Pop quiz, hot shot. And no cheating. Who are Scott Dann and Roger Johnson, and why can you make a case that they might be the two most important people in the English Premier League in a wild and confusing first half of the campaign?
If you answered the people in charge of keeping Didier Drogba motivated on a weekly basis, good guess, but incorrect.
Quick hint: Alex McLeish should give them a fairly significant Christmas gift this week.
Only the most astute Premiership observers (or fantasy players) would answer that Dann and Johnson are the two center backs for Birmingham, who have helped turned a side I had pegged for 20th and a quick return to the Championship into a team looking at Europe.
Only Chelsea and Aston Villa have allowed fewer goals, and Dann (signed from Coventry) and Johnson (signed from Cardiff) have led the way in the middle, where other – much bigger – clubs have had a complete nightmare of a time.
With the season just about at the halfway mark, it’s time to throw the projections out the window and take stock of where we are and where we’re headed.
So, without further ado, the debut of the SPA Power Rankings, which tell us who is in form and who might be in some trouble. Or a lot of trouble:
20) Hull
They were out of the drop zone until Sunday, but it’s hard to see them staying up in their current form. Phil Brown is throwing things at the wall, hoping something will stick (and therefore save his own skin), but they have the worst goal differential in the league (-20), have 2 points in 9 road games, and have conceded the most goals in the EPL, except for Wigan
The loss of Jimmy Bullard for a couple of months is a crushing blow, as he seemed to be rounding into great form as a leader this season.
Combine that with the fact that the atmosphere at the KC Stadium doesn’t seem quite the same in the second year up, and Brown doesn’t know who to play as a striker (Craig Fagan? Really?), and plays Kamil Zayatte on a regular basis at center back, and things don’t look good.
Someone like Jozy Altidore (we can hope), Kamel Ghilas, Jan Vennegoor of Hesselink, or Geovanni may be able to get hot and get them some points, but all signs point to a drop for the Tigers.
MVP of first half: Bullard
Key upcoming match: Tues., Dec. 29 @ Bolton – A loss here would give Bolton a lot of help as well as send Hull looking for points in a fixture list which is already brutal.
19) Portsmouth
When the season started, the roster Pompey threw out there was almost unrecognizable to the one they completed last season with and it showed with a dreadful beginning that seemed to have them doomed to relegation.
But they currently have a good manager in Avram Grant, who is familiar with Portsmouth and some players that – while they may lack in quality – will not be intimidated by the Premiership and will battle until the end, guys like Kevin Prince-Boateng and Jamie O’Hara in the midfield, and a veteran defense of Hermann Hreidarsson, Steve Finnan, Younes Kaboul, and Tal Ben-Haim. All have their flaws, but should be mentally strong through the season.
Portsmouth will need to score goals, though, and the combination of Aruna Dindane and Frederick Piquionne have been spotty at best.
There’s also the matter of being able to actually pay their players, but if they can’t figure that out, well, the rest will be academic, won’t it?
MVP: O’Hara
Key upcoming match: Jan. 16 vs. Birmingham – Three points in games like this will be vital in their survival chase.
18) West Ham
Bad sign: Gianfranco Zola says he won’t turn to “anti-football” to keep his team up. Is “anti-football” actually keeping the ball out of the back of your net, as West Ham has scored the 8th most goals in the league, but still sits second from bottom (and only not dead last because of goals scored).
Like you see with a lot of these teams at the bottom, the defense just hasn’t been good enough, Herita Ilunga has been poor (and I wonder why all of a sudden Jonathan Spector isn’t good enough to play for this bad a defense), James Tomkins is very shaky, and if Robert Green is England’s No. 1, they’ll have a big problem in the summer.
Add the fact that Carlton Cole, who was in great form, went down with an injury, and the Hammers are in serious relegation jeopardy. Guillermo Franco and Alessandro Diamanti were good signings and will score a goal or two, but without “anti-football”, a.k.a., actually playing defense, West Ham seems doomed.
You want a game that sums it up: West Ham led Burnley 5-0 late in the second half a couple of weeks ago and somehow conceded three goals in a dicey 5-3 win.
MVP: Cole
Key upcoming match: Saturday vs. Portsmouth – Three points obviously a must.
17) Burnley
They currently sit 12th, almost all because of their home form, where they’ve picked up 18 of their 19 points and lost only once in nine matches. But they are only three points from the drop zone, something Owen Coyle knows all too well, I’m sure.
Again, their faults (and with the budget they’re working with, you can understand a little) lie on defense, 37 goals allowed – tied with Hull for second worst in the league. Steven Caldwell and Clarke Carlisle look like they’re over their head in the back (although goalkeeper Brian Jensen has played fairly well), and Graham Alexander – while a great story at 37 – doesn’t have the legs to help them too much.
Andre Bikey was a decent signing, he gives them experience and stabilizes things in the middle with a physical presence. Steven Fletcher has 5 league goals and has been a decent threat, despite being on his own a lot, while Chris Eagles has begun to show a little of the potential that Manchester United saw some years back.
Interesting fact: Burnley has allowed 29 goals away, but only 8 at home. Same team, right?
Coyle is a very good manager, and that may be the difference in keeping them up. Barely. But barely should be good enough for Burnley supporters.
MVP: Bikey
Key upcoming match: Jan. 9 vs. Stoke – Three points in home games like this against decent teams should be enough to keep Burnley afloat.
16) Bolton
Gary Megson seems to get a bad rap, maybe from his antics, but a look up and down his roster, and you can’t expect him to do what Sam Allardyce did a few years back and get Bolton into Europe. If he keeps them up, I think he’s done a decent job, and while it may be closer than some supporters may like, I think he will.
As with all the teams down here (sorry for the broken record thing), their problems are in the back. Zat Knight has been tried by a few teams and hasn’t stuck, and I think Megson was smart enough to see that Jlloyd Samuel isn’t the answer at this level, either. Jussi Jasskelainen has not been at his best, but is serviceable in goal.
Megson actually has some attacking options, too, with on loan Ivan Klasnic having scored five goals, and Kevin Davies and Johan Elmander hanging around as well. Korean Chung-yong Lee was also a good signing, seems to be dangerous a few times a game.
Bottom line: It probably won’t be pretty, but Bolton should do enough to stay up, which – if you’re a team like Bolton, is all you can ask for.
MVP: Klasnic
Key upcoming match: Next Tuesday vs. Hull – One way to drop back into the relegation fight would be to drop points here.
15) Wolverhampton
I have them higher than their league position, which may be a blessing or a curse for Mick McCarthy and his bunch, who have had an interesting week, which saw McCarthy under fire (unecessarily, by the way), but Wolves out of the drop zone.
Unlike some of the others here, their defense has been OK, but after Kevin Doyle’s five goals and Jody Craddock’s (of all people) four, no one else has scored more than one league goal, and Sylvan Ebanks-Blake, who seemed to score every week in the Championship, has yet to score from open play.
Doyle is not flashy in the least, but seems to be able to score against lesser sides, and that may be enough for survival for this bunch. Jody Craddock and Cristophe Berra have been good enough in the center of the defense, and they do have some skill in people like Nenad Milijas, although Milijas doesn’t seem to like the physical nature of the Premiership all that much.
It won’t be terribly flashy, but McCarthy has been around and should be able to keep this team up.
MVP: Craddock
Key upcoming match: Next Monday vs. Manchester City – With two games in three days, does McCarthy throw the reserves out there at Anfield next Saturday? He might and take three points from beleaguered City here.
14) Blackburn
It seems like a silly question, but you wonder how much Sam Allrdyce’s illness has affected Rovers? They have been very poor of late and just can’t seem to get points where Allardyce’s teams always find a way to get points.
On the whole, they can take comfort that they really haven’t been that bad (as their run to the Carling Cup semis shows), but it’s a results-driven business, and their results have them staring at the bottom of the table, hoping not to fall there.
They seem like they should have scorers: Benny McCarthy, Franco Di Santo, Jason Roberts, Niko Kalinic every once in a while. I like the first three as players, but Rovers have scored only 17 goals in 18 games, and only have four road points. You have to think at some point Allardyce will find a hot hand and ride it.
Meanwhile, David Dunn leads the team with five goals, but he’s hurt. Ryan Nelsen has been very good in central defense, and may even keep New Zealand from conceding double figures in South Africa next summer. Paul Robinson hasn’t gotten many headlines in goal, which is a good thing for him, it really is.
MVP: Nelsen
Key upcoming match: Next Monday vs. Sunderland – Dropped points here may see them creep toward the relegation zone, and the pressure may mount.
13) Wigan
I give Roberto Martinez credit for trying to play attacking football and all, but I have to criticize him for having one of the most inconsistent teams I’ve ever seen. It’s no secret that they have attacking options, first and foremost Hugo Rodallega, who has been as good as anyone not named Drogba in the Premiership this season.
Obviously, the 9 goals at Tottenham skews things, but it’s hard to make headway when you’re giving up the most goals in the league (and by all accounts your keeper – Chris Kirkland – is actually playing well).
Just look at some of the results: beat Villa away, Chelsea at home, and the only team to beat Burnley away. And, lost 4-0 to Portsmouth, 5-0 to Manchester United at home, lost to Hull and Wolves at home.
I guess you can say for a team like Wigan, midtable is pretty good compared to where they were a decade ago, but it seems like they have the talent in Gomez, N’Zogbia, etc. to do more, doesn’t it?
MVP: Rodallega
Key upcoming match: Saturday vs. Blackburn – They go to Old Trafford after that, do they lose to Blackburn and beat Man United? Why not?
12) Stoke City
You have to sit back and applaud what Stoke have done, don’t you? Well, maybe you don’t, but I will. There are some cracks showing, but Tony Pulis has given a blueprint for how to stay in the Premier League.
It involves protecting your home ground, and in the Britannia, Stoke has one of the best, and keeping the ball out of your net. There was a lot of talk about Rory Delap and what he does, but the real reason Stoke was able to finish 12th last season was defense. This season, they’ve conceded only 20 (6th in the league), with Ryan Shawcross, Abdoulaye Faye, Danny Higginbotham, and Andy Wilkinson holding down the fort. The injury to Shawcross in concerning, he is and has been their best player the last two seasons and they aren’t the same without him.
Also of concern is 15 goals this season and the fact that no one has more than two (Shawcross being one of them). But even in a 1-0 defeat at Aston Villa, they were very feisty and could have gotten something out of the game.
If they could have have gotten a goal. And there’s the rub.
MVP: Shawcross
Key upcoming match: Monday vs. Birmingham – Stoke has dropped 8 points at home already this season, and they don’t want to do so here and get anywhere near the relegation zone.
11) Sunderland
Hard to believe that the Black Cats are only five points out of the relegation zone. Well, maybe not so hard, given the fact that they can’t seem to get out of their own way of late.
Their road form, as usual, is dreadful, only four points in nine matches, and only eight goals. And the defense has not been steady or stable, Steve Bruce went to John Mensah to pair with Michael Turner in the middle of the defense, and has been reluctant to use big signing Paulo Da Silva for some reason. Meanwhile, Nyron Nosworthy has been a huge liability wherever he decides to put him. Heck, Bruce has even tried Kieran Richardson at outside back at times this season.
Andy Reid and Jordan Henderson have been solid wide, and when they get service Darren Bent (who has cooled of late) and Kenwyne Jones are dangerous, but there’s no one in the middle to boss the game and be that attacking force when they need one.
They have some very good players, but if they don’t watch themselves, they could be dragged into a relegation fight yet.
MVP: Bent (with special mention to Reid)
Key upcoming match: Saturday vs. Everton – At home, Sunderland needs three points in the worst way to get back on track.
10) Birmingham
I’m sorry, Mr. McLeish. I really am. I looked at the names on your team back at the beginning of August, and to quote Major League, said, “Who the hell are these guys?”
But you knew better than me that you had a solid defense, and you somehow rescued Lee Bowyer from oblivion so much that he’s got five goals so far this season, and surrounded him with solid attackers like Cameron Jerome and Chucho Benitez.
The fixture list will soon become difficult, and it’s hard to see Birmingham finishing in the top half, really, but you won’t be relegated, let alone finish dead last, and that’s a fine piece of managing all the way around.
MVP: Scott Dann, Roger Johnson (tie)
Key upcoming match: vs. Manchester United, Jan. 9 – The fixture list will soon become brutal, and a result here would be huge for confidence in a tough stretch.
9) Everton
Obviously, given their league position, this is awful high to put Everton, and I understand that, but I: a) see too much quality there; and b) see them starting to play better. In fact, though, you may see them struggle for a little while longer before pulling it together.
Here are their next Premiership games: at Sunderland, Burnley (yeah), at Arsenal, Manchester City, Sunderland, at Wigan, at Liverpool, Chelsea, Manchester United, at Tottenham. Yikes.
Louis Saha has 10 goals, and finally seems to be getting a little bit of help from Yakubu, Steven Pienaar, Diniyar Bilyaletdinov, and Tim Cahill. The defense has been shaky (to say the least), but Tim Howard is excellent, and guys like Leighton Baines and Lucas Neill can’t be that bad, can they?
This team has too much talent to stay in the bottom half of the table, don’t they? They keep outplaying people and getting nothing to show for it, so that has to change, doesn’t it? Doesn’t it? Maybe not, but we’ll see.
MVP: Saha
Key upcoming match: Saturday at Sunderland – They need three points for a road game to spark them, I think, and this may have to be it.
8.) Fulham
Think about the spring of 2008 and Fulham about to be relegated, trailing 2-0 to Manchester City late in the second half (before winning 3-2) and where Fulham is now. Amazing, isn’t it? If it weren’t for Alex McLeish, Roy Hodgson would be Manager of the Year thus far with the job he’s done at Craven Cottage. Again.
Just like with Birmingham, it starts in the back with the consistent Brede Hangeland and crew, but if you had a pool for unlikely in-form scorers, Bobby Zamora would be at the top of the list. He might have been the worst regular striker in the Premiership the last two years and now he can’t stop scoring.
Mark Schwarzer, like Friedel, is aging gracefully in goal, and Clint Dempsey and Damien Duff (another brilliant signing) have been attacking threats Fulham didn’t have in the past.
It’s starting to become apparent that this is no fluke, Fulham is – at worst – a top-half Premiership club and more consistent than most at this level.
MVP: Duff
Key upcoming match: Sunday vs. Tottenham – A London derby that could tell us where both these teams are headed for the second half of the campaign.
7) Manchester City
Kartik has done a better job than I can explaining the Hughes firing, he never seemed like a great fit here. Obviously, the problems are in the back, their last clean sheet was Nov. 1 against Birmingham.
Kolo Toure just looks completely lost, while Joleon Lescott (now injured) looked like a scared kid compared with the guy I saw at Everton last season.
Nedum Onuoha is obviously a stopgap, but going to people like Sylvinho reeks of desperation and shows that way, too. We’ll see if they’re smart enough to go get some defenders in the transfer window, if they do, they still have a chance to make a run at the Top Four, the fixture list is kind for the next couple of months.
Ironically, they’ve gotten big contributions out of a couple of question marks, Craig Bellamy and Carlos Tevez. Both work so hard that they’ve given opposing defenses fits, but it’s been overshadowed by their woes at the other end. Like Howard and Kirkland, I don’t think Shay Given deserves any blame for the mess in the back.
MVP: Bellamy
Key upcoming match: Monday at Wolves – A game a team that wants to get into the Top Four picks up three points. We’ll see if City can.
6) Liverpool
I’m not denying that they’ve been woeful so far this season, Embarassing, really. But all is not lost. Not yet.
They are 8 points out of fourth place, which seems like a lot, but not a whole lot different a situation than Arsenal was in last season. Now obviously they have to figure some things out, but a loss to Portsmouth has to be rock bottom, isn’t it?
I’m not as quick to kill Glen Johnson as some, although he’s been dreadful the last couple of weeks. Pepe Reina is still one of the best in the world. Daniel Agger and Jamie Carragher are serviceable, but not really ready for the world’s best. Same up top for David Ngog, who looks like he has potential.
Steven Gerrard and Fernando Torres and still fighting off injuries, as is Ryan Babel. Dirk Kuyt and Yossi Benayoun have shown they can score at times, but really haven’t done it consistently.
So, after looking it closer, other than the injuries, it’s still baffling how far Liverpool has fallen in one year. They must have a run in them at some point, one I suspect will take them close to fourth. But are there too many teams in front of them to catch?
MVP: Torres
Key upcoming match: Jan. 16 at Stoke – If they are going to make a run, three points at the Brittania would send a message that they’re still to be reckoned with.
5) Tottenham
Remember last year when Tottenham was at the bottom of the table after the season’s first month? Neither do I. And probably neither does Heurelho Gomes, who was so bad that it looked like he may never be seen in England again. But Spurs stuck with him (at least kept him around), and he’s been excellent, as has the defense in front of him, led by Michael Dawson and Sebastien Bassong.
The offense stacks up with anyone’s really. Jermaine Defoe has been on fire all season, and he’s gotten help from Robbie Keane and Peter Crouch, both internationals. In the wide areas, they have Aaron Lennon and Niko Kranjcar wreaking havoc, and Wilson Palacios and Tom Huddlestone form a nice pair in the middle.
The depth isn’t great, but there is some. So, the way Liverpool is playing, there’s no reason to think that Tottenham can’t challenge for the Champions League.
MVP: Defoe
Key upcoming match: Saturday at Fulham – Craven Cottage has become a tough place to play, and Fulham has proven they are a legitimate top half club.
4) Aston Villa
So how do you think Richard Dunne is feeling these days? A little better than this time last year, maybe?
After being summarily dismissed from Manchester City, Dunne may not only be the team’s MVP, but the league’s in the first half of the season, as their defense has led Villa to fourth place, and a solid fourth place at that.
Carlos Cuellar, Stephen Warnock, and Luke Young have rounded out Martin O’Neill’s back four of choice that has allowed the fewest goals (14) in the Premier League (along with Brad Friedel, who keeps chugging along). We know the young talent Villa possesses in the front, Gabby Agbonlahor has eight goals and Ashley Young is always a handful. But James Milner has been a revelation as a Frank Lampard-like talisman in the middle, and O’Neill can count on either Emile Heskey or John Carew (or both) to finish the chances they provide for them.
Villa fell off a cliff last year at about this time, but the lessons they learned from it may see them in the Champions League at season’s end. If they can hold off Tottenham.
MVP: Dunne
Key upcoming match: Sunday at Arsenal – Even a point at the Emirates would show their intentions for the Champions League.
3) Manchester United
There was a lack of words for Fulham’s 3-0 thrashing of the three-time defending champs on Saturday. You just don’t see that happen to an Alex Ferguson team. Ever. You can talk about last year’s loss at Fulham, but that has to be considered somewhat of a fluke. Saturday’s game certainly wasn’t.
On the positive side for the Red Devils, with four losses in the season’s first half, they still stand only four points behind Chelsea and have to figure the worst is past.
Of course, that may depend on the health of the defense. Nemanja Vidic and Rio Ferdinand, when healthy, might be the best club combination in the world, but they’re not and might not be for a long time. Michael Carrick and Wes Brown have been OK, but they don’t hold a candle to the other two when they’re at 100 percent. Patrice Evra tries his best on the left side, but he’s not there to win balls and be a physical presence. They hope to get Vidic, John O’Shea, Brown, and Jonny Evans, or at least a combination of them back soon, but who knows?
As Paul Scholes showed this weekend, his best days are definitely passed, and Ryan Giggs can pnly play so many minutes. It might be time for Fergie to just run Dimitar Berbatov and Wayne Rooney out there every game and see what happens.
It can’t be that much worse, can it?
MVP: Rooney
Key upcoming match: Jan. 31 at Arsenal – If they want the title for the fourth straight year, a result here will be a must.
2) Arsenal
Two things, I think, keep them out of the top spot, even though they are certainly close to the best form in the league. First, we have to see what the injury to Cesc Fabregas does to them and how long he’s out. They are a different team with him in the lineup, obviously.
Arsenal doesn’t seem like a team that will slow down with the fixture list (despite what Arsene Wenger cries about), and for them to win the title they will need contributions from guys like Theo Wolcott and get Nikolas Bendtner healthy, eventually (and maybe Robin van Persie?).
Another point of concern is the William Gallas and Thomas Vermaelen combination at center back, especially against strong, physical teams and on set pieces.
But even with all the concerns and youth, they are six back with a game in hand, and probably have the hottest team in the Premiership. It would not be a surprise if they were heard from in the title race in May.
MVP: Fabregas
Key upcoming match: Sunday vs. Aston Villa – Three points is a must to push Aston Villa further back and push them closer to the top.
1) Chelsea
Well, on the plus side for them, even with all their problems, they still lead the league by four points. But there are problems abound.
First, who will fill the void when Didier Drogba leaves for a month? Second, who will give them some much-needed width in their attack with Jose Bosingwa out? Third, can they stand Petr Cech in goal for the rest of the season (although he did OK today)?
Frank Lampard does not look happy in the new diamond system, Michael Ballack is starting to look a bit old, and they’ll miss Michael Essien for a while.
Carlo Ancelotti was brought in to figure out such problems, and if he does, Chelsea will regain the title. If he can’t, third place still remains a distinct possibility. But (especially if they add Sergio Aguerro) there is no reason to panic at Stamford Bridge. They’re not that far away from being dominant.
MVP: Drogba
Key upcoming match: Saturday at Birmingham – Three points here would show that their recent form might be a blip. Anything else and the challengers will be even more emboldened.
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