It was May 27th, 2013. The place? Wembley. The teams? Watford and Crystal Palace. The prize? Promotion and an estimated £120 million cash influx. The result? Watford going down 1-0 to an extra-time penalty converted by Kevin Phillips. After an eight year absence, Palace was back in the Premier League. They may not have been the most consistent team all season, having finished fifth in the Championship, but they were good enough in the end to come out of the play-offs on top. Cut to November and they are currently sitting bottom of the Premier League, recording only 1 win in 10 games they are looking a sure thing to drop straight back down. The manager’s role is currently empty and there are reports that former Real Madrid coach Aitor Karanka has already had an interview for the position. I think they should instead make a realistic and forward thinking decision in picking someone with solid Championship and/or lower league promotional pedigree. Tony Pulis is apparently no longer interested, so perhaps the likes of Neil Warnock, Steve Coppell or Martin O’Neill?
With the number of players Di Canio bought over the summer, 14 in total, its little wonder Sunderland are struggling. It takes time for a team to gel and it was a lot to ask for an almost new team to perform immediately in such a competitive league. I don’t think anyone was surprised to see him be the first manager sacked, sure we’ll miss the slides up and down the sideline, but charisma (or plain madness in some opinions) will only get you so far. Sunderland’s win over Newcastle in round 9 under new manager Gus Poyet looked to be a step in the right direction. The derby crowd was phenomenal in that match, which is reason enough to hope Sunderland stay up this season. They are currently sitting 2nd from bottom with four points in the bag and the worst defense in the league, having leaked 22 goals so far. Whether that win against Newcastle is a sign of things to come and they manage to stay up, or if all they achieve in 2013/2014 is the record of worst start to a season of any team (1 point in their first 8 games), only time will tell.
So it looks like Stoke have an extra striker and they didn't even know it. Yes it’s scary how lame that joke was (sorry), but what’s even more scary is that the goal Begovic scored on the weekend against Southampton elevated him to top goal scorer for Stoke. Sure, I could make a long ball joke, throw in a bit of “wait, I thought Tony Pulis left the club”, but I won’t, for Stoke’s sake. When you’re 10 matches in and your goalkeeper is sitting on equal top scorer with 1 goal, you've got enough problems. With Mark Hughes appointed manager over the summer break, the fans were promised a more “pleasing on the eye” style of play. The club started the season strongly, with wins against Palace and West Ham but have since only recorded three draws which has them sitting on 9 points in 17th spot. With the ambition of changing a team’s style of play in one season, Hughes would have expected some bumps along the way. He’s now in desperate need of some wins, particularly at home, as the Britannia has traditionally been a fortress and he would be hoping to keep it that way.
In contrast, Southampton have made a very strong and consistent start to the season and currently sit 6th on the table with 19 points from 10 matches. They took a total of 6 points from the same fixtures last season (substituting their match against Crystal Palace with West Ham), showing how much they continue to improve. The appointment of Pochettino as replacement manager for Nigel Adkins seemed like a risky move, with the Argentine’s experience in the Premier League limited to say the least. 10 months on they are looking a well balanced and fluid team, playing some high pressing football with the strongest defense in the league, conceding only 4 goals thus far. Having gone into administration in 2009 they have since been bought out by the Liebherr family and spent big over the summer on Lovren, Wanyama and Osvaldo, who was a transfer record for the club. Its players like Jose Fonte, Rickie Lambert and Adam Lallana, however, who are the true backbone of the club, having brought Southampton back to the top flight and continue to perform week in and week out.
Many, including myself, had predicted that Everton would struggle this season without Moyes in charge. With some intelligent transfers in the likes of Lukaku, McCarthy and Barry and in turn managing to hold onto Leighton Baines, Everton have a very decent squad. The now infamous sale of Fellaini for more than the release clause in his expired contract, was just icing on the cake for Everton over summer. Currently sitting in 7th spot, just 1 point off the top four, they have had some solid wins against Chelsea and Newcastle. But it is the early draws against Norwich, West Brom and Cardiff that may come back to haunt them in May. We all know this is going to be a tight season, but Everton should be turning draws into wins and fighting for a top 6 finish under Martinez.
Next week I’ll be reviewing the remainder of the teams in the PL including how to assess Newcastle and Villa’s mixed bag of results, Swansea’s drop in form from last season and how West Ham’s lack of strikers is taking its toll. Until next time.
