What to Watch: Week 9
Now that we can finally not worry about international games for a few months, time to get back to business. The Reds will be taking on Leicester on Sunday 14:15 EST as they try to go on top of the league where they belong. That time slot is spoken for during your weekend but watching one game of Premier League is surely not enough. Need some other key matchups to tune in to? We got some good ones this weekend and here are the ones I would recommend to keep an eye on
Tottenham vs Manchester City
Saturday 12:30 EST
You get to sleep in this Saturday – unless you are trying to get some chores down before settling down to watch this interesting matchup.
Jose Mourinho’s Spurs started the year with a disappointing loss at home to Everton, but have quietly climbed up to second place. If it was not for the late collapse against West Ham, they could be on top of the league. They made some low key signings that have helped them become a team with a bit more fight in them. The team has a lot of firepower going forward, but the defense is prone to key errors at bad times, and can be exploited by a City team that prides itself on possession and attacking.
With an extension signed, Pep has shown that he still believes in this project (or at least in the billions of dollars that fund it). Some pundits were speculating that this era was coming to an end but this extension may prove to be the opposite. They are still within three points of the top spot if they win their game in hand, and still pose the biggest threat to a LFC repeat title. This is definitely an interesting matchup with a lot of quality players on both sides.
Leeds United vs Arsenal
Sunday 11:30am EST
You get to sleep in… again!!!
Arteta takes his Arsenal side to face an exciting Leeds team capable of… well, anything I guess. Leeds might not be consistent with their results, but their exciting brand of football is definitely fun to watch. Marcelo Bielsa has not given up on his team’s all-out-attacking approach which can produce a lot of goals, but sure leaves a lot of space behind for opponents to exploit. I definitely believe this will change over time if the results do not improve. Leeds are tied for most goals conceded so far, and will be facing an Arsenal team that while a bit timid going forward, still has the players to hurt you when given the chance.
Look for Arsenal to try to absorb the pressure from Leeds and hit them on the counter. Between the overly-cautious Arsenal approach and the ‘party hard all night’ attitude of Leeds, it will be interesting to see which style prevails. For the sake of watching goals and more action, let’s hope for the latter. If not… well, at least you got to sleep in.
Wolves vs Southampton
Monday 15:00 EST
If you are working from home (or are able to sneak in a TV or phone while you work) this is an interesting matchup to keep an eye on. Southampton has definitely been one of the bigger surprises of the season so far. The loss of Ings did not hurt them against Newcastle, but it is an entirely different challenge for them to go against Portugal Wolverhampton. There are quality players on both teams. This will definitely be a hard-fought game, as both managers demand a high work rate from their players.
We also get to see our farm team Southampton and contemplate who we should be recruiting from them next. I think what makes this game particularly intriguing is the way both teams approach the game. It is really hard to predict which way it will go.
What matches are you watching this weekend? Is there another match you are keeping an eye on? Let us know your thoughts and predictions on Twitter @ScousersUS
