Strange Things are Afoot in the EPL

It was an odd Boxing Day in the EPL with Man City, Chelsea and Liverpool all managing a measly point against teams they should have probably beaten handily. In the most surprising result of the day, the once seemingly indomitable Manchester City scraped to a nil nil draw with mid table West Brom, continuing a drop in form that now sees them level with Manchester United after many had already ceded them the title a mere month ago. With Chelsea, it was a tougher match against a Fulham squad that is up and down from week to week. But Chelsea, and their struggling megasigning Torres, showed the inconsistency that have them handing City their first loss of the season one week and then gaining draws from bottom dweller Wigan, new rival Tottenham and now Fulham. AVB has not settled into his new position comfortably yet and there are certainly questions about his tactical skills so far, as he seems to often make odd or unnecessary substitutions, has done nothing to get Torres back on track (even as he started to show some promise at the beginning of the season) and fails to adjust adequately to either his opponents or during the game. In any case, Mata had a dazzling goal, David Luiz looked much better and Terry continued to look strong in the back. But one can't help but notice that Chelsea's wins over Man City and Newcastle are parenthesized by losses to Man United, Arsenal and Liverpool. On the whole, this is a team that appears to be old and on the decline for the moment (even as Sturridge and Mata shine).

The third result showed the continued struggles of an otherwise good team to actually put the goal in the net as Liverpool could only muster a point against the lowly Blackburn Rovers (who sit bottom of the table). Steven Gerrard did come in for the last twenty minutes or so and looked lively, but the team just keeps getting in dangerous positions, putting in good crosses, having openings right in front of goal and not converting. It is true that goaltenders seem to be having their best nights against the reds, but with all the spending and all the firepower it is extraordinary that the team with the stingiest defense in the league can only garner two points against two teams that will probably be relegated at the end of the season. Andy Carroll's lack of production has certainly contributed to their scoring woes, but Luis Suarez, while being one of the most exciting players in the EPL, also fails to net his chances far too often. And the rest of the team is even worse. The savior of late has been Maxi Rodriguez and it seems he should be playing in every game given his recent form. In any case, all of these results are good news for Arsenal (and alas Man United), as they can move into fourth place tomorrow with a victory. It would be an extraordinary march up the table if one considers how we started the season and given the fact that we play all the remaining games against our main rivals at home, puts us in a strong position to stay in the Champions League for another year. We still have to sort out our injury problems, figure out how to win in January with a depleted side and probably pick up at least a striker and fullback in the transfer window, but things might be looking up for the Gunners. Knock on wood! Go Gunners!