Barclays Premier League 2014/15

[suomikala87]

The English Premier League is starting in just a few hours - anyone else excited? :yahoo:

It's quite easy to predict that the usual suspects will again be strong title contenders: ManC, Chelsea, Liverpool, Arsenal and ManU. I would love to see some other team to make a run for it but to be honest I just can't see it anyone else bothering these five. My gut feeling is that either ManC or Chelsea will win the league - hopefully the latter.

Interesting to see how ManU bounces back from their awful last season. Things are looking good atleast if you look at the pre-season games. Six wins and against some tough opponents too like Real Madrid and Liverpool. ManU home game against Swansea will open the season so I reckon we'll see quite quickly where the team is at - should be a comfortable win for the home side though.

Also interested in Chelsea and is Mourinho going to get the team up to a level you expect from his teams. IMO they got stronger over the break, especially the addition of Fabregas and Diego Costa should bring some much needed spark to the offensive end of the field. Especially the striker Costa needs to perform - Chelsea's recent history on strikers is just awful with all the big names failing to deliver after joining the Blues.

Third on my to watch list is Liverpool. They had an excellent last season where they just fell short before the finish line. Though one could argue that much of it was due to one man named Suarez. Now he is off to new hunting grounds as he moved to Barcelona during the summer. So it remains to be seen can Liverpool continue to produce at the same level or atleast not bomb totally. Much of the pressure will fall on to two English natives: Lallana and Lambert. I for one would love to see Liverpool continuing where they left off last season.

I'll have a couple of bets to start the season off:

ManU to score over 2.5 goals with odds around 2.40

ManU -1 & Arsenal -1 (double) with odds around 3.1

Both home teams have had excellent pre-seasons and now they start off the season infront of their fans against clearly lesser opponents. It really doesn't take a brainiac to figure out on which side the scale tips to in these scenarios - healthy sized bets on both. Game on!

 

[lotusch]

We do play the fantasy football league at work and we all threw in a tenner.
We have a manager of the month prize and then on the end of the season the overall winner.
There is about 40 people in our league so some nice money to scoop.

Last year I won manager of the month twice and ended 3th in overall competition so I am going to try and beat that hehehe.

In regards to betting,I hardly bet on the premiership as I am Dutch so most of the times when I do sportsbetting I put money on Dutch games.
As I support PSV Eindhoven I always have them in my predictions as well.

But yeah,should be a great season and as a Dutch man I especially look how Louis van Gaal is gonna do after his amazing World Cup tournament.
Also following all the Dutchies in the premiership like Ron Vlaar,Eric Pieters,Robin van Persie etc etc.

So let's start this thing!!

 

[lotusch]

Here is my team by the way...
Any comments welcome...

Remember only €100 million to spend so a few bargains in the team also hahaha...

 

[suomikala87]

Wow, what an awful start for me with ManU losing the first match 1-2. Also took over 3.5goals during HT with juicy odds but even that failed... my wallet begs for mercy

 

[lotusch]

Wow, what an awful start for me with ManU losing the first match 1-2. Also took over 3.5goals during HT with juicy odds but even that failed... my wallet begs for mercy

Glad I did not take any Man Utd player on board...
They were too expensive anyway hahahaha...

 

[Mark_32Red (retired acct)]

Did anyone spot this in the Man Utd match?

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Yuk lol.

 

[amourgirl]

O M G What the hell was that?

Did anyone spot this in the Man Utd match?

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Yuk lol.

 

[mathsboy1975]

O M G What the hell was that?

My guess would be another player spitting or bird s**t. Either way it is rank and I wish I had not watched it!!!

 

[suomikala87]

I watched three matches so far (ManU-Swansea, Arsenal-CrystalP and Newcastle-ManC) and I have to say that none of the top seeded teams impressed me much (altough ManC and Arsenal managed to get three points). Very nerveous going for all of the favourites so far - I expected more of them especially due to the fact that their opponents were teams considered clearly a class or two below.

On ManU's case I fear they have a long road ahead of them with this team and it'll be yet an another dissapointing year. Especially their defense doesn't impress me at all and also their playmaking is a big questionmark. Against Swansea the new signing Herrera and Mata where both almost invisible. They really need to raise to a whole another level as they were practically useless. It became painfully apparent how toothless their attacking was after the visitors took the lead - ManU really couldn't even put pressure on the Swansea defense on the last 20 minutes that followed. I'd say Januzaj was their best threat upfront but the youngster really needs to learn how to pass the ball. Maybe RVP can spark things up when he returns but as for now I won't be backing these guys on any matchup.

Arsenal on the other hand has some potential. They kept the visiting Crystal Palace to a minimal amount of chances although one goal was allowed. The attacking end was a tiny bit lacking but to be fair they missed (IMO) their most important player Özil which will help alot on that front. I can definetely see a bright start for the Gunners.

ManC was lucky to walk away with the points against Newcastle. I was surprised to see how bad their defense looked like as Newcastle was all over them for pretty much the whole second half - only bad finishing held them back and thus the 0-2 final score as Aguero scored the second one for the visitors on added time. I can definetely see City having problems keeping a clean sheet playing like this going forward... though often they'll still trump the opposition as their attacking end is anything but bad. Still I'll probably have a punt on them to concede a goal on upcoming matches - the odds are usually quite juicy.

As for tonights matchup Burnley-Chelsea: The visitors aren't really known for their overpowering performances on road and with the newly promoted side starting the season at home I reckon it's not so clear cut win for Chelsea as many would suspect. Also judging by pre-season records Chelsea's defense isn't at it's prime atm as they allowed a goal on five out of six matches. I hope the home support will carry Burnley to score their first goal of the season and with odds around evens for them to score I'll take that bet.

 

[chuchu59]

The way they are going, even bringing in Angel Da Maria will not get ManU into the CL places let alone the PL championship. Go Arsenal go.

 

[suomikala87]

Burnley 1-3 Chelsea

First half was very action packed with the host pressing hard from the beginning which resulted in a 1-0 lead on the 14th minute (and my bet won - yeeeah). After that Chelsea put their foot on the gas and it quickly become apparent that there was indeed a huge class differense - Burnley's defense melted like butter and at halftime we already had the final score of 1-3.

On the second half I saw a familiar Mourinho's Blues crew on the field. They basicly just wasted time the whole 45minutes and didn't even try to attack. Burnley on the other hand lacked the skill to be a real threat now that the visitors were firmly defending with every player. It was truly stuff of football nightmares - like watching paint dry but worse. I think Chelsea had one shot (even it was off goal) during the whole 45minutes. Truly a disgusting 2nd half of a football game if I ever saw one but the bottom line is that the visitors take three points and everyone still gets full pay even if they only played one half of the match....


... IMO it's disrespectful against the spectators (/fans) that in top competitive football we see stuff like this. Definetely left a bad taste in my mouth. Oh, well... I'll get over it and this kind of play will repeat itself now and again to get me going again

 

[edwardNT]

I root for Arsenal as well, ManU are on the way down and nothing can stop their fall this season as well.... those guys will rebuild for looooooooooooooooooong time

 

[PNEFOREVER2]

I so hope Burnley get relegated,for obvious reasons. Will be nice to see them become the whipping boys of the premiership, reckon they will drop with the lowest amount of points ever recorded, beating Derby's tally of 11 points in 2007-08.

 

[suomikala87]

If Burnley's defense is really that bad what it looked like on the first half of the Chelsea game then you just might get your wish PNEFOREVER2. Especially the first goal for the visitors was just plain hilarious: three Burnley defenders all followed the ball like headless chickens and left Costa all alone

 

[suomikala87]

Nothing really struck my eye today on the betting side of things so I decided to make a cheeky triple to get some more excitement out of the tv games. Over 2.5 goals on all three of the following games with total odds around 7.30 (medium stakes).

Aston Villa - Newcastle United

Biggest concern for me is the fact that both top strikers Benteke and Kozak are still missing from the home side. Still they looked surprisingly good against Stoke on their last outing so I trust them to be a threat up front again here. Also now at home I reckon they'll play more attacking style of football which also opens up chances for the visitors.

Also Newcastle had a good showing on their latest match but ultimately bad finishing touches saw them leaving the game empty handed against Manchester City. Today the opponent is a notch or two easier and with a similar performance I definitely see them breaking the egg today.

Swansea - Burnley

Swansea must be very excited to play their first home game after picking up three points against Manchester United on the first game of the season. They looked good upfront and pretty solid at back. Burnley on the other hand got totally dominated against Chelsea and IMO the same isn't too far from happening again tonight.

Expect Swansea to mostly run things and take advantage of poor visitors' defense. On the other hand Burnley didn't look totally lost when attacking so clean sheet for the home side is far from a done deal.

Everton - Arsenal

Everton's defense leaked during the pre-season and the same continued on the season opener drawing 2-2 against newly promoted Leicester. If they continue like that they could be in for a long night today against strong Arsenal. Especially as the visitors are likely to have their World Cup winners back today (Özil, Podolski, Mertesacker). Also the fact that Arsenal captain Arteta is missing today is a good one for a goal rich game. He is the definition of a defensive midfielder.

Now I don't see Everton giving up the points on a silver platter either and the visiting side did play during the week against Besiktas (champions league qf) so they are likely to be more tired. Goals are the best pick here.

Best of luck everyone - hoping for plenty of goals today

 

[suomikala87]

Not so close one that triple bet as the first game ended 0-0 ruining the whole thing. They were some chances to score but bottom line is that I overestimated Aston Villa by a mile. They played extremely defensively - especially on the second half they lost the attacking side of the game totally. Newcastle on the other hand was just poor (again) with the finishing touches. Oh, well... maybe next time!

Ultimately I went on to lost three bets today but luckily over 3.5 goals where scored on the Everton - Arsenal game so I managed to make a little profit. The home side was in a comfortable lead at ht (2-0) but at the same time their tactics changed to a lot more defensive one. Basically Everton shot themselves to the foot as Arsenal went on to score those two goals to tie the game.

Still quite nervous going from all the teams and a lot of basic passing errors etc. going on. I reckon we'll see an increase to the level of play in the upcoming weeks as the teams start to get more glued together if you will.

 

[suomikala87]

Tottenham - QPR

I fancy Spurs to come out guns blazing here against QPR. Tottenham's first game was quite a scrappy one but they did manage to fade a penalty and ultimately went on to score the winning goal on extra time. Their defense hasn't really dazzled anyone (judging by the reports) and missing Kyle Naughton won't help on that front (he took a red card against West Ham). Still Tottenham should clearly have the upper hand here as their lineup is very strong especially on the offensive end of the field.
Spurs played on thursday at Europa League qf against AEL but the fatigue shouldn't be too much of an issue as many key players didn't play.

QPR on the other hand lost at home against Hull to start the season. The result (0-1) against a team like that is hardly ideal but the home side had plenty of chances to take some or all the points. So they weren't totally lost on the field though Hull also had their fair share of chances. Today QPR's opponent will be a lot harder and I really don't expect them to take anything from this match.

I'm going for goals here as I see both teams scoring and Tottenham winning with more than one goal. Over 3.5 goals has quite juicy odds around 3.3 offered so I'll bite

 

[suomikala87]

Sunderland - Manchester United

ManU was a huge let down on their first outing and I reckon much isn't changed here. Especially on the defensive side they have a lot of work to do and players injured that I can't see it improving today against Sunderland. The Red Devils will also miss three important midfielders with Herrera, Garrick and Fellaini all sidelined. It's not all bad news though as Robin van Persie is fully fit and should provide a much needed boost on the offensive end of the field.

Sunderland drew their first game 2-2 visiting West Brom as their opening match. IMO nothing surprising here as their defense is still far from impressive and on the other hand Fletcher and co. are a threat upfront against most teams.

I see goals here - looking for Sunderland to take advantage of visitors leaky defense and on the other and RvP should provide ManU with more chances up front. I hope the home side takes the bull by the horns here as ManU isn't at a good place atm and there are points to be had from the former powerhouse team. Over 3.5 goals with odds around 3.20 is my pick.

 

[suomikala87]

Yesterdays games went pretty well. Tottenham totally dominated winning 4-0 against QPR. The end result is flattering to the visiting side as they basically just gave up and the Spurs on the other hand missed a lot of great chances + after 3-0 their tempo also slowed to a halt.
The Sunderland-ManU game looked good enough for plenty of goals after the score was already 1-1 at ht. Ultimately none were scored on the second half as the teams seemed pretty pleased with the draw. Especially the home team looked very reluctant to go on the offensive - IMO just too much respect to the ManU name here again. The Red Devils are still a mess.

Manchester City - Liverpool

City's first home game of the season coming off a win against Newcastle. They didn't show anything special on the road but as the visiting side leading at ht it's quite normal tactics to sit back the second half. Liverpool on the other hand had their hands full against Southampton though managing a 2-1 win in the end. Their midfield and especially their defense didn't impress anyone.

Liverpool's defense looks atleast as vulnerable as it did at times during last season (just epic meltdowns). Now without Suarez they also have some adjusting to do on the attacking end. Manchester is a whole another story as their team hasn't been through huge changes and seasons first home game won't hurt their motivation either. City is a class above in a normal day anyway and I reckon Liverpool could be in a lot of trouble tonight. Home team to win with two or more goals for me at odds around 3.00.

 

[suomikala87]

City managed a 3-1 win so I'm happy but it was far from a dominating performance although being 3-0 up at 69' minute. Liverpool was especially better on the opening half and looked quite dangerous on the offensive end through out the match. Though it was quite apparent that the Reds lack a finishing touch - maybe the new signing Balotelli will help on that side (he wasn't rdy to play yet).
Manchester's defense on the other hand wasn't in it's usual rock solid form. They were in full panic mode when the visitors scored their first and a second one was almost handed to them on a silver platter. I'll count myself lucky to get away with a winning bet on this one

The next matches are on saturday so if nothing unexpected happens I'll try and share some of my views/bets on the games.

 

[PhilAyl]

Think Liverpool will struggle to make the top 4 again this season. Balotelli is undoubtedly a great signing for them and will get a few however he's not (quite) on the same level from a goal scoring and assists perspective as Suarez. Still he's still fairly young so plenty of time to develop. Great to have him back in the premiership, keeps things interesting

Thought there might be a few goals tonight so had a little wager on over 4.5 at 7/2, kind of sums up my football betting that it finished 3-1!

 

[suomikala87]

Thought there might be a few goals tonight so had a little wager on over 4.5 at 7/2, kind of sums up my football betting that it finished 3-1!

Haha, yeah - those can be pretty annoying (losing an over bet due to one goal) especially if there is a huge chance/s missed. Missed penalty stings quite a bit.

I had one near miss on the opening of Bundesliga when I bet on Wolsburg to score atleast two goals (they scored only one). This one left me quite stunned:




The ball can be too round at times

 

[PhilAyl]

Ouch!! Saw that one posted on a different forum, will be a good candidate for miss of the season! and exactly the type of way I would lose a football too...

Backed over 2.5 in the Friday night Dutch games pretty much every Friday last season. Got a few quid from it the season before, only came nearly close on one occassion last season. Was a miserable season for wins overall, nearly made me give up my football betting career... (until this season started again )

 

[suomikala87]

I spent the day fishing so missed the early games but seems ManU drew 0-0 visiting Burnley - hope everyone missed that mine as from the first round it has been painfully apparent how bad The Red Devils are doing. Di Maria played for 70 minutes but wasn´t the rainmaker they where hoping for (yet atleast).

Everton - Chelsea

Both of the team´s defenses haven´t been impressive so far. Chelsea´s last 2-0 win over Leicester was anything but easy although the end result is something you might expect. The visiting team had plenty of good chances to score including two breakaways if you will but the finishing was poor. Everton´s defense also looks to be very vulnerable - on their last game Arsenal scored two times practically out of nowhere with one man inside the box (surrounded by the Everton defense).
Now put those defenses against very capable offensive lines and we should have some goals here. Diego Costa is fit to play for Chelsea (he missed a few practices this week). What is a bit worrying is that Everton strikers Etoo and Lukaku are still to be estimated and not sure if they are able to play. I´ll still roll the dice here for goals as the odds have gone up with few bookmakers offering as high as 3.80 for over 3.5 goals.

 

[lotusch]

I have a single bet on 2-1 win for Everton..
Chelsea in great form and they look confident this year but to win a few pound one has to bet the not so obvious results..

Like last week when MK Dons thrashed Man Utd 4-0..

1250/1 and a brother of one of my colleague's placed that bet at the local bookie here and I think he got even paid more,something like 1500/1 as he won 3 grand on a 2 Euro bet!