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PL Gameweek 33 Fixtures - 25-27th April, 2023


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all kick-offs 19.45 (BST) unless stated

Tuesday 25th April, 2023
Wolves vs Crystal Palace, 19.30
Aston Villa vs Fulham
Leeds vs Leicester, 20.00

Wednesday 26th April, 2023
Nottm Forest vs Brighton, 19.30
Chelsea vs Brentford
West Ham vs Liverpool
Man City vs Arsenal, 20.00

Thursday 27th April, 2023
Everton vs Newcastle
Southampton vs Bournemouth
Tottenham vs Man Utd, 20.15

 

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As Smith correctly says, we can't let that win over Wolves be in vain. We need to turn this into a run of wins - and I really do think we're capable of doing it too.

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49 minutes ago, Dan said:

As Smith correctly says, we can't let that win over Wolves be in vain. We need to turn this into a run of wins - and I really do think we're capable of doing it too.

Weirdly more nervous over tomorrow night than I was for Saturday. 

Perhaps it's because it's a similar kind of game - we needed a win to get back on track, the same applies for Leeds; home game to do it, and that's what it is for Leeds at a generally vociferous Elland Road crowd. Both sides have a leaky defence. 

I know @Lucas has absolutely no confidence at all, but I genuinely can't call it. I do think Smith is right saying the longer we can keep them out, the more it'll affect the crowd. The positive being that Maddison and Barnes could/should be back which gives us a lot more balance. Need to capitalise on the attacks we can create. We had one of the highest xGs in Europe's top 5 divisions on Saturday, which screams volumes about how Smith has already started to influence the side into a positive one on the pitch. 

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7 hours ago, Stan said:

Weirdly more nervous over tomorrow night than I was for Saturday. 

Perhaps it's because it's a similar kind of game - we needed a win to get back on track, the same applies for Leeds; home game to do it, and that's what it is for Leeds at a generally vociferous Elland Road crowd. Both sides have a leaky defence. 

I know @Lucas has absolutely no confidence at all, but I genuinely can't call it. I do think Smith is right saying the longer we can keep them out, the more it'll affect the crowd. The positive being that Maddison and Barnes could/should be back which gives us a lot more balance. Need to capitalise on the attacks we can create. We had one of the highest xGs in Europe's top 5 divisions on Saturday, which screams volumes about how Smith has already started to influence the side into a positive one on the pitch. 

I think before Saturday a lot of people were quite resigned. For me though it was our last proper chance. I did think that if we can't turn in a performance and result against Wolves after Smith, Shakespeare & Terry have had them working with them for a fortnight then I can't see where we will. The one thing I've been thinking was a get out of jail card for us was a manager coming in and basically doing everything they've so far done - which is create a more positive environment, play more attacking and aggressive football, and introduce some actual defensive organisation into the team while doing it.

If this wasn't going to come in and lift us then we were done. Given the initial bounce was stopped by giving us possibly the hardest fixture in world football, it had to start against Wolves. This was where for me they were going to demonstrate where this season is going.

For me it was a pass with flying colours. I think the belief is back and so many of the fundamentals that were missing under Rodgers were too. Tomorrow is a massive game and we can't go and blow it, and football is so random at times that you can have all of these things go your way and still lose a game through one moment of magic or madness. But I think we've got enough to beat both Leeds and Everton.

I am nervous but I've got the belief back about us.

We've created a lot of chances in both games under Smith so far regardless of the reasons for doing so - in-fact now you mention xG, of our 32 league games so far, the two under Smith's expected goals for have ranked 1st & 2nd - and one of them was Man City away! I like his emphasis in press conference on shots in the box from each team. He definitely sees things quite like how I do.

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34 minutes ago, Honey Honey said:

Think we will rest a couple. Possibly start Wilson instead of Isak. 

it's hardly a downgrade going to someone with 11 goals and 4 assists in 24 games.   Willo is on for a 20+ goal contribution season

 

I doubt we make changes away, we probably make changes at home on sunday

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Thursday's mental gymnastics include remembering last season's last-minute winner against Newcastle under the Goodison lights, hoping that Newcastle will take their foot of the gas a tiny bit after battering Spurs and all but securing top four, and hoping that Anthony Gordon starts for them to turn the stadium into a proper bear pit.

We have no business expecting to beat a team who are in 3rd place when we've won 6 games out of 32 in the league this season but we have to pick up a couple of wins from somewhere now and home games remain our best chance. We beat Arsenal here so we are capable of winning this match. Calvert-Lewin came through 90 minutes at the weekend, Doucoure returns from suspension, hopefully Onana will be back as well. I can't believe I'm saying that we really need Coleman to return from injury as well but I don't know if that's realistic. That would give us our strongest team available for the run-in so no excuses from here really.

Hopefully Leeds and Leicester both lose tonight anyway xD.

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36 minutes ago, RandoEFC said:

Thursday's mental gymnastics include remembering last season's last-minute winner against Newcastle under the Goodison lights, hoping that Newcastle will take their foot of the gas a tiny bit after battering Spurs and all but securing top four, and hoping that Anthony Gordon starts for them to turn the stadium into a proper bear pit.

We have no business expecting to beat a team who are in 3rd place when we've won 6 games out of 32 in the league this season but we have to pick up a couple of wins from somewhere now and home games remain our best chance. We beat Arsenal here so we are capable of winning this match. Calvert-Lewin came through 90 minutes at the weekend, Doucoure returns from suspension, hopefully Onana will be back as well. I can't believe I'm saying that we really need Coleman to return from injury as well but I don't know if that's realistic. That would give us our strongest team available for the run-in so no excuses from here really.

Hopefully Leeds and Leicester both lose tonight anyway xD.

our record at Goodison is not great and last season was a frustrating game as we battered you for 90 minutes then got sucker punched.   

since that night a lot has changed and hopefully we can get three more points closer to Graceland.

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I've actually bet on a Leicester win tonight. That is how low it has got. I'm cock sure it's happening and see no other result.

They have something over us, proper bogey side, they always have done, especially over the last 20 odd years.

Apart from that odd 3-1 win we had at theirs in the covid season, we just never seem to beat them, whether we play better or not. 

You can bet your bottom dollar too on Harvey Barnes to score if he starts, he always seems to bag against us.

Leicester to win 2 or 3-1 tonight and hammer another nail in the coffin.

We're rock bottom on form, confidence, and there seems no fight or guts in this team to graft their way out.

We've got Weston McKennie's mate giving it verbals to fans on Social Media spaces, saying things that should clearly be kept in house so that's bound to effect team spirit.

A gaffer whose fault it really isn't but yet is making some puzzling team selections including always playing Aaronson and never starting Willy Gnonto.

And a board who have put a massive target on their own backs by saying things early doors that are coming back to bite them hard now.

Elland Road is going to turn nasty and it won't be pleasant.

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There's no good outcome for us in this Leeds Leicester game because one or both of them obviously pick up points but I do feel that a Leeds win is worst for our prospects because we'll be 4 points behind them in that case and Leicester are fundamentally better than us. The Leeds collapse is our best route to safety.

I'm not going to go over the top and say I'm resigned to it or that we're definitely going down at this point but got to come to terms with the fact that it's increasingly looking like a strong likelihood.

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We've become absolutely toothless. 

This is why I wasn't fully sure about @Lucas thinking it was nailed on they'd lose xD

We are the gift that keeps on giving. Gave Southampton their first clean sheet at home earlier this season. Now we can't score against a side that has shipped 11 in their last 2 home games xD

Rubbish. 

 

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My heart can't take more of this xD

Happy that we look more of an attacking side and create lots more these days. Their goal knocked the stuffing out of us, but to eventually get a late equaliser was deserved in terms of the fight we showed after the subs. 

How Leeds didn't get the winner is beyond me though. Bamford missing a sitter. Thank you. 

 

Onto the next massive game vs Everton. Win that and things look a tad rosier. 

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That Bamford miss is unforgivable. It would have been harsh on Leicester to be absolutely frank, but we'd have been owed a win against the run of play after recent games against them where we'd been the better side.

There is no excuse for him, he was unmarked, he pulled to the backpost anticipating it would come his way and he had to score. It's cost us the win.

Gracia hasn't a clue. Absolute gormless twat that's shot the team in the foot tonight.

The warning signs were there from the 55th minute things needed changing in midfield. We need to start winning the ball, we were retreating too deep. He waited to the 68th just to give us Brendon Fucking Aaronson, who had zero impact whatsoever.

And then you need to go and win the game and Willy Gnonto just sits there twiddling his thumbs. He deserves so much better. Club's most exciting player and he cannot get on the pitch.

Every pundit known to man asks why Gnonto isnt playing and Gracia won't provide a single straight answer. He's obviously had words but it's costing the team because the crowd were crying out for him the minute Sinisterra got injured.

I will credit the players tonight for showing more fight than they have previous games but fight isn't enough. We looked toothless for large parts of that game.

The club is an absolute mess with the way things have been handled and to be honest, I won't miss many of these players when we drop.

Fair play to Leicester, they will get out of it fine. It'll boil down to us and Everton and Everton's grit and determination should see them squeak through. 

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Can't help but come away from that a bit disappointed. Think we were the better side for the most part but we kept getting the final pass wrong and whatnot. I really am fed up of going 1-0 down in literally 'every' game.

I'm a little less bullish about our chances than I was prematch. I thought we'd win this, the momentum from the Wolves game would continue. I think it's OK providing none of the teams below us pick up wins in the rest of the week, and we go on to beat Everton. If not then it's going to feel like a big chance missed.

That offside decision - why do we get done by this yet others don't? There was one within the last couple of weeks, I want to say it involved Rashford, where the goalkeepers sight was 'actually' blocked and the goal was still given.

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