So as the seasons roll forward, from summer to fall, it seems as if the EPL is going backwards in time. Teddy Sheringham v Andy Cole as the marquee matchup yesterday. ManU rolling over teams by playing a 4-4-2 formation. Chelsea beating Bolton 5-1 (note: The Manager was at the game in December 2001 when Chelsea last beat Bolton 5-1. Turns out that Lampard scored his first goal for Chelsea that day -- back when he was still an 11 million pound question mark. All I remember was that I had Jimmy Floyd on my fantasy team and thought he should have had more than 1 goal and 1 assist.)
But the most troubling "back to the future" trend around the EPL is Route 1 football. Last year, the 4-5-1 formation was all the rage with Everton riding it to a Champions League spot and Crystal Palace almost managing to avoid relegation. But this year, no matter the formation, too many teams are lumping the ball forward to a target striker and trying to play off the knock downs. Be it Alan Shearer (who must have had some headache after the Wigan gamefor all the balls he won in the air, if not the result) or Peter Crouch, or Duncan Ferguson (in the last ten desperate minutes of every Everton game), Kuqi, Heskey, or Davies. This should be bread and butter defending for any team at this level and looking at the results, it is. Newcastle, Liverpool, Everton... all struggling to score any goals. Meanwhile, the teams that move the ball around like ManU, Chelsea and Charlton are scoring freely and taking up residence at the top of the table.
Even Tottenham, who insist on a little/large partnership for their strikers do so much better when Mido is playing (no offence to Rasiak) because he will control the ball and make a great pass rather than just knocking the ball down into space.Much more to digest this week... injuries (or returns from), match-ups, strategies... but right now the Manager needs his Coffee©.
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