Ten Things We Learned From the Premiership This Week 09.16.07

By: Daryl | September 16th, 2007

Wenger and Jol watrching closely

With about six games gone in the Premiership it’s starting to look familiar. Man Utd, Chelsea, Liverpool and Arsenal are all near the top, while the designated whipping boy (Derby this year) is bottom. But things are more interesting than last year. Arsenal are top and playing as if Thierry Henry never existed, while Manchester City are sitting pretty in second place. Who would have guessed?

Here are 10 Things We Learned from the Premiership This Week…

1. West Ham aren’t going down this year
A great 3-0 win at home to Middlesbrough, and Dean Ashton returning to goalscoring form. With West Ham in sixth place it looks like Alan Curbishley is doing what he was brought in to do (make West Ham into a sort of Charlton Athletic Deluxe that will qualify for the UEFA Cup.)

2. Emile Heskey is a proper England player now
Because only proper England players get metatarsal injuries just when everything’s looking perfect.

3. Jose Mourinho wants video technology introduced for dodgy offside calls
When Salomon Kalou’s winner was incorrectly chalked off for offside (he was behind Belletti when the ball was played) Mourinho was waving the portable screen showing a delayed feed all over the place, but no one was interested.

4. Spurs actually are in fourth place, it’s just that the table’s upside down
They can’t sack Martin Jol for that can they?

5. Cherno Samba is a brave man
He made a diving header at Andriy Shevchenko’s feet (!) to clear the ball for Blackburn, and got kicked unconscious for his effort. No malice on Shevchenko’s part and he was perfectly entitled to go for it, but Samba showed no fear. Good news is that he came to in hospital and everything’s fine. Bad news is that you don’t any get extra fantasy league points for making dangerous headers.

6. You can’t win the Premiership with a Peter Crouch – Andriy Voronin strike partnership
Especially when you could have had a Fernando Torres – Dirk Kuyt partnership instead.

7. Pepe Reina is the last man you want to take a penalty against
The Liverpool keeper made a great save to deny Portsmouth’s Kanu from the spot.

8. Kenwyne Jones might be quite good actually
Two weeks ago I suggested Keane had wasted £6 million by signing Jones, but this week Jones scored a beauty for Sunderland and set up another for Michael Chopra.

9. Andriy Shevchenko is finished at Chelsea
Have you seen the footage of Mourinho’s reaction when Shevchenko wasted yet another opportunity against Blackburn? It said “I’m sick of you missing chances, whey are we paying you so much money?” I know some players take a year to settle in England. Didier Drogba was likened to a very expensive Ade Akinbiyi in his first year, before becoming the Premiership’s most lethal striker. But Shevchenko is now in his second year and doesn’t look any more settled, or any more like scoring regularly.

10. Paul Scholes can’t tackle
He’s a brilliant player going forward, but the ginger midfield maestro can’t tackle cleanly to save his life. He was very lucky not to get sent off against Everton when he chopped down Mikel Arteta.