Gameweek 21 kicks off on New Year’s Day, the perfect time to have a quick recap on some of the season’s best performers so far.

Starting between the sticks we have Manchester City’s Joe Hart, the Blue half of Manchester are serious title contenders and much of this is due to the brilliance of their young stopper. Points wise Hart is head and shoulders above all other Goalkeepers with an impressive total of 95. If his 6.8 million price tag puts you off, there are cheaper alternatives. Birmingham’s Ben Foster(5.1) 81 points and Blackburn’s Paul Robinson(4.6) 72 points provide excellent value for money.

There is a reason Nemanja Vidic(8.0) is at the heart of 32% of Fantasy League defences, well actually there are 87 reasons. Man United’s rock at the back is top of the defensive pile going into the New Year. Following closely behind are Chelsea’s Ashley Cole(8.3) with 86 points and Everton’s Leighton Baines(7.5) 85 points. Sneaking into the top ten defenders is Sunderland’s Ahmed Elmohamady(4.8) with a 68 point return. Just one point behind Elmohamady is Baines’ team mate Seamus Coleman(4.9). Directly below Coleman you will find Patrice Evra(7.3) and John Terry(7.0), even further down the list is Man City’s Kolo Toure(6.4). It just goes to show that you don’t always get what you pay for.

Moving into midfield we start to find members of the 100 club. Rather surprisingly Everton’s Tim Cahill(9.3) leads the way with 106 points. Not only does the Australian run the midfield he often finds himself thrust upfront and has tucked away nine league goals in the process. Man United’s Nani(9.6) is just 2 points behind Cahill. The winger has been showing real quality throughout the campaign. Like Ronaldo before him Nani looks to have learnt that the tricks, however pretty they may be, do not win you Football matches and has vastly improved his all round game.

Special mention goes to Stoke City wide-man Matthew Etherington(5.9). Normally any left footed Englishman with an ounce of talent is treated like the second coming, however Etherington has quietly gone about his impressive business, three league goals and numerous assists place him ninth overall in the midfield rankings with 85 points.

Leading the way upfront is Newcastle’s Andy Carroll(6.5). They love a number 9 at St James Park and Carroll is no disappointment, the lanky striker has bagged 11 league goals this season and has 113 points to show for his efforts. It’s no surprise that the young Magpie is in 55% of Fantasy league teams.

Hot on Carroll’s heels is Carlos Tevez(11.3). The Argentine has 12 goals to his name and now that his Wayne Rooney style transfer tantrum is done and dusted he can get back to doing what he does best. A note of caution on wee Carlos this week as he is a slight doubt with a thigh injury.

And finally, I can’t go without singing the praises of Bolton’s front two. Johan Elmander(6.5) and Kevin Davies(6.5) have 191 points between them. Owen Coyle’s team are enjoying a cracking season so far and are the only team to have two strikers in the top ten.

That’s all for 2010 folks, I sincerely hope you all have a very Happy New Year.

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

Ah, it’s that time of the year again and I simply love it. No, not Christmas, but the end of the year lists that all end up being about the same everywhere you look. Seriously, I think every music magazine has awarded album of the year to Kanye West, but that’s a topic for another article. Here we discuss the Premier League and the individual footballers that make it one of the best leagues in the world.

2010 has been quite interesting if you’re a fan of the Premier League. We’ve seen current Champions Chelsea start the season on a flier only to loose out on some key players and suffer once again from the goings on behind the scenes as owner Roman Abramovich and his cronies have their way. Adding parity to the Premier League, all three promoted teams are comfy in mid table or there abouts while once boring Bolton have enjoyed a mini resurgence under current boss Owen Coyle. The end of last season’s title race was a close one with Manchester United’s Wayne Rooney picking up most of the accolades. Chelsea were deserved Champions but Manchester City and Tottenham have emerged as serious title contenders in the last four months.

While familiar faces currently hold the top two spots in the standings, 2010 hasn’t been the kind of year dominated by English football’s ‘big 4′. Liverpool are re-building under Roy Hodgson, Manchester United have been solid without being great, and Arsenal seem to be plagued by the same old problems that have hindered their title credentials for the last few years. Critics will say that the big 4′s lack of dominance has burdened an already top heavy league while proponents will argue just the opposite. Regardless of your stance on the overall theme of this year’s Premier League, there have been some standout performances which we’ll now take a look at in the form of the league’s best starting XI.

Author’s Note: While not an easy feat, the following list has been complied by analyzing performances from the entire 2010 calendar year. If readers fail to see a player on the list they feel was deserved, it’s likely said player had a great few months but was injured, suffered a drop in form, fell to the fact that only one player can occupy each position or simply wasn’t good enough over the course of the last 12 months. As always, feel free to leave comments and suggestions in the space below.

Goalkeeper – Joe Hart, Manchester City- While Chelsea’s Petr Cech has enjoyed his best form since 2007, the league’s best keeper thus far has been the England #1 Hart. Hart started 2010 on loan with Brum then was called back to his parent club Manchester City. He began the season in the kind of super-human form football fans are used to seeing on highlight reels and maybe even in their dreams. Manchester City are chasing the title and with Hart healthy, fit and between the sticks, they’ll feel their shot at the title will increase.

Right Back -Branislav Ivanovic, Chelsea- Having filled in for the injured, first choice right back at Chelsea Jose Bosingwa, Ivanovic slowly claimed the spot as his very own over 2010 yet remains available to fill in in defense wherever needed. A good crosser of the ball when getting forward to support attacks, Ivanovic is a staunch defender and able to score the occasional goal from a set piece when opportunities present themselves.

Central Defender -  Nemanja Vidic, Manchester United – Vidic has arguably been the league’s best defender for a couple of years as well as this calendar year of 2010. Strong, smart and with brilliant defensive positioning, Vidic remains a staple in the heart of United’s back line and should be considered as one of the best defenders in the world.

Central Defender – Vincent Kompany, Manchester City- Although City have been leaky recently, they’re not challenging for the title for nothing. They finished last year in fifth and look to improve upon that this season. Kompany has been a rock solid defender for City through their resurgence up the table.

Left Back – Leighton Baines, Everton- Ashley Cole and Patrice Evra have also had a great 2010, but I grow tired of players the likes of Leighton Baines missing out on recognition. Baines has been one of a few standouts on an Everton side with not much to gloat about in recent weeks. And although one could argue that Baines isn’t asked to do as much as the aforementioned Cole and Evra, he remains as important to his team as Cole and Evra do to theirs. Baines just missed out on joining England at last summer’s World Cup to Aston Villa’s Stephen Warnock but it wasn’t because of form, but more because of the experienced players in front of him. Baines is a solid defender and possesses the attacking abilities that modern day full backs need to enhance the shape of their team moving forward.

Midfield (Right) – Nani, Manchester United- Nani’s stock has risen immensely in 2010 with some great wing play on the right, a number of important goals scored and has shown he possesses the kind of footballing maturity needed to succeed at United. Nani was brilliant in last season’s away victory at Arsenal on 31 January by turning in a man of the match performance and remains one of the league’s most dangerous attackers when on form.

Midfield (Attacking) – Samir Nasri, Arsenal- The brilliant Nasri can play on either flank or in central midfield in an attacking role. Quite possibly the league’s form player so far this season, Nasri has been an instrumental play-maker and attacker as Arsenal chase the Premier League title. Quick, a good link player, a goal scorer and emerging as a leader while Cesc Fabregas continues to struggle with injury, Nasri has excelled as a footballer in 2010.

Midfield (Defensive) – Nigel de Jong, Manchester City- What a year City midfielder Nigel de Jong has had for both club and country. His exploits in South Africa, while at times controversial, earned him a starting spot in the Final v Spain while he remains a staple with club. Strong in the tackle, a good distributor of the ball and a solid defender, de Jong is currently one of the most effective defensive midfielders in the Premier League.

Midfield (Left) – Gareth Bale, Tottenham Hotspur – No one in the world has been as effective on the left side of midfield in world football in 2010 as Bale has been for Spurs. First a left back with attacking abilities and now an out and out attacking winger, Bale’s stock has risen higher than any footballer this year. Bale’s a strong, marauding runner, a brilliant crosser of the ball, dangerous over a free kick and can score goals. His trickery in attack is only matched by his effectiveness when running at defenders while his abilities to defend shouldn’t be overlooked.

Forward – Didier Drogba, Chelsea- Drogba hasn’t been at his best in recent weeks, yet he’s still a top five goal scorer this season and was last season’s highest scorer. Although he’s battled sickness and injury, Drogba remains a threat the moment he steps out onto the pitch and let’s not forget, Chelsea are the title holders largely because of how good Drogba was earlier this year.

Forward – Carlos Tevez, Manchester City- Like Drogba, Tevez is always near the top of the goals scored list while his work rate remains mostly unmatched by any other forward in the Premier League. I’m happy to hear that he’s rescinded his transfer request and will remain at City, at least for the time being. Tevez is one of the league’s best and most exciting players to watch.

Bench: John Terry, Chelsea – Patrice Evra, Manchester United – Petr Cech, Chelsea – Darren Fletcher, Manchester United, Roger Johnson, Birmingham City – Florent Malouda, Chelsea – Wayne Rooney, Manchester United – Darren Bent, Sunderland – Stewart Downing, Aston Villa

Today’s ‘Premier League Links Of The Day’ features Rooney the “Street Striker”. The English footballer is on the hunt for a player from the streets. Here’s the links:

• Team News [False 10]
• Hart praises Tevez [Give Me Football]
• Chelsea practice in the snow [Chelsea FC]
• Elmander rumors [Manchester Evening News]
• Birmingham vs. Aston Villa preview [Fanhouse UK]

Four EPL teams face off in the quarter finals of the League Cup today. Hopefully the recent snowfall doesn’t put a damper on things. Credit to Jermaine Jenas for a quality photo. A nice birthday prank on his teammate Alan Hutton.

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.

While Jermain Defoe took the goal-scoring honours on Friday night at the other end of the pitch Joe Hart was going a long way to establishing himself as England’s goalkeeper for the foreseeable future with another fine display.

Fabio Capello’s decision to opt for an experienced ‘keeper at the World Cup at the expense of Hart was one of the biggest blunders he made in South Africa. Hart was a bench warmer throughout the tournament but since then it appears that Capello has seen the error of his ways.

The former Shrewsbury man has now well truly established himself as number one for club and country and if all goes well this should be the case for many years to come. It makes a refreshing change for England who after the retirement of David Seaman have been craving somebody to take on the role as England’s long term ‘keeper.

David James, Paul Robinson and Robert Green have all threatened to make the position their own. But a general lack of form, or high profile mistakes have ultimately lead to their downfall. Now it is Hart’s chance to shine, and if he can fulfil his early promise, Capello may finally have found the answer to the position which has become the most debated spot in the England side.

Hart’s confidence is the key to his success.  We must remember that at only 23 Hart is a baby in the goalkeeping world. But his commanding presence and immaculate performances demonstrate his confidence and portray a sense of stability that can only help build confidence in an England side which after the World Cup is understandably insecure.

The worry for Hart is that he succumbs to a Scott Carson like mistake. Carson was tipped to claim the England number one spot ahead of that infamous defeat to Croatia at Wembley. But ever since he failed to deal with Niko Kranjcar’s long range effort Carson has struggled to rebuild his career and only recently managed to fight his way back in to the England squad.

Should Hart make a similar error we may be searching for a keeper once more, but without meaning to jinx the former Shrewsbury Town man you just can’t see this happening, and even if it did you’d be backing Hart to bounce back a lot quicker then Carson.

To couple his obvious ability he appears to have a strong mentality, which for a ‘keeper is oh so vital and with him in goal the future of English football seems to have a securer base in which to build on.

With the pressure on Fabio Capello,  England finally delivered a performance to make the country proud. But was this result and the performance the start of a change in fortunes for Capello or another result that get’s our hopes up only to be disappointed down the line?

England may have gone some way to igniting some confidence amongst fans last night. While it wasn’t a faultless performance it was a lot better. They played with the pace and confidence that was so desperately lacking in South Africa.

Jermain Defoe showed the sort of clinical finishing that nobody was able to show at the World Cup, and in midfield Steven Gerrard and Gareth Barry were easily dominating the midfield battle. At the other end of the pitch Joe Hart looked assured between the sticks. Wayne Rooney was also looking somewhat like his usual self.

The negatives for Capello’s side were that 4-0 probably flattered England a little. Bulgaria had plenty of chances themselves. While Michael Dawson and Phil Jagielka didn’t look out of their depth Capello will have been concerned at the amount of chances the visitors had.

But we should probably take in to consideration the missing experience at international level of both defenders, and I highly doubt whether Bulgaria would of had so many chances if John Terry was representing the Three Lions last night.

So the signs are good looking forward ahead to England’s potentially crucial qualifier in Basel on Tuesday night. This will be the result that will really indicate just how far, or how little Capello’s side have progressed since the disastrous defeat to Germany in South Africa.

England are going to have to improve on last night’s performance if they are going to get anything from Switzerland.  But the pleasing thing is for Capello that some confidence will have been restored in his management.

Had England dropped points last night or even stuttered to a win last night the knifes would of been out for Capello, but a convincing win may just have bought Capello more time to please the ever doubting English faithful. But after a desperate World Cup, Capello’s tenure is very much one game at a time, and a disappointing result in Switzerland will see the knifes out for the Italian once again.

It’s only been two games in the Premier League and one in the Europa League, but Manchester City keeper Joe Hart has continued his dominating form and has yet to give up a goal in his first three matches. Manchester City were quite brilliant on Monday night at Eastlands as they passed their way through the Liverpool defense on way to a 3-0 home win.

As good as City were moving forward in attack through wingers Adam Johnson and debutante James Milner, Hart was equally as impressive through the night but specifically when he kept out multiple quick fire attempts from Steven Gerrard (who hit the post) then David Ngog and finally Fernando Torres in another commanding performance.

Whether or not City can challenge for the title this year is yet to be seen and will depend on Roberto Mancini’s tactics away from home. If the Italian elects to ‘go for it’, City are as deep as any team in the league and have extra quality in almost every position. Here is a short list of players who were left out or on the bench for City on Monday night:

David Silva, Emmanuel Adebayor, Shaun Wright-Phillips, Shay Given, Pablo Zabaleta, Patrick Vieira, Jo and Mario Balotelli – to name a few.

Pretty impressive if you ask me.

As a United fan with no real ingrained dislike or hatred toward City, I’m almost looking forward to seeing what they can do this season. Keyword ‘almost’.

• I Hart the Premier League

Did you ever see the movie Office Space where they guy makes the ‘jump to conclusions’ mat? His idea was to craft something similar to the pet rock which made some guy named Gary Dahl a cool million+ in the 70′s. Such it was that the character in the movie gets smashed to bits in a car accident and ends up a millionaire stemming from a settlement or insurance claim as opposed to his not-so-genius idea of the mat coming to fruition.

My point post ‘drivel’ is that after some pretty cool results over the first weekend, it would be wise for football fans to not jump to conclusions concerning the eventual fate of Premier League clubs 1-20. It’s only the first week people. Enjoy your result, unless it was a bad one, and focus on week two. One week in the Premier League does not a Champion or Championship side make. Chelsea were always going to thrash WBA, Blackpool were always going to have the spirit of champions running through their blood after their promotion, and oppositely, Tottenham are rarely going to be held scoreless at home. As far as the aforementioned Blackpool, what an impressive result and breath of fresh air for a newly promoted side.

Since this column is largely devoted to individual performances, I’ll press on with a few worthy ones and then the standout performance of the week. As always, or if you’re new to EPL Talk, if I missed someone by not watching all ten matches, tell me about it.

Honorable Mentions -

Marc Albrighton, Aston Villa – the Villains were left a little short handed at the beginning of the week when Martin O’Neill left the club just a few days before the start of the season. Credit to Kevin MacDonald who got the lads together for a fine performance at home v West Ham. Aston Villa never lacked for attacking options in their home opener as a five man midfield of Albrighton, James Milner, Ashley Young, Stewart Downing and Stiliyan Petrov ran riot on the Hammers all afternoon. It was one of those matches where regardless of the final score, the term “it really could have been more” will be used to describe the events of the day accurately.

Tactical Note: one thing I noticed about Villa’s five man midfield is that the midfield three of Albrighton, Downing and Young seemed to change positions to confuse the West Ham defense. Albrighton started the first half on the right but his second half assist came from his well placed ball to Milner when he was on the left. Milner and Petrov were largely stuck slightly deeper in midfield controlling the flow while the other three (Young and Downing often in tandem on the left, Albrighton on the right) took turns running at defenders. Villa’s formation played out as a very attacking 4-2-3-1 with John Carew occupying the 1.

Albrighton impressed me with his darting runs down the right flank and his service into the box largely because I knew of him the least. Who was this new, young mystery man that was embarrassing the West Ham defense (James Tomkins on the left, then Herita Ilunga on the right) with almost each touch of the ball?

Villa fans will want more of the same from Albrighton who recently made his England U21 debut as their sense of uncertainty just a few days ago starts to wane. He’s a hard-working midfielder who tracked back to defend all day and showed his talent with the ball at his feet. Could Albrighton be the young English talent so many want to see emerge this season? Definitely a strong performance on Saturday, but let’s not jump to conclusions.

Milan Jovanovic, Liverpool – although the newly acquired Serb didn’t last the full 90 and didn’t necessarily leave his stamp on the 1-1 draw with Arsenal, I, along with Liverpool fans admired his display in the center of the pitch with his hard fighting style. The former Standard Liege player showed glimpses of the kind of player Liverpool lacked last season en route to a 7th place finish.

In the eighth minute, Jovanovic showed just why Liverpool purchased the 29 year old Serbian international when he picked up the ball in the center of the park and marauded past Arsenal defender Bacary Sagna shoving him to the ground as he charged forward. Sagna recovered only to be shrugged off again as the Anfield faithful roared Jovanovic’s achievements. Jovanovic then found Dirk Kuyt on the right flank before continuing his run forward into the box and when Kuyt crossed, Jovanovic was just a few feet from heading home. A nice move from Liverpool that didn’t result in a goal, but it was the ambitious announcement Liverpool fans craved early on.

Premier League Footballer of the Week -

Joe Hart, Manchester City – Hart was the sole reason City didn’t go into the break away to Spurs 2-0 down, if not more. Hart’s performance was more than a man of the match display, it was a hero of the match in my book. Part brick wall, part Mr. Fantastic stretching and elongating his body to produce brilliant saves, Hart proved he’s the best English keeper in the league.

Hart’s performance came at the most opportune of times as City boss Roberto Mancini placed former #1 Shay Given on the bench in place of Hart. A controversial decision for City supporters that they prayed would pay off in their favor. If you watched the match, you know it did. If you didn’t watch it, Hart’s performance was one of those that you heard about later in the day at the pub or from friends on the Internet. As impressive as Spurs were in the first half, I got the distinct feeling that they’d find no way past Hart on the day. He was that commanding.

Whether it’s on loan with Birmingham City or at his main club Manchester City, Joe Hart proved he belongs no where near the bench for club or country. Conclusion officially jumped.

City boss Roberto Mancini has a pretty nice problem on his hands come the start of the Premier League season as he has arguably two of the league’s best keepers both vying for a starting position at Eastlands. Joe Hart and Shay Given, both full internationals and fit to start the season, aren’t used to bench work, have enjoyed top form in recent campaigns and will stand for nothing less than the #1 come the start of the season.

As Hart looks to be the England #1 for the next decade given David James’ age and step down to the Championship, Given, 11 years older at 34, realizes that he only has a limited number of years left and has recently expressed his desire to play week in, week out at City – neither top keeper looking to relent the starting spot to the other.

As much as Mancini will love the healthy competition between his two brilliant players, he’ll soon have to decide who his starter will be and risk alienating the other as they languish on the bench.

Hart thrived on loan last season at Birmingham City as did Given in Manchester before suffering a season ending shoulder injury in the Spring. Both are excellent shot stoppers with quick reactions while Given obviously has more experience at club and international level due to his age. Hart is the taller keeper by 4-5 in. and seems to possess the ability to control his box as good as or better than Given can.

If Mancini awards the starting spot to Given (which would be the obvious choice largely because he’s done nothing to loose it), one option for Hart would be to go back out on loan in order to stay playing first team football each week. As far as a potential suitor for Hart’s services, I’d imagine Premier League clubs would be queuing up to secure the England international even if it’s only for a short time.

If you’re a City supporter, who would you like to see starting for your club come the opening weekend clash v Tottenham?

Robert Green’s blunder for England against the United States means that England coach Fabio Capello now faces the decision of whether to pick David James or Joe Hart for England’s next game, against Algeria on Friday.

But if you were Capello, who would you pick? David James has his strengths and weaknesses, but Joe Hart is unproven at the highest international level in terms of the world’s stage.

Vote in the poll below and share your opinions in the comments section below.

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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