EPL Wrap Up

With a game to go, what do you make of the EPL season? The ups and down and the merry-go-round. It's a strange season and yet quite predictable - Manchester United, Chelsea, Arsenal, Manchester City, Liverpool, Tottenham Hotspurs are the usual suspects. At the other end, West Ham, Wigan, Blackpool, Birmingham, Wolves, Blackburn. Manchester United scored the most goals (74) and most wins (22), Chelsea conceded the least (32), Wolves suffered the most losses, Everton/Fulham/Birmingham/Wigan drew the most games (15).



Manchester United

I still do not like Manchester United, I think most people do not like arrogance but I shall give credit where credit is due. The worst Man U team for some time are deserving champions. Chelsea or Arsenal could have wrestle the crown from them but their winning mentality kept them there. You can say that some times they won without kicking a ball. It's like golf when other competitors self-destruct. In fact, without Ronaldo, they are a better team and their strength remains in their resilience and speed in counter-attack.

Success this season brings new problems and uncertainty next season even with hair-dryer Sir Alex Ferguson, the wily old fox still there. Like the PAP, some stalwarts may no longer be there or in their last swan song - great servants like Ryan Giggs and Paul Scholes. Some other fringe players who doesn't quite make the cut may be on the way out. There will be major changes at Old Trafford. Then there is the business of their final game against reigning champions Barcelona in the UEFA final.

For all their attacking verve, the Red Devils will not match Barca in keeping and moving the ball around. Their advantage is Wembley and playing to their strength. Hit Barca on the counter with a sucker punch and use their resilience to defend. Edwin van Der Sar is a better goalie than Victor Valdes. Attack on the wings and deliver the crosses especially during set pieces in free-kicks and corners. Rio Ferdinand (if he's not injured by then), Vidic and Berbatov could trouble Barca at the back with their aerial prowess. Based on pure footballing genius, Barca will win especially when you have none other than the mercurial Lionel Messi. People still ask me who is better - Ronaldo or Messi? Ronaldo is a machine while Messi is pure genius. Do not forget Messi's not only scored 50 but he has 25 assists or more. R0naldo rehearsed is tricks and then apply them, Messi is pure instincts and genius. Jose Mourinho will not be Man U manager even if Sir Alex retires. Man U plays with a certain attacking swagger. The next season will be interesting because their opponents are getting stronger. They may have to splurge in spending.

Chelsea

Carlos Ancelotti is actually a very good manager. He didn't change the team much but Chelsea's play since he took over has been a breath of fresh air. More daring in attack and less boring as a team. After faltering, they have made a strong recovery. However, the Chelsea war horses are mostly getting on in age. They still have a team, organisation and system to mount serious challenges on all front in the domestic league or Europe and with Abramovic's bank-rolling, the question is what new excitement could Chelsea generate next season? Money no object? Tell that to Manchester City.

Arsenal

Arsene Wenger is a philosopher. Great in talent spotting and stubborn in his belief. In pure footballing terms, Arsenal has no peers in the EPL and probably second only to Barcelona in Europe. They have the better footballers but lack the winning mentality of Manchester United and the strength and organisation of Chelsea on the pitch. Their brand of soccer is breathtaking but have the habit of slipping at crucial moments even to weaker teams. Towards the last part of the season, they have some 5-game opportunity to grab the lead but they faltered badly.

What the Gunners need is really to get a few quality players in. First of all stop all dodgy goal keeping, get a reliable goalie that gives the back line confidence. When your goalie are spilling all over the shop, your defenders are on tenterhooks. Beef up the defence and stop all the silly give away goals. Get a really good defensive midfielder like West Ham captain and Footballer of the Year Scott Parker to anchor the midfield. Finally, every good team needs a goal scorer that scores regularly. Chamakh, van Persie, Brendtner and all are not doing enough. Arsenal also lacks a leader. Cesc Fabregas has all the qualities and at one time he could do no wrong jsut like Thierry Henry was during his time there. But Fabregas was not as authoritative or passionate this season. Maybe it is time to let him leave if his heart is no longer there. Wenger has the money to invest and it is time he should. He could sign Carlos Tevez.

Manchester City

Winning the FA Cup and qualifying for Europe may have save Mancini his job for now. With the kind of money they have and have spent what else were anyone expecting. With the quality that they have and strength in depth, I do feel that they should be strutting out with some style. Compare them to West Ham, Wigan and Blackpool and you would see the difference between princes and paupers. It is the same expectation people have of you when you get astronomical minister pay.

Manchester City must come out to play and with their resources they can create much more excitement to rival the likes of Barcelona and Real Madrid. Their progress next season will be interesting.

Tottenham Hostspurs

Harry Redknapp has done a miraculous job at White Hart Lane. From the brink of relegation he has overturned the Cockerel's fortune to become one of the most exciting if not the most exciting team in the league and also winning hearts in Europe. Rafael van Der Vaart was a great signing and Jermaine Defoe on his day can be breathtaking. Oh yes keep watching Welshman Gareth Bale, he is one of those reasons people love soccer. Then there is speed demon Aaron Lennon. With these two blokes tearing down the wings, they will continue to trouble defences. You just love to watch soccer played through the wings.

Spurs have to make some changes. They should consider a very solid goalie. It is one thing to get to where you are but the more difficult part is to sustain it and keep going. Consistency is the key. This is also why Manchester United is more successful than others in the most recent years with 19 titles pipping Liverpool by one. Spurs have the core to grow from here. Their problem may be that their players wanted by other clubs are those they want to keep. 

Liverpool

Kenny Dalglish has somehow turned Liverpool into a "new" team. You never saw a Liverpool winning 3-0, 4-1 and 5-2 for a very long time even when Benitez was in charge. Dalglish is familiar with the youth team at Anfield and he is very comfortable and unafraid to introduce younger and newer players into the fold. Everyone begin to enjoy playing soccer again it seemed. Even without Steven Gerrard (out injured) they did very well. Therefore, maxim that nobody is indispensable rings true. If you do not play well and still get selected the team will be headed for disaster.

Those who continues to be favoured and got selected will become complacent while those denied a chance will be disillusioned. This is the same with the England team. If Rooney isn't playing well, drop him. Who doesn't know how good he was. This way, everybody knows how it is measured. In Luis Suarez and Andy Caroll they have an exciting partnership that they take them places. Liverpool will probably be able to spend some money on a few key quality players. With Dalglish settled in for a 3-year contract, the dust has settled so may be we can expect more next season.

Everton

David Moyes is like Alex Ferguson. An outstanding manager as his unfancied Everton continues to defy odds even as they have no big spending. They did not start well but look where they are now. This is work ethics at its best as you can often see it in Everton's play - total commitment and they make it hard for their opponents. Unless they could lay their hands on a few great signings, it is tough for them to go another rung up. However, they have a great youth academy at Goodison Park where youngster like Jack Rodwell and many other are up and coming just as Wayne Rooney did.

Fulham

Being a London club, Fulham is not as glamorous as the rest. May be even not as glam as Mohd Al-Fayed its Harrods-owning boss but Fulham has some very good and consistent players not those who are flashy and shiny. Hangelaand is a first rate defender while the likes of Damien Duff, Danny Murphy and Clinton Dempsey says it all.

Craven Cottage is a difficult place for most teams to visit despite that the team is one of the most fair in the fair play stakes.

Stoke City


Remember Gordon Banks or Alan Hudson? They once played for this club. Unfancied but surprising this team in red and white stripes can be intimidating for some. They have always pack a good fight. Ask Arsenal who experienced that only just recently. A big big credit must be due to its manager Tony Pulis who could garner a team to pull it off with some substance. Careful spending and strategic signings could strengthen them further.

Bolton

Bolton are tough as nails. A team that will dig in and fight. Rambunctious and under Owen Coyle has added a different dimension to their game. Kevin Davies will continue to bang his way through anything but in his slightly younger days he has dribbled 4-5 players to scored. In Elmander they also have a great striker who delivers. They must try to keep Elmander.

WBA

If I ask you to name a player here you may have a problem. I can only recall Scott Carson and Nick Shorey. This was once an exciting team led by Johnny Giles. Amazingly they have kept themselves in 11th place! Manager Roberto Di Matteo is doing a great job! This is a club that won the championship once in 1919 and besides Giles boasted many famous names like Don Howe, Willie Johnston, Bryan Robson, Laurie Cunningham, Cyrille Regis, Geoff Hurst and Bobby Robson.

This is to tell you that no matter how small you are or how humble your beginnings, the future beckons. Look at the names above that I have mentioned.


Newcastle

The Toon Army are a special lot and also the most suffered. The hunger for a trophy continues but I fell in love with the Magpies because of Kevin Keegan's team that played like magic. Remember the days of Peter Beardsley, Andy Cole and Alan Shearer? Even during Bobby Robson's time. Though they have some interesting players, it is hard for the Magpies to have a decent assault for any titles unless they bring in some quality players. The loss of Andy Caroll will be felt but then again they somehow hit 2 past Chelsea in a 2-2 draw. Being their fans mean a roller-coaster ride. What can Alan Pardew really do?

Aston Villa

They were doing really well until Martin O'Neill's departure then they crumbled but manage to pick themselves up a bit. Villa has some very good players but they may all be sold as they have drawn interest from other clubs. Ashley Young, Gabriel Agbonlahor, Stewart Downing, Stephen Ireland, Marc Albrighton, may be gone for next season? What next? I remembered the Villa during the days of Andy Gray, Peter Withe, Gordon Cowans and Paul McGrath. Darren Bent has been scoring regularly for Sunderland and now Villa. Can he do the same for England?

Sunderland

Sunderland is like the rest of the teams that are not top ten material. Unless you have top dollars you can't compete with the big spending boys. You have to get fringe players from other clubs including the top ones, search in other continents or some on loan. Asamoah Gyan was a star at the World Cup though. What will they do with the money from the sale of Darren Bent?

Blackburn


This is the team once bankrolled by steel magnate Jack Walker who installed Kenny Dalglish as manager and won the championship led by Alan Shearer and Chris Sutton. It is going to be tough to get back to the halcyon days of glory. Their current 15th position will get even trickier by the next season.


Wolves

I just like the name - Wolverhampton Wanderers or simply Wolves. In their hey days they boasted John Richards, Kenny Hibbitt, Steve Bull and Billy Wright. They play very good soccer and deserve to stay up for another fresh challenge. If you live in the city of Wolverhampton, you should frighten more visiting teams.

Birmingham

I could only remember Trevor Francis who became the most expensive player transferred at the time when Brian Clough bought him for Nottingham Forest. The Birmingham that I know now are like draw specialist. They play a tight game, do not concede many goals and scored even fewer.

Blackpool


Just for courage alone, you will want Blackpool to stay up. I like them. They go into a game to try to win it regardless of the opposition. They are also probably the team with the most home grown players. The most famous name is their captain Charlie Adam who should be on the radar of quite a few other clubs. Alan Ball and Stanley Matthews once played for this club.


Wigan

It has been difficult thought they have shown that they could hang in there sometimes. The brief flirtation with Premier League soccer may end this time.


West Ham

Everybody should know West Ham is an important place in English soccer. Bobby Moore, Martin Peters, Geoff Hurst, Trevor Brooking, Rio Ferdinand, Joe Cole, Frank Lampard, Michael Carrick, Glen Johnson and many more once graced Upton Park. They are like our Farrer Park. Looked what happened to Farrer Park now. Do you remember the others like Phil Parkes, Billy Bonds, Alvin Martin, Paolo Di Canio, Alan Devonshire, Paul Ince, Tony Cottee, Trevor Morley, Stuart Pearce and Julian Dicks?

They have struggled many seasons just enough to keep theirs necks above the water. This time it is not enough. Ironically, Scott Parker had just won the Footballer Of The Year award playing for West Ham. I hope they will bounce right back!