As promised, here’s my look at the teams that occupy the bottom five positions of the Premier League at the start of 2009.
West Bromich Albion Currently 20th
It’s hard to see how West Brom can avoid the drop at the end of the season. Tony Mowbray must be commended for sticking to his ideals and belief in the way that the game should be played and at times West Brom have been a joy to watch when they play their flowing passing game and really go at the opposition. Unfortunately they just lack the overall quality to help them stay up and have really missed a front man to put away the chances they have created. Recent wins against Tottenham and Manchester City mean they are not adrift though and still have a lot to play for in the remaining half of the season but their lack of finances, compared with the bigger teams at the wrong end of the table, mean it will be hard to get the quality needed to help them stay up. It’s going to be tight but West Brom will be going down.
Prediction – 20th
Blackburn Rovers – Currently 19th
Blackburn are in an interesting position as they still have many of the squad that finished in the top half of the table last year and their current predicament is only the blame of Paul Ince. The timing of Ince’s appointment to the post was all wrong and ideally he should have spent more time learning his trade and continuing the good work he did at MK Dons rather than taking a big job in the Premier League. Sam Allardyce is a canny appointment and has already shown that he can organise and motivate Rovers and make them very hard to beat. What will certainly help him is that the Rovers squad has players who can put the ball in the back of the net such as McCarthy, Santa Cruz and even Jason Roberts and Matt Derbyshire can weigh in with the goals. I think they’ll stay up but it won’t be easy and it won’t be pretty.
Prediction – 17th
Stoke City – Currently 18th
Stoke have proven that if they do go down they’ll go down fighting. I’ve not seen a team that’s as physical opposing or as competitive as the side Tony Pullis has assembled and although some purists may not like their style of play, I find it refreshing and part of a highly compelling season that is unfolding. Stoke have shown they can battle with anyone and their results so far have been a credit to them but I suspect the lack of a plan B might be there undoing eventually. Another interesting development from Stoke is the Rory Delap throw in, much more deadly and accurate than a free kick, this might be something that a few more teams will specialise with in the future as it really does cause chaos in the oppositions defence. Stoke to go down but only just.
Prediction – 19th
Middlesbrough – Currently 17th
Boro are a team that often flatter to deceive. Blessed with some talented and hard working players they are another team that has fallen victim to a highly competitive and difficult to predict, Premier league. What has probably been there downfall so far this season is the lack of goals from their leading forwards, Alvas, Tuncay, Mido and Aliadiera, with only a measly 13 league goals between the four of them. Otherwise Boro are traditionally strong in defence and often make the bigger teams really work for a result, it is clearly the teams that they should be beating that is causing the problem this year. Bolton, Hull, Fulham and West Brom all have victories over them and it’s these kind of results that see them sit 17th. I think they’ll stay up but only because there are teams worse than them at the bottom already.
Prediction – 16th
Tottenham Hotsputs – Currently 16th
Spurs find themselves at the wrong end of the table due to a disastrous start under former head coach Juande Ramos which saw them with only 2 points from the first few months of the season. Harry Redknapp was brought in and he has brought a sense of belief and motivation back to the spurs team and given them a platform where salvation is realistically in their own hands. Spurs are blessed with talented players but there main problem is that beyond their first 14 the rest of the squad is somewhat bare or is not up to the task. Redknapp needs to bring in another striker and possible two more in midfield to cover these inadequacies but this should be no problem to a man who has an excellent reputation in the transfer market. The quality is there and don’t be surprised if Spurs make a late run up the table, possible even into the top 10.
Prediction – 10th
Regarding the final relegation spot I’ll leave you all in suspense and address this at some point next week.
Sunday 4 January 2009
Friday 2 January 2009
Top 5 review so far
As we are past the halfway point for the season I thought now would be a good place to look back and assess on how well, or in some cases, how badly, the season has been so far for the 20 clubs that make up the Premier League. Today I’ll look at the top five clubs going into 2009 and tomorrow I’ll do the same but for the teams at the other end of the table.
Liverpool. Currently 1st.
Liverpool have so far managed to cling onto top spot mainly due to the fact that whenever they have dropped points so have Chelsea. Realistically Liverpool should be a few more points clear of the pack but careless draws at home to the likes of West Ham, Stoke and Fulham may cost them towards the end of the season. What is encouraging is that this season has seen them already beat Manchester United and Chelsea which may be very important in the minds of the Liverpool players. They know they can beat the best now and if you can finish above United and Chelsea there is a good chance you’ll finish top of the league.
Prediction – 1st
Chelsea. Currently 2nd
Big Phil has tinkered with the winning formula created by Jose Mourinho to interesting effect. No longer are Chelsea the juggernaut of old but are a team that often play you off the field, best displayed when they passed Portsmouth off the field first day of the season. Key injuries to the likes of Drogba, Ballack and Terry have not helped their cause, nor have the inadequate displays of squad players like Ivanovic and Kalou – who continues to hint at being a good player but never fully delivers. Also Chelsea have struggled at home after losing their 4 year undefeated streak and their sense of invulnerability, but this will surely return once players come to terms with losing their record. With players returning from injury I can see Chelsea pushing Liverpool and United but I suspect they will pull up again just short.
Prediction – 3rd
Manchester United. Currently 3rd
United currently sit 3rd in the table with two games in hand over Liverpool. So far United have failed to reach top gear but must be pleased to still be in contention in the title race. Ronaldo, after missing the first few weeks of the season, has failed to reach the heights of last year and the increasing petulance that is displayed in his game must be of concern to Sir Alex Ferguson. The defence has been as strong as ever and the return of Michael Carrick to centre midfield, whose vision and passing is second to none, must be pleasing to all at Old Trafford. It is in the final third that United have the most troubles, attempting to accommodate Tevez, Rooney and Berbatov into only 2 striking positions. Once they all click I expect United to push Liverpool all the way but see their near neighbours just piping them this year.
Prediction - 2nd
Aston Villa. Currently 4th
Villa have been a breath of fresh air this year and it is great to see another team make a realistic challenge for the top four. With Ashley Young and Gabby Agbonlahor they have players that can really punish the opposition with their skill and pace. What Martin O’Neill has done is bring together a good group of English players hungry for success and coupled this with some decent players from abroad. What is really missing for Villa is the 20 -30 goal a season striker that every team with title ambitions needs and with John Carew’s injuries this season Villa have found themselves rather light upfront at times. If Villa can get themselves a Defoe, or similar player they might find themselves in with a chance to finish in the top four. If they don’t spend this January I think they just don’t have the goals to outlast Arsenal, although I desperately hope to be wrong over this.
Prediction – 5th unless they buy a proven striker this January
Arsenal. Currently – 5th
Arsenal have once again failed to deliver and Arsene Wenger must be bitterly disappointed to find his talented team 10 points behind Liverpool and seemingly out of the title race. The problem with Arsenal is that they are lacking the strong spine of old and are light weight at centre half and centre midfield. Years back you knew that Adams, Vieira and Petit where the strong foundation which Arsenal built around but in 2009 it is a much different story Cesc Fabregas is an awesome player and will only get better but he desperately needs someone to help him out in the Arsenal midfield. A Gattuso/Frings, Mascherano type player is really needed and Wenger needs to address this urgently in the transfer window or risk seeing his squad seek pastures new if the unthinkable happens and they fail to qualify for the Champions league. Upfront they are strong and Samir Nasri has proven to be a wise purchase but Wenger must spend and spend big if he hopes to save his season.
Prediction – 4th
Liverpool. Currently 1st.
Liverpool have so far managed to cling onto top spot mainly due to the fact that whenever they have dropped points so have Chelsea. Realistically Liverpool should be a few more points clear of the pack but careless draws at home to the likes of West Ham, Stoke and Fulham may cost them towards the end of the season. What is encouraging is that this season has seen them already beat Manchester United and Chelsea which may be very important in the minds of the Liverpool players. They know they can beat the best now and if you can finish above United and Chelsea there is a good chance you’ll finish top of the league.
Prediction – 1st
Chelsea. Currently 2nd
Big Phil has tinkered with the winning formula created by Jose Mourinho to interesting effect. No longer are Chelsea the juggernaut of old but are a team that often play you off the field, best displayed when they passed Portsmouth off the field first day of the season. Key injuries to the likes of Drogba, Ballack and Terry have not helped their cause, nor have the inadequate displays of squad players like Ivanovic and Kalou – who continues to hint at being a good player but never fully delivers. Also Chelsea have struggled at home after losing their 4 year undefeated streak and their sense of invulnerability, but this will surely return once players come to terms with losing their record. With players returning from injury I can see Chelsea pushing Liverpool and United but I suspect they will pull up again just short.
Prediction – 3rd
Manchester United. Currently 3rd
United currently sit 3rd in the table with two games in hand over Liverpool. So far United have failed to reach top gear but must be pleased to still be in contention in the title race. Ronaldo, after missing the first few weeks of the season, has failed to reach the heights of last year and the increasing petulance that is displayed in his game must be of concern to Sir Alex Ferguson. The defence has been as strong as ever and the return of Michael Carrick to centre midfield, whose vision and passing is second to none, must be pleasing to all at Old Trafford. It is in the final third that United have the most troubles, attempting to accommodate Tevez, Rooney and Berbatov into only 2 striking positions. Once they all click I expect United to push Liverpool all the way but see their near neighbours just piping them this year.
Prediction - 2nd
Aston Villa. Currently 4th
Villa have been a breath of fresh air this year and it is great to see another team make a realistic challenge for the top four. With Ashley Young and Gabby Agbonlahor they have players that can really punish the opposition with their skill and pace. What Martin O’Neill has done is bring together a good group of English players hungry for success and coupled this with some decent players from abroad. What is really missing for Villa is the 20 -30 goal a season striker that every team with title ambitions needs and with John Carew’s injuries this season Villa have found themselves rather light upfront at times. If Villa can get themselves a Defoe, or similar player they might find themselves in with a chance to finish in the top four. If they don’t spend this January I think they just don’t have the goals to outlast Arsenal, although I desperately hope to be wrong over this.
Prediction – 5th unless they buy a proven striker this January
Arsenal. Currently – 5th
Arsenal have once again failed to deliver and Arsene Wenger must be bitterly disappointed to find his talented team 10 points behind Liverpool and seemingly out of the title race. The problem with Arsenal is that they are lacking the strong spine of old and are light weight at centre half and centre midfield. Years back you knew that Adams, Vieira and Petit where the strong foundation which Arsenal built around but in 2009 it is a much different story Cesc Fabregas is an awesome player and will only get better but he desperately needs someone to help him out in the Arsenal midfield. A Gattuso/Frings, Mascherano type player is really needed and Wenger needs to address this urgently in the transfer window or risk seeing his squad seek pastures new if the unthinkable happens and they fail to qualify for the Champions league. Upfront they are strong and Samir Nasri has proven to be a wise purchase but Wenger must spend and spend big if he hopes to save his season.
Prediction – 4th
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