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English Premier League Preview, January 30-February 1

Brian Moore, January 30 2010,
It’s a dogfight at the top for first place and a dogfight at the bottom to get clear from relegation. Meanwhile middle-of-the-pack clubs aim for a fourth place finish, for that will get them the chance at Champion’s League football next season. It has been a long while since the English top flight had so many quality clubs. Is the English Premier League the world’s best? Some would argue. But for sheer excitement at both ends of the table and in the middle too, it is clearly hard to top.

Premier League Match Review
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Saturday January 30, 2010 Premier League Match reviews

Birmingham City vs Tottenham Match Review

Chelsea ended Birmingham’s 15 game unbeaten run midweek, cruising to a 3-0 victory at Stamford Bridge. Birmingham sit eighth in the table on 33 points, four behind local rivals Aston Villa. Their little bubble of consecutive non-defeats now burst, Birmingham will be keen to blow a new one, since Villa have been dropping points of late. Manager Alex McLeish is said to be looking for a striker to bring in during the transfer window. Kris Boyd of Rangers, Kenwyne Jones of Sunderland and Roman Pavlyuchenko of Tottenham have all been mentioned. McLeish, however, remains tight lipped on the possibilities.

Tottenham’s disappointment over their FA Cup 4th Round draw with Leeds last weekend was at least partly made up for with a 2-0 league victory over London rivals Fulham midweek. The win over the Cottagers reinforces Spurs’ fourth place position in the table. David Bentley was a starter for Spurs and got their second goal. It has been five months since the out-of-favor midfielder last scored. The club has been busy in the transfer market, and seem to have nabbed Monaco’s Eidur Gudjohnsen on a loan deal, right out from under the noses of another London rival, West Ham. Portsmouth defender Younes Kaboul is also said to be heading toward Tottenham. Watch Birmingham vs Tottenham Live

 

Fulham vs Aston Villa Match Review

Fulham’s 2-0 loss to Tottenham midweek was a setback. It was their fourth league loss in five games and it dropped them down into tenth, two points behind Everton. The good news for Fulham though is that Bobby Zamora has returned following a collarbone injury. Further good news, although it doesn’t impact them immediately, is that American International Clint Dempsey won’t require surgery for the knee injury he suffered against Blackburn.

Aston Villa is yet another club in striking distance of the coveted fourth spot in the league. A 0-0 draw at home against Arsenal was a good result for Villa midweek and it kept them in the hunt. Left back Stephen Warnock may be unavailable against Fulham due to a shin injury, and Nigel Reo-Coker will be out for up to three months due to an ankle injury. Watch Fulham vs Aston Villa Live

Hull City vs Wolverhampton Match Review

Three losses and two draws in their last five matches do not bode well for Hull City. Hull are second from the bottom, just a point behind Wolves who, through goal difference, are two places above the Tigers in the table. However, a Hull win against Wolves on Saturday would see them clear of relegation for now. Hull have brought in Egyptian international, and former Wigan player Amr Zaki from Egyptian outfit Zamalek. But Zaki has been troublesome to previous clubs so Hull’s move for him could be seen as an act of desperation to avoid relegation.

Wolverhampton managed a draw at home to Liverpool midweek and maintain a slim cushion of goal difference to keep themselves above the relegation zone. Manager Mick McCarthy opted to play just one striker up front against the Reds, that being Kevin Doyle. The Irishman played well but he lacked support and couldn’t single-handedly put Wolves in the lead. McCarthy has signed Midfielders Adlene Guedioura and Geoffrey Mujangi Bia on loan from Belgian club Charleroi. Watch Hull vs Wolves Live

Liverpool vs Bolton Match Review

New Bolton manager Owen Coyle had a very satisfying week. He had his first Premier League win as Bolton manager, it was a win over his previous club Burnley, the win vaulted Bolton over Burnley in the standings, and it took Bolton out of the relegation zone. Priceless! Bolton lost 3-2 at home to Liverpool last time out. They’ll be looking to return the favor at Anfield, where Liverpool have shown uncharacteristic vulnerability from time to time this season. Recent transfers in include midfielders Stuart Holden from Houston Dynamo in the MLS, and Vladimir Weiss from Manchester City.  

Some at Liverpool are putting a favorable spin on their season but it’s hard to see how they can. A 0-0 draw with Wolves midweek saw the Reds drop points yet again. They are now fifth in the league on 38 points, three behind fourth place Spurs. Only goal difference separates Liverpool from sixth place Manchester City. Good news: Steven Gerrard is back from injury. Bad News: Fernando Torres is still out. There is speculation that manager Rafa Benitez will be moving on. Juventus has been mentioned. However, there are plenty of games yet to be played and Liverpool, despite the miserable season they are having, could yet make up enough ground to catch Spurs. Watch Liverpool vs Bolton Live

West Ham vs Blackburn Rovers Match Review

Matthew Upson scored for West Ham as they drew 1-1 midweek with bottom of the table Portsmouth. Hammers’ manager Gianfranco Zola thought his team deserved more from the match than a single point. But it is goals that count, not opinions, and with their new ownership West Ham have been taking steps toward acquiring strikers. Monaco’s Eidur Gudjohnsen was a target until London rivals Tottenham nabbed him, out from under West Ham’s noses. Blackburn’s troublesome Benni McCarthy has also been linked with a West Ham move.

Blackburn arrives at Upton Par with two wins and three losses in their last five games. They now sit in eleventh in the table, with goal difference being the only separator at the moment between them and Fulham. Blackburn have brought in midfielder Yildiray Basturk on loan from Stuttgart to support the remaining part of their campaign this season.  Watch West Ham vs Blackburn Live

Wigan vs Everton Match Review

Wigan goalkeeper Chris Kirkland will be out for as much as three weeks after damaging his collarbone in training. Backup Vladimir Stojkovic played in goal in the 2-1 loss to Blackburn Rovers midweek. Wigan are said to be interested in Atletico Madrid goalkeeper David De Gea, although Manchester United may also be after the young keeper. Argentine striker Marco Ruben appears to have made a switch to Wigan from Villareal. Wigan are now just two points above the relegation zone and the remainder of their season is likely to be focused on Premier League survival.

Everton started the season off very poorly indeed, with a big loss at home to Arsenal. But in recent weeks they have been returning to the kind of form that made them such an appealing entity last season. Nobody in the summer of last year would have contested the Toffees’ candidacy for top four status this season, but the level of play needed to get to there simply hasn’t been evident for the first part of this campaign. But quality has been improving. Recent loan moves brought American Landon Donovan over from the LA Galaxy, and Philippe Senderos in from Arsenal. With the return from long term injury of Spaniard Mikel Arteta, and the consistent high quality play from Everton’s midfield of Fellaini, Pienaar and Cahill, the Goodison Park faithful have every reason to hope again. Watch Wigan vs Everton Live

Burnley vs Chelsea Match Review

Burnley played Manchester United two weeks ago and lost 3-0. Yet the stark reality of that score line fails to convey the quality of the Clarets’ play, which was creative and exposed United's defensive vulnerabilities on numerous occasions. But this midweek was different. Burnley lost 1-0 to rivals Bolton and dropped into the relegation zone. As Chelsea prepare to pay a call on Turf Moore, new manager Brian Laws can only hope his side will replicate the form they displayed against United. Goals are essential too, though.

Chelsea are now back on top of the league, and what fine form these chaps are in. Five consecutive wins in all competitions, 19 goals scored in those five matches, and only 3 against. Not bad numbers, even for a club of Chelsea’s status. Bad news for Chelsea is that Michael Essien will be out another six weeks after injuring himself while in Africa with his Ghana team. However Didier Drogba and Salomon Kalou are on their way back, the Ivory Coast having been eliminated. John Obi Mikel remains with his Nigerian teammates. A win against Burnley, albeit likely, will also be seen as vital since main rivals Manchester United will have a tough go of it against No.3 Arsenal. The potential point spread could have enormous impact. Watch Burnley vs Chelsea Live

Sunday January 31, 2010 Premier League Match reviews

Manchester City vs Portsmouth Match Review

Manchester City suffered a gut-wrenching loss to rivals Manchester United in the Carling Cup on Wednesday, but now they can concentrate on league play, at least until FA Cup action resumes in February. Sunday’s match against last place Pompey will surely look like three points in the bag to the Citizens. Now in sixth place, three points from the Pompey match could be enough to vault City over Liverpool and put them even with Spurs. City has off-loaded discontented Brazilian striker Robinho to Santos on loan.

You know things are bad when the club website is taken down. Portsmouth’s financial troubles continue to plague the club. In an effort to make wages, they aim to sell Younes Kaboul, whose fee is estimated at 11 million pounds. But the marketing of Kaboul is apparently happening against the wishes of manager Avram Grant and without the involvement of Chief Executive Peter Storrie, both of whom are said to be considering quitting the club over the matter. But let’s talk football. Pompey came from behind to salvage a draw with West Ham midweek, on a goal by late substitute Danny Webber, his first for the club. Goalkeeper David James didn’t feature, perhaps because his much mentioned possible transfer to Stoke has reached the final stages. Pompey’s finance-related embargo on transfers may have been lifted but Avram Grant feels it may be too late to make a difference and prevent relegation. With just 15 points thus far, Pompey look destined for the drop. Watch Man City vs Portsmouth Live

Arsenal vs Manchester United Live - Match Review

Croatian International Eduardo suffered a hamstring injury at Villa Park and Belgian defender Thomas Vermaelen hobbled off with a suspected broken leg. Fortunately Vermaelen’s leg’s not broken, but neither he nor Eduardo will be available for Sunday’s big Premier League tie with Manchester United at Emirates Stadium. Sol Campbell will deputize for Vermaelen. Ivorian International Emmanuel Eboue and Camaroonian International Alex Song are both back from the African Nations Cup and may be available Sunday. With a win here Arsenal would cruise past United into second and, depending on Chelsea’s result, could re-take the top spot. Chelsea play Burnley, however, so draw your own conclusions on the possibilities.

Manchester United got bad tidings on Thursday when the FA announced that Rio Ferdinand was being assessed a four match ban for throwing an elbow at Hull’s Craig Fagan last weekend. The big defender won’t be available against Arsenal. Anderson probably won’t feature either. The Brazilian apparently dodged training to fly away and meet with Brazilian club Vasco da Gama. Naughty boy! A win on Sunday would take United to the top of the league, although Chelsea have a game in hand. Watch Arsenal vs Man United Live

Monday February 1 - Premier League Match Review

Sunderland vs Stoke City

Sunderland is struggling. Just one win in their last five games and three consecutive defeats have left the club reeling. Manager Steve Bruce has been hitting out at Liverpool’s efforts to poach striker Kenwyne Jones away from the Black Cats. Bruce’s accusations seem rather untidy. But let’s face it, Sunderland just isn’t playing well. Sitting 13th in the league table, the Wiersiders will be glad of a home game against Stoke on Monday since they only have one away win in twelve games. 

Stoke have lost just once in their last 5 matches and they currently sit in 12th place, two points ahead of weekend opponents Sunderland. A win could vault the Potters over Blackburn, depending on the Rovers result. Stoke manager Tony Pulis still expects to bring Portsmouth goalkeeper David James to Britannia Stadium before the transfer window closes. Keeping a clean sheet will be a priority for the Welshman. Although the Potters had a fine win against Arsenal in their 4th Round FA Cup tie last weekend, they share a statistic with Sunderland: just one win away from home. Advantage Sunderland? Watch Sunderland vs Stoke Live

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