It’s Week Seven of the English Premier League season and the last before yet another international break that will see Big Sam’s…. oops, sorry, big Gareth Southgate’s England team taking on the mighty Malta, Scotland entertain Lithuania, Wales travel to Austria and, finally, Northern Ireland play San Marino.
What a week it’s been! Champions League, Europa League, Premier League but there’s been only one story in town and that’s been the departed Sam Allardyce.
This is all very well but it doesn’t hide the fact that my Premier Punt selections over the last few weeks have been very poor so time for a re-think.
Also, don’t forget Everton and Crystal Palace play on Friday night and, as a result, their players are not available for selection in Premier Punt’s weekly game this week.
Formation
I’m changing from my usual 3-4-3 to a 4-4-2 system to try and get some points on the board. Four defenders and more attacking midfielders is my plan of attack.
Keeper
All of my back five this week will be represented by Arsenal and Manchester United players and that means we start with Petr Cech in goals.
Arsenal are away to Burnley and I expect them to keep a clean sheet as they did in midweek against Basel and last weekend against Chelsea.
No clean sheet for my keeper last week with Claudio Bravo of Manchester City conceding at Swansea.
Defenders
Hector Bellerin and Laurent Koscielny from Arsenal as well as Chris Smalling and Eric Bailly of Manchester United make up my back four.
Last week’s defence was awful. Two players weren’t selected to start and the other didn’t have a clean sheet so it doesn’t get much worse than that.
Manchester United host Stoke City this weekend. Mark Hughes takes his team to his old stomping ground but I’m hoping their form doesn’t improve because I need the points from a United clean sheet.
As mentioned earlier, Arsenal go to Burnley and I expect their defence to remain water tight.
Midfielders
Other than James McClean of West Brom, who is literally in my team to make up the numbers because he is cheap, I’m looking for goals from my midfield. David Silva, Eden Hazard and Tottenham’s Son are the men who I expect to score me loads of points this weekend.
Paul Pogba was my only goal scorer from midfield last week when he netted his first for Manchester United. My two West Ham selections, Payet and Antonio, had a nightmare as did the rest of the Hammers players. Ross Barclay had a decent game for Everton but did not pick up too many points.
Son is in great form for Spurs and I’m hoping he continues it against Manchester City. In that game he will face David Silva and I think City will be looking to him for inspiration while Kevin De Bruyne is out injured.
Eden Hazard’s Chelsea play Hull City away and James McClean’s West Brom are away to Sunderland.
Strikers
Only two strikers this week, which is why I rarely pick a 4-4-2, but I need to shake things up a bit.
My front two are Sergio Aguero and Marcus Rashford. They are two strikers in top form when it comes to sticking the ball in the back of the net.
City against Spurs will be a tight game but Aguero will always find space and will usually grab a goal. He will also be my captain this week.
Stoke have been struggling since the start of this season, particularly defensively. A lot has been made of the new clampdown on holding inside the box but, mostly, it can be put down to rank bad defending. Rashford looks like he’s forced his way into Mourinho’s team despite still being a teenager and I have made him my vice-captain.
Good luck and…
GET IN THERE!!!!
