The action kicked up again in the English Premier League this weekend after teams took last weekend off for World Cup qualifying. Apparently Tottenham took full advantage of their break scoring a ridiculous nine goals against a hopeless Wigan side. One majorarea of debate right now in England is who will make England’s World Cup team as strikers, and Jermaine Defoe made a strong case for a spot by scoring five times on Sunday, while Darren Bent also continued his strong season withanother great showing against Arsenal. The English striker debate is sure to continue right up until the team is named, but England should not struggle offensively in South Africa with the talent they can put on the field at the scoring position.
The Good…
Tottenham
After going through injury troubles, Tottenham is starting to get healthy again, and that is not very good news for the rest of the Premier League. Arron Lennon was the latest member of Spurs to return to the line-up, and he made his presence felt. Lennon scored a goal, and used his outstanding pace to set-up numerous chances for his teammates. Spurs carried the play throughout this match, and tied a Premier League record by scoring nine times. Jermain Defoe was simply outstanding scoring five goals in the match. Defoe now leads the Premier League with 11 goals on the season, and manager Harry Rednapp has stated he is the best English striker in the game. He may be the best right now, but he does have some company with Rooney and Bent in the mix, but more importantly for Rednapp is the fact that the win moves Tottenham back into fourth spot in the table. Spurs still have dreams of a league title, but clinching a spot in the Champions League would be a phenomenal result.
Stoke City
Stoke were desperate for a win on Sunday after going win-less in their past two games, and a road date with Portsmouth set them up nicely. However, Portsmouth came into this match playing their best football of the season in the last few weeks, so a victory was not guaranteed. Portsmouth put up a strong fight, but their lack of goal scoring became apparent again on Sunday, and Stoke City were able to take advantage of that. City keeper Thamas Sorensen made a huge stop on the penalty to keep the game scoreless, and Ricardo Fuller rewarded his keeper by scoring his first goal of the season, which was the only goal Stoke required to pick up the win. City findthemselves in ninth spot in the table, but they are only three points out of fifth. The standings are very tight, andany team that can string together a few victories could find themselves in very good position at the end of the season.
Blackburn
Rovers had lost ten straight road games heading into Sunday, but that streak came to an end after a very impressive performance at Bolton. Blackburn appeared to be in trouble when their manager, Sam Allardyce, had to miss the match to have heart surgery. Losing ten straight on the road will give you a heart condition, but Allardyce had successful surgery, and will be feeling even better thanks to his team’s performance. Blackburn were clearly the better side on the day, and Dunn’s goal in the 32ndminute rewarded their effort. Rovers continued to move forward in the second half, and Rickett’s own goal in the 73rd minute secured the victory. Blackburn has now won two in a row, andfind themselves in eleventh spot. Blackburn is not in the clear yet, but gaining some breathing room now will help them later in the season.
Chelsea
The Blues are white hot right now, and appear to be the favourites to win the league. Chelsea rolled over Wolverhampton at Stamford Bridge on Saturday by a tune of 4-0. This match was over early as Chelsea scored three goals in the opening 22 minutes, and Joe Cole finished the scoring with his first in the 56th minute. Chelsea have now won five of their last six matches, have a perfect record at home, and lead the table by five points. The victory is all the more impressive when one considers Chelsea were without Drogba, Deco, Lampard, and Ballack because of injury. This team is deep at every position, and Ancelotti has them playing together, which has been a problem for this group in the past. It is going to take a lot for any team to overtake the Blues this season.
Manchester United
United also put in a spirited, masterful effort on Saturday to keep pace with Chelsea. The Red Devils were hosting Everton at Old Trafford, and dominated the match from the opening kick. However, United was not getting rewarded for their efforts early, which was a cause for some concern until Darren Fletcher scored a beautiful goal in the 35thminute to send United on their way. This was an important contest for United who were coming off a loss to Chelsea, and had to win to stay within striking distance of the Blues. The Red Devils have some very winnable games coming up, and should be able to keep the pressure on Chelsea.
Sunderland
Arsenal had not lost in 14 straight matches, which was not a good sign for Sunderland, but the Black Cats fought hard and emerged the victors in a surprising result. Jermain Defoe and Wayne Rooney will definitely find themselves playing for England in South Africa, but Darren Bent has yet to secure his spot. His play this season is hard to ignore, and Bent scored his 9th goal of the season to give Sunderland the victory. The Black Cats are tied with Liverpool in the standings, and mainly have Bent to thank for that. Bent has stated it is his mission to use his play in the Premier League to earn a spot in South Africa, and he appears to be well on his way to accomplishing that mission.
Birmingham
Birmingham was picked by many to be relegated at the end of the season, andtheir early play supported that claim, but the Blues have turned things around of late, and their recent strong play continued over the weekend. Birmingham City’s 1-0 victory over Fulham means Alex McLeish’s side is undefeated in their past four games. Fulham pushed hard in the second half to find an equalizer, but Birmingham had an answer for every rush. It is no coincidence that the Blues have turned things around following a change in ownership. The new boss has committed to more funding in January, and that new found optimism has carried over onto the pitch. Birmingham is now eight points clear of the relegation zone, and things could get even better in the new year with more talent on the way.
The Bad…
Arsenal
The Gunners entered the weekend having not lost in their last 14 games in all competitions, and were tied with Manchester United for second place in league standings. However, Arsenal entered the weekend with some major injuries to Robin van Persie and Nickolas Bendtner, which left Arsene Wenger withlimited options up front. The Gunners clearly missed both players as the highest scoring team in the league was held scoreless at the Stadium of Light. Van Persie’s ability to finish was noticeably missing with numerous Arsenal attacks failing to result in goals. Van Persie could be out for up to six weeks, which is terrible news for Arsenal who still have the capability to score without him, but it will not come nearly as easy.
Liverpool
Manchester City is a quality opponent, but this team is desperate for wins, which means home draws will not cut it. I know the Reds had injury problems with Fernando Torres and Glen Johnson unable to play, andthen lost the services of Daniel Agger and Ryan Babel early in the match, but this side simply has to find a way to win games. I still think Liverpool is capable of turning their season around, but it is getting harder and harder to believe as victories continue to elude this club. I will give the Reds credit for fighting back and earning one point, but they need to start winning games soon if they want to find their way back into the top four.
Wigan
Wigan is not supposed to beat Tottenham at White Hart Lane, but they are not supposed to give up nine goals in the loss. Wigan actually allowed Tottenham to tie two separate Premier League scoring records. Jermaine Defoe tied the record for most goals in a game with five, while Tottenham’s nine goals scored also tied the league record. Wigan were actually found themselves only down 1-0 at halftime, but the second half was one they will have to forget. Giving up eight goals in just over 45 minutes is almost unheard of in football. Wigan can take solice in the fact that it doesn’t really matter if you lose by eight goals or one, but they have a lot of holes to patch up before they face Sunderland next weekend, who also sport a great striker on their team.