Would Liverpool take a point?

It's not their style right now, but Liverpool should be content to take the draw at home to Chelsea on Sunday. They will beat Newcastle at home on the last day, and although away to Crystal Palace is tougher than many would have expected, you'd have to think Liverpool should win there too.

Not that Brendan Rodgers should play for the draw. Do that and they'll lose - players just don't know how to play for a draw from the start of a game. If it's 1-1 with 10 minutes left, fine, shut up shop. But Liverpool are top and are playing fantastic football - they need to stick with what they know best.

Plus, if Jose Mourinho plays a weaker team, you have to get after them. Mark Schwarzer is 41, he can only dive so many times before he breaks a hip!

Then there's the other end of the spectrum. Sunderland at home to Cardiff. The visitors may take a point, but Sunderland need all three. Games are running out and while it's hard to see Norwich or Aston Villa getting many more points, they do already have points on the board.

No one can win the League this weekend, and no on can go down, but don't take your eyes of the games this weekend - unless you were going to watch Stoke v Tottenham. It will probably end up 5-4, but no one will care.

Allardyce and Jol don't want the draw

We're only 12 games into the Premier League season, but West Ham v Fulham is huge for both teams already. West Ham have only won twice this season in the league, and their defense - which was keeping them in games - is now suffering key injuries and a loss of confidence. They also can't score goals. Kevin Nolan needs to play off a front man. He has never had pace, but feeds of scraps from a center forward or crosses into the box. West Ham are just not creating chances like that with Andy Carroll, but Sam Allardyce needs to change the formation and personal to deal with it. He claimed a lot of credit for playing 6 in midfield away at Spurs when the Hammers won 3-0, but hasn't adapted again since then. Lose again at home and you can bet the boos will be ringing around Upton Park.

Martin Jol won't just get booed if he loses, he'll probably get fired. Rene Meulensteen has already been brought in as a coach, and he'll get the job if they lose to West Ham on Saturday, or maybe after the Spurs game on Wednesday. Fulham just haven't really progressed as a team this season. Scott Parker was a good addition, but he's getting on, as is Darren Bent. Unfortunately for Fulham, they seem to be aging as a team, and not in a good way. Instead of using the experience of Berbatov, Hangeland and Parker, they are just showing that they are older, slower and less able to produce what they did a couple of years ago. Fulham are very dependent on the Bulgarian and he's a match-winner at his best - but maybe he doesn't have much of his best left.

It's a huge game for both teams, but you have to feel Fulham would be much happier with a point away from home. West Ham need to win - and win again at Palace on Tuesday. Otherwise they'll be facing a very difficult Christmas period with nowhere near enough points on the board.

Spurs also need something against Manchester United this weekend. After getting beaten by 6 by Manchester City last weekend, they need not only a result, but a performance. It would be stupid to sack Villas-Boas after allowing him to spend a boat load of money, but they need something. Goals would be a good start.

The league is starting to take shape, and the top 4 look like they could be the top 4 (with one other wildcard or Manchester United) at the end of the season.

***

Too many good American traditions have meant the Geezer has taken his eye off the ball in Europe this weekend. I'll be watching, but the turkey and red wine mean that any attempt at analysis or observation has gone out of the window. 

Beer, wine and food take precedence sometimes. Deal with it.

Perspective from the Geezer; Torres Back? Or Lucky?

Torres is back, we all knew he had to break his drought. Form is temporary, class is permanent, etc. etc.

Give it a rest. While she may not have been able to get there, my grandmother would have scored that 90th minute goal. He anticipated the mistake, finished nicely, but it doesn't put him back on form. You can say he set up the first goal, but counter that with the sitter that he missed.

But I'm happy for him, and hope he gets a run in the team and starts to rediscover his best - but the media really needs to tone it down. I should call the blog the Perspective Geezer.

As for Joe Hart, get used to some splinters from the bench. A few too many mistakes recently, and even if this one wasn't really down to you, your defenders are nervous around you right now.

***

Manchester United won a game and sit 2 points behind City and 8 off the top. Crisis over? No, there was never one in the first place. There was a huge overreaction from the United players, fans and David Moyes after their 3-2 comeback win over Stoke. Yes, the same Stoke that had scored 4 goals in 8 games prior to Saturday.

***

We should be talking about Arsenal, Chelsea and Liverpool. They all stepped up over the weekend to win games that have troubled them over the past few seasons. Arsenal took care of Crystal Palace, when maybe last year Arteta's (harsh) sending off would have seen them crumble. Liverpool scored some top quality goals and have two strikers that are really on top form. They are enjoyable to watch, can't defend, but can score easily - they may be a little short in the title run, but the foundations are there. And then there's Chelsea. Mourinho is a nutcase, but plays his role really well. He jumped into the crowd, celebrated like a real fan and gets the juices flowing. He's the pantomime villain, and loves it. And it's great, how can you not like him, or hate him - and both work.

***

Sunderland won, but will still struggle. Palace have lost 8 of 9 (only beating Sunderland), and then there's going to be one other in my opinion. There are plenty of candidates, but Norwich, Cardiff and Hull are my picks at the moment, although it's still very early. 

Liverpool and Newcastle heading in different directions

It's back, it's back.

No-one cared about those pesky qualifiers, allowing Mexico yet another chance to qualify, or anything like that.

All we wanted was club football back. Ok, that's not technically true as there were some great games, high drama and a few good goals too.

***

The Premier League kicks-off with Newcastle v Liverpool - which has some great (relatively) recent history - but now pits too teams who seem to be going in different directions. Liverpool look like a fun, exciting team to watch, with players that will always create chances. Newcastle have Loic Remy,  Hatim Ben Arfa and Yohann Cabaye. That's it. When they don't play well, they look a shocking team. Papiss Cisse seems a shell of the player he was, and I don't expect much after coming back from trying to help Senegal qualify for Brazil 2014.

The drama at Newcastle is not really in the dressing room, but in the board room. Alan Pardew doesn't know if he's coming or going. If someone can explain what Joe Kinnear does, I'd love to know. It's not personal with him, he just doesn't have a place in modern football. He could be the boss of the Crazy Gang, because things were different then. I doubt he knows much about how the game works now, and maybe knows less than the 'confused' Spurs-fan chairman Mike Ashley.

Suarez and Sturridge are firing for Liverpool right now, but I think they miss Coutinho. Creating chances for them isn't a problem, but they need more from Victor Moses, Joe Allen and Jordan Henderson once the fixture list starts piling up.

West Ham v Man City is the other game that stands out to me, but most of my interest will be in whether teams can find some consistency after the International break. Arsenal were playing well, Spurs need a win and Gus Poyet has to get his team going. The next month should be interesting.

***

I hope Gareth Bale gets going against Malaga - the pressure isn't on yet, but it will be if he doesn't start producing by Christmas. Barcelona and Atletico are still 100%, with 8 wins from 8 in La Liga. Let's see who falters first.

Roma v Napoli tonight kicks of the weekend nicely, with Porto v Sporting Lisbon an interesting game in Portugal. 

There's so many games on this weekend, that I think the delivery man is going to be kept busy. 

Will Bale play in the Madrid derby? Does Jose miss Fergie?

Will Gareth Bale play in the Madrid derby this weekend? With help from referees, Real probably don't need him as they'll get another 95th minute penalty if the result isn't going their way anyway. Someone should let the officials know that General Franco died in 1975, so they don't need to fear being sent to a forced labor camp if they don't give Real all the decisions. Oh wait, there is money involved? Bribery and match fixing? Or you just want to be loved by millions of fans rather than the 50,000 that the smaller clubs have?

Anyway, getting off topic. Bale has already earned close to $1.5 million in his brief time with Real Madrid, and I'm sure he'll want to start showing he's worth the money. He's not fit, but he'll have to be on his game if Real are to beat Atletico. Diego Costa, Raul Garcia and David Villa have led Atletico to a perfect 6 wins form 6 to start La Liga, keeping them tied with Barcelona and 2 points ahead of their city rivals.

Should be a great game on Saturday night.

***

The early game on Saturday in England pits Porto's best two managers of recent times against each other. Jose Mourinho takes his Chelsea team to White Hart Lane to face Andre Villas-Boas' much improved Spurs team. The two managers have been having a little spat ahead of the game, but most of that is probably due to the face Jose misses Alex Ferguson. He's got no-one to really duel with anymore, and he's tired of calling Arsene Wenger a 'voyeur'. 

Spurs seem to know their best XI, although Jermain Defoe must be pushing for a start as he keeps scoring whenever he gets a chance. Mourinho on the other hand has a lot of options, but can't seem to get his strikers to find their form yet. I'd go with Torres, but Eto'o is likely to play (and he's due a goal)/

Steer clear of the Sunday games, there's nothing to see there. Not too much else on the Saturday either, although it will be interesting to see if Manchester City can maintain some of their recent form, and wether United can win against West Brom without van Persie or any other creative players (as Kagawa still can't get a start).

***

The pick of the other games in Europe for me is the Turin derby. Juventus against Torino should be a good game, and I'm interested to see Alessio Cerci who is the top scorer with 5 in Serie A so far.

Geezer's weekend review

 So, where to start?

The Premier League is back, Manchester United are going about their business despite David Moyes' complaints about the fixture list (he's sounding like old red nose Taggart already!).

Chelsea and the 'Understated One' did their job. Spurs followed suit, with straight forward wins for Liverpool and West Ham. A few surprise results for Fulham, Everton and Southampton, but I expect teams in the so-called 'middle league' (I am coining that phrase, even if it doesn't catch on) to all take points from each other all season - so nothing is really a surprise.

Arsenal are trying to sign everyone on Monday - a little late, but i think Arsene Wenger has finally realized that it's not 2004, he can't get Henry on loan again, and his team is distinctly average. Laughing at Arsenal is easy (and I hope we continue to do so), but I did respect how they did business and tried to build a team. Unfortunately for them, the game has become so rich that they have to dig deep and buy. They were very poor on Saturday, and despite the second penalty being a terrible decision, they weren't unlucky.

***

What to say about La Liga that hasn't been said? Barcelona won 7-0, Messi was great, Neymar got an easy debut - but seriously, the Geezer could get 20+ as a striker in that team. Even Fernando Torres might get into double figures.

Real Madrid made hard work of Real Betis on Carlo Ancelotti's first game as coach. Isco looked a great signing, but he should be for almost $40 million.

***

And amongst other things.... Falcao supposedly wants out despite Monaco winning their first two games. Ibra and Laurent Blanc are struggling so far, with PSG drawing their first two games (he's off to the Premier League, trust me!). There are 5 teams in the Bundesliga who have won their first two games - no prizes for guessing that Bayern Munich and Borussia Dortmund are two of them.

***

But regardless of my negativity about everything being predictable, it was still a great weekend. far too many games were watched, NBC made a solid start in the US and my team won - so more than a few beverages were consumed, a rendition of 'We are top of the league' was sung and everyone in the Geezer household was happy - at least until next weekend!  

A level playing field now Fergie has gone?

The Premier League may be more interesting this year

Still 3 divisions within a division, but balance of power may shift again

Where to start?

Will David Moyes fail? Can he succeed after Fergie? Sell Rooney, sign Ibrahimovic - that's my solution. He's got to win something or the tabloids will label him a failure - and I think he'll be a failure!

Manchester City have made the big signings - Navas, Negrado, Jovetic and Fernandinho should all start, although with Aguero and Dzeko, Pellegrini will struggle to get the right rotation, much as Mancini did.

Chelsea have 47 midfielders, so Lampard to the LA Galaxy rumors will start as soon as he misses a match. Mourinho will no doubt spice things up a bit, but the league needs that after how boring it was last year.

Can Arsenal be relevant even if Arsene doesn't spend? He got rid of Gervinho and Andre Santos, so they at least can't be worse than last year.

And then there's Spurs. Fifth again no doubt, maybe lower if they sell Bale. I'd like to see them break the top 4, and they are much closer than Liverpool or Everton.

Middle table teams will be the same - Newcastle, West Ham, Stoke (although hoping Mark Hughes messes it all up again and takes them down).

Not sure why, but I think Fulham could struggle this year. If Berbatov is off, they may not have enough, and there is always one strange one. It could be Sunderland as no-one (not even the manager) knows who they are signing - could be great, but who knows? Hull and Crystal Palace will go down, but Cardiff should really challenge Swansea for a place in the top half.

Whoever I missed out - Norwich, West Brom, Aston Villa, Southampton, should be fine and probably fit in that tier with Newcastle and West Ham. One of these will struggle and be involved in the relegation battle - probably Southampton or West Brom (especially with no Lukaku).

I can't wait for it to start - especially as it actually may be interesting this year now that Fergie can't bully referees into a couple of extra minutes, a dubious penalty or a harsh red card.

Pelotas' Pondering: Deuce, MLS got it right

Clint Dempsey comes home to a 'new league'

Now that we've had time to digest the massive Clint Dempsey signing, it's looking more and more like MLS circles, including hardcore and casual supporters, agree that his capture is a historic signing for the young and growing league.

After reading the excellent Sports Illustrated article by the one and only Grant Wahl that detailed the extraordinary events of the last couple of weeks, I have to agree with Wahl and many other footy writers that this has to rank as the top signing in the 18-year journey of MLS.

You see, Dempsey is only 30 years old. He's made his mark with Fulham, flirted with Liverpool and ended up at Tottenham, where it was expected that--prior to signing with Seattle Sounders--he'd see little time with Spurs as they've been tapping the transfer market for additional reinforcements. 'Deuce' had a decent outing in his six years in England but he definitely has a couple of years left for top-flight competition.

But it's interesting to see that Deuce himself sought out a move back home, according to the SI story. That speaks volumes about the league and its stature. Yes, the money had to be right for him but to even consider that an MLS team would shell out cash for a transfer fee was unfathomable just a decade ago. It also helps that he'll be partnering up with his BFF, Eddie Johnson, and barring an epic collapse by the U.S. national team, both Deuce and EJ should be in Brazil next year.

That gives them ample time for chemistry, ideas and, most importantly, continuous playing time. Sure, Jurgen Klinsmann would've probably preferred his captain and one of the top American players the nation has produced somewhere in the vicinities of European football but Deuce was made here in MLS. The league--with all of its questionable officiating, lack of technical abilities in some matches and an occasional and unnecessary intrusion by the league front office (You Suck, A..hole!)--is growing by leaps and bounds in many aspects that many leagues around the world would strive for.

Deuce believes in MLS, MLS believes in Deuce. Now the world should take notice and believe too.

Wonder if Everton and Roma are interested in talking about bringing home some more of our boys.

-Tio Pelotas