1. The Swans are flying.
Second season syndrome can be a terrible affliction and many people tipped Swansea to suffer from a pretty serious case of it. More so given their manager and best midfielders jumped ship to Liverpool & Spurs. Instead, Swansea seem a team who have been given a new burst of life under the stewardship of Michael Laudrup. They are passing the ball even better than before and have so far scored 8 goals to no reply without getting out of 3rd or 4th gear. The season may only be 2 games old, but it’s already almost impossible to consider their being a better signing than Michu. The Spaniard is entering his prime at 26 and scored or assisted 30 goals in La Liga last season. Better than Ozil, Iniesta, Santi, Xavi… or indeed anyone. His fee of £2m looks like a practical joke. Chico also cost just £2m and looks a considerably better player than, to name someone at random, Jordan Henderson. Swansea have a nice run of early fixtures and could well lead the table into October. Of course, things can change pretty quickly at this fledgling stage of the season, but for now it is Norwich who look to be suffering badly from a change of manager and a second stab at the top flight. The Swans, fast becoming everyone’s 2nd team, are flying high. Even Barcelona players are starting to watch them…
Second season syndrome can be a terrible affliction and many people tipped Swansea to suffer from a pretty serious case of it. More so given their manager and best midfielders jumped ship to Liverpool & Spurs. Instead, Swansea seem a team who have been given a new burst of life under the stewardship of Michael Laudrup. They are passing the ball even better than before and have so far scored 8 goals to no reply without getting out of 3rd or 4th gear. The season may only be 2 games old, but it’s already almost impossible to consider their being a better signing than Michu. The Spaniard is entering his prime at 26 and scored or assisted 30 goals in La Liga last season. Better than Ozil, Iniesta, Santi, Xavi… or indeed anyone. His fee of £2m looks like a practical joke. Chico also cost just £2m and looks a considerably better player than, to name someone at random, Jordan Henderson. Swansea have a nice run of early fixtures and could well lead the table into October. Of course, things can change pretty quickly at this fledgling stage of the season, but for now it is Norwich who look to be suffering badly from a change of manager and a second stab at the top flight. The Swans, fast becoming everyone’s 2nd team, are flying high. Even Barcelona players are starting to watch them…
2. Everton fans are beginning to believe.
I said at the end of the last season that if Everton could start this campaign well and keep their squad together they could make the top six; so far that statement looks like it should be the minimum of their ambition. The Toffees followed up their impressive; Fellaini inspired battering of Man Utd this weekend, with a ruthless dismembering of a flailing Aston Villa. The resigning of Pienaar, the versatility of Fellaini and the craft and guile of Jelavic had made for a fearsome attacking unit, something that Everton have badly missed over the past few years. Indeed, with two new strikers added into the mix and a solid back line they look in better shape than ever to make a serious tilt at the Champions League places. David Moyes has done a remarkable job at this club; he has got them playing together and punching above their weight year after year. If the season started at Christmas, Everton would have been in the Champions League five of the last six years. The problems have always been a messy close season and a sluggish start trying to find a settled team. This season, for once, they have come out flying. Suddenly finishing above Liverpool should not be the minimum achievement for this once great club. Finishing above Spurs & Newcastle is well within their grasp, especially if they can get lucky with injuries in what still looks like a thin squad defensively. The only bad side to all this? As the bond between Man Utd & Everton seems to gets closer, it looks increasingly likely that if Jose is not around, Moyes is the only other manager who will likely get offered the Old Trafford hot seat when Fergie retires. On this evidence, he would be welcomed openly. Everton fans may feel differently.
I said at the end of the last season that if Everton could start this campaign well and keep their squad together they could make the top six; so far that statement looks like it should be the minimum of their ambition. The Toffees followed up their impressive; Fellaini inspired battering of Man Utd this weekend, with a ruthless dismembering of a flailing Aston Villa. The resigning of Pienaar, the versatility of Fellaini and the craft and guile of Jelavic had made for a fearsome attacking unit, something that Everton have badly missed over the past few years. Indeed, with two new strikers added into the mix and a solid back line they look in better shape than ever to make a serious tilt at the Champions League places. David Moyes has done a remarkable job at this club; he has got them playing together and punching above their weight year after year. If the season started at Christmas, Everton would have been in the Champions League five of the last six years. The problems have always been a messy close season and a sluggish start trying to find a settled team. This season, for once, they have come out flying. Suddenly finishing above Liverpool should not be the minimum achievement for this once great club. Finishing above Spurs & Newcastle is well within their grasp, especially if they can get lucky with injuries in what still looks like a thin squad defensively. The only bad side to all this? As the bond between Man Utd & Everton seems to gets closer, it looks increasingly likely that if Jose is not around, Moyes is the only other manager who will likely get offered the Old Trafford hot seat when Fergie retires. On this evidence, he would be welcomed openly. Everton fans may feel differently.
3. Rooney is no longer first choice.
Since Ronaldo & Tevez left in the same summer, Rooney has been Utd’s main attacker in a formation that has often been built around him. He has scored over 30 goals twice in that time and it has often looked like removing him from the team would be akin to cutting off a leg. Not anymore. Rooney was average towards the end of the last season, his form masked initially by some close range strikes. He carried that form into the Euro’s where he was predictably terrible and last Monday at Everton he had another one of those “is he even fit” moments. Sure enough, having bought RVP and Kagawa over the summer Fergie relegated his star asset to the bench and watched the two of them form an impressive and immediate partnership. Indeed, Utd only stopped looking threatening once Rooney came onto the pitch. RVP was the obvious star signing this summer, but Kagawa could be the most important. Utd have cried out for an attacking midfielder who can work in small spaces and the Japanese playmaker looks to tick all the boxes. For years Ferguson has refused to buy attacking midfielders under the guise that “nobody is as good as Xavi or Iniestia.” Given those two are clearly not for sale, the Scott seems to have finally found their closest heir. Kagawa looks a brilliant player, all one and two touches he moves the ball in every direction with pace and precision. In two games he has been the team’s best player twice and completed more passes than anyone. Following Rooney’s injury at the weekend, Ferguson’s statement that he would be out for “at least 4 weeks” seemed oddly direct for an injury which was little more than a gash and hadn’t even been assessed. It was almost as if the manager had found an excuse to give the striker a rest and watch as his two new signings work together over the coming fixtures. With Saints away and Wigan at home next up, Rooney may find it harder than ever to get back in the team. Given his combative personality, you’d think this would only serve to galvanise him. Good news for Utd fans… if not for the opposition when he eventually returns…
Since Ronaldo & Tevez left in the same summer, Rooney has been Utd’s main attacker in a formation that has often been built around him. He has scored over 30 goals twice in that time and it has often looked like removing him from the team would be akin to cutting off a leg. Not anymore. Rooney was average towards the end of the last season, his form masked initially by some close range strikes. He carried that form into the Euro’s where he was predictably terrible and last Monday at Everton he had another one of those “is he even fit” moments. Sure enough, having bought RVP and Kagawa over the summer Fergie relegated his star asset to the bench and watched the two of them form an impressive and immediate partnership. Indeed, Utd only stopped looking threatening once Rooney came onto the pitch. RVP was the obvious star signing this summer, but Kagawa could be the most important. Utd have cried out for an attacking midfielder who can work in small spaces and the Japanese playmaker looks to tick all the boxes. For years Ferguson has refused to buy attacking midfielders under the guise that “nobody is as good as Xavi or Iniestia.” Given those two are clearly not for sale, the Scott seems to have finally found their closest heir. Kagawa looks a brilliant player, all one and two touches he moves the ball in every direction with pace and precision. In two games he has been the team’s best player twice and completed more passes than anyone. Following Rooney’s injury at the weekend, Ferguson’s statement that he would be out for “at least 4 weeks” seemed oddly direct for an injury which was little more than a gash and hadn’t even been assessed. It was almost as if the manager had found an excuse to give the striker a rest and watch as his two new signings work together over the coming fixtures. With Saints away and Wigan at home next up, Rooney may find it harder than ever to get back in the team. Given his combative personality, you’d think this would only serve to galvanise him. Good news for Utd fans… if not for the opposition when he eventually returns…
4. QPR are playing a dangerous game, and people will want
them to fail.
If there is one thing more distasteful amongst football fans than getting a millionaire owner and buying a team of A-List talent set for glory, it’s getting a slightly less rich millionaire owner and buying a team of C-List talent set for mediocrity. Step forward QPR, who currently have the largest squad in the league (including a ridiculous ten strikers) and are still looking to buy all and sundry over the coming few days. Proudly sporting “everyone else’s reserves XI” – Rangers have scraped a single point from two very winnable games and have Man City, Chelsea and Spurs up next. They look like a team who could go down and drop like a stone into the lower leagues under this set up. Inflated fees are one thing, but it's inflated wages which really cost a club if they don’t succeed and QPR are signing up countless players on salaries they don’t deserve at that stage of their careers. There is no investment in youth, no long term sell on value to most of these players and they still have Joey Barton to contend with. The fans must be worried, very worried. Still, at least they can console themselves that they have Mark Hughes at the helm. A man who still seems to believe he is the greatest manager… in the world.
If there is one thing more distasteful amongst football fans than getting a millionaire owner and buying a team of A-List talent set for glory, it’s getting a slightly less rich millionaire owner and buying a team of C-List talent set for mediocrity. Step forward QPR, who currently have the largest squad in the league (including a ridiculous ten strikers) and are still looking to buy all and sundry over the coming few days. Proudly sporting “everyone else’s reserves XI” – Rangers have scraped a single point from two very winnable games and have Man City, Chelsea and Spurs up next. They look like a team who could go down and drop like a stone into the lower leagues under this set up. Inflated fees are one thing, but it's inflated wages which really cost a club if they don’t succeed and QPR are signing up countless players on salaries they don’t deserve at that stage of their careers. There is no investment in youth, no long term sell on value to most of these players and they still have Joey Barton to contend with. The fans must be worried, very worried. Still, at least they can console themselves that they have Mark Hughes at the helm. A man who still seems to believe he is the greatest manager… in the world.
5. Chelsea could well be a Hazard for the Manchester clubs.
The experts predicted a two horse race for the title, but having seen Chelsea come out of the blocks faster than a speeding bullet; they have been embarrassingly backtracking to include them in the shakeup via a host of ifs and buts. Much of the reason for this has been the form of Edin Hazard, the most expensive signing of the summer so far and already looking worth every penny. The Belgian has pace and trickery to burn and is already well suited to life at his new club given he is both a cheat and a complete prick. Around him Roman has assembled an attacking unit to rival any in the land and this week spent his one billionth pound on new signings for the club. Let me rephrase that in case you didn’t get that first time around. In the 9 seasons since Roman Abramovich took over at Chelsea they have spent £1BILLION on new signings. That. Is. Madness. Still, this time around Chelsea have the holy grail in their back pocket and are finally ready to play the entertaining, expansive football that Roman craves for his cash. Will they win the title? No chance. They have a defence made of balsa wood and John Obi Mikel as their solitary holding player. Will they actually prove entertaining for once? It certainly looks like it. And if they ruffle the feathers of those who are truly mad for it in the meantime then it should at least make for another interesting season.
The experts predicted a two horse race for the title, but having seen Chelsea come out of the blocks faster than a speeding bullet; they have been embarrassingly backtracking to include them in the shakeup via a host of ifs and buts. Much of the reason for this has been the form of Edin Hazard, the most expensive signing of the summer so far and already looking worth every penny. The Belgian has pace and trickery to burn and is already well suited to life at his new club given he is both a cheat and a complete prick. Around him Roman has assembled an attacking unit to rival any in the land and this week spent his one billionth pound on new signings for the club. Let me rephrase that in case you didn’t get that first time around. In the 9 seasons since Roman Abramovich took over at Chelsea they have spent £1BILLION on new signings. That. Is. Madness. Still, this time around Chelsea have the holy grail in their back pocket and are finally ready to play the entertaining, expansive football that Roman craves for his cash. Will they win the title? No chance. They have a defence made of balsa wood and John Obi Mikel as their solitary holding player. Will they actually prove entertaining for once? It certainly looks like it. And if they ruffle the feathers of those who are truly mad for it in the meantime then it should at least make for another interesting season.
You do realise that every sub i make in my fantasy football team will be based on the wisdom of the monkey?
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