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They say closure is a beautiful thing. That may be true for everyone except Chelsea FC fans, as their once dominant stature at the top of the English Premier League is now in question.
Sitting just two points in front of cross-town rival Arsenal and pesky Manchester United, the Blues’ recent collapse at Stamford Bridge to Sunderland just added injury to the insult, with reports that center backs John Terry and Alex will miss at least two months each with leg injuries.
Of course, in the odd structure of European club soccer, all teams have the opportunity to stitch up their wounds at the January transfer window — the only time during the season when squads can acquire new players.
It would be absurd to think the team who has claimed the top spot in the EPL for more than six months would be the only team in need of fresh blood come the beginning of the new year.
Continuing at the top, the Blues obviously need more depth in the backline. Besides Serbian star Branislav Ivanovic and Portuguese international Paulo Ferreira, there is little depth in the defense. Even the two aforementioned defenders are more comfortable on the flanks, adding to the Blues’ center back conundrum.
Sitting just two points behind Chelsea, the Gunners have a team capable of defeating anyone as long as they stay healthy. After opening the season with injuries to offensive dynamos Cesc Fabregas and Robin Van Persie, the Gunners appear to be firing at all cylinders except in the net. The goalie woes have plagued Arsenal for quite some time, with neither Manuel Almunia nor Lukasz Fabianski providing any stability between the pipes.
That’s where Shay Given comes in. The Irish international and Manchester City keeper has been demoted to backup at Eastlands due to Englishman Joe Hart’s fantastic play. Given certainly has the skill to be a first team starter and Arsenal is a goalie away from becoming a serious threat to not only Chelsea, but the rest of Europe.
As recently as a month ago, Manchester United’s plan at the transfer window was what to do with disgruntled striker Wayne Rooney. Whatever dispute the Red Devils and the red head himself had, it was nothing a five-year contract couldn’t fix.
Still unfit for match competition, Rooney’s absence has left the Red Devils in a bit of a scoring slump, which would be much worse if not for the heroics by defender Nemanja Vidic and Park Ji-Sung — who has only started five EPL games this year. However, if Rooney returns to half his usual form and Bulgarian zombie Dimitar Berbatov wakes up to find his early season form, goals won’t be hard to find with Manchester.
What the Red Devils need to focus on is the “old” in their squad. With such a long and grueling season, another midfield threat is needed to lessen the burden on old-timers like midfielders Ryan Giggs and Paul Scholes and defender Rio Ferdinand — especially with the horrific ankle injury that sidelined Antonio Valencia.
Recently, midfield maestro Niko Kranjcar expressed his intentions on leaving Tottenham, Hotspur and Old Trafford would welcome his playmaking ability.
Across Manchester, the team who calls Eastlands home has as much talent on the pitch as any team in Europe. It’s becoming more apparent that they have a manager incapable of juicing that talent for all it’s worth. With a stable defensive unit, a variety of midfielder players and at least three world-class strikers, Manchester City should be chomping at the top spot — not holding on to the fourth seed.
Most of the blame could and should probably be put on Roberto Mancini — the Man City manager who loves defensive battled draws almost as much as his patented scarf. Although a coaching move at the transfer window is a rather risky one, it’s clear Mancini is not capable of delivering hardware to the other side of Manchester, even with this all-star squad.
Surprising squads such as Bolton, Sunderland and Newcastle — all tied for fifth place — need to make sure they keep their squads together. With a number of players providing outstanding play, many top-market teams will be opening their checkbooks to pry these players away.
After a shocking 3-0 upset in Stamford Bridge, Sunderland is top-heavy with strikers with a knack for finding the net. Injured at the moment, Darren Bent has been one of the league’s top scorers in the last few years.
Picking up the slack while he has been out has been Ghanaian star Asamoah Gyan, who has five Premier League goals with just three starts. In addition, 20-year-old midfield star Jordan Henderson is already acquiring interest from top squads, and Sunderland has put a $33 million price tag on the budding talent.
Newcastle has also claimed a meteoric rise toward the top of the table. Unfortunately for Magpipe fans, consistency is not something purchasable at the transfer window, so the team will need to acquire that on their own. Newcastle needs to be sure they hang on to goal-scoring, pint-drinking, partying English striker Andrew Carroll. Regardless of a list of off-the-field problems about as long as his ponytail, the talented forward is terrorizing opposing defenders in route to seven goals and two assists through 12 league games. His style of aerial play is so unique and coveted that any team would love to have his scoring prowess — none more than Liverpool.
The history-rich Reds solved their biggest problem prior to the transfer window, acquiring new owners, New England Sports Venture founders John Henry and Tom Werner.
Perhaps inspired by the new ownership, the Reds removed themselves from the basement and now sit firmly in the middle of the pack, most likely out of reach of a title, but within grasp of a Champions League birth.
There will be plenty of moving and shaking in the standings up until January. However, the moving and shaking during January will determine where the teams lie at the end of the season.
