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No Christmas rest in EPL ahead of another big weekend
London, Dec 28 (IANS) Whereas other football leagues take a well-earned rest over the Christmas holidays, the matches come thick and fast in the Premier League in a frantic period which puts a strain on players’ legs and can well determine the eventual champions.
It has not been a kind Christmas for Manchester City with Pep Guardiola’s side suffering a 3-2 defeat at home to Crystal Palace and a 1-2 loss away to Leicester City, reports Xinhua news agency.
Add to those defeats, the 0-2 setback away to Chelsea a fortnight ago and the side who barely three weeks ago were looking as if they were the ‘Champions elect’ have slipped to third in the table and are 7 points behind Liverpool, who they will play on January 3.
Before that crunch game, however, Guardiola has to lift his men for Sunday’s visit to Southampton, whose Christmas celebrations were ruined by a 1-2 home defeat to West Ham on Thursday.
City beat Southampton 6-1 in the Ethiad Stadium at the start of November, but they now travel knowing that anything other than another win would be a disaster.
Liverpool defend their leadership at home to Arsenal, who have become rather inconsistent in recent games and one of the main talking points will be whether the talented, but over-mercurial Mesut Ozil will start for the visitors after being replaced for ‘tactical reasons’ in their draw at Brighton on Boxing Day.
Liverpool boss, Jurgen Klop continues to play down Liverpool’s title hopes, perhaps mindful that they are the only side to lead the title race at Christmas in recent years and fail to go on to lift the crown.
The German knows that pressure could be Liverpool’s worst enemy, but the atmosphere in Anfield in recent games, also suggests that the Liverpool fans are starting to believe that this time the title challenge is for real.
Tottenham moved into second on Wednesday and have hit their best form of the season at the right time, scoring 11 goals in their last two matches, with a 6-2 win at Everton followed by a 5-0 drubbing of Bournemouth.
Mauricio Pochettino was able to rotate his squad on Wednesday and will bring Kieran Trippier and Dele Alli back for their home game against Wolves, who should provide sprightly opponents at Wembley, but who will also struggle to contain Harry Kane and the in-form Son Hueng Min, who was merciless in his destruction of Bournemouth two days ago.
The fixture calendar has not been kind to Bournemouth and although Eddie Howe’s side are tidy in possession, they will have to tighten up at the back before their visit to Old Trafford where the departure of Jose Mourinho and the arrival of Ole Gunnar Solskjaer has brought around a sea-change in the atmosphere surrounding Manchester United.
Paul Pogba looks happy to play again and although there is still plenty of room for improvement in United’s football, Solskjaer’s preference for attack rather than defence is starting to bring the best out of their players.
Elsewhere Chelsea face a tough trip across London to face an improving Crystal Palace, Leicester City will take on Cardiff, who will pose a different challenge than Manchester City did on Boxing Day, while Newcastle United travel to Watford after a 4-0 thumping at Anfield.
Brighton entertain Everton is what looks like an evenly matched game while Burnley need to turn things around after a 5-1 home defeat to Everton when West Ham visit Turf Moor.
Finally there is drama at the bottom of the table when second from bottom Fulham play Huddersfield, who travel to Craven Cottage after losing their last 6 games.
–IANS
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Dr. Abhishek Verma Dedicates a Shelter in Memory of His Mother, Veena Verma, at KGMU; Inaugurated by Daughter Nicolle Verma
World-renowned business tycoon Dr. Abhishek Verma has supported Foodman Vishal Singh’s Hunger-Free World mission. In memory of his mother, Late Veena Verma, who was a 3 term Rajya Sabha MP.
Dr. Verma dedicated a state-of-the-art free permanent shelter for the attendants of patients at KGMU Medical University, Lucknow, under the aegis of Vijay Shree Foundation. His daughter, Nicolle Verma, inaugurated the shelter.
During the event, Foodman Vishal Singh honored Nicolle Verma by presenting her with a memento. Mrs. Nidhi Sharma and Avantika Yadav, associated with the organization, welcomed her with garlands. Following this, Nicolle Verma distributed essential items to the attendants and also handed out fruits. She became emotional remembering her grandmother on her birth anniversary.
On this occasion, she also inaugurated the “Veena Verma Sevalaya” in memory of her grandmother, Veena Verma, to serve the attendants. She expressed, “I feel proud that my family is engaged in nation-building as well as social service. Today, in collaboration with Vijay Shree Foundation founder Foodman Vishal Singh Ji, I feel immensely proud to dedicate this shelter for the poor, helpless, and needy attendants of patients battling serious illnesses like cancer. I am honored to be associated with the Hunger-Free World Mission for humanity.”
Inspired by the continuous humanitarian service provided by Vijay Shree Foundation over the past 17 years, Nicolle Verma donated 10 lakh rupees to support the cause. The purpose of this donation is to ensure that services continue for the needy attendants of patients suffering from severe illnesses in hospitals, as facilitated by Foodman Vishal Singh.
It is noteworthy that Dr. Abhishek Verma’s family has a legacy of public and philanthropic service. They are helping millions to carry forward the values and service work of their parents. On the occasion of his mother’s birth anniversary, Dr. Abhishek Verma dedicated this state-of-the-art permanent shelter at Lucknow Medical College to serve the attendants of patients through the Vijay Shree Foundation.
Supporting Foodman Vishal Singh’s Hunger-Free World mission, Dr. Abhishek Verma assured that he would continually support keeping this flame of humanity alive. He also promised to assist in providing medicines to the helpless patients.
Continuing her grandmother’s legacy of service, Nicolle Verma personally served food to the needy patients and attendants. She said, “It is our good fortune to have received the joy of doing this noble work today through Foodman Vishal Singh. I have taken another step forward in carrying my family’s values and cooperation by joining hands with the Vijay Shree Foundation. My father taught me to serve and help the needy, and I feel happy when I bring a smile to someone’s face.”
On the birth anniversary of the late Veena Verma, the event organizer, Vijay Shree Foundation founder Foodman Vishal Singh, said, “We feel proud and happy that Dr. Abhishek Verma, a globally renowned business tycoon, has extended his support to uplift our country from the hunger index. Today, on his mother’s birth anniversary, he inaugurated a state-of-the-art permanent shelter at Lucknow Medical College, which will always be helpful for the needy attendants of patients. It is a pleasure for me and the organization to receive the affection of Mr. Verma.”
The event was attended by General Manager Verma Family Office Hemant Garg, Sonu Rajput, and the organization’s volunteers, including Sandeep Singh, Parmeshwar Ji, Prashant Rao Gautam, Balram Singh, Ramesh Chaudhary, Suman, Jeetu, Anil, Suraj, Vinay, Manish Bhadauria, Manas Mehrotra, Vivek, Apurv, Happy, and others.
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