Friday 28 February 2014

Heads Will Roll: United Careers Coming To An End

"If we go out in Munich, heads will roll" - These were the infamous words uttered by one Roy Keane on the eve of Manchester United's Champions League quarter-final second-leg against Bayern Munich. The team that had won the title less than two years ago had put up a meek defence the following year and failed to set the world alight again the following year.

Heads did roll. Within twelve months the likes of Jaap Stam, Dennis Irwin, Ronny Johnson Dwight Yorke and Andy Cole, all parts of the treble winning side had all moved on. The new era began with the likes of Juan Veron, Ruud van Nistelrooy and Rio Ferdinand arriving, charged with bringing further European success.

Munich 2001 was a watershed moment for the club. The official end of the era of the treble winning side, the best in the club's history. Tuesday's defeat to Olympiakos and the possible embarrassing elimination that may follow in three weeks time may not carry the same sentiment, but is still a reminder that the club is once again in need of rebuilding, this time on a grander stage than before.

Heads will no doubt roll again this summer, but whose heads?




Tom Cleverley

His standing has sunk so low that the recent #AskCarrick fan interaction program run by United allowing fans to put questions to their former favourite scapegoat Michael Carrick was actually hijacked with abuse for Tom 'TopCat' Cleverley.

What does he do? Seriously what does Tom Cleverley contribute. Carrick has his amazing passing and even he's frustrating at times. Fletcher has his tenacity and work-rate, Fellaini, despite not really showing it yet, does have his physicality and is a decent footballer. Tom Cleverley does nothing particularly well and you simply can't get away with that at this level.

Found out, possibly for the last time. The end of TopCat

He admitted it himself in a recent interview, saying he doesn't understand why fans don't appreciate his negligible contribution to the team. "I watch Spanish football a lot and when the players play a short pass sideways the fans applaud because they appreciate the players keeping possession".

Fantastic Tom. Let me know how you get on in Spain. I'm sure Iniesta, Cesc and the likes are quaking in their boots at the prospect of Cleverley's radical style of football hitting their shores in 2014.




Chris Smalling

Smalling has enjoyed some fine performances as a United player since his arrival four years ago, but these bright moments have been outnumbered by several of mediocrity.

Smalling has failed to justify his high transfer fee

He looks awkward and clumsy as a centre half and offers absolutely nothing going forward as a right-back. Players like John O'Shea and Phil Neville never really held down a starting spot at United because they didn't specialise in one position. They had long careers as squad players and that is a role Smalling may have to accept if he wants to prolong his Old Trafford career. He's not good enough to be first choice in any position.

Smalling cost over £10m after playing only a handful of professional games for Fulham, a transfer that looks stranger and stranger as time goes by. Like Cleverley, he's another English talent that has failed to live up to the hype. But he wasn't the worst on Tuesday night. Another member of the back four scooped that very un-illustrious honour.




Rio Ferdinand

It was Rio. Rio was the worst of a very bad bunch on Tuesday night in Athens.

New Years Day 2011. United came from behind to beat West Brom 2-1 at the Hawthorns in a game this is remembered for being Gary Neville's final professional football match. Neville was awful that day, exposed multiple times as a complete and utter liability. Wednesday night should be Ferdinand's 'West Brom moment'. He was awful. Off the pace. Too slow and too sloppy to play at this level anymore.

RIo's great and storied career effectively ended on Tuesday

The writing has been on the wall for some time and Tuesday night was the death-nail in the coffin for Rio Ferdinand's Manchester United career. He's gone at the end of the season anyway. Either to retirement, or to a lucrative pay-day in the middle east or the MLS for a season. Rio has had a wonderful career but it's over now.




Ashley Young

One of a host of Aston Villa midfielders towards the end of the 2000s, all of whom signed for bigger clubs but none of whom rediscovered the form they had in the Midlands. Milner and Barry went to City, Downing to Liverpool. Ashley Young went to United and now finds his reputation in tatters.

It's not just been his lacklustre performances that have provoked the ire of many fans but his attitude. He walks with a swagger, a very undeserved swagger as if he, as a Manchester United player, has made it now and doesn't have to work hard anymore, he's untouchable. A superstar. He's not.

Young's United career will be remembered for all the wrong reasons

As if his petulance and under-performance haven't been enough, there's also his diving. When you hear the name Ashley Young I guarantee that 'dive' is among the first words that come into your head. Too often has he brought the club and the sport into disrepute with his theatrical falls to the ground whenever a defender brushes against him. He will not be missed.




Nani

Nani is 28 later this year. We've been waiting seven years now for him to live up to his billing as the next Cristiano Ronaldo but he's yet to achieve anything in the same stratosphere as his Portuguese team-mate. Similar to Ashley Young, for defensive effort coupled with a lack of talent to back it up has made him an increasingly unpopular figure at Old Trafford.

Nani being replaced by Januzaj, his season summed up in one photo

He was United's player of the year in the title-winning season of 2010/11 during which he either scored or assisted a total of 23 goals. Despite this he lost his place in the team for the end of the season and for the Champions League final with Barcelona. Nani hasn't looked the same since and despite being handed a five-year contract just six months ago, he looks to be on his way out.




Antonio Valencia

Perhaps a little harsh. He doesn't carry the same attitude about his as Young and Nani, who believe defensive work is beneath players of their quality, Valencia just simply isn't good enough.

The weight of the famous 7 jersey proved too much for 'Tony V'

Signed from Wigan in 2009 for a slightly inflated fee of £16m, Valencia enjoyed a good first season at Old Trafford, proving effective but nowhere near a big enough player or personality to fill the chasm left by Cristiano Ronaldo on the right wing. He broke his leg in September 2010 and hasn't quite recaptured his best form since. Although he was excellent in the 2011/12 season, he's been frustratingly inconsistent for the most part since.

Also he's probably the most one-footed right-footer you'll ever see.




Javier Hernandez

He's got away with being a sub-standard footballer for long enough. Under Ferguson he was most effective as a substitute, coming on as an impact player he was often able to pinpoint a weakness in the defence by virtue of his watching the game as a spectator.

Chicharito has not stepped up when needed this season

In the absence of van Persie and Rooney, Chicharito was the man to lead the line over the Christmas and New Year period. It was a task he failed at miserably and left him horribly exposed as a pretty poor technical footballer. As a lone striker you have to be complete, or as close to possible as the complete forward. Javier Hernandez couldn't be further from this. He's a poacher. He offers very little in terms of link up play, or anything outside the six yard box really.

He's been one of the more mutinous characters in the dressing room this season. Retweeting a story from Sky about his potential departure and recently posting a cryptic message that 'soon the whole truth will be known'. I'd be shocked if he's still a United player next season.




And the rest...

He's not quite dead wood, he's actually been United's best player over the last three games but Nemanja Vidic is most definitely leaving the club this summer. The Serbian captain has elected to leave of his own accord in order to seek a new challenge abroad. This may be a good thing for United as it may produce a settled back four. Vidic has been unable to play more than once a week since his season-ending knee injury in 2011.

Patrice Evra is likely to follow him. He doesn't really look happy anymore. Ryan Giggs has seen his playing time drastically decreased under Moyes and is likely to retire at the end of the year. The talents of Shinji Kagawa have been pitifully wasted since he arrived from Dortmund in 2012. He's the kind of player who'd look like a star in a quality team with some smart, quick attacking players. He does not fit into the crossing machine United seem determined to remain.

Robin van Persie gave a particularly revealing interview to Dutch TV on Tuesday which would strongly suggest he has no future at the club. Hearing him speak so rebelliously against the club, it's hard to believe it's just nineteen months since he signed from Arsenal and less than a year since he volleyed United to their 20th league title. His fall from happiness has alarming this season. It's accepted that the principal reason he came to United was to work under Sir Alex Ferguson so finding him gone less than a year later seems to have left Robin feeling a little cheated and longing for an escape.

And of course there's David Moyes who surely at this stage cannot expect to remain as Manchester United manager next season. He's taken a side that won the title by eleven points, added almost £70m worth of talent and a Belgian wonderkid, and turned them into one that may not finish in the top 6, and is on the verge being knocked out of the Champions League by a Greek side.

Manchester United cannot justify giving Moyes a second season

The players don't show the same desire to play for Moyes as they did for Ferguson. A manager that can't inspire passion and drive in his players will simply never manage a successful side. Moyes's shortcomings as a manger have been horribly exposed time and time again this season and I really don't need to donate any more inches to call for his head. The question of 'Should David Moyes be sacked?' now belongs in the same sarcastic category as 'Is The Pope Catholic?' or 'Does Dolly Parton sleep on her back?'


PS: It's worth checking out this video which highlights:

  1. How completely oblivious other players are to the presence of Shinji Kagawa.
  2. Ashley Young does not look when crossing the ball, relying on the trusty hit and hope method.
  3. Long balls out wide are still this team's main entre.

Monday 10 February 2014

Talking Points From The Weekend


1. Liverpool Strangle Arsenal

The weekend got off to a fast-paced start at Anfield where a rampant  Liverpool smashed four past the league leaders in the opening twenty minutes on their way to an historic 5-1 victory.

Just last week I praised Arsenal's mental toughness and maturity in being able to break down a stubborn Crystal Palace defence at the Emirates, the kind of test they've failed time and time again during this recent barren period. Saturday provided a different scenario in which their resolve would be tested: Adversity. This time they failed.

Going a goal down in the first minute is a hammer blow but it is the sort of thing that potential champions should be able to recover from. Instead of digging in and keeping it tight for the next while, Arsenal totally capitulated. The only thing worse than making mistakes is not learning from them. They again failed to deal with Skrtel on a set piece and were caught out by Liverpool's high pressure and fast break for goals three, four and five with the lightning quickness of Sterling and Sturridge exploiting Per Mertesacker's achilles heel to great effect.

Sterling grabbed goals three and five

Liverpool won the battle in midfield, Gerrard and Henderson were both excellent while Arsenal lacked a bit of steel in Flamini and Aaron Ramsey, something which Jack Wilshire couldn't make up for. In the battle of the franchise players, Suarez had an excellent game and Ozil was shockingly anonymous.

Arsenal's potential season-defining period is off to a terrible start. They really shouldn't have any trouble beating United and have a quick chance at revenge over Liverpool next week in the cup but after that comes the dreaded tie with the awesome Bayern Munich. This defeat may prove more than just three points lost, it's a massive psychological blow ahead of the crucial period and something which has put their weakness on very public display for other teams to exploit.

Brendan Rodgers says Liverpool aren't title contenders and he's right, they aren't. Not this season anyway. Destroying your rivals at home is fantastic and Liverpool have done it twice in ten days now. But they now need to go to Fulham midweek and pick up three points. Then they need to repeat this in their next away games against Southampton and Cardiff whilst showing now let up at fortress Anfield. That is the type of ruthless consistency that is needed to win titles and that's what they're lacking at the moment as evident by their frequent draws lately.





2. Mourinho Has Pellegrini Rattled

I don't quite know what Manuel Pellegrini has done to Jose Mourinho to invoke such raw hatred from the Chelsea boss but whatever it is, Mourinho seems intent on making Pellegrini's life in England a living hell until the day he returns to Spain, defeated with his tail tucked firmly between his legs.

Looking back through the pair's history, it's hard to find a single thing Pellegrini did that Mourinho could contrive as hostile and a reason for all this animosity. It seems to be a case that Jose hatred of the Chilean stems from the mere fact that Pellegrini was Real Madrid manager before him and maybe the fact that Pellegrini got more points. He made fun of Pellegrini's move to Malaga afterwards remarking that such a huge backward step was not something he'd ever do himself.

Mourinho's vendetta has intensified since the pair both moved to England during the summer and the Special One identified Manchester City as the only genuine threat to him reclaiming his Premier League throne. With two clubs now neck and neck at the summit of the table, Mourinho has taken to throwing in digs at just about every available opportunity.

Advantage Special One

His hypocrisy is remarkable, comical to the point where onlookers are thinking 'He can't be serious'. Accusing City of buying the title, labelling Chelsea as third favourites, the underdogs, the little horse in a three horse race. Mourinho is fooling absolutely nobody with this attempt at mind games. I think he's been a little disappointed at times with his lack of a true foe this season in the mould of Guardiola or Benitez, someone to spar with verbally. His one-sided tirades against Pellegrini this season have reminded me of the scene in the Simpsons with Milhouse throwing the frisbee to himself. Nobody will play mind-games with poor Jose.

Last week their sides met at The Etihad at Mourinho came out on top in what was a wonderful tactical display by him and a gutsy performance from his players. This seemed to prove too much for Pellegrini who finally gave it to Jose's pestering and prodding and verbally responded to him, ridiculing his comments and describing Chelsea as a 'very rich little horse'. Typically, the very next day, City are held 0-0 at Norwich while Chelsea win to go top of the league. Classic Mourinho.

Who can forget Rafa's rant in 2009 while Liverpool were top. He lashed out at Ferguson after months and months of the United boss 'poking the bear'. Pellegrini's outburst, if even that, was not quite as animated but may prove to have similarly detrimental effects. Liverpool nosedived and United strolled to the title.





3. Crossgate

82 crosses. 64 failed. 18 completed. 0 chances created. Theses are the stats resulting from Manchester United's record-setting bombardment of the Fulham penalty area at Old Trafford on Sunday. Yeah that's right. Not only did they not score from any of the 82 crosses, they didn't even fashion a chance.

I noted in November after the dreary 0-0 draw in San Sebastian that United were far, far too reliant on crosses (they only put in 32 that night and it seemed outrageously excessive) and now it seems the whole world is aware of the fact. It says a lot that the worst defence in the league, a team that conceded six goals to Hull City barely a month ago could defend so trouble-free against United for the best part of eighty minutes.

Crossing isn't working? Not to worry, let's try more crossing.

Rene Meulensteen, who has been a manager for a little over two months called United's attack predictable, straightforward and easy to defend against. His 6'7 centre half Dan Burn made 22 clearances in the game, similar to Ryan Shawcross for Stoke last week, as Fulham ended a run of five straight defeats. Moyes seems to learn absolutely nothing from his continuous failures.

He's running out of excuses and he's running out of support. He can't blame the referees, the weather, bad fortune or anything but his tactics  for the latest episode of this comedy roadshow the biggest club in the world has become. More and more of United's fans are slowly abandoning faith and realising he's never going to achieve anything with these prehistoric, narrow-minded ideas he's bringing to the club. Six years. Why was he given six years?

I maintain my stance that Fulham are the worst side in this division, but the way they are currently playing, United are genuinely close to being if not the worst, then the least effective. The idea of David Moyes remaining manager much longer under these circumstances is just ridiculous.





4. The Unpredictable Relegation Battle

With the upcoming title fight, battle for fourth and plight of Manchester United (who will always get media attention simply because of who they are), this season's relegation battle is likely to be slightly overlooked in the coming months. With seven points seperating 10th place Swansea from bottom club Fulham, it looks like being one of the most unpredictable in years.

At the start of the season it looked like Crystal Palace would be cast adrift at the bottom of the table  and nailed-on for 20th place. Following the arrival of Tony Pulis, a remarkable run of form and the addition of some quality signings, Palace now look a decent bet to 'win' the bottom sub-league and finish in 10th place.

Tom Ince looks a quality signing already

Sunderland and West Ham are two other sides who've looked dead and buried at times earlier on in the season but whose fortunes have really improved lately and now look more like surviving than going down. Sunderland's recent good form ended with a defeat to Hull on Saturday and now they've a trip to Manchester City to come.

West Brom have gone off the rails recently and are struggling to find form under Pepe Mel. Cardiff have not got going under Solskjaer either. Norwich look like they are going nowhere. Swansea have taken action to try and stop being dragged into the mire. They looked impressive in their first game under new boss Gary Monk on Saturday and should be alright. Same goes for Hull and Aston Villa who can both target 9th/10th place finished as an achievable goal rather than mere survival.

At the very start of the season, I tipped Palace, Hull and Stoke to go down. Palace will stay up, Hull too, barring  a seismic collapse and Stoke look like they have enough about them to survive. My three will probably change every single week from now until the end of the season but this week it's Fulham, Cardiff and Norwich who I think will be playing Championship football next season.



Friday 7 February 2014

Does Sacking Your Manager Make A Difference?


This week Swansea became the seventh Premier League club to change manager this season when they dispensed with the services of Michael Laudrup. Laudrup had been in charge less than two seasons (average by today's Premier League standards) and in that time had brought Swansea to their first major trophy in their history and a first venture into European football. This did not prove enough to save him from the chop after one win in eleven league games and a slide towards the relegation zone which Gary Monk is now charged with arresting.

Football management is a cut-throat business and the average tenure of a Premier League manager these days is barely one year. Brendan Rodgers, appointed by Liverpool in the summer of 2012 now finds himself to be the third longest serving manager in the Premier League. Most clubs seem very quick to instigate change if results aren't going their way. Others prefer to stand by their man and show a little faith that he will fix it. This article examines the effects some clubs have experienced as a result of changing manager this season.

Of the six managers to leave their post prior to Laudrup, five were explicitly sacked and Ian Holloway left Crystal Palace by 'mutual consent'. Let's examine what difference, if any, the change in manager has made at these clubs:



Sunderland

Sunderland were the first side to change manager this season, sacking the eccentric Paolo Di Canio after just five games. Getting rid of Di Canio was a no-brainer. His results on the pitch throughout his tenure were mediocre, disguised only by the 3-0 derby victory over Newcastle towards the end of the 2012/13 season which helped secure their Premier League status for another season. Off the pitch he was even more of a shambles, falling out with players, criticising them in public and ostracising some from the squad like fans favourites Lee Cattermole and Phil Bardsley, both of whom have been excellent upon their recalls to the squad.

Poyet has changed The Black Cats fortunes for the better

Sunderland sacked Di Canio in September and replaced him with the seemingly equally fiery Gus Poyet. Things didn't get off to a great start for Poyet and results didn't really take much of an upturn until the Christmas period. As of this moment Sunderland currently sit top of the Premier League's form table for the past four games and Adam Johnson has just been awarded the Player of the Month award for January.

With Di Canio at the helm Sunderland averaged 0.2 points per game (PPG) and were rooted to the bottom of the table with just 1 point. Under Gus Poyet they have improved this average to 1.2 PPG and sit 14th in the table.


Verdict: 
Tough bedding in period for Poyet but it's working out wonderfully now. Definitely a good call by Sunderland.





Crystal Palace

Ian Holloway's second spell as a Premier League manager ended disappointingly by 'mutual consent' after eight games of the season. Holloway is an incredibly popular figure in the game, particularly during his last spell in the Premier League at Blackpool in 2010/11. There was something different this time however. Holloway never looked happy, never looked his bubbly self this time around and there was definitely some of that contagious charisma lacking.

Keith Millen took over the role while Palace searched for a successor. Tony Pulis eventually arrived and was in the stands for Millen's fourth and final game as caretaker boss. Perhaps buoyed by his appointment, Palace managed to chalk up their second win of the season that day at Hull. Pulis can't put that one on his record however.

Under Ian Holloway, Palace averaged 0.38 PPG and were 19th in the table. His caretaker Keith Millen averaged 1 PPG for his four games and since then Tony Pulis has increased that further to 1.33 PPG. Crystal Palace now sit 17th in the table but in a much less precarious position than they were previously.


Verdict:
Brilliant decision to change manager. Palace looked hopeless under Holloway, now they look genuinely like they will survive.





Fulham

Martin Jol must have felt like a sick dog on the way to the vet when Fulham appointed Rene Meulensteen as 'head coach'. He surely knew the end was coming soon and sure enough within three weeks he was sacked and his compatriot was installed as manager almost immediately. Meulensteen had been part of Sir Alex Ferguson's backroom staff at Man United and was held in high regard by some of the senior players there but found himself out of a job under the new David Moyes regime during the summer.

A blind man could have seen that succession coming

Whatever way you look at it Fulham have had a difficult year. Martin Jol managed 0.77 PPG and left the club 18th in the table. Under Meulensteen this has increased slightly to 0.82 PPG but they now sit bottom of the table. The managerial change did not produce an initial good run of results as it often does and Fulham have continued to be incredibly mediocre.


Verdict:
No effect. Bad before and bad after. Another change might be required soon.





West Brom

Steve Clarke was dismissed as West Brom manager rather hastily. He led them to a wonderful 8th place finish and had more than his fare share of bad luck earlier this season with regards to refereeing decisions. Nonetheless he was dismissed on December 14th following a 1-0 loss at Cardiff, their fourth in a row.

West Brom took their time in appointing a successor to Clarke with Keith Downing being in charge for six games over the Christmas and New Year period and they remained unbeaten for four games, picking up a win over Newcastle on New Year's Day. Pepe Mel was appointed on January 11th and has since had three games in which he has thus far failed to record a win.

Steve Clarke this season managed an average of 0.94 PPG and left West Brom 16th in the league table. Keith Downing managed an average of 1.2 PPG during his month long caretaker stay. Pepe Mel has only had three league games in charge which gives him the fairly meaningless statistic of 0.67 PPG. West Brom remain 16th in the Premier League table and are by no means safe from relegation.


Verdict: 
Harsh to sack Clarke I think and jury is still very much out on whether Mel can be a success.





Spurs

Two days after West Brom and 24 hours after a 5-0 home defeat to Liverpool, Spurs showed Andre Villas-Boas the door after seventeen months in charge at White Hart Lane. AVB arrived in England with a glowing reputation having spent years sat under the learning tree of Jose Mourinho and achieved an unbeaten league season with Porto, topped off with Europa League success.

Things went badly wrong for him both at Chelsea and later at Spurs. His man-management, media-handling and tactical nous were all exposed greatly. Once the golden boy of football management, he left Spurs with his reputation in tatters and is unlikely to find work in England again.

AVB has no superstar to Bale him out this season

Spurs didn't really have a caretaker period as such. Tim Sherwood was interim manager for one game but was given the job permanently the very next day.

Overall, Spurs' results under AVB weren't that bad. It was the 6-0 defeat to City and the 5-0 humbling by Liverpool which sealed his fate. He managed 1.69 PPG this season as Tottenham boss. Sherwood, including his one game as caretaker, has managed 2.13 PPG and made Spurs much more exciting to watch.


Verdict:
Personally I'm not convinced by Sherwood as a manager. But it's hard to argue with results. Good call by Spurs. Ask Emmanuel Adebayor.





Cardiff

Malky Mackay refused to quit under very public pressure to do from Cardiff's eccentric owner Vincent Tan but was eventually sacked on December 27th with the club in 16th place in the table. To say Mackay had been treated harshly was a massive understatement. In his two full seasons in charge he had taken Cardiff to a League Cup final, Play-Off semi-final and the Championship title the following season. He followed this up with a reasonable start to Premier League life but his falling out with Tan proved the end of him.

Mackay managed 0.94 PPG during his 18 Premier League games as Cardiff boss. David Kerslake took charge of the two games in the gap between Mackay's dismissal and the appointment of one Ole Gunnar Solskjaer as manager. In his four league games since Solskjaer has managed just one win and three defeats leaving him with an average of 0.25 PPG. To be fair to him, two of those games were away in Manchester. Not an easy place to bring a struggling team.


Verdict
Too early to tell. Solskjaer did lose his first three league games but managed wins in two cup ties during that spell. He's also brought in a few good signings who impressed in their recent win over Norwich. The next few months will go a long way to determining whether or not he makes it as a successful manager in the Premier League.



So, out of the six clubs to have already changed managers, three have been proved undoubtedly correct to do so. One has seen very little change and two are in the job less than a month so judgement is not yet decided. These odds suggest that Swansea's fortunes are more likely than not to improve over the remaining months of the season and while chopping and changing managers often may seem harsh, often it is more beneficial to a team's fortunes than admirable loyalty.





Tuesday 4 February 2014

Premier League Power Rankings: February 4th 2014


20 - Fulham

Rene is in a serious hole 

A tame home defeat to Southampton at the weekend, combined with good results for their fellow strugglers has left Fulham rooted to the bottom of the table, without a Premier League point since New Years Day. The January window has produced some signs of optimism however with a couple of new faces arriving at Craven Cottage. Jonny Heitinga and Lewis Holtby will bring Premier League experience. Kostas Mitroglu has been persuaded to give up another Greek title medal and a very real chance of a Champions League quarter final berth to join Fulham's relegation battle. His goals and influence may prove vital come the end of the season.

Anyway, Fulham's thirteen year stint in the Premier League now faces it's biggest challenge since that miraculous escape in 2008. Given the worrying news coming from Bolton recently with regards to crippling debts, it's not nice to imagine what could happen to Fulham if they went down.





19 - Cardiff

Ridiculous athleticism for a big man

Cardiff may look back to half-time in the Norwich game as a turning point in their season. The introduction of Wilfried Zaha, frozen out by Moyes at United, made a real difference as did fellow new arrival Kenwyne Jones. Another arrival from United, Fabio, had a rather more forgettable Cardiff debut, being caught out of positions numerous times, Norwich's opener being one of them. It's hard to believe he started in a Champions League final just over two years ago.

Solskjaer's first Premier League points will be a welcome boost. The side has a strong look to it now, Jones and Zaha give them an extra edge going forward for sure. They are certainly good enough to pull themselves away from the drop zone.





18 - Swansea

Bony is Swansea's one bright spark recently

Oh dear Swansea. The disappointing story of the season. Their freefall down the table in recent weeks was temporarily halted with a win against bottom club Fulham in midweek but normal service was quickly resumed with a defeat at Upton Park on Saturday. They've had injuries, but the crisis is not nearly bad enough to justify this slump in form. The team avoided the fabled 'second season syndrome' last year but Laudrup himself may be experiencing it as a manager following his successful debut season last year. Michu should return in the next few weeks which will ease the goalscoring burden on Bony but Swansea need improvement and they need it fast.





17 - West Ham

Nolan thrives feeding off a big man like Carroll

They went to Stamford Bridge on Wednesday and gave one of the most effective displays of 'parking the bus' that I've ever seen, eventually leaving with a well-earned and valuable point. Their mini-revival following a disastrous January continued on Saturday with a victory over Swansea where we finally witnessed the full effect of the Carroll-Nolan axis Big Sam has pinned much of his hopes on.

The two combined for both goals before Andy Carroll was sent off for catching Chico Flores in the face with a trailing arm. It didn't look intentional and Flores reaction certainly contributed a lot to the referee's decision. It looks like this newly blossoming partnership may be put on the back-burner for a few games at least.





16 - West Brom

Does he speak English yet? It's quite useful if you don't.

There's not been a lot of headlines surrounding West Brom lately that don't centre around Nicolas Anelka. Pepe Mel hasn't spent much time in the spotlight which he'll probably be grateful for, but early signs would indicate he's not quite the Pochettino-like messiah West Brom were hoping for. He's yet to win a game and managed to lose to Aston Villa in midweek despite having a two goal lead. Something that won't help to get the fans on side.

At the end of a season when we look at turning points for a team, The Baggies being robbed of the win at Stamford Bridge in November fits the bill better than any. They've managed just one win since that day, three months and fifteen games ago.





15 - Norwich

Norwich.. these guys play for Norwich

It's all pretty quiet at Norwich lately. They didn't do any major business in the transfer window. Holding on to all their first team players and bringing in Jonas Gutierez and Joseph Yobo on loan to add some experience to the squad. Chris Hughton may live to regret not being as active as other managers around him. Norwich are in a bit of a rut, not winning many games and giving up easy points to teams around them as they did on Saturday. They may yet find themselves in a lot of trouble.





14 - Crystal Palace

"I'm great at penalties"

A couple of months ago Crystal Palace looked like a hopeless case, doomed to relegation where the best case scenario for them would be a credible number of points to their name by the end of the season. Fast forward to February and they're in the top half of the Premier League's form table, only their disastrous opening ten games is keeping them out of the top half of the table.





13 - Stoke

Charlie Adam, 28 going on 50

A massive week for Stoke City as they became the latest club to break a winless streak of multiple decades against Manchester United at the weekend. They did have a bit of luck. Charlie Adam's free kick could have easily deflected out for a corner and the ball could have fallen to anyone other than Tom Cleverley in that late goalmouth scramble and the result would be different but overall Stoke didn't fluke this one and were pretty good value for their win.

They've struggled for goals this season and haven't properly addressed this issue in the transfer window. They are one of many clubs who find themselves at risk of being dragged into the relegation mix as others around them improve.





12 - Hull

Still not a patch on the old Long-Cox duo

Hull have done very well in their transfer window, strengthening their most problematic area, their strikeforce. They've added someone who certainly knows how to score in the Premier League in Shane Long and someone who used to know how in Nikicia Jelavic.

Goals have been Hull's biggest problem this season. Their six in one game against Fulham account for over 25% of all their goals this season. Long got off to a good start against Spurs on Saturday, scoring the opener as The Tigers secured their first league result of 2014. They've got a few games coming up against Sunderland and Cardiff which they will view as must-win if they want to aviod being dragged down into the relegation mire.





11 - Sunderland

No dirty knees for Gus Poyet after this year's derby

Three Premier League wins in a row and a spot in a Wembley cup final, Sunderland are another club, like Crystal Palace who have really turned their fortunes around recently. It's ironic that both these clubs who have spent the majority of the season nailed to the bottom of the table now find themselves in-form and full of optimism ahead of the final months of the season.

Sunderland's run has seen them lose just twice in their last fourteen games in all competitions (one of the defeats ended in a penalty shoot-out win) and carried them into uncharted territory out of the relegation zone. The resurgence of Adam Johnson on the right wing has played a big part in this. He was in deadly form again at St James Park on Saturday as Sunderland chalked up yet another emphatic derby victory against Newcastle.

A big problem for them is their misfiring strikers, right-back Phil Bardsley in their 2nd highest scored after Johnson. The English winger surely can't maintain this electric form forever so will need some help, certainly in terms of goals, if they are to avoid this bubble bursting.





10 - Aston Villa

Big derby win for Villa secured by Benteke

Villa had a horrible run over Christmas and the new year period but things have picked up recently. A derby victory is always good for raising spirits, particularly a dramatic one and Villa got that on Wednesday night against Midlands rivals West Brom, edging them out 4-3. This followed up an impressive display at Anfield where they took a 2-0 lead and were unlucky not to leave with a famous victory.

There's a chasm in the middle of the Premier League table separating the top 9 and the bottom 11. Villa currently find themselves at the top of the second tier. They will be looking over their shoulder rather aiming to be safe from relegation rather than aiming to enter the race for the European spots.





9 - Newcastle

They will miss 'Kebab' in a big way

The fans have had to endure another transfer window of frustration at the incompetence of Joe Kinnear to deliver on any of his promises with regards to signing new players. The only arrival at St James Park in January was loanee Luuk de Jong , a little-known striker from Borussia Monchengladbach. Added to this they lost their talisman Yohan Cabaye to PSG with virtually no time to replace him.

Newcastle are already missing Cabaye. They followed up a fairly mediocre draw at Norwich with an absolute collapse at home to Sunderland on Saturday in the derby. They looked out run by the visitors in midfield and were picked apart at will. The cracks were there even before Cabaye left but now they are being brutally exposed. They're too far ahead to be dragged into the relegation zone, but I can't see them climbing any higher this season. Mid-table mediocrity awaits.

Update: Tuesday morning, Joe Kinnear is GONE!





8 - Manchester United

"At least it's better than the bench... KInda"

Juan Mata's arrival at Old Trafford two weeks ago created a feeling of hope and optimism around the club that had not been felt since early May and the period between the 2013 title being secured and Alex Ferguson announcing his retirement. It's taken just ten days for the optimism to vanish and be replaced by the more familiar hopelessness and despair.

United lost for the fifth time already in 2014 on Saturday, going down meekly to struggling Stoke at the Brittania, a game that exposed David Moyes more than any other as the tactical dunce he is. Even taking a look at the size of the two sets of players would tell anyone that the usual United tactic of bombarding the opponents with crosses was never going to work. United could have had Lionel Messi in the forward line on Saturday and that tactic wouldn't have worked. Their goal came from one of the few times they actually played through the middle. A beautiful through ball from Mata finished off by van Persie. How neither Moyes nor any of his coaching staff can see this is beyond farcical at this stage.

Frankly, United are lucky to be only seven points off a Champions League spot at this stage. I even think that is a stretch for them and Thursday night football next season is looking more and more probably. If they even make the top 6 that is.





7 - Southampton

Superstar player with superstar haircut to match. Adam Lallana. Going to Brazil

A season can be a series of peaks and troughs. Southampton looked to have peaked early on in the season and sat proudly in the Champions League places. They then took a bit of a downward turn before Christmas, loosing some games they really shouldn't have, but now seem to back on an upwards trajectory.

They earned a good point against Arsenal on Wednesday and followed this up with a demolition of Fulham on Saturday with a delightful goal by Jay Rodriguez the pick of three excellent finishes. They didn't bring in any new faces in January but did a good bit of business in sending the disgraced Dani Osvaldo back to Italy on loan. I'd imagine he'll return there permanently in the summer, he seems to be a rather disruptive influence to this team both on and off the pitch.





6 - Everton

Everton may look to Mirallas to fill Lukaku's giant shoes

Everton bounced back from their Merseyside Derby massacre at Anfield with a hard-fought win against Aston Villa on Saturday which said a lot more about their character than it did about anything else. It's always difficult to bounce back right away from a defeat like the one they suffered on Tuesday and the face that they were able to come from behind and get the late winner against Villa on Saturday speaks volumes about the mentality that Roberto Martinez has instilled into this team.

They really missed Seamus Coleman against Liverpool who played with Danny Sturridge out wide against John Stones which proved  a total mismatch. Added to that, Romelu Lukaku now faces a spell on the sidelines, a spell which will really test the depth of this Everton squad.

But Aiden McGeady didn't look hopeless on his full debut. It was strange seeing him actually look like a decent player.





5 - Tottenham

They've stayed in the hunt for 4th despite another hiding last week

They place some nice attacking football under Sherwood but his failure to adapt his tactics for the big games will result in more beatings like the one they took from Manchester City on Wednesday night. It was a similar case to the FA Cup defeat to Arsenal in early January, an attack-heavy midfield can give the defence very little protection and leave them exposed.

They did have some bad luck with the disallowed goal and the red card/penalty incident but they would have lost the game even with eleven players on the pitch. Sherwood is new to management so we can perhaps forgive him slightly for his tactical naivety at this stage in his career. He showed no signs of having learned his lesson on Saturday, playing Paulinho (a number ten) as part of a two man central midfield and they slipped up again. He will have to adapt eventually.





4 - Liverpool

Is he a little teapot or what's the gameplan with this celebration?

They demolished Everton last week in what will prove a memorable win for fans and players alike but either side of this performance, Liverpool have looked decidedly average lately, particularly when it comes to defending. They went down 2-0 against Villa and needed a debatable penalty to salvage a point from the game. This weekend they dropped two more points in the race for the Champions League when a suicidal pass from Kolo Toure gifted West Brom a draw at the Hawthorns.

While they have Sturridge and Suarez leading their attack they will score in probably every game so it will be a case of trying to outscore their opponents rather than see games out and cling onto scrappy 1-0 wins. This philosophy may result in them dropping some more easy points before the end of the season but they will be very enjoyable to watch as they chase a return to the Champions League.





3 - Chelsea

Another tactical masterclass from Mourinho and a priceless win

Masterclass. The only way to describe Chelsea's victory over Man City on Monday night which, despite what Mourinho says, puts them right in contention for this years league title. He got his tactics spot on and they players executed them superbly. He was a lot more adventurous than some might have expected in the build-up to the game. He certainly didn't come for the draw and Chelsea probably should have won by more.

Nemanja Matic is looking like one of the buys of the season already, despite costing seven times what they sold him four three years ago. He does everything Mikel does only better and can actually attack when needed. Eden Hazard is now probably the 2nd best player in the league and Willian is another whose really shone over the past few months after getting off to a sluggish start at Stamford Bridge.

Chelsea are in the hunt this year and they proved that on Monday. It was more than just three points in the title race, it may just help to swing the momentum the way of the West-Londoners ahead of what will be a fascinating couple of months




2 - Arsenal

The Ox in centre mid? A glimpse of the future perhaps..


Sometimes you don't realise how far someone has come and how much they've improved until they slip up. For Arsenal this happened on Wednesday. For a team so prone to avoidable slip-ups in recent years and known for throwing away silly points, the fact that the draw with Southampton on Wednesday was their first points dropped to anyone outside the top seven since early October shows how much Arsenal have improved in that department.

They are picking up routine win after routine win. On Sunday against Crystal Palace both goals were provided by Oxlade-Chamberlin, deployed in an unusual central midfield role in the wake of the abundance of injuries in that area they are currently working with. Wenger will have been disappointed not to have added significantly to his squad in January with sole loan signing Kim Kallstrom now on the injured list for the next while.

I don't think they will win the title, I don't think they can compete with Man City now they are seemingly hitting top gear, but barring a typically Arsenal collapse in February, they at least shouldn't be made to sweat when it comes to Champions League qualification.





1 - Manchester City

Only one man can do that at White Hart Lane... 

A slip-up against Chelsea on Monday and the chance of a perfect home season out the window, City's march to the title may not be as much of a procession as their form of the previous couple of weeks had suggested. The ease with which they picked Tottenham apart in midweek sent out warning signs to the rest of the league but Chelsea proved on Monday night that City are beatable.

They missed Fernandinho in a big way on Monday. Martin Demichelis, a slow centre half, deputised and was horribly exposed by a Chelsea midfield which won the battle a lot more comfortably than it should have. It was an example of Pellegrini getting a tactical decision so very wrong on a night where his opponent and his players were both faultless

Defeat on Monday brought to an end a run of eight consecutive league wins which is most definitely title-winning form. Another characteristic of champions is their ability to bounce back immediately from a disappointing defeat, which is where City will now be tested. At the moment, they look more like champions than any other side in the league, they've the best squad by far. The emerge of Stevan Jovetic at long last means they shouldn't even miss the injured-again Sergio Aguero for the crucial month of February.