As the business end of the Barclays Premier League beckons, what can we expect to see between now and its conclusion?
City to hold their nerve and become the 5th side to win the title.
It’s been a tough January for Manchester City, starting with a dramatic last gasp defeat at the Stadium of Light and soon followed up with back to back cup defeats to United and Liverpool. However, whilst pundits such as Alan Hansen have been baying for a juicy crisis to pick the bones out of Sunday’s epic 3-2 win over Spurs made it two wins on the bounce for City in the mist of their so-called trickiest spell.
With Vincent Kompany due to return in place of the ridiculous Stephan Savic, the league leaders will soon have the physical presence which complemented the flair and vigour of their attacking play so well in the first half of the season.
Title winners must contain a spine of consistent and reliable players capable of performing in the face of any challenge – think Cech, Terry, Lampard, Drogba, or Seaman, Adams, Vieira, Henry. Whilst other champions elect have fallen by the wayside due to the lack of any leadership or bottle (insert virtually any Arsenal team of the past six years here) in Joe Hart, Kompany, Yaya Toure, Silva and Aguero, City boast key players which all contain the vital attributes to become Premier League winners.
Chelsea to win the race for Champions League football.
With City, United and Spurs quite easily playing the best football in the division, most think of the fight for fourth as a three way race. Arsenal, Liverpool and Chelsea each provide almost damning arguments to suggest they will be playing Europa League football next season, but one has to stumble bewilderedly into Europe’s elite come May, and I’m going for Chelsea.
Whilst much has been made of their prehistoric squad, one would think that the experience of Terry, Lampard and a returning Didier Drogba might just be the telling factor in their battle for Champions League football.
People will point to the £50 million catastrophe that is Fernando Torres. The Spaniard at times looks like he’s playing with a ping pong ball, but though his Liverpool form seems as distant a memory as New Labour; Torres still shows commitment for the cause and could yet come good. This cannot be said for the enigmas of Chelsea’s rivals. Andy Carroll could be trying, it’s hard to tell considering his running style is that of a Shetland pony being cattle prodded, but Andry Arshavin certainly is not. Both encapsulate then bigger issues their respective managers face in beating AVB’s men.
Mick McCarthy won’t be a top flight manager for long.
Wolves weekend defeat to Robbie Keane finally plunged them into the relegation mire. After a promising start to the season, the Midlanders have yet again flattered to deceive.
McCarthy has no doubt done a wonderful job at the helm, and whilst being slightly amusing in interviews has endeared him somewhat to the footballing world, there’s a feeling that the native Irishman has taken his team as far as he can.
Survival last May was a high point and ensured a third straight season in the Premier League, but their success was as much down to Birmingham’s implosion as it was to their own quality. In having arguably more money to invest in his squad than most rivals and failing to evolve his side into mid-table dwellers, Mick’s half term report for the season certainly reads ‘fail’.
It could be only a matter of weeks before we see him exchanging pleasantries with Adrian Chiles.
Zamora and Chamberlain will stake their claim for the Euros.
Bobby Zamora’s had a patchy first half to the season, due perhaps to the frosty relationship he endured with manager Martin Jol. However, whilst Clint Dempsey stole the headlines in The Cottagers’ 5-2 demolition of Newcastle, Bobby looked like his old self in selflessly leading the line and providing three assists as well as his converted penalty.
He’s not the kind of player to have England fans dropping their pints in awe, in fact he’s not the type of player that should be going to an international tournament at all, but he’s the best England have. People will be thinking of Welbeck, Defoe, Sturridge and Bent, but none possess the attributes Capello craves from his number nine. With Heskey now thankfully out of the picture, and Andy Carroll in a rather comical picture of his own, Zamora could find himself cancelling his summer plans.
The same can be said of Oxlade-Chamberlain. The eighteen year old showed more promise in 73 minutes against United than Theo Walcott has in months. He possesses the lightning speed of his infuriating team mate, complemented with strength and a final product which eludes too many of England’s pacey wing men. With one Premier League start, the thought of the Ox bulldozing his way into England’s plans seems crazy, but we’ve certainly seen stranger selections for major tournaments, haven’t we Sven?
Harry Redknapp will leave Tottenham a Champions League club, and FA Cup winners.
With the present on-going trial and a cloud of controversy never too far away from Harry Redknapp, it’s easy to forget that he’s by far and away the best English manager.
His achievements for Portsmouth were gargantuan, but in transforming Spurs into one of the country’s consistent achievers Redknapp cemented his status as a top quality manager. However, he’s never ruled out the possibility of replacing Fabio Capello, perhaps hungry for his greatest miracle yet in turning England into a side capable of controlling and passing a ball.
At 64 Redknapp just might be getting tired of the hustle and bustle of top level club football. But Harry doesn’t leave clubs quietly through the back door, and if his future really does lie in the stands doing almost nothing for a huge pay packet, then he’s sure to leave Spurs something to remember him by.
He has previous in the FA Cup with Pompey of course, and with City already disposed of Tottenham will fancy themselves to end the season and Redknapp’s tenure on a high.
