Tuesday, September 1, 2009

EPL this month

The first month of the EPL threw up some shocks but the league is taking shape as the usual suspects are at the top, or near the top, of the league. Here’s the rundown for the first month of the EPL;

Top Teams this Month
Arsenal- I was one of the few people who said that Arsenal didn’t have a bad off-season and they will still be in the Top 4 at season’s end. The Gunners started the season with a 6-1 thrashing of Everton and suddenly everyone is saying what a genius manager Arsene Wenger is. As long as Cesc Fabregas and Andrei Arshavin are fit, Arsenal will be okay but until Arsene Wenger spend some money on a defensive midfield, don’t expect any titles at the end of the season.

Chelsea- New manager Carlo Ancelotti is a hard taskmaster. Chelsea has won all their matches so far with class, confidence and comfort, and still Ancelotti is not happy with the team. Of course Luiz Felipe Scolari had a great start last year as well and we all know how long he lasted, so maybe Ancelotti is on to something here by being tough on the stars.

Man City- Of all the teams in the EPL, none needed a good start more than Man City. Luckily for manager Mark Hughes, they have been getting the wins. They haven’t been impressive but they are winning and Emmanuel Adebayor is in good scoring form. The big test will come when they meet the big teams though.

Tottenham. Hotspur- Jermine Defoe is on fire and has almost single-handily fired Harry Redknapp’s side to the top of the EPL. I don’t think they will last long there as there are still questions on their defence and with Luka Modric out for a month, Spurs’ fans should enjoy the moment while it last.

Surprise Team this month
Burnley- Who would have thought Burnley could beat Man Utd? I said at the start of the season, I don’t know a single player Burnley has; now I do. Brain Jensen is called “The Beast” by Burnley fans and I can see why. He is a monster of a keeper but it’s not enough; I still think they are going down.

Disappointing Teams this month
Liverpool- Last season, Liverpool had a total of 2 losses. This season they had 2 losses in the first month of the season. Rafa Benitez is complaining about Liverpool lacking in precision, but if that’s the case why did he sell Xabi Alonso? His usual trick of blaming the American owners is not going to work this time as he was clearly the one, not the owners, who wanted to sell Alonso last year. Rafa has to take the blame for the poor start as he had clearly under-rated the influence Alonso had in the middle of the park for Liverpool. And his replacement, Alberto Aquilani, is still out for a month! It’s still early but it seems like another heartbreaking season for Liverpool fans.

Everton- Manager David Moyes has finally admitted defeat and sold Joleon Lescott to Man City. Not a moment to soon as Lescott has been a cancer on the team and the moment he was sold, Everton won the next match. However Moyes still has a big injury list to contend with, so there’s still a lot of work for him to do to get their season started.

Portsmouth- They can’t buy players because they are in financial troubles, they can’t score because they can’t create chances and worst of all their players are all looking to jump ship. When you lose Sol Campbell to Notts County, are you are in trouble or what!

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