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As college and professional sports kick into full swing here in the United States, the one sport that matters across the pond is way ahead of us.
All across England, soccer has picked up where the World Cup left off, showcasing world class talent from all over the globe.
The highly competitive English Premiere League is already sorting itself out in the standings. Atop the leader board is the powerful Chelsea Blues, the reigning EPL champions. Even though Chelsea loss their first match of the season to the deep-pocketed Manchester City, the Blues have been cruising through their campaigns.
The catalyst to their success is the forceful Ivorian striker, Didier Drogba. Drogba sits in third for most goals on this young season with five, but has seen a dramatic increase in his charity, leading the league in assists, matching his goal total.
This increase is partially due to the selfless English midfielder Frank Lampard being sidelined with injury, as well as an improvement in scoring from the Blues supporting cast — two other Chelsea teammates joined Drogba in the top five in goals scored.
The Blues stand three points clear of rival Manchester United, who are without the promiscuous striker Wayne Rooney while he nurses an injury.
Ironically for the Red Devils, lackadaisical Belgian striker Dimitar Berbatov has picked up plenty of the slack that has been left unattended while Rooney’s mind and loins have been elsewhere. Berbatov’s hot-streak has catapulted him to the top of the goal chart with six.
In addition, Portuguese winger Nani has played beautifully while being the Red Devils only formidable outside midfielder after Ecuadorian winger Antonio Valencia was lost for an extended period of time with a gruesome ankle injury. Nani sits tied with Drogba atop the assist leader, poetically distributing the ball into the penalty box for his teammates to feast on.
The oft-injured club Arsenal sits in their recognizable third place position, four points behind Chelsea. Once again, the Gunners are put in the position to salvage the beginning of their season without all-world playmakers, Spain’s Cesc Fabregas and Dutchmen Robin Van Persie.
Without their two superstars, the Gunners have been spreading the attack around considerably well, with Russian attacker Andrei Arshavin, speedy Englishman Theo Walcott and French newcomer Marouane Chamakh all contributing to Arsenal’s stay near the top of the EPL.
The other conceivable threat to the Blues back-to-back EPL crown is the one team that managed to earn a decision over mighty Chelsea — Manchester City.
Aided by the deep pockets of Abu Dhabi businessman Sheik Mansour, Manchester City has compiled a roster with the ability to defeat any team thrown in front of them. It’s up to savvy Italian head coach Roberto Mancini to juggle the massive amount of egos with the miniscule amount of minutes available.
Manchester City sits tied with Arsenal at third in the standings with 11 points, but hold the vital victory over Chelsea in their back pocket.
The coming week should provide even more clarity, as two games feature massive implications. Saturday’s marquee matchup is between two clubs battling for the coveted fourth position in the table and a chance at playing in the Champions League — the premiere tournament featuring top clubs throughout all of Europe — Aston Villa traveling to London to take on Champs League participator, Tottenham Hotspur.
Sunday’s match features against two of the best teams the league has to offer, Chelsea and Arsenal. The Gunners have to travel to Chelsea, which proves to be a difficult task — the Blues haven’t lost an EPL game at Stamford Bridge since February.
Bangor Daily News