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"Wigan: A club so inconsistent that even the players don’t know what mood they’ll be in."
It may be Christmas time but it is one of the most important times for English Premier League players and managers. The fixture list is heavily congested in the festive period and any team that comes through the Holiday period with a sack full of points has done very well indeed.
No matter what the average football fan is hoping to receive as a present, three points here and there would be gratefully accepted. The good thing about such a congested fixture list is that if your team loses in one match, they will get another opportunity to bounce back quickly.
Defence Letting Chelsea Down
Chelsea enter the festive season at the top of the English premier League but they have been struggling for form of late. Set-pieces have been extremely dangerous to the Stamford Bridge club with Everton stealing three goals in London to take away a point.
Even when Chelsea’s strike duo of Didier Drogba and Nicolas Anelka are playing well and hitting the back of the net regularly, the backline is letting them down. The vast majority of great teams build their success from the back and if Chelsea want to remain at the top of the tree, they will need to tighten up at the back.
A London derby is not the way that any team struggling wants to start a busy run of fixtures but West Ham are hardly in the best run of form either. Only the poor form of Portsmouth has kept West Ham United from being at the bottom of the league, which will sadden some Chelsea fans too.
The current West Ham boss is ex Chelsea favourite Gianfranco Zola although if the clubs current form continues, Zola may not be in charge for much longer. The Hammers are also experiencing a great deal of financial difficulties and the club are looking for a new owner. If a takeover can be agreed quickly, there may be a chance for the Hammers to strengthen in January but without that, there is trouble at Upton Park
Birmingham Showing Nice Form
That said, the home team will be fired up to take a point from Chelsea but surely the title challengers will be able to take all three points. Following this, Chelsea have another away game, only this time they face a team in a better run of form. Many have been surprised by the form shown by Birmingham and five wins in a row is great form for any team in England’s top flight.
After their Tuesday night victory over Blackburn Rovers, Birmingham were three points ahead of Liverpool. If you suggested that after 16 games of the season that Alex McLeish would be looking down on Rafa Benitez and sit on equal points with Harry Redknapp, you would have a few people questioning your sanity.
Alex McLeish has long been regarded as a lucky manager but perhaps, he is now showing signs that he is also a good manager. There is still a long way to go for the season and no one at St Andrews is getting carried away but if Birmingham can upset Chelsea, they will be looking at being one of the teams of the season.
A Real London Derby
Just two days after their trip to Birmingham, Chelsea are in action yet again, as they welcome Fulham to Stamford Bridge. This will be the club’s second London derby of the season but the match against Fulham is the geographical derby for the Blues.
There is not much of a distance between both clubs but usually, the length of the league separates both clubs. However, Fulham, under Roy Hodgson, have shown tremendous spirit and form and like Birmingham, belong in the top half of the table.
Again, you would suggest that Chelsea will be strong enough to defeat Fulham at the Bridge but this is not a foregone conclusion. Bobby Zamora has hit some goal scoring form for Fulham and the backline has been where Fulham’s success has been built from. Wingers like Damien Duff excite the fans but it is the hard work of Mark Schwarzer and the players in front of him which will make Fulham difficult to beat.
Chelsea Should Stay Top But Will They?
After this, there is a break in League action for FA Cup duty, the trophy that Chelsea currently hold. The Blues will be looking to retain that trophy whilst adding other silverware and their festive period, on paper, looked as though it would offer a lot of points.
A month ago, any Chelsea fan looking at the fixture list over Christmas would have thought that will be 9 points in the bag but given the way the teams defence has played of late, that cannot be said with any great conviction or certainty. What may inspire Chelsea back to form is the fact that Manchester United and Arsenal will be snapping at their heels all the way.
United Also Struggling
Manchester United failed to capitalise on Chelsea’s draw with Everton as they lost at home to Aston Villa. The Red Devils bounced back with a comfortable victory over a weakened Wolverhampton Wanderers but United have looked far from convincing of late.
Like Chelsea, United have two away games and one home match over the Holiday period and what would have looked like easy games, may now be a bit more difficult.
United start their festive period with a trip to Craven Cottage. The reasons why Fulham are on top form has already been outlined above but at home, they are considerably strong. Craven Cottage is a tight ground and matches there rekindle the old fashion atmosphere of football matches. Games in that stadium should be enough to inspire players but will the current crop of United players be able to raise their game? United should leave London with all three points but have been far from convincing of late.
Hull Up for Battle
Equally, a trip to Hull is hardly the sort of thing that will give United players nightmares but Hull have picked up form of late. Manager Phil Brown appeared to be a day or two away from the sack but that has been swept away as the club has moved up and away from the relegation zone. The loss again of Jimmy Bullard will prevent Hull from hitting top form but there is a battling quality that has been missing for the past year at the club.
Manchester United end their year with a home game against Wigan, a club so inconsistent that not even their players know what sort of mood they will be in. The 9-1 defeat away to Tottenham Hotspur is likely to still be in the back of the minds of Wigan players but they have performed comfortably since then.
By rights, the big two should find the Holiday period a relaxing and prosperous time of year but on current form, no one will be confident at Chelsea or Manchester United. The games ahead could feature a couple of crackers.
for The Silver Circle at www.footballtip.co.uk
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Dear Greg,
I've been a member since July 2003, maybe one of the first to join the Silver Circle.
2004 was a good year but I really enjoyed the long run we had in, I think, July 2005. It was exhilarating! 2006-2007 was not as exciting although still quite profitable and so far 2007-2008 looks quite good. I'm wondering if we're going to hit a long one again soon. Anyway, it's been a pleasure as always with your service, Greg. Armstrong and you are one of the few people I trust on the internet. You have made my retirement so much more fun and financially happy!
Best Wishes, Trent Wrayford, Sidney
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