, 6 draws and 18 lost games in the league. In nearly a quarter of all prem games last season they lost by at least 3 goals. The Key stat lies in the home v away record, an average home record of wins/loses/goal difference , but had the most away goals conceded in the whole league with 43, almost twice as many as at home with only 3 wins in 19 games, that tells me their squad lacks the character and mettle to go to away grounds and grind results out which has to be a reflection on the manager. Having said that in pre season he’s been playing teams with a back 3 with Bazunu likely to replace McCarthy who last season had a touch of the David James’s about him. New signings include young French forward Mara from Bordeaux for £11.7 mil, probably as an understudy to Che Adams, defensive mid Lavia as a backup for Romeu, Bella-Kotchap for £9 mil from Bochum to play in the back 3 and Aribo from Rangers. 6 of these new signings have an average age of just over 21. Not enough quality in this squad to inspire any kind of confidence to think that they wont be down the bottom yet again this time round. Ralph has said he wants his player to get as high up the pitch as possible which they were already doing last season hence 4th in the list for most corners. Their biggest asset is still Ward Prowse but he is pretty much wholly reliant on set pieces. It’s a possibility he’s still in the job as like Pochettinho was at Tottenham as he’s a pretty low maintenance manager who wont rock the boat, who doesn’t demand top players with top transfer fees and will tolerate whatever he’s given. I can’t see much change in 22/23 given the new transfers and they will probably continue to be outplayed with and without the ball, you often see teams that struggle in the latter part of one season carrying it on into the next, the Austrian will have to pull something out of the hat to survive relegation, the hills are alive with the sound of the trap door opening.
18. LEEDS
It’s hard to have any faith in Ted Lasso, he has little experience or track record at this level, the Austrian Bundesliga is probably the equivalent of the MLS where he had his best spell, but he lasted just 21 games at Leipzig which is notch or 2 below the Premier League. Selling Raphinha and Phillips and replacing them with the likes of Aaaronson, Roca and Adams has a Harrods to Lidl feel about it. I can’t confess to ever have seen Roca play but he comes in as the new holding mid who could barely get a kick at Bayern (I suppose no shame) whilst his predecessor has gone on to City. Aaaronson plays the number 10 role but his goals/assists record even in goal crazy Austria is poor, 5 goals and 4 assists in the season he played under Marsch there, number reversed last season. One player however who looks impressive is £21 million pound Colombian signing, Sinisterra, who comes with good stats albeit in the Eredivise, but more importantly looks good on Youtube. Modern couch potato scouting. Very quick feet, 23 goals and 14 assists in 49 matches for Feyenoord last season, 1st for attempted dribbles and 1st for possession won in the last third which fits into the managers (targeted) high pressing style, as opposed to Bielsa’s 90 minute high octane pressing, hence more defensive stability shown towards the end of the season and less chances conceded on goal. He’s been cited as the Raphinha replacement although he played as a left winger for the Dutch club, but is right footed and could play either side. I would like to see Leeds survive as their fans and the atmosphere at Elland road are/is an asset to the league, would also like to see the manager succeed as he’s tried his best to fit in, using English terminology such as football rather than soccer and generally taking ‘touch down’s chants and quips quite well. He wants to be taking seriously but given the 3 incoming clubs from the Championship who look in better shape to survive than the 3 that just went down, it’ll be a much tougher fight for survival this time round.
17. EVERTON
In fairness to privately educated Lampard, his managerial record is skewed somewhat, at Derby his end of season record was near identical to his predecessor’s, Gary Rowlett, Points: (75/74), Wins/Draws/Loses: (20/15/11 - 20/14/12) , Goals F/A (69/48 - 69/54) and both finishing 6th, a good record for his first season, neither took them forwards or backwards, at Chelsea he walked into a team that had a 6 month transfer embargo and then had new signings foisted upon him that he clearly didn’t want and didn’t always play, such as Werner and Havertz, and was promptly sacked at first sign of trouble in favour of a German manager who would actually play their expensive German signings, then there’s Everton, a basket case of a club thanks to the owner Moshiri mis-spending and hiring of Benitez. Jury is out on Fat Frank.
Having spunked a lot of money on average players in recent years on the likes of Iwobi, Allan, Kean, Gbamin (you’ll have to google), so far on the eve of a new season, Moshiri has decided to put his Iranian wallet away this time, sell Richarlison, not to replace him and not to sign a back up to Calvert Lewin who they suffered without when injured last year, (and now injured again for the next 4 weeks) he’s a decent striker but a club like Everton that’s it, they should be looking for an upgrade never mind a back up. The reality is with the financial losses they posted earlier this year it looks unlikely substantial improvements will be made. Frank probably regrets taking the job at this juncture. Looking at their projected line up for the start of 22/23, it looks set to be another season of struggle, Tarkowski is a good signing but along with McNeil, both were still part of the reason Burnley were relegated themselves last season, they conceded 66 goals in the last campaign which was their most ever in a Premier League campaign. Everton are one of 6 clubs to have played every season since the inception of the Premiership in 1992, unless some quality signings are made in the areas where they need them before the window shuts, they could be soon playing in the Championship in a new 52000 capacity stadium with no guarantee to come back with parachute payments soon to be revised. On the plus side Gordon is a good player. The less said about Dele Alli, the better. Currently linked with Ajorque from Strasbourg as an emergency, panic stations, I have them just surviving again on the premise that they will now have to spend big on a forward to save their skins, with the rest of the squad just being about good enough to avoid the drop. Frank is a strong candidate to be sacked first with Fat Sam to come in yet again to save the day.
16. BRENTFORD
The impact of Eriksen was probably overstated last year having scored 1 goal and made 4 assists but an asset nonetheless he was as his forward passing/thinking helped the whole team. Brentford have made 3 notable signings so far in £17 mil left winger Lewis - Potter from Hull who scored 12 and made 3 assists last year, £15 mil left back Hickey (played as wing back or full back either side for Bologna) who was linked with Bayern and Arsenal, and seasoned centre back stalwart, Ben Mee. They finished comfortably away from relegation season gone and won more games (13) in their first season in the Premier League than any other newly promoted club coming up for the first time, bar Wigan (15) and Reading (16), were also 10th ranked for clean sheets (9). On the flip side they were 4th for clearances and saves behind the likes of Norwich, Burnley and Watford, 5th for most losses and 3rd for most long balls which all highlights the lack of strength in ball possession and quality of defending, to me it feels like the signings that the bus stop in Hounslow really needed to make was a real play-maker to play alongside Norgaard and to replace Eriksen. Always like to see London clubs stay up so hope they can do it.
15. FULHAM
Marco Silva unlike fellow compatriot Nuno Espirito Sanchez has not saturated the club with Portuguese players and instead gained promotion back to the top flight with a reliance on a core squad of English players.
Their 3rd promotion to the Promised land in just 4 years with a pattern of 3rd/ 19th / 4th / 18th / 1st and it’s hard to bet against that trend continuing even if they do have Mitrovic who’s goal record follows a similar pattern from Premier league to Championship of 11/ 26 / 3 / 43 / ?, he can do it on a cold, wet, windy Monday night in Stoke because he’s a tough Serbian bar steward but maybe the shiny bowls of the Emirates and White Hart Pain are not up his street. Fulham have signed defensive mid Palhinha from Sporting Lisbon for £18 mil, Journeyman Andreas Pereira from Man United and 27 year old Right back Mbabu from Wolfsburg for 5 mil, who replaces loanee and new FPL favourite Neco Williams. For a club of this stature it’s not bad business but it’s not enough to think they’re not going to struggle yet again especially considering the sale of Carvalho to Liverpool who hit 11 goals and made 7 assists last season which is only behind Mitrovic and Wilson in terms of goal contributions, he hasn’t been replaced. Having said all that their approach to the transfer market is far better than it has been in years gone by, in 2018 they spunked over 100 mil on arrival back to Premier League on the likes of Mawson, who was then loaned to Bristol City and is now without a club, Anguissa who was loaned to Napoli and worst of all, £27 mil Seri, me neither, and in 2020 they fleshed out the squad with a load of loanees who all looked like they’d met each other in the car park before a match, which they probably did.
Winning the Championship with a record 106 goals, gaining promotion as Champions instead of through the play offs as per the last two times and a sensible spending spree in areas they needed strengthening in gives me the vibes that they will just have enough to stay up even with the loss of Carvalho, just.
14. BRIGHTON
If you saw Graham Potter sitting down for 5 minutes on a park bench somewhere this winter you’d offer him some loose change and cup of tea, despite the homelessness look, it disguises the fact he’s a very good English manager who led Brighton to their highest ever finish in the clubs 121 year history. Imagine how well they’d have done if their home form was anything to write home about considering they’d only won 5 from 19 and picked up 7 more points away from home which is unusual in any given season for any team. What makes Potter a good coach is the fact that for my money under his leadership Brighton’s overall results look to make them a team that is greater than the sum of it’s parts and that’s down to the manager. They finished last season having being ranked 6th in terms of most touches inside the opposing teams box yet were the 5th lowest scorers in the league, equal with Leeds who just scrapped relegation, the story being their attack is not as good as their defence. Undav has signed from the Belgian league having won the title with Union St. Gilloise, finishing as top scorer with 26 goals and with 10 assists, more goal involvements than any other player in the league. Yet it’s still the Belgian league so who knows if he’ll turn out to be any better than Maupay (who looks to be leaving) or Welbeck. In fairness Trossard also came from the Belgian league and looks a Premier League standard player. Only 2 other key signings in £10.5 million pound, 18 year old second striker, Enciso from the Paraguayan league where he scored 11 goals in 14 league games last season for Libertad, along with left winger Adingra from the Danish club Nordsjaelland for £7.2 mil, he’s been loaned straight back out however to Undav’s previous club in Belgium. Bissouma is a massive loss for Brighton and he hasn’t been replaced, with the much sought after, as will Cucurella who’s signed for Chelsea for £52.5 mil. If you want something in football, you generally have to overpay for it. As much as I rate Potter, you can’t keep trying to punch above your weight every season and expect similar results, their first choice 11 going into the new season has a bottom six feel to it, it’s only thanks to the manager they’ve been nowhere near it, however based on key departures of Bissouma and Cucurella, along with everyone around them strengthening, I can only see them slipping down the table into the bottom half from the 9th position they finished in last year.
13. NOTTINGHAM FOREST
Discluding Derby who had points deductions foisted upon them, when Steve Cooper took over Forest they were bottom with 4 pts after 8 games and had been out of the Premier league for 22 years, finishing the season with a 60% win rate, 4th in the league and coming up through the play offs, not to mentioning knocking out established top flight sides from the Cup, Cooper was hands down the manager of the year in the Championship last season, at least that’s what I thought, turns out the Luton manager was given the award. Nonetheless their performances against Arsenal, Leicester and Liverpool with much of the same key squad members they have going into the new season is enough to know they have enough strength in depth to survive their first season back. They’ve let only 3 keys players from last season leave the club in Goalkeeper Samba (replaced by loanee Henderson), centre back Figueiredo (replaced by 9 Mil Niakhate from Mainz) and ageing centre forward, Grabban (replaced with Awoniyi, £18.4 mil signing from Union Berlin). Those mainstay players from 21/22 however may not even make the starting line up given Forest have been far and away the busiest club in the transfer market with the widely suggested first choice 11’s only including 4 of the main players from the team that gained promotion, those being Worrall, McKenna, Yates and Johnson expected to keep their places. Other notable signings has obviously been Tik Tokker Jessica Lingard who I’ve never rated, but for a newly promoted club to sign player from Manchester United still in his prime for no transfer fee, is a good signing. Though turning down West Ham and European football albeit the third tier of; for more money at Forest says more about the pull of a fat wage packet then the club at the present time. He should start well hoping to make the plane to Qatar. Other mentionable signings are Omar Richards for £7.65 mil who didn’t quite make the grade at Bayern but was a known face to Cooper having played in the Championship at Reading previously, and Neco Williams from Liverpool for £18 mil who looks to try and replace Djed Spence. There’s no Greek gifts from the Greek owner Evangelos Marinakos, he has delivered the goods. The only caveat is that since 2015 he’s had about 8 different permanent managers in charge of his other club Olympiakos (incl Marco Silva), he’d be making a mistake if he sacks Cooper at the first sight of trouble. I not only fully expect Forest to survive, I think they’ll finish the season higher than the other two newly promoted clubs as well.
12. WOLVES
Jimenez doesn’t look the same player since he’s come back from his head injury and now he’s out again for the first month of the season with the possibility of Neto filling the role. The Mexican was top scorer last season with just 6 goals, Neto close behind with 5 (out injured with a knee injury for a while), yet they still managed to finish 10th with 16 wins which is their joint record in 8 seasons in the Premiership. They were only the 3rd team in Prem history to finish in the top 10 with as little as 38 goals, the only 3 teams in the league last season that scored less were all relegated, yet the owner seems content to wing it again going into the new season. Lage to me is a a direct continuation from the boring Nuno Sanchez who played the same predictable 352 system and who in his last season also had a team that accrued a measly 36 goals.
If it wasn’t for Sa who out exceeded his goal prevention expectation by 7.6 (highest rated keeper), and Kilman coming to the fore, they’d have been real relegation fodder, they were heading that way with their end of season form with 11pts from the last 14 games, the only major signing so far is a central defender in Collins from Burnley, the one area where they are already fairly strong, they strengthen even more which tells me it’s going to be more of the same when really they need to change formation and system to make any kind of progression, which apparently Lage has hinted at, remains to be seen. Gibbs White returning however having scored 12 goals and making 9 assists on loan at Sheffield United will help, but it doesn’t feel enough and unless they make a key forward signing I can only see them struggling to make the top half of the table. The squad looks stale. Traore coming back is not a plus point, flatters to deceive.
11. CRYSTAL PALACE
Paddy finished a respectable 12th in his first season in charge at Selhurst park having taking over from Hodgeasauraus, the more attacking style of play resulted in 9 more goals, but improved defensively as well as the goal difference on the previous season was up by +29, outside of the top 6, only West Ham had a better GD. 6th on the list for most clean sheets. The only real weak point was defending set pieces with Leicester, Everton and Leeds being the only teams conceding more from them.
Going into the new season will just be a continuation of the previous seasons development and evolution, however losing Gallagher cannot be underestimated and Paddy will need to find someone else to step up fill the void, bar Zaha who hit a career best 14 goals in the league last season + 1 assist, the Chelsea loanee was second for most goal contributions with 8 goals and 3 assists.Further out wide there is a very talented player in Olise who is yet to be capped at International level for a senior side yet can represent 4 different countries, if Southgate had any nous he’d have called him by now but as it is, he looks set to play for France having recently played for their Under 21’s. There could be some instability towards the end of the 22/23 season as Zaha’s contract will be up and with fans on his back it usually points towards a dip in form. The only criticism I’d have of Paddy long legs is that it’s difficult to predict his line-ups which may keep oppositions guessing but it also means it’s difficult for players to build up telepathic understanding on the pitch and is not good for a strikers confidence to score one week and be benched the next, an issue that may be reflected in the fact they drew 15 games which was more than any other team, every man knows their job but they need to work with each other more to finish it. Palace have only made 2 noteworthy signings thus far this summer, Doucoure a £20 million pound, defensive midfield signing from Lens and 22 year old centre back Chris Richards from Bayern for £11 mil who played over 1300 minutes in the league for them last season. 2 Decent signings. With the loss of Gallagher and his bundle of energy from the team and with no replacement, I can only see Palace making marginal improvements in terms of league position but should have no real threat of relegation.
10. LEICESTER
All quiet on the Western front. At time of going to print, Leicester are the only team in the top 5 leagues in Europe not to have made a single signing, the old adage standing still is going backwards is prevalent especially with 35 year old Vardy still expected to lead the attack going into a new season, despite having great stats last year, his biggest strength was always pace. In fairness to the ghost of Shankly, Rodgers had to contend with key injuries to the likes of Fofana, Vardy, Pereira and Justin consequently resulting in fit players at times being played out of position, being 3rd on the list for most saves and most tackles having to be made. It’s been said Schmeichel was not the same keeper he has been in previous years hence his move to Nice, but according to xG, Leicester should of conceded about 10 goals more than they did, then again, they finished rock bottom in defending set pieces, conceding 17 from corners. At least with Fofana and Evans back that stat should change.
Like Matryoshka Dolls, Maddison is also full of himself, he was however 9th on the list for goal involvements last season but he wont be stepping it up as all players do towards a World Cup because he has no chance of making it. Southgate probably rates the player but not the personality, either do I, the 1 cap wonder deliberately had Maitland-Niles sent off one year then laughed about in the interview afterwards, has that look about him that whatever you’ve done, he’s done it better. You’ve been to Tenefife recently? doesn’t matter, Maddy’s has been to Elevenerife.
Providing they keep the likes of Maddison and Tieleman however, their squad still is strong enough to maintain a top 10 finish, but there’s no chance of European football. His recent quote was “my honest opinion is that [the squad] is not going to be the level I would have wanted” and “really respects the club, so I don’t go to war with them” - translation “my squad are not good enough to finish higher than 8th again unless you show me the colour of your money”. Not much more to say for a club who’s owner has short hands and deep pockets these days.
9. NEWCASTLE
One of the funnier sights last season was at Selhurst Park where in reply to Palace fans holding aloft Anti Newcastle Ownership banners protesting against their new moneybag owners, citing Terrorism, Censorship, Beheadings and persecutions, was the Geordies all waving £20 pound notes straight back at them
The difference between Bruce and Howe is night and day, from stodgy defensive football with 5 at the back to attractive 433, attack minded football, another key difference is Pre season, Bruce’s pre seasons often lacked intensity hence being undercooked going into new seasons, whereas Howe’s has been the opposite with matches this summer against 1860 Munich, Mainz, Benfica, Atalanta and Bilbao, compare and contrast that to cabbage heads this time last year, York, Doncaster, Rotherham, Burton, Norwich, the year before that was not much better either preparing for 20/21 against all Championship clubs.
Unlike when Abramovich took over splashing the cash, the hand choppers are ironically taking the more subtle approach by not signing world stars and instead purchasing players they need rather than players the fans would want, the likes of does what it says on the tin Chris Wood, Trippier and Dan Burn, you do wonder though when they will step up their spending spree and start signing established world renowned names, Robinho was the first for City and one big name would be all it’d take to really get the ball rolling as long as they pay them 500 bags a week. In the meantime cheap and cheerful Almiron has scored 6 pre season goals and has probably done enough to displace Fraser from the team, Wilson will start every match with Wood as back up, as for the goalkeeping situation,Fumata Bianca has fogged up the Tyne this summer indicating it’s 50/50 between the Pope and Dubravka after both having played 3 games each in pre season, however, my sources at the club tell me white plumes will soon reveal Saint Nick as the clubs number 1. Rumours Dubravka will be a makeweight for Maddison with Kasper seemingly on his way out the Leicester door.
Adding to Guimaraes, Targett, Wood, Trippier and the permanent singing of Willock, is £33 million pound defender Botman from Lille who prefers to play as the left sided centre back, where Burn plays. Interesting to see if it’ll be one or other or both, as Schar has done well enough to keep his place.
They finished 11th last season with 49 pts, so far they haven’t made enough significant signings to indicate they’ll be pushing for top 6 yet, but will definitely be contending for best of the rest alongside West Ham and Villa, considering their record since regaining promotion back to land of milk and honey 5 seasons ago, is 10th, 13th, 13th 12th, 11th, that 7th-9th place finish would be a positive step forward and a clear indication of progression, they can kick on from there but anyone expecting them to make top 4 this season are delusional. Not even Newcastle fans are that delusional, I think.
8. ASTON VILLA
After taking over from Dean Smith (who I thought did a pretty good job overall at Villa whilst having to contend with losing Grealish), Gerrard’s honeymoon period at Villas lasted about 6 games before winning only 1 of the next 7, followed by a steady end to the season with with 5 wins, 3 draw and 6 losses from the last 14 matches to finish comfortably in 14th place. His name alone attracted Coutinho to the club who contributed with 5 goals and 3 assists. Having said that only 3 other clubs lost more games than Villa and 2 of them were relegated. When you look at some of the key stats such as expected goals against and for it’s very average, yet during his time in charge only 8 other clubs picked up more points in the league which is a sign they are more than capable of a top 10 finish especially now he can mould the club into his own shape with some new signings which he has done with Diego Carlos in central defence, a £27 mil signing from Sevilla and Kamara as a freebie from Marseille who’ll probably start over Luiz. Bailey has been in good pre season form with 3 goals and an assist and will also probably be in a first choice 11 at this point, I’d imagine Ramsey would be preferred to Buendia. Looks like a lot of Ings pace has gone and he’ll probably rotate with Watkins who over the course of the season rather than being played as a piar. Given the shoring up in defence with signings of DM Kamara and Carlos you’d imagine a lot of those losses will turn into draws and wins, on paper I can’t see them finishing anywhere below 10th. One more footnote, if you want to place a bet for Villa’s player of the season for 22/23 then a value punt would be on Matty Cash in the Attic looks shrewd to me.
7. WEST HAM
It’s amazing West Ham still managed to finish 7th having the burden and weight of the Europa League around their necks, in all the games that followed a European night, they only went onto win 4 of 12 games, even more amazing considering they made the last 4 having no real back up for loneman Antonio, only now have they finally addressed the issue with the signing of £32 million pound signing 6ft4 monster Scamacca from Sassuolo, who’ll now probably take his place, had 16 goals and no assists in Serie A in 21/22 which tells you the kind of out and out striker he is and that West Ham needs, those goals put him 6th in the top scorers list which for a club that finished mid table is not bad at all. An Italian correspondent said out of all the strikers in Italy, he the most suitable to play in the Premier League in terms of his physicality. European football was probably the main contributor in the Moyes’s side dropping 9pts from the previous season and 3 less wins. A new striker was long overdue given Antonio will be 33 in March and has only managed 10 league goals in each of the last 3 seasons (in part thanks to injuries limiting the number of matches played in 2 of those 3).
Ranked 3rd for most crosses of the ball with 802 (cue Scamacca signing), just behind Liverpool with 869 and number 1, Man City with 897 and were 10th for most long balls, a far cry from the stigma that the likes of Moyes has carried in years gone by, they are these days a decent footballing team to watch. Speaking of Moyes if he had any sense he’d bin off the Conference league and focus of main course, incidentally to my surprise, as much as I derided this tournament before it started, there were many games in it that I actually enjoyed watching, in part thanks to the fact you could see how much it meant to the clubs that ordinarily would be no where near Europe, but for the likes of West Ham it should be filed under ‘a useful run-out for our second string players only’. Other notable signings for 22/23 are £31.5 mil Centre back Aguerd from Rennes who’ll partner Zouma, centre mid Downes from Swansea for ( a permanent fee of) £9.5 mil who’ll compete with Soucek and keeper Areola from PSG for £8.3 mil who probably be second choice given Flappianski started 5 of the 6 pre season games. Looking at their first choice 11 and bench, they will again be competing for the best of the rest position in 7th place with the likes of Villa and Newcastle.Though West Ham fans will believe they can make top 6 which is not that implausible.
6. MANCHESTER UNITED
United are going into their tenth season after last winning the Premier League title and will extend the run into the 11th under the guidance of Beldar from coneheads who’ll need time and money to mould the squad into his own shape, and a lot of moulding it will be. Whilst an underwhelming character he is at least comes through the door with far more credentials as a top level manager than his predecessor Rangnick who was largely an unknown figure in his own house let alone in football. As opposed to Solskjaers’ old skool 442 counter attacking style of football hitting teams on the break a la Fergie, Ten Haag is prefers possession based football whilst pressing from the front but is also adaptable having played Tadic as a false 9 at Ajax but Haller as the target man on different occasions dependant upon opposition, the formation he deployed however was strictly 433. What Man United actually need at this point in time is not only a good manager with a proven track record but also a disciplinarian (highlighted by players leaving the Rayo Vallecano match early which under Fergie would have been met with death by lethal Glaswegian stare the next morning) which apparently he is not, quite and unassuming are characteristics attributed to him by those that have worked in his set up which could be a red flag from the off. There’s also the fact he’s making a huge jump from the Eredivisie to the Premier League with no real history of managing the egos that infest the club. He is a big question mark and will need time regardless as the club needs a lot of patch up work.
United finished with their lowest ever points total in the Premier League, fewest wins and most goals against compared to the previous 30 seasons and haven’t really made any stand out signings in the transfer window to suggest they’ll come on leaps and bounds in the next 12 months. They’ve signed 5ft7inch centre back in Argentine Martinez from Ajax for over 50 million (which looks overpriced already) and left back cover Malacia from Feyenoord for £13.5 mil along with Eriksen who looks set to be a back up to Fernandes, other than that it’s much off the same going forward as day 623 of the Frankie De Jong transfer saga rumbles on. Ronaldo wants Champions League football but nobody wants the non pressing forward in their Champions League team at the age of 37 so it looks like he’ll stay at be Ten Haag’s Lukaku. On the positive side United have a lot of genuinely good players in the front 6 from Sancho who’ll be like a new signing, a rejuvenated Rashford desperate to make the World Cup, Fernandes who’ll fit the system well, Martial who’s played well all pre season and super sub Eriksen, a fully fit Luke Shaw is an asset more in attack than defence and Maguire cannot get any worse than last season, he is not as as bad as everyone makes out, his confidence was shot to pieces, the break will probably bring a new dawn. The mug fans booing him in pre season in Australia are not fans are just that, mugs.
I anticipate a strong start against Brighton and home and Brentford away but at the end of the season it’ll simply be filed under ‘transition’.
5. TOTTENHAM
The biggest asset they have is the manager Conte who was directly responsible for their end of season form where they outperformed their capabilities to finish in the top 4 with 8 wins from the last 10 matches, he is off of the top of my head, the only world class player or manager that has actually signed for the club whilst in their prime, on the flip side they were in large parts helped by Arsenal and United who were like two fatties trying to keep their balance on an ice rink, every move they made forward they slipped on their backsides as Spurs glided past on one leg sipping some herbal tea, both now start the season in better shape for various reasons though with United it was already a low bar. Signings such as Kulusevski and Bentacur who were both Juventus bench players, along with Richarlison (who is not worth 52 mil), Perisic and Bissouma, are all good players but are not of the calibre that are going to take a club from 4th to title challengers this season, 3rd favs is probably a knee-jerk reaction to end of season form and who the manager is rather than reality. Wing backs as throughout the manager’s career will be key to anything Tottenham do going forward but you have to question whether Perisic will keep a consistent level of performance across the course of the season in such a high energy position in what is the fastest and most physical league in world football, the quality is still there however, he’s not coming for a last big pay cheque. Conte has managed to extract excellent performances from Moses in the right wing back position in the past at Chelsea en route to winning the league in 2017 so no reason why neither Doherty or Emerson can also play above their stations on the other side of the pitch, both being of a similar level. Neither Moses or Alonso contributed many assists to the team as the idea was simply to stretch the opposition to create overloads to give space to Costa and Hazard to work in, a system that has and will work well for Son and Kane going forward. Despite having a more transitional style of play rather than possession based, Tottenham, finished the season 4th on the list of most passes made behind City, Liverpool and Chelsea. They are in good shape and are set up well going into the new season but for me 3rd place really is the ceiling, I have them 5th, the only way the season can implode completely is if results dip towards Xmas, Conte throws a strop demanding more transfers, none are forthcoming and he walks, which given how temperamental he can be, is a possibility.
4. ARSENAL
Signing Brazilian forward Jesus for less than 50 mil after having just won the league title was probably the shrewdest bit of business done by any club this summer, followed by the excellent acquisition of the versatile Zinchenko who was man of the match in the play off matches for the World Cup despite being on the losing side. Not often cast offs as high quality as these two are signed by Arsenal who in years gone by have acquired dross in the summer windows in the form of your Silvestre’s and Welbeck’s instead. You have to wonder if this is Pep doing Arteta a favour and that bigger offers were made elsewhere, regardless they will both be big assets for the club this season, Zincheko can either fill in for the injury prone Tierney at left back or play on the left wing as he does for his country. Incidentally It literally makes no sense Guardiola let either go along with Sterling. Jesus scored 7 goals in 5 pre season games (and as fantasy footballer players will know is currently the highest % owned player in fpl with 73% of the 5.6 million entrants owning him).
Arsenal went through a period 2 years ago where probably every other club in the top 5 divisions in Europe would have sacked the manager, Emery was sacked for less, yet the club stuck by him more so to save their own backs rather than his knowing appointing yet another failed manager who’d spent big would cost them their jobs, nonetheless Arteta has ploughed on regardless with the youngest squad in the league by a whole year which clearly cost the club top 4 towards the run-in, Brentford having the second youngest. It’s not a coincidence this is the case as he’s clearly targeted promoting youth in his first job as a young manager himself knowing full well they’re more likely to listen to him rather than the established players such as Aubameyang who was eventually moved on, it’s reminiscent of the second part of Wenger’s reign from 2006 onwards to take control of the dressing room. 8th was followed by 8th and 5th in the last 3 years and anything less then Champions League football this season has to be seen as failure given the time and funds the manager has been given by the hierarchy. The squad is now strong enough to at least compete again for top 4 but one of the factors that could make that little bit of difference between Arteta and Haag or Conte’s is that those managers are that bit more wily, experienced and street smart then where Mikel is at this juncture which means top 4 could be misse again but definitely not out of the question, it’ll be neck and neck and I’m backing 4th. The slow boat to Istanbul however was missed last season as the club could have attracted even better players with top flight European football but we did everything we possibly could towards the end of the season to not qualify for the Champions League, it was like watching a drunk trying to break into a house only for his wife a while late to open the door and let him in, by the time he realised he was home with the key in his pocket it was too late. Martinelli looks set to start this season and I wouldn’t be surprised if he ends up being our player of the year, he’s starting to look like belongs at the very top level for me, Saliba could pair up with Gabriel at the back but most fancy White to keep his place. I know next to nothing about £31 million pound midfielder, Fabio Vieira from Porto but at least he doesn’t have the same 70 million pound price tag that weighed down Pepe, let’s hope the scouting has been a lot better this time. Same goes for 19 year old right winger, Marquinhos who’s signed from Sao Paulo for just over £3 million. If Arteta does not achieve top 4 this season I’d imagine it’d be his last having spent hundreds of millions during his tenure, it’s time to deliver today not tomorrow. Many want him gone now but every manager in an ideal world, needs 3 full seasons to get all the players they want in, and all the players they want out to be judge properly, they’d be no point in ripping up and starting again right now. Incidentally not looking forward to another one of these nonsense fly on the wall documentaries set to be released on Amazon Prime, they are so cringy and have already seen a snippet showing the manager filtering in You’ll Never Walk Alone chants on the training ground to help prepare the team for big atmosphere, I’ll be washing my hair. Good luck to Lack of threat (Lacazette) back at his old club Lyon, a good servant to the club even it he was never ultimately good enough.
3. CHELSEA
Chelsea reached both domestic finals and were in the top 5 for all the positive stats that football is measured in these days, expected goals against, (xGA) clean sheets, passes, shots on goal, corners, goals in and outside of the box etc, yet they had an overall underwhelming season in which they went into as many people’s favourite to win the league after just signing Lukaku for 90 mil off of the back of winning the Champions League with Tuchel’s stock sky high. Massive changes at the club has taken place with the Oligarch sent packing and another new American coming through the Premier League doors, the 90 mil flop sent back to Italy, signing Sterling for 50 mil which is a steal but losing one of the best defenders in Europe in his prime in Antonio Rudiger. There’s a corridor of uncertainty sandwiched in between the new season and the last with Tuchel sending out transfer smoke signals to the new owner after their 4 nil crushing at the hands of Arsenal in pre season, "So we had an urgent appeal for quality players, a huge amount of quality players. We got two quality players but we are not competitive like this. Unfortunately you could see it today.", since that match they’ve been linked with all and sundry as yet, no other key player has put pen to paper (bar Cucurella). 18 year old midfielder Chukwumeka has signed however for 20 mil but will no doubt be farmed straight back out on loan for the next few seasons. A big part of the reason why Chelsea did not fulfil their potential in 21/22 was because of the loses to Reece James and Ben Chilwell to injuries, their output down the flanks was fundamental to Chelsea success previously as well as Lukaku being the epitome of what a square peg in a round hole looks like, he didn’t fit Tuchel’s system and slowed the pace of their game down, to get the best out him you have to play through him yet Chelsea’s quick build up play down the channels often resulted in him having few touches, he set a record of fewest touches in a premier league game against Palace with just 7 and left the club with probably a stat that summed up his time at Chelsea, ”498th place out of 518 players with an average of 27.1 touches for every 90 minutes”.
Havertz instead filled the role, a hybrid player that scores like a number 9 but turns and finds space like a number 10. Having said that, if he leads the line this season I can’t see him getting the kind of numbers in front of goal that would be required to make any kind of impression in a title race, he would still suit feeding a striker rather than being the focal point. Koulibaly while not as good bringing the ball out of defence and getting attacks going as Rudiger was, is the best possible centre back signing Chelsea could have made to replace him this summer, despite being 2 years older he is still at the top of his game having won the African cup of Nations, helped Senegal to qualify for the world cup and is only leaving 3rd placed Napoli for the same reasons Insigne and Mertens left, president De Laurentiis was on a cost cutting exercise asking for players to half their wages whilst making a statement refusing to sign African players unless they opted out of ACON. Looking at their potential line up for the new season of Mendy-James-Silva-Gvardiol (rumoured?)-Koulibaly-Chilwell-Mount-Kante-Kovic... is still very strong with Ziyech, Pulisic, Werner, Broja and Alonso as back up, there is plenty of strength in depth but mostly from wide areas, where they’ll probably fall down is not buying a top class finisher and therefore cannot see them pushing Liverpool and City for the top spot who have both signed Nunez and Haaland respectively. As I write they are currently being linked with De Jong, that wont make the difference. The most striking thing for me looking at this squad is how they clearly lack any kind of characters in the team, gone are the day of Terry-Lampard-Drogba, instead it’s Silva-Mount-Havertz, this is an underrated attribute to any team and could cost them.
2. MANCHESTER CITY
Selling Sterling in his prime and for just 50 mil seems a very strange move considering the goal contributions Raheem made over the last 5 seasons, from 2017/18 they were 18 goals, 11 assists, followed by 17/9, 20/1, 10/7 and 13/5 last season which often put him in the top 2 players for City goal involvements, moreover, he offers something different than the other attacking players, pace, now they’ll be even more reliant from wide areas on the likes of Cancelo and Walker. Letting second striker Jesus and Zincheko leave whilst chasing Cucurella (signed for Chelsea) also seem like peculiar decisions, but I’m sure the oracle that is Pep has a Grand Masterplan and we’ll all sit back and marvel at by the end of the season at his brilliance. What however was great business, thanks to a bit of fortune in timing, was the purchase of Haaland for £54 mil who ordinarily in today’s market would have cost £150 mil plus if it wasn’t for his contract situation at Dortmund. Anyone thinking Haaland wont adapt to City or vice versa are barking up the wrong tree, he imo is genuine world class player who moves unbelievable well for a big man, the only question mark is how long will it take to settle in and can he avoid the injuries he’s already picked up in his short career which incidentally does not make him value for top scorer. In the Champions League he’s already scored 15 goals in 13 games, more than Kane who’s pushing 30.
Pep must also think a lot of Alvarez who scored 11 goals in 17 games on loan for River Plate last season to keep him and sell Gabriel to Arsenal. City had the worst cross completion rate in the league in 20/21 despite being 2nd for most crosses made, with Haaland’s aerial ability not only will this stat improve but it may also explain Sterling’s departure who ‘s been coached for years to get in behind the last defender from wide areas before cutting the ball in towards your Aguero’s or De Bruyne’s, and so is now looking for a different way of playing or least an alternative way of playing. Ironically his first goal against Bayern in pre season was from your traditional cut back goal City have fine tuned over the years.
For my money Grealish is completely wasted at City, it feels like he’s been put in a box and had the talent squeezed out of him, he should be playing more centrally, running with the ball and creating plenty of goal scoring chances, yet he looks suppressed in his role at City, many think this’ll be his breakthrough year at the club but it’s hard to see anything changing, he’ll still be required not to hang on to the ball too long and to find and create space for others with one-two touch passes. Wasting his talent even if Pep plays him more. No team made fewer substitutions than City last year either so the new 5 sub rule wont be befitting benched players that much either.
On the whole City will still be far far too strong for any other team in the league bar Liverpool this season as has been the case for the last few years, it’ll be these two battling it out for the title.
1. LIVERPOOL
All the data, stats, styles of play and mangers aside, sometimes you have to go with instinct and mine says Liverpool will win the league this season. Just like City there is not a single weakness in their first choice 11 and have enough strength in depth to cope in most key areas. Van Dijk came back from injury last season to help the club keep 9 more clean sheets and concede 16 less goals. In 21/22 they ranked first for clean sheets, shots, goals inside the box and crosses, second for wins, goals, passes and corners.
3 new signings have been made in centre forward Nunez from Benfica for £67 mil, Carvalho from Fulham for just over 5 mil and right back cover Calvin Ramsey from Aberdeen for £4.4 mil. Signing Dawin is Klopp deliberately moving away from the way in which he has previously wanted his front 3 to operate, Firmino did a great job in being the link up player for Mane and Salah for the last few years but Nunez is an out and out goalscoring striker and far more direct than the Brazilian, it would be of no surprise to me to see him outscore Salah from here on in. Scored 26 goals in 28 league games in Portugal last season, regardless of the strength of the league having done my youtube scouting again, seen him in the Champions League against Liverpool and Ajax and 1 pre season game, is enough to know there’s no reason why he wont hit the ground running, there’s no chance he’s going to flop and will be one of the stars of the season. Salah was number 1 on the assists chart last year with 13 and you can only imagine that stat will increase feeding Nunez through the middle, Trent was second on the list(12) with Robertson joint 3rd with 10. Tsimikas is good cover for Robertson but if Trent is injured the team will feel his absence with no sufficient back up with proven experience. Not much more to say, they are the finished article to me who’s record in the transfer market has been superb in recent years with Klopp and the scouting network quickly identifying the players they need to fit into his 433 (or adapted 4141) pressing system, the speed at which they pass out from the back and one touch passing is second to none. They consistently demonstrate to other teams in the league how to deal with City with their intense gegenpressing and higher line subsequently condensing space and reducing chances of balls hit over top with extra men attacking the ball when the opposition have it. Other teams do not have the luxury of the quality of players Liverpool have but it’s a better tactic than sitting back and defending for 90 minutes. Arsenal also showed at least for one half against City at the Emirates how successful counter pressing city players can be. Mane is a loss and I’d prefer him over Diaz but the gap in class between them is still wafer thin. 2nd Premier League titlefor me this time in front of their own fans, rather than the fans that came dressed as empty red seats last time round thanks to the pandemic.
Full table
Spoiler: Show
My predictions in full
What a super computer has predicted
1. Manchester City
2. Liverpool
3. Chelsea
4. Tottenham Hotspur
5. Manchester United
6. Newcastle United
7. Arsenal
8. West Ham United
9. Leicester City
10. Aston Villa
11. Brighton & Hove Albion
12. Crystal Palace
13. Wolverhampton Wanderers
14. Everton
15. Southampton
16. Leeds United
17. Brentford
18. Fulham
19. AFC Bournemouth
20. Play-off winners (Nottingham Forest)
https://www.sporf.com/supercomputer-predicts-next-seasons-premier-league-table-2022-23/
Full list of predictions for the season
Premier League: Liverpool @ 3.5
Relegation: Bournemouth@ 1.44, Southampton @ 4.0, Leeds @ 3.3
Relegation treble: Bournemouth/Southampton/Leeds @ 28/1
Top Scorer: Nunez @ 13/1
Winner/Top scorer double: Liverpool/Nunez @ 33/1
First manager sacked: Jessy Marsch @ 6/1
To finish Bottom: Bournemouth @ 2.0
PFA Player of the Year: Nunez @ 25/1
PFA Young player of the year: Martinelli @ 6/1
Straight Tricast: 1. Liverpool, 2. City, 3. Chelsea: @ 14/1
Bottom on Xmas day: Bournemouth @ 7/2
Season Handicap: West Ham +33 @ 16/1
Most Assists: Salah @ 20/1
Championship winner: Norwich @ 13/2
- Promotion: Blackburn @ 8/1
League 1 winner: Peterborough : 8/1
League 2 winner: Bradford 8/1
FA Cup: Chelsea @ 7/1
League Cup: Tottenham @9/1
La Liga: Barcelona @ 7/5
Serie A: Juventus @ 2.0
Scotland: Rangers @5/4
Champions League: PSG @ 6/1
Europa League: Roma at 14/1
World Cup winners: Argentina @ 8/1
Top World Cup scorer: Neymar @ 20/1
To reach final: Argentina @ 4/1, Portugal @ 13/2
To qualify from groups: Wales @ 6/5, Poland @ evens, Serbia @ 11/10
Balon Do'r: @ 50/1 (would need to win the World Cup to steal it from Karim)
Kind Regards.
Parkerball is back. Inexplicably the Cherries lasted 5 years in this league last time out despite being opened up more times than Mia Khalifa. What he has demonstrated thus far in his short managerial career is that he’s too good for the Championship but not quite brave or smart enough for the Premiership. The problem being as well organised as his teams are (20 clean sheets last season/best defence in the league), is that it’s not a strategy you can expect to be successful at the top table as we saw when he managed Fulham who were relegated despite 5 surviving teams above having conceded more goals. You stand a better chance of retaining your place if like Howe you are more open and expansive with lesser players than just sitting back hoping to counter. They took the lead in games 33 times in 21/22 and lost it on 8 occasions throwing away 18 pts, given how many fewer times they’ll be taking any lead this season, they’ll need to be far more proactive and on the front foot taking it to teams instead or being reactive, but I can’t see it with Parker who’ll revert to type. Their most notable signing so far is Marcus Tavernier, 10 million pound midfielder from Middlesbrough who scored 5 goals and made 5 assists in 44 matches, hardly breeds confidence, positive news is Brooks is back, Solanke is in great form after finding his level/home, Cook, Billing and Fredericks are Prem standard players along with former Arsenal academy and left wing attacker, Jaidon Anthony. But Overall their squad does not look strong enough to survive, a squad that still contains 12 players from the side that went down in 2020.
19. SOUTHAMPTON
How Hasenhuttl has survived two 9-0 losses is anyone’s guess but the Southampton Hierarchy seem to like him. They were a pretty innocuous team last year with no real threat for relegation despite finishing 15th, they were 15 pts above the drop by the finishing line. Between January 2021 til the first game of October they went on a run of 5 wins, 6 draws and 18 lost games in the league. In nearly a quarter of all prem games last season they lost by at least 3 goals. The Key stat lies in the home v away record, an average home record of wins/loses/goal difference , but had the most away goals conceded in the whole league with 43, almost twice as many as at home with only 3 wins in 19 games, that tells me their squad lacks the character and mettle to go to away grounds and grind results out which has to be a reflection on the manager. Having said that in pre season he’s been playing teams with a back 3 with Bazunu likely to replace McCarthy who last season had a touch of the David James’s about him. New signings include young French forward Mara from Bordeaux for £11.7 mil, probably as an understudy to Che Adams, defensive mid Lavia as a backup for Romeu, Bella-Kotchap for £9 mil from Bochum to play in the back 3 and Aribo from Rangers. 6 of these new signings have an average age of just over 21. Not enough quality in this squad to inspire any kind of confidence to think that they wont be down the bottom yet again this time round. Ralph has said he wants his player to get as high up the pitch as possible which they were already doing last season hence 4th in the list for most corners. Their biggest asset is still Ward Prowse but he is pretty much wholly reliant on set pieces. It’s a possibility he’s still in the job as like Pochettinho was at Tottenham as he’s a pretty low maintenance manager who wont rock the boat, who doesn’t demand top players with top transfer fees and will tolerate whatever he’s given. I can’t see much change in 22/23 given the new transfers and they will probably continue to be outplayed with and without the ball, you often see teams that struggle in the latter part of one season carrying it on into the next, the Austrian will have to pull something out of the hat to survive relegation, the hills are alive with the sound of the trap door opening.
18. LEEDS
It’s hard to have any faith in Ted Lasso, he has little experience or track record at this level, the Austrian Bundesliga is probably the equivalent of the MLS where he had his best spell, but he lasted just 21 games at Leipzig which is notch or 2 below the Premier League. Selling Raphinha and Phillips and replacing them with the likes of Aaaronson, Roca and Adams has a Harrods to Lidl feel about it. I can’t confess to ever have seen Roca play but he comes in as the new holding mid who could barely get a kick at Bayern (I suppose no shame) whilst his predecessor has gone on to City. Aaaronson plays the number 10 role but his goals/assists record even in goal crazy Austria is poor, 5 goals and 4 assists in the season he played under Marsch there, number reversed last season. One player however who looks impressive is £21 million pound Colombian signing, Sinisterra, who comes with good stats albeit in the Eredivise, but more importantly looks good on Youtube. Modern couch potato scouting. Very quick feet, 23 goals and 14 assists in 49 matches for Feyenoord last season, 1st for attempted dribbles and 1st for possession won in the last third which fits into the managers (targeted) high pressing style, as opposed to Bielsa’s 90 minute high octane pressing, hence more defensive stability shown towards the end of the season and less chances conceded on goal. He’s been cited as the Raphinha replacement although he played as a left winger for the Dutch club, but is right footed and could play either side. I would like to see Leeds survive as their fans and the atmosphere at Elland road are/is an asset to the league, would also like to see the manager succeed as he’s tried his best to fit in, using English terminology such as football rather than soccer and generally taking ‘touch down’s chants and quips quite well. He wants to be taking seriously but given the 3 incoming clubs from the Championship who look in better shape to survive than the 3 that just went down, it’ll be a much tougher fight for survival this time round.
17. EVERTON
In fairness to privately educated Lampard, his managerial record is skewed somewhat, at Derby his end of season record was near identical to his predecessor’s, Gary Rowlett, Points: (75/74), Wins/Draws/Loses: (20/15/11 - 20/14/12) , Goals F/A (69/48 - 69/54) and both finishing 6th, a good record for his first season, neither took them forwards or backwards, at Chelsea he walked into a team that had a 6 month transfer embargo and then had new signings foisted upon him that he clearly didn’t want and didn’t always play, such as Werner and Havertz, and was promptly sacked at first sign of trouble in favour of a German manager who would actually play their expensive German signings, then there’s Everton, a basket case of a club thanks to the owner Moshiri mis-spending and hiring of Benitez. Jury is out on Fat Frank.
Having spunked a lot of money on average players in recent years on the likes of Iwobi, Allan, Kean, Gbamin (you’ll have to google), so far on the eve of a new season, Moshiri has decided to put his Iranian wallet away this time, sell Richarlison, not to replace him and not to sign a back up to Calvert Lewin who they suffered without when injured last year, (and now injured again for the next 4 weeks) he’s a decent striker but a club like Everton that’s it, they should be looking for an upgrade never mind a back up. The reality is with the financial losses they posted earlier this year it looks unlikely substantial improvements will be made. Frank probably regrets taking the job at this juncture. Looking at their projected line up for the start of 22/23, it looks set to be another season of struggle, Tarkowski is a good signing but along with McNeil, both were still part of the reason Burnley were relegated themselves last season, they conceded 66 goals in the last campaign which was their most ever in a Premier League campaign. Everton are one of 6 clubs to have played every season since the inception of the Premiership in 1992, unless some quality signings are made in the areas where they need them before the window shuts, they could be soon playing in the Championship in a new 52000 capacity stadium with no guarantee to come back with parachute payments soon to be revised. On the plus side Gordon is a good player. The less said about Dele Alli, the better. Currently linked with Ajorque from Strasbourg as an emergency, panic stations, I have them just surviving again on the premise that they will now have to spend big on a forward to save their skins, with the rest of the squad just being about good enough to avoid the drop. Frank is a strong candidate to be sacked first with Fat Sam to come in yet again to save the day.
16. BRENTFORD
The impact of Eriksen was probably overstated last year having scored 1 goal and made 4 assists but an asset nonetheless he was as his forward passing/thinking helped the whole team. Brentford have made 3 notable signings so far in £17 mil left winger Lewis - Potter from Hull who scored 12 and made 3 assists last year, £15 mil left back Hickey (played as wing back or full back either side for Bologna) who was linked with Bayern and Arsenal, and seasoned centre back stalwart, Ben Mee. They finished comfortably away from relegation season gone and won more games (13) in their first season in the Premier League than any other newly promoted club coming up for the first time, bar Wigan (15) and Reading (16), were also 10th ranked for clean sheets (9). On the flip side they were 4th for clearances and saves behind the likes of Norwich, Burnley and Watford, 5th for most losses and 3rd for most long balls which all highlights the lack of strength in ball possession and quality of defending, to me it feels like the signings that the bus stop in Hounslow really needed to make was a real play-maker to play alongside Norgaard and to replace Eriksen. Always like to see London clubs stay up so hope they can do it.
15. FULHAM
Marco Silva unlike fellow compatriot Nuno Espirito Sanchez has not saturated the club with Portuguese players and instead gained promotion back to the top flight with a reliance on a core squad of English players.
Their 3rd promotion to the Promised land in just 4 years with a pattern of 3rd/ 19th / 4th / 18th / 1st and it’s hard to bet against that trend continuing even if they do have Mitrovic who’s goal record follows a similar pattern from Premier league to Championship of 11/ 26 / 3 / 43 / ?, he can do it on a cold, wet, windy Monday night in Stoke because he’s a tough Serbian bar steward but maybe the shiny bowls of the Emirates and White Hart Pain are not up his street. Fulham have signed defensive mid Palhinha from Sporting Lisbon for £18 mil, Journeyman Andreas Pereira from Man United and 27 year old Right back Mbabu from Wolfsburg for 5 mil, who replaces loanee and new FPL favourite Neco Williams. For a club of this stature it’s not bad business but it’s not enough to think they’re not going to struggle yet again especially considering the sale of Carvalho to Liverpool who hit 11 goals and made 7 assists last season which is only behind Mitrovic and Wilson in terms of goal contributions, he hasn’t been replaced. Having said all that their approach to the transfer market is far better than it has been in years gone by, in 2018 they spunked over 100 mil on arrival back to Premier League on the likes of Mawson, who was then loaned to Bristol City and is now without a club, Anguissa who was loaned to Napoli and worst of all, £27 mil Seri, me neither, and in 2020 they fleshed out the squad with a load of loanees who all looked like they’d met each other in the car park before a match, which they probably did.
Winning the Championship with a record 106 goals, gaining promotion as Champions instead of through the play offs as per the last two times and a sensible spending spree in areas they needed strengthening in gives me the vibes that they will just have enough to stay up even with the loss of Carvalho, just.
14. BRIGHTON
If you saw Graham Potter sitting down for 5 minutes on a park bench somewhere this winter you’d offer him some loose change and cup of tea, despite the homelessness look, it disguises the fact he’s a very good English manager who led Brighton to their highest ever finish in the clubs 121 year history. Imagine how well they’d have done if their home form was anything to write home about considering they’d only won 5 from 19 and picked up 7 more points away from home which is unusual in any given season for any team. What makes Potter a good coach is the fact that for my money under his leadership Brighton’s overall results look to make them a team that is greater than the sum of it’s parts and that’s down to the manager. They finished last season having being ranked 6th in terms of most touches inside the opposing teams box yet were the 5th lowest scorers in the league, equal with Leeds who just scrapped relegation, the story being their attack is not as good as their defence. Undav has signed from the Belgian league having won the title with Union St. Gilloise, finishing as top scorer with 26 goals and with 10 assists, more goal involvements than any other player in the league. Yet it’s still the Belgian league so who knows if he’ll turn out to be any better than Maupay (who looks to be leaving) or Welbeck. In fairness Trossard also came from the Belgian league and looks a Premier League standard player. Only 2 other key signings in £10.5 million pound, 18 year old second striker, Enciso from the Paraguayan league where he scored 11 goals in 14 league games last season for Libertad, along with left winger Adingra from the Danish club Nordsjaelland for £7.2 mil, he’s been loaned straight back out however to Undav’s previous club in Belgium. Bissouma is a massive loss for Brighton and he hasn’t been replaced, with the much sought after, as will Cucurella who’s signed for Chelsea for £52.5 mil. If you want something in football, you generally have to overpay for it. As much as I rate Potter, you can’t keep trying to punch above your weight every season and expect similar results, their first choice 11 going into the new season has a bottom six feel to it, it’s only thanks to the manager they’ve been nowhere near it, however based on key departures of Bissouma and Cucurella, along with everyone around them strengthening, I can only see them slipping down the table into the bottom half from the 9th position they finished in last year.
13. NOTTINGHAM FOREST
Discluding Derby who had points deductions foisted upon them, when Steve Cooper took over Forest they were bottom with 4 pts after 8 games and had been out of the Premier league for 22 years, finishing the season with a 60% win rate, 4th in the league and coming up through the play offs, not to mentioning knocking out established top flight sides from the Cup, Cooper was hands down the manager of the year in the Championship last season, at least that’s what I thought, turns out the Luton manager was given the award. Nonetheless their performances against Arsenal, Leicester and Liverpool with much of the same key squad members they have going into the new season is enough to know they have enough strength in depth to survive their first season back. They’ve let only 3 keys players from last season leave the club in Goalkeeper Samba (replaced by loanee Henderson), centre back Figueiredo (replaced by 9 Mil Niakhate from Mainz) and ageing centre forward, Grabban (replaced with Awoniyi, £18.4 mil signing from Union Berlin). Those mainstay players from 21/22 however may not even make the starting line up given Forest have been far and away the busiest club in the transfer market with the widely suggested first choice 11’s only including 4 of the main players from the team that gained promotion, those being Worrall, McKenna, Yates and Johnson expected to keep their places. Other notable signings has obviously been Tik Tokker Jessica Lingard who I’ve never rated, but for a newly promoted club to sign player from Manchester United still in his prime for no transfer fee, is a good signing. Though turning down West Ham and European football albeit the third tier of; for more money at Forest says more about the pull of a fat wage packet then the club at the present time. He should start well hoping to make the plane to Qatar. Other mentionable signings are Omar Richards for £7.65 mil who didn’t quite make the grade at Bayern but was a known face to Cooper having played in the Championship at Reading previously, and Neco Williams from Liverpool for £18 mil who looks to try and replace Djed Spence. There’s no Greek gifts from the Greek owner Evangelos Marinakos, he has delivered the goods. The only caveat is that since 2015 he’s had about 8 different permanent managers in charge of his other club Olympiakos (incl Marco Silva), he’d be making a mistake if he sacks Cooper at the first sight of trouble. I not only fully expect Forest to survive, I think they’ll finish the season higher than the other two newly promoted clubs as well.
12. WOLVES
Jimenez doesn’t look the same player since he’s come back from his head injury and now he’s out again for the first month of the season with the possibility of Neto filling the role. The Mexican was top scorer last season with just 6 goals, Neto close behind with 5 (out injured with a knee injury for a while), yet they still managed to finish 10th with 16 wins which is their joint record in 8 seasons in the Premiership. They were only the 3rd team in Prem history to finish in the top 10 with as little as 38 goals, the only 3 teams in the league last season that scored less were all relegated, yet the owner seems content to wing it again going into the new season. Lage to me is a a direct continuation from the boring Nuno Sanchez who played the same predictable 352 system and who in his last season also had a team that accrued a measly 36 goals.
If it wasn’t for Sa who out exceeded his goal prevention expectation by 7.6 (highest rated keeper), and Kilman coming to the fore, they’d have been real relegation fodder, they were heading that way with their end of season form with 11pts from the last 14 games, the only major signing so far is a central defender in Collins from Burnley, the one area where they are already fairly strong, they strengthen even more which tells me it’s going to be more of the same when really they need to change formation and system to make any kind of progression, which apparently Lage has hinted at, remains to be seen. Gibbs White returning however having scored 12 goals and making 9 assists on loan at Sheffield United will help, but it doesn’t feel enough and unless they make a key forward signing I can only see them struggling to make the top half of the table. The squad looks stale. Traore coming back is not a plus point, flatters to deceive.
11. CRYSTAL PALACE
Paddy finished a respectable 12th in his first season in charge at Selhurst park having taking over from Hodgeasauraus, the more attacking style of play resulted in 9 more goals, but improved defensively as well as the goal difference on the previous season was up by +29, outside of the top 6, only West Ham had a better GD. 6th on the list for most clean sheets. The only real weak point was defending set pieces with Leicester, Everton and Leeds being the only teams conceding more from them.
Going into the new season will just be a continuation of the previous seasons development and evolution, however losing Gallagher cannot be underestimated and Paddy will need to find someone else to step up fill the void, bar Zaha who hit a career best 14 goals in the league last season + 1 assist, the Chelsea loanee was second for most goal contributions with 8 goals and 3 assists.Further out wide there is a very talented player in Olise who is yet to be capped at International level for a senior side yet can represent 4 different countries, if Southgate had any nous he’d have called him by now but as it is, he looks set to play for France having recently played for their Under 21’s. There could be some instability towards the end of the 22/23 season as Zaha’s contract will be up and with fans on his back it usually points towards a dip in form. The only criticism I’d have of Paddy long legs is that it’s difficult to predict his line-ups which may keep oppositions guessing but it also means it’s difficult for players to build up telepathic understanding on the pitch and is not good for a strikers confidence to score one week and be benched the next, an issue that may be reflected in the fact they drew 15 games which was more than any other team, every man knows their job but they need to work with each other more to finish it. Palace have only made 2 noteworthy signings thus far this summer, Doucoure a £20 million pound, defensive midfield signing from Lens and 22 year old centre back Chris Richards from Bayern for £11 mil who played over 1300 minutes in the league for them last season. 2 Decent signings. With the loss of Gallagher and his bundle of energy from the team and with no replacement, I can only see Palace making marginal improvements in terms of league position but should have no real threat of relegation.
10. LEICESTER
All quiet on the Western front. At time of going to print, Leicester are the only team in the top 5 leagues in Europe not to have made a single signing, the old adage standing still is going backwards is prevalent especially with 35 year old Vardy still expected to lead the attack going into a new season, despite having great stats last year, his biggest strength was always pace. In fairness to the ghost of Shankly, Rodgers had to contend with key injuries to the likes of Fofana, Vardy, Pereira and Justin consequently resulting in fit players at times being played out of position, being 3rd on the list for most saves and most tackles having to be made. It’s been said Schmeichel was not the same keeper he has been in previous years hence his move to Nice, but according to xG, Leicester should of conceded about 10 goals more than they did, then again, they finished rock bottom in defending set pieces, conceding 17 from corners. At least with Fofana and Evans back that stat should change.
Like Matryoshka Dolls, Maddison is also full of himself, he was however 9th on the list for goal involvements last season but he wont be stepping it up as all players do towards a World Cup because he has no chance of making it. Southgate probably rates the player but not the personality, either do I, the 1 cap wonder deliberately had Maitland-Niles sent off one year then laughed about in the interview afterwards, has that look about him that whatever you’ve done, he’s done it better. You’ve been to Tenefife recently? doesn’t matter, Maddy’s has been to Elevenerife.
Providing they keep the likes of Maddison and Tieleman however, their squad still is strong enough to maintain a top 10 finish, but there’s no chance of European football. His recent quote was “my honest opinion is that [the squad] is not going to be the level I would have wanted” and “really respects the club, so I don’t go to war with them” - translation “my squad are not good enough to finish higher than 8th again unless you show me the colour of your money”. Not much more to say for a club who’s owner has short hands and deep pockets these days.
9. NEWCASTLE
One of the funnier sights last season was at Selhurst Park where in reply to Palace fans holding aloft Anti Newcastle Ownership banners protesting against their new moneybag owners, citing Terrorism, Censorship, Beheadings and persecutions, was the Geordies all waving £20 pound notes straight back at them
The difference between Bruce and Howe is night and day, from stodgy defensive football with 5 at the back to attractive 433, attack minded football, another key difference is Pre season, Bruce’s pre seasons often lacked intensity hence being undercooked going into new seasons, whereas Howe’s has been the opposite with matches this summer against 1860 Munich, Mainz, Benfica, Atalanta and Bilbao, compare and contrast that to cabbage heads this time last year, York, Doncaster, Rotherham, Burton, Norwich, the year before that was not much better either preparing for 20/21 against all Championship clubs.
Unlike when Abramovich took over splashing the cash, the hand choppers are ironically taking the more subtle approach by not signing world stars and instead purchasing players they need rather than players the fans would want, the likes of does what it says on the tin Chris Wood, Trippier and Dan Burn, you do wonder though when they will step up their spending spree and start signing established world renowned names, Robinho was the first for City and one big name would be all it’d take to really get the ball rolling as long as they pay them 500 bags a week. In the meantime cheap and cheerful Almiron has scored 6 pre season goals and has probably done enough to displace Fraser from the team, Wilson will start every match with Wood as back up, as for the goalkeeping situation,Fumata Bianca has fogged up the Tyne this summer indicating it’s 50/50 between the Pope and Dubravka after both having played 3 games each in pre season, however, my sources at the club tell me white plumes will soon reveal Saint Nick as the clubs number 1. Rumours Dubravka will be a makeweight for Maddison with Kasper seemingly on his way out the Leicester door.
Adding to Guimaraes, Targett, Wood, Trippier and the permanent singing of Willock, is £33 million pound defender Botman from Lille who prefers to play as the left sided centre back, where Burn plays. Interesting to see if it’ll be one or other or both, as Schar has done well enough to keep his place.
They finished 11th last season with 49 pts, so far they haven’t made enough significant signings to indicate they’ll be pushing for top 6 yet, but will definitely be contending for best of the rest alongside West Ham and Villa, considering their record since regaining promotion back to land of milk and honey 5 seasons ago, is 10th, 13th, 13th 12th, 11th, that 7th-9th place finish would be a positive step forward and a clear indication of progression, they can kick on from there but anyone expecting them to make top 4 this season are delusional. Not even Newcastle fans are that delusional, I think.
8. ASTON VILLA
After taking over from Dean Smith (who I thought did a pretty good job overall at Villa whilst having to contend with losing Grealish), Gerrard’s honeymoon period at Villas lasted about 6 games before winning only 1 of the next 7, followed by a steady end to the season with with 5 wins, 3 draw and 6 losses from the last 14 matches to finish comfortably in 14th place. His name alone attracted Coutinho to the club who contributed with 5 goals and 3 assists. Having said that only 3 other clubs lost more games than Villa and 2 of them were relegated. When you look at some of the key stats such as expected goals against and for it’s very average, yet during his time in charge only 8 other clubs picked up more points in the league which is a sign they are more than capable of a top 10 finish especially now he can mould the club into his own shape with some new signings which he has done with Diego Carlos in central defence, a £27 mil signing from Sevilla and Kamara as a freebie from Marseille who’ll probably start over Luiz. Bailey has been in good pre season form with 3 goals and an assist and will also probably be in a first choice 11 at this point, I’d imagine Ramsey would be preferred to Buendia. Looks like a lot of Ings pace has gone and he’ll probably rotate with Watkins who over the course of the season rather than being played as a piar. Given the shoring up in defence with signings of DM Kamara and Carlos you’d imagine a lot of those losses will turn into draws and wins, on paper I can’t see them finishing anywhere below 10th. One more footnote, if you want to place a bet for Villa’s player of the season for 22/23 then a value punt would be on Matty Cash in the Attic looks shrewd to me.
7. WEST HAM
It’s amazing West Ham still managed to finish 7th having the burden and weight of the Europa League around their necks, in all the games that followed a European night, they only went onto win 4 of 12 games, even more amazing considering they made the last 4 having no real back up for loneman Antonio, only now have they finally addressed the issue with the signing of £32 million pound signing 6ft4 monster Scamacca from Sassuolo, who’ll now probably take his place, had 16 goals and no assists in Serie A in 21/22 which tells you the kind of out and out striker he is and that West Ham needs, those goals put him 6th in the top scorers list which for a club that finished mid table is not bad at all. An Italian correspondent said out of all the strikers in Italy, he the most suitable to play in the Premier League in terms of his physicality. European football was probably the main contributor in the Moyes’s side dropping 9pts from the previous season and 3 less wins. A new striker was long overdue given Antonio will be 33 in March and has only managed 10 league goals in each of the last 3 seasons (in part thanks to injuries limiting the number of matches played in 2 of those 3).
Ranked 3rd for most crosses of the ball with 802 (cue Scamacca signing), just behind Liverpool with 869 and number 1, Man City with 897 and were 10th for most long balls, a far cry from the stigma that the likes of Moyes has carried in years gone by, they are these days a decent footballing team to watch. Speaking of Moyes if he had any sense he’d bin off the Conference league and focus of main course, incidentally to my surprise, as much as I derided this tournament before it started, there were many games in it that I actually enjoyed watching, in part thanks to the fact you could see how much it meant to the clubs that ordinarily would be no where near Europe, but for the likes of West Ham it should be filed under ‘a useful run-out for our second string players only’. Other notable signings for 22/23 are £31.5 mil Centre back Aguerd from Rennes who’ll partner Zouma, centre mid Downes from Swansea for ( a permanent fee of) £9.5 mil who’ll compete with Soucek and keeper Areola from PSG for £8.3 mil who probably be second choice given Flappianski started 5 of the 6 pre season games. Looking at their first choice 11 and bench, they will again be competing for the best of the rest position in 7th place with the likes of Villa and Newcastle.Though West Ham fans will believe they can make top 6 which is not that implausible.
6. MANCHESTER UNITED
United are going into their tenth season after last winning the Premier League title and will extend the run into the 11th under the guidance of Beldar from coneheads who’ll need time and money to mould the squad into his own shape, and a lot of moulding it will be. Whilst an underwhelming character he is at least comes through the door with far more credentials as a top level manager than his predecessor Rangnick who was largely an unknown figure in his own house let alone in football. As opposed to Solskjaers’ old skool 442 counter attacking style of football hitting teams on the break a la Fergie, Ten Haag is prefers possession based football whilst pressing from the front but is also adaptable having played Tadic as a false 9 at Ajax but Haller as the target man on different occasions dependant upon opposition, the formation he deployed however was strictly 433. What Man United actually need at this point in time is not only a good manager with a proven track record but also a disciplinarian (highlighted by players leaving the Rayo Vallecano match early which under Fergie would have been met with death by lethal Glaswegian stare the next morning) which apparently he is not, quite and unassuming are characteristics attributed to him by those that have worked in his set up which could be a red flag from the off. There’s also the fact he’s making a huge jump from the Eredivisie to the Premier League with no real history of managing the egos that infest the club. He is a big question mark and will need time regardless as the club needs a lot of patch up work.
United finished with their lowest ever points total in the Premier League, fewest wins and most goals against compared to the previous 30 seasons and haven’t really made any stand out signings in the transfer window to suggest they’ll come on leaps and bounds in the next 12 months. They’ve signed 5ft7inch centre back in Argentine Martinez from Ajax for over 50 million (which looks overpriced already) and left back cover Malacia from Feyenoord for £13.5 mil along with Eriksen who looks set to be a back up to Fernandes, other than that it’s much off the same going forward as day 623 of the Frankie De Jong transfer saga rumbles on. Ronaldo wants Champions League football but nobody wants the non pressing forward in their Champions League team at the age of 37 so it looks like he’ll stay at be Ten Haag’s Lukaku. On the positive side United have a lot of genuinely good players in the front 6 from Sancho who’ll be like a new signing, a rejuvenated Rashford desperate to make the World Cup, Fernandes who’ll fit the system well, Martial who’s played well all pre season and super sub Eriksen, a fully fit Luke Shaw is an asset more in attack than defence and Maguire cannot get any worse than last season, he is not as as bad as everyone makes out, his confidence was shot to pieces, the break will probably bring a new dawn. The mug fans booing him in pre season in Australia are not fans are just that, mugs.
I anticipate a strong start against Brighton and home and Brentford away but at the end of the season it’ll simply be filed under ‘transition’.
5. TOTTENHAM
The biggest asset they have is the manager Conte who was directly responsible for their end of season form where they outperformed their capabilities to finish in the top 4 with 8 wins from the last 10 matches, he is off of the top of my head, the only world class player or manager that has actually signed for the club whilst in their prime, on the flip side they were in large parts helped by Arsenal and United who were like two fatties trying to keep their balance on an ice rink, every move they made forward they slipped on their backsides as Spurs glided past on one leg sipping some herbal tea, both now start the season in better shape for various reasons though with United it was already a low bar. Signings such as Kulusevski and Bentacur who were both Juventus bench players, along with Richarlison (who is not worth 52 mil), Perisic and Bissouma, are all good players but are not of the calibre that are going to take a club from 4th to title challengers this season, 3rd favs is probably a knee-jerk reaction to end of season form and who the manager is rather than reality. Wing backs as throughout the manager’s career will be key to anything Tottenham do going forward but you have to question whether Perisic will keep a consistent level of performance across the course of the season in such a high energy position in what is the fastest and most physical league in world football, the quality is still there however, he’s not coming for a last big pay cheque. Conte has managed to extract excellent performances from Moses in the right wing back position in the past at Chelsea en route to winning the league in 2017 so no reason why neither Doherty or Emerson can also play above their stations on the other side of the pitch, both being of a similar level. Neither Moses or Alonso contributed many assists to the team as the idea was simply to stretch the opposition to create overloads to give space to Costa and Hazard to work in, a system that has and will work well for Son and Kane going forward. Despite having a more transitional style of play rather than possession based, Tottenham, finished the season 4th on the list of most passes made behind City, Liverpool and Chelsea. They are in good shape and are set up well going into the new season but for me 3rd place really is the ceiling, I have them 5th, the only way the season can implode completely is if results dip towards Xmas, Conte throws a strop demanding more transfers, none are forthcoming and he walks, which given how temperamental he can be, is a possibility.
4. ARSENAL
Signing Brazilian forward Jesus for less than 50 mil after having just won the league title was probably the shrewdest bit of business done by any club this summer, followed by the excellent acquisition of the versatile Zinchenko who was man of the match in the play off matches for the World Cup despite being on the losing side. Not often cast offs as high quality as these two are signed by Arsenal who in years gone by have acquired dross in the summer windows in the form of your Silvestre’s and Welbeck’s instead. You have to wonder if this is Pep doing Arteta a favour and that bigger offers were made elsewhere, regardless they will both be big assets for the club this season, Zincheko can either fill in for the injury prone Tierney at left back or play on the left wing as he does for his country. Incidentally It literally makes no sense Guardiola let either go along with Sterling. Jesus scored 7 goals in 5 pre season games (and as fantasy footballer players will know is currently the highest % owned player in fpl with 73% of the 5.6 million entrants owning him).
Arsenal went through a period 2 years ago where probably every other club in the top 5 divisions in Europe would have sacked the manager, Emery was sacked for less, yet the club stuck by him more so to save their own backs rather than his knowing appointing yet another failed manager who’d spent big would cost them their jobs, nonetheless Arteta has ploughed on regardless with the youngest squad in the league by a whole year which clearly cost the club top 4 towards the run-in, Brentford having the second youngest. It’s not a coincidence this is the case as he’s clearly targeted promoting youth in his first job as a young manager himself knowing full well they’re more likely to listen to him rather than the established players such as Aubameyang who was eventually moved on, it’s reminiscent of the second part of Wenger’s reign from 2006 onwards to take control of the dressing room. 8th was followed by 8th and 5th in the last 3 years and anything less then Champions League football this season has to be seen as failure given the time and funds the manager has been given by the hierarchy. The squad is now strong enough to at least compete again for top 4 but one of the factors that could make that little bit of difference between Arteta and Haag or Conte’s is that those managers are that bit more wily, experienced and street smart then where Mikel is at this juncture which means top 4 could be misse again but definitely not out of the question, it’ll be neck and neck and I’m backing 4th. The slow boat to Istanbul however was missed last season as the club could have attracted even better players with top flight European football but we did everything we possibly could towards the end of the season to not qualify for the Champions League, it was like watching a drunk trying to break into a house only for his wife a while late to open the door and let him in, by the time he realised he was home with the key in his pocket it was too late. Martinelli looks set to start this season and I wouldn’t be surprised if he ends up being our player of the year, he’s starting to look like belongs at the very top level for me, Saliba could pair up with Gabriel at the back but most fancy White to keep his place. I know next to nothing about £31 million pound midfielder, Fabio Vieira from Porto but at least he doesn’t have the same 70 million pound price tag that weighed down Pepe, let’s hope the scouting has been a lot better this time. Same goes for 19 year old right winger, Marquinhos who’s signed from Sao Paulo for just over £3 million. If Arteta does not achieve top 4 this season I’d imagine it’d be his last having spent hundreds of millions during his tenure, it’s time to deliver today not tomorrow. Many want him gone now but every manager in an ideal world, needs 3 full seasons to get all the players they want in, and all the players they want out to be judge properly, they’d be no point in ripping up and starting again right now. Incidentally not looking forward to another one of these nonsense fly on the wall documentaries set to be released on Amazon Prime, they are so cringy and have already seen a snippet showing the manager filtering in You’ll Never Walk Alone chants on the training ground to help prepare the team for big atmosphere, I’ll be washing my hair. Good luck to Lack of threat (Lacazette) back at his old club Lyon, a good servant to the club even it he was never ultimately good enough.
3. CHELSEA
Chelsea reached both domestic finals and were in the top 5 for all the positive stats that football is measured in these days, expected goals against, (xGA) clean sheets, passes, shots on goal, corners, goals in and outside of the box etc, yet they had an overall underwhelming season in which they went into as many people’s favourite to win the league after just signing Lukaku for 90 mil off of the back of winning the Champions League with Tuchel’s stock sky high. Massive changes at the club has taken place with the Oligarch sent packing and another new American coming through the Premier League doors, the 90 mil flop sent back to Italy, signing Sterling for 50 mil which is a steal but losing one of the best defenders in Europe in his prime in Antonio Rudiger. There’s a corridor of uncertainty sandwiched in between the new season and the last with Tuchel sending out transfer smoke signals to the new owner after their 4 nil crushing at the hands of Arsenal in pre season, "So we had an urgent appeal for quality players, a huge amount of quality players. We got two quality players but we are not competitive like this. Unfortunately you could see it today.", since that match they’ve been linked with all and sundry as yet, no other key player has put pen to paper (bar Cucurella). 18 year old midfielder Chukwumeka has signed however for 20 mil but will no doubt be farmed straight back out on loan for the next few seasons. A big part of the reason why Chelsea did not fulfil their potential in 21/22 was because of the loses to Reece James and Ben Chilwell to injuries, their output down the flanks was fundamental to Chelsea success previously as well as Lukaku being the epitome of what a square peg in a round hole looks like, he didn’t fit Tuchel’s system and slowed the pace of their game down, to get the best out him you have to play through him yet Chelsea’s quick build up play down the channels often resulted in him having few touches, he set a record of fewest touches in a premier league game against Palace with just 7 and left the club with probably a stat that summed up his time at Chelsea, ”498th place out of 518 players with an average of 27.1 touches for every 90 minutes”.
Havertz instead filled the role, a hybrid player that scores like a number 9 but turns and finds space like a number 10. Having said that, if he leads the line this season I can’t see him getting the kind of numbers in front of goal that would be required to make any kind of impression in a title race, he would still suit feeding a striker rather than being the focal point. Koulibaly while not as good bringing the ball out of defence and getting attacks going as Rudiger was, is the best possible centre back signing Chelsea could have made to replace him this summer, despite being 2 years older he is still at the top of his game having won the African cup of Nations, helped Senegal to qualify for the world cup and is only leaving 3rd placed Napoli for the same reasons Insigne and Mertens left, president De Laurentiis was on a cost cutting exercise asking for players to half their wages whilst making a statement refusing to sign African players unless they opted out of ACON. Looking at their potential line up for the new season of Mendy-James-Silva-Gvardiol (rumoured?)-Koulibaly-Chilwell-Mount-Kante-Kovic... is still very strong with Ziyech, Pulisic, Werner, Broja and Alonso as back up, there is plenty of strength in depth but mostly from wide areas, where they’ll probably fall down is not buying a top class finisher and therefore cannot see them pushing Liverpool and City for the top spot who have both signed Nunez and Haaland respectively. As I write they are currently being linked with De Jong, that wont make the difference. The most striking thing for me looking at this squad is how they clearly lack any kind of characters in the team, gone are the day of Terry-Lampard-Drogba, instead it’s Silva-Mount-Havertz, this is an underrated attribute to any team and could cost them.
2. MANCHESTER CITY
Selling Sterling in his prime and for just 50 mil seems a very strange move considering the goal contributions Raheem made over the last 5 seasons, from 2017/18 they were 18 goals, 11 assists, followed by 17/9, 20/1, 10/7 and 13/5 last season which often put him in the top 2 players for City goal involvements, moreover, he offers something different than the other attacking players, pace, now they’ll be even more reliant from wide areas on the likes of Cancelo and Walker. Letting second striker Jesus and Zincheko leave whilst chasing Cucurella (signed for Chelsea) also seem like peculiar decisions, but I’m sure the oracle that is Pep has a Grand Masterplan and we’ll all sit back and marvel at by the end of the season at his brilliance. What however was great business, thanks to a bit of fortune in timing, was the purchase of Haaland for £54 mil who ordinarily in today’s market would have cost £150 mil plus if it wasn’t for his contract situation at Dortmund. Anyone thinking Haaland wont adapt to City or vice versa are barking up the wrong tree, he imo is genuine world class player who moves unbelievable well for a big man, the only question mark is how long will it take to settle in and can he avoid the injuries he’s already picked up in his short career which incidentally does not make him value for top scorer. In the Champions League he’s already scored 15 goals in 13 games, more than Kane who’s pushing 30.
Pep must also think a lot of Alvarez who scored 11 goals in 17 games on loan for River Plate last season to keep him and sell Gabriel to Arsenal. City had the worst cross completion rate in the league in 20/21 despite being 2nd for most crosses made, with Haaland’s aerial ability not only will this stat improve but it may also explain Sterling’s departure who ‘s been coached for years to get in behind the last defender from wide areas before cutting the ball in towards your Aguero’s or De Bruyne’s, and so is now looking for a different way of playing or least an alternative way of playing. Ironically his first goal against Bayern in pre season was from your traditional cut back goal City have fine tuned over the years.
For my money Grealish is completely wasted at City, it feels like he’s been put in a box and had the talent squeezed out of him, he should be playing more centrally, running with the ball and creating plenty of goal scoring chances, yet he looks suppressed in his role at City, many think this’ll be his breakthrough year at the club but it’s hard to see anything changing, he’ll still be required not to hang on to the ball too long and to find and create space for others with one-two touch passes. Wasting his talent even if Pep plays him more. No team made fewer substitutions than City last year either so the new 5 sub rule wont be befitting benched players that much either.
On the whole City will still be far far too strong for any other team in the league bar Liverpool this season as has been the case for the last few years, it’ll be these two battling it out for the title.
1. LIVERPOOL
All the data, stats, styles of play and mangers aside, sometimes you have to go with instinct and mine says Liverpool will win the league this season. Just like City there is not a single weakness in their first choice 11 and have enough strength in depth to cope in most key areas. Van Dijk came back from injury last season to help the club keep 9 more clean sheets and concede 16 less goals. In 21/22 they ranked first for clean sheets, shots, goals inside the box and crosses, second for wins, goals, passes and corners.
3 new signings have been made in centre forward Nunez from Benfica for £67 mil, Carvalho from Fulham for just over 5 mil and right back cover Calvin Ramsey from Aberdeen for £4.4 mil. Signing Dawin is Klopp deliberately moving away from the way in which he has previously wanted his front 3 to operate, Firmino did a great job in being the link up player for Mane and Salah for the last few years but Nunez is an out and out goalscoring striker and far more direct than the Brazilian, it would be of no surprise to me to see him outscore Salah from here on in. Scored 26 goals in 28 league games in Portugal last season, regardless of the strength of the league having done my youtube scouting again, seen him in the Champions League against Liverpool and Ajax and 1 pre season game, is enough to know there’s no reason why he wont hit the ground running, there’s no chance he’s going to flop and will be one of the stars of the season. Salah was number 1 on the assists chart last year with 13 and you can only imagine that stat will increase feeding Nunez through the middle, Trent was second on the list(12) with Robertson joint 3rd with 10. Tsimikas is good cover for Robertson but if Trent is injured the team will feel his absence with no sufficient back up with proven experience. Not much more to say, they are the finished article to me who’s record in the transfer market has been superb in recent years with Klopp and the scouting network quickly identifying the players they need to fit into his 433 (or adapted 4141) pressing system, the speed at which they pass out from the back and one touch passing is second to none. They consistently demonstrate to other teams in the league how to deal with City with their intense gegenpressing and higher line subsequently condensing space and reducing chances of balls hit over top with extra men attacking the ball when the opposition have it. Other teams do not have the luxury of the quality of players Liverpool have but it’s a better tactic than sitting back and defending for 90 minutes. Arsenal also showed at least for one half against City at the Emirates how successful counter pressing city players can be. Mane is a loss and I’d prefer him over Diaz but the gap in class between them is still wafer thin. 2nd Premier League titlefor me this time in front of their own fans, rather than the fans that came dressed as empty red seats last time round thanks to the pandemic.
Full table
Spoiler: Show
My predictions in full
| 1 | LIVERPOOL | |
| 2 | MAN CITY | |
| 3 | ||
| 4 | ARSENAL | |
| 5 | TOTTENHAM | |
| 6 | MAN UNITED | |
| 7 | WEST HAM | |
| 8 | ASTON VILLA | |
| 9 | NEWCASTLE | |
| 10 | LEICESTER | |
| 11 | CRYSTAL PALACE | |
| 12 | WOLVES | |
| 13 | NOTTINGHAM FOREST | |
| 14 | BRIGHTON | |
| 15 | FULHAM | |
| 16 | BRENTFORD | |
| 17 | EVERTON | |
| 18 | LEEDS | |
| 19 | SOUTHAMPTON | |
| 20 | BOURNEMOUTH |
What a super computer has predicted
1. Manchester City
2. Liverpool
3. Chelsea
4. Tottenham Hotspur
5. Manchester United
6. Newcastle United
7. Arsenal
8. West Ham United
9. Leicester City
10. Aston Villa
11. Brighton & Hove Albion
12. Crystal Palace
13. Wolverhampton Wanderers
14. Everton
15. Southampton
16. Leeds United
17. Brentford
18. Fulham
19. AFC Bournemouth
20. Play-off winners (Nottingham Forest)
https://www.sporf.com/supercomputer-predicts-next-seasons-premier-league-table-2022-23/
Full list of predictions for the season
Premier League: Liverpool @ 3.5
Relegation: Bournemouth@ 1.44, Southampton @ 4.0, Leeds @ 3.3
Relegation treble: Bournemouth/Southampton/Leeds @ 28/1
Top Scorer: Nunez @ 13/1
Winner/Top scorer double: Liverpool/Nunez @ 33/1
First manager sacked: Jessy Marsch @ 6/1
To finish Bottom: Bournemouth @ 2.0
PFA Player of the Year: Nunez @ 25/1
PFA Young player of the year: Martinelli @ 6/1
Straight Tricast: 1. Liverpool, 2. City, 3. Chelsea: @ 14/1
Bottom on Xmas day: Bournemouth @ 7/2
Season Handicap: West Ham +33 @ 16/1
Most Assists: Salah @ 20/1
Championship winner: Norwich @ 13/2
- Promotion: Blackburn @ 8/1
League 1 winner: Peterborough : 8/1
League 2 winner: Bradford 8/1
FA Cup: Chelsea @ 7/1
League Cup: Tottenham @9/1
La Liga: Barcelona @ 7/5
Serie A: Juventus @ 2.0
Scotland: Rangers @5/4
Champions League: PSG @ 6/1
Europa League: Roma at 14/1
World Cup winners: Argentina @ 8/1
Top World Cup scorer: Neymar @ 20/1
To reach final: Argentina @ 4/1, Portugal @ 13/2
To qualify from groups: Wales @ 6/5, Poland @ evens, Serbia @ 11/10
Balon Do'r: @ 50/1 (would need to win the World Cup to steal it from Karim)
Kind Regards.
20. BOURNEMOUTH
Parkerball is back. Inexplicably the Cherries lasted 5 years in this league last time out despite being opened up more times than Mia Khalifa. What he has demonstrated thus far in his short managerial career is that he’s too good for the Championship but not quite brave or smart enough for the Premiership. The problem being as well organised as his teams are (20 clean sheets last season/best defence in the league), is that it’s not a strategy you can expect to be successful at the top table as we saw when he managed Fulham who were relegated despite 5 surviving teams above having conceded more goals. You stand a better chance of retaining your place if like Howe you are more open and expansive with lesser players than just sitting back hoping to counter. They took the lead in games 33 times in 21/22 and lost it on 8 occasions throwing away 18 pts, given how many fewer times they’ll be taking any lead this season, they’ll need to be far more proactive and on the front foot taking it to teams instead or being reactive, but I can’t see it with Parker who’ll revert to type. Their most notable signing so far is Marcus Tavernier, 10 million pound midfielder from Middlesbrough who scored 5 goals and made 5 assists in 44 matches, hardly breeds confidence, positive news is Brooks is back, Solanke is in great form after finding his level/home, Cook, Billing and Fredericks are Prem standard players along with former Arsenal academy and left wing attacker, Jaidon Anthony. But Overall their squad does not look strong enough to survive, a squad that still contains 12 players from the side that went down in 2020.
19. SOUTHAMPTON
How Hasenhuttl has survived two 9-0 losses is anyone’s guess but the Southampton Hierarchy seem to like him. They were a pretty innocuous team last year with no real threat for relegation despite finishing 15th, they were 15 pts above the drop by the finishing line. Between January 2021 til the first game of October they went on a run of 5 wins, 6 draws and 18 lost games in the league. In nearly a quarter of all prem games last season they lost by at least 3 goals. The Key stat lies in the home v away record, an average home record of wins/loses/goal difference , but had the most away goals conceded in the whole league with 43, almost twice as many as at home with only 3 wins in 19 games, that tells me their squad lacks the character and mettle to go to away grounds and grind results out which has to be a reflection on the manager. Having said that in pre season he’s been playing teams with a back 3 with Bazunu likely to replace McCarthy who last season had a touch of the David James’s about him. New signings include young French forward Mara from Bordeaux for £11.7 mil, probably as an understudy to Che Adams, defensive mid Lavia as a backup for Romeu, Bella-Kotchap for £9 mil from Bochum to play in the back 3 and Aribo from Rangers. 6 of these new signings have an average age of just over 21. Not enough quality in this squad to inspire any kind of confidence to think that they wont be down the bottom yet again this time round. Ralph has said he wants his player to get as high up the pitch as possible which they were already doing last season hence 4th in the list for most corners. Their biggest asset is still Ward Prowse but he is pretty much wholly reliant on set pieces. It’s a possibility he’s still in the job as like Pochettinho was at Tottenham as he’s a pretty low maintenance manager who wont rock the boat, who doesn’t demand top players with top transfer fees and will tolerate whatever he’s given. I can’t see much change in 22/23 given the new transfers and they will probably continue to be outplayed with and without the ball, you often see teams that struggle in the latter part of one season carrying it on into the next, the Austrian will have to pull something out of the hat to survive relegation, the hills are alive with the sound of the trap door opening.
18. LEEDS
It’s hard to have any faith in Ted Lasso, he has little experience or track record at this level, the Austrian Bundesliga is probably the equivalent of the MLS where he had his best spell, but he lasted just 21 games at Leipzig which is notch or 2 below the Premier League. Selling Raphinha and Phillips and replacing them with the likes of Aaaronson, Roca and Adams has a Harrods to Lidl feel about it. I can’t confess to ever have seen Roca play but he comes in as the new holding mid who could barely get a kick at Bayern (I suppose no shame) whilst his predecessor has gone on to City. Aaaronson plays the number 10 role but his goals/assists record even in goal crazy Austria is poor, 5 goals and 4 assists in the season he played under Marsch there, number reversed last season. One player however who looks impressive is £21 million pound Colombian signing, Sinisterra, who comes with good stats albeit in the Eredivise, but more importantly looks good on Youtube. Modern couch potato scouting. Very quick feet, 23 goals and 14 assists in 49 matches for Feyenoord last season, 1st for attempted dribbles and 1st for possession won in the last third which fits into the managers (targeted) high pressing style, as opposed to Bielsa’s 90 minute high octane pressing, hence more defensive stability shown towards the end of the season and less chances conceded on goal. He’s been cited as the Raphinha replacement although he played as a left winger for the Dutch club, but is right footed and could play either side. I would like to see Leeds survive as their fans and the atmosphere at Elland road are/is an asset to the league, would also like to see the manager succeed as he’s tried his best to fit in, using English terminology such as football rather than soccer and generally taking ‘touch down’s chants and quips quite well. He wants to be taking seriously but given the 3 incoming clubs from the Championship who look in better shape to survive than the 3 that just went down, it’ll be a much tougher fight for survival this time round.
17. EVERTON
In fairness to privately educated Lampard, his managerial record is skewed somewhat, at Derby his end of season record was near identical to his predecessor’s, Gary Rowlett, Points: (75/74), Wins/Draws/Loses: (20/15/11 - 20/14/12) , Goals F/A (69/48 - 69/54) and both finishing 6th, a good record for his first season, neither took them forwards or backwards, at Chelsea he walked into a team that had a 6 month transfer embargo and then had new signings foisted upon him that he clearly didn’t want and didn’t always play, such as Werner and Havertz, and was promptly sacked at first sign of trouble in favour of a German manager who would actually play their expensive German signings, then there’s Everton, a basket case of a club thanks to the owner Moshiri mis-spending and hiring of Benitez. Jury is out on Fat Frank.
Having spunked a lot of money on average players in recent years on the likes of Iwobi, Allan, Kean, Gbamin (you’ll have to google), so far on the eve of a new season, Moshiri has decided to put his Iranian wallet away this time, sell Richarlison, not to replace him and not to sign a back up to Calvert Lewin who they suffered without when injured last year, (and now injured again for the next 4 weeks) he’s a decent striker but a club like Everton that’s it, they should be looking for an upgrade never mind a back up. The reality is with the financial losses they posted earlier this year it looks unlikely substantial improvements will be made. Frank probably regrets taking the job at this juncture. Looking at their projected line up for the start of 22/23, it looks set to be another season of struggle, Tarkowski is a good signing but along with McNeil, both were still part of the reason Burnley were relegated themselves last season, they conceded 66 goals in the last campaign which was their most ever in a Premier League campaign. Everton are one of 6 clubs to have played every season since the inception of the Premiership in 1992, unless some quality signings are made in the areas where they need them before the window shuts, they could be soon playing in the Championship in a new 52000 capacity stadium with no guarantee to come back with parachute payments soon to be revised. On the plus side Gordon is a good player. The less said about Dele Alli, the better. Currently linked with Ajorque from Strasbourg as an emergency, panic stations, I have them just surviving again on the premise that they will now have to spend big on a forward to save their skins, with the rest of the squad just being about good enough to avoid the drop. Frank is a strong candidate to be sacked first with Fat Sam to come in yet again to save the day.
16. BRENTFORD
The impact of Eriksen was probably overstated last year having scored 1 goal and made 4 assists but an asset nonetheless he was as his forward passing/thinking helped the whole team. Brentford have made 3 notable signings so far in £17 mil left winger Lewis - Potter from Hull who scored 12 and made 3 assists last year, £15 mil left back Hickey (played as wing back or full back either side for Bologna) who was linked with Bayern and Arsenal, and seasoned centre back stalwart, Ben Mee. They finished comfortably away from relegation season gone and won more games (13) in their first season in the Premier League than any other newly promoted club coming up for the first time, bar Wigan (15) and Reading (16), were also 10th ranked for clean sheets (9). On the flip side they were 4th for clearances and saves behind the likes of Norwich, Burnley and Watford, 5th for most losses and 3rd for most long balls which all highlights the lack of strength in ball possession and quality of defending, to me it feels like the signings that the bus stop in Hounslow really needed to make was a real play-maker to play alongside Norgaard and to replace Eriksen. Always like to see London clubs stay up so hope they can do it.
15. FULHAM
Marco Silva unlike fellow compatriot Nuno Espirito Sanchez has not saturated the club with Portuguese players and instead gained promotion back to the top flight with a reliance on a core squad of English players.
Their 3rd promotion to the Promised land in just 4 years with a pattern of 3rd/ 19th / 4th / 18th / 1st and it’s hard to bet against that trend continuing even if they do have Mitrovic who’s goal record follows a similar pattern from Premier league to Championship of 11/ 26 / 3 / 43 / ?, he can do it on a cold, wet, windy Monday night in Stoke because he’s a tough Serbian bar steward but maybe the shiny bowls of the Emirates and White Hart Pain are not up his street. Fulham have signed defensive mid Palhinha from Sporting Lisbon for £18 mil, Journeyman Andreas Pereira from Man United and 27 year old Right back Mbabu from Wolfsburg for 5 mil, who replaces loanee and new FPL favourite Neco Williams. For a club of this stature it’s not bad business but it’s not enough to think they’re not going to struggle yet again especially considering the sale of Carvalho to Liverpool who hit 11 goals and made 7 assists last season which is only behind Mitrovic and Wilson in terms of goal contributions, he hasn’t been replaced. Having said all that their approach to the transfer market is far better than it has been in years gone by, in 2018 they spunked over 100 mil on arrival back to Premier League on the likes of Mawson, who was then loaned to Bristol City and is now without a club, Anguissa who was loaned to Napoli and worst of all, £27 mil Seri, me neither, and in 2020 they fleshed out the squad with a load of loanees who all looked like they’d met each other in the car park before a match, which they probably did.
Winning the Championship with a record 106 goals, gaining promotion as Champions instead of through the play offs as per the last two times and a sensible spending spree in areas they needed strengthening in gives me the vibes that they will just have enough to stay up even with the loss of Carvalho, just.
14. BRIGHTON
If you saw Graham Potter sitting down for 5 minutes on a park bench somewhere this winter you’d offer him some loose change and cup of tea, despite the homelessness look, it disguises the fact he’s a very good English manager who led Brighton to their highest ever finish in the clubs 121 year history. Imagine how well they’d have done if their home form was anything to write home about considering they’d only won 5 from 19 and picked up 7 more points away from home which is unusual in any given season for any team. What makes Potter a good coach is the fact that for my money under his leadership Brighton’s overall results look to make them a team that is greater than the sum of it’s parts and that’s down to the manager. They finished last season having being ranked 6th in terms of most touches inside the opposing teams box yet were the 5th lowest scorers in the league, equal with Leeds who just scrapped relegation, the story being their attack is not as good as their defence. Undav has signed from the Belgian league having won the title with Union St. Gilloise, finishing as top scorer with 26 goals and with 10 assists, more goal involvements than any other player in the league. Yet it’s still the Belgian league so who knows if he’ll turn out to be any better than Maupay (who looks to be leaving) or Welbeck. In fairness Trossard also came from the Belgian league and looks a Premier League standard player. Only 2 other key signings in £10.5 million pound, 18 year old second striker, Enciso from the Paraguayan league where he scored 11 goals in 14 league games last season for Libertad, along with left winger Adingra from the Danish club Nordsjaelland for £7.2 mil, he’s been loaned straight back out however to Undav’s previous club in Belgium. Bissouma is a massive loss for Brighton and he hasn’t been replaced, with the much sought after, as will Cucurella who’s signed for Chelsea for £52.5 mil. If you want something in football, you generally have to overpay for it. As much as I rate Potter, you can’t keep trying to punch above your weight every season and expect similar results, their first choice 11 going into the new season has a bottom six feel to it, it’s only thanks to the manager they’ve been nowhere near it, however based on key departures of Bissouma and Cucurella, along with everyone around them strengthening, I can only see them slipping down the table into the bottom half from the 9th position they finished in last year.
13. NOTTINGHAM FOREST
Discluding Derby who had points deductions foisted upon them, when Steve Cooper took over Forest they were bottom with 4 pts after 8 games and had been out of the Premier league for 22 years, finishing the season with a 60% win rate, 4th in the league and coming up through the play offs, not to mentioning knocking out established top flight sides from the Cup, Cooper was hands down the manager of the year in the Championship last season, at least that’s what I thought, turns out the Luton manager was given the award. Nonetheless their performances against Arsenal, Leicester and Liverpool with much of the same key squad members they have going into the new season is enough to know they have enough strength in depth to survive their first season back. They’ve let only 3 keys players from last season leave the club in Goalkeeper Samba (replaced by loanee Henderson), centre back Figueiredo (replaced by 9 Mil Niakhate from Mainz) and ageing centre forward, Grabban (replaced with Awoniyi, £18.4 mil signing from Union Berlin). Those mainstay players from 21/22 however may not even make the starting line up given Forest have been far and away the busiest club in the transfer market with the widely suggested first choice 11’s only including 4 of the main players from the team that gained promotion, those being Worrall, McKenna, Yates and Johnson expected to keep their places. Other notable signings has obviously been Tik Tokker Jessica Lingard who I’ve never rated, but for a newly promoted club to sign player from Manchester United still in his prime for no transfer fee, is a good signing. Though turning down West Ham and European football albeit the third tier of; for more money at Forest says more about the pull of a fat wage packet then the club at the present time. He should start well hoping to make the plane to Qatar. Other mentionable signings are Omar Richards for £7.65 mil who didn’t quite make the grade at Bayern but was a known face to Cooper having played in the Championship at Reading previously, and Neco Williams from Liverpool for £18 mil who looks to try and replace Djed Spence. There’s no Greek gifts from the Greek owner Evangelos Marinakos, he has delivered the goods. The only caveat is that since 2015 he’s had about 8 different permanent managers in charge of his other club Olympiakos (incl Marco Silva), he’d be making a mistake if he sacks Cooper at the first sight of trouble. I not only fully expect Forest to survive, I think they’ll finish the season higher than the other two newly promoted clubs as well.
12. WOLVES
Jimenez doesn’t look the same player since he’s come back from his head injury and now he’s out again for the first month of the season with the possibility of Neto filling the role. The Mexican was top scorer last season with just 6 goals, Neto close behind with 5 (out injured with a knee injury for a while), yet they still managed to finish 10th with 16 wins which is their joint record in 8 seasons in the Premiership. They were only the 3rd team in Prem history to finish in the top 10 with as little as 38 goals, the only 3 teams in the league last season that scored less were all relegated, yet the owner seems content to wing it again going into the new season. Lage to me is a a direct continuation from the boring Nuno Sanchez who played the same predictable 352 system and who in his last season also had a team that accrued a measly 36 goals.
If it wasn’t for Sa who out exceeded his goal prevention expectation by 7.6 (highest rated keeper), and Kilman coming to the fore, they’d have been real relegation fodder, they were heading that way with their end of season form with 11pts from the last 14 games, the only major signing so far is a central defender in Collins from Burnley, the one area where they are already fairly strong, they strengthen even more which tells me it’s going to be more of the same when really they need to change formation and system to make any kind of progression, which apparently Lage has hinted at, remains to be seen. Gibbs White returning however having scored 12 goals and making 9 assists on loan at Sheffield United will help, but it doesn’t feel enough and unless they make a key forward signing I can only see them struggling to make the top half of the table. The squad looks stale. Traore coming back is not a plus point, flatters to deceive.
11. CRYSTAL PALACE
Paddy finished a respectable 12th in his first season in charge at Selhurst park having taking over from Hodgeasauraus, the more attacking style of play resulted in 9 more goals, but improved defensively as well as the goal difference on the previous season was up by +29, outside of the top 6, only West Ham had a better GD. 6th on the list for most clean sheets. The only real weak point was defending set pieces with Leicester, Everton and Leeds being the only teams conceding more from them.
Going into the new season will just be a continuation of the previous seasons development and evolution, however losing Gallagher cannot be underestimated and Paddy will need to find someone else to step up fill the void, bar Zaha who hit a career best 14 goals in the league last season + 1 assist, the Chelsea loanee was second for most goal contributions with 8 goals and 3 assists.Further out wide there is a very talented player in Olise who is yet to be capped at International level for a senior side yet can represent 4 different countries, if Southgate had any nous he’d have called him by now but as it is, he looks set to play for France having recently played for their Under 21’s. There could be some instability towards the end of the 22/23 season as Zaha’s contract will be up and with fans on his back it usually points towards a dip in form. The only criticism I’d have of Paddy long legs is that it’s difficult to predict his line-ups which may keep oppositions guessing but it also means it’s difficult for players to build up telepathic understanding on the pitch and is not good for a strikers confidence to score one week and be benched the next, an issue that may be reflected in the fact they drew 15 games which was more than any other team, every man knows their job but they need to work with each other more to finish it. Palace have only made 2 noteworthy signings thus far this summer, Doucoure a £20 million pound, defensive midfield signing from Lens and 22 year old centre back Chris Richards from Bayern for £11 mil who played over 1300 minutes in the league for them last season. 2 Decent signings. With the loss of Gallagher and his bundle of energy from the team and with no replacement, I can only see Palace making marginal improvements in terms of league position but should have no real threat of relegation.
10. LEICESTER
All quiet on the Western front. At time of going to print, Leicester are the only team in the top 5 leagues in Europe not to have made a single signing, the old adage standing still is going backwards is prevalent especially with 35 year old Vardy still expected to lead the attack going into a new season, despite having great stats last year, his biggest strength was always pace. In fairness to the ghost of Shankly, Rodgers had to contend with key injuries to the likes of Fofana, Vardy, Pereira and Justin consequently resulting in fit players at times being played out of position, being 3rd on the list for most saves and most tackles having to be made. It’s been said Schmeichel was not the same keeper he has been in previous years hence his move to Nice, but according to xG, Leicester should of conceded about 10 goals more than they did, then again, they finished rock bottom in defending set pieces, conceding 17 from corners. At least with Fofana and Evans back that stat should change.
Like Matryoshka Dolls, Maddison is also full of himself, he was however 9th on the list for goal involvements last season but he wont be stepping it up as all players do towards a World Cup because he has no chance of making it. Southgate probably rates the player but not the personality, either do I, the 1 cap wonder deliberately had Maitland-Niles sent off one year then laughed about in the interview afterwards, has that look about him that whatever you’ve done, he’s done it better. You’ve been to Tenefife recently? doesn’t matter, Maddy’s has been to Elevenerife.
Providing they keep the likes of Maddison and Tieleman however, their squad still is strong enough to maintain a top 10 finish, but there’s no chance of European football. His recent quote was “my honest opinion is that [the squad] is not going to be the level I would have wanted” and “really respects the club, so I don’t go to war with them” - translation “my squad are not good enough to finish higher than 8th again unless you show me the colour of your money”. Not much more to say for a club who’s owner has short hands and deep pockets these days.
9. NEWCASTLE
One of the funnier sights last season was at Selhurst Park where in reply to Palace fans holding aloft Anti Newcastle Ownership banners protesting against their new moneybag owners, citing Terrorism, Censorship, Beheadings and persecutions, was the Geordies all waving £20 pound notes straight back at them
The difference between Bruce and Howe is night and day, from stodgy defensive football with 5 at the back to attractive 433, attack minded football, another key difference is Pre season, Bruce’s pre seasons often lacked intensity hence being undercooked going into new seasons, whereas Howe’s has been the opposite with matches this summer against 1860 Munich, Mainz, Benfica, Atalanta and Bilbao, compare and contrast that to cabbage heads this time last year, York, Doncaster, Rotherham, Burton, Norwich, the year before that was not much better either preparing for 20/21 against all Championship clubs.
Unlike when Abramovich took over splashing the cash, the hand choppers are ironically taking the more subtle approach by not signing world stars and instead purchasing players they need rather than players the fans would want, the likes of does what it says on the tin Chris Wood, Trippier and Dan Burn, you do wonder though when they will step up their spending spree and start signing established world renowned names, Robinho was the first for City and one big name would be all it’d take to really get the ball rolling as long as they pay them 500 bags a week. In the meantime cheap and cheerful Almiron has scored 6 pre season goals and has probably done enough to displace Fraser from the team, Wilson will start every match with Wood as back up, as for the goalkeeping situation,Fumata Bianca has fogged up the Tyne this summer indicating it’s 50/50 between the Pope and Dubravka after both having played 3 games each in pre season, however, my sources at the club tell me white plumes will soon reveal Saint Nick as the clubs number 1. Rumours Dubravka will be a makeweight for Maddison with Kasper seemingly on his way out the Leicester door.
Adding to Guimaraes, Targett, Wood, Trippier and the permanent singing of Willock, is £33 million pound defender Botman from Lille who prefers to play as the left sided centre back, where Burn plays. Interesting to see if it’ll be one or other or both, as Schar has done well enough to keep his place.
They finished 11th last season with 49 pts, so far they haven’t made enough significant signings to indicate they’ll be pushing for top 6 yet, but will definitely be contending for best of the rest alongside West Ham and Villa, considering their record since regaining promotion back to land of milk and honey 5 seasons ago, is 10th, 13th, 13th 12th, 11th, that 7th-9th place finish would be a positive step forward and a clear indication of progression, they can kick on from there but anyone expecting them to make top 4 this season are delusional. Not even Newcastle fans are that delusional, I think.
8. ASTON VILLA
After taking over from Dean Smith (who I thought did a pretty good job overall at Villa whilst having to contend with losing Grealish), Gerrard’s honeymoon period at Villas lasted about 6 games before winning only 1 of the next 7, followed by a steady end to the season with with 5 wins, 3 draw and 6 losses from the last 14 matches to finish comfortably in 14th place. His name alone attracted Coutinho to the club who contributed with 5 goals and 3 assists. Having said that only 3 other clubs lost more games than Villa and 2 of them were relegated. When you look at some of the key stats such as expected goals against and for it’s very average, yet during his time in charge only 8 other clubs picked up more points in the league which is a sign they are more than capable of a top 10 finish especially now he can mould the club into his own shape with some new signings which he has done with Diego Carlos in central defence, a £27 mil signing from Sevilla and Kamara as a freebie from Marseille who’ll probably start over Luiz. Bailey has been in good pre season form with 3 goals and an assist and will also probably be in a first choice 11 at this point, I’d imagine Ramsey would be preferred to Buendia. Looks like a lot of Ings pace has gone and he’ll probably rotate with Watkins who over the course of the season rather than being played as a piar. Given the shoring up in defence with signings of DM Kamara and Carlos you’d imagine a lot of those losses will turn into draws and wins, on paper I can’t see them finishing anywhere below 10th. One more footnote, if you want to place a bet for Villa’s player of the season for 22/23 then a value punt would be on Matty Cash in the Attic looks shrewd to me.
7. WEST HAM
It’s amazing West Ham still managed to finish 7th having the burden and weight of the Europa League around their necks, in all the games that followed a European night, they only went onto win 4 of 12 games, even more amazing considering they made the last 4 having no real back up for loneman Antonio, only now have they finally addressed the issue with the signing of £32 million pound signing 6ft4 monster Scamacca from Sassuolo, who’ll now probably take his place, had 16 goals and no assists in Serie A in 21/22 which tells you the kind of out and out striker he is and that West Ham needs, those goals put him 6th in the top scorers list which for a club that finished mid table is not bad at all. An Italian correspondent said out of all the strikers in Italy, he the most suitable to play in the Premier League in terms of his physicality. European football was probably the main contributor in the Moyes’s side dropping 9pts from the previous season and 3 less wins. A new striker was long overdue given Antonio will be 33 in March and has only managed 10 league goals in each of the last 3 seasons (in part thanks to injuries limiting the number of matches played in 2 of those 3).
Ranked 3rd for most crosses of the ball with 802 (cue Scamacca signing), just behind Liverpool with 869 and number 1, Man City with 897 and were 10th for most long balls, a far cry from the stigma that the likes of Moyes has carried in years gone by, they are these days a decent footballing team to watch. Speaking of Moyes if he had any sense he’d bin off the Conference league and focus of main course, incidentally to my surprise, as much as I derided this tournament before it started, there were many games in it that I actually enjoyed watching, in part thanks to the fact you could see how much it meant to the clubs that ordinarily would be no where near Europe, but for the likes of West Ham it should be filed under ‘a useful run-out for our second string players only’. Other notable signings for 22/23 are £31.5 mil Centre back Aguerd from Rennes who’ll partner Zouma, centre mid Downes from Swansea for ( a permanent fee of) £9.5 mil who’ll compete with Soucek and keeper Areola from PSG for £8.3 mil who probably be second choice given Flappianski started 5 of the 6 pre season games. Looking at their first choice 11 and bench, they will again be competing for the best of the rest position in 7th place with the likes of Villa and Newcastle.Though West Ham fans will believe they can make top 6 which is not that implausible.
6. MANCHESTER UNITED
United are going into their tenth season after last winning the Premier League title and will extend the run into the 11th under the guidance of Beldar from coneheads who’ll need time and money to mould the squad into his own shape, and a lot of moulding it will be. Whilst an underwhelming character he is at least comes through the door with far more credentials as a top level manager than his predecessor Rangnick who was largely an unknown figure in his own house let alone in football. As opposed to Solskjaers’ old skool 442 counter attacking style of football hitting teams on the break a la Fergie, Ten Haag is prefers possession based football whilst pressing from the front but is also adaptable having played Tadic as a false 9 at Ajax but Haller as the target man on different occasions dependant upon opposition, the formation he deployed however was strictly 433. What Man United actually need at this point in time is not only a good manager with a proven track record but also a disciplinarian (highlighted by players leaving the Rayo Vallecano match early which under Fergie would have been met with death by lethal Glaswegian stare the next morning) which apparently he is not, quite and unassuming are characteristics attributed to him by those that have worked in his set up which could be a red flag from the off. There’s also the fact he’s making a huge jump from the Eredivisie to the Premier League with no real history of managing the egos that infest the club. He is a big question mark and will need time regardless as the club needs a lot of patch up work.
United finished with their lowest ever points total in the Premier League, fewest wins and most goals against compared to the previous 30 seasons and haven’t really made any stand out signings in the transfer window to suggest they’ll come on leaps and bounds in the next 12 months. They’ve signed 5ft7inch centre back in Argentine Martinez from Ajax for over 50 million (which looks overpriced already) and left back cover Malacia from Feyenoord for £13.5 mil along with Eriksen who looks set to be a back up to Fernandes, other than that it’s much off the same going forward as day 623 of the Frankie De Jong transfer saga rumbles on. Ronaldo wants Champions League football but nobody wants the non pressing forward in their Champions League team at the age of 37 so it looks like he’ll stay at be Ten Haag’s Lukaku. On the positive side United have a lot of genuinely good players in the front 6 from Sancho who’ll be like a new signing, a rejuvenated Rashford desperate to make the World Cup, Fernandes who’ll fit the system well, Martial who’s played well all pre season and super sub Eriksen, a fully fit Luke Shaw is an asset more in attack than defence and Maguire cannot get any worse than last season, he is not as as bad as everyone makes out, his confidence was shot to pieces, the break will probably bring a new dawn. The mug fans booing him in pre season in Australia are not fans are just that, mugs.
I anticipate a strong start against Brighton and home and Brentford away but at the end of the season it’ll simply be filed under ‘transition’.
5. TOTTENHAM
The biggest asset they have is the manager Conte who was directly responsible for their end of season form where they outperformed their capabilities to finish in the top 4 with 8 wins from the last 10 matches, he is off of the top of my head, the only world class player or manager that has actually signed for the club whilst in their prime, on the flip side they were in large parts helped by Arsenal and United who were like two fatties trying to keep their balance on an ice rink, every move they made forward they slipped on their backsides as Spurs glided past on one leg sipping some herbal tea, both now start the season in better shape for various reasons though with United it was already a low bar. Signings such as Kulusevski and Bentacur who were both Juventus bench players, along with Richarlison (who is not worth 52 mil), Perisic and Bissouma, are all good players but are not of the calibre that are going to take a club from 4th to title challengers this season, 3rd favs is probably a knee-jerk reaction to end of season form and who the manager is rather than reality. Wing backs as throughout the manager’s career will be key to anything Tottenham do going forward but you have to question whether Perisic will keep a consistent level of performance across the course of the season in such a high energy position in what is the fastest and most physical league in world football, the quality is still there however, he’s not coming for a last big pay cheque. Conte has managed to extract excellent performances from Moses in the right wing back position in the past at Chelsea en route to winning the league in 2017 so no reason why neither Doherty or Emerson can also play above their stations on the other side of the pitch, both being of a similar level. Neither Moses or Alonso contributed many assists to the team as the idea was simply to stretch the opposition to create overloads to give space to Costa and Hazard to work in, a system that has and will work well for Son and Kane going forward. Despite having a more transitional style of play rather than possession based, Tottenham, finished the season 4th on the list of most passes made behind City, Liverpool and Chelsea. They are in good shape and are set up well going into the new season but for me 3rd place really is the ceiling, I have them 5th, the only way the season can implode completely is if results dip towards Xmas, Conte throws a strop demanding more transfers, none are forthcoming and he walks, which given how temperamental he can be, is a possibility.
4. ARSENAL
Signing Brazilian forward Jesus for less than 50 mil after having just won the league title was probably the shrewdest bit of business done by any club this summer, followed by the excellent acquisition of the versatile Zinchenko who was man of the match in the play off matches for the World Cup despite being on the losing side. Not often cast offs as high quality as these two are signed by Arsenal who in years gone by have acquired dross in the summer windows in the form of your Silvestre’s and Welbeck’s instead. You have to wonder if this is Pep doing Arteta a favour and that bigger offers were made elsewhere, regardless they will both be big assets for the club this season, Zincheko can either fill in for the injury prone Tierney at left back or play on the left wing as he does for his country. Incidentally It literally makes no sense Guardiola let either go along with Sterling. Jesus scored 7 goals in 5 pre season games (and as fantasy footballer players will know is currently the highest % owned player in fpl with 73% of the 5.6 million entrants owning him).
Arsenal went through a period 2 years ago where probably every other club in the top 5 divisions in Europe would have sacked the manager, Emery was sacked for less, yet the club stuck by him more so to save their own backs rather than his knowing appointing yet another failed manager who’d spent big would cost them their jobs, nonetheless Arteta has ploughed on regardless with the youngest squad in the league by a whole year which clearly cost the club top 4 towards the run-in, Brentford having the second youngest. It’s not a coincidence this is the case as he’s clearly targeted promoting youth in his first job as a young manager himself knowing full well they’re more likely to listen to him rather than the established players such as Aubameyang who was eventually moved on, it’s reminiscent of the second part of Wenger’s reign from 2006 onwards to take control of the dressing room. 8th was followed by 8th and 5th in the last 3 years and anything less then Champions League football this season has to be seen as failure given the time and funds the manager has been given by the hierarchy. The squad is now strong enough to at least compete again for top 4 but one of the factors that could make that little bit of difference between Arteta and Haag or Conte’s is that those managers are that bit more wily, experienced and street smart then where Mikel is at this juncture which means top 4 could be misse again but definitely not out of the question, it’ll be neck and neck and I’m backing 4th. The slow boat to Istanbul however was missed last season as the club could have attracted even better players with top flight European football but we did everything we possibly could towards the end of the season to not qualify for the Champions League, it was like watching a drunk trying to break into a house only for his wife a while late to open the door and let him in, by the time he realised he was home with the key in his pocket it was too late. Martinelli looks set to start this season and I wouldn’t be surprised if he ends up being our player of the year, he’s starting to look like belongs at the very top level for me, Saliba could pair up with Gabriel at the back but most fancy White to keep his place. I know next to nothing about £31 million pound midfielder, Fabio Vieira from Porto but at least he doesn’t have the same 70 million pound price tag that weighed down Pepe, let’s hope the scouting has been a lot better this time. Same goes for 19 year old right winger, Marquinhos who’s signed from Sao Paulo for just over £3 million. If Arteta does not achieve top 4 this season I’d imagine it’d be his last having spent hundreds of millions during his tenure, it’s time to deliver today not tomorrow. Many want him gone now but every manager in an ideal world, needs 3 full seasons to get all the players they want in, and all the players they want out to be judge properly, they’d be no point in ripping up and starting again right now. Incidentally not looking forward to another one of these nonsense fly on the wall documentaries set to be released on Amazon Prime, they are so cringy and have already seen a snippet showing the manager filtering in You’ll Never Walk Alone chants on the training ground to help prepare the team for big atmosphere, I’ll be washing my hair. Good luck to Lack of threat (Lacazette) back at his old club Lyon, a good servant to the club even it he was never ultimately good enough.
3. CHELSEA
Chelsea reached both domestic finals and were in the top 5 for all the positive stats that football is measured in these days, expected goals against, (xGA) clean sheets, passes, shots on goal, corners, goals in and outside of the box etc, yet they had an overall underwhelming season in which they went into as many people’s favourite to win the league after just signing Lukaku for 90 mil off of the back of winning the Champions League with Tuchel’s stock sky high. Massive changes at the club has taken place with the Oligarch sent packing and another new American coming through the Premier League doors, the 90 mil flop sent back to Italy, signing Sterling for 50 mil which is a steal but losing one of the best defenders in Europe in his prime in Antonio Rudiger. There’s a corridor of uncertainty sandwiched in between the new season and the last with Tuchel sending out transfer smoke signals to the new owner after their 4 nil crushing at the hands of Arsenal in pre season, "So we had an urgent appeal for quality players, a huge amount of quality players. We got two quality players but we are not competitive like this. Unfortunately you could see it today.", since that match they’ve been linked with all and sundry as yet, no other key player has put pen to paper (bar Cucurella). 18 year old midfielder Chukwumeka has signed however for 20 mil but will no doubt be farmed straight back out on loan for the next few seasons. A big part of the reason why Chelsea did not fulfil their potential in 21/22 was because of the loses to Reece James and Ben Chilwell to injuries, their output down the flanks was fundamental to Chelsea success previously as well as Lukaku being the epitome of what a square peg in a round hole looks like, he didn’t fit Tuchel’s system and slowed the pace of their game down, to get the best out him you have to play through him yet Chelsea’s quick build up play down the channels often resulted in him having few touches, he set a record of fewest touches in a premier league game against Palace with just 7 and left the club with probably a stat that summed up his time at Chelsea, ”498th place out of 518 players with an average of 27.1 touches for every 90 minutes”.
Havertz instead filled the role, a hybrid player that scores like a number 9 but turns and finds space like a number 10. Having said that, if he leads the line this season I can’t see him getting the kind of numbers in front of goal that would be required to make any kind of impression in a title race, he would still suit feeding a striker rather than being the focal point. Koulibaly while not as good bringing the ball out of defence and getting attacks going as Rudiger was, is the best possible centre back signing Chelsea could have made to replace him this summer, despite being 2 years older he is still at the top of his game having won the African cup of Nations, helped Senegal to qualify for the world cup and is only leaving 3rd placed Napoli for the same reasons Insigne and Mertens left, president De Laurentiis was on a cost cutting exercise asking for players to half their wages whilst making a statement refusing to sign African players unless they opted out of ACON. Looking at their potential line up for the new season of Mendy-James-Silva-Gvardiol (rumoured?)-Koulibaly-Chilwell-Mount-Kante-Kovic... is still very strong with Ziyech, Pulisic, Werner, Broja and Alonso as back up, there is plenty of strength in depth but mostly from wide areas, where they’ll probably fall down is not buying a top class finisher and therefore cannot see them pushing Liverpool and City for the top spot who have both signed Nunez and Haaland respectively. As I write they are currently being linked with De Jong, that wont make the difference. The most striking thing for me looking at this squad is how they clearly lack any kind of characters in the team, gone are the day of Terry-Lampard-Drogba, instead it’s Silva-Mount-Havertz, this is an underrated attribute to any team and could cost them.
2. MANCHESTER CITY
Selling Sterling in his prime and for just 50 mil seems a very strange move considering the goal contributions Raheem made over the last 5 seasons, from 2017/18 they were 18 goals, 11 assists, followed by 17/9, 20/1, 10/7 and 13/5 last season which often put him in the top 2 players for City goal involvements, moreover, he offers something different than the other attacking players, pace, now they’ll be even more reliant from wide areas on the likes of Cancelo and Walker. Letting second striker Jesus and Zincheko leave whilst chasing Cucurella (signed for Chelsea) also seem like peculiar decisions, but I’m sure the oracle that is Pep has a Grand Masterplan and we’ll all sit back and marvel at by the end of the season at his brilliance. What however was great business, thanks to a bit of fortune in timing, was the purchase of Haaland for £54 mil who ordinarily in today’s market would have cost £150 mil plus if it wasn’t for his contract situation at Dortmund. Anyone thinking Haaland wont adapt to City or vice versa are barking up the wrong tree, he imo is genuine world class player who moves unbelievable well for a big man, the only question mark is how long will it take to settle in and can he avoid the injuries he’s already picked up in his short career which incidentally does not make him value for top scorer. In the Champions League he’s already scored 15 goals in 13 games, more than Kane who’s pushing 30.
Pep must also think a lot of Alvarez who scored 11 goals in 17 games on loan for River Plate last season to keep him and sell Gabriel to Arsenal. City had the worst cross completion rate in the league in 20/21 despite being 2nd for most crosses made, with Haaland’s aerial ability not only will this stat improve but it may also explain Sterling’s departure who ‘s been coached for years to get in behind the last defender from wide areas before cutting the ball in towards your Aguero’s or De Bruyne’s, and so is now looking for a different way of playing or least an alternative way of playing. Ironically his first goal against Bayern in pre season was from your traditional cut back goal City have fine tuned over the years.
For my money Grealish is completely wasted at City, it feels like he’s been put in a box and had the talent squeezed out of him, he should be playing more centrally, running with the ball and creating plenty of goal scoring chances, yet he looks suppressed in his role at City, many think this’ll be his breakthrough year at the club but it’s hard to see anything changing, he’ll still be required not to hang on to the ball too long and to find and create space for others with one-two touch passes. Wasting his talent even if Pep plays him more. No team made fewer substitutions than City last year either so the new 5 sub rule wont be befitting benched players that much either.
On the whole City will still be far far too strong for any other team in the league bar Liverpool this season as has been the case for the last few years, it’ll be these two battling it out for the title.
1. LIVERPOOL
All the data, stats, styles of play and mangers aside, sometimes you have to go with instinct and mine says Liverpool will win the league this season. Just like City there is not a single weakness in their first choice 11 and have enough strength in depth to cope in most key areas. Van Dijk came back from injury last season to help the club keep 9 more clean sheets and concede 16 less goals. In 21/22 they ranked first for clean sheets, shots, goals inside the box and crosses, second for wins, goals, passes and corners.
3 new signings have been made in centre forward Nunez from Benfica for £67 mil, Carvalho from Fulham for just over 5 mil and right back cover Calvin Ramsey from Aberdeen for £4.4 mil. Signing Dawin is Klopp deliberately moving away from the way in which he has previously wanted his front 3 to operate, Firmino did a great job in being the link up player for Mane and Salah for the last few years but Nunez is an out and out goalscoring striker and far more direct than the Brazilian, it would be of no surprise to me to see him outscore Salah from here on in. Scored 26 goals in 28 league games in Portugal last season, regardless of the strength of the league having done my youtube scouting again, seen him in the Champions League against Liverpool and Ajax and 1 pre season game, is enough to know there’s no reason why he wont hit the ground running, there’s no chance he’s going to flop and will be one of the stars of the season. Salah was number 1 on the assists chart last year with 13 and you can only imagine that stat will increase feeding Nunez through the middle, Trent was second on the list(12) with Robertson joint 3rd with 10. Tsimikas is good cover for Robertson but if Trent is injured the team will feel his absence with no sufficient back up with proven experience. Not much more to say, they are the finished article to me who’s record in the transfer market has been superb in recent years with Klopp and the scouting network quickly identifying the players they need to fit into his 433 (or adapted 4141) pressing system, the speed at which they pass out from the back and one touch passing is second to none. They consistently demonstrate to other teams in the league how to deal with City with their intense gegenpressing and higher line subsequently condensing space and reducing chances of balls hit over top with extra men attacking the ball when the opposition have it. Other teams do not have the luxury of the quality of players Liverpool have but it’s a better tactic than sitting back and defending for 90 minutes. Arsenal also showed at least for one half against City at the Emirates how successful counter pressing city players can be. Mane is a loss and I’d prefer him over Diaz but the gap in class between them is still wafer thin. 2nd Premier League titlefor me this time in front of their own fans, rather than the fans that came dressed as empty red seats last time round thanks to the pandemic.
Full table
Spoiler: Show
My predictions in full
What a super computer has predicted
1. Manchester City
2. Liverpool
3. Chelsea
4. Tottenham Hotspur
5. Manchester United
6. Newcastle United
7. Arsenal
8. West Ham United
9. Leicester City
10. Aston Villa
11. Brighton & Hove Albion
12. Crystal Palace
13. Wolverhampton Wanderers
14. Everton
15. Southampton
16. Leeds United
17. Brentford
18. Fulham
19. AFC Bournemouth
20. Play-off winners (Nottingham Forest)
https://www.sporf.com/supercomputer-predicts-next-seasons-premier-league-table-2022-23/
Full list of predictions for the season
Premier League: Liverpool @ 3.5
Relegation: Bournemouth@ 1.44, Southampton @ 4.0, Leeds @ 3.3
Relegation treble: Bournemouth/Southampton/Leeds @ 28/1
Top Scorer: Nunez @ 13/1
Winner/Top scorer double: Liverpool/Nunez @ 33/1
First manager sacked: Jessy Marsch @ 6/1
To finish Bottom: Bournemouth @ 2.0
PFA Player of the Year: Nunez @ 25/1
PFA Young player of the year: Martinelli @ 6/1
Straight Tricast: 1. Liverpool, 2. City, 3. Chelsea: @ 14/1
Bottom on Xmas day: Bournemouth @ 7/2
Season Handicap: West Ham +33 @ 16/1
Most Assists: Salah @ 20/1
Championship winner: Norwich @ 13/2
- Promotion: Blackburn @ 8/1
League 1 winner: Peterborough : 8/1
League 2 winner: Bradford 8/1
FA Cup: Chelsea @ 7/1
League Cup: Tottenham @9/1
La Liga: Barcelona @ 7/5
Serie A: Juventus @ 2.0
Scotland: Rangers @5/4
Champions League: PSG @ 6/1
Europa League: Roma at 14/1
World Cup winners: Argentina @ 8/1
Top World Cup scorer: Neymar @ 20/1
To reach final: Argentina @ 4/1, Portugal @ 13/2
To qualify from groups: Wales @ 6/5, Poland @ evens, Serbia @ 11/10
Balon Do'r: @ 50/1 (would need to win the World Cup to steal it from Karim)
Kind Regards.
Parkerball is back. Inexplicably the Cherries lasted 5 years in this league last time out despite being opened up more times than Mia Khalifa. What he has demonstrated thus far in his short managerial career is that he’s too good for the Championship but not quite brave or smart enough for the Premiership. The problem being as well organised as his teams are (20 clean sheets last season/best defence in the league), is that it’s not a strategy you can expect to be successful at the top table as we saw when he managed Fulham who were relegated despite 5 surviving teams above having conceded more goals. You stand a better chance of retaining your place if like Howe you are more open and expansive with lesser players than just sitting back hoping to counter. They took the lead in games 33 times in 21/22 and lost it on 8 occasions throwing away 18 pts, given how many fewer times they’ll be taking any lead this season, they’ll need to be far more proactive and on the front foot taking it to teams instead or being reactive, but I can’t see it with Parker who’ll revert to type. Their most notable signing so far is Marcus Tavernier, 10 million pound midfielder from Middlesbrough who scored 5 goals and made 5 assists in 44 matches, hardly breeds confidence, positive news is Brooks is back, Solanke is in great form after finding his level/home, Cook, Billing and Fredericks are Prem standard players along with former Arsenal academy and left wing attacker, Jaidon Anthony. But Overall their squad does not look strong enough to survive, a squad that still contains 12 players from the side that went down in 2020.
19. SOUTHAMPTON
How Hasenhuttl has survived two 9-0 losses is anyone’s guess but the Southampton Hierarchy seem to like him. They were a pretty innocuous team last year with no real threat for relegation despite finishing 15th, they were 15 pts above the drop by the finishing line. Between January 2021 til the first game of October they went on a run of 5 wins, 6 draws and 18 lost games in the league. In nearly a quarter of all prem games last season they lost by at least 3 goals. The Key stat lies in the home v away record, an average home record of wins/loses/goal difference , but had the most away goals conceded in the whole league with 43, almost twice as many as at home with only 3 wins in 19 games, that tells me their squad lacks the character and mettle to go to away grounds and grind results out which has to be a reflection on the manager. Having said that in pre season he’s been playing teams with a back 3 with Bazunu likely to replace McCarthy who last season had a touch of the David James’s about him. New signings include young French forward Mara from Bordeaux for £11.7 mil, probably as an understudy to Che Adams, defensive mid Lavia as a backup for Romeu, Bella-Kotchap for £9 mil from Bochum to play in the back 3 and Aribo from Rangers. 6 of these new signings have an average age of just over 21. Not enough quality in this squad to inspire any kind of confidence to think that they wont be down the bottom yet again this time round. Ralph has said he wants his player to get as high up the pitch as possible which they were already doing last season hence 4th in the list for most corners. Their biggest asset is still Ward Prowse but he is pretty much wholly reliant on set pieces. It’s a possibility he’s still in the job as like Pochettinho was at Tottenham as he’s a pretty low maintenance manager who wont rock the boat, who doesn’t demand top players with top transfer fees and will tolerate whatever he’s given. I can’t see much change in 22/23 given the new transfers and they will probably continue to be outplayed with and without the ball, you often see teams that struggle in the latter part of one season carrying it on into the next, the Austrian will have to pull something out of the hat to survive relegation, the hills are alive with the sound of the trap door opening.
18. LEEDS
It’s hard to have any faith in Ted Lasso, he has little experience or track record at this level, the Austrian Bundesliga is probably the equivalent of the MLS where he had his best spell, but he lasted just 21 games at Leipzig which is notch or 2 below the Premier League. Selling Raphinha and Phillips and replacing them with the likes of Aaaronson, Roca and Adams has a Harrods to Lidl feel about it. I can’t confess to ever have seen Roca play but he comes in as the new holding mid who could barely get a kick at Bayern (I suppose no shame) whilst his predecessor has gone on to City. Aaaronson plays the number 10 role but his goals/assists record even in goal crazy Austria is poor, 5 goals and 4 assists in the season he played under Marsch there, number reversed last season. One player however who looks impressive is £21 million pound Colombian signing, Sinisterra, who comes with good stats albeit in the Eredivise, but more importantly looks good on Youtube. Modern couch potato scouting. Very quick feet, 23 goals and 14 assists in 49 matches for Feyenoord last season, 1st for attempted dribbles and 1st for possession won in the last third which fits into the managers (targeted) high pressing style, as opposed to Bielsa’s 90 minute high octane pressing, hence more defensive stability shown towards the end of the season and less chances conceded on goal. He’s been cited as the Raphinha replacement although he played as a left winger for the Dutch club, but is right footed and could play either side. I would like to see Leeds survive as their fans and the atmosphere at Elland road are/is an asset to the league, would also like to see the manager succeed as he’s tried his best to fit in, using English terminology such as football rather than soccer and generally taking ‘touch down’s chants and quips quite well. He wants to be taking seriously but given the 3 incoming clubs from the Championship who look in better shape to survive than the 3 that just went down, it’ll be a much tougher fight for survival this time round.
17. EVERTON
In fairness to privately educated Lampard, his managerial record is skewed somewhat, at Derby his end of season record was near identical to his predecessor’s, Gary Rowlett, Points: (75/74), Wins/Draws/Loses: (20/15/11 - 20/14/12) , Goals F/A (69/48 - 69/54) and both finishing 6th, a good record for his first season, neither took them forwards or backwards, at Chelsea he walked into a team that had a 6 month transfer embargo and then had new signings foisted upon him that he clearly didn’t want and didn’t always play, such as Werner and Havertz, and was promptly sacked at first sign of trouble in favour of a German manager who would actually play their expensive German signings, then there’s Everton, a basket case of a club thanks to the owner Moshiri mis-spending and hiring of Benitez. Jury is out on Fat Frank.
Having spunked a lot of money on average players in recent years on the likes of Iwobi, Allan, Kean, Gbamin (you’ll have to google), so far on the eve of a new season, Moshiri has decided to put his Iranian wallet away this time, sell Richarlison, not to replace him and not to sign a back up to Calvert Lewin who they suffered without when injured last year, (and now injured again for the next 4 weeks) he’s a decent striker but a club like Everton that’s it, they should be looking for an upgrade never mind a back up. The reality is with the financial losses they posted earlier this year it looks unlikely substantial improvements will be made. Frank probably regrets taking the job at this juncture. Looking at their projected line up for the start of 22/23, it looks set to be another season of struggle, Tarkowski is a good signing but along with McNeil, both were still part of the reason Burnley were relegated themselves last season, they conceded 66 goals in the last campaign which was their most ever in a Premier League campaign. Everton are one of 6 clubs to have played every season since the inception of the Premiership in 1992, unless some quality signings are made in the areas where they need them before the window shuts, they could be soon playing in the Championship in a new 52000 capacity stadium with no guarantee to come back with parachute payments soon to be revised. On the plus side Gordon is a good player. The less said about Dele Alli, the better. Currently linked with Ajorque from Strasbourg as an emergency, panic stations, I have them just surviving again on the premise that they will now have to spend big on a forward to save their skins, with the rest of the squad just being about good enough to avoid the drop. Frank is a strong candidate to be sacked first with Fat Sam to come in yet again to save the day.
16. BRENTFORD
The impact of Eriksen was probably overstated last year having scored 1 goal and made 4 assists but an asset nonetheless he was as his forward passing/thinking helped the whole team. Brentford have made 3 notable signings so far in £17 mil left winger Lewis - Potter from Hull who scored 12 and made 3 assists last year, £15 mil left back Hickey (played as wing back or full back either side for Bologna) who was linked with Bayern and Arsenal, and seasoned centre back stalwart, Ben Mee. They finished comfortably away from relegation season gone and won more games (13) in their first season in the Premier League than any other newly promoted club coming up for the first time, bar Wigan (15) and Reading (16), were also 10th ranked for clean sheets (9). On the flip side they were 4th for clearances and saves behind the likes of Norwich, Burnley and Watford, 5th for most losses and 3rd for most long balls which all highlights the lack of strength in ball possession and quality of defending, to me it feels like the signings that the bus stop in Hounslow really needed to make was a real play-maker to play alongside Norgaard and to replace Eriksen. Always like to see London clubs stay up so hope they can do it.
15. FULHAM
Marco Silva unlike fellow compatriot Nuno Espirito Sanchez has not saturated the club with Portuguese players and instead gained promotion back to the top flight with a reliance on a core squad of English players.
Their 3rd promotion to the Promised land in just 4 years with a pattern of 3rd/ 19th / 4th / 18th / 1st and it’s hard to bet against that trend continuing even if they do have Mitrovic who’s goal record follows a similar pattern from Premier league to Championship of 11/ 26 / 3 / 43 / ?, he can do it on a cold, wet, windy Monday night in Stoke because he’s a tough Serbian bar steward but maybe the shiny bowls of the Emirates and White Hart Pain are not up his street. Fulham have signed defensive mid Palhinha from Sporting Lisbon for £18 mil, Journeyman Andreas Pereira from Man United and 27 year old Right back Mbabu from Wolfsburg for 5 mil, who replaces loanee and new FPL favourite Neco Williams. For a club of this stature it’s not bad business but it’s not enough to think they’re not going to struggle yet again especially considering the sale of Carvalho to Liverpool who hit 11 goals and made 7 assists last season which is only behind Mitrovic and Wilson in terms of goal contributions, he hasn’t been replaced. Having said all that their approach to the transfer market is far better than it has been in years gone by, in 2018 they spunked over 100 mil on arrival back to Premier League on the likes of Mawson, who was then loaned to Bristol City and is now without a club, Anguissa who was loaned to Napoli and worst of all, £27 mil Seri, me neither, and in 2020 they fleshed out the squad with a load of loanees who all looked like they’d met each other in the car park before a match, which they probably did.
Winning the Championship with a record 106 goals, gaining promotion as Champions instead of through the play offs as per the last two times and a sensible spending spree in areas they needed strengthening in gives me the vibes that they will just have enough to stay up even with the loss of Carvalho, just.
14. BRIGHTON
If you saw Graham Potter sitting down for 5 minutes on a park bench somewhere this winter you’d offer him some loose change and cup of tea, despite the homelessness look, it disguises the fact he’s a very good English manager who led Brighton to their highest ever finish in the clubs 121 year history. Imagine how well they’d have done if their home form was anything to write home about considering they’d only won 5 from 19 and picked up 7 more points away from home which is unusual in any given season for any team. What makes Potter a good coach is the fact that for my money under his leadership Brighton’s overall results look to make them a team that is greater than the sum of it’s parts and that’s down to the manager. They finished last season having being ranked 6th in terms of most touches inside the opposing teams box yet were the 5th lowest scorers in the league, equal with Leeds who just scrapped relegation, the story being their attack is not as good as their defence. Undav has signed from the Belgian league having won the title with Union St. Gilloise, finishing as top scorer with 26 goals and with 10 assists, more goal involvements than any other player in the league. Yet it’s still the Belgian league so who knows if he’ll turn out to be any better than Maupay (who looks to be leaving) or Welbeck. In fairness Trossard also came from the Belgian league and looks a Premier League standard player. Only 2 other key signings in £10.5 million pound, 18 year old second striker, Enciso from the Paraguayan league where he scored 11 goals in 14 league games last season for Libertad, along with left winger Adingra from the Danish club Nordsjaelland for £7.2 mil, he’s been loaned straight back out however to Undav’s previous club in Belgium. Bissouma is a massive loss for Brighton and he hasn’t been replaced, with the much sought after, as will Cucurella who’s signed for Chelsea for £52.5 mil. If you want something in football, you generally have to overpay for it. As much as I rate Potter, you can’t keep trying to punch above your weight every season and expect similar results, their first choice 11 going into the new season has a bottom six feel to it, it’s only thanks to the manager they’ve been nowhere near it, however based on key departures of Bissouma and Cucurella, along with everyone around them strengthening, I can only see them slipping down the table into the bottom half from the 9th position they finished in last year.
13. NOTTINGHAM FOREST
Discluding Derby who had points deductions foisted upon them, when Steve Cooper took over Forest they were bottom with 4 pts after 8 games and had been out of the Premier league for 22 years, finishing the season with a 60% win rate, 4th in the league and coming up through the play offs, not to mentioning knocking out established top flight sides from the Cup, Cooper was hands down the manager of the year in the Championship last season, at least that’s what I thought, turns out the Luton manager was given the award. Nonetheless their performances against Arsenal, Leicester and Liverpool with much of the same key squad members they have going into the new season is enough to know they have enough strength in depth to survive their first season back. They’ve let only 3 keys players from last season leave the club in Goalkeeper Samba (replaced by loanee Henderson), centre back Figueiredo (replaced by 9 Mil Niakhate from Mainz) and ageing centre forward, Grabban (replaced with Awoniyi, £18.4 mil signing from Union Berlin). Those mainstay players from 21/22 however may not even make the starting line up given Forest have been far and away the busiest club in the transfer market with the widely suggested first choice 11’s only including 4 of the main players from the team that gained promotion, those being Worrall, McKenna, Yates and Johnson expected to keep their places. Other notable signings has obviously been Tik Tokker Jessica Lingard who I’ve never rated, but for a newly promoted club to sign player from Manchester United still in his prime for no transfer fee, is a good signing. Though turning down West Ham and European football albeit the third tier of; for more money at Forest says more about the pull of a fat wage packet then the club at the present time. He should start well hoping to make the plane to Qatar. Other mentionable signings are Omar Richards for £7.65 mil who didn’t quite make the grade at Bayern but was a known face to Cooper having played in the Championship at Reading previously, and Neco Williams from Liverpool for £18 mil who looks to try and replace Djed Spence. There’s no Greek gifts from the Greek owner Evangelos Marinakos, he has delivered the goods. The only caveat is that since 2015 he’s had about 8 different permanent managers in charge of his other club Olympiakos (incl Marco Silva), he’d be making a mistake if he sacks Cooper at the first sight of trouble. I not only fully expect Forest to survive, I think they’ll finish the season higher than the other two newly promoted clubs as well.
12. WOLVES
Jimenez doesn’t look the same player since he’s come back from his head injury and now he’s out again for the first month of the season with the possibility of Neto filling the role. The Mexican was top scorer last season with just 6 goals, Neto close behind with 5 (out injured with a knee injury for a while), yet they still managed to finish 10th with 16 wins which is their joint record in 8 seasons in the Premiership. They were only the 3rd team in Prem history to finish in the top 10 with as little as 38 goals, the only 3 teams in the league last season that scored less were all relegated, yet the owner seems content to wing it again going into the new season. Lage to me is a a direct continuation from the boring Nuno Sanchez who played the same predictable 352 system and who in his last season also had a team that accrued a measly 36 goals.
If it wasn’t for Sa who out exceeded his goal prevention expectation by 7.6 (highest rated keeper), and Kilman coming to the fore, they’d have been real relegation fodder, they were heading that way with their end of season form with 11pts from the last 14 games, the only major signing so far is a central defender in Collins from Burnley, the one area where they are already fairly strong, they strengthen even more which tells me it’s going to be more of the same when really they need to change formation and system to make any kind of progression, which apparently Lage has hinted at, remains to be seen. Gibbs White returning however having scored 12 goals and making 9 assists on loan at Sheffield United will help, but it doesn’t feel enough and unless they make a key forward signing I can only see them struggling to make the top half of the table. The squad looks stale. Traore coming back is not a plus point, flatters to deceive.
11. CRYSTAL PALACE
Paddy finished a respectable 12th in his first season in charge at Selhurst park having taking over from Hodgeasauraus, the more attacking style of play resulted in 9 more goals, but improved defensively as well as the goal difference on the previous season was up by +29, outside of the top 6, only West Ham had a better GD. 6th on the list for most clean sheets. The only real weak point was defending set pieces with Leicester, Everton and Leeds being the only teams conceding more from them.
Going into the new season will just be a continuation of the previous seasons development and evolution, however losing Gallagher cannot be underestimated and Paddy will need to find someone else to step up fill the void, bar Zaha who hit a career best 14 goals in the league last season + 1 assist, the Chelsea loanee was second for most goal contributions with 8 goals and 3 assists.Further out wide there is a very talented player in Olise who is yet to be capped at International level for a senior side yet can represent 4 different countries, if Southgate had any nous he’d have called him by now but as it is, he looks set to play for France having recently played for their Under 21’s. There could be some instability towards the end of the 22/23 season as Zaha’s contract will be up and with fans on his back it usually points towards a dip in form. The only criticism I’d have of Paddy long legs is that it’s difficult to predict his line-ups which may keep oppositions guessing but it also means it’s difficult for players to build up telepathic understanding on the pitch and is not good for a strikers confidence to score one week and be benched the next, an issue that may be reflected in the fact they drew 15 games which was more than any other team, every man knows their job but they need to work with each other more to finish it. Palace have only made 2 noteworthy signings thus far this summer, Doucoure a £20 million pound, defensive midfield signing from Lens and 22 year old centre back Chris Richards from Bayern for £11 mil who played over 1300 minutes in the league for them last season. 2 Decent signings. With the loss of Gallagher and his bundle of energy from the team and with no replacement, I can only see Palace making marginal improvements in terms of league position but should have no real threat of relegation.
10. LEICESTER
All quiet on the Western front. At time of going to print, Leicester are the only team in the top 5 leagues in Europe not to have made a single signing, the old adage standing still is going backwards is prevalent especially with 35 year old Vardy still expected to lead the attack going into a new season, despite having great stats last year, his biggest strength was always pace. In fairness to the ghost of Shankly, Rodgers had to contend with key injuries to the likes of Fofana, Vardy, Pereira and Justin consequently resulting in fit players at times being played out of position, being 3rd on the list for most saves and most tackles having to be made. It’s been said Schmeichel was not the same keeper he has been in previous years hence his move to Nice, but according to xG, Leicester should of conceded about 10 goals more than they did, then again, they finished rock bottom in defending set pieces, conceding 17 from corners. At least with Fofana and Evans back that stat should change.
Like Matryoshka Dolls, Maddison is also full of himself, he was however 9th on the list for goal involvements last season but he wont be stepping it up as all players do towards a World Cup because he has no chance of making it. Southgate probably rates the player but not the personality, either do I, the 1 cap wonder deliberately had Maitland-Niles sent off one year then laughed about in the interview afterwards, has that look about him that whatever you’ve done, he’s done it better. You’ve been to Tenefife recently? doesn’t matter, Maddy’s has been to Elevenerife.
Providing they keep the likes of Maddison and Tieleman however, their squad still is strong enough to maintain a top 10 finish, but there’s no chance of European football. His recent quote was “my honest opinion is that [the squad] is not going to be the level I would have wanted” and “really respects the club, so I don’t go to war with them” - translation “my squad are not good enough to finish higher than 8th again unless you show me the colour of your money”. Not much more to say for a club who’s owner has short hands and deep pockets these days.
9. NEWCASTLE
One of the funnier sights last season was at Selhurst Park where in reply to Palace fans holding aloft Anti Newcastle Ownership banners protesting against their new moneybag owners, citing Terrorism, Censorship, Beheadings and persecutions, was the Geordies all waving £20 pound notes straight back at them
The difference between Bruce and Howe is night and day, from stodgy defensive football with 5 at the back to attractive 433, attack minded football, another key difference is Pre season, Bruce’s pre seasons often lacked intensity hence being undercooked going into new seasons, whereas Howe’s has been the opposite with matches this summer against 1860 Munich, Mainz, Benfica, Atalanta and Bilbao, compare and contrast that to cabbage heads this time last year, York, Doncaster, Rotherham, Burton, Norwich, the year before that was not much better either preparing for 20/21 against all Championship clubs.
Unlike when Abramovich took over splashing the cash, the hand choppers are ironically taking the more subtle approach by not signing world stars and instead purchasing players they need rather than players the fans would want, the likes of does what it says on the tin Chris Wood, Trippier and Dan Burn, you do wonder though when they will step up their spending spree and start signing established world renowned names, Robinho was the first for City and one big name would be all it’d take to really get the ball rolling as long as they pay them 500 bags a week. In the meantime cheap and cheerful Almiron has scored 6 pre season goals and has probably done enough to displace Fraser from the team, Wilson will start every match with Wood as back up, as for the goalkeeping situation,Fumata Bianca has fogged up the Tyne this summer indicating it’s 50/50 between the Pope and Dubravka after both having played 3 games each in pre season, however, my sources at the club tell me white plumes will soon reveal Saint Nick as the clubs number 1. Rumours Dubravka will be a makeweight for Maddison with Kasper seemingly on his way out the Leicester door.
Adding to Guimaraes, Targett, Wood, Trippier and the permanent singing of Willock, is £33 million pound defender Botman from Lille who prefers to play as the left sided centre back, where Burn plays. Interesting to see if it’ll be one or other or both, as Schar has done well enough to keep his place.
They finished 11th last season with 49 pts, so far they haven’t made enough significant signings to indicate they’ll be pushing for top 6 yet, but will definitely be contending for best of the rest alongside West Ham and Villa, considering their record since regaining promotion back to land of milk and honey 5 seasons ago, is 10th, 13th, 13th 12th, 11th, that 7th-9th place finish would be a positive step forward and a clear indication of progression, they can kick on from there but anyone expecting them to make top 4 this season are delusional. Not even Newcastle fans are that delusional, I think.
8. ASTON VILLA
After taking over from Dean Smith (who I thought did a pretty good job overall at Villa whilst having to contend with losing Grealish), Gerrard’s honeymoon period at Villas lasted about 6 games before winning only 1 of the next 7, followed by a steady end to the season with with 5 wins, 3 draw and 6 losses from the last 14 matches to finish comfortably in 14th place. His name alone attracted Coutinho to the club who contributed with 5 goals and 3 assists. Having said that only 3 other clubs lost more games than Villa and 2 of them were relegated. When you look at some of the key stats such as expected goals against and for it’s very average, yet during his time in charge only 8 other clubs picked up more points in the league which is a sign they are more than capable of a top 10 finish especially now he can mould the club into his own shape with some new signings which he has done with Diego Carlos in central defence, a £27 mil signing from Sevilla and Kamara as a freebie from Marseille who’ll probably start over Luiz. Bailey has been in good pre season form with 3 goals and an assist and will also probably be in a first choice 11 at this point, I’d imagine Ramsey would be preferred to Buendia. Looks like a lot of Ings pace has gone and he’ll probably rotate with Watkins who over the course of the season rather than being played as a piar. Given the shoring up in defence with signings of DM Kamara and Carlos you’d imagine a lot of those losses will turn into draws and wins, on paper I can’t see them finishing anywhere below 10th. One more footnote, if you want to place a bet for Villa’s player of the season for 22/23 then a value punt would be on Matty Cash in the Attic looks shrewd to me.
7. WEST HAM
It’s amazing West Ham still managed to finish 7th having the burden and weight of the Europa League around their necks, in all the games that followed a European night, they only went onto win 4 of 12 games, even more amazing considering they made the last 4 having no real back up for loneman Antonio, only now have they finally addressed the issue with the signing of £32 million pound signing 6ft4 monster Scamacca from Sassuolo, who’ll now probably take his place, had 16 goals and no assists in Serie A in 21/22 which tells you the kind of out and out striker he is and that West Ham needs, those goals put him 6th in the top scorers list which for a club that finished mid table is not bad at all. An Italian correspondent said out of all the strikers in Italy, he the most suitable to play in the Premier League in terms of his physicality. European football was probably the main contributor in the Moyes’s side dropping 9pts from the previous season and 3 less wins. A new striker was long overdue given Antonio will be 33 in March and has only managed 10 league goals in each of the last 3 seasons (in part thanks to injuries limiting the number of matches played in 2 of those 3).
Ranked 3rd for most crosses of the ball with 802 (cue Scamacca signing), just behind Liverpool with 869 and number 1, Man City with 897 and were 10th for most long balls, a far cry from the stigma that the likes of Moyes has carried in years gone by, they are these days a decent footballing team to watch. Speaking of Moyes if he had any sense he’d bin off the Conference league and focus of main course, incidentally to my surprise, as much as I derided this tournament before it started, there were many games in it that I actually enjoyed watching, in part thanks to the fact you could see how much it meant to the clubs that ordinarily would be no where near Europe, but for the likes of West Ham it should be filed under ‘a useful run-out for our second string players only’. Other notable signings for 22/23 are £31.5 mil Centre back Aguerd from Rennes who’ll partner Zouma, centre mid Downes from Swansea for ( a permanent fee of) £9.5 mil who’ll compete with Soucek and keeper Areola from PSG for £8.3 mil who probably be second choice given Flappianski started 5 of the 6 pre season games. Looking at their first choice 11 and bench, they will again be competing for the best of the rest position in 7th place with the likes of Villa and Newcastle.Though West Ham fans will believe they can make top 6 which is not that implausible.
6. MANCHESTER UNITED
United are going into their tenth season after last winning the Premier League title and will extend the run into the 11th under the guidance of Beldar from coneheads who’ll need time and money to mould the squad into his own shape, and a lot of moulding it will be. Whilst an underwhelming character he is at least comes through the door with far more credentials as a top level manager than his predecessor Rangnick who was largely an unknown figure in his own house let alone in football. As opposed to Solskjaers’ old skool 442 counter attacking style of football hitting teams on the break a la Fergie, Ten Haag is prefers possession based football whilst pressing from the front but is also adaptable having played Tadic as a false 9 at Ajax but Haller as the target man on different occasions dependant upon opposition, the formation he deployed however was strictly 433. What Man United actually need at this point in time is not only a good manager with a proven track record but also a disciplinarian (highlighted by players leaving the Rayo Vallecano match early which under Fergie would have been met with death by lethal Glaswegian stare the next morning) which apparently he is not, quite and unassuming are characteristics attributed to him by those that have worked in his set up which could be a red flag from the off. There’s also the fact he’s making a huge jump from the Eredivisie to the Premier League with no real history of managing the egos that infest the club. He is a big question mark and will need time regardless as the club needs a lot of patch up work.
United finished with their lowest ever points total in the Premier League, fewest wins and most goals against compared to the previous 30 seasons and haven’t really made any stand out signings in the transfer window to suggest they’ll come on leaps and bounds in the next 12 months. They’ve signed 5ft7inch centre back in Argentine Martinez from Ajax for over 50 million (which looks overpriced already) and left back cover Malacia from Feyenoord for £13.5 mil along with Eriksen who looks set to be a back up to Fernandes, other than that it’s much off the same going forward as day 623 of the Frankie De Jong transfer saga rumbles on. Ronaldo wants Champions League football but nobody wants the non pressing forward in their Champions League team at the age of 37 so it looks like he’ll stay at be Ten Haag’s Lukaku. On the positive side United have a lot of genuinely good players in the front 6 from Sancho who’ll be like a new signing, a rejuvenated Rashford desperate to make the World Cup, Fernandes who’ll fit the system well, Martial who’s played well all pre season and super sub Eriksen, a fully fit Luke Shaw is an asset more in attack than defence and Maguire cannot get any worse than last season, he is not as as bad as everyone makes out, his confidence was shot to pieces, the break will probably bring a new dawn. The mug fans booing him in pre season in Australia are not fans are just that, mugs.
I anticipate a strong start against Brighton and home and Brentford away but at the end of the season it’ll simply be filed under ‘transition’.
5. TOTTENHAM
The biggest asset they have is the manager Conte who was directly responsible for their end of season form where they outperformed their capabilities to finish in the top 4 with 8 wins from the last 10 matches, he is off of the top of my head, the only world class player or manager that has actually signed for the club whilst in their prime, on the flip side they were in large parts helped by Arsenal and United who were like two fatties trying to keep their balance on an ice rink, every move they made forward they slipped on their backsides as Spurs glided past on one leg sipping some herbal tea, both now start the season in better shape for various reasons though with United it was already a low bar. Signings such as Kulusevski and Bentacur who were both Juventus bench players, along with Richarlison (who is not worth 52 mil), Perisic and Bissouma, are all good players but are not of the calibre that are going to take a club from 4th to title challengers this season, 3rd favs is probably a knee-jerk reaction to end of season form and who the manager is rather than reality. Wing backs as throughout the manager’s career will be key to anything Tottenham do going forward but you have to question whether Perisic will keep a consistent level of performance across the course of the season in such a high energy position in what is the fastest and most physical league in world football, the quality is still there however, he’s not coming for a last big pay cheque. Conte has managed to extract excellent performances from Moses in the right wing back position in the past at Chelsea en route to winning the league in 2017 so no reason why neither Doherty or Emerson can also play above their stations on the other side of the pitch, both being of a similar level. Neither Moses or Alonso contributed many assists to the team as the idea was simply to stretch the opposition to create overloads to give space to Costa and Hazard to work in, a system that has and will work well for Son and Kane going forward. Despite having a more transitional style of play rather than possession based, Tottenham, finished the season 4th on the list of most passes made behind City, Liverpool and Chelsea. They are in good shape and are set up well going into the new season but for me 3rd place really is the ceiling, I have them 5th, the only way the season can implode completely is if results dip towards Xmas, Conte throws a strop demanding more transfers, none are forthcoming and he walks, which given how temperamental he can be, is a possibility.
4. ARSENAL
Signing Brazilian forward Jesus for less than 50 mil after having just won the league title was probably the shrewdest bit of business done by any club this summer, followed by the excellent acquisition of the versatile Zinchenko who was man of the match in the play off matches for the World Cup despite being on the losing side. Not often cast offs as high quality as these two are signed by Arsenal who in years gone by have acquired dross in the summer windows in the form of your Silvestre’s and Welbeck’s instead. You have to wonder if this is Pep doing Arteta a favour and that bigger offers were made elsewhere, regardless they will both be big assets for the club this season, Zincheko can either fill in for the injury prone Tierney at left back or play on the left wing as he does for his country. Incidentally It literally makes no sense Guardiola let either go along with Sterling. Jesus scored 7 goals in 5 pre season games (and as fantasy footballer players will know is currently the highest % owned player in fpl with 73% of the 5.6 million entrants owning him).
Arsenal went through a period 2 years ago where probably every other club in the top 5 divisions in Europe would have sacked the manager, Emery was sacked for less, yet the club stuck by him more so to save their own backs rather than his knowing appointing yet another failed manager who’d spent big would cost them their jobs, nonetheless Arteta has ploughed on regardless with the youngest squad in the league by a whole year which clearly cost the club top 4 towards the run-in, Brentford having the second youngest. It’s not a coincidence this is the case as he’s clearly targeted promoting youth in his first job as a young manager himself knowing full well they’re more likely to listen to him rather than the established players such as Aubameyang who was eventually moved on, it’s reminiscent of the second part of Wenger’s reign from 2006 onwards to take control of the dressing room. 8th was followed by 8th and 5th in the last 3 years and anything less then Champions League football this season has to be seen as failure given the time and funds the manager has been given by the hierarchy. The squad is now strong enough to at least compete again for top 4 but one of the factors that could make that little bit of difference between Arteta and Haag or Conte’s is that those managers are that bit more wily, experienced and street smart then where Mikel is at this juncture which means top 4 could be misse again but definitely not out of the question, it’ll be neck and neck and I’m backing 4th. The slow boat to Istanbul however was missed last season as the club could have attracted even better players with top flight European football but we did everything we possibly could towards the end of the season to not qualify for the Champions League, it was like watching a drunk trying to break into a house only for his wife a while late to open the door and let him in, by the time he realised he was home with the key in his pocket it was too late. Martinelli looks set to start this season and I wouldn’t be surprised if he ends up being our player of the year, he’s starting to look like belongs at the very top level for me, Saliba could pair up with Gabriel at the back but most fancy White to keep his place. I know next to nothing about £31 million pound midfielder, Fabio Vieira from Porto but at least he doesn’t have the same 70 million pound price tag that weighed down Pepe, let’s hope the scouting has been a lot better this time. Same goes for 19 year old right winger, Marquinhos who’s signed from Sao Paulo for just over £3 million. If Arteta does not achieve top 4 this season I’d imagine it’d be his last having spent hundreds of millions during his tenure, it’s time to deliver today not tomorrow. Many want him gone now but every manager in an ideal world, needs 3 full seasons to get all the players they want in, and all the players they want out to be judge properly, they’d be no point in ripping up and starting again right now. Incidentally not looking forward to another one of these nonsense fly on the wall documentaries set to be released on Amazon Prime, they are so cringy and have already seen a snippet showing the manager filtering in You’ll Never Walk Alone chants on the training ground to help prepare the team for big atmosphere, I’ll be washing my hair. Good luck to Lack of threat (Lacazette) back at his old club Lyon, a good servant to the club even it he was never ultimately good enough.
3. CHELSEA
Chelsea reached both domestic finals and were in the top 5 for all the positive stats that football is measured in these days, expected goals against, (xGA) clean sheets, passes, shots on goal, corners, goals in and outside of the box etc, yet they had an overall underwhelming season in which they went into as many people’s favourite to win the league after just signing Lukaku for 90 mil off of the back of winning the Champions League with Tuchel’s stock sky high. Massive changes at the club has taken place with the Oligarch sent packing and another new American coming through the Premier League doors, the 90 mil flop sent back to Italy, signing Sterling for 50 mil which is a steal but losing one of the best defenders in Europe in his prime in Antonio Rudiger. There’s a corridor of uncertainty sandwiched in between the new season and the last with Tuchel sending out transfer smoke signals to the new owner after their 4 nil crushing at the hands of Arsenal in pre season, "So we had an urgent appeal for quality players, a huge amount of quality players. We got two quality players but we are not competitive like this. Unfortunately you could see it today.", since that match they’ve been linked with all and sundry as yet, no other key player has put pen to paper (bar Cucurella). 18 year old midfielder Chukwumeka has signed however for 20 mil but will no doubt be farmed straight back out on loan for the next few seasons. A big part of the reason why Chelsea did not fulfil their potential in 21/22 was because of the loses to Reece James and Ben Chilwell to injuries, their output down the flanks was fundamental to Chelsea success previously as well as Lukaku being the epitome of what a square peg in a round hole looks like, he didn’t fit Tuchel’s system and slowed the pace of their game down, to get the best out him you have to play through him yet Chelsea’s quick build up play down the channels often resulted in him having few touches, he set a record of fewest touches in a premier league game against Palace with just 7 and left the club with probably a stat that summed up his time at Chelsea, ”498th place out of 518 players with an average of 27.1 touches for every 90 minutes”.
Havertz instead filled the role, a hybrid player that scores like a number 9 but turns and finds space like a number 10. Having said that, if he leads the line this season I can’t see him getting the kind of numbers in front of goal that would be required to make any kind of impression in a title race, he would still suit feeding a striker rather than being the focal point. Koulibaly while not as good bringing the ball out of defence and getting attacks going as Rudiger was, is the best possible centre back signing Chelsea could have made to replace him this summer, despite being 2 years older he is still at the top of his game having won the African cup of Nations, helped Senegal to qualify for the world cup and is only leaving 3rd placed Napoli for the same reasons Insigne and Mertens left, president De Laurentiis was on a cost cutting exercise asking for players to half their wages whilst making a statement refusing to sign African players unless they opted out of ACON. Looking at their potential line up for the new season of Mendy-James-Silva-Gvardiol (rumoured?)-Koulibaly-Chilwell-Mount-Kante-Kovic... is still very strong with Ziyech, Pulisic, Werner, Broja and Alonso as back up, there is plenty of strength in depth but mostly from wide areas, where they’ll probably fall down is not buying a top class finisher and therefore cannot see them pushing Liverpool and City for the top spot who have both signed Nunez and Haaland respectively. As I write they are currently being linked with De Jong, that wont make the difference. The most striking thing for me looking at this squad is how they clearly lack any kind of characters in the team, gone are the day of Terry-Lampard-Drogba, instead it’s Silva-Mount-Havertz, this is an underrated attribute to any team and could cost them.
2. MANCHESTER CITY
Selling Sterling in his prime and for just 50 mil seems a very strange move considering the goal contributions Raheem made over the last 5 seasons, from 2017/18 they were 18 goals, 11 assists, followed by 17/9, 20/1, 10/7 and 13/5 last season which often put him in the top 2 players for City goal involvements, moreover, he offers something different than the other attacking players, pace, now they’ll be even more reliant from wide areas on the likes of Cancelo and Walker. Letting second striker Jesus and Zincheko leave whilst chasing Cucurella (signed for Chelsea) also seem like peculiar decisions, but I’m sure the oracle that is Pep has a Grand Masterplan and we’ll all sit back and marvel at by the end of the season at his brilliance. What however was great business, thanks to a bit of fortune in timing, was the purchase of Haaland for £54 mil who ordinarily in today’s market would have cost £150 mil plus if it wasn’t for his contract situation at Dortmund. Anyone thinking Haaland wont adapt to City or vice versa are barking up the wrong tree, he imo is genuine world class player who moves unbelievable well for a big man, the only question mark is how long will it take to settle in and can he avoid the injuries he’s already picked up in his short career which incidentally does not make him value for top scorer. In the Champions League he’s already scored 15 goals in 13 games, more than Kane who’s pushing 30.
Pep must also think a lot of Alvarez who scored 11 goals in 17 games on loan for River Plate last season to keep him and sell Gabriel to Arsenal. City had the worst cross completion rate in the league in 20/21 despite being 2nd for most crosses made, with Haaland’s aerial ability not only will this stat improve but it may also explain Sterling’s departure who ‘s been coached for years to get in behind the last defender from wide areas before cutting the ball in towards your Aguero’s or De Bruyne’s, and so is now looking for a different way of playing or least an alternative way of playing. Ironically his first goal against Bayern in pre season was from your traditional cut back goal City have fine tuned over the years.
For my money Grealish is completely wasted at City, it feels like he’s been put in a box and had the talent squeezed out of him, he should be playing more centrally, running with the ball and creating plenty of goal scoring chances, yet he looks suppressed in his role at City, many think this’ll be his breakthrough year at the club but it’s hard to see anything changing, he’ll still be required not to hang on to the ball too long and to find and create space for others with one-two touch passes. Wasting his talent even if Pep plays him more. No team made fewer substitutions than City last year either so the new 5 sub rule wont be befitting benched players that much either.
On the whole City will still be far far too strong for any other team in the league bar Liverpool this season as has been the case for the last few years, it’ll be these two battling it out for the title.
1. LIVERPOOL
All the data, stats, styles of play and mangers aside, sometimes you have to go with instinct and mine says Liverpool will win the league this season. Just like City there is not a single weakness in their first choice 11 and have enough strength in depth to cope in most key areas. Van Dijk came back from injury last season to help the club keep 9 more clean sheets and concede 16 less goals. In 21/22 they ranked first for clean sheets, shots, goals inside the box and crosses, second for wins, goals, passes and corners.
3 new signings have been made in centre forward Nunez from Benfica for £67 mil, Carvalho from Fulham for just over 5 mil and right back cover Calvin Ramsey from Aberdeen for £4.4 mil. Signing Dawin is Klopp deliberately moving away from the way in which he has previously wanted his front 3 to operate, Firmino did a great job in being the link up player for Mane and Salah for the last few years but Nunez is an out and out goalscoring striker and far more direct than the Brazilian, it would be of no surprise to me to see him outscore Salah from here on in. Scored 26 goals in 28 league games in Portugal last season, regardless of the strength of the league having done my youtube scouting again, seen him in the Champions League against Liverpool and Ajax and 1 pre season game, is enough to know there’s no reason why he wont hit the ground running, there’s no chance he’s going to flop and will be one of the stars of the season. Salah was number 1 on the assists chart last year with 13 and you can only imagine that stat will increase feeding Nunez through the middle, Trent was second on the list(12) with Robertson joint 3rd with 10. Tsimikas is good cover for Robertson but if Trent is injured the team will feel his absence with no sufficient back up with proven experience. Not much more to say, they are the finished article to me who’s record in the transfer market has been superb in recent years with Klopp and the scouting network quickly identifying the players they need to fit into his 433 (or adapted 4141) pressing system, the speed at which they pass out from the back and one touch passing is second to none. They consistently demonstrate to other teams in the league how to deal with City with their intense gegenpressing and higher line subsequently condensing space and reducing chances of balls hit over top with extra men attacking the ball when the opposition have it. Other teams do not have the luxury of the quality of players Liverpool have but it’s a better tactic than sitting back and defending for 90 minutes. Arsenal also showed at least for one half against City at the Emirates how successful counter pressing city players can be. Mane is a loss and I’d prefer him over Diaz but the gap in class between them is still wafer thin. 2nd Premier League titlefor me this time in front of their own fans, rather than the fans that came dressed as empty red seats last time round thanks to the pandemic.
Full table
Spoiler: Show
My predictions in full
| 1 | LIVERPOOL | |
| 2 | MAN CITY | |
| 3 | CHELSEA | |
| 4 | ARSENAL | |
| 5 | TOTTENHAM | |
| 6 | MAN UNITED | |
| 7 | WEST HAM | |
| 8 | ASTON VILLA | |
| 9 | NEWCASTLE | |
| 10 | LEICESTER | |
| 11 | CRYSTAL PALACE | |
| 12 | WOLVES | |
| 13 | NOTTINGHAM FOREST | |
| 14 | BRIGHTON | |
| 15 | FULHAM | |
| 16 | BRENTFORD | |
| 17 | EVERTON | |
| 18 | LEEDS | |
| 19 | SOUTHAMPTON | |
| 20 | BOURNEMOUTH |
What a super computer has predicted
1. Manchester City
2. Liverpool
3. Chelsea
4. Tottenham Hotspur
5. Manchester United
6. Newcastle United
7. Arsenal
8. West Ham United
9. Leicester City
10. Aston Villa
11. Brighton & Hove Albion
12. Crystal Palace
13. Wolverhampton Wanderers
14. Everton
15. Southampton
16. Leeds United
17. Brentford
18. Fulham
19. AFC Bournemouth
20. Play-off winners (Nottingham Forest)
https://www.sporf.com/supercomputer-predicts-next-seasons-premier-league-table-2022-23/
Full list of predictions for the season
Premier League: Liverpool @ 3.5
Relegation: Bournemouth@ 1.44, Southampton @ 4.0, Leeds @ 3.3
Relegation treble: Bournemouth/Southampton/Leeds @ 28/1
Top Scorer: Nunez @ 13/1
Winner/Top scorer double: Liverpool/Nunez @ 33/1
First manager sacked: Jessy Marsch @ 6/1
To finish Bottom: Bournemouth @ 2.0
PFA Player of the Year: Nunez @ 25/1
PFA Young player of the year: Martinelli @ 6/1
Straight Tricast: 1. Liverpool, 2. City, 3. Chelsea: @ 14/1
Bottom on Xmas day: Bournemouth @ 7/2
Season Handicap: West Ham +33 @ 16/1
Most Assists: Salah @ 20/1
Championship winner: Norwich @ 13/2
- Promotion: Blackburn @ 8/1
League 1 winner: Peterborough : 8/1
League 2 winner: Bradford 8/1
FA Cup: Chelsea @ 7/1
League Cup: Tottenham @9/1
La Liga: Barcelona @ 7/5
Serie A: Juventus @ 2.0
Scotland: Rangers @5/4
Champions League: PSG @ 6/1
Europa League: Roma at 14/1
World Cup winners: Argentina @ 8/1
Top World Cup scorer: Neymar @ 20/1
To reach final: Argentina @ 4/1, Portugal @ 13/2
To qualify from groups: Wales @ 6/5, Poland @ evens, Serbia @ 11/10
Balon Do'r: @ 50/1 (would need to win the World Cup to steal it from Karim)
Kind Regards.
| MATCH | SCORE | MATCH ODDS | CORRECT SCORE ODDS | |||
| Crystal Palace v Arsenal | 0-2 | 1.85 | 8.5 | |||
| Fulham v Liverpool | 0-3 | 1.25 | 9 | |||
| Bournemouth v Aston Villa | 0-1 | 2.0 | 7 | |||
| Leeds v Wolves | 1-2 | 3.2 | 13 | |||
| Newcastle v Nottingham Forest | 2-0 | 1.66 | 8 | |||
| Tottenham v Southampton | 4-0 | 1.33 | 17 | |||
| Everton v Chelsea | 1-3 | 1.61 | 15 | |||
| Leicester v Brentford | 3-1 | 2 | 8 | |||
| Man United v Brighton | 2-0 | 1.6 | 8 | |||
| West Ham v Man City | 1-1 | 5 | 11. |
Accumulator match odds 849/1
test
| MATCH | SCORE | MATCH ODDS | CORRECT SCORE ODDS | |||
| Crystal Palace v Arsenal | 0-2 | 1.85 | 8.5 |
|||
| Fulham v Liverpool | 0-3 | 1.25 | 9 | |||
| Bournemouth v Aston Villa | 0-1 | 2.0 | 7 | |||
| Leeds v Wolves | 1-2 | 3.2 | 13 | |||
| Newcastle v Nottingham Forest | 2-0 | 1.66 | 8 | |||
| Tottenham v Southampton | 4-0 | 1.33 | 17 | |||
| Everton v Chelsea | 1-3 | 1.61 | 15 | |||
| Leicester v Brentford | 3-1 | 2 | 8 | |||
| Man United v Brighton | 2-0 | 1.6 | 8 | |||
| West Ham v Man City | 1-1 | 5 | 11. |
Accumulator match odds 849/1
| MATCH | SCORE | MATCH ODDS | CORRECT SCORE ODDS | |||
| Crystal Palace v Arsenal | 0-2 | 1.85 | 8.5 | |||
| Fulham v Liverpool | 0-3 | 1.25 | 9 | |||
| Bournemouth v Aston Villa | 0-1 | 2.0 | 7 | |||
| Leeds v Wolves | 1-2 | 3.2 | 13 | |||
| Newcastle v Nottingham Forest | 2-0 | 1.66 | 8 | |||
| Tottenham v Southampton | 4-0 | 1.33 | 17 | |||
| Everton v Chelsea | 1-3 | 1.61 | 15 | |||
| Leicester v Brentford | 3-1 | 2 | 8 | |||
| Man United v Brighton | 2-0 | 1.6 | 8 | |||
| West Ham v Man City | 1-1 | 5 | 11. |
| MATCH | SCORE | MATCH ODDS | CORRECT SCORE ODDS | |||
| Crystal Palace v Arsenal | 0-2 | 1.85 | 8.5 | |||
| Fulham v Liverpool | 0-3 | 1.25 | 9 | |||
| Bournemouth v Aston Villa | 0-1 | 2.0 | 7 | |||
| Leeds v Wolves | 1-2 | 3.2 | 13 | |||
| Newcastle v Nottingham Forest | 2-0 | 1.66 | 8 | |||
| Tottenham v Southampton | 4-0 | 1.33 | 17 | |||
| Everton v Chelsea | 1-3 | 1.61 | 15 | |||
| Leicester v Brentford | 3-1 | 2 | 8 | |||
| Man United v Brighton | 2-0 | 1.6 | 8 | |||
| West Ham v Man City | 1-1 | 5 | 11. |
| MATCH | PREDICTION | RESULT | MATCH ODDS | CORRECT SCORE ODDS | ||||
| Crystal Palace v Arsenal | 0-2 | 0-2 | 1.85 | 8.5 | ||||
| Fulham v Liverpool | 0-3 | 2-2 | 1.25 | 9 | ||||
| Bournemouth v Aston Villa | 0-1 | 2-0 | 2.0 | 7 | ||||
| Leeds v Wolves | 1-2 | 2-1 | 3.2 | 13 | ||||
| Newcastle v Nottingham Forest | 2-0 | 2-0 | 1.66 | 8 | ||||
| Tottenham v Southampton | 4-0 | 4-1 | 1.33 | 17 | ||||
| Everton v Chelsea | 1-3 | 0-1 | 1.61 | 15 | ||||
| Leicester v Brentford | 3-1 | 2-2 | 2.0 | 8 | ||||
| Man United v Brighton | 2-0 | 1-2 | 1.6 | 8 | ||||
| West Ham v Man City | 1-1 | 0-2 | 5 | 11 | ||||
| ACCUMALATOR ODDS | 849/1 | Lost |
| WEEK 1 / OVERALL | PROFIT/LOSS | RESULTS | ||
| CORRECT RESULTS | -3.55 | 4/10 | ||
| CORRECT SCORES | +6.5 | 2/10 | ||
| ACCUMALATOR | -1 | |||
| PROFIT/LOSS | +1.95 |
| MATCH | PREDICTION | RESULT | MATCH ODDS | CORRECT SCORE ODDS | ||||
| Crystal Palace v Arsenal | 0-2 | 0-2 | 1.85 | 8.5 | ||||
| Fulham v Liverpool | 0-3 | 2-2 | 1.25 | 9 | ||||
| Bournemouth v Aston Villa | 0-1 | 2-0 | 2.0 | 7 | ||||
| Leeds v Wolves | 1-2 | 2-1 | 3.2 | 13 | ||||
| Newcastle v Nottingham Forest | 2-0 | 2-0 | 1.66 | 8 | ||||
| Tottenham v Southampton | 4-0 | 4-1 | 1.33 | 17 | ||||
| Everton v Chelsea | 1-3 | 0-1 | 1.61 | 15 | ||||
| Leicester v Brentford | 3-1 | 2-2 | 2.0 | 8 | ||||
| Man United v Brighton | 2-0 | 1-2 | 1.6 | 8 | ||||
| West Ham v Man City | 1-1 | 0-2 | 5 | 11 | ||||
| ACCUMALATOR ODDS | 849/1 | Lost |
| WEEK 1 / OVERALL | PROFIT/LOSS | RESULTS | ||
| CORRECT RESULTS | -3.55 | 4/10 | ||
| CORRECT SCORES | +6.5 | 2/10 | ||
| ACCUMALATOR | -1 | |||
| PROFIT/LOSS | +1.95 |  |
| [bTIME/DAY[/b] | MATCH | SCORE | MATCH ODDS | CORRECT SCORE ODDS | ||||
| Sat - 12:30 | Aston Villa v Everton | 2-0 | 1.8 | 8.5 | ||||
| Sat - 3pm | Arsenal v Leicester | 3-1 | 1.53 | 13 | ||||
| Sat - 3pm | Brighton v Newcastle | 1-2 | 3.0 | 13 | ||||
| Sat - 3pm | Man City v Bournemouth | 5-0 | 1.055 | 11 | ||||
| Sat - 3pm | Southampton v Leeds | 0-2 | 3.1 | 19 | ||||
| Sat - 3pm | Wolves v Fulham | 1-2 | 3.2 | 13 | ||||
| Sat - 5.30 | Brentford v Man united | 2-3 | 2.0 | 26 | ||||
| Sun - 2pm | Nottingham Forest v West Ham | 0-1 | 1.85 | 8 | ||||
| Sun - 4pm | Chelsea v Tottenham | 2-2 | |3.4| | 15 | ||||
| Mon - 8pm | Liverpool v Crystal Palace | 4-1 | 1.2 | 19 | ||||
| ACCUMALATOR ODDS | 1307.83/1 |
| [bTIME/DAY[/b] | MATCH | SCORE | MATCH ODDS | CORRECT SCORE ODDS | ||||
| Sat - 12:30 | Aston Villa v Everton | 2-0 | 1.8 | 8.5 | ||||
| Sat - 3pm | Arsenal v Leicester | 3-1 | 1.53 | 13 | ||||
| Sat - 3pm | Brighton v Newcastle | 1-2 | 3.0 | 13 | ||||
| Sat - 3pm | Man City v Bournemouth | 5-0 | 1.055 | 11 | ||||
| Sat - 3pm | Southampton v Leeds | 0-2 | 3.1 | 19 | ||||
| Sat - 3pm | Wolves v Fulham | 1-2 | 3.2 | 13 | ||||
| Sat - 5.30 | Brentford v Man united | 2-3 | 2.0 | 26 | ||||
| Sun - 2pm | Nottingham Forest v West Ham | 0-1 | 1.85 | 8 | ||||
| Sun - 4pm | Chelsea v Tottenham | 2-2 | 3.4 | 15 | ||||
| Mon - 8pm | Liverpool v Crystal Palace | 4-1 | 1.2 | 19 | ||||
| ACCUMALATOR ODDS | 1307.83/1 |
| TIME/DAY | MATCH | SCORE | MATCH ODDS | CORRECT SCORE ODDS | ||||
| Sat - 12:30 | Aston Villa v Everton | 2-0 | 1.8 | 8.5 | ||||
| Sat - 3pm | Arsenal v Leicester | 3-1 | 1.53 | 13 | ||||
| Sat - 3pm | Brighton v Newcastle | 1-2 | 3.0 | 13 | ||||
| Sat - 3pm | Man City v Bournemouth | 5-0 | 1.055 | 11 | ||||
| Sat - 3pm | Southampton v Leeds | 0-2 | 3.1 | 19 | ||||
| Sat - 3pm | Wolves v Fulham | 1-2 | 3.2 | 13 | ||||
| Sat - 5.30 | Brentford v Man united | 2-3 | 2.0 | 26 | ||||
| Sun - 2pm | Nottingham Forest v West Ham | 0-1 | 1.85 | 8 | ||||
| Sun - 4pm | Chelsea v Tottenham | 2-2 | 3.4 | 15 | ||||
| Mon - 8pm | Liverpool v Crystal Palace | 4-1 | 1.2 | 19 | ||||
| - | ACCUMALATOR ODDS | 1307.83/1 | - | - |
| MATCH | PREDICTION | RESULT | MATCH ODDS | CORRECT SCORE ODDS | ||||
| Aston Villa v Everton | 2-0 | 2-1 | 1.8 | 8.5 | ||||
| Arsenal v Leicester | 3-2 | 4-2 | 1.53 | 13 | ||||
| Brighton v Newcastle | 1-2 | 0-0 | 3 | 13 | ||||
| Man City v Bournemouth | 5-0 | 4-0 | 1.055 | 11 | ||||
| Southampton v Leeds | 0-2 | 2-2 | 3.1 | 19 | ||||
| Wolves v Fulham | 1-2 | 0-0 | 3.2 | 13 | ||||
| Brentford v Man united | 2-3 | 4-0 | 2 | 26 | ||||
| Nottingham Forest v West Ham | 0-1 | 1-0 | 1.85 | 8 | ||||
| Chelsea v Tottenham | 2-2 | 2-2 | 3.4 | 15 | ||||
| Liverpool v Crystal Palace | 4-1 | 1-1 | 1.2 | 19 |
| WEEK 2 OVERVIEW | ODDS | RESULTS | PROFIT LOSS | |||
| Match Results | - | 4/10 | -2.215 | |||
| Correct score Results | - | 1/10 | +5 | |||
| Single Accumalator | 1307.83/1 | 4/10 | -1 | |||
| Double Chance Accy | 12.77/1 | 7/11 | -1 | |||
| TOTAL | - | - | +0.785 |
| OVERALL | RESULTS | PROFIT/LOSS | ||
| Correct Results | 8/20 | -5.765 | ||
| Correct Scores | 3/20 | +11.5 | ||
| Single accumalator | 0/2 | -2 | ||
| Double Chance accumalator | 0/1 | -1 | ||
| TOTAL PROFIT/LOSS | - | +2.735 |
Spoiler: Show
| WEEK 1 | RESULTS | PROFIT/LOSS | ||
| Correct Results | 4/10 | -3.55 | ||
| Correct Scores | 2/10 | +6.5 | ||
| Single Accumalator | 4/10 | -1 | ||
| TOTAL PROFIT/LOSS | - | +1.95 | ||
| WEEK 2 | RESULTS | PROFIT/LOSS | ||
| Correct Results | 4/10 | -2.215 | ||
| Correct Scores | 1/10 | +5 | ||
| Single Accumalator | 4/10 | -1 | ||
| Double Accumalator | 7/10 | -1 | ||
| TOTAL PROFIT/LOSS | - | +0.785 |
[center]
Spoiler: Show
[/Center
| MATCH | PREDICTION | RESULT | MATCH ODDS | CORRECT SCORE ODDS | ||||
| Aston Villa v Everton | 2-0 | 2-1 | 1.8 | 8.5 | ||||
| Arsenal v Leicester | 3-2 | 4-2 | 1.53 | 13 | ||||
| Brighton v Newcastle | 1-2 | 0-0 | 3 | 13 | ||||
| Man City v Bournemouth | 5-0 | 4-0 | 1.055 | 11 | ||||
| Southampton v Leeds | 0-2 | 2-2 | 3.1 | 19 | ||||
| Wolves v Fulham | 1-2 | 0-0 | 3.2 | 13 | ||||
| Brentford v Man united | 2-3 | 4-0 | 2 | 26 | ||||
| Nottingham Forest v West Ham | 0-1 | 1-0 | 1.85 | 8 | ||||
| Chelsea v Tottenham | 2-2 | 2-2 | 3.4 | 15 | ||||
| Liverpool v Crystal Palace | 4-1 | 1-1 | 1.2 | 19 |
| WEEK 2 OVERVIEW | ODDS | RESULTS | PROFIT LOSS | |||
| Match Results | - | 4/10 | -2.215 | |||
| Correct score Results | - | 1/10 | +5 | |||
| Single Accumalator | 1307.83/1 | 4/10 | -1 | |||
| Double Chance Accy | 12.77/1 | 7/11 | -1 | |||
| TOTAL | - | - | +0.785 |
| OVERALL | RESULTS | PROFIT/LOSS | ||
| Correct Results | 8/20 | -5.765 | ||
| Correct Scores | 3/20 | +11.5 | ||
| Single accumalator | 0/2 | -2 | ||
| Double Chance accumalator | 0/1 | -1 | ||
| TOTAL PROFIT/LOSS | - | +2.735 |
Spoiler: Show
| WEEK 1 | RESULTS | PROFIT/LOSS | ||
| Correct Results | 4/10 | -3.55 | ||
| Correct Scores | 2/10 | +6.5 | ||
| Single Accumalator | 4/10 | -1 | ||
| TOTAL PROFIT/LOSS | - | +1.95 | ||
| WEEK 2 | RESULTS | PROFIT/LOSS | ||
| Correct Results | 4/10 | -2.215 | ||
| Correct Scores | 1/10 | +5 | ||
| Single Accumalator | 4/10 | -1 | ||
| Double Accumalator | 7/10 | -1 | ||
| TOTAL PROFIT/LOSS | - | +0.785 |
[/Center
| MATCH | PREDICTION | RESULT | MATCH ODDS | CORRECT SCORE ODDS | ||||
| Aston Villa v Everton | 2-0 | 2-1 | 1.8 | 8.5 | ||||
| Arsenal v Leicester | 3-2 | 4-2 | 1.53 | 13 | ||||
| Brighton v Newcastle | 1-2 | 0-0 | 3 | 13 | ||||
| Man City v Bournemouth | 5-0 | 4-0 | 1.055 | 11 | ||||
| Southampton v Leeds | 0-2 | 2-2 | 3.1 | 19 | ||||
| Wolves v Fulham | 1-2 | 0-0 | 3.2 | 13 | ||||
| Brentford v Man united | 2-3 | 4-0 | 2 | 26 | ||||
| Nottingham Forest v West Ham | 0-1 | 1-0 | 1.85 | 8 | ||||
| Chelsea v Tottenham | 2-2 | 2-2 | 3.4 | 15 | ||||
| Liverpool v Crystal Palace | 4-1 | 1-1 | 1.2 | 19 |
| WEEK 2 OVERVIEW | ODDS | RESULTS | PROFIT LOSS | |||
| Match Results | - | 4/10 | -2.215 | |||
| Correct score Results | - | 1/10 | +5 | |||
| Single Accumalator | 1307.83/1 | 4/10 | -1 | |||
| Double Chance Accy | 12.77/1 | 7/11 | -1 | |||
| TOTAL | - | - | +0.785 |
| OVERALL | RESULTS | PROFIT/LOSS | ||
| Correct Results | 8/20 | -5.765 | ||
| Correct Scores | 3/20 | +11.5 | ||
| Single accumalator | 0/2 | -2 | ||
| Double Chance accumalator | 0/1 | -1 | ||
| TOTAL PROFIT/LOSS | - | +2.735 |
Spoiler: Show
| WEEK 1 | RESULTS | PROFIT/LOSS | ||
| Correct Results | 4/10 | -3.55 | ||
| Correct Scores | 2/10 | +6.5 | ||
| Single Accumalator | 4/10 | -1 | ||
| TOTAL PROFIT/LOSS | - | +1.95 | ||
| WEEK 2 | RESULTS | PROFIT/LOSS | ||
| Correct Results | 4/10 | -2.215 | ||
| Correct Scores | 1/10 | +5 | ||
| Single Accumalator | 4/10 | -1 | ||
| Double Accumalator | 7/10 | -1 | ||
| TOTAL PROFIT/LOSS | - | +0.785 |
| MATCH | PREDICTION | RESULT | MATCH ODDS | CORRECT SCORE ODDS | ||||
| Aston Villa v Everton | 2-0 | 2-1 | 1.8 | 8.5 | ||||
| Arsenal v Leicester | 3-2 | 4-2 | 1.53 | 13 | ||||
| Brighton v Newcastle | 1-2 | 0-0 | 3 | 13 | ||||
| Man City v Bournemouth | 5-0 | 4-0 | 1.055 | 11 | ||||
| Southampton v Leeds | 0-2 | 2-2 | 3.1 | 19 | ||||
| Wolves v Fulham | 1-2 | 0-0 | 3.2 | 13 | ||||
| Brentford v Man united | 2-3 | 4-0 | 2 | 26 | ||||
| Nottingham Forest v West Ham | 0-1 | 1-0 | 1.85 | 8 | ||||
| Chelsea v Tottenham | 2-2 | 2-2 | 3.4 | 15 | ||||
| Liverpool v Crystal Palace | 4-1 | 1-1 | 1.2 | 19 |
| WEEK 2 OVERVIEW | ODDS | RESULTS | PROFIT LOSS | |||
| Match Results | - | 4/10 | -2.215 | |||
| Correct score Results | - | 1/10 | +5 | |||
| Single Accumalator | 1307.83/1 | 4/10 | -1 | |||
| Double Chance Accy | 12.77/1 | 7/11 | -1 | |||
| TOTAL | - | - | +0.785 |
| OVERALL AFTER WK 2 | RESULTS | PROFIT/LOSS | ||
| Correct Results | 8/20 | -5.765 | ||
| Correct Scores | 3/20 | +11.5 | ||
| Single accumalator | 0/2 | -2 | ||
| Double Chance accumalator | 0/1 | -1 | ||
| TOTAL PROFIT/LOSS | - | +2.735 |
Spoiler: Show
| WEEK 1 | RESULTS | PROFIT/LOSS | ||
| Correct Results | 4/10 | -3.55 | ||
| Correct Scores | 2/10 | +6.5 | ||
| Single Accumalator | 4/10 | -1 | ||
| TOTAL PROFIT/LOSS | - | +1.95 | ||
| WEEK 2 | RESULTS | PROFIT/LOSS | ||
| Correct Results | 4/10 | -2.215 | ||
| Correct Scores | 1/10 | +5 | ||
| Single Accumalator | 4/10 | -1 | ||
| Double Accumalator | 7/10 | -1 | ||
| TOTAL PROFIT/LOSS | - | +0.785 |
| WEEK 3 OVERVIEW | RESULTS | PROFIT/LOSS | ||
| Match Results | 5 / 10 | +3.85 | ||
| Correct score Results | 1 / 10 | -2.5 | ||
| Single Accumalator | 1 / 4 | -1 | ||
| Double Chance Accy | 5 / 10 | -1 | ||
| TOTAL | - | -0.65 |
Spoiler: Show
| WEEK 1 | RESULTS | PROFIT/LOSS | ||
| Correct Results | 4 / 10 | -3.55 | ||
| Correct Scores | 2 / 10 | +6.5 | ||
| Single Accumalator | 4 / 10 | -1 | ||
| PROFIT/ LOSS | - | +1.95 | ||
| WEEK 2 | RESULTS | PROFIT/LOSS | ||
| Correct Results | 4 / 10 | -2.215 | ||
| Correct Scores | 1 / 10 | +5 | ||
| Single Accumalator | 4 / 10 | -1 | ||
| Double Chance Accumalator | 7 / 10 | -1 | ||
| PROFIT/ LOSS | - | +0.785 | ||
| WEEK 3 | RESULTS | PROFIT/LOSS | ||
| Correct Results | 5 / 10 | +3.85 | ||
| Correct Scores | 1 / 10 | -2.5 | ||
| Single Accumalator | 1/ 4 | -1 | ||
| Double Chance Accumalator | 5 / 10 | -1 | ||
| PROFIT/ LOSS | - | -0.65 | ||
| TOTAL PROFIT/LOSS | - | +2.115 |
| WEEK 3 OVERVIEW | RESULTS | PROFIT/LOSS | ||
| Match Results | 5 / 10 | +3.85 | ||
| Correct score Results | 1 / 10| | -2.5 | ||
| Single Accumalator | 1 / 4| | -1 | ||
| Double Chance Accy | 5 / 10 | -1 | ||
| TOTAL | - | -0.65 |
Spoiler: Show
| WEEK 1 | RESULTS | PROFIT/LOSS | ||
| Correct Results | 4 / 10 | -3.55 | ||
| Correct Scores | 2 / 10 | +6.5 | ||
| Single Accumalator | 4 / 10 | -1 | ||
| PROFIT/ LOSS | - | +1.95 | ||
| WEEK 2 | RESULTS | PROFIT/LOSS | ||
| Correct Results | 4 / 10 | -2.215 | ||
| Correct Scores | 1 / 10 | +5 | ||
| Single Accumalator | 4 / 10 | -1 | ||
| Double Chance Accumalator | 7 / 10 | -1 | ||
| PROFIT/ LOSS | - | +0.785 | ||
| WEEK 3 | RESULTS | PROFIT/LOSS | ||
| Correct Results | 5 / 10 | +3.85 | ||
| Correct Scores | 1 / 10 | -2.5 | ||
| Single Accumalator | 1/ 4 | -1 | ||
| Double Chance Accumalator | 5 / 10 | -1 | ||
| PROFIT/ LOSS | - | -0.65 | ||
| TOTAL PROFIT/LOSS | - | +2.115 |
| WEEK 3 OVERVIEW | RESULTS | PROFIT/LOSS | ||
| Match Results | 5 / 10 | +3.85 | ||
| Correct score Results | 1 / 10 | -2.5 | ||
| Single Accumalator | 1 / 4 | -1 | ||
| Double Chance Accy | 5 / 10 | -1 | ||
| TOTAL | - | -0.65 |
Spoiler: Show
| WEEK 1 | RESULTS | PROFIT/LOSS | ||
| Correct Results | 4 / 10 | -3.55 | ||
| Correct Scores | 2 / 10 | +6.5 | ||
| Single Accumalator | 4 / 10 | -1 | ||
| PROFIT/ LOSS | - | +1.95 | ||
| WEEK 2 | RESULTS | PROFIT/LOSS | ||
| Correct Results | 4 / 10 | -2.215 | ||
| Correct Scores | 1 / 10 | +5 | ||
| Single Accumalator | 4 / 10 | -1 | ||
| Double Chance Accumalator | 7 / 10 | -1 | ||
| PROFIT/ LOSS | - | +0.785 | ||
| WEEK 3 | RESULTS | PROFIT/LOSS | ||
| Correct Results | 5 / 10 | +3.85 | ||
| Correct Scores | 1 / 10 | -2.5 | ||
| Single Accumalator | 1/ 4 | -1 | ||
| Double Chance Accumalator | 5 / 10 | -1 | ||
| PROFIT/ LOSS | - | -0.65 | ||
| TOTAL PROFIT/LOSS | - | +2.115 |
| WEEK 3 OVERVIEW | RESULTS | PROFIT/LOSS | ||
| Match Results | 5 / 10 | +3.85 | ||
| Correct score Results | 1 / 10 | -2.5 | ||
| Single Accumalator | 1 / 4 | -1 | ||
| Double Chance Accy | 5 / 10 | -1 | ||
| TOTAL | - | -0.65 |
Spoiler: Show
| WEEK 1 | RESULTS | PROFIT/LOSS | ||
| Correct Results | 4 / 10 | -3.55 | ||
| Correct Scores | 2 / 10 | +6.5 | ||
| Single Accumalator | 4 / 10 | -1 | ||
| PROFIT/ LOSS | - | +1.95 | ||
| WEEK 2 | RESULTS | PROFIT/LOSS | ||
| Correct Results | 4 / 10 | -2.215 | ||
| Correct Scores | 1 / 10 | +5 | ||
| Single Accumalator | 4 / 10 | -1 | ||
| Double Chance Accumalator | 7 / 10 | -1 | ||
| PROFIT/ LOSS | - | +0.785 | ||
| WEEK 3 | RESULTS | PROFIT/LOSS | ||
| Correct Results | 5 / 10 | +3.85 | ||
| Correct Scores | 1 / 10 | -2.5 | ||
| Single Accumalator | 1/ 4 | -1 | ||
| Double Chance Accumalator | 5 / 10 | -1 | ||
| PROFIT/ LOSS | - | -0.65 | ||
| TOTAL PROFIT/LOSS | - | +2.115 |
| WEEK 3 OVERVIEW | RESULTS | PROFIT/LOSS | ||
| Match Results | 5 / 10 | +3.85 | ||
| Correct score Results | 1 / 10 | -2.5 | ||
| Single Accumalator | 1 / 4 | -1 | ||
| Double Chance Accy | 5 / 10 | -1 | ||
| TOTAL | - | -0.65 |
Spoiler: Show
| WEEK 1 | RESULTS | PROFIT/LOSS | ||
| Correct Results | 4 / 10 | -3.55 | ||
| Correct Scores | 2 / 10 | +6.5 | ||
| Single Accumalator | 4 / 10 | -1 | ||
| PROFIT/ LOSS | - | +1.95 | ||
| WEEK 2 | RESULTS | PROFIT/LOSS | ||
| Correct Results | 4 / 10 | -2.215 | ||
| Correct Scores | 1 / 10 | +5 | ||
| Single Accumalator | 4 / 10 | -1 | ||
| Double Chance Accumalator | 7 / 10 | -1 | ||
| PROFIT/ LOSS | - | +0.785 | ||
| WEEK 3 | RESULTS | PROFIT/LOSS | ||
| Correct Results | 5 / 10 | +3.85 | ||
| Correct Scores | 1 / 10 | -2.5 | ||
| Single Accumalator | 1 / 4 | -1 | ||
| Double Chance Accumalator | 5 / 10 | -1 | ||
| PROFIT/ LOSS | - | -0.65 | ||
| TOTAL PROFIT/LOSS | - | +2.115 |
ATP
Quarter winners - 1. Kyrgios @ 4.33, 2. Tsitsipas @ 3.75, 3. Sinner @ 4.5 4.Norrie @ 6.5
Value Punts - 1. Auger-Aliassime @ 9, 2. Fritz @ 5, Berrettini @ 6.5 Van Rijthoven @ 41 3. Coric @ 8, Hurkacz @ 9, Brooksby @ 31, Nakashima @ 31, Goffin @ 51, 4 , Shapovalov @ 15, Tiafoe @ 31,
To reach the final - Tsitsipas @ 8, Norrie @ 17
Value Punts - Fritz @ 11, Berrettini @ 13, Coric @ 15, Auger-Aliassime @ 17, Van Rijthoven @ 251
Winner - Tsitsipas @ 15
Value Punts - Kyrgios @ 10, Sinner @ 17, Auger-Aliassime @ 29, Norrie @ 36, Shapovalov @ 100/1, Van Rijthoven @ 750/1
To Meet in the Final - Tsitsipas v Norrie @ 151
Value Punts - Tsitsipas v Sinner @ 67, Tsitsipas v Alcaraz @ 29, Medvedev v Norrie @ 41, Medvedev v Norrie @ 41, Medvedev v Sinner @ 21, Medvedev v Rublev @ 51, Norrie v Kyrgios @ 126, Norrie v Fritz @ 201, Sinner v Auger-Aliassime @ 151, Sinner v Kyrgios @ 51, Sinner v Fritz @ 101, Sinner v Berrettini @ 126, Auger-Aliassime v Alcaraz @ 81, Auger-Aliassime v Norrie @ 201, Fritz v Alcaraz @ 51, Kyrgios v Rublev @126, Nadal v Kyrgios @ 19, Nadal v Auger-Aliassime @ 50, Nadal v Tsitsipas @ 16,
---
WTA
Quarter Winners - 1. Swiatek @ 2.38, 2. Bencic @ 8, 3. Gauff @ 5.5, 4. Fernandez @ 9
Value Punts - 1. Anisimova @ 9, Kvitova @ 10, Fruhvirtova @ 151, 2. Sabalenka @ 6, Osaka @ 9, 3. Garcia @ 6, Keys @ 11, Sakkari @ 11 Haddad Maia @ 12, 4. Kudermetova @ 12, Krejcikova @ 15, Tomljanovic @ 17.
To reach the Final - Swiatek @ 3.5, Gauff @ 9
Value Punts - Halep @ 5.5, Sabalenka @ 11, Raducanu @ 13, Sakkari @ 15, Keys @ 17, Kvitova @ 19, Fruhvritova @ 201
Winner - Gauff @ 17
Value Punts - Halep @ 9, Garcia @ 17, Bencic @ 26, Osaka @ 29, Raducanu @ 34, Sakkari @ 34, Anisimova @ 51, Fruhvirtova @ 751
To Meet in the Final - Swiatek v Gauff @ 34
Value Punts - Gauff v Sabalenka @ 126, Gauff v Rybakina @ 126, Gauff v Raducanu @ 151, Gauff v Bencic @ 151, Swiatek v @ Halep @ 21, Swiatek v Fernandez @ 67, Swiatek v Garcia @ 34, Swiatek v Sakkari @ 51, Swiatek v Keys @ 67, Swiatek v Krejcikova @ 126, Halep v Raducanu @ 81, Halep v Bencic @ 81, Halep v Sabalenka @ 67, Halep v Kvitova @ 126, Halep v Anisimova @ 126, Garcia v Raducanu @ 151, Garcia v Bencic @ 151, Garcia v Sabalenka @ 126
Quarter winners - 1. Kyrgios @ 4.33, 2. Tsitsipas @ 3.75, 3. Sinner @ 4.5 4.Norrie @ 6.5
Value Punts - 1. Auger-Aliassime @ 9, 2. Fritz @ 5, Berrettini @ 6.5 Van Rijthoven @ 41 3. Coric @ 8, Hurkacz @ 9, Brooksby @ 31, Nakashima @ 31, Goffin @ 51, 4 , Shapovalov @ 15, Tiafoe @ 31,
To reach the final - Tsitsipas @ 8, Norrie @ 17
Value Punts - Fritz @ 11, Berrettini @ 13, Coric @ 15, Auger-Aliassime @ 17, Van Rijthoven @ 251
Winner - Tsitsipas @ 15
Value Punts - Kyrgios @ 10, Sinner @ 17, Auger-Aliassime @ 29, Norrie @ 36, Shapovalov @ 100/1, Van Rijthoven @ 750/1
To Meet in the Final - Tsitsipas v Norrie @ 151
Value Punts - Tsitsipas v Sinner @ 67, Tsitsipas v Alcaraz @ 29, Medvedev v Norrie @ 41, Medvedev v Norrie @ 41, Medvedev v Sinner @ 21, Medvedev v Rublev @ 51, Norrie v Kyrgios @ 126, Norrie v Fritz @ 201, Sinner v Auger-Aliassime @ 151, Sinner v Kyrgios @ 51, Sinner v Fritz @ 101, Sinner v Berrettini @ 126, Auger-Aliassime v Alcaraz @ 81, Auger-Aliassime v Norrie @ 201, Fritz v Alcaraz @ 51, Kyrgios v Rublev @126, Nadal v Kyrgios @ 19, Nadal v Auger-Aliassime @ 50, Nadal v Tsitsipas @ 16,
---
WTA
Quarter Winners - 1. Swiatek @ 2.38, 2. Bencic @ 8, 3. Gauff @ 5.5, 4. Fernandez @ 9
Value Punts - 1. Anisimova @ 9, Kvitova @ 10, Fruhvirtova @ 151, 2. Sabalenka @ 6, Osaka @ 9, 3. Garcia @ 6, Keys @ 11, Sakkari @ 11 Haddad Maia @ 12, 4. Kudermetova @ 12, Krejcikova @ 15, Tomljanovic @ 17.
To reach the Final - Swiatek @ 3.5, Gauff @ 9
Value Punts - Halep @ 5.5, Sabalenka @ 11, Raducanu @ 13, Sakkari @ 15, Keys @ 17, Kvitova @ 19, Fruhvritova @ 201
Winner - Gauff @ 17
Value Punts - Halep @ 9, Garcia @ 17, Bencic @ 26, Osaka @ 29, Raducanu @ 34, Sakkari @ 34, Anisimova @ 51, Fruhvirtova @ 751
To Meet in the Final - Swiatek v Gauff @ 34
Value Punts - Gauff v Sabalenka @ 126, Gauff v Rybakina @ 126, Gauff v Raducanu @ 151, Gauff v Bencic @ 151, Swiatek v @ Halep @ 21, Swiatek v Fernandez @ 67, Swiatek v Garcia @ 34, Swiatek v Sakkari @ 51, Swiatek v Keys @ 67, Swiatek v Krejcikova @ 126, Halep v Raducanu @ 81, Halep v Bencic @ 81, Halep v Sabalenka @ 67, Halep v Kvitova @ 126, Halep v Anisimova @ 126, Garcia v Raducanu @ 151, Garcia v Bencic @ 151, Garcia v Sabalenka @ 126
ATP
Quarter winners - 1. Kyrgios @ 4.33, 2. Tsitsipas @ 3.75, 3. Sinner @ 4.5 4.Norrie @ 6.5
Value Punts - 1. Auger-Aliassime @ 9, 2. Fritz @ 5, Berrettini @ 6.5 Van Rijthoven @ 41 3. Coric @ 8, Hurkacz @ 9, Brooksby @ 31, Nakashima @ 31, Goffin @ 51, 4 , Shapovalov @ 15, Tiafoe @ 31,
To reach the final - Tsitsipas @ 8, Norrie @ 17
Value Punts - Fritz @ 11, Berrettini @ 13, Coric @ 15, Auger-Aliassime @ 17, Van Rijthoven @ 251
To Meet in the Final - Tsitsipas v Norrie @ 151
Value Punts - Tsitsipas v Sinner @ 67, Tsitsipas v Alcaraz @ 29, Medvedev v Norrie @ 41, Medvedev v Norrie @ 41, Medvedev v Sinner @ 21, Medvedev v Rublev @ 51, Norrie v Kyrgios @ 126, Norrie v Fritz @ 201, Sinner v Auger-Aliassime @ 151, Sinner v Kyrgios @ 51, Sinner v Fritz @ 101, Sinner v Berrettini @ 126, Auger-Aliassime v Alcaraz @ 81, Auger-Aliassime v Norrie @ 201, Fritz v Alcaraz @ 51, Kyrgios v Rublev @126, Nadal v Kyrgios @ 19, Nadal v Auger-Aliassime @ 50, Nadal v Tsitsipas @ 16,
Winner - Tsitsipas @ 15
Value Punts - Kyrgios @ 10, Sinner @ 17, Auger-Aliassime @ 29, Norrie @ 36, Shapovalov @ 100/1, Van Rijthoven @ 750/1
---
WTA
Quarter Winners - 1. Swiatek @ 2.38, 2. Bencic @ 8, 3. Gauff @ 5.5, 4. Fernandez @ 9
Value Punts - 1. Anisimova @ 9, Kvitova @ 10, Fruhvirtova @ 151, 2. Sabalenka @ 6, Osaka @ 9, 3. Garcia @ 6, Keys @ 11, Sakkari @ 11 Haddad Maia @ 12, 4. Kudermetova @ 12, Krejcikova @ 15, Tomljanovic @ 17.
To reach the Final - Swiatek @ 3.5, Gauff @ 9
Value Punts - Halep @ 5.5, Sabalenka @ 11, Raducanu @ 13, Sakkari @ 15, Keys @ 17, Kvitova @ 19, Fruhvritova @ 201
Winner - Gauff @ 17
Value Punts - Halep @ 9, Garcia @ 17, Bencic @ 26, Osaka @ 29, Raducanu @ 34, Sakkari @ 34, Anisimova @ 51, Fruhvirtova @ 751
To Meet in the Final - Swiatek v Gauff @ 34
Value Punts - Gauff v Sabalenka @ 126, Gauff v Rybakina @ 126, Gauff v Raducanu @ 151, Gauff v Bencic @ 151, Swiatek v @ Halep @ 21, Swiatek v Fernandez @ 67, Swiatek v Garcia @ 34, Swiatek v Sakkari @ 51, Swiatek v Keys @ 67, Swiatek v Krejcikova @ 126, Halep v Raducanu @ 81, Halep v Bencic @ 81, Halep v Sabalenka @ 67, Halep v Kvitova @ 126, Halep v Anisimova @ 126, Garcia v Raducanu @ 151, Garcia v Bencic @ 151, Garcia v Sabalenka @ 126
Winner - Gauff @ 17
Value Punts - Halep @ 9, Garcia @ 17, Bencic @ 26, Osaka @ 29, Raducanu @ 34, Sakkari @ 34, Anisimova @ 51, Fruhvirtova @ 751
Quarter winners - 1. Kyrgios @ 4.33, 2. Tsitsipas @ 3.75, 3. Sinner @ 4.5 4.Norrie @ 6.5
Value Punts - 1. Auger-Aliassime @ 9, 2. Fritz @ 5, Berrettini @ 6.5 Van Rijthoven @ 41 3. Coric @ 8, Hurkacz @ 9, Brooksby @ 31, Nakashima @ 31, Goffin @ 51, 4 , Shapovalov @ 15, Tiafoe @ 31,
To reach the final - Tsitsipas @ 8, Norrie @ 17
Value Punts - Fritz @ 11, Berrettini @ 13, Coric @ 15, Auger-Aliassime @ 17, Van Rijthoven @ 251
To Meet in the Final - Tsitsipas v Norrie @ 151
Value Punts - Tsitsipas v Sinner @ 67, Tsitsipas v Alcaraz @ 29, Medvedev v Norrie @ 41, Medvedev v Norrie @ 41, Medvedev v Sinner @ 21, Medvedev v Rublev @ 51, Norrie v Kyrgios @ 126, Norrie v Fritz @ 201, Sinner v Auger-Aliassime @ 151, Sinner v Kyrgios @ 51, Sinner v Fritz @ 101, Sinner v Berrettini @ 126, Auger-Aliassime v Alcaraz @ 81, Auger-Aliassime v Norrie @ 201, Fritz v Alcaraz @ 51, Kyrgios v Rublev @126, Nadal v Kyrgios @ 19, Nadal v Auger-Aliassime @ 50, Nadal v Tsitsipas @ 16,
Winner - Tsitsipas @ 15
Value Punts - Kyrgios @ 10, Sinner @ 17, Auger-Aliassime @ 29, Norrie @ 36, Shapovalov @ 100/1, Van Rijthoven @ 750/1
---
WTA
Quarter Winners - 1. Swiatek @ 2.38, 2. Bencic @ 8, 3. Gauff @ 5.5, 4. Fernandez @ 9
Value Punts - 1. Anisimova @ 9, Kvitova @ 10, Fruhvirtova @ 151, 2. Sabalenka @ 6, Osaka @ 9, 3. Garcia @ 6, Keys @ 11, Sakkari @ 11 Haddad Maia @ 12, 4. Kudermetova @ 12, Krejcikova @ 15, Tomljanovic @ 17.
To reach the Final - Swiatek @ 3.5, Gauff @ 9
Value Punts - Halep @ 5.5, Sabalenka @ 11, Raducanu @ 13, Sakkari @ 15, Keys @ 17, Kvitova @ 19, Fruhvritova @ 201
Winner - Gauff @ 17
Value Punts - Halep @ 9, Garcia @ 17, Bencic @ 26, Osaka @ 29, Raducanu @ 34, Sakkari @ 34, Anisimova @ 51, Fruhvirtova @ 751
To Meet in the Final - Swiatek v Gauff @ 34
Value Punts - Gauff v Sabalenka @ 126, Gauff v Rybakina @ 126, Gauff v Raducanu @ 151, Gauff v Bencic @ 151, Swiatek v @ Halep @ 21, Swiatek v Fernandez @ 67, Swiatek v Garcia @ 34, Swiatek v Sakkari @ 51, Swiatek v Keys @ 67, Swiatek v Krejcikova @ 126, Halep v Raducanu @ 81, Halep v Bencic @ 81, Halep v Sabalenka @ 67, Halep v Kvitova @ 126, Halep v Anisimova @ 126, Garcia v Raducanu @ 151, Garcia v Bencic @ 151, Garcia v Sabalenka @ 126
Winner - Gauff @ 17
Value Punts - Halep @ 9, Garcia @ 17, Bencic @ 26, Osaka @ 29, Raducanu @ 34, Sakkari @ 34, Anisimova @ 51, Fruhvirtova @ 751
ATP
Quarter winners - 1. Kyrgios @ 4.33, 2. Tsitsipas @ 3.75, 3. Sinner @ 4.5 4.Norrie @ 6.5
Value Punts - 1. Auger-Aliassime @ 9, 2. Fritz @ 5, Berrettini @ 6.5 Van Rijthoven @ 41 3. Coric @ 8, Hurkacz @ 9, Brooksby @ 31, Nakashima @ 31, Goffin @ 51, 4 , Shapovalov @ 15, Tiafoe @ 31,
To reach the final - Tsitsipas @ 8, Norrie @ 17
Value Punts - Fritz @ 11, Berrettini @ 13, Coric @ 15, Auger-Aliassime @ 17, Van Rijthoven @ 251
To Meet in the Final - Tsitsipas v Norrie @ 151
Value Punts - Tsitsipas v Sinner @ 67, Tsitsipas v Alcaraz @ 29, Medvedev v Norrie @ 41, Medvedev v Norrie @ 41, Medvedev v Sinner @ 21, Medvedev v Rublev @ 51, Norrie v Kyrgios @ 126, Norrie v Fritz @ 201, Sinner v Auger-Aliassime @ 151, Sinner v Kyrgios @ 51, Sinner v Fritz @ 101, Sinner v Berrettini @ 126, Auger-Aliassime v Alcaraz @ 81, Auger-Aliassime v Norrie @ 201, Fritz v Alcaraz @ 51, Kyrgios v Rublev @126, Nadal v Kyrgios @ 19, Nadal v Auger-Aliassime @ 50, Nadal v Tsitsipas @ 16,
Winner - Tsitsipas @ 15
Value Punts - Kyrgios @ 10, Sinner @ 17, Auger-Aliassime @ 29, Norrie @ 36, Shapovalov @ 100/1, Van Rijthoven @ 750/1
---
WTA
Quarter Winners - 1. Swiatek @ 2.38, 2. Bencic @ 8, 3. Gauff @ 5.5, 4. Fernandez @ 9
Value Punts - 1. Anisimova @ 9, Kvitova @ 10, Fruhvirtova @ 151, 2. Sabalenka @ 6, Osaka @ 9, 3. Garcia @ 6, Keys @ 11, Sakkari @ 11 Haddad Maia @ 12, 4. Kudermetova @ 12, Krejcikova @ 15, Tomljanovic @ 17.
To reach the Final - Swiatek @ 3.5, Gauff @ 9
Value Punts - Halep @ 5.5, Sabalenka @ 11, Raducanu @ 13, Sakkari @ 15, Keys @ 17, Kvitova @ 19, Fruhvritova @ 201
To Meet in the Final - Swiatek v Gauff @ 34
Value Punts - Gauff v Sabalenka @ 126, Gauff v Rybakina @ 126, Gauff v Raducanu @ 151, Gauff v Bencic @ 151, Swiatek v @ Halep @ 21, Swiatek v Fernandez @ 67, Swiatek v Garcia @ 34, Swiatek v Sakkari @ 51, Swiatek v Keys @ 67, Swiatek v Krejcikova @ 126, Halep v Raducanu @ 81, Halep v Bencic @ 81, Halep v Sabalenka @ 67, Halep v Kvitova @ 126, Halep v Anisimova @ 126, Garcia v Raducanu @ 151, Garcia v Bencic @ 151, Garcia v Sabalenka @ 126
Winner - Gauff @ 17
Value Punts - Halep @ 9, Garcia @ 17, Bencic @ 26, Osaka @ 29, Raducanu @ 34, Sakkari @ 34, Anisimova @ 51, Fruhvirtova @ 751
Quarter winners - 1. Kyrgios @ 4.33, 2. Tsitsipas @ 3.75, 3. Sinner @ 4.5 4.Norrie @ 6.5
Value Punts - 1. Auger-Aliassime @ 9, 2. Fritz @ 5, Berrettini @ 6.5 Van Rijthoven @ 41 3. Coric @ 8, Hurkacz @ 9, Brooksby @ 31, Nakashima @ 31, Goffin @ 51, 4 , Shapovalov @ 15, Tiafoe @ 31,
To reach the final - Tsitsipas @ 8, Norrie @ 17
Value Punts - Fritz @ 11, Berrettini @ 13, Coric @ 15, Auger-Aliassime @ 17, Van Rijthoven @ 251
To Meet in the Final - Tsitsipas v Norrie @ 151
Value Punts - Tsitsipas v Sinner @ 67, Tsitsipas v Alcaraz @ 29, Medvedev v Norrie @ 41, Medvedev v Norrie @ 41, Medvedev v Sinner @ 21, Medvedev v Rublev @ 51, Norrie v Kyrgios @ 126, Norrie v Fritz @ 201, Sinner v Auger-Aliassime @ 151, Sinner v Kyrgios @ 51, Sinner v Fritz @ 101, Sinner v Berrettini @ 126, Auger-Aliassime v Alcaraz @ 81, Auger-Aliassime v Norrie @ 201, Fritz v Alcaraz @ 51, Kyrgios v Rublev @126, Nadal v Kyrgios @ 19, Nadal v Auger-Aliassime @ 50, Nadal v Tsitsipas @ 16,
Winner - Tsitsipas @ 15
Value Punts - Kyrgios @ 10, Sinner @ 17, Auger-Aliassime @ 29, Norrie @ 36, Shapovalov @ 100/1, Van Rijthoven @ 750/1
---
WTA
Quarter Winners - 1. Swiatek @ 2.38, 2. Bencic @ 8, 3. Gauff @ 5.5, 4. Fernandez @ 9
Value Punts - 1. Anisimova @ 9, Kvitova @ 10, Fruhvirtova @ 151, 2. Sabalenka @ 6, Osaka @ 9, 3. Garcia @ 6, Keys @ 11, Sakkari @ 11 Haddad Maia @ 12, 4. Kudermetova @ 12, Krejcikova @ 15, Tomljanovic @ 17.
To reach the Final - Swiatek @ 3.5, Gauff @ 9
Value Punts - Halep @ 5.5, Sabalenka @ 11, Raducanu @ 13, Sakkari @ 15, Keys @ 17, Kvitova @ 19, Fruhvritova @ 201
To Meet in the Final - Swiatek v Gauff @ 34
Value Punts - Gauff v Sabalenka @ 126, Gauff v Rybakina @ 126, Gauff v Raducanu @ 151, Gauff v Bencic @ 151, Swiatek v @ Halep @ 21, Swiatek v Fernandez @ 67, Swiatek v Garcia @ 34, Swiatek v Sakkari @ 51, Swiatek v Keys @ 67, Swiatek v Krejcikova @ 126, Halep v Raducanu @ 81, Halep v Bencic @ 81, Halep v Sabalenka @ 67, Halep v Kvitova @ 126, Halep v Anisimova @ 126, Garcia v Raducanu @ 151, Garcia v Bencic @ 151, Garcia v Sabalenka @ 126
Winner - Gauff @ 17
Value Punts - Halep @ 9, Garcia @ 17, Bencic @ 26, Osaka @ 29, Raducanu @ 34, Sakkari @ 34, Anisimova @ 51, Fruhvirtova @ 751
Spoiler: Show
| WEEK 1 | RESULTS | PROFIT/LOSS | ||
| Correct Results | 4 / 10 | -3.55 | ||
| Correct Scores | 2 / 10 | +6.5 | ||
| Single Accumalator | 4 / 10 | -1 | ||
| PROFIT/ LOSS | - | +1.95 | ||
| WEEK 2 | RESULTS | PROFIT/LOSS | ||
| Correct Results | 4 / 10 | -2.215 | ||
| Correct Scores | 1 / 10 | +5 | ||
| Single Accumalator | 4 / 10 | -1 | ||
| Double Chance Accumalator | 7 / 10 | -1 | ||
| PROFIT/ LOSS | - | +0.785 | ||
| WEEK 3 | RESULTS | PROFIT/LOSS | ||
| Correct Results | 5 / 10 | +3.85 | ||
| Correct Scores | 1 / 10 | -2.5 | ||
| Single Accumalator | 1 / 4 | -1 | ||
| Double Chance Accumalator | 5 / 10 | -1 | ||
| PROFIT/ LOSS | - | -0.65 | ||
| WEEK 4 | RESULTS | PROFIT/LOSS | ||
| Correct Results | 8 / 10 | +6.68 | ||
| Correct Scores | 1 / 10 | +31 | ||
| Single Accumalator | 1 / 4 | -1 | ||
| PROFIT/ LOSS | - | +36.68 | ||
| TOTAL PROFIT/LOSS | - | +38.765 |
Spoiler: Show
| WEEK 1 | RESULTS | PROFIT/LOSS | ||
| Correct Results | 4 / 10 | -3.55 | ||
| Correct Scores | 2 / 10 | +6.5 | ||
| Single Accumalator | 4 / 10 | -1 | ||
| PROFIT/ LOSS | - | +1.95 | ||
| WEEK 2 | RESULTS | PROFIT/LOSS | ||
| Correct Results | 4 / 10 | -2.215 | ||
| Correct Scores | 1 / 10 | +5 | ||
| Single Accumalator | 4 / 10 | -1 | ||
| Double Chance Accumalator | 7 / 10 | -1 | ||
| PROFIT/ LOSS | - | +0.785 | ||
| WEEK 3 | RESULTS | PROFIT/LOSS | ||
| Correct Results | 5 / 10 | +3.85 | ||
| Correct Scores | 1 / 10 | -2.5 | ||
| Single Accumalator | 1 / 4 | -1 | ||
| Double Chance Accumalator | 5 / 10 | -1 | ||
| PROFIT/ LOSS | - | -0.65 | ||
| WEEK 4 | RESULTS | PROFIT/LOSS | ||
| Correct Results | 8 / 10 | +6.68 | ||
| Correct Scores | 1 / 10 | +31 | ||
| Single Accumalator | 1 / 4 | -1 | ||
| PROFIT/ LOSS | - | +36.68 | ||
| TOTAL PROFIT/LOSS | - | +38.765 |
Spoiler:
Show
R1
Medvedev
Rinderknech
Shubert
Basilashvili
Kyrgios
Humbert
Tabilo
Bautista Agut
Carreno Busta
Bublik
Garin
De Minaur
Khachanov
Molcan
Draper
Auger Aliassime
Tsitsipas
Thompson
Davidovich Fokina
Cressy
Murray
Millman
Etcheverry
Berrettini
Fritz
Cachin
Wawrinka
Van de Zandschulp
Paul
Korda
Van Rijthoven
Ruud
Hurkacz
Ivashka
Mannarino
Goffin
Johnson
Nakashima
Eubanks
Sinner
Cilic
Gombos
O'Connell
Evans
Coric
Brooksby
Griekspoor
Alcaraz
Norrie
McDonald
Isner
Rune
Shapovalov
Munar
Kwon
Rublev
Schwartzman
Tseng
Kubler
Tiafoe
Kecmanovic
Daniel
Fognini
Nadal
R2
Medvedev
Shubert
Kyrgios
Bautista Agut
Carreno Busta
De Minaur
Khachanov
Auger Aliassime
Tsitsipas
Cressy
Murray
Berrettini
Fritz
Wawrinka
Korda
Van Rijthoven
Hurkacz
Goffin
Nakashima
Sinner
Cilic
Evans
Coric
Alcaraz
Norrie
Isner
Shapovalov
Rublev
Schwartzman
Tiafoe
Kecmanovic
Nadal
R3
Medvedev
Kyrgios
De Minaur
Auger Aliassime
Tsitsipas
Berrettini
Fritz
Van Rijthoven
Goffin
Sinner
Cilic
Alcaraz
Norrie
Rublev
Tiafoe
Nadal
R4
Kyrgios
Auger Aliassime
Tsitsipas
Van Rijthoven
Sinner
Alcaraz
Norrie
Nadal
QF
Kyrgios
Tsitsipas
Sinner
Norrie
SF
Tsitsipas
Norrie
F
Tsitsipas
Spoiler: Show
R1
Swiatek
Stephens
Bronzetti
Alexandrova
Anisimova
Niemeier
Liu
Zheng
Tauson
Fruhvirtova
Pera
Kvitova
Mertens
Yuan
Sasnovich
Pegula
Badosa Gibert
Gracheva
Kostyuk
Azarenka
Pliskova
Qualifier 7
Cirstea
Bencic
Raducanu
Townsend
Juvan
Osaka
Rybakina
Van Uytvanck
Martincova
Sabalenka
Halep
Frech
Podoroska
Teichmann
Keys
Giorgi
Saville
Gauff
Haddad Maia
Andreescu
Kalinskaya
Garcia
Riske
Li
Parry
Sakkari
Jabeur
Manasse
Sorribes Tormo
Rogers
Kudermetova
Zanevska
Galfi
Kasatkina
Fernandez
Samsonova
Krunic
Krejcikova
Trevisan
Tomljanovic
S. Williams
Kontaveit
R2
Swiatek
Alexandrova
Anisimova
Zheng
Fruhvirtova
Kvitova
Mertens
Pegula
Badosa Gibert
Kostyuk
Pliskova
Bencic
Raducanu
Osaka
Rybakina
Sabalenka
Halep
Teichmann
Keys
Gauff
Haddad Maia
Garcia
Riske
Sakkari
Jabeur
Rogers
Kudermetova
Kasatkina
Fernandez
Krejcikova
Tomljanovic
Kontaveit
R3
Swiatek
Anisimova
Kvitova
Mertens
Badosa Gibert
Bencic
Raducanu
Sabalenka
Halep
Gauff
Garcia
Sakkari
Jabeur
Kudermetova
Fernandez
Tomljanovic
R4
Swiatek
Mertens
Bencic
Sabalenka
Gauff
Sakkari
Jabeur
Fernandez
QF
Swiatek
Bencic
Gauff
Fernandez
SF
Swiatek
Gauff
F
Gauff
R1
Medvedev
Rinderknech
Shubert
Basilashvili
Kyrgios
Humbert
Tabilo
Bautista Agut
Carreno Busta
Bublik
Garin
De Minaur
Khachanov
Molcan
Draper
Auger Aliassime
Tsitsipas
Thompson
Davidovich Fokina
Cressy
Murray
Millman
Etcheverry
Berrettini
Fritz
Cachin
Wawrinka
Van de Zandschulp
Paul
Korda
Van Rijthoven
Ruud
Hurkacz
Ivashka
Mannarino
Goffin
Johnson
Nakashima
Eubanks
Sinner
Cilic
Gombos
O'Connell
Evans
Coric
Brooksby
Griekspoor
Alcaraz
Norrie
McDonald
Isner
Rune
Shapovalov
Munar
Kwon
Rublev
Schwartzman
Tseng
Kubler
Tiafoe
Kecmanovic
Daniel
Fognini
Nadal
R2
Medvedev
Shubert
Kyrgios
Bautista Agut
Carreno Busta
De Minaur
Khachanov
Auger Aliassime
Tsitsipas
Cressy
Murray
Berrettini
Fritz
Wawrinka
Korda
Van Rijthoven
Hurkacz
Goffin
Nakashima
Sinner
Cilic
Evans
Coric
Alcaraz
Norrie
Isner
Shapovalov
Rublev
Schwartzman
Tiafoe
Kecmanovic
Nadal
R3
Medvedev
Kyrgios
De Minaur
Auger Aliassime
Tsitsipas
Berrettini
Fritz
Van Rijthoven
Goffin
Sinner
Cilic
Alcaraz
Norrie
Rublev
Tiafoe
Nadal
R4
Kyrgios
Auger Aliassime
Tsitsipas
Van Rijthoven
Sinner
Alcaraz
Norrie
Nadal
QF
Kyrgios
Tsitsipas
Sinner
Norrie
SF
Tsitsipas
Norrie
F
Tsitsipas
Spoiler: Show
R1
Swiatek
Stephens
Bronzetti
Alexandrova
Anisimova
Niemeier
Liu
Zheng
Tauson
Fruhvirtova
Pera
Kvitova
Mertens
Yuan
Sasnovich
Pegula
Badosa Gibert
Gracheva
Kostyuk
Azarenka
Pliskova
Qualifier 7
Cirstea
Bencic
Raducanu
Townsend
Juvan
Osaka
Rybakina
Van Uytvanck
Martincova
Sabalenka
Halep
Frech
Podoroska
Teichmann
Keys
Giorgi
Saville
Gauff
Haddad Maia
Andreescu
Kalinskaya
Garcia
Riske
Li
Parry
Sakkari
Jabeur
Manasse
Sorribes Tormo
Rogers
Kudermetova
Zanevska
Galfi
Kasatkina
Fernandez
Samsonova
Krunic
Krejcikova
Trevisan
Tomljanovic
S. Williams
Kontaveit
R2
Swiatek
Alexandrova
Anisimova
Zheng
Fruhvirtova
Kvitova
Mertens
Pegula
Badosa Gibert
Kostyuk
Pliskova
Bencic
Raducanu
Osaka
Rybakina
Sabalenka
Halep
Teichmann
Keys
Gauff
Haddad Maia
Garcia
Riske
Sakkari
Jabeur
Rogers
Kudermetova
Kasatkina
Fernandez
Krejcikova
Tomljanovic
Kontaveit
R3
Swiatek
Anisimova
Kvitova
Mertens
Badosa Gibert
Bencic
Raducanu
Sabalenka
Halep
Gauff
Garcia
Sakkari
Jabeur
Kudermetova
Fernandez
Tomljanovic
R4
Swiatek
Mertens
Bencic
Sabalenka
Gauff
Sakkari
Jabeur
Fernandez
QF
Swiatek
Bencic
Gauff
Fernandez
SF
Swiatek
Gauff
F
Gauff
Spoiler: Show
| WEEK 1 | RESULTS | PROFIT/LOSS | ||
| Correct Results | 4 / 10 | -3.55 | ||
| Correct Scores | 2 / 10 | +6.5 | ||
| Single Accumalator | 4 / 10 | -1 | ||
| PROFIT/ LOSS | - | +1.95 | ||
| WEEK 2 | RESULTS | PROFIT/LOSS | ||
| Correct Results | 4 / 10 | -2.215 | ||
| Correct Scores | 1 / 10 | +5 | ||
| Single Accumalator | 4 / 10 | -1 | ||
| Double Chance Accumalator | 7 / 10 | -1 | ||
| PROFIT/ LOSS | - | +0.785 | ||
| WEEK 3 | RESULTS | PROFIT/LOSS | ||
| Correct Results | 5 / 10 | +3.85 | ||
| Correct Scores | 1 / 10 | -2.5 | ||
| Single Accumalator | 1 / 4 | -1 | ||
| Double Chance Accumalator | 5 / 10 | -1 | ||
| PROFIT/ LOSS | - | -0.65 | ||
| WEEK 4 | RESULTS | PROFIT/LOSS | ||
| Correct Results | 8 / 10 | +6.68 | ||
| Correct Scores | 1 / 10 | +31 | ||
| Single Accumalator | 3 / 5 | -1 | ||
| PROFIT/ LOSS | - | +36.68 | ||
| WEEK 5 | RESULTS | PROFIT/LOSS | ||
| Correct Results | 5/ 10 | -0.31 | ||
| Correct Scores | 1 / 10 | -2 | ||
| Single Accumalator | 3/5 | -1 | ||
| PROFIT/ LOSS | - | -3.31 | ||
| TOTAL PROFIT/LOSS | - | +35.455 |
Spoiler: Show
| WEEK 1 | RESULTS | PROFIT/LOSS | ||
| Correct Results | 4 / 10 | -3.55 | ||
| Correct Scores | 2 / 10 | +6.5 | ||
| Single Accumulator | 4 / 10 | -1 | ||
| PROFIT/ LOSS | - | +1.95 | ||
| WEEK 2 | RESULTS | PROFIT/LOSS | ||
| Correct Results | 4 / 10 | -2.215 | ||
| Correct Scores | 1 / 10 | +5 | ||
| Single Accumulator | 4 / 10 | -1 | ||
| Double Chance Accumulator | 7 / 10 | -1 | ||
| PROFIT/ LOSS | - | +0.785 | ||
| WEEK 3 | RESULTS | PROFIT/LOSS | ||
| Correct Results | 5 / 10 | +3.85 | ||
| Correct Scores | 1 / 10 | -2.5 | ||
| Single Accumulator | 1 / 4 | -1 | ||
| Double Chance Accumulator | 5 / 10 | -1 | ||
| PROFIT/ LOSS | - | -0.65 | ||
| WEEK 4 | RESULTS | PROFIT/LOSS | ||
| Correct Results | 8 / 10 | +6.68 | ||
| Correct Scores | 1 / 10 | +31 | ||
| Single Accumulator | 3 / 5 | -1 | ||
| PROFIT/ LOSS | - | +36.68 | ||
| WEEK 5 | RESULTS | PROFIT/LOSS | ||
| Correct Results | 5/ 10 | -0.31 | ||
| Correct Scores | 1 / 10 | -2 | ||
| Single Accumalator | 3/5 | -1 | ||
| PROFIT/ LOSS | - | -3.31 | ||
| TOTAL PROFIT/LOSS | - | +35.455 |
| 27/01/1993 | Man Utd | Nott'm For | 2 | - | 0 | |||||
| 09/03/1993 | Man Utd | Oldham | 0 | - | 1 | |||||
| 25/09/1993 | Man Utd | Swindon | 4 | - | 2 | |||||
| 19/03/1994 | Man Utd | Swindon | 2 | - | 2 | |||||
| 16/09/1995 | Newcastle | Man City | 3 | - | 1 | |||||
| 20/01/1996 | Newcastle | Bolton | 2 | - | 1 | |||||
| 14/11/1998 | Aston Villa | Southampton | 4 | - | 1 | |||||
| 06/02/1999 | Man Utd | Nott'm For | 8 | - | 1 | |||||
| 16/10/1999 | Leeds | Sheff Wed | 2 | - | 0 | |||||
| 29/04/2000 | Man Utd | Watford | 3 | - | 2 | |||||
| 13/01/2001 | Man Utd | Bradford | 3 | - | 0 | |||||
| 23/08/2003 | Blackburn | Bolton | 2 | - | 2 | |||||
| 06/12/2003 | Chelsea | Leeds | 1 | - | 1 | |||||
| 17/01/2004 | Man Utd | Wolves | 0 | - | 1 | |||||
| 10/09/2005 | Chelsea | Sunderland | 2 | - | 0 | |||||
| 23/10/2005 | Chelsea | Everton | 1 | - | 1 | |||||
| 15/01/2006 | Chelsea | Sunderland | 2 | - | 1 | |||||
| 31/01/2007 | Man Utd | Watford | 4 | - | 0 | |||||
| 31/08/2008 | Chelsea | Spurs | 1 | - | 1 | |||||
| 01/11/2008 | Liverpool | Spurs | 1 | - | 2 | |||||
| 15/11/2008 | Chelsea | West Brom | 3 | - | 0 | |||||
| 27/01/2009 | Man Utd | West Brom | 5 | - | 0 | |||||
| 16/12/2009 | Chelsea | Portsmouth | 2 | - | 1 | |||||
| 11/09/2010 | Chelsea | West Ham | 3 | - | 1 | |||||
| 05/02/2011 | Man Utd | Wolves | 1 | - | 2 | |||||
| 16/01/2012 | Man City | Wigan | 1 | - | 0 | |||||
| 23/02/2013 | Man Utd | QPR | 2 | - | 0 | |||||
| 01/03/2014 | Chelsea | Fulham | 3 | - | 1 | |||||
| 08/11/2015 | Man City | Aston Villa | 0 | - | 0 | |||||
| 14/12/2016 | Chelsea | Sunderland | 1 | - | 0 | |||||
| 21/05/2017 | Chelsea | Sunderland | 5 | - | 1 | |||||
| 23/09/2017 | Man City | Crystal Palace | 5 | - | 0 | |||||
| 13/12/2017 | Man City | Swansea | 4 | - | 0 | |||||
| 31/01/2018 | Man City | West Brom | 3 | - | 0 | |||||
| 14/12/2019 | Liverpool | Watford | 2 | - | 0 | |||||
| 15/02/2020 | Norwich | Liverpool | 0 | - | 1 | |||||
| 30/01/2021 | Man City | Sheff United | 1 | - | 0 | |||||
| 23/10/2021 | Chelsea | Norwich | 7 | - | 0 |
| 27/01/1993 | Man Utd | Nott'm For | 2 | - | 0 | |||||
| 09/03/1993 | Man Utd | Oldham | 0 | - | 1 | |||||
| 25/09/1993 | Man Utd | Swindon | 4 | - | 2 | |||||
| 19/03/1994 | Man Utd | Swindon | 2 | - | 2 | |||||
| 16/09/1995 | Newcastle | Man City | 3 | - | 1 | |||||
| 20/01/1996 | Newcastle | Bolton | 2 | - | 1 | |||||
| 14/11/1998 | Aston Villa | Southampton | 4 | - | 1 | |||||
| 06/02/1999 | Man Utd | Nott'm For | 8 | - | 1 | |||||
| 16/10/1999 | Leeds | Sheff Wed | 2 | - | 0 | |||||
| 29/04/2000 | Man Utd | Watford | 3 | - | 2 | |||||
| 13/01/2001 | Man Utd | Bradford | 3 | - | 0 | |||||
| 23/08/2003 | Blackburn | Bolton | 2 | - | 2 | |||||
| 06/12/2003 | Chelsea | Leeds | 1 | - | 1 | |||||
| 17/01/2004 | Man Utd | Wolves | 0 | - | 1 | |||||
| 10/09/2005 | Chelsea | Sunderland | 2 | - | 0 | |||||
| 23/10/2005 | Chelsea | Everton | 1 | - | 1 | |||||
| 15/01/2006 | Chelsea | Sunderland | 2 | - | 1 | |||||
| 31/01/2007 | Man Utd | Watford | 4 | - | 0 | |||||
| 31/08/2008 | Chelsea | Spurs | 1 | - | 1 | |||||
| 01/11/2008 | Liverpool | Spurs | 1 | - | 2 | |||||
| 15/11/2008 | Chelsea | West Brom | 3 | - | 0 | |||||
| 27/01/2009 | Man Utd | West Brom | 5 | - | 0 | |||||
| 16/12/2009 | Chelsea | Portsmouth | 2 | - | 1 | |||||
| 11/09/2010 | Chelsea | West Ham | 3 | - | 1 | |||||
| 05/02/2011 | Man Utd | Wolves | 1 | - | 2 | |||||
| 16/01/2012 | Man City | Wigan | 1 | - | 0 | |||||
| 23/02/2013 | Man Utd | QPR | 2 | - | 0 | |||||
| 01/03/2014 | Chelsea | Fulham | 3 | - | 1 | |||||
| 08/11/2015 | Man City | Aston Villa | 0 | - | 0 | |||||
| 14/12/2016 | Chelsea | Sunderland | 1 | - | 0 | |||||
| 21/05/2017 | Chelsea | Sunderland | 5 | - | 1 | |||||
| 23/09/2017 | Man City | Crystal Palace | 5 | - | 0 | |||||
| 13/12/2017 | Man City | Swansea | 4 | - | 0 | |||||
| 31/01/2018 | Man City | West Brom | 3 | - | 0 | |||||
| 14/12/2019 | Liverpool | Watford | 2 | - | 0 | |||||
| 15/02/2020 | Norwich | Liverpool | 0 | - | 1 | |||||
| 30/01/2021 | Man City | Sheff United | 1 | - | 0 | |||||
| 23/10/2021 | Chelsea | Norwich | 7 | - | 0 |
| 1 | 27/01/1993 | Man Utd | Nott'm For | 2 | - | 0 | ||||||
| 2 | 09/03/1993 | Man Utd | Oldham | 0 | - | 1 | ||||||
| 3 | 25/09/1993 | Man Utd | Swindon | 4 | - | 2 | ||||||
| 4 | 19/03/1994 | Man Utd | Swindon | 2 | - | 2 | ||||||
| 5 | 16/09/1995 | Newcastle | Man City | 3 | - | 1 | ||||||
| 6 | 20/01/1996 | Newcastle | Bolton | 2 | - | 1 | ||||||
| 7 | 14/11/1998 | Aston Villa | Southampton | 4 | - | 1 | ||||||
| 8 | 06/02/1999 | Man Utd | Nott'm For | 8 | - | 1 | ||||||
| 9 | 16/10/1999 | Leeds | Sheff Wed | 2 | - | 0 | ||||||
| 10 | 29/04/2000 | Man Utd | Watford | 3 | - | 2 | ||||||
| 11 | 13/01/2001 | Man Utd | Bradford | 3 | - | 0 | ||||||
| 12 | 23/08/2003 | Blackburn | Bolton | 2 | - | 2 | ||||||
| 13 | 06/12/2003 | Chelsea | Leeds | 1 | - | 1 | ||||||
| 14 | 17/01/2004 | Man Utd | Wolves | 0 | - | 1 | ||||||
| 15 | 10/09/2005 | Chelsea | Sunderland | 2 | - | 0 | ||||||
| 16 | 23/10/2005 | Chelsea | Everton | 1 | - | 1 | ||||||
| 17 | 15/01/2006 | Chelsea | Sunderland | 2 | - | 1 | ||||||
| 18 | 31/01/2007 | Man Utd | Watford | 4 | - | 0 | ||||||
| 19 | 31/08/2008 | Chelsea | Spurs | 1 | - | 1 | ||||||
| 20 | 01/11/2008 | Liverpool | Spurs | 1 | - | 2 | ||||||
| 21 | 15/11/2008 | Chelsea | West Brom | 3 | - | 0 | ||||||
| 22 | 27/01/2009 | Man Utd | West Brom | 5 | - | 0 | ||||||
| 23 | 16/12/2009 | Chelsea | Portsmouth | 2 | - | 1 | ||||||
| 24 | 11/09/2010 | Chelsea | West Ham | 3 | - | 1 | ||||||
| 25 | 05/02/2011 | Man Utd | Wolves | 1 | - | 2 | ||||||
| 26 | 16/01/2012 | Man City | Wigan | 1 | - | 0 | ||||||
| 27 | 23/02/2013 | Man Utd | QPR | 2 | - | 0 | ||||||
| 28 | 01/03/2014 | Chelsea | Fulham | 3 | - | 1 | ||||||
| 29 | 08/11/2015 | Man City | Aston Villa | 0 | - | 0 | ||||||
| 30 | 14/12/2016 | Chelsea | Sunderland | 1 | - | 0 | ||||||
| 31 | 21/05/2017 | Chelsea | Sunderland | 5 | - | 1 | ||||||
| 32 | 23/09/2017 | Man City | Crystal Palace | 5 | - | 0 | ||||||
| 33 | 13/12/2017 | Man City | Swansea | 4 | - | 0 | ||||||
| 34 | 31/01/2018 | Man City | West Brom | 3 | - | 0 | ||||||
| 35 | 14/12/2019 | Liverpool | Watford | 2 | - | 0 | ||||||
| 36 | 15/02/2020 | Norwich | Liverpool | 0 | - | 1 | ||||||
| 37 | 30/01/2021 | Man City | Sheff United | 1 | - | 0 | ||||||
| 38 | 23/10/2021 | Chelsea | Norwich | 7 | - | 0 |
| 1 | 27/01/1993 | Man Utd | Nott'm For | 2 | - | 0 | ||||||
| 2 | 09/03/1993 | Man Utd | Oldham | 0 | - | 1 | ||||||
| 3 | 25/09/1993 | Man Utd | Swindon | 4 | - | 2 | ||||||
| 4 | 19/03/1994 | Man Utd | Swindon | 2 | - | 2 | ||||||
| 5 | 16/09/1995 | Newcastle | Man City | 3 | - | 1 | ||||||
| 6 | 20/01/1996 | Newcastle | Bolton | 2 | - | 1 | ||||||
| 7 | 14/11/1998 | Aston Villa | Southampton | 4 | - | 1 | ||||||
| 8 | 06/02/1999 | Man Utd | Nott'm For | 8 | - | 1 | ||||||
| 9 | 16/10/1999 | Leeds | Sheff Wed | 2 | - | 0 | ||||||
| 10 | 29/04/2000 | Man Utd | Watford | 3 | - | 2 | ||||||
| 11 | 13/01/2001 | Man Utd | Bradford | 3 | - | 0 | ||||||
| 12 | 23/08/2003 | Blackburn | Bolton | 2 | - | 2 | ||||||
| 13 | 06/12/2003 | Chelsea | Leeds | 1 | - | 1 | ||||||
| 14 | 17/01/2004 | Man Utd | Wolves | 0 | - | 1 | ||||||
| 15 | 10/09/2005 | Chelsea | Sunderland | 2 | - | 0 | ||||||
| 16 | 23/10/2005 | Chelsea | Everton | 1 | - | 1 | ||||||
| 17 | 15/01/2006 | Chelsea | Sunderland | 2 | - | 1 | ||||||
| 18 | 31/01/2007 | Man Utd | Watford | 4 | - | 0 | ||||||
| 19 | 31/08/2008 | Chelsea | Spurs | 1 | - | 1 | ||||||
| 20 | 01/11/2008 | Liverpool | Spurs | 1 | - | 2 | ||||||
| 21 | 15/11/2008 | Chelsea | West Brom | 3 | - | 0 | ||||||
| 22 | 27/01/2009 | Man Utd | West Brom | 5 | - | 0 | ||||||
| 23 | 16/12/2009 | Chelsea | Portsmouth | 2 | - | 1 | ||||||
| 24 | 11/09/2010 | Chelsea | West Ham | 3 | - | 1 | ||||||
| 25 | 05/02/2011 | Man Utd | Wolves | 1 | - | 2 | ||||||
| 26 | 16/01/2012 | Man City | Wigan | 1 | - | 0 | ||||||
| 27 | 23/02/2013 | Man Utd | QPR | 2 | - | 0 | ||||||
| 28 | 01/03/2014 | Chelsea | Fulham | 3 | - | 1 | ||||||
| 29 | 08/11/2015 | Man City | Aston Villa | 0 | - | 0 | ||||||
| 30 | 14/12/2016 | Chelsea | Sunderland | 1 | - | 0 | ||||||
| 31 | 21/05/2017 | Chelsea | Sunderland | 5 | - | 1 | ||||||
| 32 | 23/09/2017 | Man City | Crystal Palace | 5 | - | 0 | ||||||
| 33 | 13/12/2017 | Man City | Swansea | 4 | - | 0 | ||||||
| 34 | 31/01/2018 | Man City | West Brom | 3 | - | 0 | ||||||
| 35 | 14/12/2019 | Liverpool | Watford | 2 | - | 0 | ||||||
| 36 | 15/02/2020 | Norwich | Liverpool | 0 | - | 1 | ||||||
| 37 | 30/01/2021 | Man City | Sheff United | 1 | - | 0 | ||||||
| 38 | 23/10/2021 | Chelsea | Norwich | 7 | - | 0 |
| QUARTER WINNERS | ODDS | ALTERNATIVE | ODDS | QUARTER WINNERS | ODDS | ALTERNATIVE | ODDS | |||||||
| TSITSIPAS | 5 | KORDA | 34 | SWIATEK | 1.5 | GAUFF | 8 | |||||||
| DJOKOVIC | 1.62 | WAWRINKA | 29 | JABUER | 6 | NOSKOVA | 23 | |||||||
| RUNE | 2.25 | PAUL | 29 | BENCIC | 8.5 | MERTENS | 21 | |||||||
| MEDVEDEV | 2.62 | CORIC | 15 | SABALENKA | 2.9 | GARCIA | 11 |
| TO REACH THE FINAL | ODDS | ALTERNATIVE | ODDS | TO REACH THE FINAL | ODDS | ALTERNATIVE | ODDS | |||||||
| DJOKOVIC | 2.63 | CERUNDOLO | 81 | JABUER | 19 | HADDAD MAIA | 51 | |||||||
| MEDVEDEV | 4.33 | CORIC | 81 | BENCIC | 19 | ZHENG | 19 |
| NAME THE FINALISTS | ODDS | ALTERNATIVE | ODDS | NAME THE FINALISTS | ODDS | ALTERNATIVE | ODDS | |||||||
| DJOKOVIC & MEDVEDEV | 13 | DJOKOVIC & ZVEREV | 36 | BENCIC & JABEUR | 201 | JABEUR & OSTAPENKO | 201 |
| WINNER | ODDS | ALTERNATIVE | ODDS | WINNER | ODDS | ALTERNATIVE | ODDS | |||||||
| DJOKOVIC | 3.5 | ZVEREV | 36 | BENCIC | 101 | OSTAPENKO | 26 |
[
| QUARTER WINNERS | ODDS | ALTERNATIVE | ODDS | QUARTER WINNERS | ODDS | ALTERNATIVE | ODDS | |||||||
| TSITSIPAS | 5 | KORDA | 34 | SWIATEK | 1.5 | GAUFF | 8 | |||||||
| DJOKOVIC | 1.62 | WAWRINKA | 29 | JABUER | 6 | NOSKOVA | 23 | |||||||
| RUNE | 2.25 | PAUL | 29 | BENCIC | 8.5 | MERTENS | 21 | |||||||
| MEDVEDEV | 2.62 | CORIC | 15 | SABALENKA | 2.9 | GARCIA | 11 |
| TO REACH THE FINAL | ODDS | ALTERNATIVE | ODDS | TO REACH THE FINAL | ODDS | ALTERNATIVE | ODDS | |||||||
| DJOKOVIC | 2.63 | CERUNDOLO | 81 | JABUER | 19 | HADDAD MAIA | 51 | |||||||
| MEDVEDEV | 4.33 | CORIC | 81 | BENCIC | 19 | ZHENG | 19 |
| NAME THE FINALISTS | ODDS | ALTERNATIVE | ODDS | NAME THE FINALISTS | ODDS | ALTERNATIVE | ODDS | |||||||
| DJOKOVIC & MEDVEDEV | 13 | DJOKOVIC & ZVEREV | 36 | BENCIC & JABEUR | 201 | JABEUR & OSTAPENKO | 201 |
| WINNER | ODDS | ALTERNATIVE | ODDS | WINNER | ODDS | ALTERNATIVE | ODDS | |||||||
| DJOKOVIC | 3.5 | ZVEREV | 36 | BENCIC | 101 | OSTAPENKO | 26 |
| QUARTER WINNERS | ODDS | ALTERNATIVE | ODDS | QUARTER WINNERS | ODDS | ALTERNATIVE | ODDS | |||||||
| TSITSIPAS | 5 | KORDA | 34 | SWIATEK | 1.5 | GAUFF | 8 | |||||||
| DJOKOVIC | 1.62 | WAWRINKA | 29 | JABUER | 6 | NOSKOVA | 23 | |||||||
| RUNE | 2.25 | PAUL | 29 | BENCIC | 8.5 | MERTENS | 21 | |||||||
| MEDVEDEV | 2.62 | CORIC | 15 | SABALENKA | 2.9 | GARCIA | 11 |
| TO REACH THE FINAL | ODDS | ALTERNATIVE | ODDS | TO REACH THE FINAL | ODDS | ALTERNATIVE | ODDS | |||||||
| DJOKOVIC | 2.63 | CERUNDOLO | 81 | JABUER | 19 | HADDAD MAIA | 51 | |||||||
| MEDVEDEV | 4.33 | CORIC | 81 | BENCIC | 19 | ZHENG | 19 |
| NAME THE FINALISTS | ODDS | ALTERNATIVE | ODDS | NAME THE FINALISTS | ODDS | ALTERNATIVE | ODDS | |||||||
| DJOKOVIC & MEDVEDEV | 13 | DJOKOVIC & ZVEREV | 36 | BENCIC & JABEUR | 201 | JABEUR & OSTAPENKO | 201 |
| WINNER | ODDS | ALTERNATIVE | ODDS | WINNER | ODDS | ALTERNATIVE | ODDS | |||||||
| DJOKOVIC | 3.5 | ZVEREV | 36 | BENCIC | 101 | OSTAPENKO | 26 |
| 1/4 WINNERS | ODDS | ALTERNATIVE | ODDS | 1/4 WINNERS | ODDS | ALTERNATIVE | ODDS | |||||||
| TSITSIPAS | 5 | KORDA | 34 | SWIATEK | 1.5 | GAUFF | 8 | |||||||
| DJOKOVIC | 1.62 | WAWRINKA | 29 | JABUER | 6 | NOSKOVA | 23 | |||||||
| RUNE | 2.25 | PAUL | 29 | BENCIC | 8.5 | MERTENS | 21 | |||||||
| MEDVEDEV | 2.62 | CORIC | 15 | SABALENKA | 2.9 | GARCIA | 11 |
| REACH THE FINAL | ODDS | ALTERNATIVE | ODDS | REACH THE FINAL | ODDS | ALTERNATIVE | ODDS | |||||||
| DJOKOVIC | 2.63 | CERUNDOLO | 81 | JABUER | 19 | HADDAD MAIA | 51 | |||||||
| MEDVEDEV | 4.33 | CORIC | 81 | BENCIC | 19 | ZHENG | 19 |
| NAME FINALISTS | ODDS | ALTERNATIVE | ODDS | NAME FINALISTS | ODDS | ALTERNATIVE | ODDS | |||||||
| DJOKOVIC & MEDVEDEV | 13 | DJOKOVIC & ZVEREV | 36 | BENCIC & JABEUR | 201 | JABEUR & OSTAPENKO | 201 |
| WINNER | ODDS | ALTERNATIVE | ODDS | WINNER | ODDS | ALTERNATIVE | ODDS | |||||||
| DJOKOVIC | 3.5 | ZVEREV | 36 | BENCIC | 101 | OSTAPENKO | 26 |
1/4 WINNERS
TSITSIPAS |||| 5 |||| KORDA |||| 34 |||| SWIATEK |||| 1.5 |||| GAUFF |||| 8 ||
DJOKOVIC |||| 1.62 |||| WAWRINKA |||| 29 |||| JABUER |||| 6 |||| NOSKOVA |||| 23 ||
RUNE |||| 2.25 |||| PAUL |||| 29 |||| BENCIC |||| 8.5 |||| MERTENS |||| 21 ||
MEDVEDEV |||| 2.62 |||| CORIC |||| 15 |||| SABALENKA |||| 2.9 |||| GARCIA |||| 11 ||
REACH THE FINAL |||| ODDS |||| ALT / VALUE |||| ODDS |||| REACH THE FINAL |||| ODDS |||| ALT / VALUE |||| ODDS ||
DJOKOVIC |||| 2.63 |||| CERUNDOLO |||| 81 |||| JABUER |||| 19 |||| HADDAD MAIA |||| 51 ||
MEDVEDEV |||| 4.33 |||| CORIC |||| 81 |||| BENCIC |||| 19 |||| ZHENG |||| 19 ||
NAME FINALISTS |||| ODDS |||| ALT / VALUE |||| ODDS |||| NAME FINALISTS |||| ODDS |||| ALT / VALUE |||| ODDS ||
DJOKOVIC & MEDVEDEV |||| 13 |||| DJOKOVIC & ZVEREV |||| 36 |||| BENCIC & JABEUR |||| 201 |||| JABEUR & OSTY |||| 201 ||
WINNER |||| ODDS |||| ALTERNATIVE |||| ODDS |||| WINNER |||| ODDS |||| ALTERNATIVE |||| ODDS ||
DJOKOVIC |||| 3.5 |||| ZVEREV |||| 36 |||| BENCIC |||| 101 |||| OSTAPENKO |||| 26 ||
| ODDS | ALT / VALUE | ODDS | 1/4 WINNERS | ODDS | ALT / VALUE | ODDS |
TSITSIPAS |||| 5 |||| KORDA |||| 34 |||| SWIATEK |||| 1.5 |||| GAUFF |||| 8 ||
DJOKOVIC |||| 1.62 |||| WAWRINKA |||| 29 |||| JABUER |||| 6 |||| NOSKOVA |||| 23 ||
RUNE |||| 2.25 |||| PAUL |||| 29 |||| BENCIC |||| 8.5 |||| MERTENS |||| 21 ||
MEDVEDEV |||| 2.62 |||| CORIC |||| 15 |||| SABALENKA |||| 2.9 |||| GARCIA |||| 11 ||
REACH THE FINAL |||| ODDS |||| ALT / VALUE |||| ODDS |||| REACH THE FINAL |||| ODDS |||| ALT / VALUE |||| ODDS ||
DJOKOVIC |||| 2.63 |||| CERUNDOLO |||| 81 |||| JABUER |||| 19 |||| HADDAD MAIA |||| 51 ||
MEDVEDEV |||| 4.33 |||| CORIC |||| 81 |||| BENCIC |||| 19 |||| ZHENG |||| 19 ||
NAME FINALISTS |||| ODDS |||| ALT / VALUE |||| ODDS |||| NAME FINALISTS |||| ODDS |||| ALT / VALUE |||| ODDS ||
DJOKOVIC & MEDVEDEV |||| 13 |||| DJOKOVIC & ZVEREV |||| 36 |||| BENCIC & JABEUR |||| 201 |||| JABEUR & OSTY |||| 201 ||
WINNER |||| ODDS |||| ALTERNATIVE |||| ODDS |||| WINNER |||| ODDS |||| ALTERNATIVE |||| ODDS ||
DJOKOVIC |||| 3.5 |||| ZVEREV |||| 36 |||| BENCIC |||| 101 |||| OSTAPENKO |||| 26 ||
| 1/4 WINNERS | ODDS | ALT / VALUE | ODDS | 1/4 WINNERS | ODDS | ALT / VALUE | ODDS | |||||||
| TSITSIPAS | 5 | KORDA | 34 | SWIATEK | 1.5 | GAUFF | 8 | |||||||
| DJOKOVIC | 1.62 | WAWRINKA | 29 | JABUER | 6 | NOSKOVA | 23 | |||||||
| RUNE | 2.25 | PAUL | 29 | BENCIC | 8.5 | MERTENS | 21 | |||||||
| MEDVEDEV | 2.62 | CORIC | 15 | SABALENKA | 2.9 | GARCIA | 11 |
| REACH THE FINAL | ODDS | ALT / VALUE | ODDS | REACH THE FINAL | ODDS | ALT / VALUE | ODDS | |||||||
| DJOKOVIC | 2.63 | CERUNDOLO | 81 | JABUER | 19 | HADDAD MAIA | 51 | |||||||
| MEDVEDEV | 4.33 | CORIC | 81 | BENCIC | 19 | ZHENG | 19 |
| NAME FINALISTS | ODDS | ALT / VALUE | ODDS | NAME FINALISTS | ODDS | ALT / VALUE | ODDS | |||||||
| DJOKOVIC & MEDVEDEV | 13 | DJOKOVIC & ZVEREV | 36 | BENCIC & JABEUR | 201 | JABEUR & OSTY | 201 |
| WINNER | ODDS | ALTERNATIVE | ODDS | WINNER | ODDS | ALTERNATIVE | ODDS | |||||||
| DJOKOVIC | 3.5 | ZVEREV | 36 | BENCIC | 101 | OSTAPENKO | 26 |
| 1/4 WINNERS | ODDS | ALT / VALUE | ODDS | 1/4 WINNERS | ODDS | ALT / VALUE | ODDS | |||||||
| TSITSIPAS | 5 | KORDA | 34 | SWIATEK | 1.5 | GAUFF | 8 | |||||||
| DJOKOVIC | 1.62 | WAWRINKA | 29 | JABUER | 6 | NOSKOVA | 23 | |||||||
| RUNE | 2.25 | PAUL | 29 | BENCIC | 8.5 | MERTENS | 21 | |||||||
| MEDVEDEV | 2.62 | CORIC | 15 | SABALENKA | 2.9 | GARCIA | 11 |
| REACH FINAL | ODDS | ALT / VALUE | ODDS | REACH FINAL | ODDS | ALT / VALUE | ODDS | |||||||
| DJOKOVIC | 2.63 | CERUNDOLO | 81 | JABUER | 19 | HADDAD MAIA | 51 | |||||||
| MEDVEDEV | 4.33 | CORIC | 81 | BENCIC | 19 | ZHENG | 19 |
| FINALISTS | ODDS | ALT / VALUE | ODDS | FINALISTS | ODDS | ALT / VALUE | ODDS | |||||||
| DJOKOVIC & MEDVEDEV | 13 | DJOKOVIC & ZVEREV | 36 | BENCIC & JABEUR | 201 | JABEUR & OSTY | 201 |
| WINNER | ODDS | ALTERNATIVE | ODDS | WINNER | ODDS | ALTERNATIVE | ODDS | |||||||
| DJOKOVIC | 3.5 | ZVEREV | 36 | BENCIC | 101 | OSTAPENKO | 26 |
| 1/4 WINNERS | ODDS | ALT / VALUE | ODDS | 1/4 WINNERS | ODDS | ALT / VALUE | ODDS | |||||||
| TSITSIPAS | 5 | KORDA | 34 | SWIATEK | 1.5 | GAUFF | 8 | |||||||
| DJOKOVIC | 1.62 | WAWRINKA | 29 | JABUER | 6 | NOSKOVA | 23 | |||||||
| RUNE | 2.25 | PAUL | 29 | BENCIC | 8.5 | MERTENS | 21 | |||||||
| MEDVEDEV | 2.62 | CORIC | 15 | SABALENKA | 2.9 | GARCIA | 11 |
| REACH FINAL | ODDS | ALT / VALUE | ODDS | REACH FINAL | ODDS | ALT / VALUE | ODDS | |||||||
| DJOKOVIC | 2.63 | CERUNDOLO | 81 | JABUER | 19 | HADDAD MAIA | 51 | |||||||
| MEDVEDEV | 4.33 | CORIC | 81 | BENCIC | 19 | ZHENG | 19 |
| FINALISTS | ODDS | ALT / VALUE | ODDS | FINALISTS | ODDS | ALT / VALUE | ODDS | |||||||
| DJOK/MEDVEDEV | 13 | DJOK/ ZVEREV | 36 | BENCIC / JABEUR | 201 | JABEUR & OSTY | 201 |
| WINNER | ODDS | ALTERNATIVE | ODDS | WINNER | ODDS | ALTERNATIVE | ODDS | |||||||
| DJOKOVIC | 3.5 | ZVEREV | 36 | BENCIC | 101 | OSTAPENKO | 26 |
| 1/4 WINNERS | ODDS | ALT / VALUE | ODDS | 1/4 WINNERS | ODDS | ALT / VALUE | ODDS | |||||||
| TSITSIPAS | 5 | KORDA | 34 | SWIATEK | 1.5 | GAUFF | 8 | |||||||
| DJOKOVIC | 1.62 | WAWRINKA | 29 | JABUER | 6 | NOSKOVA | 23 | |||||||
| RUNE | 2.25 | PAUL | 29 | BENCIC | 8.5 | MERTENS | 21 | |||||||
| MEDVEDEV | 2.62 | CORIC | 15 | SABALENKA | 2.9 | GARCIA | 11 |
| REACH FINAL | ODDS | ALT / VALUE | ODDS | REACH FINAL | ODDS | ALT / VALUE | ODDS | |||||||
| DJOKOVIC | 2.63 | CERUNDOLO | 81 | JABUER | 19 | HADDAD MAIA | 51 | |||||||
| MEDVEDEV | 4.33 | CORIC | 81 | BENCIC | 19 | ZHENG | 19 |
| FINALISTS | ODDS | ALT / VALUE | ODDS | FINALISTS | ODDS | ALT / VALUE | ODDS | |||||||
| DJOK/MEDVEDEV | 13 | DJOK/ ZVEREV | 36 | BENCIC / JABEUR | 201 | JABEUR & OSTY | 201 |
| WINNER | ODDS | ALTERNATIVE | ODDS | WINNER | ODDS | ALTERNATIVE | ODDS | |||||||
| DJOKOVIC | 3.5 | ZVEREV | 36 | BENCIC | 101 | OSTAPENKO | 26 |
| ROUND 1 ATP | CORRECT. | INCORRECT. | OVERALL DRAW POS. | ROUND 1 WTA | CORRECT. | INCORRECT. | OVERALL DRAW POS. | |||||||
| FRENCH OPEN 2022 | 43 | 21 | 298/1765 | FRENCH OPEN 2022 | 45 | 19 | 909/1078 | |||||||
| WIMBLEDON 2022 | 46 | 18 | 829/2158 | WIMBLEDON 2022 | 45 | 19 | 745/1255 | |||||||
| US OPEN 2022 | 43 | 21 | 1177/1939 | US OPEN 2022 | 40 | 24 | 411/1155 | |||||||
| AUS OPEN 2023 | 47 | 17 | 818/2312 | AUS OPEN 2023 | 47 | 17 | 1/1384 |
| ROUND 1 ATP | CORRECT. | INCORRECT. | DRAW POS. | ROUND 1 WTA | CORRECT. | INCORRECT. | DRAW POS. | |||||||
| FRENCH OPEN 2022 | 43 | 21 | 298/1765 | FRENCH OPEN 2022 | 45 | 19 | 909/1078 | |||||||
| WIMBLEDON 2022 | 46 | 18 | 829/2158 | WIMBLEDON 2022 | 45 | 19 | 745/1255 | |||||||
| US OPEN 2022 | 43 | 21 | 1177/1939 | US OPEN 2022 | 40 | 24 | 411/1155 | |||||||
| AUS OPEN 2023 | 47 | 17 | 818/2312 | AUS OPEN 2023 | 47 | 17 | 1/1384 |
| ROUND 1 ATP | COR. | INC. | DRAW POS. | ROUND 1 WTA | COR. | INC. | DRAW POS. | |||||||
| FRENCH OPEN 2022 | 43 | 21 | 298/1765 | FRENCH OPEN 2022 | 45 | 19 | 909/1078 | |||||||
| WIMBLEDON 2022 | 46 | 18 | 829/2158 | WIMBLEDON 2022 | 45 | 19 | 745/1255 | |||||||
| US OPEN 2022 | 43 | 21 | 1177/1939 | US OPEN 2022 | 40 | 24 | 411/1155 | |||||||
| AUS OPEN 2023 | 47 | 17 | 818/2312 | AUS OPEN 2023 | 47 | 17 | 1/1384 |
| ROUND 1 ATP | COR. | INC. | DRAW POS. | ROUND 1 WTA | COR. | INC. | DRAW POS. | |||||||
| FRENCH OPEN 2022 | 43 | 21 | 298/1765 | FRENCH OPEN 2022 | 45 | 19 | 909/1078 | |||||||
| WIMBLEDON 2022 | 46 | 18 | 829/2158 | WIMBLEDON 2022 | 45 | 19 | 745/1255 | |||||||
| US OPEN 2022 | 43 | 21 | 1177/1939 | US OPEN 2022 | 40 | 24 | 411/1155 | |||||||
| AUS OPEN 2023 | 47 | 17 | 818/2312 | AUS OPEN 2023 | 47 | 17 | 1/1384 |
| ROUND 1 ATP | COR. | INC. | DRAW POS. | ROUND 1 WTA | COR. | INC. | DRAW POS. | |||||||
| FRENCH OPEN 2022 | 43 | 21 | 298 / 1765 | FRENCH OPEN 2022 | 45 | 19 | 909 / 1078 | |||||||
| WIMBLEDON 2022 | 46 | 18 | 829 / 2158 | WIMBLEDON 2022 | 45 | 19 | 745 / 1255 | |||||||
| US OPEN 2022 | 43 | 21 | 1177 / 1939 | US OPEN 2022 | 40 | 24 | 411 / 1155 | |||||||
| AUS OPEN 2023 | 47 | 17 | 818 / 2312 | AUS OPEN 2023 | 47 | 17 | 1 / 1384 |
Outright Predictions
tennisdrawchallenge
| 1/4 WINNERS | ODDS | ALT / VALUE | ODDS | 1/4 WINNERS | ODDS | ALT / VALUE | ODDS | |||||||
| TSITSIPAS | 5 | KORDA | 34 | SWIATEK | 1.5 | GAUFF | 8 | |||||||
| DJOKOVIC | 1.62 | WAWRINKA | 29 | JABUER | 6 | NOSKOVA | 23 | |||||||
| RUNE | 2.25 | PAUL | 29 | BENCIC | 8.5 | MERTENS | 21 | |||||||
| MEDVEDEV | 2.62 | CORIC | 15 | SABALENKA | 2.9 | GARCIA | 11 |
| REACH FINAL | ODDS | ALT / VALUE | ODDS | REACH FINAL | ODDS | ALT / VALUE | ODDS | |||||||
| DJOKOVIC | 2.63 | CERUNDOLO | 81 | JABUER | 19 | HADDAD MAIA | 51 | |||||||
| MEDVEDEV | 4.33 | CORIC | 81 | BENCIC | 19 | ZHENG | 19 |
| FINALISTS | ODDS | ALT / VALUE | ODDS | FINALISTS | ODDS | ALT / VALUE | ODDS | |||||||
| DJOK/MEDVEDEV | 13 | DJOK/ ZVEREV | 36 | BENCIC / JABEUR | 201 | JABEUR & OSTY | 201 |
| WINNER | ODDS | ALTERNATIVE | ODDS | WINNER | ODDS | ALTERNATIVE | ODDS | |||||||
| DJOKOVIC | 3.5 | ZVEREV | 36 | BENCIC | 101 | OSTAPENKO | 26 |
tennisdrawchallenge
| ROUND 1 ATP | COR. | INC. | DRAW POS. | ROUND 1 WTA | COR. | INC. | DRAW POS. | |||||||
| FRENCH OPEN 2022 | 43 | 21 | 298 / 1765 | FRENCH OPEN 2022 | 45 | 19 | 909 / 1078 | |||||||
| WIMBLEDON 2022 | 46 | 18 | 829 / 2158 | WIMBLEDON 2022 | 45 | 19 | 745 / 1255 | |||||||
| US OPEN 2022 | 43 | 21 | 1177 / 1939 | US OPEN 2022 | 40 | 24 | 411 / 1155 | |||||||
| AUS OPEN 2023 | 47 | 17 | 818 / 2312 | AUS OPEN 2023 | 47 | 17 | 1 / 1384 |
Outright Predictions
tennisdrawchallenge
| 1/4 WINNERS | ODDS | ALT / VALUE | ODDS | 1/4 WINNERS | ODDS | ALT / VALUE | ODDS | |||||||
| TSITSIPAS | 5 | KORDA | 34 | SWIATEK | 1.5 | GAUFF | 8 | |||||||
| DJOKOVIC | 1.62 | WAWRINKA | 29 | JABUER | 6 | NOSKOVA | 23 | |||||||
| RUNE | 2.25 | PAUL | 29 | BENCIC | 8.5 | MERTENS | 21 | |||||||
| MEDVEDEV | 2.62 | CORIC | 15 | SABALENKA | 2.9 | GARCIA | 11 |
| REACH FINAL | ODDS | ALT / VALUE | ODDS | REACH FINAL | ODDS | ALT / VALUE | ODDS | |||||||
| DJOKOVIC | 2.63 | CERUNDOLO | 81 | JABUER | 19 | HADDAD MAIA | 51 | |||||||
| MEDVEDEV | 4.33 | CORIC | 81 | BENCIC | 19 | ZHENG | 19 |
| FINALISTS | ODDS | ALT / VALUE | ODDS | FINALISTS | ODDS | ALT / VALUE | ODDS | |||||||
| DJOK/MEDVEDEV | 13 | DJOK/ ZVEREV | 36 | BENCIC / JABEUR | 201 | JABEUR & OSTY | 201 |
| WINNER | ODDS | ALTERNATIVE | ODDS | WINNER | ODDS | ALTERNATIVE | ODDS | |||||||
| DJOKOVIC | 3.5 | ZVEREV | 36 | BENCIC | 101 | OSTAPENKO | 26 |
tennisdrawchallenge
| ROUND 1 ATP | COR. | INC. | DRAW POS. | ROUND 1 WTA | COR. | INC. | DRAW POS. | |||||||
| FRENCH OPEN 2022 | 43 | 21 | 298 / 1765 | FRENCH OPEN 2022 | 45 | 19 | 909 / 1078 | |||||||
| WIMBLEDON 2022 | 46 | 18 | 829 / 2158 | WIMBLEDON 2022 | 45 | 19 | 745 / 1255 | |||||||
| US OPEN 2022 | 43 | 21 | 1177 / 1939 | US OPEN 2022 | 40 | 24 | 411 / 1155 | |||||||
| AUS OPEN 2023 | 47 | 17 | 818 / 2312 | AUS OPEN 2023 | 47 | 17 | 1 / 1384 |
Outright Predictions
tennisdrawchallenge
| 1/4 WINNERS | ODDS | ALT / VALUE | ODDS | 1/4 WINNERS | ODDS | ALT / VALUE | ODDS | |||||||
| TSITSIPAS | 5 | KORDA | 34 | SWIATEK | 1.5 | GAUFF | 8 | |||||||
| DJOKOVIC | 1.62 | WAWRINKA | 29 | JABUER | 6 | NOSKOVA | 23 | |||||||
| RUNE | 2.25 | PAUL | 29 | BENCIC | 8.5 | MERTENS | 21 | |||||||
| MEDVEDEV | 2.62 | CORIC | 15 | SABALENKA | 2.9 | GARCIA | 11 |
| REACH FINAL | ODDS | ALT / VALUE | ODDS | REACH FINAL | ODDS | ALT / VALUE | ODDS | |||||||
| DJOKOVIC | 2.63 | CERUNDOLO | 81 | JABUER | 19 | HADDAD MAIA | 51 | |||||||
| MEDVEDEV | 4.33 | CORIC | 81 | BENCIC | 19 | ZHENG | 19 |
| FINALISTS | ODDS | ALT / VALUE | ODDS | FINALISTS | ODDS | ALT / VALUE | ODDS | |||||||
| DJOK/MEDVEDEV | 13 | DJOK/ ZVEREV | 36 | BENCIC / JABEUR | 201 | JABEUR & OSTY | 201 |
| WINNER | ODDS | ALT / VALUE | ODDS | WINNER | ODDS | ALT / VALUE | ODDS | |||||||
| DJOKOVIC | 3.5 | ZVEREV | 36 | BENCIC | 101 | OSTAPENKO | 26 |
tennisdrawchallenge
| ROUND 1 ATP | COR. | INC. | DRAW POS. | ROUND 1 WTA | COR. | INC. | DRAW POS. | |||||||
| FRENCH OPEN 2022 | 43 | 21 | 298 / 1765 | FRENCH OPEN 2022 | 45 | 19 | 909 / 1078 | |||||||
| WIMBLEDON 2022 | 46 | 18 | 829 / 2158 | WIMBLEDON 2022 | 45 | 19 | 745 / 1255 | |||||||
| US OPEN 2022 | 43 | 21 | 1177 / 1939 | US OPEN 2022 | 40 | 24 | 411 / 1155 | |||||||
| AUS OPEN 2023 | 47 | 17 | 818 / 2312 | AUS OPEN 2023 | 47 | 17 | 1 / 1384 |
| ROUND 1 ATP | ODDS | ROUND 1 WTA | ODDS | ||||
| Alcaraz | 1.02 | Swiatek | 1.01 | ||||
| O'Connell | 1.58 | In-Albon | 2.25 | ||||
| Galan | 2.58 | Ferro | 2.27 | ||||
| Shapovalov | 1.79 | Bouzkova | 1.29 | ||||
| Musetti | 1.21 | Azarenka | 1.51 | ||||
| Shevchenko | 1.4 | Navarro | 2.19 | ||||
| Pouille | 1.7 | Davis | 1.37 | ||||
| Norrie | 1.16 | Krejcikova | 1.33 | ||||
| Auger Aliassime | 1.34 | Kudermetova | 1.1 | ||||
| Diaz Acosta | 1.67 | Bolsova | 1.33 | ||||
| Ofner | 1.4 | Mladenovic | 4.38 | ||||
| Korda | 1.49 | Keys | 1.21 | ||||
| Zapata Miralles | 1.64 | Kalinina | 1.31 | ||||
| Isner | 2.91 | Andreeva | 1.08 | ||||
| Carballes Baena | 1.67 | Grabher | 2.35 | ||||
| Tsitsipas | 1.02 | Gauff | 1.23 | ||||
| Djokovic | 1.02 | Rybakina | 1.09 | ||||
| Fucsovics | 1.21 | Noskova | 1.78 | ||||
| Cecchinato | 2.01 | Sorribes Tormo | 1.39 | ||||
| Fils | 3.59 | Martic | 1.68 | ||||
| Bautista Agut | 1.42 | Alexandrova | 1.3 | ||||
| Varillas | 1.55 | Friedsam | 1.58 | ||||
| Martinez | 1.79 | Shnaider | 1.51 | ||||
| Goffin | 2.76 | Haddad Maia | 1.25 | ||||
| Khachanov | 1.02 | Kvitova | 1.8 | ||||
| Kypson | 3.02 | Waltert | 2.08 | ||||
| Wawrinka | 1.36 | Pera | 1.88 | ||||
| Kokkinakis | 2.05 | Vekic | 1.53 | ||||
| Sonego | 1.41 | Cirstea | 1.35 | ||||
| Humbert | 1.25 | Danilovic | 1.22 | ||||
| Moutet | 1.85 | Janicijevic | 2.37 | ||||
| Rublev | 1.24 | Jabeur | 1.19 | ||||
| Rune | 1.03 | Muchova | 1.92 | ||||
| Monfils | 4.72 | Podoroska | 1.71 | ||||
| Olivieri | 1.74 | Teichmann | 1.35 | ||||
| Vavassori | 2.74 | Begu | 1.34 | ||||
| Cerundolo | 1.33 | Linette | 1.95 | ||||
| Monteiro | 1.45 | Tauson | 1.71 | ||||
| Gasquet | 1.71 | Jeanjean | 2.01 | ||||
| Fritz | 1.02 | Bencic | 1.11 | ||||
| Paul | 1.37 | Samsonova | 1.29 | ||||
| Jarry | 1.28 | Pavlyuchenkova | 1.33 | ||||
| Giron | 2.27 | Sherif | 1.26 | ||||
| Struff | 1.6 | Potapova | 1.46 | ||||
| Van de Zandschulp | 1.2 | Mertens | 1.1 | ||||
| Zhang | 2.58 | Bogdan | 1.76 | ||||
| Bublik | 2.15 | Cornet | 2.72 | ||||
| Ruud | 1.06 | Pegula | 1.73 | ||||
| Sinner | 1.03 | Garcia | 1.39 | ||||
| Huesler | 2.95 | Bonaventure | 2.76 | ||||
| Ruusuvuori | 1.46 | Hunter | 2 | ||||
| Dimitrov | 1.09 | Svitolina | 1.91 | ||||
| Zverev | 1.05 | Ostapenko | 1.14 | ||||
| Gaston | 2.63 | Stearns | 1.44 | ||||
| Karatsev | 1.65 | Vondrousova | 1.07 | ||||
| Krajinovic | 3.72 | Kasatkina | 1.31 | ||||
| Coric | 1.13 | Stephens | 2.15 | ||||
| Thiem | 1.79 | Gracheva | 1.34 | ||||
| Etcheverry | 1.75 | Putintseva | 1.48 | ||||
| De Minaur | 1.3 | Zheng | 1.23 | ||||
| Nishioka | 1.97 | Frech | 1.28 | ||||
| Purcell | 2.08 | Bejlek | 2.02 | ||||
| Halys | 1.64 | Shymanovic | 1.43 | ||||
| Medvedev | 1.06 | Sabalenka | 1.15 |
| ROUND 1 ATP | ODDS | ROUND 1 WTA | ODDS | |||
| Alcaraz | 1.02 | Swiatek | 1.01 | |||
| O'Connell | 1.58 | In-Albon | 2.25 | |||
| Galan | 2.58 | Ferro | 2.27 | |||
| Shapovalov | 1.79 | Bouzkova | 1.29 | |||
| Musetti | 1.21 | Azarenka | 1.51 | |||
| Shevchenko | 1.4 | Navarro | 2.19 | |||
| Pouille | 1.7 | Davis | 1.37 | |||
| Norrie | 1.16 | Krejcikova | 1.33 | |||
| Auger Aliassime | 1.34 | Kudermetova | 1.1 | |||
| Diaz Acosta | 1.67 | Bolsova | 1.33 | |||
| Ofner | 1.4 | Mladenovic | 4.38 | |||
| Korda | 1.49 | Keys | 1.21 | |||
| Zapata Miralles | 1.64 | Kalinina | 1.31 | |||
| Isner | 2.91 | Andreeva | 1.08 | |||
| Carballes Baena | 1.67 | Grabher | 2.35 | |||
| Tsitsipas | 1.02 | Gauff | 1.23 | |||
| Djokovic | 1.02 | Rybakina | 1.09 | |||
| Fucsovics | 1.21 | Noskova | 1.78 | |||
| Cecchinato | 2.01 | Sorribes Tormo | 1.39 | |||
| Fils | 3.59 | Martic | 1.68 | |||
| Bautista Agut | 1.42 | Alexandrova | 1.3 | |||
| Varillas | 1.55 | Friedsam | 1.58 | |||
| Martinez | 1.79 | Shnaider | 1.51 | |||
| Goffin | 2.76 | Haddad Maia | 1.25 | |||
| Khachanov | 1.02 | Kvitova | 1.8 | |||
| Kypson | 3.02 | Waltert | 2.08 | |||
| Wawrinka | 1.36 | Pera | 1.88 | |||
| Kokkinakis | 2.05 | Vekic | 1.53 | |||
| Sonego | 1.41 | Cirstea | 1.35 | |||
| Humbert | 1.25 | Danilovic | 1.22 | |||
| Moutet | 1.85 | Janicijevic | 2.37 | |||
| Rublev | 1.24 | Jabeur | 1.19 | |||
| Rune | 1.03 | Muchova | 1.92 | |||
| Monfils | 4.72 | Podoroska | 1.71 | |||
| Olivieri | 1.74 | Teichmann | 1.35 | |||
| Vavassori | 2.74 | Begu | 1.34 | |||
| Cerundolo | 1.33 | Linette | 1.95 | |||
| Monteiro | 1.45 | Tauson | 1.71 | |||
| Gasquet | 1.71 | Jeanjean | 2.01 | |||
| Fritz | 1.02 | Bencic | 1.11 | |||
| Paul | 1.37 | Samsonova | 1.29 | |||
| Jarry | 1.28 | Pavlyuchenkova | 1.33 | |||
| Giron | 2.27 | Sherif | 1.26 | |||
| Struff | 1.6 | Potapova | 1.46 | |||
| Van de Zandschulp | 1.2 | Mertens | 1.1 | |||
| Zhang | 2.58 | Bogdan | 1.76 | |||
| Bublik | 2.15 | Cornet | 2.72 | |||
| Ruud | 1.06 | Pegula | 1.73 | |||
| Sinner | 1.03 | Garcia | 1.39 | |||
| Huesler | 2.95 | Bonaventure | 2.76 | |||
| Ruusuvuori | 1.46 | Hunter | 2 | |||
| Dimitrov | 1.09 | Svitolina | 1.91 | |||
| Zverev | 1.05 | Ostapenko | 1.14 | |||
| Gaston | 2.63 | Stearns | 1.44 | |||
| Karatsev | 1.65 | Vondrousova | 1.07 | |||
| Krajinovic | 3.72 | Kasatkina | 1.31 | |||
| Coric | 1.13 | Stephens | 2.15 | |||
| Thiem | 1.79 | Gracheva | 1.34 | |||
| Etcheverry | 1.75 | Putintseva | 1.48 | |||
| De Minaur | 1.3 | Zheng | 1.23 | |||
| Nishioka | 1.97 | Frech | 1.28 | |||
| Purcell | 2.08 | Bejlek | 2.02 | |||
| Halys | 1.64 | Shymanovic | 1.43 | |||
| Medvedev | 1.06 | Sabalenka | 1.15 |
ROUND 1 RESULTS
ATP - WON 42, LOST 21 = +1.85pts
Monterio v Bonzi cancelled
WTA - WON 45, LOST 17 = +4.24pts
McNally v Bogdan and Kalinskaya v Navarro cancelled
TOTAL - +6.27pts
ATP - WON 42, LOST 21 = +1.85pts
Monterio v Bonzi cancelled
WTA - WON 45, LOST 17 = +4.24pts
McNally v Bogdan and Kalinskaya v Navarro cancelled
TOTAL - +6.27pts
| 1/4 WINNERS | ODDS | ALT / VALUE | ODDS | 1/4 WINNERS | ODDS | ALT / VALUE | ODDS | |||||||
| ALCARAZ | 2 | TIAFOE | 13 | GAUFF | 7 | BENCIC | 21 | |||||||
| MEDVEDEV | 4 | OFNER | 101 | SAMSONOVA | 13 | FERNANDEZ | 29 | |||||||
| FRITZ | 6 | SHAPOVALOV | 13 | JABEUR | 6.5 | HADDAD MAIA | 19 | |||||||
| DJOKOVIC | 1.25 | AUGER-ALIASSIME | 26 | MUCHOVA | 6.5 | BADOSA | 41 |
| REACH FINAL | ODDS | ALT / VALUE | ODDS | REACH FINAL | ODDS | ALT / VALUE | ODDS | |||||||
| ALCARAZ | 2.63 | ZVEREV | 13 | GAUFF | 9.5 | BENCIC | 81 | |||||||
| DJOKOVIC | 1.3 | AUGER-ALIASSIME | 67 | MUCHOVA | 15 | HADDAD MAIA | 51 |
| FINALISTS | ODDS | ALT / VALUE | ODDS | FINALISTS | ODDS | ALT / VALUE | ODDS | |||||||
| ALCARAZ/DJOKOVIC | 2.3 | DJOK/ ZVEREV | 19 | GAUFF/MUCHOVA | 126 | GAUFF/KEYS | 201 |
| WINNER | ODDS | ALTERNATIVE | ODDS | WINNER | ODDS | ALTERNATIVE | ODDS | |||||||
| DJOKOVIC | 1.65 | ZVEREV | 75 | MUCHOVA | 32 | BENCIC | 210 |
| ROUND 1 | CORRECT | INCORRECT | DRAW/POS. | ROUND 1 | CORRECT | INCORRECT | DRAW/POS. | ||||||
| FRENCH OPEN 2022 | 43 | 21 | 298/1765 | FRENCH OPEN 2022 | 45 | 19 | 909 / 1078 | ||||||
| WIMBLEDON 2022 | 46 | 18 | 829 / 2158 | WIMBLEDON 2022 | 45 | 19 | 745 / 1255 | ||||||
| US OPEN 2022 | 43 | 21 | 1177 / 1939 | US OPEN 2022 | 40 | 24 | 411 / 1155 | ||||||
| AUS OPEN 2023 | 47 | 17 | 818 / 2312 | AUS OPEN 2023 | 47 | 17 | 1 / 1384 | ||||||
| FRENCH OPEN 2023 | 42 | 22 | 67/1662 | FRENCH OPEN 2023 | 47 | 17 | 303 / 1003 |
| 1/4 WINNERS | ODDS | ALT / VALUE | ODDS | 1/4 WINNERS | ODDS | ALT / VALUE | ODDS | |||||||
| ALCARAZ | 2 | TIAFOE | 13 | GAUFF | 7 | BENCIC | 21 | |||||||
| MEDVEDEV | 4 | OFNER | 101 | SAMSONOVA | 13 | FERNANDEZ | 29 | |||||||
| FRITZ | 6 | SHAPOVALOV | 13 | JABEUR | 6.5 | HADDAD MAIA | 19 | |||||||
| DJOKOVIC | 1.25 | AUGER-ALIASSIME | 26 | MUCHOVA | 6.5 | BADOSA | 41 |
| REACH FINAL | ODDS | ALT / VALUE | ODDS | REACH FINAL | ODDS | ALT / VALUE | ODDS | |||||||
| ALCARAZ | 2.63 | ZVEREV | 13 | GAUFF | 9.5 | BENCIC | 81 | |||||||
| DJOKOVIC | 1.3 | AUGER-ALIASSIME | 67 | MUCHOVA | 15 | HADDAD MAIA | 51 |
| FINALISTS | ODDS | ALT / VALUE | ODDS | FINALISTS | ODDS | ALT / VALUE | ODDS | |||||||
| ALCARAZ/DJOKOVIC | 2.3 | DJOK/ ZVEREV | 19 | GAUFF/MUCHOVA | 126 | GAUFF/KEYS | 201 |
| WINNER | ODDS | ALTERNATIVE | ODDS | WINNER | ODDS | ALTERNATIVE | ODDS | |||||||
| DJOKOVIC | 1.65 | ZVEREV | 75 | MUCHOVA | 32 | BENCIC | 210 |
| ROUND 1 | CORRECT | INCORRECT | DRAW/POS. | ROUND 1 | CORRECT | INCORRECT | DRAW/POS. | ||||||
| FRENCH 2022 | 43 | 21 | 298/1765 | FRENCH 2022 | 45 | 19 | 909 / 1078 | ||||||
| WIM 2022 | 46 | 18 | 829 / 2158 | WIM 2022 | 45 | 19 | 745 / 1255 | ||||||
| US OPEN 2022 | 43 | 21 | 1177 / 1939 | US OPEN 2022 | 40 | 24 | 411 / 1155 | ||||||
| AUS OPEN 2023 | 47 | 17 | 818 / 2312 | AUS OPEN 2023 | 47 | 17 | 1 / 1384 | ||||||
| FRENCH 2023 | 42 | 22 | 67/1662 | FRENCH 2023 | 47 | 17 | 303 / 1003 |
| 1/4 WINNERS | ODDS | ALT / VALUE | ODDS | 1/4 WINNERS | ODDS | ALT / VALUE | ODDS | |||||||
| ALCARAZ | 2 | TIAFOE | 13 | GAUFF | 7 | BENCIC | 21 | |||||||
| MEDVEDEV | 4 | OFNER | 101 | SAMSONOVA | 13 | FERNANDEZ | 29 | |||||||
| FRITZ | 6 | SHAPOVALOV | 13 | JABEUR | 6.5 | HADDAD MAIA | 19 | |||||||
| DJOKOVIC | 1.25 | AUGER-ALIASSIME | 26 | MUCHOVA | 6.5 | BADOSA | 41 |
| REACH FINAL | ODDS | ALT / VALUE | ODDS | REACH FINAL | ODDS | ALT / VALUE | ODDS | |||||||
| ALCARAZ | 2.63 | ZVEREV | 13 | GAUFF | 9.5 | BENCIC | 81 | |||||||
| DJOKOVIC | 1.3 | AUGER-ALIASSIME | 67 | MUCHOVA | 15 | HADDAD MAIA | 51 |
| FINALISTS | ODDS | ALT / VALUE | ODDS | FINALISTS | ODDS | ALT / VALUE | ODDS | |||||||
| ALCARAZ/DJOKOVIC | 2.3 | DJOK/ ZVEREV | 19 | GAUFF/MUCHOVA | 126 | GAUFF/KEYS | 201 |
| WINNER | ODDS | ALTERNATIVE | ODDS | WINNER | ODDS | ALTERNATIVE | ODDS | |||||||
| DJOKOVIC | 1.65 | ZVEREV | 75 | MUCHOVA | 32 | BENCIC | 210 |
| ROUND 1 | CORRECT | INCORRECT | DRAW/POS. | ROUND 1 | CORRECT | INCORRECT | DRAW/POS. | ||||||
| FRENCH 22 | 43 | 21 | 298/1765 | FRENCH 22 | 45 | 19 | 909 / 1078 | ||||||
| WIM 22 | 46 | 18 | 829 / 2158 | WIM 22 | 45 | 19 | 745 / 1255 | ||||||
| US OPEN 22 | 43 | 21 | 1177 / 1939 | US OPEN 22 | 40 | 24 | 411 / 1155 | ||||||
| AUS OPEN 23 | 47 | 17 | 818 / 2312 | AUS OPEN 23 | 47 | 17 | 1 / 1384 | ||||||
| FRENCH 23 | 42 | 22 | 67/1662 | FRENCH 23 | 47 | 17 | 303 / 1003 |
| 1/4 WINNERS | ODDS | ALT / VALUE | ODDS | 1/4 WINNERS | ODDS | ALT / VALUE | ODDS | |||||||
| ALCARAZ | 2 | TIAFOE | 13 | GAUFF | 7 | BENCIC | 21 | |||||||
| MEDVEDEV | 4 | OFNER | 101 | SAMSONOVA | 13 | FERNANDEZ | 29 | |||||||
| FRITZ | 6 | SHAPOVALOV | 13 | JABEUR | 6.5 | HADDAD MAIA | 19 | |||||||
| DJOKOVIC | 1.25 | AUGER-ALIASSIME | 26 | MUCHOVA | 6.5 | BADOSA | 41 |
| REACH FINAL | ODDS | ALT / VALUE | ODDS | REACH FINAL | ODDS | ALT / VALUE | ODDS | |||||||
| ALCARAZ | 2.63 | ZVEREV | 13 | GAUFF | 9.5 | BENCIC | 81 | |||||||
| DJOKOVIC | 1.3 | AUGER-ALIASSIME | 67 | MUCHOVA | 15 | HADDAD MAIA | 51 |
| FINALISTS | ODDS | ALT / VALUE | ODDS | FINALISTS | ODDS | ALT / VALUE | ODDS | |||||||
| ALCARAZ/DJOKOVIC | 2.3 | DJOK/ ZVEREV | 19 | GAUFF/MUCHOVA | 126 | GAUFF/KEYS | 201 |
| WINNER | ODDS | ALTERNATIVE | ODDS | WINNER | ODDS | ALTERNATIVE | ODDS | |||||||
| DJOKOVIC | 1.65 | ZVEREV | 75 | MUCHOVA | 32 | BENCIC | 210 |
| ROUND 1 | CORRECT | INCORRECT | DRAW/POS. | ROUND 1 | CORRECT | INCORRECT | DRAW/POS. | ||||||
| FRENCH 22 | 43 | 21 | 298/1765 | FRENCH 22 | 45 | 19 | 909 / 1078 | ||||||
| WIM 22 | 46 | 18 | 829 / 2158 | WIM 22 | 45 | 19 | 745 / 1255 | ||||||
| US OPEN 22 | 43 | 21 | 1177 / 1939 | US OPEN 22 | 40 | 24 | 411 / 1155 | ||||||
| OZ OPEN 23 | 47 | 17 | 818 / 2312 | OZ OPEN 23 | 47 | 17 | 1 / 1384 | ||||||
| FRENCH 23 | 42 | 22 | 67/1662 | FRENCH 23 | 47 | 17 | 303 / 1003 |
| 1/4 WINNERS | ODDS | ALT / VALUE | ODDS | 1/4 WINNERS | ODDS | ALT / VALUE | ODDS | |||||||
| ALCARAZ | 2 | TIAFOE | 13 | GAUFF | 7 | BENCIC | 21 | |||||||
| MEDVEDEV | 4 | OFNER | 101 | SAMSONOVA | 13 | FERNANDEZ | 29 | |||||||
| FRITZ | 6 | SHAPOVALOV | 13 | JABEUR | 6.5 | HADDAD MAIA | 19 | |||||||
| DJOKOVIC | 1.25 | AUGER-ALIASSIME | 26 | MUCHOVA | 6.5 | BADOSA | 41 |
| REACH FINAL | ODDS | ALT / VALUE | ODDS | REACH FINAL | ODDS | ALT / VALUE | ODDS | |||||||
| ALCARAZ | 2.63 | ZVEREV | 13 | GAUFF | 9.5 | BENCIC | 81 | |||||||
| DJOKOVIC | 1.3 | AUGER-ALIASSIME | 67 | MUCHOVA | 15 | HADDAD MAIA | 51 |
| FINALISTS | ODDS | ALT / VALUE | ODDS | FINALISTS | ODDS | ALT / VALUE | ODDS | |||||||
| ALCARAZ/DJOKOVIC | 2.3 | DJOK/ ZVEREV | 19 | GAUFF/MUCHOVA | 126 | GAUFF/KEYS | 201 |
| WINNER | ODDS | ALTERNATIVE | ODDS | WINNER | ODDS | ALTERNATIVE | ODDS | |||||||
| DJOKOVIC | 1.65 | ZVEREV | 75 | MUCHOVA | 32 | BENCIC | 210 |
| ROUND 1 | COR. | INC. | DRAW/POS. | ROUND 1 | COR. | INC. | DRAW/POS. | ||||||
| FRENCH 22 | 43 | 21 | 298/1765 | FRENCH 22 | 45 | 19 | 909 / 1078 | ||||||
| WIMBLEDON 22 | 46 | 18 | 829 / 2158 | WIMBLEDON 22 | 45 | 19 | 745 / 1255 | ||||||
| US OPEN 22 | 43 | 21 | 1177 / 1939 | US OPEN 22 | 40 | 24 | 411 / 1155 | ||||||
| AUS OPEN 23 | 47 | 17 | 818 / 2312 | AUS OPEN 23 | 47 | 17 | 1 / 1384 | ||||||
| FRENCH 23 | 42 | 22 | 67/1662 | FRENCH 23 | 47 | 17 | 303 / 1003 |
| 1/4 WINNERS | ODDS | ALT / VALUE | ODDS | 1/4 WINNERS | ODDS | ALT / VALUE | ODDS | |||||||
| ALCARAZ | 2 | TIAFOE | 13 | GAUFF | 7 | BENCIC | 21 | |||||||
| MEDVEDEV | 4 | OFNER | 101 | SAMSONOVA | 13 | FERNANDEZ | 29 | |||||||
| FRITZ | 6 | SHAPOVALOV | 13 | JABEUR | 6.5 | HADDAD MAIA | 19 | |||||||
| DJOKOVIC | 1.25 | AUGER-ALIASSIME | 26 | MUCHOVA | 6.5 | BADOSA | 41 |
| REACH FINAL | ODDS | ALT / VALUE | ODDS | REACH FINAL | ODDS | ALT / VALUE | ODDS | |||||||
| ALCARAZ | 2.63 | ZVEREV | 13 | GAUFF | 9.5 | BENCIC | 81 | |||||||
| DJOKOVIC | 1.3 | AUGER-ALIASSIME | 67 | MUCHOVA | 15 | HADDAD MAIA | 51 |
| FINALISTS | ODDS | ALT / VALUE | ODDS | FINALISTS | ODDS | ALT / VALUE | ODDS | |||||||
| ALCARAZ/DJOKOVIC | 2.3 | DJOK/ ZVEREV | 19 | GAUFF/MUCHOVA | 126 | GAUFF/KEYS | 201 |
| WINNER | ODDS | ALTERNATIVE | ODDS | WINNER | ODDS | ALTERNATIVE | ODDS | |||||||
| DJOKOVIC | 1.65 | ZVEREV | 75 | MUCHOVA | 32 | BENCIC | 210 |
| ROUND 1 | COR. | INC. | DRAW/POS. | ROUND 1 | COR. | INC. | DRAW/POS. | ||||||
| FRENCH 22 | 43 | 21 | 298/1765 | FRENCH 22 | 45 | 19 | 909 / 1078 | ||||||
| WIMBLEDON22 | 46 | 18 | 829 / 2158 | WIMBLEDON22 | 45 | 19 | 745 / 1255 | ||||||
| US OPEN 22 | 43 | 21 | 1177 / 1939 | US OPEN 22 | 40 | 24 | 411 / 1155 | ||||||
| AUS OPEN 23 | 47 | 17 | 818 / 2312 | AUS OPEN 23 | 47 | 17 | 1 / 1384 | ||||||
| FRENCH 23 | 42 | 22 | 67/1662 | FRENCH 23 | 47 | 17 | 303 / 1003 |
| 1/4 WINNERS | ODDS | ALT / VALUE | ODDS | 1/4 WINNERS | ODDS | ALT / VALUE | ODDS | |||||||
| ALCARAZ | 2 | TIAFOE | 13 | GAUFF | 7 | BENCIC | 21 | |||||||
| MEDVEDEV | 4 | OFNER | 101 | SAMSONOVA | 13 | FERNANDEZ | 29 | |||||||
| FRITZ | 6 | SHAPOVALOV | 13 | JABEUR | 6.5 | HADDAD MAIA | 19 | |||||||
| DJOKOVIC | 1.25 | AUGER-ALIASSIME | 26 | MUCHOVA | 6.5 | BADOSA | 41 |
| REACH FINAL | ODDS | ALT / VALUE | ODDS | REACH FINAL | ODDS | ALT / VALUE | ODDS | |||||||
| ALCARAZ | 2.63 | ZVEREV | 13 | GAUFF | 9.5 | BENCIC | 81 | |||||||
| DJOKOVIC | 1.3 | AUGER-ALIASSIME | 67 | MUCHOVA | 15 | HADDAD MAIA | 51 |
| FINALISTS | ODDS | ALT / VALUE | ODDS | FINALISTS | ODDS | ALT / VALUE | ODDS | |||||||
| ALCARAZ/DJOKOVIC | 2.3 | DJOK/ ZVEREV | 19 | GAUFF/MUCHOVA | 126 | GAUFF/KEYS | 201 |
| WINNER | ODDS | ALTERNATIVE | ODDS | WINNER | ODDS | ALTERNATIVE | ODDS | |||||||
| DJOKOVIC | 1.65 | ZVEREV | 75 | MUCHOVA | 32 | BENCIC | 210 |
Tennis Draw Challenge
| ROUND 1 | COR. | INC. | DRAW/POS. | ROUND 1 | COR. | INC. | DRAW/POS. | ||||||
| FRENCH 22 | 43 | 21 | 298/1765 | FRENCH 22 | 45 | 19 | 909 / 1078 | ||||||
| WIMBLEDON22 | 46 | 18 | 829 / 2158 | WIMBLEDON22 | 45 | 19 | 745 / 1255 | ||||||
| US OPEN 22 | 43 | 21 | 1177 / 1939 | US OPEN 22 | 40 | 24 | 411 / 1155 | ||||||
| AUS OPEN 23 | 47 | 17 | 818 / 2312 | AUS OPEN 23 | 47 | 17 | 1 / 1384 | ||||||
| FRENCH 23 | 42 | 22 | 67/1662 | FRENCH 23 | 47 | 17 | 303 / 1003 |
Australian Open 2023 = +4.83pts (outright only)
French Open 2023 = +4.56... (250 match predictions = 16.41pts....Outright predictions = -11.85pts)
| 1/4 WINNERS | ODDS | ALT / VALUE | ODDS | 1/4 WINNERS | ODDS | ALT / VALUE | ODDS | |||||||
| ALCARAZ | 2 | TIAFOE | 13 | GAUFF | 7 | BENCIC | 21 | |||||||
| MEDVEDEV | 4 | OFNER | 101 | SAMSONOVA | 13 | FERNANDEZ | 29 | |||||||
| FRITZ | 6 | SHAPOVALOV | 13 | JABEUR | 6.5 | HADDAD MAIA | 19 | |||||||
| DJOKOVIC | 1.25 | AUGER-ALIASSIME | 26 | MUCHOVA | 6.5 | BADOSA | 41 |
| REACH FINAL | ODDS | ALT / VALUE | ODDS | REACH FINAL | ODDS | ALT / VALUE | ODDS | |||||||
| ALCARAZ | 2.63 | ZVEREV | 13 | GAUFF | 9.5 | BENCIC | 81 | |||||||
| DJOKOVIC | 1.3 | AUGER-ALIASSIME | 67 | MUCHOVA | 15 | HADDAD MAIA | 51 |
| FINALISTS | ODDS | ALT / VALUE | ODDS | FINALISTS | ODDS | ALT / VALUE | ODDS | |||||||
| ALCARAZ/DJOKOVIC | 2.3 | DJOK/ ZVEREV | 19 | GAUFF/MUCHOVA | 126 | GAUFF/KEYS | 201 |
| WINNER | ODDS | ALTERNATIVE | ODDS | WINNER | ODDS | ALTERNATIVE | ODDS | |||||||
| DJOKOVIC | 1.65 | ZVEREV | 75 | MUCHOVA | 32 | BENCIC | 210 |
Tennis Draw Challenge
| ROUND 1 | COR. | INC. | DRAW/POS. | ROUND 1 | COR. | INC. | DRAW/POS. | ||||||
| FRENCH 22 | 43 | 21 | 298/1765 | FRENCH 22 | 45 | 19 | 909 / 1078 | ||||||
| WIMBLEDON22 | 46 | 18 | 829 / 2158 | WIMBLEDON22 | 45 | 19 | 745 / 1255 | ||||||
| US OPEN 22 | 43 | 21 | 1177 / 1939 | US OPEN 22 | 40 | 24 | 411 / 1155 | ||||||
| AUS OPEN 23 | 47 | 17 | 818 / 2312 | AUS OPEN 23 | 47 | 17 | 1 / 1384 | ||||||
| FRENCH 23 | 42 | 22 | 67/1662 | FRENCH 23 | 47 | 17 | 303 / 1003 |
Australian Open 2023 = +4.83pts (outright only)
French Open 2023 = +4.56pts......(Match Odds = +16.41pts, Outrights = -11.85ps)
Spoiler: Show
French Open 2023
TOTAL TOTALS
ATP - WON 86, LOST 38 = +3.87pts (69.3%)
WTA - WON 86, LOST 36 = +12.54pts (70.5%)
TOTAL - WON 174, LOST 76 = 69.6%
| ROUND 1 ATP | ODDS | ROUND 1 WTA | ODDS | |||
| RUBLEV | 1.08 | KUDERMETOVA | 1.1 | |||
| NAKASHIMA | 1.94 | PEGULA | 1.21 | |||
| MUSETTI | 1.05 | FRUHVIRTOVA | 2.41 | |||
| BAEZ | 1.73 | SAMSONOVA | 1.34 | |||
| VAN ASSCHE | 2.18 | FRIEDSAM | 1.83 | |||
| AUGER-ALIASSIME | 1.1 | BUCSA | 1.54 | |||
| HURKACZ | 1.06 | AZARENKA | 1.23 | |||
| ISNER | 1.35 | MARTINCOVA | 1.38 | |||
| MARTERER | 1.97 | STRYCOVA | 1.59 | |||
| WOLF | 1.25 | PARRY | 3.18 | |||
| RUUD | 1.22 | LINETTE | 1.72 | |||
| BROADY | 1.62 | TSURENKO | 1.35 | |||
| GASQUET | 1.59 | GARCIA | 1.12 | |||
| DJOKOVIC | 1.01 | SWIATEK | 1.03 | |||
| LAJOVIC | 1.53 | FERNANDEZ | 1.24 | |||
| KOEPFER | 2.24 | STEARNS | 4.29 | |||
| BUBLIK | 1.42 | HUNTER | 1.96 | |||
| KECMANOVIC | 1.45 | SORRIBES TORMO | 1.32 | |||
| SHAPOVALOV | 1.21 | SINIAKOVA | 2.04 | |||
| SAFIULLIN | 3.48 | HRUNKACOVA | 2.87 | |||
| YMER | 1.52 | MASAROVA | 1.91 | |||
| GOFFIN | 2.28 | MCNALLY | 1.43 | |||
| NISHIOKA | 1.76 | KASTAKINA | 1.13 | |||
| VUKIC | 1.68 | BENCIC | 1.45 | |||
| BONZI | 2.14 | SVITOLINA | 1.48 | |||
| CORIC | 1.34 | COLLINS | 1.32 | |||
| EVANS | 1.8 | BOUZKOVA | 1.3 | |||
| FRITZ | 1.24 | VEKIC | 1.14 | |||
| ZAPATA-MIRALLES | 2.38 | GAUFF | 1.24 | |||
| BARERRE | 1.91 | OSORIO | 1.44 | |||
| RUUSUVUORI | 1.43 | STEFANINI | 2.56 | |||
| SINNER | 1.03 | STEPHENS | 1.42 | |||
| MURRAY | 1.1 | SABALENKA | 1.03 | |||
| NORRIE | 1.16 | KREJCIKOVA | 1.22 | |||
| OFNER | 2.37 | KEYS | 1.22 | |||
| MEDVEDEV | 1.01 | GOLUBIC | 1.34 | |||
| DIMITROV | 1.06 | SAKKARI | 1.34 | |||
| DE MINAUR | 1.03 | RYBAKINA | 1.12 | |||
| ZVEREV | 1.08 | OSTAPENKO | 1.23 | |||
| JARRY | 1.05 | KVITOVA | 1.1 | |||
| ALCARAZ | 1.01 | PLISKOVA | 1.1 | |||
| TSITSIPAS | 1.19 | JABUER | 1.25 | |||
| CRESSY | 1.72 | GIORGI | 1.37 | |||
| SHELTON | 1.44 | WICKMAYER | 1.8 | |||
| KORDA | 1.12 | MARINO | 2.19 | |||
| MEDJEDOVIC | 2.31 | NAVARRO | 3.77 | |||
| EUBANKS | 1.31 | ERRANI | 2.14 | |||
| PAUL | 1.12 | NOSKOVA | 1.38 | |||
| RAONIC | 1.73 | MUCHOVA | 1.3 | |||
| F. CERUNDOLO | 1.31 | X. WANG | 2.61 | |||
| GRIEKSPOOR | 1.82 | JUVAN | 1.07 | |||
| GIRON | 1.03 | NAEF | 2.96 | |||
| MANNARINO | 1.19 | BADOSA | 1.32 | |||
| RUNE | 1.05 | HIBINO | 3.18 | |||
| ARNALDI | 1.42 | BOULTER | 1.36 | |||
| ZHANG | 2.28 | TOMOVOA | 2.59 | |||
| FILS | 2.21 | CIRSTEA | 1.8 | |||
| IVASHKA | 1.08 | BRONZETTI | 1.29 | |||
| STRICKER | 1.76 | HADDAD MAIA | 1.3 | |||
| TIAFOE | 1.2 | SASNOVICH | 1.39 | |||
| SONEGO | 1.52 | ZHAO | 2.46 | |||
| WATANUKI | 2.73 | ANDREESCU | 1.21 | |||
| RINDERKNECH | 1.25 | BONAVENTURE | 1.68 |
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