Premier League: Trick or Treat
The season is over, Chelsea can already be crowned as Champions – Treat
There you have it, I am on the record saying that I believe this season is already over. Give them the trophy and all the medals, Chelsea have won the Premier League title.
Look, I know that the season is young, but there is no better team in England and I don’t see that changing all season long. Not only does Chelsea have wonderful players that make watching football more entertaining than any movie which has been in theaters all year, but they are coached by a man who has a stronger will to win than most people have a will to stay alive.
Jose Mourinho knows how to win championships and he has the players necessary to do just that. He has proven this season that he can win matches in blowout fashion or he can win matches in the way we all think of the prototypical Mourinho match, 1-0.
Simply stated, Chelsea is the best team in the Premier League. Manchester City may be close behind, but Chelsea are so good that the six point cushion they already have over City will be too much for the defending champions to overcome.
Chelsea will go undefeated – Trick
Look, we are only nine matches into a 38 match season. To say that Chelsea will not stumble through one of the remaining 29 matches is insane. They are the best team in the EPL, but that doesn’t mean they can’t even be beaten.
We don’t know how long Diego Costa and Loic Remy will be out. What happens if Eden Hazard or Cesc Fabregas also get a knock at some point in the season?
If you could give me a guarantee that every Chelsea star would remain healthy and fit the rest of the season, then I might agree that the West Londoners could become just the second “Invincible” team, but even if I knew they could all stay healthy, I still don’t think I would put my money on an undefeated season.
There are too many matches and far too many variables, plus, every team is bound to have an off day.
But let me throw this one out at you. The only EPL manager to have an entire season without a loss is Arsene Wenger. I can’t think of anything Jose Mourinho would rather do than take that title away from Wenger and put his name up with the Arsenal Manager.
Heading into week ten of the Premier League<\/strong> season, we are at a point where we still do not know everything, but we are starting to feel like maybe, just maybe, we know something. Every year some teams and players start off hot but eventually cool down while others take a while to start warming up.<\/p>\n Even though I do it every year, it truly makes no sense to make a bunch of pre-season predictions in August before any team has stepped foot on a football pitch. Already, many of my pre-season picks have been proven wrong, while others are making me look like a genius, maybe almost as special as Jose Mourinho<\/strong> himself.<\/p>\n Today is the last day of October, and wouldn’t you know it, the last day of October just happens to be Halloween this year. So as we head into week 10, I decided it was time to have a special Halloween article as I take a look at a few of the early season happenings in the English Premier League and I decide whether it is a trick (something that will be over soon) or a treat (something that will continue on all season long).<\/p>\n If we think about the Premier League as a four part play, we are just finishing up act one and still have yet to begin act two. There is still a ton of football to be played and I can attempt to determine what is real and what is fake, but just like any good play, movie, or book there will surely be plenty of twist and turns in the narrative of this Premier League campaign.<\/p>\n I’m positive that whoever is writing this season’s script has oodles of unpredictable changes ahead for us in the upcoming weeks and months.<\/p>"},{"title":"Premier League: Trick or Treat - Page 2","permalink":"https:\/\/playingfor90.com\/2014\/10\/31\/premier-league-trick-treat\/2\/","shortCodeTitle":null,"content":"<\/a> Photo Courtesy of Twitter @ChelseaFC\n The season is over, Chelsea can already be crowned as Champions – Treat<\/strong><\/p>\n There you have it, I am on the record saying that I believe this season is already over. Give them the trophy and all the medals, Chelsea have won the Premier League title.<\/p>\n Look, I know that the season is young, but there is no better team in England and I don’t see that changing all season long. Not only does Chelsea have wonderful players that make watching football more entertaining than any movie which has been in theaters all year, but they are coached by a man who has a stronger will to win than most people have a will to stay alive.<\/p>\n Jose Mourinho knows how to win championships and he has the players necessary to do just that. He has proven this season that he can win matches in blowout fashion or he can win matches in the way we all think of the prototypical Mourinho match, 1-0.<\/p>\n Simply stated, Chelsea is the best team in the Premier League. Manchester City<\/strong> may be close behind, but Chelsea are so good that the six point cushion they already have over City will be too much for the defending champions to overcome.<\/p>\n Chelsea will go undefeated – Trick<\/strong><\/p>\n Look, we are only nine matches into a 38 match season. To say that Chelsea will not stumble through one of the remaining 29 matches is insane. They are the best team in the EPL, but that doesn’t mean they can’t even be beaten.<\/p>\n We don’t know how long Diego Costa<\/strong> and Loic Remy<\/strong> will be out. What happens if Eden Hazard<\/strong> or Cesc Fabregas<\/strong> also get a knock at some point in the season?<\/p>\n If you could give me a guarantee that every Chelsea star would remain healthy and fit the rest of the season, then I might agree that the West Londoners could become just the second “Invincible” team, but even if I knew they could all stay healthy, I still don’t think I would put my money on an undefeated season.<\/p>\n There are too many matches and far too many variables, plus, every team is bound to have an off day.<\/p>\n But let me throw this one out at you. The only EPL manager to have an entire season without a loss is Arsene Wenger<\/strong>. I can’t think of anything Jose Mourinho would rather do than take that title away from Wenger and put his name up with the Arsenal<\/strong> Manager.<\/p>"},{"title":"Premier League: Trick or Treat - Page 2","permalink":"https:\/\/playingfor90.com\/2014\/10\/31\/premier-league-trick-treat\/3\/","shortCodeTitle":null,"content":"<\/a> Photo Courtesy of @BBCsport\n Southampton and West Ham United are Top Four Contenders<\/strong><\/p>\n Southampton – Treat<\/strong><\/p>\n Before you go all crazy on me, reread the question. I am not predicting that Southampton will actually finish in the top four, I am simply saying that they have the chance to contend at the end of the season for a top four position. I think down the road in March and April, Southampton may still be lurking near the top four in fifth or sixth position.<\/p>\n I am not totally convinced that The Saints are going to have another free fall like the one they had last season. Last year Southampton had a similar start to the season but eventually fluttered out of contention and back towards the middle of the table.<\/p>\n I have written about it before<\/a>, this year’s version of Southampton is better and improved upon last year’s team. Additionally, many of the teams we are accustomed to seeing in or around the top four appear to have taken a step back this season.<\/p>\n Tottenham Hotspur<\/strong>, Liverpool<\/strong>, Manchester United<\/strong>, and Everton<\/strong> all look frail and weak in their first handful of matches. But while I have no idea what is going on with Liverpool and Spurs, United and Everton look like they may be starting to figure things out.<\/p>\n Southampton has a difficult task ahead of them and I would be pleasantly thrilled if the Saints finished in or near the top four, but there are plenty of other teams gunning for that spot and even though I expect them to be close, I don’t think they make a Champions League spot. But maybe Europa League.<\/p>\n West Ham United – Trick<\/strong><\/p>\n Even though The Hammers have been one of the most enjoyable surprises of the season so far, I don’t believe they are 100% for real and truly ready to make a late season run at a Champions League position.<\/p>\n A successful year for the East Londoners will be to start the new year in 2015 and already know that they are out of the relegation battle and are safe in the Premier League for another season.<\/p>"},{"title":"Premier League: Trick or Treat - Page 2","permalink":"https:\/\/playingfor90.com\/2014\/10\/31\/premier-league-trick-treat\/4\/","shortCodeTitle":null,"content":"<\/a> Photo Courtesy of Twitter @LFC\n Neither Merseyside Club Will Play in Europe Next Season – Trick<\/strong><\/p>\n I am shocked with the team Liverpool has turned into this season. I realize Luis Suarez<\/strong> is gone now, but how can it be that the absence of Suarez has turned this club into a completely different team? Maybe it’s because they are a completely different team. They took the Suarez money and bought so many players that it is going to take them a while to all get on the same page. They are in a similar situation to Manchester United. So many new players that we can’t expect them to suddenly meet last season’s standard.<\/p>\n As a side note, I think the play of Liverpool this year, more than anything, has shown us just how special that Luis Suarez season was last year. His activity on the field and his goal scoring ability nearly single-handeldy led Liverpool to a title.<\/p>\n The fact that Suarez has been left off the Ballon d’Or<\/strong> short list is ridiculous. Leaving Suarez off the list and thus saying he is not one of the best 23 footballers in the world is a farce and completely discredits the award in my eyes. I’m not one bit happy and am ready to boycott the Ballon d’Or.<\/p>\n Just a couple of miles down the road, Everton seems to have a hit a bit of a bright patch over the last couple of matches. The Toffees started the season poorly with several matches against title contenders and were all the way down in 17th position near the relegation zone.<\/p>\n But after a couple of good wins, Everton find themselves back in the top half of the table. I never bought into the idea that Everton would contend this season for the Champions League, but maybe their best way into the UCL is to win the Europa League.<\/p>\n I don’t belive either team will finish top four and get into the Champions League, but a spot in the Europa League next season seems to be the right sport for one or both of these clubs to end up.<\/p>"},{"title":"Premier League: Trick or Treat - Page 2","permalink":"https:\/\/playingfor90.com\/2014\/10\/31\/premier-league-trick-treat\/5\/","shortCodeTitle":null,"content":" Luis Suarez will return to England, this time as a zombie – Treat<\/strong><\/p>\n To finish off, I leave you with this Halloween treat. Evidence that Luis Suarez truly is a flesh eating zombie. He may have left Liverpool for Barcelona<\/strong>, but he is back in England to chomp his teeth into anyone who stands in his way.<\/p>More from Playing for 90<\/b><\/h4>\n\t
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