What The Fans Are Saying – Gameweek 4

This article tries to answer the question ‘What the fans are saying’ for the Gameweek ahead by delving into their forums and unearthing their predictions of how the games will be played.

Fans Predictions

The Manchester derby will be a tense one. Both sets of fans think they’ll edge it, with a 2-1 that could go either way among the most popular predictions. A bore draw is not predicted. The fans all have pre-derby butterflies and their managers’ tactics will be crucial in this game.

Most Middlesborough fans are predicting a low scoring win against Crystal Palace. They are worried by Palace’s recent signings but it hasn’t deterred them from guessing a victory. Their only problems are a couple of players are back late from international duty and hopefully they don’t use a make shift leftback. It sounds like they expect to be more solid at home.

Crystal Palace fans are in two minds about the result following what has been arguably their best transfer window ever. They are happy with the new signings but a lot still think they’ll lose. The more positive fans are going for Christian Benteke to score twice whereas all fans have consistently guessed that Alvaro Negredo will score. Again whatever the score, it will be low scoring. A clean sheet for Palace looks unlikely.

Stoke fans are showing their grit. They’re due a good result against Spurs and they know they can get it. Ryan Shawcross is getting back to normal and they’ve got a good enough team. Stoke have been on a bad run but it all depends on their midfield. Hopefully Joe Allen could be the difference for them. The feeling is that Wilfried Bony may not start this match but is nevertheless a good loan for Stoke for the rest of the season.

Spurs fans recognise the last time they played well was this same fixture last season. They are a shadow of that team but nevertheless think they can sneak a small victory. They are more bothered about getting Moussa Dembele back than this result. They want to send Christain Eriksen to the Himalayas to find his form too. They wouldn’t mind seeing Harry Kane rested.

Arsenal fans are fickle, which pains me as I’m an Arsenal fan. They want Lucas Perez to start for the hated Olivier Giroud. At least they think Santi Cazorla is God. They want a return to the exciting Arsenal and expect Southampton to have their backs against the wall in this game. Ninety percent think it will be a win. There is positivity on the boards again.

Southampton fans are always a bit unhappy. They are a selling club but fear that this year they haven’t done well enough in terms of replacing their sales. There is a lot of  hype about winger Boufal. Apparently a lot of big clubs were after him and he sounds world class. Saints also have some good shooting statistics that give them hope but they still feel they are toothless up front and too exposed at the back. They think they’ll lose to Arsenal though, probably 2-0 or more.

Bournemouth fans have been reading the gossip that Eddie Howe is being lined up as the next Arsenal manager. They don’t see much in that. Bournemouth have some injuries and they are not optimistic of a win when West Brom visit.

West Brom expect a 1-0 away victory with a goal from one of the big guys. There will be no change in style because the more teams attack the better Tony Pulis likes it. It’s a perfect game for Pulis. They think it will be the Jack Wilshere media show with the Baggies hanging on to a slender lead.

Burnley fans had a quiet transfer window that has left their squad short. However, they are used to it. It gives Sean Dyche a small group of players to work with. They expect to get a victory against Hull.

Hull fans also like their chances of a victory. They think it will be a low scoring game where they’ll keep it tight and come away with a result. They want an unchanged team as all the players have earned the right to play, even though they’ve broken their transfer record with Ryan Mason.

West Ham fans are in boisterous mood. The team is looking like it’s old self. They need better ball retention in the final third, which will ease defensive pressures. West Ham never smash teams and this home tie against Watford is probably another one of those games, but they should win.

Watford fans are confident of getting something in this match. They aren’t impressed by the Hammers and think they’re overrated. Last year, Watford made them look ordinary in both fixtures. A few do fear Dimitri Payet but  some believe he’s just a one-season wonder. They do want to change the three at the back formation in the future.

Liverpool beat Leicester 1-0 in this fixture last season and could scrape a win again but they have to learn how to break these teams down. Leicester will counter-attack, which could cause problems. Riyad Mahrez versus James Milner also doesn’t inspire them.

Leicester fans think they have a good chance of a win. It could be high scoring and almost all are predicting at least two goals for their side.  They are scared of Sadio Mane, especially if he starts roaming as a second striker, and are hoping he takes a wing role as Christian Fuchs should be able to contain him. Predictions are any score you can think of.

Swansea fans know this will be a tough game against Chelsea. They can’t really figure out how Swansea are playing at the moment. They hope Mo Barrow can cause some problems and they need to swamp Chelsea’s defensive midfielder N’golo Kante and stop Eden Hazard to have a chance here. I think they’ve conceded defeat as they brace themselves for a tough run of games.

Chelsea fans are confident but not boisterous. A simple 2-0 victory will be fine with them. They are more interested in what the future team will be after a busy transfer window for the Blues and are extremely confident of a victory in this match.

Sunderland fans say their squad is short of quality. Outside of the first eleven it’s just inexperience and old crocks. They have most players available except their transfer record N’Dong, who will be suspended. They have predicted a low scoring match, of  1-1, 2-1 or 1-2 without mentioning tactics.

Everton fans are very happy with how they’ve started the season. They expect three points against a Sunderland team who look woeful in attack. They really like having Idrissa Gueye in their midfield, he’s been a revelation so far and they think with the other defensive changes they’ve made they shouldn’t concede many this year. Predictions are around 0-2 and upwards. The players are fitter this year too.

Conclusion

A lot of edgy matches this weekend, except for perhaps Chelsea, Arsenal and Everton. It’s a week to have good players; quality should win most games.

Who to captain? Eden Hazard looks good as Swansea are still looking shaky in defence. Alexis Sanchez is the next on the list. Southampton’s weakness is always down their wings and their strong underlying defensive statistics may be masking long term frailties.