Part
Two: Follow the Linesman to take you through the remaining 10 teams of English
Premier League...
11. Fulham - 3 points
A
5-0 win and Petric's hat-trick seemed indicating a smooth start for Fulham, but
consecutive away defeats to Manchester United, West Ham, and even Sheffield
Wednesday in Capital One Cup demoralised Martin Jol's side. Losing both Dembele
and Dempsey on transfer deadline, especially the former, significantly weakens
their attacking end. The arrival of Berbatov compensates by adding some flair
up front, while the versatile Kieran Richardson provides invaluable work rate
in midfield. Losing three goals to West Ham, though, sounded the alarm at the
back. With the attacking-minded Martin Jol, a rather slow defence and missing
Danny Murphy to control the tempo, Fulham may struggle to improve from last
year 9th position.
12. Stoke City - 3 points
Stoke
City signalled their determination to finish in the top half of the table this
season by bringing in 6 decent players, including deadline signings Charlie Adam
and Nzonzi. New boy Michael Kightly scored a debut goal and gelled with the
team quickly, cementing the left wing position. The other signings, Owen aside,
are also expected to make a similar impact as their high work rate styles look
to fit in Stoke's system easily. Tony Pulis, however, will still need to strike
a balance between attack and defence as they only managed to keep a clean sheet
(a 0-0 draw against Arsenal) when they decided not to go for a win. The Potters
drew 12 matches last season and with already 3 draws in their first 3 matches,
they definitely need to win more.
13. Sunderland - 2 points
Free
signings Cuellar and Saha looked good deals while Adam Johnson and Steven
Fletcher joined with huge expectations playing alongside Sessegnon, Larsson and
McClean. However, Martin O’Neill still needs time to devise his best line-up
and tactics as he definitely hopes to end the season with a positive goal
difference (-1 last season). Managing away draws against Arsenal and the mighty
Swansea with Fletcher scoring a league debut brace are encouraging signs. With
Wes Brown, Phil Bardsley and David Vaughan returning from injuries, and a
decent fixtures list, Sunderland fans have reasons to be optimistic in the near
future.
14. Tottenham Hotspur
- 2 points
It
is unacceptable to concede late goals in consecutive home games, that even
Andre Villa-Boas could not defend his team on this. It is a tough transition
period in the post-Modric era, especially under a manager as radical as AVB.
Last minute signings only mean Tottenham has kindly given away the August and
their season only starts now. The squad is full of quality that you would not
expect them to be out of top 10 by the end of season. Whether they are capable
to challenge the top four will hinge on AVB’s ability to get the most out of
the young Yids.
15. Norwich City - 2
points
Chris
Hughton’s return to the Premier League was tougher than expected. The
attacking-minded Norwich City was so vulnerable at the back to allow five
Fulham goals. They made good recovery though, by bagging two successive draws,
with their performance at White Hart Lane particularly impressive. The addition
of Bassong provides extra physical presence, who could form a promising
partnership with Michael Turner. Goalscoring is never a problem for the Canaries,
but they must improve from being the fourth most goals-conceded team last
season to ensure they can stay in the top flight.
16. Reading - 1 point
A
late equaliser gave them a good start to the Premier League with a draw at
home. A reverse in luck in Stamford Bridge brought them back to reality. Brian
McDermott luckily had a weekend off to regroup the mentally exhausted team.
They did not bring in any new signings on deadline day, but summer signings
Danny Guthrie and Pavel Pogrebnyak have already established as important
members of Reading. Guthrie, in particular, seizes the first team opportunity
and finally begins to shine in top tier league. Reading squad is neither as
experienced as West Ham, nor as talented as Southampton. However, if they can
repeat their defensive performance in Championship last year, notching 40
points to reach the usual safety line is not a mission impossible.
17. Aston Villa - 1 point
Paul
Lambert found himself sitting below his former club by the end of August.
Loopholes are everywhere, particularly in the midfield. Either they could not
get hold of possession, or they could not organise something to threaten
opponent’s goal. The team did not look completely behind Lambert, but
significant improvement was observed in St James Park. A more motivated side
and magical performance by Guzan earned them the first point of the season.
Charles N’Zogbia and Stephen Ireland could be the key if their creativity can
reignite Darren Bent's goalscoring form. Otherwise, they could spend most of
the season wandering around the bottom half of the table.
18. Liverpool - 1
point
It
takes time to transform, especially as radical as Brendan Rodgers intends to. Liverpool
has become a better passing team, but the same old problem in finishing is
still there. The transfer moves they have made could not address the shortfalls
in their squad. Seven goals conceded in three games with Reina and Skrtel
committed brutal mistakes, but no new defenders have been recruited, signalling
Carragher would still have a large part to play, acting as third/fourth choice
centre back. Joe Allen and Nuri Sahin are promising midfielder, but not as
defensive-minded as the injured Lucas Leiva or even captain Stevie. Jonjo Shelvey’s
development is crucial this season. Loaning out Andy Carroll means there is no
plan B for Brendan Rodgers. The younger Liverpool shows lots of potential,
highlighted by the emergence of Raheem Sterling. However, how patient are the
fans and the owner? Roy Hodgson has the answer.
19. Queens Park
Rangers - 1 point
Big-spending
Rangers started the season with a hugely disappointing 0-5 loss against
Swansea. Another draw and loss made it obvious that Mark Hughes was still
experimenting with his giant squad, which has recruited more than 10 new
players. Surprising and exciting signings such as Julio Cesar and Granero have
potential to lift the team to where Hughes desires, whereas new players with
abundant experience in the Premier League such as Park and Bosingwa will help
to steady the game, as shown in their narrow loss (in terms of gameplay, not
scoreline) at the Etihad. On paper, QPR seem to have everything to prevent from
relegation, but frankly speaking Hughes does not look capable substantiating
the potential if he continues to underestimate his opponents and overestimate
himself.
20. Southampton - 0
points
A
very warm welcome to Premier League by the Manchester teams, the Saints could
not get anything from the first three matches, however close they were. There
were certainly some positives to get out of the tough schedule, but ultimately
it is all down to elementary errors. Goalkeeper Kelvin Davis twice misplaced
his pass to the Red Devils, with one of them leading to Van Persie’s misfired
penalty. Poor corner defending allowed Dzeko to equalise and United to complete
the comeback win. Fonte’s mistake gifted Arouna Kone the chance to seal Wigan’s
victory. Nigel Adkins’ peculiar decisions did not help the situation. Ricky
Lambart, their top goalscorer last season, did not start the match at Etihad
Stadium, while Adam Lallana, Jason Puncheon and Lambert, their biggest threats
in attack, were all pulled out in the last 15 minutes versus Manchester United,
without installing another defenders. To survive in the Premier League, you
have to get every single elements right, from managers to players. The break is
just in time for the Saints to learn the lesson and it will be up to them to
fulfill their potential.
By The Linesman
Twitter: www.twitter.com/LinesmanBlog
