We've had a thrilling international break between weeks 11 and 12 of the premier league, which saw the World Cup roster completed in some very memorable matches. The league is back underway this weekend and I'm looking at the middle of the table and summing up how those teams have kicked off their 2013/2014 seasons.
Cardiff City is a club who has entered a very complicated period in their history, thanks to their owner Vincent Tan. The Malaysian businessman acquired majority share of the club in May 2010 and has more than made him mark. Tan's most notable contribution since his arrival is of course the change in jersey colour from blue to red. This, at the same time goes against the entire history of club whose identity has always been "The Bluebirds". In turn his relationship with manager Malky Mackay has soured which means it’s only a matter of time that this fall out starts to encroach on the pitch. On the other hand, he has managed to lift Cardiff back into the premier league which is what he set out to do from day one. Tan wants to take the club to greater heights and he clearly has the bank account to help his cause, sitting on the Forbes billionaire list, he has already injected £125 million into the club. Staying up is another thing though and they are currently sitting 14th, 2 points off the drop zone. At the beginning of the season there was talk of Cardiff City Stadium being a fortress, a place teams would struggle for a result. They aren't far off, significantly for a team freshly promoted, having recorded 2 wins, 2 draws and 1 loss so far. If they can truly make their home ground a cauldron, they may manage to stay up. It’s at what price they're willing to pay for success however, as fans may never come to terms with seeing their beloved Bluebirds run out in red.
Predicting Newcastle results this season has been difficult to say the least. The trend seems to be complacency when facing the lower teams and digging the boots in, pulling together and playing some impressive football against the top teams. At home they lost to Hull and dropped points to West Ham, they also gave Sunderland their first win of the season at the Stadium of Light. On the other hand they've had some massive wins recently against Chelsea and Tottenham, a game in which Tim Krul kept a clean sheet and in the process made a record 14 saves, in what was a standout performance from the teams number 1. The signs are definitely starting to indicate Newcastle are coming good, but it’s those weak performances against the lower teams, particularly at home, that they need to eradicate. With a fan base who expect so much from their team and with last year’s fight to the death still vivid in minds, there will be a collective sigh of relief Newcastle are sitting on 17 points. Let’s see if they can build on this recent momentum and find some consistency, I will be very interested to see where they're sitting come January.
Going back to the 2012/2013 season, Chelsea played a total of 69 matches, averaging a game every 4 days. Competing in the League, domestic and European cups, as well as one offs like the Community shield, requires some serious squad depth. With a billionaire owner this is possible in a team like Chelsea, but it’s another story for Swansea City. Squad depth, or a lack there of, has seriously hurt Swansea City this season. For a team who impressed so much in the previous season, capped off by an emphatic win in the League Cup final, they have noticeably fallen off the pace this time around. It is arguably their appearance in the Europa League which has triggered this unfortunate dip in form, a competition which has become more of a burden for teams than anything. I would love to see Swansea's form turn around as they can be a wonderful team to watch.
Speaking of turning form around, Villa finally broke their 4 game goalless drought, putting 2 past Cardiff in their most recent match. Since their opening round drubbing of Arsenal at the Emirates, which in turn led to all kinds of panic buttons going off in North London, Villa have faded somewhat. I would like to say this is apart from their win at home against Manchester City, but frankly City have been experiencing some severe home sickness this season, so that result now seems predictable. I do believe that once Benteke starts finding the net again, and rest assured he will, Villa will be able to pull together some more upsets and push for a top half finish. Whether they can hold onto the 22 year-old is another matter, as Chelsea, Spurs and Arsenal, who are all in need of a prolific goal scorer, are rumored to come knocking in January.
Now that all the teams in the league have been reviewed I will be discussing the weekly happenings in the premier league. From the impact that international fixtures have on players and clubs alike, to the rumor mill mayhem that is the January transfer window. Until next time.
Predicting Newcastle results this season has been difficult to say the least. The trend seems to be complacency when facing the lower teams and digging the boots in, pulling together and playing some impressive football against the top teams. At home they lost to Hull and dropped points to West Ham, they also gave Sunderland their first win of the season at the Stadium of Light. On the other hand they've had some massive wins recently against Chelsea and Tottenham, a game in which Tim Krul kept a clean sheet and in the process made a record 14 saves, in what was a standout performance from the teams number 1. The signs are definitely starting to indicate Newcastle are coming good, but it’s those weak performances against the lower teams, particularly at home, that they need to eradicate. With a fan base who expect so much from their team and with last year’s fight to the death still vivid in minds, there will be a collective sigh of relief Newcastle are sitting on 17 points. Let’s see if they can build on this recent momentum and find some consistency, I will be very interested to see where they're sitting come January.
Going back to the 2012/2013 season, Chelsea played a total of 69 matches, averaging a game every 4 days. Competing in the League, domestic and European cups, as well as one offs like the Community shield, requires some serious squad depth. With a billionaire owner this is possible in a team like Chelsea, but it’s another story for Swansea City. Squad depth, or a lack there of, has seriously hurt Swansea City this season. For a team who impressed so much in the previous season, capped off by an emphatic win in the League Cup final, they have noticeably fallen off the pace this time around. It is arguably their appearance in the Europa League which has triggered this unfortunate dip in form, a competition which has become more of a burden for teams than anything. I would love to see Swansea's form turn around as they can be a wonderful team to watch.
Speaking of turning form around, Villa finally broke their 4 game goalless drought, putting 2 past Cardiff in their most recent match. Since their opening round drubbing of Arsenal at the Emirates, which in turn led to all kinds of panic buttons going off in North London, Villa have faded somewhat. I would like to say this is apart from their win at home against Manchester City, but frankly City have been experiencing some severe home sickness this season, so that result now seems predictable. I do believe that once Benteke starts finding the net again, and rest assured he will, Villa will be able to pull together some more upsets and push for a top half finish. Whether they can hold onto the 22 year-old is another matter, as Chelsea, Spurs and Arsenal, who are all in need of a prolific goal scorer, are rumored to come knocking in January.
There isn't much to say about Fulham so far this season, they have been awful and are subsequently sitting in the relegation zone. I'm not even going to delve into the incredible laziness of striker Dimitar Berbatov, we've known that about the Bulgarian for years. The main talking point is that there are rumors owner Shahid Kahn is looking to end Fulham's 13 years run in top flight football, on purpose, happily watching his team get relegated. Kahn is openly cutting back costs and has no plans on spending in the January transfer window. The theory behind this is that Kahn's grand plan was always to bring NFL to the UK as he is also the owner NFL team the Jacksonville Jaguars. Investing money into Fulham was never his plan in the first place, but rather a platform of sorts to build American Football in the UK. Whether there is any truth behind these rumors or not, this kind of unease at a club will inevitably impact the players on the field, something that needs fixing if the team are any hope of staying up this season.
Hull City this season are doing what, theoretically, every mid table team should be doing. They are beating the teams below them on the table, and dropping points to teams higher on the table. Although it would be nice to pull out a surprise win against the Arsenal's of the world, being consistent in form can be even more valuable. Currently sitting 12th, this consistency gives me reason to believe they will stay up this season and may even maintain this mid-table position. The acquisition of Tom Huddlestone could prove to be the buy of the summer. The former Spurs midfielders has been in impressive form and is a big reason Hull have had such a strong start to life back in the top flight. If he can continue this scintillating form, an England recall might not be far off.
The Hammers need Andy Carroll to be fit, and they need him to be fit fast. Playing without an out and out striker is hurting them and spending so much money on the one striker is looking more and more foolish with every match that he's injured. Of course, being the season that it is, there is always an exception to the rule and in this case it is their 3-0 win against Spurs which really came out of nowhere. In their first 11 matches they have had four 0-0 draws and are not even managing a goal a game. On the other hand they haven't lost by more than 2 goals which indicates their defense isn't to blame and with a fit striker they have the potential to put together some strong results. Carroll is scheduled to return against Sunderland at Upton Park on 14th December.
West Brom were absolutely robbed at Stamford Bridge in their last match, as a clear dive from Ramires was deemed to be a foul in the penalty box. Their hard work and strong play was not rewarded and arguments about unfair refereeing decisions at the Bridge just continue to be fueled. West Brom's most impressive victory this season came at Old Trafford where they flexed their muscles and showed playing the champions at home was no intimidation. The Baggies have a few strong seasons under their belt, finishing between 8th and 11th in their previous 3, and are currently in 10th place. They've shown in recent years to be a team more than capable of facing the big guys and getting a result. Converting draws into wins against weaker opposition will be key for West Brom improving on last seasons position. With the competition for places in the first half of the table so high and without the brilliance of Lukaku up front I believe they will be hovering around the 11-13th mark come May.
Now that all the teams in the league have been reviewed I will be discussing the weekly happenings in the premier league. From the impact that international fixtures have on players and clubs alike, to the rumor mill mayhem that is the January transfer window. Until next time.
