Ten Baffling Premier League Questions
The Premier League currently has several major issues. Here are some of the most baffling questions about things that need changing in British football’s top league.
1-Why is Julio Cesar playing for QPR?
This man boasts a list of honors that probably most of his fellow Premier League goalkeepers can only dream of having.
It is fair to say that Julio Cesar was once – not very long ago – in the same league as Gianluigi Buffon and Iker Casillas, now his name is more associated with the likes of Adam Federici and Mark Bunn (no offense to the hard-working duo)!
If he endured a torrid end to his Inter Milan career, still Julio Cesar does not deserve to be between the posts for a side that could well be playing Championship football in a few months.
FACT: After 25 weeks, Julio Cesar has the highest record in the Premier League for saves per game (4.11).
2-Is Abramovich aware of someone called Lampard?
Frank Lampard is leaving Chelsea, or to be more precise… Chelsea will RELEASE their most successful midfielder of all-time.
What kind of entity offers a legendary employee of Lampard’s distinction such an irreverent end-of-service benefit?
Lampard has evidently been at the center of every Chelsea success during the past decade and is still bossing the Blues midfield with his faultless passing and trade-mark pile-drivers.
If this so-called ‘ageing player’ myth is anywhere to be seen at Stamford Bridge, the Chelsea number 8 would be a definite exception, yet the goofy-smiling Russian at the stands seems hardly aware of the mistake he is about to do.
FACT: Frank Lampard is the only player to reach double-figures in 10 straight Premier League seasons.
3-When will Wenger leave Arsenal?
Arsenal will never sack Arsene Wenger, so the question is…when will Wenger decide to call it a day on his increasingly wavering Arsenal career?
The Frenchman is undoubtedly a coaching icon for the Londoners, a great businessman in terms of injecting cash and a master in nurturing young players.
Yes he can transform youngsters into world-class talents, but maybe the final step of Wenger’s incessant talent-developing process –which is selling the star man – is not exactly what the Gunners fans would be delighted to see.
Now Wenger has proven that he is not familiar with the time-to-change-strategy adage as his ‘team building’ process goes on and on…while at the same time, Arsenal are getting no way near the podium.
FACT: Wenger guided Arsenal to a total of 11 trophies in his first nine years with the club, while winning nothing during the past seven years.
4-Is there any striker worse than Torres?
Once upon a time there was a Spanish sensation at the Vicente Calderon nicknamed El Nino. He then moved to Liverpool to take the Kop by storm with some quality finishing that made him one of the world’s most lethal strikers.
And then came a £50M move to Chelsea and the search for Fernando Torres has been on ever since.
Yes sometimes he scores and it seems like the nightmare is over, but then the wonky shooting is back and everyone is wondering… where is El Nino?
Goals, goals, goals…this has always been and will always be the gauge of a striker’s success and Torres’ goalscoring struggle has gradually become a famous internet laughingstock.
FACT: Torres scored 81 goals in 142 Liverpool appearances and is now on 25 goals in 104 appearances for Chelsea.
5-What is Baines doing on England’s bench?
It is understood that Ashley Cole is a decent stopper but should he always take his England place for granted just because ‘he frustrated Cristiano Ronaldo at the Euro 2004’?
At 32, Cole is still solid in defense but is hardly a reliable offensive side-back, compared to his England deputy Leighton Baines.
In terms of crossing, shooting, dribbling and pace, the Chelsea number three is no match to his counterpart at Goodison Park.
Consistency is another virtue favoring Baines, whose defensive attributes is anything but poor given his relatively-attacking mentality.
FACT: Baines scored 10 Premier League penalties out of 10 so far.
6- When will United buy a central midfielder?
Michael Carrick is anything but consistent, Anderson is an injury addict, Darren Fletcher is struggling with health problems, Tom Cleverley has yet to nurture and Paul Scholes…well you know!
It is hard to understand why Sir Alex Ferguson is still not sweeping the market for a new midfielder as it is baffling how United are in charge of the Premier League with such a mediocre midfield.
Wonder if Yaya Toure and Gareth Barry were playing for the other side of Manchester, how Fergie’s team would look like.
FACT: United midfielders have netted nine Premier League goals between them so far, less than any other team in the top seven.
7- What will Liverpool do after Gerrard?
Steven Gerrard is 32 and the day he decides to hang up his boots is not far away, yet the legendary midfielder is still the number one source of inspiration at Anfield.
But what about the future, Jordan Henderson and Joe Allen are far from understudies for Stevie G and while Liverpool have missed out on signing Wesley Sneijder, the search should start for the man who would replace the skipper.
FACT: Gerrard is the only Liverpool player who has played every single minute in the Premier League so far.
8-Where are black managers in the Premier League?
This is an intense subject and that’s why there is no room to relate it to racism or the so-called ‘Rooney Rule’ (not Wayne Rooney by the way).
But since there was Sol Campbell, Ian Wright, John Barnes, Paul Ince and other legends of the game in England, why is Chris Hughton the only black man on a Premier League bench.
FACT: There are only three black managers at 92 Premier League and Football League clubs – Norwich’s Hughton, Charlton’s Chris Powell and Notts County’s Keith Curle.
9-Is Mancini’s Tevez ‘rotation’ really working?
Carlos Tevez enjoyed a cracking start to the season when he used to play regular football, with Sergio Aguero on the sidelines…in other words when Roberto Mancini had no choice but to play Carlitos.
Now the City boss is happy playing his former captain – who would by the way be a definite starter for teams like Real Madrid and Barcelona – week-in week-out as part of his ‘rotation system’.
The question remains, is Mancini getting the best out of his world-class frontline like his United counterpart is doing at Old Trafford?
FACT: Up until his last goal against Everton in December, Tevez was involved in more than half of City’s Premier League goals.
10-Is Rafa better than Di Matteo?
The only plausible explanation of sacking a manager who won an unfancied Champions League title would be that his replacement is going to take the team to the next level.
But what next level? Rafa Benitez’s replacement to Robert Di Matteo has only resulted in angry fans, more dropped points and two winnable trophies (Club World Cup and Capital One Cup) blown away.
FACT: Chelsea dropped 12 points out of a possible 36 under Di Matteo, while losing 17 from a possible 39 under Benitez…so far.