EPL half term report 09/10

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As expected, the EPL thus far has seen a significant drop in quality so far this term. The loss of Ronaldo has robbed the league of genuine attacking class while many of the top players - Fabregas, Torres, Arteta, Ferdinand etc have been suffering from injuries. As expected Paul Hart and Gary Megson have bitten the bullet with Owen Coyle jumping from the good ship Burnley to a more established if equally rocky Bolton. The biggest departure has been British manager Mark Hughes dumped for Roberto Mancini who has made a great start in a decidely average league. The loss of Xabi Alonso has hit last year runners up Liverpool badly as Carragher ages, Gerrard uninterested and Torres perennially injured. Arry and his Spurs doing alright at times and falling on their faces at others. O’Neill’s Villa are on course for a third consecutive sixth placed finish, better at the back but not as fluent up front. Money troubles are hitting a lot of clubs not surprisingly the bottom clubs Pompey, Hull and West Ham but also higher up Wenger remains frugal, Benitez sells squad player to keep the metre running at Anfield, the Glazers take money out of Fergie’s pocket and even Abramovich is tightening his belt. Ladies and Gentlemen, the EPL like the world of finance has finally woken up to reality.

In deciding the half term team of the season I thought it worthwhile to who I selected as the EPL team of the year last season

---------Reina------------
Johnson, Ferdinand, Vidic, Cole
-------Lampard-----Alonso------
Ronaldo------Gerrard---------Young
------------Anelka----------

Goalkeeper

Pepe Reina probably remains the best keeper in the EPL but has had a difficult time as Liverpool’s defence has been in tatters. Given despite his admirers in the media also has been a bit suspect at times. Gomes mixes brilliant with brutal but has been much improved. Some poor keepers in the league in truth but Joe Hart has been a revelation at a miserly Birmingham City and gets the nod.

Right back

Not much here to choose from. Some of the EPL’s worst players are right backs - McShane, Bardsley, Hibbert etc. Johnson started really well but has been plagued with injury of late, Boswinga likewise. Bacary Sagna though is back to the form of his first season at the Emirates and is chosen.

Centre Halves

Injury troubles have seen Vidic and Ferdinand sidelined for long spells. Roger Johnson has been a revelation at Birmingham, Bassong has settled well at Spurs, Hangeland and Gallas still shining too. But Richard Dunne can hardly have hoped for a better start to his Villa career and John Terry is maybe not the force of old but is still the leading light in the league’s top defence.

Left back

Not much to choose from here. Nothing to say but that Ashley Cole is by a distance the best left back in the league.

Hard to know what to choose in midfield. Ashley Young’s form has dipped while Alonso and Ronaldo have swapped Lancashire for Madrid. Fabregas when fit has been excellent and is a given with 9 goals. Lampard and Essien shone while fit although it took Lampard a while to get familiarised with Ancelotti’s diamond formation. Alex Song continues to improve at Arsenal. From an Irish perspective Duff has looked reborn at Fulham while Andy Reid particularly early on was on fire for Sunderland. Aaron Lennon at Spurs was unplayable at times also while Craig Bellamy gets in on the left as he was Mark Hughes’s best player at City but is unlikely to be as favoured from now on.

lennon-Fabregas-Song-Bellamy

Up front

Anelka’s total of 19 last season is sure to be broken. Peter Crouch has brought the best out of Jermaine Defoe who is tied on 14 with a reborn Didier Drogba and Wayne Rooney has also picked up some of the mantle brought about by Ronaldo’s departure. Torres despite his injury problems has knocked in 12. But its goals that count. Drogba is a certainty as he doesnt take the penalties while Defoe’s record is buffetted by 5 against Wigan. I’ll go with Rooney and Drogba. Im expecting big second halves from Tevez, Anelka and the consistent Bent.

team

Hart
Sagna-Dunne-Terry-Cole
Lennon-Song-Fabregas-Bellamy
Drogba-Rooney

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Cheers for reading anyway.

Think I’ll have to take the hint eventually. The forum is more about chippers, some bullshit Pms, striking GAA players than any form of sport.

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Don’t mind them kib, at least you have an opinion

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Think Evra has been outstanding in a poor Utd defence and shd be there ahead of Cole.

Johnson has been far better than Terry.

Other than that can see much wrong with the side you name.

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I think Gallas should be in ahead of Terry, who has been at fault for as many of the goals the English media have pinned on Cech.

Barry Ferguson has walked the EPL after struggling in Scotland over the past few years and should be in the side too.

Need to think about the rest for a while.

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Fairly interesting Cole is the only survivor from your last year’s team. As a Liverpool fan I am pretty confused as to this year’s dire form. One thing, which very few have commented on, is the half-arsed approach to the pre-season. Having put little effort in they were made look like a championship team by spurs in the first game, a trend which was to continue. Their success in the latter half of last season was half to do with the quality of player they had but also to do with the serious momentum and desire they also had. They have never recovered from the poor start/pre-season in my opinion. Utd have been in decline for a couple of years, and the sale of ronaldo meant they lost their wild card. Chelsea have always had the strongest first 15 and that has shown in the last few weeks/months. Not too sure how the rest of the season will go, but I’d still be hugely surprised if, when the dust has settled, if the top 4 changes.

Take that chippers, some bullshit Pms, striking GAA players than any form of sport

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Ferguson hardly got a kick at the weekend. Has done well alright. Good business for a million.

No way Evra should be ahead of Cole imo. Has been particularly poor in a couple of games this season that I have seen him. Fulham away in particular comes to mind when he was awful. Doesnt seem as interested tracking back these days either.

Thought Gallas and Vermaelen were both shocking at the weekend.

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[quote=“Woody”]Fairly interesting Cole is the only survivor from your last year’s team. As a Liverpool fan I am pretty confused as to this year’s dire form. One thing, which very few have commented on, is the half-arsed approach to the pre-season. Having put little effort in they were made look like a championship team by spurs in the first game, a trend which was to continue. Their success in the latter half of last season was half to do with the quality of player they had but also to do with the serious momentum and desire they also had. They have never recovered from the poor start/pre-season in my opinion. Utd have been in decline for a couple of years, and the sale of ronaldo meant they lost their wild card. Chelsea have always had the strongest first 15 and that has shown in the last few weeks/months. Not too sure how the rest of the season will go, but I’d still be hugely surprised if, when the dust has settled, if the top 4 changes.

Take that chippers, some bullshit Pms, striking GAA players than any form of sport[/QUOTE]

Alonso was Liverpool’s most consistent player last season. Replacing him with another injury prone player was poor business. Aquilani might turn out to be a good player but with Torres and Gerrard injured regularly the last thing they needed was another important injury prone player. I think Johnson is a good player but Arbeloa did well last season I thought and that money could have been put to better use. Carragher’s fall from grace has been pretty stark.

Dont think Chelsea have improved at all from last season. The others have just fallen more. Carvalho, Cech, Terry, Ballack, Deco aint what they used to be and United despite severe injury problems aint that far off. I think City have a serious chance actually.

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[quote=“KIB man”]Alonso was Liverpool’s most consistent player last season. Replacing him with another injury prone player was poor business. Aquilani might turn out to be a good player but with Torres and Gerrard injured regularly the last thing they needed was another important injury prone player. I think Johnson is a good player but Arbeloa did well last season I thought and that money could have been put to better use. Carragher’s fall from grace has been pretty stark.

Dont think Chelsea have improved at all from last season. The others have just fallen more. Carvalho, Cech, Terry, Ballack, Deco aint what they used to be and United despite severe injury problems aint that far off. I think City have a serious chance actually.[/QUOTE]

Agreed. I didn’t want to be the typical liverpool cry baby Alonso, injuries, blah blah, but what you say is true. Arbeloa is one of the most underrated players in europe at the moment. I saw him in anfield marking messi out of a game on his debut (or at leastone of his first games for liverpool-feel free to correct me). Chelsea have declined but they still have the squad quality to steamroll certain opposition. Of the chasing pack City are the only ones I think should be taken seriously. Villa and Spurs have the ability to get good results but a sustained challenge is definitely beyond them. United’s greatest quality is the belief they have that they are winners. Despite a number of dodgy players they are never far away from winning matches and in turn leagues and cups. God help them when Red Nose retires.

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True if Fergie wins the league this year it could be his greatest achievement. Serious injury problems, best player sold, anarchy behind the scenes. I think they may be in even a worse financial position than Liverpool at the moment. Michael Owen was a tellatale signing but getting this guy Diouf in and playing him straight away would never have happened before. Pulling out from signing that Serb kid was very strange too. If they win either the league or Champions League this year I reckon he will definitely retire.

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Hope so, put a 10 on them just afer christmas at 38/1

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So that’s another year of fergie? :smiley:

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Team of Season so far

Joe Hart
Carr
Hangerland
Dunne
Evra
Lennon
Fabregas
Essien
Giggs
Drogba
Rooney

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Always a danger City could be happy with winning a Cup and just Champions League qualification but Mancini is an ambitious guy. He has a lot of seriously talented players out of the side at the moment that will be desperate to make an impression before the season is out if even to earn a move to a decent club. Cant see City’s back four being Richards - Toure - Lescott - Bridge again anyway. All decent footballers but not defenders. Mancini will mix it up a bit.

Only 7 points off top - Everton (a), Pompey (h), Hull (h), Bolton (h), Stoke (a) - next 5 games. Expect them to be closer than 7 points to top of the table by then. Can see them winning all 5 to be honest.

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[quote=“KIB man”]Always a danger City could be happy with winning a Cup and just Champions League qualification but Mancini is an ambitious guy. He has a lot of seriously talented players out of the side at the moment that will be desperate to make an impression before the season is out if even to earn a move to a decent club. Cant see City’s back four being Richards - Toure - Lescott - Bridge again anyway. All decent footballers but not defenders. Mancini will mix it up a bit.

Only 7 points off top - Everton (a), Pompey (h), Hull (h), Bolton (h), Stoke (a) - next 5 games. Expect them to be closer than 7 points to top of the table by then. Can see them winning all 5 to be honest.[/QUOTE]

A lot of people are seriously underestimating Mancini, but his real test will come when he has to play the big boys. Although I expect him to do a good job, meaning CL at least this year if not next.

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[quote=“KIB man”]Alonso was Liverpool’s most consistent player last season. Replacing him with another injury prone player was poor business. Aquilani might turn out to be a good player but with Torres and Gerrard injured regularly the last thing they needed was another important injury prone player. I think Johnson is a good player but Arbeloa did well last season I thought and that money could have been put to better use. Carragher’s fall from grace has been pretty stark.

Dont think Chelsea have improved at all from last season. The others have just fallen more. Carvalho, Cech, Terry, Ballack, Deco aint what they used to be and United despite severe injury problems aint that far off. I think City have a serious chance actually.[/QUOTE]

Had a bit of a punt on City today at 15.5 on betfair, they probably won’t win it but I have the feeling they will be in the mix under mancini, they will certainly improvedefensively under Mancini and it looks as though he will bring in a new centre half and left back…Tevez, Bellamy and Petrov will cause any defense problems and if one of Adebayor/Santa Cruz/Robinho or dare I say it Benjani hit a bit of a purple patch they will do well…If they can keep on winning and picking up points they will be far shorter than that come the middle of March…Hopefully lay off a bit of it then

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Man City have a lot of very capable players but have many of them actually been there and done it in terms of winning leagues? Tevez, Viera, Bridge, Wright-Phillips (the latter two only bit part players). Robinho of course but despute being a tremendous talent he doesn’t appear to give a shite.

I can’t see them doing it but, as I said before, they will definitely make the top four.

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[quote=“farmerinthecity”]Man City have a lot of very capable players but have many of them actually been there and done it in terms of winning leagues? Tevez, Viera, Bridge, Wright-Phillips (the latter two only bit part players). Robinho of course but despute being a tremendous talent he doesn’t appear to give a shite.

I can’t see them doing it but, as I said before, they will definitely make the top four.[/QUOTE]

i’m pretty sure you predicted villa or Liverpool would finish fourth not so long ago

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[quote=“farmerinthecity”]Man City have a lot of very capable players but have many of them actually been there and done it in terms of winning leagues? Tevez, Viera, Bridge, Wright-Phillips (the latter two only bit part players). Robinho of course but despute being a tremendous talent he doesn’t appear to give a shite.

I can’t see them doing it but, as I said before, they will definitely make the top four.[/QUOTE]

i’m pretty sure you predicted villa or Liverpool would finish fourth not so long ago