“Fact Or Fiction” is a series that will be run every Friday. In this series, an assertion will be made regarding an impacting topic in the Premier League. EPL Talk writers Matt Hackenmiller and Earl Reed each offer their views on whether the statement is “Fact or Fiction.”

Fact or Fiction: Juan Mata is now Chelsea’s most important player.

MH: Fact.  There are a few reasons for this.  First, his tempo and pace has caused havoc for opposing backlines.  Chelsea currently has no other player that offers these skills.  Secondly, Mata has provided width to an attack that has run centrally through Frank Lampard and Didier Drogba for so long.  Lastly, and probably most importantly for Chelsea fans, Mata’s creativity has rejuvenated fellow Spaniard, Fernando Torres.  Ever since Mata has joined the club, Torres has looked like he has regained his Athletic Madrid form.  It will be interesting to see how Mata holds up over the course of his first season in England.  But if he continues to find himself in the starting eleven for Chelsea, there could be more hardware heading to Stamford Bridge.

ER: Fiction. At this point, Chelsea has a pretty formidable attack, and it can come from many talented players. In my mind, the one area that can be overlooked is their defending. So for me, I think Petr Cech is as important as any player on their squad. You look at the early fixtures of this season, and the two matches where Cech was injured, there was a lot of unease for Chelsea supporters. Hilario was not particularly effective in matches against West Bromwich and Norwich City, and allowed those two teams to hang around until the latter portions of the match. The offense ended up bailing him out in those matches, but the great thing is that Cech is a stabilizing force who allows the team to be more aggressive, knowing that they have a top-class keeper to hold the fort. While Mata may be a strong catalyst for the attack, Cech’s presence is even more important to Chelsea’s success.

What do you think, is it fact or fiction that Juan Mata is now Chelsea’s most important player?

“Fact Or Fiction” is a series that will be run every Friday. In this series, an assertion will be made regarding an impacting topic in the Premier League. EPL Talk writers Matt Hackenmiller and Earl Reed each offer their views on whether the statement is “Fact or Fiction.”

Fact or Fiction: Outside of the Big Two from Manchester, Newcastle United has been the third best team in the Premier League so far this season.

MH: Fact by default. Newcastle has not lost yet this season and they have played fine football for the most part. They have also showed an ability to get points away from St. James’s Park. But picking the third best team to this point is a very tricky endeavor. Liverpool looked to that team early, but they have struggled of late. Chelsea has been uninspiring in their victories. Arsenal? I won’t go there. It could be Tottenham if they continue to play the way they did last weekend. At this point, I would say Newcastle United are the third best team in the league, although they could be knocked from that pedestal quite soon.

ER: Fiction. The Magpies have been a good team thus far, a surprise given the losses of Andy Carroll, Kevin Nolan, Jose Enrique and Joey Barton over the last 9 months. The players who remain, with a few key additions, have coalesced and found some solid early results this season. But for me, their fixture list has been somewhat kind to start the season. As Matt has said, no team has stood out to clearly be considered third-best. Chelsea hasn’t always looked at ease, which might be expected with a new manager and a haunted forward. Newcastle United and Aston Villa have been draw-happy. Stoke would be a choice, but their dismantling against a reeling Sunderland is a stain on their season thus far. Compared to those teams, Chelsea has been better on a more consistent basis: three wins and their only loss at Old Trafford.

What do you think, is it fact or fiction that Newcastle United has been the third best team in the Premier League so far this season?

Let’s gear up for tomorrows FA Cup matches with a video. Take a look at the highlights from last years final.

Here’s the links:

• Aston Villa shaken up [Caught Offside]
• Buy Beckham’s 2008 Porsche [Ebay]
• Manchester City played for the draw [A Different League]
• Obi Mikel out until February [Sky]
• Dzeko interview [M.C.F.C.]
• Soccer Songs [53 Songs]
• Anelka isn’t so bad [Sports Illustrated]
• Wanker of the year contest [Arsenal Review USA]

Feel free to follow me on Twitter and let me know if you’d like to suggest an article, video or photo for inclusion on the Premier League Links Of The Day.

The Premiership, probably at the moment, is the most open league for anyone to win since its introduction in 1992. The emergence of teams like Bolton and Sunderland is making them competitors worthy of testing the best in the league. The league in my mind has stretched across a different range altogether, watching a resurgent Newcastle United side under Chris Hughton and a spirited Blackpool side under Ian Holloway, who in their own way have silenced critics that wrote them off even before the season kicked off. However, the question lies, is the league getting any stronger or in contradiction, getting weaker to such an extent that even an average side on any day can take points off so-called “The Big Four”?

Manchester United, Chelsea, Liverpool and Arsenal have clearly dominated the Premiership; with Manchester United winning the league remarkably eleven times off the eighteen that the league has been contested. However, this season appears to be a bit different.

Let’s examine the Big Four and the other teams more closely:

Manchester United

United, though unbeaten, have looked ragged at the back and have already drawn seven games out of the fifteen that have been played. Johnny Evans, most notably, ever so brilliant looks completely out of sorts this season and has been criticized for United throwing away games at Everton and Fulham.

United though have played smart in the transfer window getting in the likes of Javier Hernandez, Bebe, Chris Smalling and Gabriel Obertan. Sir Alex has been a magician over the years in getting the best out of the youth by playing them with the experienced players, one can’t stop thinking that these players have been brought for the future and still have a lot to learn. Although, United were brilliant against Blackburn last weekend,  they still lack that touch of class that has been a feature of United’s play for years. United for sure have weakened since the departure of Carlos Tevez and Cristiano Ronaldo. Though United might be stronger than what they were last season but they are definitely not the Manchester United we know.

Arsenal

Arsenal, though they look stronger than the last couple of seasons, are still extremely vulnerable at the back and are horribly inconsistent to be even regarded as a serious title threat. Holding on to leads or finishing the game has simply gone out of the window since the Henry-Vieira-Pires era. Even though they play the best football in Europe alongside Barcelona but how many times have Arsenal been regarded as “bottlers who never reach their potential” and a side lacking mental toughness to challenge for top honors? The lack of experience and Arsene Wenger’s fear of handling egos has lead to Arsenal fans not seeing silverware for five years. Arsenal, though stronger than the last season, continue to have their problems and are definitely not the once called “Invincibles.”

Chelsea

Chelsea, though they played well at the start of the season, can’t seem to get over the   loss of four influential players in Ricardo Carvalho, Joe Cole, Deco and Michael Ballack. It is so evident seeing their recent form and vindicates the fact that it is a side that lacks depth. Chelsea also have an aging core to their side in Lampard, Drogba and John Terry with the likes of Essien, who is either injury prone or not the player he once was. They might have Malouda and have brought in Ramires but they lack a flair player like Robben, Joe Cole or a Damien Duff back in the day. Except Josh McEachran and Bruma, who are a couple of the best young players in England, they lack players who can walk in to the first team, unlike United and Arsenal.

Liverpool

As for Liverpool, I think even the Liverpool supporters wouldn’t deny that this is the weakest Liverpool team to have played in the Premiership.

Gerrard and Jaime Carragher aren’t getting any younger for the Reds. They also lack replacements for Alonso and Mascherano. Poulsen and Raul Merieles are decent players but are they Liverpool quality? It’s a puzzle in its own as to how Lucas Leiva is playing at Liverpool.

Liverpool have simply failed to replace quality with quality. Aquilani was a quality signing who failed to make an impact. He is performing exceptionally well at Juventus during his loan spell and so, there is a strong chance that Juventus, who have an option of buying Aquilani will make his loan move permanent. Kelly and Shevley are good players but you have to think that they are too young and inexperienced to make an impact at the Premiership level. I mean, just have a look at the recent transfers: Riise out, Konchesky in; Mascherano out, Poulsen in; Alonso out, Lucas in; Crouch out, N’Gog in; Bellamy out, Jovanovic in; Benayoun out, no one in. Signing average players like Konschesky and Poulsen, and a manager in Roy Hodgson seems to be turning Liverpool into Fulham than into the Liverpool of old.

Spurs and Man City

Manchester City and Spurs are the only clubs who are getting stronger every day but still don’t look to impose a serious title threat. City with the owner Sheikh Mansour making multi-million pound signings doesn’t seem to be getting the desired results and it only underlines the fact that money can’t buy trophies.

Their title aspirations were questioned when City played for a draw at home to Manchester United.

Having a manager in Harry Redknapp, Tottenham seem to be heading in the right direction. Spurs have a balanced side, with pace, experience, zeal combined with a team that plays some of the best football. But again, they majorly lack consistency. On one day, they teach the Champions of Europe a lesson; four days later, they get outclassed by Bolton 4-2 and the following week, they beat Arsenal at the Emirates 3-2. That’s Spurs’ story.

The Rest of the League

For the rest of the Premiership, Steve Bruce’s Sunderland and Owen Coyle’s Bolton have surprised a lot of people.

Though they have won only four games this season, Sunderland have their tails up and their 3-0 victory against Chelsea has set a benchmark for anyone who wants to go to the home of the champions and literally insult the champs by playing better football for periods in the game. Sunderland have bolstered their squad by making four loan signings in Nadeem Onuoha, Menshah, Elmohamady and Danny Welbeck, along with spending 13 million GBP on Asamoah Gyan. These are great signings who have performed well this season but you really have to wonder, what would have happened if these players would have performed the same way had they been playing in the league five years ago.

Same thing applies for Bolton, Fulham, Aston Villa, etc. and rest of the teams battling relegation; though saying that some of the managers like Chris Hughton and Ian Holloway have done a commendable job.

The fact of the matter is that the gap between the Big Four, or now the top six, has been reduced remarkably and it’s not because the entire league has gotten stronger. This is because, the top teams have weakened to such an extent that they are becoming challenged by the teams that would normally not stand a chance to even compete and would finish mid table. These top teams are often finding it hard to get results even against the teams that might eventually end up getting relegated. For example, Arsenal lost to West Brom 2-3 at the Emirates and United played a 2-2 draw against West Brom at Old Trafford. Chelsea recently have only picked up five points out of a possible eighteen.

The English Premier League has turned into a weird league but one that has turned into probably the most entertaining league in the world. The reason of the overall competiveness and weakening of the league is not due to the teams outside of the top four getting ever so strong, which admittedly is a slight factor, but because “The Big Four” have not been replacing “older” players and creating a new fresh cycle with the same level of quality.

Jermaine Beckford equalised late on for Everton

The increasing pressure on Carlo Ancelotti has reached new heights after Chelsea dropped two more points against a stubborn Everton side. It was the fourth Premier League game without a win for the reigning champions, and just their fifth point from a possible 18 in recent weeks,  but with Ancelotti’s side stuttering, could the Italian find himself out of a job in the not so distant future?

If Chelsea owner Roman Abramovich has any sense, then the answer is no. While Ancelotti is having a tough time of things at the moment, his previous success should have plenty of weight and it would be ludicrous for Chelsea to sack him.

But football is a sport where bizarre decisions are made on a frequent basis, and we shouldn’t be surprised if Ancelotti finds himself on the way out of Stamford Bridge. The departure of Ray Wilkins has revealed some real internal problems at Chelsea and Ancelotti appears to have been disturbed by these issues.

 This is having an impact on Chelsea’s performances, and with the Premier League ultra competitive this year, they really can’t afford to keep dropping points. Anybody from five teams could theoretically challenge for the title this season, and the successful side will be one that is most consistent, so Chelsea need to solve their problems.

If Ancelotti can’t do this in the next couple of the weeks, he will be gone, because as we have seen in the past, Abramovich isn’t afraid to make bold decisions. After spending vast sums of money to lure Luiz Felipe Scolari to Stamford Bridge, the Russian was quick to send him packing when results tailed off, and Ancelotti isn’t immune from similar treatment.

Things don’t get any easier for Ancelotti when you look at Chelsea’s fixtures in the next few weeks. Next weekend’s trip to Tottenham is followed by games against Manchester United and Arsenal. If there isn’t a drastic improvement in results in those three games then in my opinion Chelsea will be looking for a new manager in the New Year.

That might sound drastic, but given the demands for success, Ancelotti can’t afford to fall off the pace in the title race. Last season he set the standard high, and unfortunately he might now be suffering because of last terms achievements.

There has been yet more off-field drama at Stamford Bridge with the announcement that Chelsea’s director of football Frank Arnesen will leave the club at the end of the season. That makes it two big name departures from the Chelsea backroom team in a matter of weeks, following the sacking of assistant manager Ray Wilkins earlier this month. It really does beg the question of what is going on behind the scenes at Stamford Bridge?

Unlike Wilkins, Arnesen has opted to leave the club, but it is still a strange departure. The Dutchman has been a big part of the setup at Chelsea since his arrival in 2005. At the time it was estimated that the three-time Premier League winners had paid up to £8 million to his former club Tottenham in compensation, but five years on Arnesen doesn’t seem so keen to work for the club.

There is plenty of speculation as to why the Dutchman has chose leave, but it does appear that there is real lack of harmony in the club. If Chelsea are to have success this season they need to resolve these issues as quick possible, because as shown with their defeats to Sunderland and Birmingham, this lack of harmony can have a real impact on results.

I’m not going to say the defeats were purely down to the off-field problems at Stamford Bridge, but they have certainly not helped, and really increased the pressure on Carlo Ancelotti ahead of today’s trip to Newcastle

 In normal circumstances, a trip to Newcastle would be nothing more than a tough mid-season trip for Chelsea, but after back-to-back Premier League defeats, today’s game is vital. During the opening weeks of the campaign everything was going well for Ancelotti’s side. Chelsea were scoring goals for fun, and looked like they could cruise to their forth Premier League title.

As is so common with football though, things haven’t really followed the script, and the Chelsea side now looks a million miles away from the Chelsea side that started the season.  As this was meant to be the year when they really pushed on for honours, but right now that looks questionable and you have to feel that unless the club can unite together they will be disappointed come May.

What do you think? Are the off-field problems at Chelsea damaging their chances of success  this season?

Well, I have to admit I’m perplexed by some of the performances of the Premierships traditional powerhouses this season. A month ago, most people would have been hard pressed to think anyone could trouble Chelsea for the title, now 6 points separate the top 6 sides. Suddenly, a real title race has begun at last as Chelsea suddenly developed a soft centre and ran bang out of luck. Manchester United continue to do what no-one else has ever been able to match, a continual accumulation of points, despite playing below par.

Arsenal, a week after an impressive win at Everton, decided to reverse roles with Tottenham on Saturday and capitulate when victory seemed assured. Manchester City, suddenly discovered the benefits of pushing men forward. Bolton have gatecrashed the top table with a series of powerful, football displays. It is, for once, an exciting season for more than the usual set of fans.

The old adage in England is the title is usually won by what sides do over the Easter holiday period. Yet, the Premiership fixture list has decided to send a series of mouth watering and crucial clashes before the end of 2010. Chelsea have to play Tottenham, Manchester United, Arsenal and Bolton, the toughest Christmas run in in the top 6. United have Arsenal and a raft of games that could see them stretch away. Arsenal have the top two as well as tough games against Stoke and Aston Villa.

The pretenders, Tottenham and Manchester City, have games that they have to win to prove their title challenging credentials and Bolton have City and Chelsea and 3 games they could easily win as much as lose. Looking at the run in to the New Year, Chelsea will be cursing their luck that the fixture computer has decided to play this particularly nasty hand on them at this stage of the season. The performance against Birmingham had a lot of positives for the Blues, but they came away empty handed after meeting a goal keeper who played like a man possessed, Ben Foster.

The additional soap opera of the Ray Wilkins legal challenge has now added further mystery stirred today by Carlo Ancelotti’s comments and the loss of Terry, Lampard and Essien. Drogba and Alex are both struggling with illness and injury and the squad suddenly seems very light. It is an unusual situation for Chelsea to seem so threadbare on a squad level.

Bolton meanwhile, continue to improve back towards the level the showed under Sam Allardyce but with a footballing panache and verve. Continually labelled as a physical side, Wanderers have now shown that there was a footballing side that a mundane manager like Gary Megson simply couldn’t find due to his tactical ineptitude. Bringing Owen Coyle to the club is now beginning to look like Phil Gartsides best decision as Bolton Chairman. Keeping Elmander may be the next best thing he does.

Yet, as I enter my 19th Premiership season as a fan, the nagging feeling that the old order will return to the top 3 places continues to niggle away at me. Despite the euphoria that having a title race so close at this stage can offer the fans of clubs outside of the usual title suspects, history continues to point to the challengers falling away. It would be lovely it was to be a 6 or 7 horse race, but by New Years Eve, the league table will point to where the title may end up come May.

It’s the North London derby this weekend. Arsenal, who are fast becoming serious title contenders play Host to Tottenham. The Gunners sit second, 2 points behind Chelsea. Tottenham find themselves seventh after a much needed win against Blackburn last weekend. Three points for either side would see them make significant strides up the Premier league table, so a point a piece it will be at the Emirates.

With the calibre of attacking players available to both sides you get the feeling it won’t be a goalless encounter. Make sure you have North London’s big hitters in your starting line up by Saturday lunchtime. Arsenal have no fresh injury worries as yet, but Tottenham have lost the services of string-puller Tom Huddlestone for a few months.

Elsewhere in the Premier League it’s the battle of the big number nine’s at the Reebok stadium, well it’s technically three number nine’s. Newcastle’s Andy Carroll acquitted himself well on Wednesday night, considering he was half way back to Newcastle by the time England forged any meaningful attack and will be looking to add to the 77 points he’s already picked up this season. Bolton’s Johan Elmander and Kevin Davies continue their fine form, add midfielder Chung-Yong Lee to the mix and you could find yourself in the points. However, the way this season is going a match featuring a trio of the League’s top strikers is bound to finish in a stalemate.

On paper Stokes trip to West Brom doesn’t look the most exciting match up, but this could be the dark horse of the weekend. Stokes flying winger Matthew Etherington and yo-yo midfielder Dean Whitehead are a risky gamble worth taking. Similarly the home side have mister consistent in Chris Brunt (58) and their very own goal machine in Peter Odemwingie (47), both could reward you with a healthy points haul this game week.

Premier League matches have been so hard to predict this season, so I’m not even going to mention Chelsea’s trip to St Andrews or Man Utd taking on Wigan, and as for Liverpool Vs West Ham, well I’m saying nothing. Sunderland’s fantastic performance at the bridge last Sunday summed up the Premier League perfectly, anything can and will happen in a game week. It’s a pundit’s nightmare.

I am however prepared to stick my neck out in regards to Sunday’s matches – Blackburn Vs Aston Villa and Fulham Vs Man City have got 1-1 written all over them. It will be a day where defences will triumph. Fulham’s Brede Hangeland and Villa’s James Collins will sure up any defence and both have weighed in with a few goals this season.

Game week 14 concludes with Everton’s trip to surprise package of game week 13, Sunderland. It goes without saying that Asamoah Gyan is the star man at the stadium of light right now, but his strike partner Darren Bent could return from injury in time for Monday nights clash. Everton themselves have a few potential bargains available, defensive rocks Phil Jagielka and Sylvain Distin are good value at 5.8 and 5.5 million respectively and young full back Seamus Coleman (4.9 million) is improving every week.

That’s your lot for this week. If you feel like joining in the fun then join the EPL League by visiting: http://fantasy.premierleague.com/ the code you need to join is 13413-5300

Sunderland’s shock win at Stamford Bridge has sent shockwaves rippling through English football. How could a side that are a usually so brutally clinical be out-played and out-classed in their own backyard?

In many ways it would be unfair to be overly critical of Chelsea’s display because it would take the shine of a Sunderland performance which was arguably their best ever in the Premier League. Steve Bruce’s side were nothing but superb, not only in their effort and application but their ruthlessness too.

But as good as Sunderland were, Chelsea were equally poor. Carlo Ancelotti will put the blame at injuries to the likes of John Terry, Frank Lampard and Alex, as well as the suspension of influential midfielder Michael Essien.

In years gone by though a Chelsea squad would have easily been able to cope with an injury crisis, and you have to question the clubs decision to constantly let players go without replacing them? Yes they are trying to cut costs, but is it worth seeing the team suffer?

The Chelsea squad is drastically ageing, and in the next few years they will need to invest heavily in their playing squad if they are to remain competitive with the likes of Manchester City, because if they don’t Roman Abramovich’s dream of a Chelsea empire will rapidly slip away.

When the Russian arrived in West London there was an intense period of investment in to the playing squad, but this slowly decreased and over the last few seasons the incomings transfers at Stamford Bridge have been few and far between.

Deco, Michael Ballack, Joe Cole and Ricardo Carvalho were the big name departures from Stamford Bridge in the summer, and no matter how strong the squad that won the double was last season was, no side can lose that sort of talent and expect to be as strong.

The Chelsea bench on Sunday demonstrated Ancelotti’s problem with only Salomon Kalou boasting any real experience in the Premier League. While the Italian must be praised for bringing through young players and giving them a chance, it is highly unlikely that this will bring the success that Abramovich demands.

Personally I still think Chelsea will win the league this season, because their first team is so strong, but if they continue to have bad luck with injuries there may be plenty more shock results to come. Chelsea were once the team with best squad in the league, this simply isn’t the case anymore.

Barely have you had chance to draw breath and it’s time to do it all again. There’s a full midweek programme of Premier League fixtures, game week 12 is upon us already, and it’s going to be tricky selection wise as several managers may opt to shuffle their packs.

Tie of the week has to be the Manchester derby. The Blue half of Manchester have Carlos Tevez back and the Reds back line can expect a torrid time at the hands of the annoyingly persistent Argentinean. United may still be picking up points but they are struggling and will be looking for big performances from the experienced Scholes and Fletcher. It would also be a good time for Hernandez and Berbatov to rediscover their earlier form.

Chelsea and Tottenham will be looking to bounce back from disappointing weekend results. Spurs play host to Sunderland on Tuesday, and the form is with Tottenham, the Black Cats have only won once at the Lane in 26 years. Van Der Vaart is struggling with a hamstring injury, but I think Harry will risk him. Three points here are vital for Spurs’ push for the top four, Redknapp will go all out for victory on Tuesday night so it’s time to give your Tottenham forwards a run out.

I fear Fulham could pay for Liverpool’s victory on Sunday. Chelsea need to bounce back with a win and will simply overpower Fulham at the bridge. Drogba will be all guns blazing after warming the bench at Anfield for a long 45 minutes. This could be the week to rest any Fulham defenders you have in your squad.

Aston Villa’s treatment room is full of strikers right now, which equals opportunity for one young striker and if you feel like taking a gamble then Nathan Delfouneso, who could have had a hat-trick on Saturday, will be looking to make amends at home to Blackpool on Wednesday. It could also be a good time to give two more of Villa’s youngsters a chance, midfielders Marc Albrighton and Barry Bannan are turning heads for all the right reasons and both are available for under 5 million. There are always goals where Blackpool are concerned, honours may well end up even in this one but it will be entertaining.

There are two ties this week which, in all honesty, could go either way. Wolves host Arsenal and Newcastle host Blackburn. Wolves were outstanding in defeat at Old Trafford and have been impressive all season. Arsenal, being Arsenal could stroll this one or make a complete three course meal out of it. I’m going to go for the latter. Robin Van Persie made an appearance on Sunday and I’m backing him to be the difference in what will be a tight encounter.

It would be no surprise if Newcastle followed up a win at the emirates with a defeat at home to Blackburn. Nothing would give big Sam more pleasure than a victory against his former club. Newcastle should win, which is why I’m going to back Blackburn and Jason Roberts who found his shooting boots, well shin pads, against Wigan.

West Ham vs West Brom is another fixture that could throw up a few goals. Scott Parker at 5.4 million and Frederic Piquionne available for 5.1 million are well worth considering. The Hammers won’t stay bottom of the table for long and this home tie with the Albion could be the turning point of their season.

I’ve gone striker crazy in my suggestions this week, but I sense goals in game week 12 and goals mean points. Hopefully I’ve given you plenty to think about as you tinker with your attack.

If you feel like joining in the fun then join the EPL League by visiting: http://fantasy.premierleague.com/  the code you need to join is 13413-5300