Week 1

Team Sheets and tactics due by COB Thur
Predictions due Fri. Results done Mon

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Arsenal v Man City
Sunny, 15 Degrees, 10mph Winds

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Arsenal
Manager – Luke

Team:

------------------ Szczesny ------------------
----------------------------------------------
Sagna ---- Dunne (c) ---- Vermaelen ---- Gibbs
----------------------------------------------
------------------ De Jong -------------------
------------ Wilshere ---- M.Arteta -----------
-- Walcott ------------------------- Cazorla --
----------------------------------------------
------------------ Van Persie -----------------


Subs:

Fabianski
Jenkinson
Mertesacker
Barton
Ramsey
Benayoun
Bent

Tactics:

General:
Possession. Possession. Possession.
Short passing, movement off the ball, triangles all over the pitch, keeping the ball on the deck, patient build up play, wait for the right moment to probe, don't force the issue. Defend as a team from the front. Walcott and Cazorla to assist full backs. Look to use pace of Walcott to get in behind opposition defence.

Defence:
Szczesny to command his area - be very vocal and come for crosses. Encouraged to look for short options rather than kick long. Dunne and Vermaelen stay tight together. Dunne to go meet the ball, Vermaelen sweeping in behind. Dunne to stick to Dzeko and beat him in the aerial battle. Whole defence to defend as a unit. Gibbs and Sagna first job is to defend, but when we are in possession provide an outlet out wide.

Midfield:
De Jong is the destroyer - sitting deep protecting the back four and keeping Aguero under wraps. Wilshere asked to keep his position and dictate play from deep. Arteta given a free role with license to find space. Receive ball to feet and look to hit the channels for our pacey front three. Use triangles to take players out of the game and attack from there. Don't be afraid to go backwards and start again. Tire opposition down by making them chase the ball.

Attack:
Walcott to stay wide and look to get in behind defence. Attack Clichy at will. Cazorla given more license to come inside and create. Van Persie to play the compete forward role - look to position himeslf on Kolo and give him a hard time. Cazorla and Arteta try to get in that hole behind RvP and feed cute little passes behind the defence.

Set Pieces:

Defending:
Corners - All bar Walcott back. FB's on the post. Man marking. Dunne, Vermaelen and RvP to take biggest players. Cazorla on the edge of the box. Look to counter attack straight away.

Free Kicks - All bar Walcott back. Szczesny to dictate wall. Man marking in the middle. Look to counter attack straight away.

Attacking:
Corners - Two CB's go forward. Full backs stay back. Cazorla to take from both sides. Mix up whipped crosses, short routines etc. Keep the ball away from opposition GK.

Free Kicks - Within range RvP/Cazorla to have a shot. Out of range take it short, retain possession, start again if we need to.

Subs:

Winning:
Ramsey > Arteta - 70 mins - Retain possession, play a bit deeper.
Barton > Wilshere - 75 mins - Shift to 4-2-3-1. Barton and De Jong play deep.
Bent > RvP - 80 mins - Hold ball up, stretch back four and run ball into corner.

Losing:
Bent > De Jong - 60 mins - 4-4-2. Wilshere and Arteta in the middle, Bent playing off the shoulder of last man and RvP in behind him. Wingers play wider.
Benayoun > Walcott - 75 mins - Try to create something out of nothing.
Ramsey > Wilshere - 80 mins - Play more attacking.

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Man City
Manager – Pull

Manchester City team & tactics (vs Arsenal)

Starting Team and Formation

------------------ J. Hart -------------------
--------------------------------------------
Richards --- K Toure ----- Lescott ---- Clichy
--------------------------------------------
------------ Barry (c) -- Y Toure -----------
--------------------------------------------
- D. Silva -------- Aguero -------- Arshavin -
--------------------------------------------
------------------ Dzeko -------------------

Subs:

GK Stuart Taylor
LCB Danny Higginbotham
DM Owen Hargreaves
CM Sergio Busquets
AM James Milner
WG Angel Di Maria
ST Gonzalo Higuain

General Tactics

This is my first game in charge. I encourage you all to read my full tactics to get a flavour of the way Man City will be playing this coming season.

I've released the shackles from the players and told them to go and express themselves and impress me. No player is guaranteed their position under my reign, so everyone will have to perform well today. The weather suits us and compliments our style of play.

We'll be strong and competitive at the back, snuffing out their attacks. Barry will form the foundation to play from in midfield. We'll use the pace on the wings to get around the back of Arsenal and create space for our finishers.

We have a wealth of talent on the bench who I will be looking to get on at some stage. I felt that for the first game of the season it was important to not rush newcomers in.

This is a big game for us, and one we're relishing. I have asked for to see creative, expressive football but this shouldn't be at the expense of the result. The two should go hand in hand - good football leads to good results. The three points is what I'm after today.

Player roles

Goalkeeper: Joe has grown in stature in recent years and provides some much needed confidence and stability at the back. He will be strong in his area, commanding crosses and corners. Joe is one of the best shot stoppers in the game, so if he was to come into a one on one situation, we are confident of his abilities.

Full Backs: Initially Richards and Clichy will play defensively and see what Arsenal are about. They will look to feed the wingers and let them go forward. After the game opens up a bit, they will be given a licence to go forward and overlap the wingers to create some space down the flanks.

Centre Backs: The emphasis will be on strength and organisation for Kolo and Lescott today. Constant communication will enable them to wipe out any attacking threats from the opposition early. Both are fantastic athletes and will be able to keep this up for the game.

Centre Midfielders: The two in the middle complement each other brilliantly. Barry can play the holding role and gobble up balls like a hungry hippo. Yayas the link man that brings the defence and attack together.

Wingers: The wingers offer pace, skill and flair. They've been encouraged to take people on and get involved at every opportunity. Aguero and Yaya will often be looking for support out wide and they need to offer themselves. Arshavin is up for this more than most, playing his old side. It is important also to remember their defensive duties - they need to work hard and get back to help out. Di Maria on the bench will be gagging to come on so they both need to work hard.

Support Striker: Aguero offers that something different, that spark of class. His partnership with Dzeko has worked well, and he offers a sublime attacking threat individually . He is also a workhorse, and will get back to make tackles and protect his side.

Striker: Dzeko is a class striker who, with the right service, will put opportunities away. He'll link with the wingers and Aguero to create chances and make useful runs behind the Arsenal defence. Higuain will be looking to make an impact off the bench.

Plans

If winning after an hour: Keep going for ten minutes an pile the pressure on. Then calm it down, but don't get lazy. Bring on Di Maria for Arshavin, adding pace down the wings and pinning Arsenal back. Busquets to come on for Yaya and work his socks off, elimating any threats. Higginbotham on for Lescott or Kolo, whoever is blowing. He adds real experience and focus at the back.

If losing after an hour: Bring on Busquets for Barry straight away and switch to 4-4-2. Higuain to come on for Dzeko and run the tired defence ragged. Milner can be used to cover any of the midfielders due to his versatility.

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Everton v Newcastle
Heavy Rain, 14 Degrees, 13mph Winds

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Everton
Manager – Hodgey

------------------------------ Howard ------------------------
--------------------------------------------------------------
Heitinga --------- Jagielka (c) --------- Juan ----------- Baines
--------------------------------------------------------------
-------------------- Rodwell --------- Cahill ------------------
Pedro R ---------------------------------------------- Coleman
--------------------------------------------------------------
------------------- Zamora ----------- Benzema --------------

Hahnemann
Neville
Distin
Drenthe
Osman
Barkley
Anichebe

General:
We want to play simple, yet effective, football. We will not be frightened to shoot if the opportunity arises, that is to the player's discretion. We must continue to pressurise the man on the ball and play at a fast tempo - especially early on - whilst maintaining discipline and using our brains. We're a good little side which can be excellent if we keep focused, disciplined and hard-working.

Defence:
Tight. Discipline. Man-marking. Three simple rules for the defenders to follow to allow us to keep a clean sheet today. We must be especially wary of the threat Newcastle's strikers pose which makes pressurising the man on the ball and man-marking at all times essential. It is vital today that the defence work as a unit rather than individuals. Howard in goal is expected to marshall the defence and be extremely vocal at all times - it's his job to tell the defenders if there is a gap since he can see all of the game in front of him.

Midfield:
It is again vital for the midfield to work as a unit. We will have two banks of four, the defence and the midfield, and each player has a responsibility to track back. It is essential that our midfield men, especially Cahill who will play slightly more advanced than Rodwell, pressurise Newcastle's sitting midfielders to minimise their time on the ball to pick a pass. Rodwell will sit in front of the back four and protect them, playing a simple destroyer's game and dishing the ball out simply. Pedro and Coleman are free to flourish and use their pace and skill but must remember to track back with their men.

Strikers
Both are good in the air, both are good with their feet, and both are encouraged to have a dig at Krul whenever possible. Benzema will look to make incisive runs behind the back four whilst Zamora will act as the target man. It is important that both remain calm and composed and don't just waste the ball or force a pass - it is ok to hold it and pass backwards. Encouraged to wind up the defenders and make their day hell with constant nuisance running.

Substitutes
If winning:
Cahill > Neville, DM, at 70 mins.
Pedro > Drenthe, RW, at 75 mins.
Zamora > Barkley, CAM, at 75 mins.

If losing:
Rodwell > Barkley, CAM, at 70 mins.
Coleman > Drenthe, LW, at 70 mins
Cahill > Anichebe, CF, at 85 mins (Barkley sit in CM).

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Newcastle
Manager – Driver

-------------------- Krul -------------------
-------------------------------------------------
R Taylor- Colocinni(c) -- S Taylor --- Santon
-------------------------------------------------
Gosling-------- Tiote ------- Cabaya -----Johnson
---------------------Villa----------------------
--------------------- Ba --------------------

Subs; Harper , Williamson , Simpson , Anelka , Ben Arfa , Crouch , Jonas

Tactics

Newcastle to look to play a conservitave game plan and control the game from the off with Tiote and Cabaye controlling the tempo in horrid conditions. In our own half we will look to keep the passes short and simple and keep possestion. In the opposition half we will look to use Gosling , Johnson and Ryan Taylors delivery to pump balls into the box in a game which visibility will be severy reduced and using the arial ability of Ba to cause Howard problems.

Cabaye and Tiote will look to come forward and join the attack at every opportunity with Villa taking the shackles off and given freedom to roam and pop up and put the Everton defense is 6s and 7s.

Key points:

Colocinni , Saylor , Krul , Raylor , Cabaye , Tiote , Johnson , Villa , Jonas , Ba are all in great form in real life

Attack focused bench - we will not let off for the 90 minutes running the Everton defense ragged

Subs:

If Losing :-

Jonas for Gosling - 55 mins
Crouch for Ba - 65 mins
Ben Arfa for Cabaya 75 mins

If Winning

Williamson for Ba - 75 minutes (Williamson to drop into centre back with Villa pushing further up front)
Simpson for Santon - 70 minutes (Raylor to LB , Simpson to RB)

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Aston Villa v Liverpool
Light Rain, 13 Degrees, 12mph Winds

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Aston Villa
Manager – Fisher

---------------------------------------GIVEN----------------------------------------------------

ANYUKOV---------------SHAWCROSS---------------------COLLINS---------------------TAIWO

-------------------------PETROV (c)-------------SONG------------------------------------

GERVINHO--------------------------------------------------------------------KALOU

--------------------------AGBONLAHOR-------IBRAHIMOVIC-------------------------------------

GER

Subs:

John Ruddy
Stephen Warnock
Carlos Cuellar
Josh McEachran
Marc Albrighton
Charles N'Zogbia
Marouane Chamakh

TACTICS:

4-4-2 Counter attack, quick tempo, short passing.

SUBS:

Winning:
Agbonlahor off, McEachran on (60 mins, McEachran moves in to CM infront of Song and Petrov)
Gervinho off, Albirghton on (80 mins, straight swap down the right, but plays a bit further back)

Losing:

Agbonlahor off, Chamakh on (60 mins, straight swap upfront, Chamakh plays as poacher)
Song off, N'Zogbia on. (70 mins, N'Zogbia plays as an AM, much further forward, tries to create)

DEFENCE:

Man Marking. Given commads area. 2 CB'S go forward and use their ariel ability on set peices. Stay tight. Both are strong. Shawcross leads defence and organises, following Suarez's movement. Collins sticks to Forlan. Lots of communication between the two of them. Anyukov stays back and tracks Downing, not allowing him to put crosses in. Taiwo is in the team for his pace against Navas, should match him. When attacking, he can get forward to cause opposition problems.

MIDFIELD:

Petrov is captain and should see alot of the ball. Use his passing to find Kalou and Gervinho. Song is box to box, gets very stuck in but can also get forward at times. Quick, short passing, trying to find Ibrahimovic. Gervinho uses trickery down the right and should out pace Liverpool LB. Can come inside sometimes and shoot but mostly will be hitting on the break and try to find Agbonlahor. Kalou will cut insde and shoot alot but also try to combine with Ibrahimovic.

ATTACK:

Ibrahimovic is my main man, world class player. He sits slightly further back as he can create and do something special. Midfield will feed him and he will try and find Agbonlahor or wide players runs. He will be a massive presence in the box and should use his head and his feet to try and score goals. Agbonlahor is all about pace, so will play o the last man. Midfield will pay him in, beat offside trap and finish things off. Can go wide and swap with Kalou.

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Liverpool
Manager – Pav

Starting XI
------------------------------------- Reina ------------------------------------
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Johnson ----------- Carragher ---------------------- Alex ---------------- Enrique
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
-------------------- Gerrard ----------------------- Adam ----------------
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------
--- Navas -------------------------- Suarez ----------------------- Downing ----
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------
------------------------------------ Forlan --------------------------------------

Substitutes
Paul Robinson
Daniel Agger
Martin Kelly
Jordan Henderson
Dirk Kuyt
Maxi Rodriguez
Andy Carroll

Tactics:
Gonna look to play counter attack with this one. Villa's front men will be a dangerous combo and we'll need to counter that.

The aim of the CB's will be to stick with their men and ensure they stay goal side of the attackers. Full backs know what they are capable of so they need to prove it and be on their guard and only push forward when the team is on the attack.

Gerrard and Adam will look to win the midfield war. Both need to get stuck in and close down Villa's more creative outlets to try and limit their attacking threat. When in attack, look to Gerrard to distribute the ball out wide and get the ball swiftly moving when presented with a counter attacking opportunity.

The wide men will be important for our plans. The aim will be to look to their pace to stretch Villa's back line and feed balls into the front 2. When on the defensive, they'll need to drop back and help out their respective full backs.

The front 2 will have complete freedom to roam and make themselves difficult to mark. Forlan will generally spearhead the attack but will look to link up with Suarez and fathom chances for us.

Subs:

If winning: Carroll on for Forlan - 70 mins

If loosing: Carroll on for Downing - 70 mins
Kuyt on for Navas - 70 mins.

Almost play a 4-2-4 with Suarez and Kuyt moving wide with Carroll and Forlan down the middle

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Chelsea v Tottenham
Sunny, 15 Degrees, 10mph Winds

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Chelsea
Manager – Follow

---------------------------------- Cech -----------------------------
----------------------------------------------------------------------
Ivanovic ---------- Cahill -------------------- Terry ----------- A Cole
----------------------------------------------------------------------
--------------------------------- Essien ------------------------------
----------------------------------------------------------------------
--------------------- Ramires ------------- Lampard ------------------
----------------------------------------------------------------------
------------ Robben -------------------------------- Mata ------------
--------------------------------- Torres ------------------------------

SUBS:
R.Green
D.Luiz
J.Bosingwa
D.Fletcher
B.Bannan
F.Malouda
D.Sturridge

TACTICS:

General Tactics:

Get the ball on the ground and look to play fast attacking football. Look to keep and retain possession as much as possible, keep the ball moving whenever we have it, stretch the Spurs defence and perform to the best of your ability.

Defence:

Cech will look to command his area, should come for as many corners or crosses as he can, he should be very vocal and should talk to JT and Cahill as much as possible. Terry will lead the team from the back, he should look to go for every first ball and win any aerial battles. Cahill will slot in behind him as the deeper of the two, he will be the last line of defence and if John doesn't win the first ball he should be there to win the second. Ivanovic and Cole will look to get forward and join attacks as much as possible, although Ashley will be the more attacking of the two. If one full back is pushed far forward the other one steps back, and if both go far forward then Ramires will look to cover in for one of them.

Midfield:

The midfield have to work together at all times as the midfield battle will be the most important today. Essien will need to tackle hard and look to win the ball back for the team. He sits infront of the back 4, and provides the vital protection and balance a winning team needs. He will look to dominate the game from the start, Spurs have a strong array of attacking midfielders and Essien will have to protect the defence by stopping the threat of them. Ramires will be the link-up man in midfield, he will come deep and receive the ball from the defence and look to play the ball through to our attacking players. He will use his excellent engine and work-rate to play as a box-to-box midfielder. Lampard will be given a free role, and will be the main attacking threat from the midfield. He joins attacks whenever possible and plays the way he has done for years, late runs into the box and has licence to have a shot from distance whenever he wants.

Attack:

The two wingers are the main supply to Torres and we will look to get them the ball as much as possible. They will get the ball down and attack the Spurs back-line whenever the can. They will also look to mix it up throughout the game, sometimes getting the ball down the by-line and getting crosses in but they can also come inside and look to influence the game more centrally, allowing the full-back to provide width. Torres will look to play off the last man at all times. We will look to build everything off him so it is vital he is the vocal point up top at all times. However, he should look to make runs wide now and again with Frank filling the gap up top.

Subs:

70 minutes:

Whatever the score - Sturridge on for Torres - straight swap

If winning - Fletcher on for Ramires - Fletcher and Essien form a partnership in DM and Lampard plays just ahead of them

If drawing/losing - Bannan on for Ramires - straight swap

75 minutes:

Whatever the score - Malouda on for Robben - straight swap

Captain - John Terry
Penalties - Frank Lampard
Free Kicks - Frank Lampard
Corners - Juan Mata

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Tottenham
Manager – Fernando

------------------Friedel
Walker - Dawson - Gallas - assou ekotto
------------- Parker -------- Modric
Lennon -------------- VDV -------------- Bale
--------------------Eto'o

subs
Gomes
King
Corluka
Huddlestone
Sandro
Adebayor
Defoe

Team talk
it's the 1st game of the season and i want you guys to go out and show why you deserve your place in the side, we've got a competitive squad for the season so should be solid

Defence
I expect you to keep a deep line to stop pacy front men getting in and the wing backs to help the wingers up the pitch

Midfield
I want the two defensive midfielders to watch for lampard + Mata coming through the midfield but with having modric playing from a deep laying playermaker role feeding it out to wingers and into VDV , The wingers are going to need to track back other wise we're going not going to see much of the ball today

Forward
I want you to make runs in behind the defence you should be backed up by the wingers and VDV , If you get onto one defender make it terry as he's terribly slow

subs
65mins defoe + Adebayor for vdv and Parker if losing

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Stoke City v Man Utd
Sunny, 13 Degrees, 12mph Winds

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Stoke City
Manager – Guv

STOKE CITY Starting XI (versus Manchester United (H) )

---------------------- Foster -----------------------
vd Wiel ----- Woodgate ---- Upson ----------- Bridge
---------------------- Veloso -----------------------
-------------- Meireles ----- Schwein' ---------------
-- Nasri ----------------------------------- J.Cole --
---------------------- Tevez -----------------------

Subs
Sorensen
Shotton
Wilkinson
Huth
Etherington
Walters
Jones



General:
Dominate the midfield with a view to retaining possession. This is United's weakest area. We outnumber them and have greater quality overall. Keep the ball, make United's central midfielders work hard and draw their wide men inside where they are less dangerous.

Defence:
4 of the back 5 are English internationals, the fifth is a Dutch international who speaks excellent English. Communication between the back 5 will be key to maintain shape and discipline against United's attack. Expect the main danger to come from wide. Our wide men will assist the full backs when United have possession. Long balls will be met by Upson with Woodgate sweeping behind as necessary.

Midfield:
The key area. Veloso will break up United's attacks and keep the passes simple and short to ensure possession is retained once won. We outnumber United in central midfield and will use the greater numbers and quality to maintain possession and drag United's wide men inside plus Rooney deep to weaken their attacking options. Schweinsteiger has licence to support the attack when we have possession. Meireles to support his compatriot Veloso in central midfield and link play. One of Schweinsteiger or Meireles will always stay deep alongside Veloso to counter United's ability to break fast when our attacks break down.

Strikers
Tevez to lead the line and draw United's centre halves out of position. He knows them well from his days at United and knows their weaknesses. Nasri and Cole to support Tevez. Both have licence to come inside and swap flanks but both need to provide a wide option once we win the ball back. If the ball goes out to one flank, the opposite wide man will move inside to support Tevez.

Substitutes:
If winning:
Etherington ---> J.Cole LW at 70 mins, fresh legs to assist LB and counterattacks
Huth ---> Woodgate RCB at 75 mins, greater strength and ariel ability to counter late United attacks

If losing:
Etherington ---> Meireles at 70 mins, Etherington to LW, J.Cole to RW, Nasri RCM to provide more flair centrally.
K.Jones ---> J.Cole at 80 mins if still losing, switch to 4-4-2 with Veloso/Schwein CM, Nasri RW, Cole LW, Jones/Tevez ST.

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Man Utd
Manager – Kam

Man Utd Starting X1 vs Stoke (A)

-------------------De Gea-------------------

Jones--------Rio--------Vidic--------Evra
---------------------------------------------
-Nani------Mascherano----Cleverly----Young
-----------------------------------------------
--------------Rooney----Hernandez


Subs
Kuszczack
Smalling
Rafael
Carrick
Valencia
Berbatov
Wellbeck

General:
Counter-attacking will be our main tactic as Stoke would want to show their midfield dominance but we have the personel to sustain the attack and then attack their fullbacks at all opportunities with our wingers. We play simple but at fast tempo.

Defence:
The CB pairing are well experienced and organised to know how to deal with the attacking threat of Tevez along with their dangerous wingers. Evra and Jones will be well protected with Young and Nani who assist them when they dont have the ball.

Midfield:
Mascherano will be hovering in between the midfield and defence to minimise threat and help the defence when needed. When we do not have the ball the midfield drops and Rooney also comes into midfield to help not being outnumbered and hurry the opposition. Nani and Young to attack the fullbacks and supply to Hernandez as often as possible

Strikers:
Rooney may be the main outlet but Hernandez will be the key player as he will always be off the last defender (Inzaghi style) and when on 1v1 he will come out on top.

Substitutes:
If winning:
Hernandez off 75 for Berbatov
Cleverly off 75 for Fletcher

If losing:
Cleverly off for Valencia (Nani pushes up further forward and Mascherano drops deeper)
Hernandez off for Berbatov

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---

---

Marker

-------------------- Krul -------------------
-------------------------------------------------
R Taylor- Colocinni(c) -- S Taylor --- Santon
-------------------------------------------------
Gosling-------- Tiote ------- Cabaya -----Johnson
---------------------Villa----------------------
--------------------- Ba --------------------

Subs; Harper , Williamson , Simpson , Anelka , Ben Arfa , Crouch , Jonas

Tactics

Newcastle to look to play a conservitave game plan and control the game from the off with Tiote and Cabaye controlling the tempo in horrid conditions. In our own half we will look to keep the passes short and simple and keep possestion. In the opposition half we will look to use Gosling , Johnson and Ryan Taylors delivery to pump balls into the box in a game which visibility will be severy reduced and using the arial ability of Ba to cause Howard problems.

Cabaye and Tiote will look to come forward and join the attack at every opportunity with Villa taking the shackles off and given freedom to roam and pop up and put the Everton defense is 6s and 7s.

Key points:

Colocinni , Saylor , Krul , Raylor , Cabaye , Tiote , Johnson , Villa , Jonas , Ba are all in great form in real life

Attack focused bench - we will not let off for the 90 minutes running the Everton defense ragged

Subs:

If Losing :-

Jonas for Gosling - 55 mins
Crouch for Ba - 65 mins
Ben Arfa for Cabaya 75 mins

If Winning

Williamson for Ba - 75 minutes (Williamson to drop into centre back with Villa pushing further up front)
Simpson for Santon - 70 minutes (Raylor to LB , Simpson to RB)

4 BQ starting...

That is 4 BQ isn't it?

2 x Taylor, Gosling & Johnson.

It wasn't originally.

Ah, OK.

Team:

------------------ Szczesny ------------------
----------------------------------------------
Sagna ---- Dunne (c) ---- Vermaelen ---- Gibbs
----------------------------------------------
------------------ De Jong -------------------
------------ Wilshere ---- M.Arteta -----------
-- Walcott ------------------------- Cazorla --
----------------------------------------------
------------------ Van Persie -----------------


Subs:

Fabianski
Jenkinson
Mertesacker
Barton
Ramsey
Benayoun
Bent

Tactics:

General:
Possession. Possession. Possession.
Short passing, movement off the ball, triangles all over the pitch, keeping the ball on the deck, patient build up play, wait for the right moment to probe, don't force the issue. Defend as a team from the front. Walcott and Cazorla to assist full backs. Look to use pace of Walcott to get in behind opposition defence.

Defence:
Szczesny to command his area - be very vocal and come for crosses. Encouraged to look for short options rather than kick long. Dunne and Vermaelen stay tight together. Dunne to go meet the ball, Vermaelen sweeping in behind. Dunne to stick to Dzeko and beat him in the aerial battle. Whole defence to defend as a unit. Gibbs and Sagna first job is to defend, but when we are in possession provide an outlet out wide.

Midfield:
De Jong is the destroyer - sitting deep protecting the back four and keeping Aguero under wraps. Wilshere asked to keep his position and dictate play from deep. Arteta given a free role with license to find space. Receive ball to feet and look to hit the channels for our pacey front three. Use triangles to take players out of the game and attack from there. Don't be afraid to go backwards and start again. Tire opposition down by making them chase the ball.

Attack:
Walcott to stay wide and look to get in behind defence. Attack Clichy at will. Cazorla given more license to come inside and create. Van Persie to play the compete forward role - look to position himeslf on Kolo and give him a hard time. Cazorla and Arteta try to get in that hole behind RvP and feed cute little passes behind the defence.

Set Pieces:

Defending:
Corners - All bar Walcott back. FB's on the post. Man marking. Dunne, Vermaelen and RvP to take biggest players. Cazorla on the edge of the box. Look to counter attack straight away.

Free Kicks - All bar Walcott back. Szczesny to dictate wall. Man marking in the middle. Look to counter attack straight away.

Attacking:
Corners - Two CB's go forward. Full backs stay back. Cazorla to take from both sides. Mix up whipped crosses, short routines etc. Keep the ball away from opposition GK.

Free Kicks - Within range RvP/Cazorla to have a shot. Out of range take it short, retain possession, start again if we need to.

Subs:

Winning:
Ramsey > Arteta - 70 mins - Retain possession, play a bit deeper.
Barton > Wilshere - 75 mins - Shift to 4-2-3-1. Barton and De Jong play deep.
Bent > RvP - 80 mins - Hold ball up, stretch back four and run ball into corner.

Losing:
Bent > De Jong - 60 mins - 4-4-2. Wilshere and Arteta in the middle, Bent playing off the shoulder of last man and RvP in behind him. Wingers play wider.
Benayoun > Walcott - 75 mins - Try to create something out of nothing.
Ramsey > Wilshere - 80 mins - Play more attacking.

Manchester City team & tactics (vs Arsenal)

Starting Team and Formation

------------------ J. Hart -------------------
--------------------------------------------
Richards --- K Toure ----- Lescott ---- Clichy
--------------------------------------------
------------ Barry (c) -- Y Toure -----------
--------------------------------------------
- D. Silva -------- Aguero -------- Arshavin -
--------------------------------------------
------------------ Dzeko -------------------

Subs:

GK Stuart Taylor
LCB Danny Higginbotham
DM Owen Hargreaves
CM Sergio Busquets
AM James Milner
WG Angel Di Maria
ST Gonzalo Higuain

General Tactics

This is my first game in charge. I encourage you all to read my full tactics to get a flavour of the way Man City will be playing this coming season.

I've released the shackles from the players and told them to go and express themselves and impress me. No player is guaranteed their position under my reign, so everyone will have to perform well today. The weather suits us and compliments our style of play.

We'll be strong and competitive at the back, snuffing out their attacks. Barry will form the foundation to play from in midfield. We'll use the pace on the wings to get around the back of Arsenal and create space for our finishers.

We have a wealth of talent on the bench who I will be looking to get on at some stage. I felt that for the first game of the season it was important to not rush newcomers in.

This is a big game for us, and one we're relishing. I have asked for to see creative, expressive football but this shouldn't be at the expense of the result. The two should go hand in hand - good football leads to good results. The three points is what I'm after today.

Player roles

Goalkeeper: Joe has grown in stature in recent years and provides some much needed confidence and stability at the back. He will be strong in his area, commanding crosses and corners. Joe is one of the best shot stoppers in the game, so if he was to come into a one on one situation, we are confident of his abilities.

Full Backs: Initially Richards and Clichy will play defensively and see what Arsenal are about. They will look to feed the wingers and let them go forward. After the game opens up a bit, they will be given a licence to go forward and overlap the wingers to create some space down the flanks.

Centre Backs: The emphasis will be on strength and organisation for Kolo and Lescott today. Constant communication will enable them to wipe out any attacking threats from the opposition early. Both are fantastic athletes and will be able to keep this up for the game.

Centre Midfielders: The two in the middle complement each other brilliantly. Barry can play the holding role and gobble up balls like a hungry hippo. Yayas the link man that brings the defence and attack together.

Wingers: The wingers offer pace, skill and flair. They've been encouraged to take people on and get involved at every opportunity. Aguero and Yaya will often be looking for support out wide and they need to offer themselves. Arshavin is up for this more than most, playing his old side. It is important also to remember their defensive duties - they need to work hard and get back to help out. Di Maria on the bench will be gagging to come on so they both need to work hard.

Support Striker: Aguero offers that something different, that spark of class. His partnership with Dzeko has worked well, and he offers a sublime attacking threat individually . He is also a workhorse, and will get back to make tackles and protect his side.

Striker: Dzeko is a class striker who, with the right service, will put opportunities away. He'll link with the wingers and Aguero to create chances and make useful runs behind the Arsenal defence. Higuain will be looking to make an impact off the bench.

Plans

If winning after an hour: Keep going for ten minutes an pile the pressure on. Then calm it down, but don't get lazy. Bring on Di Maria for Arshavin, adding pace down the wings and pinning Arsenal back. Busquets to come on for Yaya and work his socks off, elimating any threats. Higginbotham on for Lescott or Kolo, whoever is blowing. He adds real experience and focus at the back.

If losing after an hour: Bring on Busquets for Barry straight away and switch to 4-4-2. Higuain to come on for Dzeko and run the tired defence ragged. Milner can be used to cover any of the midfielders due to his versatility.

Tactics updated.

------------------------------ Howard ------------------------
--------------------------------------------------------------
Heitinga --------- Jagielka (c) --------- Juan ----------- Baines
--------------------------------------------------------------
-------------------- Rodwell --------- Cahill ------------------
Pedro R ---------------------------------------------- Coleman
--------------------------------------------------------------
------------------- Zamora ----------- Benzema --------------

Hahnemann
Neville
Distin
Drenthe
Osman
Barkley
Anichebe

General:
We want to play simple, yet effective, football. We will not be frightened to shoot if the opportunity arises, that is to the player's discretion. We must continue to pressurise the man on the ball and play at a fast tempo - especially early on - whilst maintaining discipline and using our brains. We're a good little side which can be excellent if we keep focused, disciplined and hard-working.

Defence:
Tight. Discipline. Man-marking. Three simple rules for the defenders to follow to allow us to keep a clean sheet today. We must be especially wary of the threat Newcastle's strikers pose which makes pressurising the man on the ball and man-marking at all times essential. It is vital today that the defence work as a unit rather than individuals. Howard in goal is expected to marshall the defence and be extremely vocal at all times - it's his job to tell the defenders if there is a gap since he can see all of the game in front of him.

Midfield:
It is again vital for the midfield to work as a unit. We will have two banks of four, the defence and the midfield, and each player has a responsibility to track back. It is essential that our midfield men, especially Cahill who will play slightly more advanced than Rodwell, pressurise Newcastle's sitting midfielders to minimise their time on the ball to pick a pass. Rodwell will sit in front of the back four and protect them, playing a simple destroyer's game and dishing the ball out simply. Pedro and Coleman are free to flourish and use their pace and skill but must remember to track back with their men.

Strikers
Both are good in the air, both are good with their feet, and both are encouraged to have a dig at Krul whenever possible. Benzema will look to make incisive runs behind the back four whilst Zamora will act as the target man. It is important that both remain calm and composed and don't just waste the ball or force a pass - it is ok to hold it and pass backwards. Encouraged to wind up the defenders and make their day hell with constant nuisance running.

Substitutes
If winning:
Cahill > Neville, DM, at 70 mins.
Pedro > Drenthe, RW, at 75 mins.
Zamora > Barkley, CAM, at 75 mins.

If losing:
Rodwell > Barkley, CAM, at 70 mins.
Coleman > Drenthe, LW, at 70 mins
Cahill > Anichebe, CF, at 85 mins (Barkley sit in CM).

Starting XI
------------------------------------- Reina ------------------------------------
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Johnson ----------- Carragher ---------------------- Alex ---------------- Enrique
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
-------------------- Gerrard ----------------------- Adam ----------------
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------
--- Navas -------------------------- Suarez ----------------------- Downing ----
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------
------------------------------------ Forlan --------------------------------------

Substitutes
Paul Robinson
Daniel Agger
Martin Kelly
Jordan Henderson
Dirk Kuyt
Maxi Rodriguez
Andy Carroll

Tactics:
Gonna look to play counter attack with this one. Villa's front men will be a dangerous combo and we'll need to counter that.

The aim of the CB's will be to stick with their men and ensure they stay goal side of the attackers. Full backs know what they are capable of so they need to prove it and be on their guard and only push forward when the team is on the attack.

Gerrard and Adam will look to win the midfield war. Both need to get stuck in and close down Villa's more creative outlets to try and limit their attacking threat. When in attack, look to Gerrard to distribute the ball out wide and get the ball swiftly moving when presented with a counter attacking opportunity.

The wide men will be important for our plans. The aim will be to look to their pace to stretch Villa's back line and feed balls into the front 2. When on the defensive, they'll need to drop back and help out their respective full backs.

The front 2 will have complete freedom to roam and make themselves difficult to mark. Forlan will generally spearhead the attack but will look to link up with Suarez and fathom chances for us.

Subs:

If winning: Carroll on for Forlan - 70 mins

If loosing: Carroll on for Downing - 70 mins
Kuyt on for Navas - 70 mins.

Almost play a 4-2-4 with Suarez and Kuyt moving wide with Carroll and Forlan down the middle

---------------------------------------GIVEN----------------------------------------------------

ANYUKOV---------------SHAWCROSS---------------------COLLINS---------------------TAIWO

-------------------------PETROV (c)-------------SONG------------------------------------

GERVINHO--------------------------------------------------------------------KALOU

--------------------------AGBONLAHOR-------IBRAHIMOVIC-------------------------------------

GER

Subs:

John Ruddy
Stephen Warnock
Carlos Cuellar
Josh McEachran
Marc Albrighton
Charles N'Zogbia
Marouane Chamakh

TACTICS:

4-4-2 Counter attack, quick tempo, short passing.

SUBS:

Winning:
Agbonlahor off, McEachran on (60 mins, McEachran moves in to CM infront of Song and Petrov)
Gervinho off, Albirghton on (80 mins, straight swap down the right, but plays a bit further back)

Losing:

Agbonlahor off, Chamakh on (60 mins, straight swap upfront, Chamakh plays as poacher)
Song off, N'Zogbia on. (70 mins, N'Zogbia plays as an AM, much further forward, tries to create)

DEFENCE:

Man Marking. Given commads area. 2 CB'S go forward and use their ariel ability on set peices. Stay tight. Both are strong. Shawcross leads defence and organises, following Suarez's movement. Collins sticks to Forlan. Lots of communication between the two of them. Anyukov stays back and tracks Downing, not allowing him to put crosses in. Taiwo is in the team for his pace against Navas, should match him. When attacking, he can get forward to cause opposition problems.

MIDFIELD:

Petrov is captain and should see alot of the ball. Use his passing to find Kalou and Gervinho. Song is box to box, gets very stuck in but can also get forward at times. Quick, short passing, trying to find Ibrahimovic. Gervinho uses trickery down the right and should out pace Liverpool LB. Can come inside sometimes and shoot but mostly will be hitting on the break and try to find Agbonlahor. Kalou will cut insde and shoot alot but also try to combine with Ibrahimovic.

ATTACK:

Ibrahimovic is my main man, world class player. He sits slightly further back as he can create and do something special. Midfield will feed him and he will try and find Agbonlahor or wide players runs. He will be a massive presence in the box and should use his head and his feet to try and score goals. Agbonlahor is all about pace, so will play o the last man. Midfield will pay him in, beat offside trap and finish things off. Can go wide and swap with Kalou.

---------------------------------- Cech -----------------------------
----------------------------------------------------------------------
Ivanovic ---------- Cahill -------------------- Terry ----------- A Cole
----------------------------------------------------------------------
--------------------------------- Essien ------------------------------
----------------------------------------------------------------------
--------------------- Ramires ------------- Lampard ------------------
----------------------------------------------------------------------
------------ Robben -------------------------------- Mata ------------
--------------------------------- Torres ------------------------------

SUBS:
R.Green
D.Luiz
J.Bosingwa
D.Fletcher
B.Bannan
F.Malouda
D.Sturridge

TACTICS:

General Tactics:

Get the ball on the ground and look to play fast attacking football. Look to keep and retain possession as much as possible, keep the ball moving whenever we have it, stretch the Spurs defence and perform to the best of your ability.

Defence:

Cech will look to command his area, should come for as many corners or crosses as he can, he should be very vocal and should talk to JT and Cahill as much as possible. Terry will lead the team from the back, he should look to go for every first ball and win any aerial battles. Cahill will slot in behind him as the deeper of the two, he will be the last line of defence and if John doesn't win the first ball he should be there to win the second. Ivanovic and Cole will look to get forward and join attacks as much as possible, although Ashley will be the more attacking of the two. If one full back is pushed far forward the other one steps back, and if both go far forward then Ramires will look to cover in for one of them.

Midfield:

The midfield have to work together at all times as the midfield battle will be the most important today. Essien will need to tackle hard and look to win the ball back for the team. He sits infront of the back 4, and provides the vital protection and balance a winning team needs. He will look to dominate the game from the start, Spurs have a strong array of attacking midfielders and Essien will have to protect the defence by stopping the threat of them. Ramires will be the link-up man in midfield, he will come deep and receive the ball from the defence and look to play the ball through to our attacking players. He will use his excellent engine and work-rate to play as a box-to-box midfielder. Lampard will be given a free role, and will be the main attacking threat from the midfield. He joins attacks whenever possible and plays the way he has done for years, late runs into the box and has licence to have a shot from distance whenever he wants.

Attack:

The two wingers are the main supply to Torres and we will look to get them the ball as much as possible. They will get the ball down and attack the Spurs back-line whenever the can. They will also look to mix it up throughout the game, sometimes getting the ball down the by-line and getting crosses in but they can also come inside and look to influence the game more centrally, allowing the full-back to provide width. Torres will look to play off the last man at all times. We will look to build everything off him so it is vital he is the vocal point up top at all times. However, he should look to make runs wide now and again with Frank filling the gap up top.

Subs:

70 minutes:

Whatever the score - Sturridge on for Torres - straight swap

If winning - Fletcher on for Ramires - Fletcher and Essien form a partnership in DM and Lampard plays just ahead of them

If drawing/losing - Bannan on for Ramires - straight swap

75 minutes:

Whatever the score - Malouda on for Robben - straight swap

Captain - John Terry
Penalties - Frank Lampard
Free Kicks - Frank Lampard
Corners - Juan Mata

------------------Friedel
Walker - Dawson - Gallas - assou ekotto
------------- Parker -------- Modric
Lennon -------------- VDV -------------- Bale
--------------------Eto'o

subs
Gomes
King
Corluka
Huddlestone
Sandro
Adebayor
Defoe

Team talk
it's the 1st game of the season and i want you guys to go out and show why you deserve your place in the side, we've got a competitive squad for the season so should be solid

Defence
I expect you to keep a deep line to stop pacy front men getting in and the wing backs to help the wingers up the pitch

Midfield
I want the two defensive midfielders to watch for lampard + Mata coming through the midfield but with having modric playing from a deep laying playermaker role feeding it out to wingers and into VDV , The wingers are going to need to track back other wise we're going not going to see much of the ball today

Forward
I want you to make runs in behind the defence you should be backed up by the wingers and VDV , If you get onto one defender make it terry as he's terribly slow

subs
65mins defoe + Adebayor for vdv and Parker if losing

STOKE CITY Starting XI (versus Manchester United (H) )

---------------------- Foster -----------------------
vd Wiel ----- Woodgate ---- Upson ----------- Bridge
---------------------- Veloso -----------------------
-------------- Meireles ----- Schwein' ---------------
-- Nasri ----------------------------------- J.Cole --
---------------------- Tevez -----------------------

Subs
Sorensen
Shotton
Wilkinson
Huth
Etherington
Walters
Jones



General:
Dominate the midfield with a view to retaining possession. This is United's weakest area. We outnumber them and have greater quality overall. Keep the ball, make United's central midfielders work hard and draw their wide men inside where they are less dangerous.

Defence:
4 of the back 5 are English internationals, the fifth is a Dutch international who speaks excellent English. Communication between the back 5 will be key to maintain shape and discipline against United's attack. Expect the main danger to come from wide. Our wide men will assist the full backs when United have possession. Long balls will be met by Upson with Woodgate sweeping behind as necessary.

Midfield:
The key area. Veloso will break up United's attacks and keep the passes simple and short to ensure possession is retained once won. We outnumber United in central midfield and will use the greater numbers and quality to maintain possession and drag United's wide men inside plus Rooney deep to weaken their attacking options. Schweinsteiger has licence to support the attack when we have possession. Meireles to support his compatriot Veloso in central midfield and link play. One of Schweinsteiger or Meireles will always stay deep alongside Veloso to counter United's ability to break fast when our attacks break down.

Strikers
Tevez to lead the line and draw United's centre halves out of position. He knows them well from his days at United and knows their weaknesses. Nasri and Cole to support Tevez. Both have licence to come inside and swap flanks but both need to provide a wide option once we win the ball back. If the ball goes out to one flank, the opposite wide man will move inside to support Tevez.

Substitutes:
If winning:
Etherington ---> J.Cole LW at 70 mins, fresh legs to assist LB and counterattacks
Huth ---> Woodgate RCB at 75 mins, greater strength and ariel ability to counter late United attacks

If losing:
Etherington ---> Meireles at 70 mins, Etherington to LW, J.Cole to RW, Nasri RCM to provide more flair centrally.
K.Jones ---> J.Cole at 80 mins if still losing, switch to 4-4-2 with Veloso/Schwein CM, Nasri RW, Cole LW, Jones/Tevez ST.

Man Utd Starting X1 vs Stoke (A)

-------------------De Gea-------------------

Jones--------Rio--------Vidic--------Evra
---------------------------------------------
-Nani------Mascherano----Cleverly----Young
-----------------------------------------------
--------------Rooney----Hernandez


Subs
Kuszczack
Smalling
Rafael
Carrick
Valencia
Berbatov
Wellbeck

General:
Counter-attacking will be our main tactic as Stoke would want to show their midfield dominance but we have the personel to sustain the attack and then attack their fullbacks at all opportunities with our wingers. We play simple but at fast tempo.

Defence:
The CB pairing are well experienced and organised to know how to deal with the attacking threat of Tevez along with their dangerous wingers. Evra and Jones will be well protected with Young and Nani who assist them when they dont have the ball.

Midfield:
Mascherano will be hovering in between the midfield and defence to minimise threat and help the defence when needed. When we do not have the ball the midfield drops and Rooney also comes into midfield to help not being outnumbered and hurry the opposition. Nani and Young to attack the fullbacks and supply to Hernandez as often as possible

Strikers:
Rooney may be the main outlet but Hernandez will be the key player as he will always be off the last defender (Inzaghi style) and when on 1v1 he will come out on top.

Substitutes:
If winning:
Hernandez off 75 for Berbatov
Cleverly off 75 for Fletcher

If losing:
Cleverly off for Valencia (Nani pushes up further forward and Mascherano drops deeper)
Hernandez off for Berbatov

Everton 2 - 2 Newcastle
Coleman, Pedro - D.Villa, R.Taylor

Tough game to call really. Everton look to be very attacking with Cahill and Pedro in a midfield 4. At home they have the right to attack, but with the danger Newcastle have in attack it's a risky ploy. Because of this, and with both sides have weak defences compared to attack, I see goals, and neither side having quite enough to win it.



Aston Villa 1 - 2 Liverpool
Agbonlahor - Suarez, Downing

Another home side who've gone very attacking. My problems here lie in that I see Villa playing 4 forwards, and against a side of Liverpool's quality, they will be left exposed. I see them going a goal up, but Liverpool's wingers to cause Villa problems, especially down their right, and with the away side having that bit more quality, nick the win.



Chelsea 2 - 1 Tottenham
Lampard, Robben - Bale

Cracker of a game. Spurs have more form in midfield, and with Essien being out for so long, see them gaining an advantage here. Cahill a great signing for Chelsea, and their back four very strong. I think Chelsea's wingers can get a t Spurs, and this proves decisive, with the winner coming from Robben.



Stoke City 3 - 2 Man Utd
Schwein, Tevez, Etherington - Rooney, Young

Stoke have bought very well, and I see them dominating the midfield. Schwein to give Cleverly a lesson, and even though Masch will break up some attacks, just see Stoke having too much here. Utd look dangerous with their counter attack, and once more I see goals. Stoke have a great home record, and with the power in midfield, start very well against a top Utd side.

Arsenal 1 - 1 Manchester City
RvP 29' ------ Higuain 81'

Arsenal are very compact and keep possession well. Manchester City use the ball well when they have it but struggled in central midfield, where they were outnumbered, to win enough possession for their talented strikeforce to exploit. RvP scored the opening goal on 29 minutes after a typical flowing Arsenal move. City looked to hit back and had a number of chances as both defences fought hard to keep the opposition attacks at bay. City were struggling to work Arsenal 'keeper Szczesny until Pull made a change to bring on Di Maria and Higuain, who surprisingly started on the bench. The additional pace of Di Maria stretched the home defence and with only 9 minutes remaining, Higuain showed his predatory instincts to grab an equaliser.

Everton 1 - 0 Newcastle United
Cahill 77'

Tight opening encounter at Goodison where both sides saw plenty of the ball but both failed to create many clear cut chances. The central midfield battle was even but the home side had the greater quality out wide and it was they who got the first strike on goal when Krul was forced to tip over a Pedro drive. Newcastle were doing well to break up play but were struggling to get their front men into the game. The pattern continued after the break but the match remained goalless until the Newcastle defence switched off at a corner and allowed Tim Cahill space to nod home. Late attempts from Villa and Ba to snatch a draw came to nothing and the Goodison faithful went home happy.

Aston Villa 1 - 2 Liverpool
Ibra 72' --------- Suarez 36' & 56'

Liverpool have a nice balance to their side and an excellent looking attack. Villa are also set up nicely but overall the visitors had the superior quality and were able to dominate the midfield battle and thus gain the majority of the possession. This was illustrated in their greater number of attempts on goal in the early stages and the eventual breakthrough when Navas broke down the right, crossed for Forlan to nod into the path of Suarez who swpet the ball home. Villa had a chance to equalise early in the second half when Agbonhalor was set through on goal but Reina came out to smother well. Liverpool then doubled their lead with a classic counter attack, Suarez again the beneficiary as he showed Agbonhalor how to finish one-on-one. Villa did pull one back through Ibrahimovic, who showed that he will always be a threat even when Villa are second best. The visitors held on though for a well earned victory.

Chelsea 3 - 2 Tottenham Hotspur
Torres 33' ---- Eto'o 39'
Robben 64' -- Adebayor 84'
Mata 79'

Cracking London derby with both sides showing the quality they both have. Very even first half which saw the home side take the lead through Torres on 33 minutes but Samuel Eto'o draw the visitors deservedly level just six minutes later. The second half maintained this pattern but the deciding factor turned out to be Chelsea's two wide men who gave the Spurs fullbacks a hard time and eventually earned their reward with a goal each to earn the home side victory. Spurs pulled one back late on when Adebayor finished well but it was not quite enough.

Arsenal 1-0 Manchester City
Walcott 90'

A cagey affair ended in a somewhat surprising result as Arsenal grabbed a win in added time to open their points account for the season. Man City have great attacking potency and class and combined with the midfield tenacity they will go far this season. However, in a tight game a moment of magic is all it takes and a terrific burst of pace from Walcott proved to be just that. City piled on the pressure when the ball was booted up the pitch into the path of Walcott who showed his pace and composure to score the winner.

Aston Villa 1-2 Liverpool
Agbonlahor 22'
Gerrard 67', Adam 88'

Unfortunate for Aston Villa who showed great audacity and braveness to go with an attacking formation at home. They won the early exchanges and deservedly took the lead through Agbonlahor's chipped effort. However, Liverpool for me won the midfield battle and with the conditions produced a slick passing display. It was only a matter of time before they equalised and they did so through Gerrard's piledriver from range. Inspired by their captain's equaliser, Liverpool continued to press and Villa's defence stood firm until almost the last minute when Adam swept home a cross from Downing to score.

Chelsea 2-1 Tottenham
Robben 20', Bannan 80'
Eto'o 4'

The home side were just too strong for Tottenham in the end despite a promising performance from Spurs. Tottenham were swift and concise with their passing and Eto'o exploited Terry's lack of pace when he beat him then fired past a hapless Cech to stun the home side. Chelsea steadily got more of the ball though and soon were level through Arjen Robben. Follow made attacking changes and piled the pressure on and it paid off when Bannan curled home a delicious strike from the edge of the box with ten minutes to go. The hosts held on.

Stoke 1-0 Manchester United
Tevez 32'

Perhaps a shock result on the face of it but by no means undeserved or lucky. Stoke City got everything right today with an incredibly strong midfield which will test even the best in the league. Kamran was ambitious with a 4-4-2 formation away from home - Stoke of all places - and it backfired despite a host of chances for his front two inside the first 20 minutes. Stoke got to grips with the midfield, though, and soon enforced their dominance. Cleverley is a wonderful midfielder but is not the most defensive-minded, leaving Mascherano exposed. It was a killer pass from Schweinsteiger which settled the game, playing old boy Tevez in to finish cooly.

Arsenal 1-1 Man City
Van Persie, Silva

two top quality sides very even between them leading to an excellent played draw

Everton 0-1 Newcastle
villa

Very even sides but newcastle have more up top and it shows

Aston Villa 0-2 Liverpool
Suarez,forlan

All round a better side are liverpool currently but villa have a very strong side

Stoke 0-0 Man Utd

A defensively resiliant stoke claim a draw against a man utd side lacking creativity in the centre of midfield

Arsenal 1-2 Man City
Van Persie 34'---Y.Toure 43' , Higuain 77'

A very entertaining game at the Emirates Stadium today. Arsenal started strongly with the midfield trio playing their usual passing game. Walcott looked a threat early on, as he got the better of ex Gunner Clichy in the first half. Arsenal took the lead after 34 minutes. New signing Santi Cazorla showed his quality immediately with a fine run down the left and his cross found Arteta at the back post, who simply headed across for talisman Van Persie to tap in to the net. City grew in confidence as the game went on and you could tell they could create something special. Defensively they got more solid and worked from there. And the equaliser came when Yaya Toure fired in from the edge of the box. Dunne was slightly out of position and Silva's pass played Toure in and he made no mistake. The difference perhaps came in the subs, with City having a remarkable bench in terms of attackers. And debutant Gonzalo Higuain showed a glimpse of whats to come with a great cameo, and finishing a fine team move on 77 minutes. Arsenal reacted, and came close twice, but Joe Hart was in fine form to give City the 3 points.

Everton 2-2 Newcastle
Benzema 23', Drenthe 90------- Cabaye 8', Villa 61'
A very open game here at Goodison Park. Everton looked very good going forward with pace and power in attack. Heitinga looked a bit shaky at RB against Adam Johnson. Newcastle took the lead, out of nowhere really. A stunning strike from Yohann Cabaye giving them an early lead. But there was a reaction from an Everton side who looked determined and with a quality striker like Karim Benzema, they werent going to need many chances. He took his first real chance with a header from Baines' cross. The rest of the first half was even, and no major chances other than a header from Jagielka that went close for Everton. In the 2nd half Newcastle started brighter, with David Villa becoming more involved, and Tiote and Cabaye dominating in the middle of the park. And Villa gave Newcastle the lead again with a brilliant finish after great work from Johnson and Santon. Everton looked like scoring again though, and despite missing chances from Cahill and Pedro, they got what they deserved in injury time. It was a rare lapse in concentration at the back from Newcastle which allowed Roysten Drenthe to fire in a strike from 20 yards. It was a superb finish and a great way to end the match.

Chelsea 2-0 Tottenham
Terry 38', Lampard 74'
A solid performance from Chelsea gave them a victory over London rivals Tottenham. Neither side has made many signings but Chelsea's had more of an impact on the game. They were at home and familiar face Robben didnt take long to settle. He caused havoc at times and created he first goal to win the corner in which captain John Terry headed Chelsea infront. Defensively Chelsea looked solid today and Eto'o didnt get the service you' expect from the Spurs midfield. Modric played well but Van Der Vaart was kept quiet by Essien. Chelsea weren't superb but they did enough and were effective. Fletcher came on for his debut and Chelsea looked very god with Essien and Fletcher defending. This allowed Lampard to get further forward and he took this chance to grab the 2nd goal. A good finish from 12 yards from Mata's pass. Tottenham uped their game further after this but it was a bit late, the closest they came was a Bale shot that forced a top class save from Cech.

Stoke 0-1 Man Utd
Rooney 50'
A tight match here with a determined Stoke side being there usual selves, very difficult to beat at home. But Man Utd were patient, and although they were nowhere near there best, they got the 3 points in the end. Stoke looked good early on, with a strong midfield 3 having a lot of possesion. But they haven'y played much together before really, and it showed at times despite the class of Schweinsteiger. Going forward Stoke lacked a real cutting edge. Tevez had a lot of running but Vidic and Ferdinand shackled him brilliantly, marking him out of the game. Joe Cole wasnt really involved enough either. United got stronger as the game went on. In the first half they only had 1 real chance, falling to Ashley Yong, but he fired over. Javier Mascherano was a controversial signing, but he looked very good in midfield for Man Utd alongside the ever improving Tom Cleverley. Nani was excellent in the 2nd half, and Stoke left back Bridge juts could not handle him. He set up the goal for Roney who finished well. Both teams had late chances, with Kenwyne Jones missing a golden chance for Stoke and Dimitar Berbatov hitting the post for Man Utd. Tough on Stoke, but United just had too much quality.

Arsenal 1-2 Man City
Ramsey: Aguero, Di Maria

An entertaining affair. Tempo was high from start to finish with some excellent football being played from both teams. First half half went by with no real clear cut chances until the 44th minute when Aguero hit a sumptuous curling effort which flew into the top right of the goal. Luke's words at half time had clearly had an effect on his team as they came out of the traps on a mission to get back on level terms with Van Persie twice hitting the bar. It took one of the substitutes to get the home side level with Aaron Ramsey firing home from 25 yards with his shot taking a massive deflection which deceived Joe Hart entirely. As the game wore on, both teams sensed a winner and it was the away team who found one with a master class in counter-attacking football. An Arsenal corner was headed clear towards Barry who set Aguero off down the right. He played a low ball to Dzeko who trapped the ball with one touch, span 180 and played a through ball to Di Maria who was left one on one with the goalkeeper and displayed great composure to slot it past him at his near post. Arsenal pushed for a leveller but from then on in, City defended stoutly and held on for three excellent points.

Everton 1-0 Newcastle
Zamora

Scruffy affair at Goodison Park no thanks in part to the bad weather. Both teams struggled to fully implement their game plan with the weather causing slipping and the ball to travel further than normal. There were chances throughout with Villa and Ba coming close for the away side and Benzema coming close for the home side. Simple poachers goal from Bobby Zamora won the game for the home side in the end early in the second half. Howard playing a short ball to Baines who had the space the push forward. He played a ball to Coleman and continued his run receiving the ball back from the Irishman. Baines then looked to use the pitch and played a low ball which zipped across the wet surface into the box where Zamora stuck out a leg and diverted the ball in. Despite some late pressure, the home side held on for 3 points.

Chelsea 3-2 Tottenham
Cahill, Robben (2): Eto'o (2)

Only the first game in and the home side were already made to show the sorts of characteristics that would be needed for the side to want to be considered title contenders as they were up against a striker who was in inspired form right from the word go. Inside 20 minutes, the away sde were to goals up, first of which came from an Eto'o header and the second from a close range finish. This gave confidence to the away side who were fairly comfortable through till half time. However, the lead was reduced inside 3 minutes of the second half getting underway as Arjen Robben scored from the edge of the area. Chelsea's equalizer came on the hour mark when Cahill rose highest from a corner to head home. And Chelsea got their rewards for a dominant second half display through their dutch winger Robben who headed highest from a Bannan cross to give his side 3 points.

Stoke 0-1 Man Utd
Cleverly

The home side will be desperately disappointed that they didn't take anything from the game as they were more than a match for the away side. The home side started brightly and took the game to United with Joe Cole and Tevez both going close for the home side with the latter perhaps missing a sitter. However, the away side were not fully out of the game and did show flashes of brilliance with Wayne Rooney firing close from all of 30 yards. The second half began again with Stoke having the better of the chances again. However, united struck lucky in what would prove to be the winning goal through Tom Cleverly. His curling effort looked to have been well dealt with by Ben Foster but unfortunately for the home keeper, the ball bobbled between his fingers and trickled over the line before anyone could react. The homes side desperately fought to get back in the game but were thwarted by De Gea at every opportunity and so the away side held firm for three lucky points.

Arsenal 1-1 Man City
(Arteta 41 :: Higuain 84)

A game between two evenly matched sides ended with the points being shared. Arsenal had an extra man advantage in the centre of midfield and kept the ball very well throughout, limiting City to the odd breakaway. The Arsenal pressure told on 29 minutes when Arteta and Wilshire played a lovely one-two to set the Spaniard free and he fired home to give Arsenal a half time advantage. The introduction of Busquets on the hour mark changed the game as City began to keep the ball and gain a foothold into the game. They found a late equalizer when that man Busquets played a lovely ball into the path of Higuain who clipped the ball over Szczesny to win a share of the points.

Everton 2-2 Newcastle
(Cahill 12, Benzema 89 :: Ba 59, Cabaye 68)

A game where both sides threw caution to the wind as attack seemed the best form of defence. Everton started brightly early on and got the breakthrough early when a lovely cross by Pedro was knocked down to Cahill who volleyed the ball low past Krul. As the game settled Newcaslte began to dominate with their more compact midfield breaking up everything Everton could offer. They found their way into the game when Johnson whipped a lovely ball into Ba who nodded the ball past Howard. The game had soon turned on its head when Cabaye unleashed an unstoppable 25 yard drive into the top corner. However with this lead Newcastle sat back and let Everton back in who stole a share of the points late on when Benzema broke clear before slotting a lovely finish into the top corner.

Aston Villa 1-2 Liverpool
(Ibrahimovic 26 :: Johnson 44, Forlan 78)

Aston Villa can count themselves very unlucky here as Liverpool just stole a vital away win at Villa Park. Villa went on the front-foot from the off and were in-front early on as Agbonlahor used his pace to get the past the defence and latch onto Song's through ball before cutting the ball back to Ibrahimovic who had the simple task of passing it into the net. Villa kept pressing and were hit on the break just before half time when a Liverpool breakaway resulted in Forlan sliding the ball through to Glen Johnson who slotted home a composed finish. This gave Liverpool confidence going into the second half and they won the game late on when Alex unleashed a 30 yarder which cannoned off the post into the path of Forlan who hammered the ball into the top corner.

Stoke 1-0 Man United
(Tevez 22 :: none)

What could be seen on paper as a surprising win was far from the case as Stoke performed magnificently to restrict Man United and grind out a solid 1-0 victory. The midfield battle was were the game was won and lost with Meireles and Schweinstiger keeping the ball very well and Veloso behind isolating the threat of Cleverly. United were threatening throughout but just couldn't create enough clear cut chances. The winning goal came on 22 minutes when Schweinstiger released Van Der Wiel on the right who played a lovely cross into the back post and Tevez got above Evra to power home a header past De Gea.

Everton 1 - 1 Newcastle
Coleman ; Villa

Both sides have come along well. Everton have good balance and would wear Newcastle down. The Magpies have a lot of firepower on the bench though, and I see them grabbing a late goal.

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Aston Villa 1 - 2 Liverpool
Kalou ; Adam, Suarez

A great spectacle for the neutrals, four attacking full backs going for it. Admire Villa's attacking approach but I think Liverpools balanced midfield would wear them down and be lethal on the counter.

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Chelsea 1 - 1 Tottenham
Mata ; Modric

Chelsea's defence was solid and dealt with Spurs' attack well. A few gaps opened in Spurs defence leading to a Chelsea goal. Without an out and out DM for Chelsea, Spurs were able to flood the space between defence and midfield and grabbed a goal back through Modric.

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Stoke 2 - 3 Man Utd
Veloso, Nasri ; Nani, Rooney, Wellbeck

A great game. Stoke almost caused an upset and went about their business brilliantly. Heartbreak for the home fans as late sub Wellbeck grabbed a winner to spare Utd's blushes.

Arsenal 2 - 3 Man City
Van Persie ; Silva, Higuain (2)
Bent

It was a case of two benches and City came out on top with Higuain making his debut and stamping his authority from the moment he stepped on the ground. Arsenal were dominating early on and a brilliant free-kick by RVP was well deserved. However, they had City on the ropes but failed to capitalise and it was a breathtaking move from Silva and Aguero who combined with the Spaniard and he caressed the ball home for a great equaliser. 2nd half, Arsenal started slow and that meant Bent came on and his goal came from nothing as Wilshere put through a delightful ball and he smashed it home. City unleashed Higuain and he immediately made and impact by taking on Dunne and blasting the ball home from a tight angle. Higuain was buzzing and moments later Silva found him free and he slotted home the dramatic winner. Arsenal were stunned and pushed for an equaliser but the city defence held firm.
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Everton 2 - 1 Newcastle
Benzema; Ba
Baines

Everton had to work hard for this win as Newcastle dominated possession and won the midfield battle but it was a fantastic free-kick from Baines that won the game for the Toffees in the end. Newcastle conjested the midfield and the had worked had to close Rodwell and Cahill down. Newcastle found joy as Everton didnt have a natural DM to counter Newcastle's attack. It was Cabaye that played a simple pass to Ba who smashed it low from 12 yards for a deserved lead. Newcastle changed things and Drenthe stablised the midfield a bit more than Coleman. Rodwell combined with Zamora who flicked it to Benzema for an easy goal. The game looked to be deceided but on the 86th min, Pedro got fouled near the box and Baines curled in a beauty for the winner.
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Aston Villa 0 - 1 Liverpool
---------------------- Forlan

Not the best game to watch but in the end Forlan fired in a swerving shot which caught out Given. Other highlights were Carroll have a beer on the bench and Vill manager Fisher literally pulling his hair out after some galring misses from Kalou and Chamakh...hair dryer treatment needs doing methinks.
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Chelsea 2 - 1 Tottenham
Robben --------- Eto
Ivanovic

A great derby but shame someone had to lose. Both teams went for the win but Chelsea's defence was more resolute in the end. Robben with a great solo run and goal was shortly added but Ivanovic's thumping header from Lampard's corner. Tottenham responded by playing more care-free and nearly paid off when Eto played a 1-2 with Bale and roasted Terry before sliding it past the keeper. The same combined again but Bale rattled the bar unfortunately.