Every week, Sportsnet.ca will chat with soccer commentator James Sharman about the big stories and issues in the Premier League, and preview the weekend’s games.
We’re just over the halfway point of the Premier League season. What’s been the story of the campaign so far?
I’ll leave the real big story (Southampton) for the next question, so the next big story has to be the battle for third and fourth place. There are several layers to this, one of which has been the disappointing form of Liverpool, Tottenham and Everton—teams that most pundits assumed would be driving the top four conversation. Arsenal’s maddening inconsistency is another layer, although by the end of the season I do expect the Gunners to be back where they always are, in the top four.
And a final layer is of course West Ham’s brilliant season that has seen them in the Champions League spots or just outside for much of the campaign. I suspect we will see the usual suspects rise in the standings, and perhaps the Hammers drop down a few places when all is said and done. But overall I have really enjoyed the first half of the season because of its unpredictability.
Saturday programming alert: Watch Queens Park Rangers vs Manchester United on the four main Sportsnet channels at 9:30 am ET and Aston Villa vs Liverpool on Sportsnet World at 9:30 am ET. || Also, watch Burnley vs Crystal Palace at 9:30 am ET online at Sportsnet World NOW || Broadcast schedule
Southampton defeated Manchester United at Old Trafford last week to leapfrog the Red Devils into third place. Is it not time to give the Saints some credit, and not automatically write them off in the battle for a top four spot?
It is absolutely time the Saints got the credit they deserved. Over Christmas I think they silenced any lingering doubters with their great form. What I have found so impressive is how they responded to that four-match losing skid in November and early December. They were found out a little with losses to powerhouses Manchester City, Manchester United and Arsenal. However in other games against powerhouses Chelsea, Manchester United and Arsenal they picked up seven of nine points! That tells me that the Saints are learning, and have huge confidence in themselves. Don’t forget Jay Rodriguez is returning soon—he has been their best player for the last two campaigns, and that will be a huge bonus. All that being said, can the Saints see off an inevitable challenge by Arsenal for the top four? Can they keep Manchester United at arm’s length? I can’t wait to find out.
Wilfried Bony has signed with Manchester City. Is this a good move for the Ivorian? Does City even need him?
It is a great deal for all parties. Swansea City, which is one of the best run clubs in football, make an enormous profit. Bony fulfills his Champions League ambition and makes the jump to a top club. And City gets a player who is very different to anything they have, which is always a good thing. The City attack is even more frightening now, and given Sergio Aguero’s injury history it really solidifies their depth. If Bony is played alone up top, it will allow City to pack its midfield, and will allow the likes of David Silva and Samir Nasri to run into goal scoring spaces. If Bony is played alongside Aguero in a 4-4-2 as Pellegrini likes to do, then the Argentine will benefit massively which is a terrifying thought for opposing defenders. Bony has killed it in this league over the past 12 months, and on a side with the creativity of City, I think he will be a massive success.
Sunday programming alert: Watch West Ham United vs Hull City on Sportsnet World at 8:30 am ET. || Sportsnet World NOW || Broadcast schedule
Queens Park Rangers hosts Manchester United on Saturday. Radamel Falcao wasn’t in the game day roster for United in last week’s home loss to Southampton. Is this a signal about his future at the club? Should the Red Devils sign the Colombian to a permanent deal?
So far Falcao has given manager Louis Van Gaal no reason to include him in his matchday squad, let alone the starting XI. If you really look at United’s transfer dealings since the summer you have to ask yourself exactly what they were thinking—how do you fit all these guys into the team while even attempting to have a defensive backbone? And Falcao is the figurehead for this chaos. Reportedly he is costing the club 20 million pounds plus salary just for his loan, and that a further outlay of 40 million will be needed to sign him full-time this summer. Unless he suddenly finds his form and he buries 20 goals between now and the end of the season, I would be absolutely stunned if he is signed. Hopefully this is simply just a case of a player taking time to recover from a serious injury and not bedding in well in a new League, and he re-finds his game elsewhere. But I don’t think it will be at United.
Hull City hosts West Ham United on Sunday. Stewart Downing has been one of the Hammers’ best players this season. What’s your impression of him?
I’ve always had a soft spot for Stewart Downing. He is a very good player, a hard worker and a scorer of great goals if not many goals. He is also open to re-invention apparently, as under Sam Allardyce he is now suddenly the silky smooth play-making number 10 rather than a wing-speed-merchant. Allardyce gets the credit as he should, but so to should the player who on current form has to have earned himself another look in the England set-up. The trouble is his passport cripples him, as England fans find it much easier to hammer a player than support him, and rather remember Downing for his failures at Liverpool and Aston Villa than his breakthrough at Middlesbrough and his re-emergence at West Ham.
Monday programming alert: Watch Everton vs West Bromwich Albion on Sportsnet World at 3:00 pm ET. || Sportsnet World NOW || Broadcast schedule