John Barnes Column: Thoughts on Liverpool, Arsenal, Spurs, Chelsea, Manchester United, Hull, Newcastle, Portsmouth & Man City
I must start by congratulating Tottenham fan Tony Morris from Harrow for his £100K jackpot win on Premier 10 last week. This was quite a feat when you consider some of the results including Bolton and Middlesbrough winning away, so well done to you. As Tony is a Tottenham fan, I’m sure it was hard for him to back Hull to win at White Hart Lane but I’m sure the cash will cheer him up after Spurs dismal start to the season.
This weekend it’s all about World Cup qualifying and with the Footy 15 jackpot standing at £300K it should be exciting. Fresh from a superb win in Croatia, Fabio Capello has announced his latest England squad with Michael Owen the big name exclusion.
Michael hasn’t played that many matches this season but for me, he remains the number 1 English striker. If you had to rely on any striker at international level it would be him. When you play the big matches, the quarter-finals and semi-finals of international tournaments you need big players and Owen is definitely that. In my opinion it’s still a case of when rather than if he gets back into the international fold and I certainly don’t believe his career at this level is over. I am pleased both Peter Crouch and Shaun Wright-Phillips are back in the squad as their recent performances have merited their inclusion. I doubt either will start the match against Kazakhstan with Emile Heskey and Theo Walcott playing well but they are well worth a place in the squad.
In terms of hot striking partnerships then there are few better than Crouch and Jermain Defoe at Portsmouth at the moment. It’s hard to compare this duo against other Premier League strikers as few sides seem to play with two up front these days. However, the English pair are on fire. Not only are they creating goals for the team but they are also creating goals for eachother and not just feeding off others. Together they are both scoring plenty of goals and Harry Redknapp will be delighted with their flourishing partnership.
My old club Liverpool are keeping pace with my title favourites Chelsea this season following a late 3-2 win at Eastlands which was a good indicator of how these two teams will fare this season. It has surprised me how everyone seems to suddenly expect City to challenge for a Champions League place just because of the amount of money they have at their disposal. After all, you can have all the money in the world but if you can’t spend any, what difference does it make at the moment? Even though the club has money to spend, I can’t see many big name arrivals in January as few clubs like to do business at this time, so it’s a case of building for next season. Mark Hughes will look to stabilise the club and move them forward but he is not a miracle man.
Unlike the City game with Chelsea, this was not ‘men against boys’ and was a good contest. However, City have a long way to go before they will be competing at the very top end of the table though the future is obviously very bright. Things are definitely looking up for Rafa Benitez too as his players will be gaining confidence in their ability to win the title with every good result. Liverpool have the capacity to win the trophy without question but I would still make them 3rd favourites behind Chelsea and Manchester United.
Luiz Felipe Scolari’s side are the team that has impressed me most this season. Their win at the weekend against a good Aston Villa side was quite superb. In fact, Martin O’Neill’s side were fortunate to limit the defeat to 2-0 rather than four. Chelsea are looking a strong side, they are moving the ball around quickly even without Deco in the team and are at the top of their game. Scolari has got his side playing to a great system and I would go as far as to say this is the best football the Blues have played in the Premier League era. Obviously under Mourinho they were very strong but this season they are passing a number of teams off the park. Even with the absences at the weekend they looked very good with their motivation and the system they play which is so hard to play against, they are my outright favourites for the title.
Manchester United are also starting to find their feet after a good weekend win at Blackburn. This included another good showing from Dimitar Berbatov. For me, the Bulgarian’s quality was never in doubt though his attitude is questionable. However, at Ewood Park he was tracking back and showing a good team ethic which he has to if he is going to be a success at Old Trafford. You only have to look at the attitude of Carlos Tevez, Wayne Rooney and Cristiano Ronaldo. Berbatov has as much quality as all of them, so to stay in the side will have to show the same work-ethic that Sir Alex demands.
Arsenal failed to win for the 2nd Premier League game running as they drew up at Sunderland but it’s far too early to write them off as some critics have. After all, they are above United aren’t they? The Gunners remain a great side but the way the Premier League is this season we shouldn’t expect the big sides to comfortably win everywhere. Liverpool certainly struggled at the Stadium of Light earlier in the season and a lot of teams will. It’s definitely time to give credit to some of the so-called ‘smaller’ teams rather than criticise the big boys for failing to win every week.
This season we will continue to see a number of ‘funny’ results as every side has quality in it as Hull have shown in back to back wins in North London. Even this weekend we saw an in form Wigan side lose at home to Boro and a Hammers team with a 100% home record crash to Bolton. For me, the Premier League is much more interesting as a result of clubs picking up more talent.
I’m sure Tottenham fans aren’t finding their latest defeat interesting in the slightest but that’s what happens when you lose confidence. I personally believe they have far too many good players not to pick up points sooner rather than later. If Spurs can pick up 1 or 2 wins then I am certain they will start to climb but their current predicament is a result of a total lack of confidence. To blame the players brought in as total flops is unfair as numerous clubs chased the same players but once these same recruits gel we will see a different Tottenham side. I don’t think you can blame one person such as Daniel Levy, Damien Comolli or Juande Ramos for the current situation as it’s now all about how the players can perform.
Another one of my old club’s Newcastle may be struggling at the moment but I personally have no fears about their Premier League safety. They have far too many good players to go down and the 2-2 draw at Goodison despite being two goals behind will have reignited hope, belief and confidence amongst the players. The appointment of Joe Kinnear surprised everyone but as it’s only a short term role so why not him? There was no chance of them being able to bring in a big name manager and numerous guys rejected the role. Therefore, I expect Joe to do a decent job in that short space of time. He may have received some unfair criticism which he certainly replied too but from a football perspective he is manager with a proven track record and I wish him luck.
Hull once again took another big scalp at the weekend with some critics suggesting the Tigers can push for a European place on the back of their incredible start. Phil Brown’s side have illustrated just what you can do when your team is full of confidence. They are extremely well organised, have a great coach but won’t be getting carried away. After all, there is a long, long way to go and Premier League safety rather than the Top 4 or Europe will still be the club’s objective.
Finally the Footy 15 jackpot now stands at a whopping £300,000 this weekend. In fact, there are a number of would be potential bankers amongst the international fixture list on offer with England, Wales, Scotland, Spain and Italy looking firm favourites. Simply predict home win, draw or away win for the 15 games and for a mere £1 you could win the jackpot. After all, last weekend £100,000 was won by Tony Morris on Premier 10 so it could also happen to you if you know your international footy.
Good luck with your predictions
John
Read Graham Poll’s Insight into the International Weekend: Click here to read>>
There is a £300,000 jackpot to be won on Footy 15 this week. Simply pay £1 to predict home win, away win or draw for the 15 internationals to be in with the chance of scooping the huge prize. Click here to play>>
There is a £20,000 jackpot to be won on Premier 10 this week. Simply pay £1 to predict home win, away win or draw for the 10 internationals to be in with the chance of winning the cash. Click here to play>>
Tags: Arsenal, Chelsea, footy 15, Hull, John Barnes, Liverpool, Man City, Manchester United, Newcastle, Portsmouth, Premier 10, Spurs
