Just How Good is Scott Parker?

Now, if you ask 10 people who in their view is the best signing of the Premier League 2011/12 season, 3 out of the 10 people would probably say Scott Parker.

I’ve always been a bit confused by this. Firstly, I don’t think Scott Parker has been that amazing for Tottenham. Yes, he’s been very tidy and solid for Spurs. But has he really been the best signing of last season? I’m unsure, especially considering the impact Sergio Aguero had on Man City.

But let me be clear. I don’t hate Scott Parker. I do think he is a very good DM, perhaps one of the best in the Premier League. He can pass, tackle and retain the ball sensationally. While his personality makes him extremely likeable too. Parker is tenacious, determined and selfless in his pursuit to win. I just feel he is a bit overrated, that’s all.

But how does Tottenham’s Scott Parker match up with other leading defensive mids in the Premier League?

Stats via EPL Index

Defensive Stats:

Key: Green = Best, Orange= second best & Red =Worst

Without a shadow of a doubt, having fantastic defensive stats is imperative for a top class defensive mid. It kind of goes without saying. But Parker’s defensive stats, are decent. But they are by no means amazing, but they aren’t poor either.

In terms of tackles won, Parker sits right in the middle out of the players analysed. One of Parker’s strengths is his tackling and it does reflect in the stats. But he is by no means the best tackler in the Premier League. Lucas Levia had the best tackle win percentage, he won an impressive 76.47% of his tackles.  It’s interesting the player with the worse tackling win percentage is Tiote. I feel for such a solid, mobile and imposing midfielder, Tiote should be winning far more tackles. Looking at Tiote’s stats generally, they aren’t impressive. Perhaps this is why clubs such as United and Chelsea have cooled off interest in the £20million rated man.

One of the parts of Parker’s game which I feel is often underrated is his reading of the game. If you watch him closely, you can tell he read the game very astutely.  Parker may look like a bull in a china shop, but I feel he often gets away with this thanks to his good understanding of the game. He can roam out of position, pick up the ball and move it on for his team within a matter of seconds. Parker made the most interceptions out of the players analysed, by quite a bit too. What I find intriguing is that the top three interceptors are the English lads, Parker, Carrick and Barry. This little stat tell us, that in certain positions, English players really do understand their role and do have a football understanding. Sometimes English players are portrayed as clueless footballers whose best abilities are their courage.

One defensive area where Parker lags behind is aerial duals. The other defensive mids are far comfortable in winning balls in the air.  But there are other aspects to Parker’s defensive games which isn’t that great either. Parker has made the most defensive errors out of the players analysed, this correlates with the number of times he has been disposed too. The number of times Parker has been dispossessed has surprised me. I always felt one of the strengths of Parker’s game was his ability to retain the ball, but obviously, he is either spending too long on the ball or opposition are closing him down quickly as they know he’s not the fastest nor the most agile of players. But what’s incredibly impressive is how Gareth Barry, in 34 games was only been dispossessed 17 times. Faurlin only played 20 times, yet he lost the ball nearly double the amount of the Man City man. Barry may not be everyone’s favourite footballer (to hell, no one really likes him), but he certainly is very tidy and does the job in a disciplined manner.

Attacking and Passing

Now, the attacking abilities of a defensive mid are not that vital as say as a winger, striker or an attacking midfielder. But, it does give an indication on how well rounded the player is and how influential he is.

In terms of passing, Scott Parker has seen a lot of the ball. It does show how influential he has been for Spurs. But, what I find more interesting is the accuracy of Parker’s passing, the England international’s pass accuracy was 90%. It was the best alongside United’s Michael Carrick. Without a doubt one of the strengths of Parker’s game is his ability to pass accurately. This is of course, is very vital if you’re a defensive midfielder, as one of your roles is to link the defence to the midfield.

Parker v Rest

Parker v Sandro

Key- Green = Best, Red = Worse

Now, this is an intriguing comparison, due to both playing for Spurs and both being defensive midfielders. By the end of the season, Redknapp often played both players, but Sandro was utilised in a more defensive role than Parker. But looking at the defensive stats, Sandro dominates Parker. The Brazilian has a better Aerial win percentage, a better ground dual percentage and a better tackle percentage too. But both players seem to have a weakness in retaining the ball. This maybe a concern to Spurs, as losing the ball in the central areas of the pitch, is catastrophic especially with Spurs being a dynamic attacking side. For me, Sandro looks the more comfortable in defensive mid, he has the ability to not only keep it simple, but he does the basics well enough.

Parker v English Lads

This is a hard one. Parker, Barry and Carrick are players of very different styles. In some respects, one of the three (Carrick ) is arguably England’s best passer, while another (Barry) is probably England’s best keep it simple player and the other one, Parker is probably the most comfortable in attacking and defending.

From a creative and passing perspective, Carrick edges Barry and Parker. Carrick made the most passes and had the best pass accuracy. From a defensive perspective, it’s very close again too. But looking at the stats, I feel Carrick is the most comfortable defensively. Out of the three, he had the best win percentage for aerial duals, ground duals and came second best for interceptions. Carrick may not be the most dominating of midfielders, but for me he’s more rounded than Barry and Parker. Some may argue, Carrick isn’t a defensive mid, I firmly believe he is. Of course, he isn’t a typical defensive midfielder. He is one, like Parker, who joins attacks when the momentum is with his side. It does surprise me how Carrick is under used by England.  If England are really determined to keep the ball, Carrick must be utilised. He is someone who keeps things ticking in midfield, and off the ball he can win his fair share of duals too. But with the same token I can see why England managers have chosen Barry and Parker. Both lads add reliability, grit and drive to England. Look at Barry, he rarely loses the ball. While Parker, reads the game sensationally well, something that is crucial for international football.

Conclusion

Image via WhoScored

So, just how good is Scott Parker?

Well, he certainly is a good footballer. He is a player most teams wouldn’t mind having knocking about. But is he the best defensive midfielder in the Premier League?

The answer to that is no.

In my eyes and in the eyes of the stats, he isn’t even the best English defensive midfielder either. One could easily argue, Barry or Carrick are better defensive midfielders. If had to choose between the three, I would pick Carrick.

The reason why Parker is rated, respected and admired so highly is because of his style of play. He is tireless, determined and visibly hungry to win, not only that he has got some good technical abilities.

I think Scott Parker is a top defensive midfielder, but he is by no means the best in the Premier League.

But that leads me to the question, who is the best defensive mid in the Premier League? For me, (and again like most things, it comes down to personal taste) I think Lucas Levia is the best defensive mid in the Premier League. As the stats show, he is the most well rounded and I feel his linking up play is fantastic too.

While for Scott Parker, he is proof that, you are never too old to fulfil your potential. I feel some of the hype towards Parker is over the top. I think he is a good footballer, but by no means the best defensive midfielder in the Premier League. The UK press and fans probably love him, as he typifies the idyllic English player. He is courageous, selfless and passionate. But the reality is, he just another good defensive midfielder in the Premier League.

Harry’s Gone

Brett Curtis reviews Harry Redknapp’s departure from Tottenham.

 

Despite finishing within the top four in the Premier League for the second time in his full three seasons in charge, Harry Redknapp has been sacked by Tottenham Hotspur.

When presented as the bare bones, the situation appears almost unbelievable; a chance for the anti-modern football brigade to deplore the managerial merry-go-round that England-based owners have undoubtedly contributed towards.

Yet, as surprising as it remains because of Tottenham’s increase in stature under him, there was also an air of relative inevitability about Redknapp’s departure. Two fatal collapses in successive seasons have cost the North London club a place in the Champions League -- and perhaps Harry his job. Some may point towards Chelsea’s unexpected Champions League triumph as making Redknapp and Tottenham joint victims of unfortunate circumstances. Moreover, it was, after all, Redknapp that delivered Champions League football to White Hart Lane for the first time, finally putting to bed the bitter memories of food poisoning-gate that cost them a top four spot in the 2005/06 season. The excuses were seemingly gone – success had replaced them.

He then led his side to famous victories over both Inter Milan and AC Milan before being defeated by Real Madrid in the Quarter Finals. Yet that was largely as good as it got under Redknapp, as in the same season they finished a distant 5^th; whilst this season talks of a title challenge in as late as February somehow resulted in another Europa League place. The excuses subsequently returned to White Hart Lane, as Redknapp’s embarrassing lowering of expectations as the season progressed angered fans: they were being made to feel stupid by the man they had previously respected.

You could argue he has now become yet another manager to be a victim of his own success. But, equally, once you deliver such success to owners and fans alike, you surely must maintain it at a club of Tottenham’s stature to avoid at least pressure. Redknapp narrowly failed to do so – but that is not to say the sacking comes close to being justified based on results alone.

This season’s collapse coincided with his ongoing tax evasion case, of which he was cleared, and the exit of Fabio Capello from the England’s manager job. Redknapp became the “People’s Choice” to replace him, and it shortly become no secret that he wanted the job. I joked on Twitter last night that, “Harry Redknapp must be the first manager in history to buckle under the pressure of the England job without actually having it.” Jokes aside, his entire managerial career was likely geared towards that opportunity – he would not be alone in that regard. However, the FA unexpectedly preferred Roy Hodgson: a man that will crucially carry with him lower expectations from the outset, rather than when results begin to go bad.

A large section of Spurs fans saw this situation as far from ideal, but certainly workable – he could leave Champions League football and a good foundation behind him after a happy four years; before achieving his own dream at the helm of his nation. It appeared as potentially harmonious as any managerial exit could be -- particularly as Redknapp never truly captured the fans’ adulation; made more evident than ever last night, when neutral journalists appeared far more angry than any Spurs fan about his exit. Ultimately, a combination of failure on the pitch, uncontrollable circumstances in Chelsea’s success and the FA’s decision, and a breakdown in relations between Redknapp and his chairman denied any realistic chance of mutual satisfaction.

Indeed, it is the latter that is almost definitely the chief factor in this surprise exit; managers have overcome far worse results or player/fan relations in the past. Redknapp and Daniel Levy’s relationship had reportedly always been lukewarm, with Redknapp joking in December 2011, “Anyone who’s working with Levy would make an odd couple.” He was, of course, alluding to the fact Levy is a notoriously shrewd businessman rather than the “football man” Redknapp portrays himself as. The contrast is obvious – but opposites attracted to form success. After Tottenham’s mostly unsuccessful transfer dealings prior to Redknapp’s arrival, with the likes of Darren Bent, David Bentley and Roman Pavlyuchenko signed for heavy fees in 2007 and 2008, Levy adopted a financial stance not dissimilar to their astute North London rivals.

Perhaps the sentimental signing of a deteriorating Robbie Keane for £15m in January 2009 was the final straw for Levy. Indeed, eighteen months later, it is believed he provided Redknapp with Rafael van der Vaart rather than Luis Fabiano, the number nine he craved to lead his Champions League charge, based on his sell-on fee transfer strategy. In January this year, with Tottenham looking credible dark horses for the title, Redknapp strangely signed Louis Saha and Ryan Nelsen on free transfers. The expectation levels dropped when they should have been rising; Levy would have noted this and feared a repeat next season of the situation that led to Redknapp’s appointment in the first place.

It is this division in ideas, philosophy, and perhaps personality between manager and chairman that ultimately turned from attracted to entrenched. Combined, for example, Saha and Nelsen’s age represents 67, older than Redknapp himself. And one would not be surprised to see a far younger man in Andre Villas-Boas or Roberto Martinez replace him – rather than the highly touted David Moyes, who would arrive with baggage and perhaps an eye on the Manchester United job once Sir Alex Ferguson chooses to retire. Tottenham must now look to become “a Manchester United” in their own right – and keeping players such as Luka Modric, who could feasibly represent a Xabi Alonso-esque hole should he leave, and Gareth Bale this summer will be important in this long-term process.

As for Redknapp, it is Ferguson he has looked towards today, noting, “He is in his seventies yet is still the best manager in the world.” Harry will, of course, never reach that standard, and may look towards the spring and summer of 2012 as the most disappointing time of his career; he entered it with the chance of a maiden Premier League title for himself and his club, and the favourite to assume the role of England manager. Yet he is now without a job, with no obvious vacancy to fulfil. It would be fitting if he could end his managerial career at West Ham United where his playing career first started.

This article was written by Brett Curtis. Check out his work on http://footballspeak.com/71.aspx and be sure to follow his Twitter: @bcurtis92.

Make sure you follow Pundit Watch too, a hilarious Twitter account run by Brett: @PunditWatch_

The Ever Changing Expectations of Harry Redknapp

This season, Harry Redknapp has got even more annoying. He has tipped his side for virtually everything and within a matter of weeks, his expectations have suddenly changed.

So I have gathered actual quotes from the man himself showing him changing his expectations week by week.

Please Click to Enlarge

The End of Spurs or a New Beginning?

Tom Moseley explains to The Football Front the cross roads Spurs are at and why it could lead to a better future

Saturday 19th May. Every Spurs fan was a Bayern Munich fan. However after the game, I think most of them would have Dortmund down as their German side. Bayern kept pressuring Chelsea and looked like they had to win, with a total of 44 shots, but it was not to be. The football Gods were on Chelsea’s side, as they somehow managed to survive the relentless Bayern attacks and gain victory on penalties. 

Which therefore meant, no Champions League football for Spurs and another year in the Europa League.

At the start of the season, this wouldn’t have been a disaster for Spurs, as a 5th place finish is more than respectable, however it’s the manner in which it happened. 

Spurs were pushing for the title around December/January time, but they crumbled. And it coincicded with the heavy speculation surrounding Redknapp, regarding his court case and the vacant England job. I’m not saying that’s an excuse, but they only won one in nine games after the Newcastle game, when the speculation was at its peak, leading to a slide down the table and losing a 10-point advantage on their rivals, Arsenal.

This has led to many people saying this could be the end for this era of Spurs players. They will not be able to make the Champions League in the coming years. 

Indeed, missing out on Champions League football could have a big impact on them, with key players like Bale and Modric leaving and I’m sure a couple more players getting picked off, by clubs trying to bolster their clubs for the Champions League. Modric was centre of speculation last year, with Chelsea offering £30M, but Spurs rejected it, but maybe this year, things could be different. He might really want to go, as this could have been a ‘conditional’ year, where he would have stayed if they got Champions League football.

I agree, to a point. They could lose key players, that’s inevitable. The players want to play Champions League football, which you can’t really blame them for. However, I don’t think they’ll completely collapse and turn into mid-table-mediocrity. 

When you think about the players that could leave for Champions League football, Modric, Bale and Van Der Vaart, then not keeping Adebayor permanently due to his high wages. That is four key players, however, they could easily bring in £60M-£70M.

Which brings me onto my view. It’s not the end, it’s a new beginning for Spurs if they lose thse players. I know ‘Arry won’t get all £60M-£70M (if they do sell them) as I’m sure the board would want to keep some, mainly because of the money they lose for not qualifying for the Champions League. But with a  decent transfer budget and sales of players, ‘Arry could easily have £50M to spend and we all know what he’s like in the transfer market. He’s not called a wheeler-dealer for no minor reason. With that amount of money and some decent fringe players, who could have more of a chance now, they could challenge just as well as they did this year.

If you look at the squad now, they still have some good players that don’t play week-in, week-out.  They have players like Defoe, Krancjar, Dos Santos and Sandro. I know they’re not as good as the players they’re losing, but they can still do a good job and are also a good foundation to build a squad.

They are also (reportedly) interested in players like Asamoah from Udinese and Jan Vertonghen from Ajax, which, if they get sign would be great buys. Asamoah isn’t exactly a like-for-like swap for Modric, however, he is a good midfielder and will do well for Spurs, next to Parker.

This is what they need to do, if they want to remain successful. They need to either sign good players from slightly lower Premier League clubs, or go for an-almost Moneyball approach, by buying players from the non-major nations and leagues. They need to focus on the more long term future, instead of the immediate in future, in my opinion. I think they need to take the next season or two as transition seasons and get a new generation of players in, then really go for it in the third season. 

They need to sign players that are hungry and want to prove themselves at the highest level, instead of players who think they belong in the top level and were unwanted at a top club and see Spurs as a step down. I know this does work, look at Van Der Vaart, but it can also be a big gamble, especially as their wages are a lot higher.

It may be biased, as I’m a Wolves fan, but I think two good economical buys for them could be Steven Fletcher and Matt Jarvis, to replace Adebayor and Bale. I’m not saying they’re as good as them, but they’ll do a good job. Jarvis is similar to Bale in the way he’s a simple winger, he doesn’t overcomplicate his game, he gets the ball, runs at defences and crosses it. Then I see Fletcher as a good replacement for Adebayor, as he is a good all-rounded striker. He’s skilful, good touch, can finish and can head. Wolves have said an offer between £8M-£10M will tempt them though, so I’d say £15M would be enough for the pair of them, which, in my opinion, would be great for two consistent players.

They could also take an approach like Newcastle, as Newcastle have found a lot of good value for money players in France and then Cisse in Germany, so looking at these leagues could also be good, as players never seem to be as expensive, in my opinion. I mean Arsenal signed Podolski for £12.9M and Dortmund signed Marco Reus for £10M, so (slightly contraditing to my last point) but not looking at British players could  be the route for them if they want value.

Overall, I think this is a new beginning and generation for Spurs, if the key players do leave. I also think it’s an exciting time to be a Spurs fan, not a sad one. There’s many roads that Spurs could take if players leave, which can leave to some exciting new players. I personally think it’s interesting to see what will happen to Spurs, because of the options that could be open to them. It should be an interesting summer for Spurs, no matter what happens.

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This article was written by Tom Moseley, you can follow him on Twitter: @PlayedOfThePark .Check out his website too: http://playedoffthepark.net/

More of Tom's work can be found here

Refereeing: So little to gain, yet so much to lose.

They say a picture tells a 1,000 words. Boy, didn’t that certainly happen a few Sundays ago.

Martin Atkinson was hammered home with criticism for his decision to give Juan Mata’s effort the green light to make it two nil to Chelsea. 

Everyone was having a dig at Atkinson’s decision. Everyone.

In the virtual worlds, in the pubs and in the stands, Martin Atkinson become the butt of jokes, irony and frustration to some.  

And let’s face it, everyone got involved. Everyone had a say on Atkinson’s decision.

Most were commenting on how the ref’s decision had cost Tottenham their final chance of silverware this season.  And this anger quickly transferred from the Tottenham stands at Wembley to all around the globe.

Yet when it was revealed during the game Martin Atkinson was to be a linesman for the euros, it was met with a chorus of laughter. People were questioning how can such a man be given the responsibility of checking whether the ball had crossed the line, when he failed at it when it really mattered.

I won’t lie, I had a chuckle when I heard that news during the game. 

But there is one after the semi-final which typifies just how much anger there was towards Martin Atkinson. Harry Redknapp in his post-match comments revealed Atkinson had apologised for his mistake. 

A referee apologising for his mistake? That is practically unheard of in the English game. No scratch that. It’s practically unheard of in any league, nation or even continent. 

But apologising for his ‘mistake’ paints a sad sad picture. It shows how emotionally hurt, damaged and effected Atkinson was for going with his gut. 

Just imagine what he was going through during the game.The incident must have been swirling again and again round his head, with him thinking, did I really get that right? Maybe I didn’t…

It’s crazy, one tough decision, could not only have broken his career at the top level, but it could have also broken Spurs’ chance for trophies yet another season. 

That’s the life of a referee, you can’t win, but you’ve got so much to lose.

But when THAT picture was revealed a few hours later, people were quick to lay into Spurs, for trying to hide behind the excuse of an ‘unjust’ decision at the time. It wasn’t just the fans who were saying this, it was football journalists too.

Indeed, Tottenham had got it wrong, it was a goal. But none of us can lie, we all got it wrong.

We all thought that goal was certainly not in. 

Yet when it turned out it was a genuine goal, no one praised Martin Atkinson’s fine decision. No one.

Call it luck, fortunate or whatever, but for Atkinson to make a correct decision within a split second with all that pressure, it shows what a decent referee he is.

Everyone had something to say about Martin Atkinson when the decision was up in the air. But when it turned out he was right, those who heavily damned him did not show an ounce of respect towards the broken Martin Atkinson.

There has been a lot of talk about the drop in standards of refereeing in England. The likes of Roberto Mancini have been quite vocal about it, but how can we expect the standards to get better if we keep criticising, every wrong decision they make?

Sadly, in modern football, there is little appeal in becoming a referee. All referees are subject to criticism, abuse and nit picking. 

I firmly believe referees need to be praised more and it should be emphasised just how hard their job is.

Think about it, they get one angle, one chance and literally one second to make a choice on a decision which could change a team’s fate. 

While we, get various angles, various chances and a good few minutes to see if the decision was right or wrong.

Indeed, Atkinson’s decision against Chelsea was justified by technology, but how many referees have ultimately made the right decision but because of the lack of technology have seen their refereeing careers being tarnished? 

I wouldn’t be surprised if there was a support group for it.

The reality is, referees need help. They need technology. The game is so quick, so advanced and there is so much hanging on games that one small error could cost a team severely. 

But till then, I feel referees need to be given more praise, more respect and more empathy. 

Referees are humans just like us, believe it or not. And if we want the standards of refs to improve we have to reinvigorate the value of being a referee. 

Whenever we think of refs now, we think of middle aged men, making bad decisions. 

Martin Atkinson decision against Spurs could have cost him his career as a top level referee. Fortunately for him it didn’t. But without technology, one wonders how many more referees careers will be instantly terminated by one error in the heat of the moment?

Objectiveness is key

Reuben Lewis explains to The Football Front why objectiveness is crucial when considering whether Arsene Wenger should stay at Arsenal.

Over the course of this season, where many have been quick to jump on the bandwagon, I have tended to take a more objective approach, perhaps instilled by my father. When hearing fierce criticism about the manager, from Arsenal fans in particular, I react defensively. This is simply because I love the man. His successes far outweigh his failures and despite the obvious lack of trophies (I was 9 years old the last time we won something), he has done an incomparably good job.

By creating this 'self-sufficient model', The Arsenal are almost guaranteed a consistent, sustainable future in the Premiership. One that in the next decade or two, teams around us at the moment will envy. In ten, fifteen years, we will still be in the upper quartile of the league. Will Chelsea? Will Liverpool? Will Tottenham? Dare I say the Manchester clubs?

Our objective of financial fair play and self-sustainability means the boss is reluctant to spend £20 million on a wonderkid. Sign Hazard! Sign Gotze! Instead, we have to settle for some unknown two-bob teenagers like Oxlade-Chamberlain. What a load of bollocks he's been.

In life, there is always a trade-off. This may sound a bit rich coming from a sixteen year old, and by the fact I learnt this term in my economics class, but the fact is, Arsene's deep lying love for this club has been his biggest downfall. He has opted to ensure future sustainability as a business and, perhaps more importantly, as a Football Club.

But at what expense? "TROPHIES!" I hear you cry, and yes, you are spot on. But in the grand scheme of things, what would you rather; an instant piece of silverware or a club that in 10 years will be stable, free of excessive debt? Perhaps the fans more in it for the trophies will choose the former, but the real Gooners - the ones who want what's best for the future of the club - will choose the latter. Well that's how I feel, although I'm sure some will disagree. But seriously, all teams go through transitional periods. Look at Liverpool for Bergkamp's sake! The best team of the '80s have not won a league title for twenty odd years, despite spending obscene sums of money, especially over the past year or two. Back to our club though.

To those who don't know, in the 1980s, Spurs finished above us about 5 years out of 7. Sincearriving in 1996, Arsene Wenger's Arsenal have never finished below Spurs in the league. Although St Totteringham day may have to be put on hold this year - unless 'Operation Dodgy Lasagne II' is launched - you can hardly say the boss has let us down in terms of bragging rights. Moreover, just to add a little more perspective, in 1995, the year I was introduced into the world, we finished 12th (TWELTH!). No, not 5th, 12th! Things must have been pretty bollocks back then. Thankfully for me, I was more or less born into the glory years.

I am by no means an 'Arsene Knows Best' - a term many fans mindlessly direct towards those who don't vociferously criticise the boss. I acknowledge his shortcomings - and there have been many - but my appreciation of what he has done overall - and the fact we are still there or there about's - mean I am reserving my judgements, and keeping the faith, until the end of the season at least. Even if we succumb to 5th place this year, and have a season in the mickey mouse prestigious Europa League (provided we qualify!), I will not be calling for Arsene's head. I'll let him decide when it's time to call it a day, and providing his adoration of the club, I'm sure he will decide accordingly. I will still follow my team over land and sea, as will many of the Arsenal fans I've come across - even if it means a summer holiday in Rubin Kazan! One thing's for sure- we'll soon find out who the real supporters are.

This Article was written by Reuben Lewis, you can find more of his work at The Wonder of Wenger. Reuben is on Twitter too: @Rlewisafc.

Five observations from week 4 in the Premier League

1. Man United are still invincible at home – Last season Man United had a home winning ratio of 94%. A sensational record which is shared by Jose Mourinho’s Chelsea title winning side in 2006. It was this fine home record which was the difference last season between Manchester United and their title rivals. The last time United dropped points at Old Trafford was an incredible 11 months ago against West Brom in 2-2 draw. Indeed, the Champions have continued their fine dominance at home. So far this season, at home Man United have played Tottenham and Chelsea, and United have come away with three points on both occasions in a rather emphatic fashion. What will please the United faithful and Sir Alex Ferguson is that they have beaten two very tough opponents with genuine comfort. When weaker opponents come to Old Trafford this season, a continuity of this invincible confidence will continue to be rife amongst the fans.
2. Fernando Torres drought is over – Fernando Torres scores! The £50million man finally gets his first goal of the season. His drought lasted an eye watering 12 hours and 12 minutes. But everyone will agree the goal has been coming. In his last few games, Torres has looked far more settled, more dangerous and more integrated in the Chelsea side. Chelsea’s style under Andre Villas-Boas is a leading factor as to why Torres has looked sharper. Chelsea are passing the ball at a quicker tempo, and Torres is receiving the ball to feet very quickly. This is something the Spaniard thrives on. Against United, Chelsea played slide balls and low diagonal passes to Torres, in return, Torres became more of a threat with every attacking pass. However, Fernando Torres’ miss will never be forgotten. There is no denying it was utterly, utterly woeful. But, a positive for Chelsea is that he did score the harder chance. Without a doubt, he was Chelsea’s leading threat throughout the game. The Fernando Torres of old is potentially just around the corner.
3. Blackburn ‘Kean’ to win –Blackburn surprised everyone by defeating Arsenal. In the first half, Arsenal were the better team, they were comfortable and crucially, they were leading. But in the second half, Blackburn came out incredibly motivated, driven and hungry for the win. Arsenal’s flaws of last season came back onto the surface. Firstly their inability to defend set pieces was re-highlighted on two different occasions. This inevitably lead to a test of Arsenal’s mental strength, which arguably, they failed. Arsenal couldn’t deal with Blackburn’s desire to win. After going a goal down, the Gunners allowed Blackburn to grow in confidence and make the score 4-2. Blackburn’s commitment in the second half was unprecedented. The team defended very solidly and passionately, but once Blackburn won the ball, they looked to pass the ball out wide and start a counter attack. At times, Wenger’s men couldn’t deal with Hoilett and co. Prior to this game, Blackburn hadn’t won a league game. But a strong willed performance proved that if Blackburn play with high intensity and desire, they will pick up number of wins this season. But inconsistency is rife at Ewood Park.
4. Promoted boys show they can fight in a giants world - All three promoted sides bagged impressive wins this weekend. Q.P.R were rampant at Wolves, while Norwich got their first win at Bolton and Swansea scored their first goals in the hammering of West Brom. Norwich result will provide great encouragement to their fans and manager alike. Norwich dropped a few key players such as Grant Holt but they still had enough in their locker to come away with a win. The Canaries continuously probed Bolton and caused them a number of worries. But for Norwich to win their first Premier League game away from home will provide much enthusiasm to everyone connected to the club. QPR were another team who picked up all three points on the road. The Londoners scored twice in two minutes and set the tone of the game. QPR’s attacking quartet of Barton, Taarabt, Wright-Phillips and Boothroyd were very impressive. Their unpredictability, movement and passing was the difference against Wolves. QPR’s attacking players could drive the team up to the top 10 of the Premier League. Swansea finally scored their first league goals and bagged themselves a notable win. Swansea’s attacking nature along with their fluid passing was the distinction between them and West Brom. Swansea’s Joe Allen was instrumental in everything good that the Welsh side created. If Swansea can impose their passing game, they have a great chance in the Premier League.
5. Tottenham will fight till the fourth – Spurs’ sensational hammering of Liverpool proved they are side worthy of competing for the Champions League spots. People often forget, Tottenham have a wonderful side with quality in depth. Against Liverpool, the Spurs bench, had 5 out of 7 subs who were full internationals. This Liverpool side, which are assembled with expensive signings, were blown out of the water by Tottenham. A sterling performance from Luka Modric – who’s passing was the catalyst of everything dangerous about Spurs. While Bale continuously threatened from the flanks. Liverpool could not cope with Tottenham’s attacking play. Upfront, Emmanuel Adebayor and Jermain Defoe constantly questioned Liverpool’s defence. Both have formed a healthy partnership as they offer different yet crucial characteristics to Tottenham. The harsh reality for Liverpool is that they failed to step up to Spurs’ game. This was Liverpool’s chance to prove they had the credentials to break the top four after Arsenal’s defeat this weekend. But a woeful performance marred by two men being sent off demonstrates, Liverpool have a long way to go. But for Tottenham, their strength in depth, and constant attacking threat means that they certainly have the credentials to battle for fourth. But consistency is crucial. Last season inconsistent results meant Tottenham missed out on fourth.
   

Five Statistics from this weekend

1.) Wayne Rooney is the first player in Premier League history to score 9 or more goals in his opening five Premier League games.

2.) Luka Modric against Liverpool passed 109 times and had a completion rate of 89%, he also scored.

3.) Liverpool only had three shots against Tottenham – The lowest in a single Premier League game in nine years.

4.) No player currently in the Premier League has scored more goals against Man United at Old Trafford than Fernando Torres (Three goals)

5.) It took Swansea 374 minutes to score their first Premier League goal.

Premier League Predictions – Week 4

There are some massive, exciting and enthralling games this weekend. Need I remind anyone that Manchester United will be up against Chelsea on Sunday, while top four contenders Tottenham and Liverpool go head to head at White Hart Lane. Indeed, Arsenal travel to Ewood Park to face an out of form Blackburn side, there could be a lot of goals in that one.

This week, our predictors are Ben Johnston of Five Cantonas and the guys at ManUnited24.

Fixture	Ibby Akkas prediction		Ben Johnston prediction		ManUnited24 prediction		Actual Score
Blackburn v Arsenal	1-3		1-1		1-2		4-3
Aston Villa v Newcastle	2-1		0-2		1-1		1-1
Bolton V Norwich	3-0		3-0		3-1		1-2
Everton v Wigan	1-0		1-0		2-0		3-1
Swansea v West Brom	2-2		2-1		0-2		3-0
Wolves v QPR	1-2		0-0		2-2		0-3
Tottenham v Liverpool	1-1		1-2		1-3		4-0
Fulham v Man City	0-2		0-4		0-3		2-2
Sunderland v Stoke	0-0		1-0		0-2		4-0
Man United v Chelsea	2-0		3-1		3-1		3-1
Total Correct Scores	Correct Scores - 3	Perfect Scores - 0	Correct Scores - 3	Perfect Scores - 1	Correct Scores - 1	Perfect Scores - 2

The Results

ManUtd24 - 7 Points

Ben Johnston - 6 points

Ibby Akkas - 3 points

This weeks winner is ManUtd24, who just about won with 7 points. While, Ben Johnston came mightily close with 6 points and in last place..again..Ibby Akkas with 3 points!


You can find Ben Johnston’s fantastic blog Five Cantonas here, you can also follow him on his Twitter too: @FiveCantonas.

ManUnited24’s great blog can be found here, while they can be followed on Twitter too: @ManUtd24.

Find out how Christian Brown and Brett Curtis did in our predictions challenge last week!

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