The Top Four
Posted by Kieran - 23/09/07 at 09:09:09 pmFrom the Gooner - echoing my sentiments exactly - I’ve been telling people the same thing for weeks….
Let’s get the spuds out of the way to begin with - at the beginning of the season, Tottenham had the best chance out of any team of breaking into the top 4. However, i predicted before the first game of the season, that the same back five as last seasons leakiest defence would hamper the hopes of the rest of the (undeniably it pains me to admit) talented team.
The thing is, Man U fans have been quoted as saying Chelsea are their main rivals. I was really surprised by this, because I though United were going for the title, not 3rd place!
Yeah (possibly prematurely) I’m writing Chelsea off. They are 8 points behind Arsenal, with an unlicensed manager with their two best attacking players injured and the rest who don’t want to play. The real test for Chelsea will be how many stars leave in January. Anything more than the inevitable departure of Drogba and Chelsea’s season is hamstrung. Its poetic justice to see Cole play lackluster football with a team of misfits each week, whilst Clichey helps cement the grin onto Wengers face each week. All i hope for, come November is a 2 - 0 win, Gallas and Clichey to score.
Arsenal are deservedly at the top of the Premiership, as they are at the moment the best team in the Premiership. They have the best midfielder in the world at the moment, and he is guiding them to a strong position in the league. Unfortunately, they have not played anyone of real contention, only Spurs who are now residing in the relegation zone. We’ll see the real Arsenal when a) they play a big team or a hard team away b) when Cesc gets injured. Hopefully, Diaby and Flamini will step up, or Gilberto - there is plenty of strength there, if not quite the class of Fabregas.
Man United have had a poor start to the season. But like a good team, even though they are not playing well, they are winning. Importantly, they take their lucky breaks when they get them, and take their goalscoring chances. They should contend the title indefinitely unless it falls further apart from them - today was the first time they’ve scored more than one goal in a league match since April I think - they picked a great game to break that duck.
Liverpool looked the business in the first 3 games but after the international break, they have struggled. Benitez tried to rest his big-name payers, mainly Torres, and they have failed to score in the Premiership ever since. If they play Torres, the most creative and best of Liverpool strikers, they should regain their winning touch. Either way, they still look better value than Chelsea.
It’s interesting that comparing the four teams against the same four teams last year, they seem to have changed personalities. Chelsea now are playing like Liverpool, losing away games against mediocre teams, losing to United and drawing away from home, as well as ruining their title hopes in the first few weeks. United have been winning without playing, like Chelsea last year. Arsenal are scoring bags of goals and playing beautiful football that wins matches, much like last year’s United. And finally Liverpool are failing to score against small teams, such like Arsenal last year, who failed at Emirates so many times.
Also - check out this article - a great piece of writing highlighting the relatively unproven abilities of “the great one”.
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