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Premier League Headlines
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Are Aston Villa a team in mini crisis or relegation scrap ?
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Revisiting our earlier prediction that Manchester City will be impacted by VAR !!
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Is Pochettino one game away from sack ?
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Premier League Headlines ( In Details )
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Are Aston Villa a team in mini crisis or relegation scrap ?
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Aston Villa team had started with high hopes of return to premier league with a bang. They had made investments into the squad and managed to retain talented players who were getting attention from top clubs. However, with recent dip in form questions are getting asked whether Aston Villa can survive relegation scrap.
Dean Smith has had to deal with an injury headache. Jack Grealish’s calf issue has sadly rumbled on for a few weeks now and each time there’s an expectation that the 24-year-old will return, he doesn’t. There is no news on injury status of Tom Heaton and Bjorn Engels on how minor or serious their calf and hip issues are. During match against Wolves, Villa were dealt further blows during the match when first Jed Steer then Matt Targett were forced off.
On positive side, one man is ready to hand him a boost when international break ends. Aston Villa’s Jota has issued an injury update as he battles back from a hernia operation. He could be back as indicated by video on Instagram of him doing sprinting drills with strength and conditioning coach Paddy Moore.
The club may also get some positive vibes with statement from their player Trezeguet. Trezeguet said “I’m loving it here (at Aston Villa), it’s a huge club and terrific supporters. I think the fans here are amazing and always positive. They support us at the game if we win, lose or draw. I always want to make them happy, and I hope we do lots of times between now and the end of the season.”
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Premier League Museum Editor Notes: Aston Villa team has given some extremely good performances against top clubs like Liverpool and Tottenham. However, it’s a results business and the club should start feeling concerned that performances as well as results are not coming against teams which are in relegation battle along with them. The international break has come at a good time regarding injuries. They have a few who can do a decent job to cover injuries but need quality reinforcements in January.
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Revisiting our earlier prediction that Manchester City will be impacted by VAR !!
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At the start of season, PREMIER LEAGUE MUSEUM had made a prediction that Manchester City’s style of play means they may be the most impacted by VAR in 2019/2020 season. Let’s revisit that claim.
Manchester City vs Tottenham: This match was highlighted by two incidents. The first being Rodri being manhandled and shoved to the ground by a Spurs defender in the first half. Raheem Sterling could be seen asking the referee why it wasn’t a penalty as the referee had a clear view of the incident. The referee tapped his ear as if to say ‘I’ve not been told by VAR’ and played on. The second incident was the goal. City scored what looked like the winning goal , yet VAR decided (eventually after how long?) that the goal couldn’t stand because it had brushed Aymeric Laporte’s arm on it’s way to Gabriel Jesus. VAR seemed to be nicely in effect there, but not for the penalty. Were they asleep in the first half? Quite how any official could miss the blatant Rodri incident yet spot a handball in a fast moving incident is beyond anyone’s logic.
Manchester City vs Liverpool: If above was consistent law of handball in VAR ruling, what happens if the ball accidentally hits a defender’s arm, then 20 seconds later his team scores. Should that be disallowed because the handball led to a goal? Well that question was answered on Sunday with a resounding no. There was a suggestion that Bernardo Silva handled accidentally a split second before the main incident, but because it didn’t lead to a goal, the ref played on. Should the goal be disallowed and free kick should have been awarded to Liverpool ? The second goal also looked to be offside, but yet again, VAR didn’t seem to check this. When Sterling scored at West Ham on the opening day, his goal was disallowed after a lengthy VAR check, yet there was no evidence of this happening against Liverpool.
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Premier League Museum Editor Notes: Pep had bore a frustrated look after loss against Liverpool. He blamed inconsistent VAR and its officials for not giving fair decisions to his team. Knowing Pep and his history of abandoning missions which are beyond football, this season or next could potentially be last for Pep in premier league too. Remember he left Spain as he could not handle the off football rivalry with Mourinho and Bayern Munich was too predictable for him to manage as his coaching methods meant nothing for a league that was one horse race at the start. Pep looks right on the cusp. The Premier League is so good because best managers like him attract the very best players. Now, if managers start leaving the Premier League because there’s no consistency and it’s a flawed system, there is danger of ruining what premier league has done over the last 25 years .”
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Is Pochettino one game away from sack ?
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The West Ham United game immediately after the international break is now rated as make or break for Tottenham’s campaign, and could even prove decisive for the manager himself.
Mauricio Pochettino is heading towards the point of no return at Tottenham Hotspur as fears grow that he will not be able to salvage their season. He wanted to make big changes this summer, but Tottenham failed to sell the likes of Christian Eriksen, Toby Alderweireld and Danny Rose, while making only three new signings. It could also be a consequence of the fact that Pochettino has given the impression he could eventually walk away after first floating the idea ahead of last season’s Champions League final.
There appears to be concerns over the development of the squad after the appearance in last season’s Champions League final. West Ham have not won in the league since September, but Spurs have not won away from home in the league since January. What makes matters more dubious is Spurs are reluctant to be seen to be giving a vote of confidence and their silence has only strengthened theories that a change is becoming inevitable. Pochettino is understood to have been at Tottenham’s Enfield training centre this week as he attempts to turn around the club’s season.
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Premier League Museum Editor Notes: It would cost chairman Daniel Levy around £12.5 million to sack Pochettino. There is also the issue over who would replace Pochettino midseason with only Max Allegri and Jose Mourinho available. Waiting to the end of the season would widen Levy’s options and give him a more realistic chance of appointing Bournemouth’s Eddie Howe, RB Leipzig’s Julian Nagelsmann, or even England manager Gareth Southgate. Unless Tottenham’s results dip to an extent that survival in premier league is being discussed ( which is highly unlikely), Pochettino is likely to last at least current season with the club. All eyes on what his next destination will be !!
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