Matchday 26 - Quick Round Up

Match Day 26 Round Up



Tuesday 10th February


Tottenham Hotspur 1-2 Newcastle United

This match made it fully clear why Frank had to go and that, in fact, he had been there too long. If ever a manager has lost the dressing room, it was Frank at Spurs. There were many little moments of players niggling at each other and not following the coach's directions, then niggling at each other more. Which made it the perfect match for Howe, who was also struggling. The worry for me would be, from a Newcastle perspective, that they struggled to a 2-1 win over a team that was fully intent on imploding in on itself. They were by far the better team, but they were not good enough to get the goals their performance deserved.

Starmen:
Gordon - I am not his biggest fan, he falls over in the slightest breeze while happy to lunge in recklessly on others, his play is average overall, with very little skill and he is wholly reliant on pace. He did have a good game though.
Thiaw - took advantage of Spurs floundering players to score.
Ramsey - the other Newcastle goalscorer.

Flops:
Spence - his attitude was stinking. He does seem prone to attitude issues.
van de Ven - no idea why he is so highly rated, he is a very average defender with his pace, when that goes he will be awful.
Bissouma - looks a shadow of the player he was prior to the Spurs move.
Solanke - terrible hold up play.


Everton 1-2 Bournemouth

Once more Moyes' limitations are laid bare, he struggles to manage a team that is expected to win at home as his style is all about sitting back and soaking up pressure, then countering quickly. Though it must be said, he is really being hampered by his options up top. Neither Barry nor Beto are in anyway clinical. Iraola has shown that he can turn a struggling ship around multiple times now at Bournemouth. It is little wonder he has yet to accept a new contract though, as all he can ever do with Bournemouth is rebuild and hold station in the Prem, before losing his best players in the summer. Now looks a good time for him to make a step up to a bigger club, where he can show if he can compete at a European level.

Starmen:
Garner - has stepped up a level this season.
Ndiaye - Everton will struggle to hold onto the talented winger this summer.
Jimenez - always a threat going forward.
Adli - scored the winner.
Hill - an excellent defensive performance.

Flops:
Barry - it is hard to understand how he can be this bad when it comes to scoring goals.
George - showed some nice flashes but also got robbed of the ball and looked in need of a few more training sessions to understand what is wanted of him.
O'Brien - his sending off killed off any hopes of Everton recovering.


Chelsea 2-2 Leeds United

A game dominated by Chelsea, who strolled into a 2-0 lead, only to throw away the victory. They only really have themselves to blame and I am sure Leeds will have gone home delighted by the result but concerned by how one-sided the game actually was in Chelsea's favour. It is one of those results that a promoted team needs if they are to avoid dropping straight back to the Championship. It is odd to see how much Farke has them retreating back into their shell after such a good run of results when they were going toe-to-toe with opponents. Chelsea's failings at the back are proving costly in their chase for European Champions League football next season.

Starmen:
Fernandez - looks so much better playing a little further forward and given more freedom.
Palmer - he is almost a penalty cheat code, is there a more clinical taker around right now?
Pedro - back playing as the main striker and showing the good form he showed on first signing.

Flops:
Acheampong - a very good young player but his mistake cost Chelsea dearly.
Aaronson - struggled to make an impression.
Gudmundsson - does not suit the more restrained way of playing that was asked of him.


West Ham United 1-1 Manchester United

The Hammers look to be resurgent now, though draws are not ideal for them, every point counts and they are giving themselves a genuine chance to survive with their current form overall. It may not be as attacking as fans would prefer, but they are playing some good football at times and genuinely look like a team on the up. Some of their late breaks were excellent and really should have added at least one more goal, though Man Utd will also feel they should have scored more with the pressure and chances they had. Man Utd have looked a much better team since Amorim left, whether that is down to Carrick or just the relief of getting rid of a man who was holding them back is difficult to tell yet. With Villa stuttering lately, they will be eyeing a step up the table before the season ends, they certainly look capable of it now.

Starmen:
Wan-Bissaka - always seeems to play well against his former club.
Potts - not spectacular but a good performance from the youngster.
Soucek - once again popped up with a goal.
Sesko - rescued a point very late in the game.

Flops:
Castellanos - still looks to be getting to know his teammates' game.
Cunha - struggled to really make an impact as the attacking focal point.



Wednesday 11th February

Manchester City 3-0 Fulham

A cruise in the park for Man City, who took a 3-0 lead in the first half and then strolled through the second half. A very one-sided game with the Mancunians almost completely dominant. Disappointing for Fulham, but they tried to go toe-to-toe with a much better team and came unstuck.

Starmen:
Semenyo - he has settled in so quickly and looks like a brilliant buy, no matter where he has played.
Haaland - only the one goal, but he is always a threat. Surprisingly it was his first goal in open play in the Premier League in 2026.

Flops:
Rodri - still looking for form since his return to fitness.
Berge - simply not good enough to take on Citeh with him at the heart of midfield.
Iwobi - far too floaty a player, with no real defensive understanding, to play a central role in midfield against a team as strong as Man City.


Nottingham Forest 0-0 Wolverhampton Wanderers

While Forest were the better team, they never looked quite right. They were creating chances, but it felt from the start like one of those nights and that nothing was going to go right for them. There was just something off about them and it was little surprise that Marinakis quickly removed Dyche from his role after the game. Having watched it again now for this round-up, it is hard to understand how Sa was able to collect his first clean sheet on the road of the season. Some of the chances were incredible, including a 6 on 2 break that ended with a wild miss. Wolves are so much better than they were early in the season under Pereira (who somewhat ironically has replaced Dyche now), but have clearly recruited and settled for next season in the Championship. Though I remain to be convinced that January signing Armstrong is good enough at that level either!

Starmen:
Williams - his energy and effort is huge for them down the flank.
Gomes - Wolves had three Gomes' in midfield, but Joao stood out as the class of their team.
Sa - he has his weaknesses but he was excellent against Forest.

Flops:
Lucca - struggled to get involved.
Armstrong - lots of huffing and puffing, but not a lot else.
Arokodare - big, powerful and quick, but rarely seems like a goal threat.


Aston Villa 1-0 Brighton & Hove Albion

Two sides that went into the game low on confidence and in what I would call indifferent form (being nice). In the end, the game came down to an unlucky own goal. Both sides look poor, Villa desperately miss their midfield, with what is essentially their back up mids struggling to produce any creativity. Brighton look an absolute mess right now, the pressure is mounting on Hurzeler and he does not seem to have an answer for their poor form. They could very easily end up dragged into a relegation battle if they are not careful. On this performance, they could have few complaints if they did go down.

Starman:
Martinez - a solid performance from the Villa goalkeeper.

Flops:
Watkins - he is having a horrible season.
Baleba - he does not seem to have recovered from his late return to playing due to injury, this season. His form has vanished. Picking up a booking in the second minute did not help him at all.
Hinshelwood - unlucky with the own goal, but it came on top of a very mediocre performance.
Dunk - his lack of pace is exposed constantly.


Crystal Palace 2-3 Burnley

When Palace went 2 nil up after just over half an hour paid, I doubt there were many who believed a team as poor offensively as Burnley had any hope of a point, let alone all three. Somehow, shockingly, the Clarets managed three goals before half-time and then held on for the points. Palace have been getting worse as the season goes on, but to lose to Burnley is a new low. If Glasner had been looking to stay on as manager, I think this would have been the final straw that ensured he did not get one. Pretty much all Burnley have to play for is saving Parker's job, as they have been routinely dreadful this season.

Starmen:
Strand-Larsen - the big January signing picked up a brace and looked to have won it for Palace.
Anthony - his pace and running power caused Palace no end of issues.

Flops:
Henderson - he must be shell shocked after that.
Lerma - playing out of position again at centre-back and looked out of place. His own goal handed Burnley the win.
Guessand - on loan from Villa and had a mare.


Sunderland 0-1 Liverpool

A tired looking Sunderland were overrun by Liverpool, who really should have scored a few more goals to win comfortably. The Mackems really struggled to press, they were leggy and are clearly in need of a rest. Liverpool made it even more difficult for them by getting the ball forward quickly, as much as possible. They looked much better because of it, as well as not allowing Sunderland time to get stuck in.

Starmen:
Mukiele - gets up and down the pitch really well, one of very few who looked full of running.
Wirtz - unlucky not to add a goal.
van Dijk - scored the winner and looked much more like his old self.

Flops:
Diarra - offered nothing.
Brobbey - got drawn into a running battle with Konate. He managed to bait Konate into grappling with him, but made the mistake of not letting go himself to win a foul.



Thursday 10th February

Brentford 1-1 Arsenal

The battle of the set-piece kings and for once Arsenal met their match. It was quite amusing to see how irate Gunners players got over Brentford employing the exact same tactics they have utilised all season, when they had a corner. A surprisingly even battle between two mirror images of each other, a situation that would normally lead to the better players winning the game. Both teams lacked a striker in good form as that would almost certainly have made the difference, Thiago, in particular, got some excellent chances as the focal point of the Bees' side.

Starmen:
van den Berg - defended well and picked up an assist.
Lewis-Potter - scored the Brentford goal.
Gabriel - has become a top class defender in his time at Arsenal.

Flops:
Janelt - picked up a silly early booking which left him being careful for the whole match.
Thiago - missed too many chances.
Gyokeres - looks too slow at times.
Eze - given another chance to nail down a place and looked woefully short of confidence.

Written by Tris Burke February 18 2026 18:13:12