The
Linesman took the international break to look back at how August went for the English
Premier League teams.
1. Chelsea - 9 points
Di
Matteo endured a magical 11/12 season and led Chelsea to the top of the table
by nailing 3 out of 3, mostly thanks to new signing Eden Hazard, which the
talented attacking midfielder had one goal and six assists and was the star in
August. With Meireles and Essien gone, only Oscar and Romeu act as the backups
for Mikel, Lampard and Ramires in midfield, as Malouda has fallen out of
favour. The signing of Victor Moses strengthens the frontline, but apart from
Fernando Torres, only Daniel Sturridge is capable to play as central forward.
The depth does not look adequate and promising for the challenges ahead.
January signings (Falcao?) seem unavoidable.
2. Swansea - 7 points
The
bargain purchase Michu has inspired Swansea to shine under Michael Laudrup.
They inherited Rodgers' passing game and showed enormous pace in attack.
Record-signing Pablo Hernandez, previously managed by Laudrup, is definitely
going to add something to the Swans. Swansea has been solid and it seems their
second season in Premier League would be far from struggling. Neil Taylor season-ending
injury, though, is the sole disappointment in August. This has further weakened
the backline which is already not the quickest in the league.
3. West Brom - 7 points
Steve
Clarke enjoyed a flamboyant start to his managerial career with a 3-0 win
against his former club Liverpool and a spiritual 1-1 draw at White Hart Lane.
Lukaku’s loan deal has further enriched their options in attack, which already
features Peter Odemwingie, Shane Long and Marc Antoine Fortune. The solid
Baggies are more than capable to sit at mid-table if they wish to focus on the
league, as long as the pace-less and occasionally eccentric defence does not
drag their feet. As a defender himself, Steve Clarke has managed it quite well
against the Merseyside duos and Tottenham in August.
4. Manchester City - 7
points
They
picked up from where they left off, but failing to keep a clean sheet in the
first three games does not match the standard of their Italian manager. The
3-4-1-2 formation brought mixed results. David Silva is still recuperating from
exhaustive game time and it means Yaya Toure and Carlos Tevez will have to
shoulder more. The last-minute signings does not appeal much apart from Maicon
(only if he is fit). However, The 31 years old Brazilian's defensive liability,
as exposed by Gareth Bale two years ago, would still be a worry. The squad is
still one of the strongest, but their form in August was far from convincing.
Even if, according to their captain Kompany, “it is the result that matters”,
they will have to bear in mind they won the title last season only by goal
difference.
5. Manchester United -
6 points
The
struggles in defence are well-anticipated by Sir Alex, given their long injury
list, and the Scot would be more than happy with bagging 6 points in August,
thanks to new arrival Van Persie. The Dutch justifies his hefty price tag
swiftly and proves to be invaluable at the time when golden boy Rooney is
struggling. Another new signing Shinji Kagawa demonstrated his potential but
needs to learn playing against a crowded defence. Fergie maintains his faith
that his defence will get better with the return of Evans, Smalling and Phil
Jones. The truth is the lack of a holding midfielder left the aging Vidic and
Ferdinand well exposed. When Fletcher is going to return will be crucial to Red
Devil’s season.
6. Everton - 6 points
The
lack of big names in the Everton squad is compensated by the presence of David
Moyes, who continues to demonstrate his managerial talents. Losing Tim Cahill
and Jack Rodwell has minimal impacts on Toffees, with the returning Pienaar and
revived Fellaini stealing the show in August. A very balanced squad
outperformed Manchester United in their season opener and with such kind of
form, don’t be surprised to see them finish on top of their Merseyside rival
this season again. Ross Barkley is expected to shine whereas new signing Kevin
Mirallas – another exciting Belgian – is a player to watch.
7. West Ham - 6 points
The
addition of Andy Carroll, who is a perfect match to Allardyce’s long ball
strategy, strengthens the West Ham squad, which already has abundant Premier
League experience. Goalscoring is not a worry for Big Sam when he has the
assets to execute his bomb-dropping deadball attack. How he could sort out the
defence would be the key to West Ham’s survival. While McCartney is an obvious
liability in defence, consistency and leadership from Jaaskalainen and James
Collins are required, as shown in their home games so far, to save West Ham
from relegation battle.
8. Arsenal - 5 points
It
is not a joke, but Arsenal has not conceded a single league goal in August.
Whoever deserves to be credited for the improvement, it has at least helped the
Gunners to grab one point despite their inability to score. Santi Cazorla has
restored the missing creativity in midfield and it will be up to Podolski and
Giroud to convert the opportunities. Diaby could be the cornerstone of Arsenal,
but he needs to be as consistently outstanding as in the Liverpool game
throughout the season. The return of Rosicky and Wilshere will offer Arsene
Wenger more options in central midfield, but are they missing a physical
presence in defensive department, similar to Manchester United? Time will tell.
9. Wigan - 4 points
They
survived last season by stealing points from top-half teams, but Martinez knows
lightning may not strike twice. Di Santo led Wigan to grab four points from
Stoke and Southampton, teams they surely are capable of competing against.
Beausejour and Arouna Kone made the departure of Victor Moses forgettable,
while Al Habsi’s performance continued to be the key, who rescued all three
points at Southampton. If the players can eliminate complacent mistakes, the
3-5-2 formation could continue to lead them away from late-season survival
fight.
10. Newcastle United
- 4 points
4
points from 3 matches is not a bad start, but this may not match the fans’
expectation. The draw against the struggling Aston Villa at home was
particularly disappointing. Ben Arfa’s magical right-footed strike rescued a
point, but it again showed the Toons rely heavily on individual brilliance,
rather than efficient tactics in attack despite the talents they possess. When
the defence could not stop opponents from scoring, they looked clueless in
breaking down defence, especially when they could not exploit their high speed.
Injuries are starting to hit them as well. With additional commitment in
European competitions, their squad depth is facing a fierce challenge this
season.
By The Linesman
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