2008-2009 EPL Wrap-Up (Week 1-10)
November 7th 2008 01:05
*Warning, huge post follows*
Before the beginning of the season, many people predicted that Manchester United would easily dominate their Premiership rivals. After ten games played, here's how the teams stack up.
1. Liverpool (10-8-2-0 | 26pts)
Things have been tough for Rafael Benitez's men. They started the season with two hard-fought victories (1-0 against Sunderland, and 2-1 against Middlesbrough) where the winning goal came in the final ten minutes. Two 0-0 draws (against Aston Villa and Stoke City) bookended their best performance so far in the season where they defeated Manchester United 2-1. That performance was probably the spark they needed to get going. Indeed, after the draw against Stoke, they rolled on to a five-game winning streak, including a 1-0 victory against Chelsea which allowed them to take the lead in the standings.
Most of their early season troubles came from the arrival of Robbie Keane who disrupted the chemistry between Gerrard and Torres. Of course, Torres' sudden inability to find the net didn't help very much. Once he got going though, Liverpool followed. Still, Benitez's best move so far has been the acquisition of Spaniard Albert Riera. The left-winger has been a tremendous help to the Reds' attack thanks to his technical abilities and speed. He was particularly efficient against Manchester United where his performance eclipsed his vis-à-vis.
2. Chelsea (10-7-2-1 | 23pts)
Gone are the days of Jose Mourinho and Avram Grant. Under the tutelage of Luiz Felipe Scolari, Chelsea has become a more offensive-minded squad, combining the possession style of Argentina's national team and the flying fullbacks of Brazilian football. Mostly deployed in a 4-1-4-1 formation, the Blues' play is concentrated in a powerful midfield, superbly led by newcomer Deco. Most of the time, that formation turns into a 4-3-3, giving width to Chelsea's offense which had scored 22 goals for 4 goals conceded before the 11th week.
Despite the absence of Didier Drogba in front, Scolari's men started the season in force, posting a dominating 4-0 win against Portsmouth in the first week. Perhaps victims of complacency, they managed to score only one goal against Wigan Athletic (they won 1-0) before visitors Tottenham Hotspur got a point out of a 1-1 match at Stamford Bridge. The visit of Robinho under the Manchester City shirt in the fourth week set them back to the right track as they defeated City 3-1. In the fifth week, they came back from behind to draw 1-1 against Manchester United. After that, they posted three back-to-back wins defeating both Stoke City and Aston Villa on a 2-0 score, then completely dominating Middlesbrough with a resounding 5-0 victory. One week later, they suffered their first loss at the Bridge in a long time as they couldn't find an answer to Liverpool's first half goal. Finally, they rebounded with a 3-0 win against Hull City which kept them in second place in the standings right behind Liverpool.
Portuguese players Deco and Bosingwa aren't the only one who impressed in the early season. French striker Nicolas Anelka seems to have been reborn ever since Scolari got on board. He's played well so far but failed to show up against big teams such as Liverpool and Manchester United. With Shevchenko back at Milan, Anelka has effectively become the choice striker until Drogba comes back. It might be a good news for him, but Scolari must have realized during the Liverpool game that his team clearly lacks depth in front especially since they also have to juggle with the Champions League. Youngster Franco Di Santo shouldn't have to come into a game to rescue his teammates. Still, there's no doubt Chelsea will continue their excellent form. Of course, it's easier to say that when we know they've convincingly won their 11th game where Anelka got his first hat-trick of the season.
3. Arsenal (10-6-2-2 | 20pts)
Despite Arsène Wenger's reassuring words (until last week anyway), the Gunners have gone off to a terrible start due to a troubling lack of consistency. They started the season against promoted side West Bromwich Albion where their only one goal turned out to be winner. The second week, they fell against Fulham, another lower-tiered club. Things looked better when they posted back-to-back-to-back wins against Newcastle United (3-0), Blackburn Rovers (4-0), and Bolton Wanderers (3-1). For awhile there, it looked like they were back in the glory days, but everything came crashing down when Hull City stunned them at the Emirates with a 2-1 victory. Then, they drew 1-1 against Sunderland before finding their way back to victory with a 3-1 win against Everton, and a 2-0 win against West Ham United. But once again, they lost their focus in the 10th match, drawing 4-4 against Tottenham Hotspur after leading 4-2.
Most of Arsenal's problems come from a lack of depth. Sure, they have talent on the bench, but that talent is still raw, you can't expect youngsters to pull you out of tough situations week in week out. That in turn leads to exhausted veterans who must play almost every game. Watching Fabregas these past few weeks, I get the feeling that he either has a bad game or takes a while to really get in the flow of things as if to keep some energy for the next game. The Gunners are also still in need of a defensive midfielder. Putting Song and Denilson together with Fabregas also on the field just won't work in the long run. It not only deprives Wenger of an offensive player, but also doesn't help Denilson who will come to think that there will always be someone covering him. Furthermore, the center of the defense is still weak even with Silvestre there (but then again, Silvestre was never considered a good centreback, so I don't know what Wenger was thinking). Lastly, Arsenal only knows one way to play the game – the attractive passing and that's it. The players looked flustered when they're under intense pressure, and often look for the most complicated scenarios when trying to score. A bit more simplicity wouldn't hurt.
4. Hull City (10-6-2-2 | 20pts)
In The Tigers' first season in the Premier League, they surprised everyone by barging in the top 5 in front of Manchester United. With only two loss to their account after ten games (against Wigan Athletic and Chelsea), the question is how long will they hold on to the top 10. Their win against Arsenal at the Emirates showed that everything is possible and in Geovanni they found a star striker/midfielder who will provide a lot of thrills in the weeks to come.
5. Aston Villa (10-6-2-2 | 20pts)
6. Manchester United (9-5-3-1 | 18pts)
With an offense thoroughly plagued with injuries, Manchester United had a disappointing start to their campaing posting a 1-1 draw against Newcastle United, and a 1-0 win against Portsmouth. Both of United goals came from midfielder Darren Fletcher. Things didn't get better as they consecutively faced Liverpool (2-1 loss) and Chelsea (1-1 draw). The return of Ronaldo which coincided with Rooney's hot streak brought a couple of wins under United's belt (2-0 against Bolton and Blackburn, 4-0 against West Bromwich) before Everton managed to hold them to a 1-1 draw). The two last games were led by Ronaldo who got a double in each win (2-0 against West Ham United, 4-3 against Hull City).
Consider this. During those nine games, all of these following players were missing at some point due to injuries: Cristiano Ronaldo (returned on September 27th after ankle surgery), Wayne Rooney (missed the first game due to a virus, returned for the second despite not being 100%), Michael Carrick (two ankle injuries), Paul Scholes, Ryan Giggs (hamstring), Park Ji-Sung, Owen Hargreaves (who has played only one game so far), and Patrice Evra. Nani was also suspended for the first two games. All this to say that the Red Devils were far from being at full speed in those first nine games. Yet, there were a couple of good performances here and there. Youngster Rafael has been forcing Sir Alex's hand with superb displays at right back. The kid is fearless and loves participating in the offense. Berbatov, although not as energetic as Rooney and Tevez, has helped in some way. Now, the question is who will get the most playing time between the three.
7. Everton (10-4-2-4 | 14pts)
Their 1-1 draw against Manchester United was the only bright spot in a relatively normal start. They won the games they should've won, and lost those they should've lost.
8. Portsmouth (10-4-2-4 | 14pts)
The partnership between Defoe and Crouch has shown some positive signs here and there but nothing concrete enough to give the team a boost.
9. Middlesbrough (10-4-1-5 | 13 pts)
Like Everton against Manchester United, Boro held its own against one of the Big Four when they face Liverpool in the second week of the season. They came out with a strong showing that probably surprised the Reds. When the game was tied at 1-1, Gareth Southgate took a gamble by going for the win instead of sitting back for a draw. The result was a heartwrenching loss (Gerrard scored the winning goal at the 94th minute), but they deserve to be applauded for the effort.
10. Manchester City (10-4-1-5 | 13pts)
The takeover of Manchester City by an Emirati businessman was the big news out of the early season. The acquisition of Brazilian striker Robinho from Real Madrid right under Chelsea's nose was a major coup for the new owners who plan on making another Chelsea. Robinho had an instant impact on the team, scoring his first goal against Chelsea, and five more in the other nine games including a hat-trick against Stoke City.
11. West Ham United (10-4-0-6 | 12pts)
Ended the first ten games of the season on a four-game losing streak. The managerial change was obviously a big blow.
12. Blackburn Rovers (10-3-3-4 | 12pts)
13. Sunderland (10-3-3-4 | 12pts)
14. Fulham (10-3-2-5 | 11pts)
Despite a surprising 1-0 win against Arsenal, Fulham found themselves back in the bottom after a four-game losing streak.
15. Stoke City (10-3-1-6 | 10pts)
16. West Bromwich Albion (10-3-1-6 | 10pts)
17. Newcastle United (10-2-3-5 | 9pts)
After a promising start to their season where they got a 1-1 draw against Manchester United before defeating Bolton 1-0, the Magpies struggled in their next eight games where they were either unable to hold a lead or unable to come back from behind.
18. Wigan Athletic (10-2-2-6 | 8pts)
Things don't look good for Wigan who lost all their games in October.
19. Bolton Wanderers (10-2-2-6 | 8pts)
20. Tottenham Hotspur (10-1-3-6 | 6pts)
Despite the arrival of Dos Santos, Modric, and Pavlyuchenko, the Spurs have been struggling to win a game since the beginning of the season (they only won the ninth game). Let's hope the 4-4 draw against Arsenal will give them something to feed on.
Stay tuned for both Spanish Liga and Italian Serie A wrap-ups.
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