EPL this Month

The shape of the EPL is being shown as the big 4 are climbing up the table, but there are a few surprises this October.

Top Teams this Month
Chelsea- Yes they lost their home record but they are still in the top 2 of the EPL. And that’s with a whole list of injuries to contend with! When those guys return, it’ll be interesting to see how manager Luiz Felipe Scolari will integrate them back into the team, but till then Chelsea is still one of the top teams in the league.

Liverpool- I admit, when Fernando Torres got injured playing for Spain, I thought Liverpool are going to be in trouble. However, they now have a new scoring machine in…Dirk Kuyt? Yes, after a disappointing season last year, Dirk Kuyt is coming good. Robbie Keane still doesn’t look like a good buy at $20million, but Torres is coming back from his injury, so Liverpool got a break this month.

Hull City- They are still there. 4-1 to Man Utd at Old Trafford, and Hull City still somehow made a game of it by scoring 2 goals to lose 4-3. Spirit is something Hull has and as long as they have that, they will survive.

Surprise Team this month
Tottenham Hotspur- I think firing Juande Ramos was a wrong move as he wasn’t given enough time to gel his players together. However the appointment of Harry Redknapp was a right move. Under Redknapp’s system, Luka Modric has the freedom to roam behind the strikers and both Darren Bent and Roman Pavlyuchenko has benefited. Not sure how long the new manager bounce will last, but Spurs fans finally has something to smile about.

Disappointing Teams this month
Arsenal- Arsenal boss Arsene Wenger may not want to admit it but the Gunners are lightweight in the middle of the park. Opponents are picking up on the fact that Cesc Fabregas do not have anyone beside him in the middle, so Arsenal are just losing too many midfield battles this season. Without the midfield, Robin van Persie and Emmanuel Adebayor do not have a steady supply line, and since those two are not the most deadly of strikers, it’s important that Arsenal have a constant stream of chances for them. Arsene need to go buy a holding midfielder this January.

West Ham – The credit crisis engulfing the world right now has hit West Ham especially hard. The Icelandic owners of the club are in financial difficulties and manager Gianfranco Zola has to deal with poor morale. He also has no money to buy new players in January. Bad form, poor morale, no money; bad news for a new manager.