It’s always interesting to take a look at the form guide from time to time. Last month saw Manchester City and Manchester United sitting at the top of the form guide however a few things have changed – Manchester City have moved out of the top positions whilst United are topping both the league and the form guide.
The surprises come from Stoke City and Norwich City. Both sides very impressive as they are the only two sides to be undefeated in their last six games. Stoke are in second place as they’ve won four out of their six games whilst Norwich have won three out of their six.
Stoke City Form
Stoke’s last six games comprised of:
- Stoke 1 QPR 0
- West Ham 1 Stoke 1
- Stoke 1 Fulham 0
- Stoke 2 Newcastle 1
- West Brom 0 Stoke 1
- Aston Villa 0 Stoke 0
Stoke are very strong at the Britannia as show above and won impressively at West Brom where both Liverpool and Chelsea have fallen this season. It’s interesting to see that they have also kept four clean-sheets and not conceded more than one in their other two games. Stoke’s defence is their weapon really – they have conceded 2 in 6 whilst scoring only 6. However those 6 goals have got them 14 points out of a possible 18 – hence their 2nd place in the form guide.
Norwich City Form
Whilst sitting below Stoke – Norwich have beaten Manchester United in their run which was probably the shock of the season so far in the Premier League. Their last six games:
- Reading 0 Norwich 0
- Norwich 1 Man Utd 0
- Everton 1 Norwich 1
- Southampton 1 Norwich 1
- Norwich 2 Sunderland 1
- Swansea 3 Norwich 4
Norwich’s last six games included Manchester United at Home plus Everton & Swansea Away – none of those games were easy but they took 7 out of 9 points – very impressive. Their away win at Swansea this weekend was excellent. Whilst Norwich City fans may be disappointed at going out of the Capital One Cup I think it could be a blessing for them to continue their excellent league form.
Improving Slowly: Liverpool
Liverpool sit in fifth position after their back-to-back wins against Southampton and West Ham. These two wins were their first back-to-back wins since December 2011 – a shocking statistic.
Fixtures coming up:
- Vs Aston Villa (H)
- Vs Fulham (H)
- Vs Stoke (A)
- Vs QPR (A)
- Vs Sunderland (H)
With Liverpool playing the big teams earlier in the season they have a set of fixtures over the Christmas and New Year period that they “should” take advantage of. Four wins and a draw out of five should really be the target and if they manage that they’ll be knocking on the door for the European slots in the Premier League.
Consecutive Wins – Manchester United
Manchester United bounced back from their loss to Norwich to win four games on the trot! They seem to be doing this each time they lose and now they are six points clear at the top after beating their neighbours City in dramatic fashion on the weekend.
It’s difficult to see where United will slip up over Christmas and with a hectic end to the season they will want to increase their lead before the Champions League kicks in again:
- Vs Sunderland (H)
- Vs Swansea (A)
- Vs Newcastle (H)
- Vs West Brom (H)
- Vs Wigan (A)
They should win all of these as United are yet to draw a game this season – it could be nine consecutive wins the next time we analyse form!
Consecutive Losses
Reading are in trouble – five losses in a row now and they will have to grind out a few results if they want any realistic chance of staying up. However looking at their upcoming fixtures it’s looking a tough task for them:
- Vs Arsenal (H)
- Vs Man City (A)
- Vs Swansea (H)
- Vs West Ham (H)
- Vs Spurs (A)
The positive is that they have three home games and must make the most of picking up points here.
West Brom are also in the start of a dip in form after losing three games in a row. After winning manager of the month in November things have really gone down-hill however West Brom’s next three games may give the Baggies some bounce:
- Vs West Ham (H)
- Vs Norwich (H)
- Vs QPR (A)
- Vs Man Utd (A)
- Vs Fulham (H)
If we see the West Brom from August to November they should win at least three of the games above but has the Baggie’s ball lost it’s bounce? We shall see.
The Rest
Chelsea’s struggle continue despite their win at the Stadium of Light – maybe a resurgence? Their only win in their last six games so it remains to be seen. QPR have not lost in their last three but haven’t won for their last six. If Harry could conjure up a victory QPR will fly up the form guide and sit where Chelsea are right now. Three draws are positive signs for Harry Redknapp – it will be interesting to see what they can do over Christmas.
Newcastle have lost five out of six – injuries and loss of form seem to be hampering them. It will be interesting to see how they react over the break as they are only two points off third bottom of the league. Wigan also have four losses in their last six games and will need to improve else they’ll need to show the same resurgent form as last year to stay up.
