English Premier
2012-08-20 - Everton vs Manchester United
A Sports Betting Pick by Lamps
Football : England : Premier League
Monday 20th August - Kickoff 8:00pm
Everton
The Toffees finished in 7th last year keeping up their general tradition of finishing in the top 9 but rarely in the top 4 or 5. Moyes, however must be commended for his work at Merseyside given his shoe string budget. Every year Everton are there or there abouts and it's hard to see them falling away this season.
In the Summer, Everton have sold key midfielder Cahill on a free transfer whilst fringe player Yobo has also left the club. The Cahill loss is a big one for me despite his decline in goals over the last 18 months because he is a very good team player and the Aussie always puts in a shift for the side. The most recent player to leave is Rodwell to City and he leaves a gap in midfield. With Cahill gone too, Everton certainly look very lightweight in this area.
Replacements come in the form of Naismith and Pienaar. The latter costing Everton some £4.5m which on their budget seems a lot of money but he does play his best football at Goodison.
The key for Everton is the supply to Jelavic who scored 9 goals in 10 starts after his move from Rangers in January. Everton were in 14th before his arrival but finished 7th losing just 2 of their next 18 games. The Croatian is a very good player who leads the line excellently but unless Pienaar and Fellaini can provide chances for him he will become isolated.
Manchester United
United were seconds away from Premiership glory last season only for a late Aguero goal to win the title for City. That moment must have left a bitter taste in Ferguson's mouth and I think United will come back stronger this year because of it. On Monday night United visit Goodison in what looks a very tricky opening day fixture for the Red Devils.
To bolster his squad Ferguson has signed Van Persie, Powell and Kagawa for approximately £40m. Van Persie is a very good signing if of course he stays fit whilst Kagawa can play anywhere in an attacking midfield role. Powell, I think is one for the future and may find his chances limited in the starting eleven.
With Rooney, Van Persie, Hernandez, Berbatov and Welbeck there is plenty of firepower at the manager's disposal and we should see a lot of goals this season from United. My only fear is how to accomodate all of them and in what system?
Often United go with 3 behind 1 striker but with Kagawa, Nani and Valencia most likely to occupy the 3 attacking midfielder roles where does that leave Rooney, Van Persie and co. I suspect Rooney starts up front alone and Van Persie may come on in the second half, whether it's for Rooney or one of the attacking midfielders I'm not to sure.
Defensively the side looks solid, Vidic is a colossus at the back and he will inspire those around him. Rio for me isn't anywhere what he used to be but with Evra and De Gea as well in defence they should be tight throughout the season.
Betting Verdict
United are favourites for this one at a general price of 1.91 which looks fair given the new arrival of RVP. United have slipped up over the years at Goodison which is a concern but they have scored in each of their last 6 visits.
Everton ended the season with 5 wins from 6 at home and are a force for sure. But it's also worth mentioning that the Toffees traditionally start the season slowly and that worries me. Of course the past doesn't affect the future but with United looking stronger in midfield I'm not convinced Everton can hold off Ferguson's men.
The bet I like here is both to score. In 4 of the last 6 at Goodison both sides have scored and in United's 1-0 win here last year, Everton created some glorious chances which they missed. I'm just hoping this time around they don't fluff their lines and replicate the performance that saw them draw 4-4 at Old Trafford near the end of the season.
United are good for goals, there is just too much fire power there whilst Everton at home with the classy Jelavic are good for one themselves. The fear is that with Vidic back, United may be a force defensively but he must be a little rusty after missing soo many games. At least 1 goal a piece for me.
Good Luck
The Statistics :
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The Pick :
Everton 1-2 United
