EPL Blog 2: White Vaart Lane and Tevez Skies Balls for Sky Blues

One thing that struck me as particularly poignant this week is that the centre forward is the most important man at any club. Had Tevez put away that sitter against Sunderland, things would certainly have been different there. Had Everton been able to field someone more consistent than Saha and proven than Beckford, they would certainly have taken all the points against Villa. Without Bent, Sunderland would NEVER score, and without Torres, Liverpool are always going to struggle. The most important example of this is, of course, Wayne Rooney at United. Berbatov, for all his intelligence and guile (of which he has a bundle) seems only capable of scoring when a game has slowed to a leisurely canter. He’s a bit like being banned from ‘spinning’ at table football; frustratingly reserved and makes it difficult to deliver. The title this season will be largely decided by Wayne Rooney’s fitness.

In other news, Mikel Arteta is now ineligible to play for England. However, as the debate about nationality rages on, I feel like I’m the only one massively in favour of anyone like Goodison’s pseudo-Spaniard representing England. Since 1992, when Sky invented football, the English Premiership has grown to be possibly the best league in the world. It’s only fair, therefore, that the national side enjoys the benefits of the country’s achievements. Mikel Arteta may not be English by blood, but as a footballer, he is defined by the training, management, lifestyle, collegues, fans and culture that English football has brought to him. He’s desgned and built in England, and that makes him far more English than the likes of Owen Hargreaves. Let’s hope Lionel Messi’s aunty’s friend had a holiday in Brighton once.

Finally, some transfer window highlights. After that dirty devil Crouch fired Spurs into Europe, ‘Arry Redknapp has, like a true wheeler dealer, sealed a deadline-day deal to bring Rafael van der Vaart to the London club. Asamoah Gyan doubled Sunderland’s list of goalscorers by joining for a whopping £13m, and Birmingham have signed Alexander Hleb after the Belarusian recently declared he needed Champions League football. Rather ambitious of Alex McLeish that may sound, but on the opposite end of the spectrum, Roy Hodgson has brought in a player from........ Fulham! Paul Konchesky joins Liverpool for £4m as the Anfield boss appears to be aiming for a repeat of his Ewood disaster from many moons ago.

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