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

It’s not often a regular 20 goal a season Premier League striker isn’t seen as a regular for the England side, but Darren Bent has bucked the trend with his continued failure to break through on to the international scene.

Since arriving at Sunderland last summer, Bent’s goal scoring record has been nothing short of sensational. The former Tottenham forward has scored an incredible 29 times in just 44 appearances.

But 24 of these goals last season were not enough for Bent to go to South Africa with Fabio Capello’s World Cup squad. It does pose the question of what more Bent can do to persuade the Italian that he is the answer to England’s inevitable problems upfront.

Bent must be praised for his bold decision to leave the comfort of a fashionable club to try and get the games, and goals to persuade Capello he was worthy of a place in the World Cup squad. But unfortunately for Bent, who did everything in his power to get selected, Capello opted for the experience of Emile Heskey instead.

To his credit the Italian did include Bent in his squad for the opening  Euro 2012 qualifiers, and the likeable forward responded with a well taken goal in the 3-1 win over Switzerland in Basel.  Now after three goals in his last three Premier League games, is Bent sent to be a mainstay in not only the England squad, but the England side as well?

I certainly hope he gets his chance, because he has earned it. The likes of Paul Robinson and Wes Brown retired after been left out of the World Cup squad, but Bent got his head down, and set about forcing his way in to the side.

Given the chance I have no doubt that Bent could become a prolific scorer at international level. He has an instinctive goal-scoring nature. Yes he may require several chances to score goals, but the fact of that matter is that more then often he does find the back of the net.

That sort of quality doesn’t change no matter what level you’re playing at, and in my opinion Bent just need a series of chances to prove himself. The only remaining question is, will he get these chances?

Sunderland’s record signing Asamoah Gyan has admitted he faces a stern task to justify his £13million transfer fee. The Ghanaian forward completed a move to the North East on deadline day, but the transfer raised eyebrows with its vast price tag, and Gyan is well aware that expectations from him will be high.

The 24-year-old told BBC Sport: “It has been my dream to go to England and it is one of the best moments of my career. I am somebody who can soak up the pressure. Sunderland is not like Chelsea who can buy players for £15m, but they did which suggests the coach has a lot of confidence in me and sees the calibre of player I am.

“As a spearhead people will expect you to score goals. Secondly they bought me with a huge amount of money and most of the fans will be expecting extraordinary things. But  I can deal with the pressure.”

Gyan’s confidence is admirable, but whether he can live up to his promises is another question.  Top players aside, It is rare that players come in from abroad and make an immediate impact in the Premier League, and you do feel that Sunderland have paid over the odds for a player with no experience of playing in England.

But what Gyan does have going for him is his physical qualities and exemplary attitude. While English fans won’t have seen much of Gyan, in the World Cup he was superb , showing some lethal pace and strength coupled with excellent finishes.

The worry for Sunderland fans will be that Gyan follows a long list of players signed on the back of a good World Cup.  A quick look over his past reveals a forward who although never clinical has always chipped in with goals, but has struggled with injuries. In the 2007-2008 season Gyan,  then at Udinese, was struck by injury and missed virtually the whole campaign.

But a move to France followed and Gyan scored 14 times in 48 games for Ligue 1 club Rennes.  That sort of record demonstrates the sort of role that Sunderland boss will be looking Gyan to play.  I suspect that Gyan will be the forward to do the dirty work, letting Darren Bent be the clinical goal-getter.

The problem with this though is that Gyan might not get the glory to justify his price. Football fans are fickle and often don’t recognise players who bring the subtle qualities of the squad together. But I hope for Gyan that Sunderland fans take note of what he brings to the team, should he not score the goals his price tag demands.

Well the 30 players named in Fabio Capello’s England squad have had multiple trainng sessions and two games to earn their place on the plane to South Africa.

Now is the time that this squad must be trimmed to 23 players, meaning that 7 players will soon receive the dreaded phone call ending their World Cup dreams for at least four years if not forever.

I have analysed the squad and named the squad I would name for the World Cup; based on form, formation and ability.

In my opinion the following players should not make it into the final England squad for the FIFA World Cup 2010.

Michael Dawson

Matthew Upson

Stephen Warnock

Gareth Barry

Tom Huddleston

Shaun Wright-Phillips

Emile Heskey

In an attempt to rationalise and justify my choices, the list below shows the 11 players that I would consider guaranteed a place in the squad.

100% On The Plane

Defenders

With the goalkeeping spots decided by default, defence is the first area where a reduction in numbers needs to be made.

I will start by deciding who should definitely make the plane, due to the return from international retirement of Jamie Carragher, it can be deduced rightly that due to his versatility and experience, he cannot be left at home.

Alongside Carragher I would also include Ledley King in the squad, he has just about proved his form and fitness during a long and successful season with Tottenham.

With these decisions in mind, I think the first casualty of the squad reduction should be Matthew Upson, after playing consistently in one of the worse defences in the Premier League, he has shown little to warrant selection ahead of Ledley King or Michael Dawson.

I also think that Michael Dawson should be axed, as despite his solid form the inclusion of Jamie Carragher means that England already have four players that can play in the centre of defence.

The defensive quandaries are therefore reduced to deciding who should deputise for Ashley Cole at Left Back.

I would take Leighton Baines as a dependable back up option, with Stephen Warnock missing out in what feels like an unimportant coin flip between the two.

Midfielders

This is probably the hardest part of the decision process, as there are many players who have had flashes of brilliance, yet not shown enough to warrant automatic selection.

On the right there is a choice between Aaron Lennon, Theo Walcott and Shaun Wright Phillips. The guaranteed spot should go to Aarron Lennon who is stronger, more consistent and a better all round footballer than the other two. I would then include Theo Walcott as an impact player from the bench if required.

The other wide options would be made up of James Milner and Adam Johnson who have both excelled this season and can play on both wings.

In the centre, I would make my most controversial choice by omitting Gareth Barry, he is injured and therefore is unlikely to be at his best for the competition. England have had enough experience of playing with unfit players to know it is better to cut their losses on this occasion.

I would replace Gareth Barry with Scott Parker, one of the most underrated players qualified to play for England, there is a reason that he is the only West Ham player not for sale this summer.

Finally I would omit Tom Huddlestone from the squad, opting to include Joe Cole as he offers something creative which in limited Chelsea and England appearances he has shown this season.

Attackers

Arguably England’s achilles heel, the partnership  options involving Wayne Rooney have not quite been resolved. Based on form Emile Heskey is the man to make way, having not scored since February and unable to hold down a regular starting berth at his club, it is time to accept that dispite his obvious qualities, he is not an international class striker.

Therefore Jermain Defoe, Darren Bent and Peter Crouch join Wayne Rooney as England’s striking options.

Overview of Preparations

The most worrying part of England’s preparation for the tournament has to be a lack of depth, with all the questions raised during the recent friendlies; I hope that Fabio Capello has more of a clue of his best 23 than I do.

The only comforter from recent performances is that very rarely are these true indicators of tournament performance.

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In the United States, it’s one of those long holiday weekends, which are a rarity. It’s time to remember the fallen heroes who have died while in military service for the United States.

It’s also an opportunity to spend time with the family, have BBQ’s, visit the beach and more — which is why I haven’t had a chance to watch the friendly this morning that involved Japan against England. I’ll watch the match later and will share my thoughts. But in the meantime, I wanted to give you the opportunity to voice your own opinions from the game particularly how England did and what your observations were regarding the players who are fighting to make the final 23.

Also, on behalf of EPL Talk, I’d like to wish you a happy Memorial Day weekend. Thanks for your loyalty.

UPDATE: I finally got around to watching the Japan against England game, after a very busy holiday weekend with my family. In truth, there wasn’t a whole lot to talk about. It’s so difficult to discern any great observations from friendlies because friendlies are so deceiving. Neither team is playing at 100% for fear of aggravating injuries. There were glimmers of promise. But it’s hard to be too critical when it’s a friendly. Let’s wait and see what happens on the big day. And boy will June 12th be a big day to see how England performs on the world stage.

2006 was a disaster for England’s much vaunted strikers in so many ways it was depressing. It was clearly Sven Goran-Eriksson’s nadir as the England supremo as his eccentric choices left England woefully short of options. Michael Owen was so off the pace as to be redundant and his World Cup collapse when he ruptured his cruciate ligament against Sweden. Wayne Rooney’s frustration blew up in the Quarter-Final when he was sent off for stamping on a sensitive are of Ricardo Carvalho and Peter Crouch tried his best but simply couldn’t carry the teams striking options. As for Walcott, he may as well have stayed at home.

Fast forward 4 years and things despite the odd injury scare here and there are much rosier for Fabio Capello. Wayne Rooney is in the form of his life, Jermaine Defoe has made himself a crucial member of the squad, Peter Crouch’s reputation is more positive and certain players are jostling for the remaining squad places. The question is, who will make up the 5 strikers that Capello should choose as his options up front.

There’s no point discussing Rooney and Defoe. They’re on that plane unless something incredibly cruel happens but the 3 other positions are a free for all. Certain players over the last 18 months have made cases to be included but some will face the cruelest cut of all and miss out on a chance of going to South Africa. It’s those strikers I’m focusing on and deciding just who should join the first two names I’ve mentioned.

Yet, I have to say that it is some relief that Michael Owen is injured. Surely I can’t be the only person who was sick of his constant bleating in the media week after week. Capello rightly judged Owen to be damaged goods and whilst no-one can doubt up to 2005 he was one of the Premier strikers in world football, he is no where near the level he was. Capello knows that Owen simply cannot cope with the demands of top level football anymore, which is a shame.

Owen will probably never add to his goal tally for England, which currently stands at 40 and it is a sad way for his career at international level to finish. It looked for years as if he would smash Bobby Charlton’s record, but that achievement looks set to become Wayne Rooney’s mantle. With Owens absence, the stage looks set for someone to come in from the left field but surely the highest scoring English striker in the Premiership, Darren Bent.

With 24 league goals this season for Sunderland and pace to burn, Bent should be a shoe-in but something just seems to rub people up the wrong way with him. In any other country, Bent would probably be in the squad without doubt. He reminds me of Mario Gomez, the German striker, who scores goals for fun in the Bundesliga but has yet to find that form at international level and his goals have all come against lower rated international sides.

Should he be there? Yes, he should and I don’t feel he’s had a fair crack of the whip internationally. He deserves a chance to go to South Africa this summer and you have to wonder just where Sunderland would have finished this season without his goals. Of the target men that Capello seems to use, Emile Heskey, Carlton Cole and Peter Crouch have all had difficult seasons but Crouch has continued to perform for England when he has had the opportunity. That alone should subside any fears that his absence from the Tottenham starting line up may have and I’ll be amazed if he isn’t one of the picks up front.

Cole has been involved in a dreadfully difficult season at West Ham United and he is not alone at Upton Park in seeing his form suffer. Heskey has meanwhile seen his form go up and down as Aston Villa have continued to prove that they are back as a consistent challenge at the upper end of the table. Heskey does so much for his team mates that I’m sick of trying to explain why strikers don’t have to score goals to be good.

It’s not been the easiest season for his team mate Gabriel Agbonlahor either, but Villa are still chasing down 4th place in Premiership. For all his pace, he’s still too wildly inconsistent for me at league level never mind international level. I wouldn’t take him if I had a fit Darren Bent to choose.

Of the other two options, both would usually be laughed out of hand, but this season has seen both of them receive praise that has been short throughout their careers. Firstly, Bobby Zamora has had the season of his life at Fulham and has been touted as a possible option for England but he seems to have been patched up more than the 6 million dollar man over the last few weeks. He apparently needs an operation but Fulham have delayed surgery until the England World Cup squad has been announced. I’m sorry Bobby, but I just think there are better options available.

The other choice, may make you laugh, but I think it’s a disgrace he’s never been picked for England. Bolton Wanderers fans will tell you just how good this lad has been for years, but Kevin Davies is so underrated it’s become something of a joke. Yes, he perhaps doesn’t score as many goals as he should but his work rate, strength and technical ability are consistently overlooked. If Crouch wasn’t fit to play, he’d be my first reserve.

So the five strikers I’d take are, Wayne Rooney, Jermaine Defoe, Peter Crouch, Darren Bent and Emile Heskey. What do you think? Who would your choices be? Please leave me your comments as usual.

• Stand Up ye Brave Scots!

The definition of the word epic is as follows: heroic; majestic; impressively great. Such were moments from a few brave Scots this weekend that saw their respective clubs gain a valuable three points to either continue their pursuit of the title, or stave off a potentially feisty relegation battle. For those who enjoyed the highly entertaining Premier League this weekend, their identities may already be known to you. If you missed this epic weekend, continue reading where the names and achievements will be revealed.

While Chelsea were the first to blink in the three team title race, Tottenham Hotspur continued to fill in the lines of their L4 application with an acute seriousness. Aston Villa could only manage a point at home v Wolves and Manchester City also remain a favorite for L4 with a 2-1 win away to Fulham with one of their games in hand to be played midweek.

Finding themselves level at the Britannia v Stoke in the 63rd, Spurs pressed on and produced a stunning 77th minute winner when a Benoit Assou-Ekotto cross was dummied by Ediur Gudjohnsen and finished brilliantly by Niko Kranjcar. City disposed of a deservedly hungover Fulham at Craven Cottage with relative ease as the London club’s Europa League achievement against Juventus clouded their vision in front of goal but was definitely worthy of the accolades.

Honorable Mentions -

Craig Gordon, Sunderland – Brave Scot #1. Gordon produced a number of beyond quality saves to keep Sunderland ahead of Birmingham City on Saturday. There really were a myriad of incredible stops throughout the day, but Gordon’s 30th minute, full stretched tip onto the bar to keep out a Christian Benitez header is sure to get consideration for save of the season.

Darren Bent, Sunderland – The Wearsideres were able to win their match 3-1 much from the production of Gordon’s efforts, but also from a fine brace from potential England World Cup striker Darren Bent, who has quietly passed the 20 goal mark this season with his 20th and 21st of the campaign.

Bent’s first came in the 5th minute when he banged home a rebound, but his second in the 11th was the more impressive of the two. Bent ran onto a well placed ball from Steed Malbranque with only Birmingham’s Scott Dann to beat. Bent took the pass in stride and cut towards the inside of Dann before powering home a strong, impressive left-footed strike. His second secured the 3 points for the now in 12th place Sunderland.

Premier League Footballer of the Week -

14 games without a Premiership win would be worrying for several sides, but when you’ve spent the best part of £50 million to improve the team, 4 months without a win is disastrous. When Bruce took the reigns at the Stadium of Light in the summer, the club had survived a dreadful season which had seen Roy Keane walk out half way through and they limped to the final day staying up.

If you were brutally honest, Sunderland stayed up due to the ineptness of the other clubs at the foot of the table. For the amount of transfer outlay the Black Cats have spent, around £130 million in 3 years, two successive relegation battles are simply not good enough. For all the criticism that came last season, Bruce’s tenure started so well and Sunderland were comfortably placed in the top ten.

Yet since November, it’s all gone horribly wrong and Sunderland have slid down the table once more. Free scoring twitter addict Darren Bent has suddenly found goals hard to come by in open play and the side seems gripped with a fear of losing. As daft as it sounds, it’s a common occurrence for sides struggling to win to try and close up defensively, which in turn invites teams to attack them. The fear of having a go back leads to a footballing paralysis, the team simply forgets how to win.

Bruce has certainly got his work out at probably his biggest managerial role so far. Up until November, Bruce could honestly be pleased with the sides progress and they seemed to playing a good, high tempo attacking game. Beating Arsenal had seen them continue to re-affirm their ambitions of an outside chance of European football, but suddenly the confidence evaporated.

Bruce was in bullish mood earlier this week, coming out and defending his signings and perhaps he would point to Kenwyn Jones having his head turned by Liverpool’s underhand transfer methods in January, and the loss of Lee Catermole has certainly shown just how important he is to the Sunderland side.  Yet, two signings do not make a team and several players simply have not performed not just for Bruce but over the last couple of years.

What has happened to Keiran Richardson? He seems to have completely lost his way again after picking up last season, so much potential and promise seems to be shackled with a fear to work hard and show the talent he has. Michael Turner has struggled to justify his £10 million transfer fee (as quoted in the court documents in the Hull City v Paul Duffen case). Anton Ferdinand has looked like he’d walk back to London if he could get a transfer, but he at least made me smile with this peach of a quote this week.

“It would be naive to say that we’re not in a relegation scrap. The league is so tight that a couple of results either way can make a massive amount of difference. No one is mentioning the R word around here, and we don’t want to start having to talk about it.” Priceless.

Of course, the bottom of the table is so tight at the moment, anyone from West Ham, in 13th could go down right now. 4 points separate 7 clubs and Sunderland’s goal difference is a real bonus despite the situation they are in. Unfortunately, they’ve a dreadful run of fixtures after Tuesday’s clash with Bolton. Only one of the next 6 games is against a side in the bottom half of the table and that could be crucial. It is not a run of games to take such a dreadful run of form into.

Yet, it could be what they need. Gaining three points in any of those matches would be a massive boost for Bruce and the club, giving them a much needed shot in the arm. No-one wants to say they’re too good to go down, we’ve seen it from sides such as West Ham United and Newcastle before. Now Bruce has to prove his reputation and really earn his stripes at the Stadium of Light.

Manchester United posted an announcement on its website Friday that said that none of its players maintain personal profiles on social networking sites.

“The club wishes to make it clear that no Manchester United players maintain personal profiles on social networking websites,” said the note posted on ManUtd.com. “Fans encountering any web pages purporting to be written by United players should treat them with extreme scepticism. Any official news relating to Manchester United or its players will be communicated via ManUtd.com.”

However what the announcement failed to mention is that several Manchester United footballers used to have accounts on social networking sites such as Twitter and Facebook accounts, but they have either been shut down or the contents on those pages have been removed presumably under the orders of Manchester United FC.

Our research reveals that Twitter accounts have been removed for Wayne Rooney, Ryan Giggs and Darren Fletcher, while Facebook accounts have been removed for Wes Brown. Meanwhile, the contents of the Facebook wall for the following footballers have been erased: Ryan Giggs and Rio Ferdinand. Pictured above is the wall of Ryan Giggs’s page on Facebook showing that the contents have been removed.

We can imagine why Manchester United would want to prevent its footballers from frequenting social networking sites. One, it’s a potential public relations disaster especially if a player says something controversial or releases information before it’s been approved by a club’s communications or PR department. Two, it encourages football supporters to find information about their favorite players outside of the official club website. Fewer visits to the official club website results in fewer opportunities to generate revenue by selling merchandise or website memberships. Three, and perhaps it’s the most important reason of all, it’s an issue of control. Professional footballers are under the control of the club almost at all times in terms of what they say, which members of the press they can talk to (if any) and what curfews they’re under. But social networking systems threaten the status quo because its professional footballers having personal contact with fans, the media and others, which could be terrifying for some football clubs.

While Manchester United is tightening the screws on which sites its players can frequent, Sunderland continues to allow striker Darren Bent to use Twitter and he’s definitely building a cult following (29,000 followers as of press time). Reading Bent’s tweets is refreshing and gives you a better appreciation of the footballer. Bent has embraced Twitter to such an extent that he even has football boots with his Twitter handle and Twitter logo printed on them.

In this world where professional footballers are so distanced from its fans, it’s a pleasure to see Darren Bent and other footballers using Twitter while clubs such as Manchester United (who don’t even have an official Twitter account for the club) are living in the stone age.

Here are the top 7 reasons why you should follow EPL Talk on Twitter.

A new decade, a new year, and 10 players I’ll be keeping a watchful eye on for one reason or another in 2010. We all know Drogba, Rooney, Torres, Defoe and the lot will get their 20+ goals and single handily place their teammates on their shoulders and march onwards. But what about the role players that could make or break their clubs championship winning run, help their club break into the top 4, or save their club from relegation and a year in the Championship?

Lest we not forget the players on the brink of earning a ticket to South Africa. Most of, if not all of the 32 nations competing in the World Cup Finals have their starting eleven solidified, but there’s still a few valuable bench spots left open for those fringe internationals that will have a few short months to prove their worth and make the trip of a lifetime.Without further ado, I’ll attempt to explain why I’ll be watching these 10 Premier League players and what’s at stake for them in 2010.

• Joe Hart – Birmingham City, Goalkeeper – The Good – In my opinion and on current form, I believe Hart to be England’s #1. A regular for the U21′s, Hart has been called up by Don Fabio a few times but has only seen limited action. On loan at City (Birmingham) from City (Manchester) Hart recently displayed arguably the performance of the year in goal at home in a 0-0 draw with league leaders Chelsea. A major contributing factor in Birmingham City’s current 8th place position. Strong, commanding and solid in goal. The Bad – Age and experience. Will need more top-flight matches under his belt to break into the senior England squad. Will need to prove he can sustain top form over the course of a 38 game Premier League season. Must also maintain his current run of form to be noticed by Capello. What to Watch For – A ticket to South Africa.

• Gabriel Agbonlahor – Aston Villa, Forward – The Good – Incredible pace, strength and he’s a goal scorer (he recently scored the winner at Old Trafford). Villa have been flirting with a top four finish for a few years now with Agbonlahor contributing his pace and goal-scoring abilities to a team largely made up of English players. The Bad – Currently carrying a heavy work load for Villa – risks burn out and also like Hart, still young and in need of more experience. Also has a slight tendency to disappear from big matches from time to time. What to Watch For – Slim chance of making South Africa, so more important to Agbonlahor and Villa fans, a top four finish.

• Eduardo da Silva – Arsenal, Striker – The Good – The Brazilian-born Croatian is a natural goal scorer. He could be the difference between Arsenal winning the title and simply finishing 3rd. At his best, Eduardo is easily a 20+ goal a season scorer. The Bad – much talked about (and I’m sure still remembered by Eduardo himself) horrific leg injury from 02/2008. Eduardo still hasn’t returned to top goal scoring form since the comeback. What to Watch For – The league title. If Eduardo can regain his predatory instincts in front of goal, the high-flying Gunners have just as good a shot at the title this year as any team. Arsenal will need a fit striker to help relieve some of the burden on Cesc Fabregas if they are to stay in the hunt before the return of Robin van Persie.

• Dimitar Berbatov – Manchester United, Striker – The Good – Silky-smooth passer, proven goal-scorer (all time leading goal scorer for Bulgaria), creative player that when on his best can score three goals or set up three goals just as easily. The Bad – £23.40 million price tag that in all honestly hasn’t been paid off just quite yet for United. Often criticized for his lack of pace, movement and effort, the languid striker has work to do and goals to still score for United. What to Watch For – Manchester United’s fourth league title in a row. Like Arsenal, United will need another proven goal scorer if they are to finish top. Berbatov could risk losing his spot to Michael Owen if Owen starts scoring regularly for United.

• Jozy Altidore – Hull City, Striker – The Good – the 20-year old American striker has a physique like a bull, he’s strong with the ball at his feet and has pace. He’s definitely headed to South Africa as long as he’s fit. He’s scored meaningful goals for the United States, but will want to start scoring goals for Hull City to stay playing. The Bad – Altidore is currently on loan to Hull City from Spanish side Villarreal where he didn’t impress. Villarreal loaned him to Xerez in the Spanish Segunda where he suffered a minor toenail injury never actually making an appearance for Xerez. Jozy needs to fit in at club level quickly. Although he’s only just 20, he won’t want to be continually shipped back and forth to different clubs and never settle. What to Watch For – Hull City face a tough relegation fight and Altidore could be the bit of pace and quality they’ll need to get a scrappy goal or win a penalty (like he did against Manchester United recently). Will also want to prove to United States teammate Clint Dempsey (Fulham) that he too belongs in the Premier League.

• Alessandro Diamanti – West Ham United, Attacking Midfielder/Forward – The Good – The Italian applied his trade in the lower divisions of Italian football before impressing in 2008-09 with Livorno scoring 20 goals and assisting in their promotion to Serie A. The Bad – the 26 year old is new to English football and won’t have a comfortable settling in period as the Hammers have struggled in the first half of the 2009-10 season. What to Watch For – West Ham will need Diamanti’s experience in a gritty, grind-it-out type of match they’re sure to see as they, like Hull City, look set for a relegation dog fight.

• Darren Bent -  Sunderland, Striker – The Good – On current form, Bent cannot stop scoring goals for Sunderland putting in 13 this season thus far and while he’s at it, seems to have formed a pretty formidable strike force with Kenwyne Jones. He’s strong, a big target and has natural finishing abilities. The Bad – Sunderland’s recent dip in form could cause England boss Fabio Capello to not take notice. In Bent’s most recent call up – an international friendly with Brazil – he failed to impress in an abysmal England attack resulting in a 1-0 loss. What to Watch For – A ticket to South Africa. If Bent stays fit and continues to bang in goals for club, Capello will have no choice but to call him up. Bent is on pace to score 25+ goals this season.

• Maynor Figueroa – Wigan, Defender – If you haven’t seen Figueroa’s goal v. Stoke City from his own half, check it out here. The Honduran’s absence was a large contributing factor to Wigan conceding 9 goals v Tottenham at White Hart Lane recently. The Bad – No offense to them, but Wigan seem to be one of the most unglamorous clubs to play for in the Premier League. Although they’ve been in the top-flight now since 2005, Wigan look set for mid-table mediocrity as long as they stay up. What to Watch For – Figueroa will represent his country in South Africa this summer and Wigan have no shot at a top four finish, so Figueroa will look to make a big summer move to a top four club.

• Rafael da Silva – Manchester United, Right back – The Good – A Dani Alves type Brazilian defender who loves to bomb forward in attack, Rafael is a burst of pace and a hard tackle waiting to happen. With Gary Neville facing inevitable retirement sometime in the near future, Rafael could claim the starting right back spot for United. The Bad – Rafael could also be a yellow card or red card waiting to happen. His youth is equal parts positive and negative as he can run all day, but he needs to mature as a footballer and hasn’t proved beyond a reasonable doubt he can cope with the demands of United’s crowded fixture list year after year. What to Watch For – Unsure if Rafael has a shot at representing the loaded Brazil in the World Cup. More important for Rafael at this point is his contribution to a depleted United back line. With injuries continuing to pile up at Old Trafford, Rafael has a chance to be a major contributor as United look to claim their fourth straight title.

• Nigel de Jong – Manchester City, Defensive midfielder – The Good – The Dutch international has quietly been incredibly effective for City this season as they look to become the new kid on the big 4 block. de Jong suffered a semi slow start to his career at Eastlands, he’s since claimed his midfield position with solid performance after solid performance as the holder in midfield. The Bad – Knee injury kept him out of World Cup 2006. He’s been a regular in the Dutch side ever since and baring match fitness will represent Holland this summer. What to Watch For – Possible top four finish. His spot with Holland confirmed, de Jong will prove a huge factor in helping City break the top four this year. City’s back line has barely looked stable this season in most matches. With de Jong at his best protecting City’s back line, City will have no problem banging in goals with their potent attack force.

There you have it, 10 players to definitely keep your eye on this year. Most of them won’t score 20 goals or be voted player of the year, but their small contributions week in week out for their respected clubs will go a long way in deciding the fate of their season and possibly their country at the World Cup Finals.