Every week, Sportsnet.ca will chat with Sportsnet soccer commentator James Sharman about the big stories and issues in the Premier League, and preview the weekend’s games.
Did Aston Villa make the right move in firing Tim Sherwood? Did he deserve more time?
Such is the business of Premier League management that Sherwood simply ran out of time. Villa are on the brink of digging themselves into a huge hole, but with plenty of games left to earn points now was probably the right time to make the move. Sherwood did a good job last season, really utilizing the “new manager bump” to great effect. This season he was found out tactically, a little bit. Who knows who has the main say on transfers at Villa, but the new players have not played well.
Losing Fabian Delph and Christian Benteke was also crippling, and that can’t be blamed on Sherwood. Owner Randy Lerner wants to sell Villa, and to make top dollar he needs to have a team guaranteed Premier League football, which at this point is far from a done deal, hence the firing. Cruel, but Sherwood needs to cut his teeth in the lower divisions before making a return to the Premier League.
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Is Brendan Rodgers a good fit for Villa? Why or why not?
I think Rodgers would be a great fit. It could be argued that Villa would have been a more natural stepping stone for the Northern Irishman after he left Swansea City. Villa ended up getting Paul Lambert at that time who was also coming off an impressive stint with a smaller club in Norwich City. Rodgers is a progressive thinker in the modern game, and tactically he is very strong even though he was guilty of over-thinking at times at Liverpool. You have to assume he has learned from his mistakes at Liverpool, and heading to a team such as Villa with more conservative goals might be the perfect fit for him.
Of course, this is professional football and it’s possible Rodgers can’t join another club so soon unless he wants to eat a nice juicy severance package, we could see him as a TV pundit rather than on the touchlines in the coming months.
Nicolas Otamendi seems to have adapted well to life in the Premier League. Do you see him as Vincent Kompany’s long-term partner in the centre of Manchester City’s defence? Or will they go back to Eliaquim Mangala?
Otamendi has looked very good, and was brilliant last week. Mangala cost around £32 million which was an insane amount of cash for a relatively unproven defender. However, he looked good at times last season and outstanding early this campaign despite inconsistency overall. Kompany is still shy of 30, and had been back to his commanding best this season, but there have been rumblings of issues between him and manager Manuel Pellegrini.
My gut tells me Kompany will be around longer than Pellegrini so I see him and Otamendi forming a solid partnership for the foreseeable future. Kompany does have a track record of injury, however, so Mangala will be a decent albeit pricey back up option.
Liverpool visits Chelsea on Saturday. The Blues are now 11 points out of first place. At what point does it become too late for them to get back into the title race?
It has been a topsy-turvy opening 10 games or so which has kept Chelsea in with a sniff despite their dreadful start. Given how Man City and Arsenal are playing now, I would think a title run is beyond Chelsea at this point. Top four should be the goal and is still certainly attainable.
However this game never ceases to amaze me, and I still believe very quickly we could see Chelsea go on a ludicrous winning streak and be back among the top clubs. Ten games in is too early to celebrate or commiserate anything, but if Chelsea do end up winning, this season has taken on twilight zone levels of mystery.
Everton hosts Sunderland on Sunday. What did you make of Sam Allardyce’s debut as coach of the Black Cats? Can they build upon the momentum for the derby win over Newcastle in the coming weeks?
Sunderland have Newcastle’s number in recent seasons which is inexplicable. Last week they benefitted from a very dubious call on the Fabricio Coloccini red card, which even Big Sam himself described as fortunate. I have already mentioned the “new manager bump” but it always amazes me just how often we see it.
The Black Cats are still a poor team with some major issues, but it’s Everton this weekend who have hardly been world beaters in recent weeks so perhaps the “bump” can continue.
Soccer Central podcast: SPORTSNET.CA’s Soccer Central podcast, hosted by John Molinaro and James Sharman, takes an in-depth look at the beautiful game and offers timely and thoughtful analysis on the sport’s biggest issues. To listen and subscribe to the podcast, CLICK HERE.