Believe it or not, after this weekend we'll be past the quarter post in the 2009-10 Premier League season. With that in mind, I figured it would be time to assess where the 20 clubs stand. While at first glance it might look like a giant glob, there are some mild strains of separation.
Again, I'm knowingly cribbing a Bill Simmons popularized trope, so deal with it.
Enjoy.
* * *
As a little preamble, in 2009-10 the Premier League can be boiled down to one thing -- goals. The stats don't really trend out to back me up as only one team (Bolton) has yet to keep a cleansheet, meanwhile eight teams have failed to score in at least three games. (Birmingham, Blackburn, Fulham, Stoke, Wigan, Wolves and Pompey with a league-high five.)
It just seems to me, teams are signing goal-scoring type players with a little more regularity, so there are a lot more "plus" attackers compared to defenders. Good defenders, in turn, really are worth their weight in gold, especially if they can avoid the injury bug and stay on the field.
To me, watching games, it seems like even the lowest rung teams can at least find a way to score, with or without the aid of foreign objects on the field. (The more I think about it, the Bent-Balloon-Brouhaha was straight from an 1987 WWF script.)
So in turn, goals equate in my mind to the mythical "juice" scale. (More in a sec, on that.) Teams are starting to realize in the end, draws and one point really get you nowhere when a win is worth three, so they are playing a little more open. Maybe this turns when the weather gets worse, we'll see.
Anyway, about "juice."
In any sporting event, or even any competition either you have the juice or you don't. As seasons progress, some teams develop juice, or lose juice or evade it entirely.
A quarter-way into the Premier League season we're starting to get a clearer picture who has the juice, and who doesn't.
The Alain Perrin Division
20. Portsmouth -- The good news, the players are getting paid again, I think. The bad? Although there are a few players with some spark, overall this a team without any direction on a field as witnessed by a league-low five goals. Maybe the biggest problem with Portsmouth is that aside from David James in net, there's not a ton of Premier League experience on the field. Counting on Paul Hart (best career winning percent is 34 percent at Chesterfield) to ply the likes of Frédéric Piquionne, Nadir Belhadj, Kevin-Prince Boateng, etc. into winners seems like a task above his pay grade and perhaps above anyone's save the unholy DNA mix of Brian Clough, Alf Ramsey and Jose Mourinho.
Maybe all you need to know about Pompey is Aaron Mokoena is the team captain.
Unless the oil-money brings in a couple legit stars, or three or four proven Premier League players, this ends with Pompey Super Fan John 'Portsmouth Football Club' Westwood crying in his bugle.
Gareth Southgate Division
(Ironically enough, the battle axe finally smote the trollish-one this week.)
19. Hull City -- You can't take away the fact that Hull's Cinderella rise through the decade under Phi Brown was an amazing tale that supporters will never forget. Selling its best defender -- Michael Tuner -- results in a league-worst 22-goals allowed and a trip back down to the lower leagues. This team, if not for a hot start last season, would already be in the Championship. The Tigers struggled are a bane for U.S. fans, since it likely means they won't risky pinning their hopes on Jozy Altidore unless they miraculously pull ahead of the drop zone.
18. Wolverhampton Wanderers -- Admittedly haven't seen a ton of this team, but it's bringing very little to the table aside from Austrian forward Stefan Maierhofer, who stands 6-foot-7 1/2 inches making him the tallest in the Premier League. So that's something.
The Franck Queudrue Division
17. West Ham United -- The Hammers have a decent roster, but need somebody to step up because it's sorely lacking any type of identity at the moment.
16. Blackburn Rovers -- With so many goals being averaged per game this season, and team's being defined by strikers, Rovers are about as meek a team as you can find. Jason Roberts, Franco Di Santo and Benni McCarthy? Pass.
15. Birmingham City -- Ah, Queudrue's current employer. Brum is pretty competent defensively, but would have the proverbial tough time scoring at a monkey whorehouse with a pocket full of bananas.
New owner Carson Yeung maybe throws a wildcard into the team, as I read today Alex McLeish was trying to pry Grafite and Edin Dzenko away from Wolfsburg. Too bad Birmingham isn't exactly a hot spot for transfer targets. Sadly, the birthplace of Black Sabbath probably doesn't hold too much sway in the minds of today's players.
The Kevin McAllister Division
14. Burnley -- Old friend of T.O.P. Androvich used to have a pair of "home defense dice." Not sure where the name came from. He used them habitually in the game "Risk", until one day we came to the realization that there were only four numbers on them, and as you know in Risk, you need the number six.
Long story short, Burnley boss Owen Coyle better make sure that the dice at Turf Moor have all six sides, otherwise the clock will strike midnight.
Smoke, mirrors and home form...it is a recipe that's worked before.
(Note, that is a 'Home Alone' reference.)
The Blow Hot, Blow Cold Zone
13. Stoke City -- I'm probably overrating this team, because its overall quality isn't that amazing. But the Potters are good at home, and seem to have a solid squad of role-players.
12. Wigan Athletic -- Wigan finally beat one of the 'Big Four' (Chelsea) and drew Manchester City, so perhaps Roberto Martinez is figuring out this oddly constructed roster Steve Bruce left in his wake. Wigan seem like a team nobody relishes playing against.
11. Bolton -- Kevin Davies embodies Bolton. Not bad, but not really all that good either.
10. Fulham -- Let's wait-and-see on this team. How much the Europa League takes out of them will be the story of the season. Not sure how long Roy Hodgson can make chicken salad out of some of the Premier League retreads (Danny Murphy, Damien Duff, Bobby Zamora, etc.) on the roster.
Oh Have Mersey
9. Everton -- The Toffees are pretty much stuck in a rut. Selling off Jolean Lescott wasn't a total disaster, but David Moyes has way too many "B+" players (Yakubu, Louis Saha, Jo, etc.) and not nearly enough "A" players, and the one he has -- Mikel Arteta -- is almost always hurt. This team seems far to bland to do anything other than a boring, top 10 finish.
8. Liverpool -- Really, I've run out of things to say here. I'd say they have to fire Rafa, but who is the replacement in the middle of the season? Anyone? Bueller?
We have seen the last couple weeks the the team is competent without Torres and Gerrard, but will inevitably fall short.
This situation feels eerily similar to the dissatisfaction swirling around the Washington Redskins in the NFL.
Surprisingly Crafty
7. Sunderland -- This year's Fulham, however the loss of Lee Cattermole in the middle of the field is a tough player to replace. Hand it to Steve Bruce, he seems to know what he's doing. A little more depth in January and improved form at the Stadium of Light and the Black Cats are on their way.
Good, not Great
6. Manchester City -- Teams are treating City like they're a "Big" team week-to-week, but do the City players consider themselves that? Strange developments that both Robinho and Stephen Ireland have both fallen out of favor.
So long as Emmanuel Adebayor decides to keep his head on straight, City is a threat. The biggest fear here, is they fall into the "away rut" against the lesser teams.
Does City, at this point, have an Alpha Dog? And does it need one? And can a team counting on Adebayor and Craig Bellamy make it though a season without combusting?
5. Aston Villa -- Losing Gareth Barry and replacing him with Richard Dunne (not positionally) sort of turns the jilted lover dynamic on its head. If Gabriel Agbonlahor can keep producing until May, Villa will stick around, but probably fall short of the Top Four.
4. Tottenham -- Liverpool's woes are giving Spurs a major opening to get some space toward making the Champions League for the first time. Of course, Spurs' mental fortitude has never been a strength, though if Jermain Defoe keeps playing like man possessed they'll be tough.
Basically Tottenham is a rollercoaster each week, and to be successful in the league you need some level of consistency, which might not be achieved with this bunch unless the defense stoutens up.
The Contenders
3. Manchester United -- See how if, no matter what, the likes of Meryl Streep or Cate Blanchett make a movie they're also thrust into the 'Best Actress' nomination at the Oscars by rote? That's this Manchester United team. It's really not all that good or impressive, though the recent emergence of Luis Valencia might disprove this theory. Top-to-bottom, this team is rip for the taking, even more than it was last year when it needed miracle goals from guys like Frederico Macheda to fend off Chelsea -- and this is when Cristiano Ronlado was still wearing the No. 7 shirt.
The defense is shaky and the offensive isn't all that sharp if Rooney is off his game. Regardless of these facts, with the vintage troika of Sir Alex Ferguson, Ryan Giggs and Paul Scholes this team will stick around near the top, because that's all the Red Devils know how to do.
2. Chelsea -- I thought Chelsea was going to run away with it, they still might but the last two weekends they've opened the doors. My biggest worry right now if I supported Chelsea, oddly enough, might be Petr Cech in goal.
1. Arsenal -- It's taken some time, but when the Gunners step on the field, they expect to win -- most of the time in style.
Right now, most teams might think they can hang with Chelsea/Manchester United/Liverpool if they play smart, but if Arsenal is clicking there's no stopping them, the Gunners will simply run the other team off the field.
So long as Cesc Fabregas and Robin van Persie can stay on the field, there is no reason to think Arsenal can't keep pushing the top of the table all the way until May, unless the goalkeeping situation further deteriorates.
After three years of false springs from Arsenal, this might finally be the year to believe what Arsene Wenger has been cooking.
Boil it down like this, here's a list of guys that can score with some regularity for Arsenal:
Andrey/Andrei Arshavin (make up your mind on the spelling.)
Nic Bendtner
Cesc Fabregas
Tomas Rosicky (Assuming his bones don't turn to dust.)
Eduardo
Robin van Persie
Hell, even Carlos Vela can get on the scoresheet if he plays. Same with Samir Nasri.
That's a nice big ol' slice of attack.
Defense might win championships in a general, old-sports movie coach cliche, but this year in the Premier League, not sure I agree with that logic.
Saturday:
* Wolves v. Aston Villa -- (Live, ESPN2, 7:45 a.m.) Quirk alert! Three-straight matches for Villa on ESPN2. Is Randy Lerner pulling some strings? ... Wolves 0, Aston Villa 1
* Birmingham City v. Sunderland -- (Live, FSC, 10 a.m.) Let's see if I'm not putting the jinx on Sunderland. ... Birmingham City 0, Sunderland 2
* Burnley v. Wigan Athletic -- Can Burnley make it a perfect 5-for-5 at Turf Moor? ... Burnley 1, Wigan 1
* Hull City v. Portsmouth -- A battle for 20th! Should be a goal-fest, with the teams combining for 37 allowed so far. Jozy, pay attention. ... Hull City 2, Portsmouth 2
* Tottenham v. Stoke City -- (Live, Setanta, 10 a.m.) This should be a relatively easy day for Spurs, but, the scirpt never gets written that way now does it? ... Spurs 2, Stoke 1
* Chelsea v. Blackburn -- (Live, FSC, 12:30 p.m.) Maybe Franco Di Santo will play like a man possessed, otherwise this figures to be a Chelsea romp. (Err...strike that. He can't play against the team he's loaned from, so Rovers are pwned.) Teams still wilt once they set foot on the grass at Stamford Bridge. ... Chelsea 4, Blackburn 0
Sunday:
* Bolton v. Everton -- (Live, Setanta, 9:30 a.m.) The Reebok might be the worst homefield in the league since the home fans scorn Gary Megson like Michael Scott does to Toby from HR. ... Bolton 1, Everton 1
* Liverpool v. Manchester United -- (Live, FSC, 9:55 a.m.) Don't tell me that Sir Alex Ferguson wouldn't absolutely love to be the man to trigger the guillotine on his pal Rafa. Get your beach ball police ready, Anfield. And right there, that might be the only thing that can save Liverpool on Sunday -- the Kop -- assuming the home fans actually want the Reds to win. You'd have to think some cynical fans might want them to lose so the inevitable firing of Rafa happens now, as opposed to later. Oh yeah, that Gerrard fellow might be able to conjure something, too, even at 50 percent. Yet I don't see it happening. ... Liverpool 1, Manchester United 2
* Manchester City v. Fulham -- One thing we've learned about City, they like to play from downhill. If they score early, it's probably over. Wonder how long Fulham can play smart and disciplined on the counter? ... City 1, Fulham 0
* West Ham United v. Arsenal -- (Live, FSC, 12:15 p.m.) I don't see how West Ham can keep up with Arsenal on the scoreboard. ... West Ham 1, Arsenal 3
Last week: 6-4
Season: 49-37
(For any gamers out there, I'm cobbling together my thoughts on 'FIFA 10', so I'll share those next week after I get enough game-hours under my belt.)
Again, I'm knowingly cribbing a Bill Simmons popularized trope, so deal with it.
Enjoy.
As a little preamble, in 2009-10 the Premier League can be boiled down to one thing -- goals. The stats don't really trend out to back me up as only one team (Bolton) has yet to keep a cleansheet, meanwhile eight teams have failed to score in at least three games. (Birmingham, Blackburn, Fulham, Stoke, Wigan, Wolves and Pompey with a league-high five.)
It just seems to me, teams are signing goal-scoring type players with a little more regularity, so there are a lot more "plus" attackers compared to defenders. Good defenders, in turn, really are worth their weight in gold, especially if they can avoid the injury bug and stay on the field.
To me, watching games, it seems like even the lowest rung teams can at least find a way to score, with or without the aid of foreign objects on the field. (The more I think about it, the Bent-Balloon-Brouhaha was straight from an 1987 WWF script.)
So in turn, goals equate in my mind to the mythical "juice" scale. (More in a sec, on that.) Teams are starting to realize in the end, draws and one point really get you nowhere when a win is worth three, so they are playing a little more open. Maybe this turns when the weather gets worse, we'll see.
Anyway, about "juice."
In any sporting event, or even any competition either you have the juice or you don't. As seasons progress, some teams develop juice, or lose juice or evade it entirely.
A quarter-way into the Premier League season we're starting to get a clearer picture who has the juice, and who doesn't.
The Alain Perrin Division
20. Portsmouth -- The good news, the players are getting paid again, I think. The bad? Although there are a few players with some spark, overall this a team without any direction on a field as witnessed by a league-low five goals. Maybe the biggest problem with Portsmouth is that aside from David James in net, there's not a ton of Premier League experience on the field. Counting on Paul Hart (best career winning percent is 34 percent at Chesterfield) to ply the likes of Frédéric Piquionne, Nadir Belhadj, Kevin-Prince Boateng, etc. into winners seems like a task above his pay grade and perhaps above anyone's save the unholy DNA mix of Brian Clough, Alf Ramsey and Jose Mourinho.
Maybe all you need to know about Pompey is Aaron Mokoena is the team captain.
Unless the oil-money brings in a couple legit stars, or three or four proven Premier League players, this ends with Pompey Super Fan John 'Portsmouth Football Club' Westwood crying in his bugle.
Gareth Southgate Division
(Ironically enough, the battle axe finally smote the trollish-one this week.)
19. Hull City -- You can't take away the fact that Hull's Cinderella rise through the decade under Phi Brown was an amazing tale that supporters will never forget. Selling its best defender -- Michael Tuner -- results in a league-worst 22-goals allowed and a trip back down to the lower leagues. This team, if not for a hot start last season, would already be in the Championship. The Tigers struggled are a bane for U.S. fans, since it likely means they won't risky pinning their hopes on Jozy Altidore unless they miraculously pull ahead of the drop zone.
18. Wolverhampton Wanderers -- Admittedly haven't seen a ton of this team, but it's bringing very little to the table aside from Austrian forward Stefan Maierhofer, who stands 6-foot-7 1/2 inches making him the tallest in the Premier League. So that's something.
The Franck Queudrue Division
17. West Ham United -- The Hammers have a decent roster, but need somebody to step up because it's sorely lacking any type of identity at the moment.
16. Blackburn Rovers -- With so many goals being averaged per game this season, and team's being defined by strikers, Rovers are about as meek a team as you can find. Jason Roberts, Franco Di Santo and Benni McCarthy? Pass.
15. Birmingham City -- Ah, Queudrue's current employer. Brum is pretty competent defensively, but would have the proverbial tough time scoring at a monkey whorehouse with a pocket full of bananas.
New owner Carson Yeung maybe throws a wildcard into the team, as I read today Alex McLeish was trying to pry Grafite and Edin Dzenko away from Wolfsburg. Too bad Birmingham isn't exactly a hot spot for transfer targets. Sadly, the birthplace of Black Sabbath probably doesn't hold too much sway in the minds of today's players.
The Kevin McAllister Division
14. Burnley -- Old friend of T.O.P. Androvich used to have a pair of "home defense dice." Not sure where the name came from. He used them habitually in the game "Risk", until one day we came to the realization that there were only four numbers on them, and as you know in Risk, you need the number six.
Long story short, Burnley boss Owen Coyle better make sure that the dice at Turf Moor have all six sides, otherwise the clock will strike midnight.
Smoke, mirrors and home form...it is a recipe that's worked before.
(Note, that is a 'Home Alone' reference.)
The Blow Hot, Blow Cold Zone
13. Stoke City -- I'm probably overrating this team, because its overall quality isn't that amazing. But the Potters are good at home, and seem to have a solid squad of role-players.
12. Wigan Athletic -- Wigan finally beat one of the 'Big Four' (Chelsea) and drew Manchester City, so perhaps Roberto Martinez is figuring out this oddly constructed roster Steve Bruce left in his wake. Wigan seem like a team nobody relishes playing against.
11. Bolton -- Kevin Davies embodies Bolton. Not bad, but not really all that good either.
10. Fulham -- Let's wait-and-see on this team. How much the Europa League takes out of them will be the story of the season. Not sure how long Roy Hodgson can make chicken salad out of some of the Premier League retreads (Danny Murphy, Damien Duff, Bobby Zamora, etc.) on the roster.
Oh Have Mersey
9. Everton -- The Toffees are pretty much stuck in a rut. Selling off Jolean Lescott wasn't a total disaster, but David Moyes has way too many "B+" players (Yakubu, Louis Saha, Jo, etc.) and not nearly enough "A" players, and the one he has -- Mikel Arteta -- is almost always hurt. This team seems far to bland to do anything other than a boring, top 10 finish.
8. Liverpool -- Really, I've run out of things to say here. I'd say they have to fire Rafa, but who is the replacement in the middle of the season? Anyone? Bueller?
We have seen the last couple weeks the the team is competent without Torres and Gerrard, but will inevitably fall short.
This situation feels eerily similar to the dissatisfaction swirling around the Washington Redskins in the NFL.
Surprisingly Crafty
7. Sunderland -- This year's Fulham, however the loss of Lee Cattermole in the middle of the field is a tough player to replace. Hand it to Steve Bruce, he seems to know what he's doing. A little more depth in January and improved form at the Stadium of Light and the Black Cats are on their way.
Good, not Great
6. Manchester City -- Teams are treating City like they're a "Big" team week-to-week, but do the City players consider themselves that? Strange developments that both Robinho and Stephen Ireland have both fallen out of favor.
So long as Emmanuel Adebayor decides to keep his head on straight, City is a threat. The biggest fear here, is they fall into the "away rut" against the lesser teams.
Does City, at this point, have an Alpha Dog? And does it need one? And can a team counting on Adebayor and Craig Bellamy make it though a season without combusting?
5. Aston Villa -- Losing Gareth Barry and replacing him with Richard Dunne (not positionally) sort of turns the jilted lover dynamic on its head. If Gabriel Agbonlahor can keep producing until May, Villa will stick around, but probably fall short of the Top Four.
4. Tottenham -- Liverpool's woes are giving Spurs a major opening to get some space toward making the Champions League for the first time. Of course, Spurs' mental fortitude has never been a strength, though if Jermain Defoe keeps playing like man possessed they'll be tough.
Basically Tottenham is a rollercoaster each week, and to be successful in the league you need some level of consistency, which might not be achieved with this bunch unless the defense stoutens up.
The Contenders
3. Manchester United -- See how if, no matter what, the likes of Meryl Streep or Cate Blanchett make a movie they're also thrust into the 'Best Actress' nomination at the Oscars by rote? That's this Manchester United team. It's really not all that good or impressive, though the recent emergence of Luis Valencia might disprove this theory. Top-to-bottom, this team is rip for the taking, even more than it was last year when it needed miracle goals from guys like Frederico Macheda to fend off Chelsea -- and this is when Cristiano Ronlado was still wearing the No. 7 shirt.
The defense is shaky and the offensive isn't all that sharp if Rooney is off his game. Regardless of these facts, with the vintage troika of Sir Alex Ferguson, Ryan Giggs and Paul Scholes this team will stick around near the top, because that's all the Red Devils know how to do.
2. Chelsea -- I thought Chelsea was going to run away with it, they still might but the last two weekends they've opened the doors. My biggest worry right now if I supported Chelsea, oddly enough, might be Petr Cech in goal.
1. Arsenal -- It's taken some time, but when the Gunners step on the field, they expect to win -- most of the time in style.
Right now, most teams might think they can hang with Chelsea/Manchester United/Liverpool if they play smart, but if Arsenal is clicking there's no stopping them, the Gunners will simply run the other team off the field.
So long as Cesc Fabregas and Robin van Persie can stay on the field, there is no reason to think Arsenal can't keep pushing the top of the table all the way until May, unless the goalkeeping situation further deteriorates.
After three years of false springs from Arsenal, this might finally be the year to believe what Arsene Wenger has been cooking.
Boil it down like this, here's a list of guys that can score with some regularity for Arsenal:
Andrey/Andrei Arshavin (make up your mind on the spelling.)
Nic Bendtner
Cesc Fabregas
Tomas Rosicky (Assuming his bones don't turn to dust.)
Eduardo
Robin van Persie
Hell, even Carlos Vela can get on the scoresheet if he plays. Same with Samir Nasri.
That's a nice big ol' slice of attack.
Defense might win championships in a general, old-sports movie coach cliche, but this year in the Premier League, not sure I agree with that logic.
Saturday:
* Wolves v. Aston Villa -- (Live, ESPN2, 7:45 a.m.) Quirk alert! Three-straight matches for Villa on ESPN2. Is Randy Lerner pulling some strings? ... Wolves 0, Aston Villa 1
* Birmingham City v. Sunderland -- (Live, FSC, 10 a.m.) Let's see if I'm not putting the jinx on Sunderland. ... Birmingham City 0, Sunderland 2
* Burnley v. Wigan Athletic -- Can Burnley make it a perfect 5-for-5 at Turf Moor? ... Burnley 1, Wigan 1
* Hull City v. Portsmouth -- A battle for 20th! Should be a goal-fest, with the teams combining for 37 allowed so far. Jozy, pay attention. ... Hull City 2, Portsmouth 2
* Tottenham v. Stoke City -- (Live, Setanta, 10 a.m.) This should be a relatively easy day for Spurs, but, the scirpt never gets written that way now does it? ... Spurs 2, Stoke 1
* Chelsea v. Blackburn -- (Live, FSC, 12:30 p.m.) Maybe Franco Di Santo will play like a man possessed, otherwise this figures to be a Chelsea romp. (Err...strike that. He can't play against the team he's loaned from, so Rovers are pwned.) Teams still wilt once they set foot on the grass at Stamford Bridge. ... Chelsea 4, Blackburn 0
Sunday:
* Bolton v. Everton -- (Live, Setanta, 9:30 a.m.) The Reebok might be the worst homefield in the league since the home fans scorn Gary Megson like Michael Scott does to Toby from HR. ... Bolton 1, Everton 1
* Liverpool v. Manchester United -- (Live, FSC, 9:55 a.m.) Don't tell me that Sir Alex Ferguson wouldn't absolutely love to be the man to trigger the guillotine on his pal Rafa. Get your beach ball police ready, Anfield. And right there, that might be the only thing that can save Liverpool on Sunday -- the Kop -- assuming the home fans actually want the Reds to win. You'd have to think some cynical fans might want them to lose so the inevitable firing of Rafa happens now, as opposed to later. Oh yeah, that Gerrard fellow might be able to conjure something, too, even at 50 percent. Yet I don't see it happening. ... Liverpool 1, Manchester United 2
* Manchester City v. Fulham -- One thing we've learned about City, they like to play from downhill. If they score early, it's probably over. Wonder how long Fulham can play smart and disciplined on the counter? ... City 1, Fulham 0
* West Ham United v. Arsenal -- (Live, FSC, 12:15 p.m.) I don't see how West Ham can keep up with Arsenal on the scoreboard. ... West Ham 1, Arsenal 3
Last week: 6-4
Season: 49-37
(For any gamers out there, I'm cobbling together my thoughts on 'FIFA 10', so I'll share those next week after I get enough game-hours under my belt.)
Labels: English Premier League, Prem Picks, Premier League, Soccer
I like the gutsy pick of Arsenal, but I can't imagine they end up winning it all. While you have listed many players who can score, I can make an almost identical list of players who are injury concerns. There always seems to be a an injury crisis for Arsenal, and they tend to drop points away that they shouldn't. I think they might win a domestic cup, but I doubt they'll win the league.
As for Chelsea, a couple things: 1 - If you're that concerned with Petr Cech you didn't watch the Atletico match. He kept them in the game until Kalou woke up and decided to finish gift-wrapped chances. 2 - Di Santo will not be running wild as he is ineligible to play against Chelsea this weekend. Keep an eye on him in January though, his loan ends then and he might make some noise for Chelsea with Drogba and Kalou gone to the Nations Cup.
And I like the Scousers to pull the upset without Gerrard / Torres this weekend. Get ready for a Tommy Smyth slobber-fest about their determination if that's the case. "If ever there's a team that can pull this off, it's Liverpool!"
I love power rankings. Bill Simmons is a great person to take a couple pages from. Also, I agree on the mentality of the lower level teams being more offense this year and I'll say that is half the reason the EPL has been so much more enjoyable to watch this season. The other half is the lower disparity between the big 4 and the rest of the pack. We now have 8 teams in my eyes who are really strong and then you have a lot of attack minded lower squad teams that don't mind going for it instead of parking the bus for the draw.
I'm primarily a Bundesliga fan, but the on-field product of the EPL this year has drawn me in.
This is a post of yours a bit ago, but I'll also say that the numerous amount of matches to pick from is great for US fans. Before I had 3ish EPL games to watch and had to settle for maybe 1 of the 3 being good. Now I have ~6 and get to pick and choose the ones I want to watch. The amount of televised soccer coverage in the US has really picked up.