Merry Christmas one and all and welcome to Gameweek 19. Blackpool Vs Liverpool faces a late pitch inspection, otherwise it looks set to be a full line up over the festivities. There will be plenty of action to enjoy as you tuck into your Turkey sandwiches and polish of the last of the sherry.

Tottenham travel to Villa Park in Sunday’s late game, playmaker Rafael Van Der Vaart(8.2) may not be relishing the holiday fixtures but he is back to full fitness and sure to feature. The Dutchman has been hugely influential all season and Harry Redknapp will be delighted to have him back as Spurs look to keep up with the pack. Robbie Keane is destined for the exit door at White Hart Lane in January. The frontman is currently available for a cut-price 4.8 million. Provided he switches to another Premier League side that could be one hell of a deal.

It’s all gone a bit wrong for the Villa since their draw with Man Utd. If Emile Heskey(5.5) can regain his early season promise it could turn the tide for Gerrard Houllier’s men. Winger Stuart Downing(7.1) has also been a bright spot in a so far lacklustre season, the wingers influence could be even more crucial with fellow winger Ashley Young likely to sit this one out with a knee injury.

Chelsea have an excellent record against Arsenal so their trip to the Emirates could be a perfect opportunity to get their season back on track. Didier Drogba(12.5) probably can’t wait for Monday night, the obscenely gifted cry-baby has put 13 goals past the gunners in 13 matches.  The Blues also welcome back the very sorely missed Frank Lampard(12.6) to their starting line up. It is sure to be a keenly contested game that could provide a few goals. Arsenals twinkled toed Samir Nasri(8.4) could well be staking a claim for player of the season and it’s no surprise that he is currently in 32.5% of Fantasy League Teams. If you want to add a bit of Arsenal flair to your squad but are on a tight budget then you can always treat yourself to star of the future Jack Wilshere. The midfielder has picked up some serious game time this season, he will undoubtedly add to his current points total of 35 as his confidence grows and is yours for a cool 4.9 million.

Gameweek 20 will be upon us in a blink of an eye so that’s your lot for this week. 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

First against third will take place on Monday when Arsenal travel to Old Trafford to take on Manchester United in what will be a fitting end to an exciting weekend. Arsenal lead United by the slimmest of margins, just a point, due to United missing out on league play last weekend against Blackpool because of extreme weather. Whenever two of English football’s biggest clubs meet, fireworks can be expected. Let’s face it, United and Arsenal have dominated the Premier League since its inception so Monday’s prime time match is sure to be enjoyed by millions across the world.

The interesting thing about United v Arsenal, at least this time around, is that top spot is up for grabs and both sides will look to attack with purpose while neither (in recent years) have been prone to set up defensively. Other traditional ‘big 4′ matches featuring Chelsea v Liverpool or United v Chelsea have sometimes proved to be dull, boring affairs while Arsenal v United always entertains.

All pre-match variables point to an open and attacking but tight encounter with top of the league on the line. United have yet to loose in the Premier League this year and Arsenal have the physiological advantage of actually being league leaders thanks to some sensational play in recent weeks from their emerging talisman Samir Nasri.

Before Monday’s appointment, here are three key match-ups we at EPL Talk think will make a difference in the outcome of Manchester United v Arsenal 2010-11, Pt. One.

Samir Nasri v  United’s Defense – Nasri is easily the Premier League’s form player of 2010. His contributions to an Arsenal side who have lacked a full strength Cesc Fabregas or Theo Walcott or an out and out goal scorer have seen Arsenal reach the Premier League summit while many would argue they’ve yet to play their best football. Because of Nasri’s emergence as Arsenal’s best player this season coupled with the fact that the Gunners are still without first choice defender Thomas Vermaelen, many believe Arsenal to be serious title contenders when they’re finally able to put a full-strength team together.

Nasri has been instrumental in Arsenal’s success this season because of his versatility as a footballer. He’s capable in a midfield three, a good passer of the ball, pacy and has developed a healthy goal-scoring obsession in the form of eight league goals so far this season. Nasri uses his pace (second fastest on a quick Arsenal side just behind Walcott) and incredible footwork to create space and goal scoring opportunities.

Depending on how Arsene Wenger elects to use his star player will also depend on which of United’s midfielders or defenders will encounter him the most. Should Wenger place Nasri on the left side of Arsenal’s 4-3-3 or 4-2-3-1, he’ll run into Rafael the most. This could prove incredibly exciting because of how quick both players are while Nasri’s abilities won’t necessarily be used to provide Arsenal with width, but will more likely be used to create space for others by cutting in from the flanks.

Darren Fletcher in midfield is also a likely participant in the containing of Nasri. Because of his work rate and defensive midfield abilities, Fletcher, if fit and starting, will be key in slowing down the league’s best player.

Dimitar Berbatov v Sebastien Squillaci – Berbatov is the league’s leading goal scorer with 11 and will look to add to that tally by testing Arsenal’s (at times, shaky) central defensive pairing of Squillaci and Laurent Koscielny. Arsenal have conceded the most goals this season out of the other three title contenders-United, Manchester City and Chelsea-with 18, so it’ll be up to their center backs to keep them in the game by quieting the Bulgarian.

Berbatov has enjoyed some fine service from those around him in the form of Nani and specifically Wayne Rooney while his finishing has been equally as effective. United’s forward two of Rooney and Berbatov have begun to form quite the partnership upon Rooney’s return to first team action. Although not entirely matured as of yet, their combining in attack has produced a few moments of pure class thus far this season.

As for Arsenal’s Squillaci, the French defender has been asked to step in as cover for the injured Thomas Vermaelen more than expected this season. Although solid on many occasions, Squillaci has been error prone in recent weeks as he trudges through his first season in the Premier League. Pay special attention to his defensive positioning and look for United to attempt to test Arsenal’s back line through crosses into the box from the width that Nani will look to create on the flanks.

Alex Song v Wayne Rooney – Arsenal seem to have found the ‘hard man’ they’ve craved in recent years in the form of Alex Song. Song will sit just in front of the back four which is exactly the space that fit again Wayne Rooney likes to occupy. Playing more as a play-maker or link player than an out and out striker, the battle that Rooney and Song will encounter with each other should be a hard fought one and likely key in a tight match.

Song is a strong midfielder, good in the tackle and can get forward to support in attack when opportunities present themselves. Rooney’s desire to be involved in every movement United attempt and his thirst for the ball witnesses the England striker in more of a roaming role than a ‘high up the pitch goal poacher’. If Rooney can better Song, look for United to create more and enjoy more meaningful possession than Arsenal. Likewise though, if Song can contain Rooney in the same way Fletcher will hope to neutralize Nasri, Arsenal can use Song’s ball winning skills to spark counter attacks into United’s half.

While the predictions will be left to the punters, the match promises to live up to the hype surrounding it. Arsenal would be lying if they said they wouldn’t be pleased with a draw while three points for United would be massive heading into next weekend’s clash with Chelsea at Stamford Bridge as they pocket that game in hand for January.

The funny thing about the Premier League is that you never quite know how things will turn out until matters play out on the pitch. Before the weekend, many were waxing poetic on Chelsea’s very realistic chance of thrashing Sunderland by four, maybe five to Sunderland’s sad nil. Sunderland failed to get that memo though and while Arsenal were able to hold serve away to Everton, participants in the Premier League title race now looks to be a competitive three.

As injuries continued to pile up and plague an Aston Villa side who were coming off a dramatic midweek win against Blackpool, many assumed Manchester United would have their way at Villa Park to close the gap on leaders Chelsea. Even though Villa eventually conceded a point to United after going up by two goals, United were no where near the dominating force many said they would be.

And lastly in the ‘let’s just see how things play out’ saga, Liverpool, just last weekend disposed of Chelsea in grand fashion at Anfield while it seems the ‘one step forward, two steps back’ saying could prove to be an accurate moniker for Liverpool’s season as the Reds stumbled to a 0-2 defeat against Stoke City.

So while Premier League detractors continue to spout the evil rhetoric that denotes a lack of parity in England’s top flight, the faithful and the believers in the league just need to point to gameweek 13, its results and excitement, as proof things aren’t always as they seem and that there’s some pretty good reasons why the game continues to be played out on the pitch.

Honorable Mentions -

Marc Albrighton, Aston Villa- Villa were quite dangerous when Albrighton possessed the ball at his feet on the right flank and crossed into the box. The extremely effective and pacy winger used his full bag of tricks to torment Patrice Evra and provide relevant service that only required a decent target man to head home. Although Albrighton missed what should have been a certain goal when he headed a stunning Stewart Downing cross across the face of United’s goal and out, he soon made up for the miscue.

After Villa opened up the scoring through an Ashley Young penalty, Albrighton finished a picture perfect counter attack when he tapped in another great Stewart Downing cross (Downing too was brilliant on the day). Soon after his strike to double Villa’s lead, Albrighton this time proved a defensive asset when he saved one by heading away Rio Ferdinand’s close range effort.

Aston Villa currently hold the key to the future (and the present) with some of their young players. Barry Bannan, Nathan Delfouneso, Jonathan Hogg and Albrighton himself look a good lot for Villa to hold onto and nurture for the upcoming years.

Nedum Onuoha, Sunderland- You just knew someone from Sunderland would make the list, didn’t you? Shouts for Danny Welbeck, Asamoah Gyan and Jordan Henderson all crossed my mind while it was Sunderland’s starting right back who eventually gets the mention for his all-around good play on Sunday. Sunderland produced a master class in counter attacking football in their eventual 0-3 victory at Stamford Bridge and while the victory should largely be credited to Steve Bruce’s tactics and the overall team effort, it’s hard to leave a Black Cat off the list.

Sunderland’s opener was the first time a visiting player scored at the Bridge this season and wasn’t it one to behold? Onuoha picked up the ball some 30+ yards from goal and ‘Messi’d’ his way past three Chelsea players before slotting home a slow roller past Petr Cech for a deserved lead. It was arguably the goal of the weekend as it stunned the Stamford Bridge crowd and even the match commentators.

While Onuoha continued to hold down the fort on Sunderland’s right side, Jordan Henderson’s ball into the path of Asamoah Gyan for Sunderland’s second was a thing of beauty and unlocked Chelsea again before Danny Welbeck tapped in a third to seal a now famous victory.

Samir Nasri, Arsenal- No stranger to this list, Nasri has arguably been Arsenal’s best and most consistent player this season. In his right-ish attacking midfield role, Nasri played creator with his pace, passing ability and vision during Sunday’s 1-2 away win against Everton. The victory put Arsenal second in the table and sets them up nicely for next weekend’s North London derby against Tottenham.

Premier League Footballer of the Week -

Gareth Bale, Tottenham- Also no stranger to this list and he’ll continue to appear until he proves otherwise, Bale was up to his usual tricks on Saturday against Blackburn. Equal parts goal scorer and provider, Bale remains the lynch-pin to a Tottenham team who currently look solid, but just maybe spread a little thin as a top four spot continues to elude them. Tottenham should qualify for the round of 16 in the Champions League, an incredible feat for a club who were so recently rooted to the bottom of the Premier League table under Juande Ramos.

While the Ramos days are far gone, the Redknapp and Bale days seem to be here to stay. Bale bagged a brace in Spurs 4-2 win over Blackburn on Saturday, his brilliant snap header to open the scoring was easily the highlight of the day. For Bale, one would assume it should be impossible to keep this kind of form up for much longer. But as the Welsh wizard continues to score and provide vital goals for his club from the position of left midfield, the assumption that Gareth Bale is a flash in the pan remains one only held by those who know little about football.

If the 2009-10 season was the one in which Bale announced his name to the Premier League, then the 2010-11 campaign looks to be the one in which Bale’s name appears along side the league’s best.

Phew!! Well what can I say? If it hadn’t been for the antics of Nani and the reliable consistency of Charlie Adam, last week’s effort would have been disastrous. This could end up being a cryptic tips column where doing the exact opposite will prove the most rewarding! I have always been taught to hold your hands up and admit when you are wrong, well my arms are aching having been raised apologetically all week.

My quest for redemption begins at the back where there is a definite bargain to be had. Jose Bosingwa is fit again and available for 5.6 million. He may not have forced his way back into the Chelsea starting eleven yet, but he will, and if you have space to add to your squad I recommend you snap him up before his value increases.

There are more defensive bargains available. Liverpool’s Sotirios Kyrgiakos may play havoc with most spellcheckers but is a snip at 5.1 million. The Greek is proving to be a rock at the back for the Reds and a threat going forward at set pieces.

White Hart Lane’s current hot topic is marauding down the left wing, but if you cast your eye to the opposite flank you will see that Alan Hutton has slotted in very well at right back. He is a rampaging attack minded full back and is excellent value at 4.8 million.

Now that I’ve mentioned it I can’t ignore it. Gareth Bale has the World at his feet after having had Maicon on toast, and remarkably the Welsh wonder is currently available for 6.7 million. How the likes of Man Utd, Barcelona, Inter Milan et al must wish that Fantasy League transfer fees translated directly into the real world.

If you don’t feel like hopping on board the Bale bandwagon then for the same price you can pick up Fulham’s goal getting midfielder Clint Dempsey, or for an extra million you can opt for Arsenal’s Samir Nasri. Both are locked on 47 points and are both are bang in form.

Last week’s big tip Emile Heskey won’t be kicking any balls for a while, no, he hasn’t rediscovered his World Cup form, the big striker has picked up a knee injury. I’d look to Blackpool’s front line to fill the gap, Luke Varney and Gary Taylor-Fletcher, 4.6 and 4.5 million respectively, are performing well and confidence will be high after picking up their first home win of the Season.

I can’t leave without mentioning Newcastle, after a barnstorming derby win against Sunderland Messrs. Nolan, Barton, Carroll and Ameobi will be looking to capitalise on Arsenals disappointing showing in the Champions League. The exciting thing about Newcastle this season is their total unpredictability, Sunday’s lunchtime clash at the Emirates could be a high scoring classic.

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

As much as I do enjoy the off the field entertainment associated with football in England, early Saturday kickoffs are always a welcome relief to the insanity of contract negotiations, rumors and managerial master classes. While topics concerning the week that was have been written on at length, it’s now time to get back down to the exploits on the pitch in what ended a weekend of Premier League football with plenty of talking points.

It was a decent enough couple of days in the Premier League that saw Manchester United finally win their first away game of the season, witnessed Chelsea continue their dominance and experienced West Brom jump into fourth spot, if only for a day or so. Manchester City failed their big test against Arsenal, although the neutrals hated to see Dedryck Boyata sent off so early in the encounter that promised to delight had XI men stayed on for both sides.

Spurs and Everton drew in a match that screamed one side was coming off a European hangover and the other was still searching for their best form while Liverpool got back on track with a win at home against Blackburn but remain in the relegation zone, if only on goal differential. West Ham remains worst but set out to attack while Blackpool were blanked away to Birmingham City.

Honorable Mentions –

Joey Barton, Newcastle – Newcastle won an important away game on Saturday v West Ham and Joey Barton played the role of provider for both of Newcastle’s goals. While it was far from a dominating performance by the Toon, they’ll take the points away from home any day of the week. Barton started the game on the right side of midfield giving way to Kevin Nolan and Cheick Tiote and his usual central midfield role. It was Barton’s cross in the 23rd that found Andy Carroll who won the header to set up Kevin Nolan for the equalizer and again Barton’s service in the 69th which found Andy Carroll for the winner when the striker headed home decisively.

One thing we’re learning about Joey Barton being back in the Premier League this year is that when he’s removed his head from his nether regions, he’s a decent enough footballer. It’ll be Barton’s leadership, experience and the occasional goal that will help Newcastle stay up this season, consolidate and push on in the coming years. Newcastle proved a few years ago that no team is too big to go down. While they currently boast a good enough squad through Nolan, Carroll, Jonas Gutierrez, Fabricio Coloccini and Barton himself to stay up this season, here’s hoping football fans don’t have to experience another Geordie meltdown in the near future.

Nikola Zigic, Birmingham City – The Serbian has now enjoyed two goals in as many weeks as his most recent effort proved enough to seal a 2-0 win at home to Blackpool on Saturday. Upon his move from Spanish side Valencia, Zigic took some time to settle into life as a Premier League footballer. In fact, he seems to still be settling. Although his goal on Saturday was the epitome of being at the right place at the right time, it just may be the little bit of luck he needs to get his first season in the Premier League off to a flying start.

Samir Nasri, Arsenal – To exclude an Arsenal player from at least the honorable mentions would be unfair to a side who saw off a determined Manchester City 0-3 away from the Emirates. Although the final scoreline shows Arsenal to have won without much fuss from City, the match itself was closer than the 3-0 mark leads it on to be. Even with a man less, City maintained some form of cohesion throughout the remainder of the encounter while some credit is due to the oft-criticised Lukasz Fabiabski who had a fine game in goal for Arsenal.

While the Gunners were able to win an important early season match to secure second spot, it was their ability to play as a team without one standout performance in the side. Cesc Fabregas was good, but failed to convert his penalty while the three goals for Arsenal came from three different players. All this said, Samir Nasri continued his good form for Arsenal when he combined brilliantly with Andrei Arshavin to open the scoring in the 20th minute, the goal his fourth in the league this season. Late on, Nasri’s hustle kept the ball in play and the Frenchman was able to slid a neat ball into the path of the just on Nicklas Bendtner who finished past Hart to seal the game.

Premier League Footballer of the Week -

Javier Hernandez, Manchester United – Chicharito’s exploits saved United on and off the pitch on Sunday. His brace secured Manchester United’s first away win of the season and quieted fears surrounding the Wayne Rooney saga, in that United have options up front with the Little Pea and through Dimitar Berbatov who’s contributed goals for United this season. While United maintain the services of their talisman Rooney, Fergie’s early summer buy of Chicharito looks to have been a smart one.

If there’s one thing Premier League fans have learned about Hernandez thus far this season, it’s that he’s an accurate finisher with pace. His clever back-header opened up the scoring for United, a goal that was as brilliant as it was difficult to complete, and his winner late on was a precise reaction finish that only the best strikers can pull off with their keen instincts.

Hernandez is an out and out striker the likes of a young Michael Owen. He works and works and doesn’t need a myriad of chances to put the ball into the net. While United fans mull over whether or not they’ll accept Rooney upon his return, they’ll take calm in the play of Chicharito and welcome him into the family with open arms.

“That’s where I play best, that’s how I was formed. In every age group at youth level, I often played through the middle. I’ve been playing out wide for two years with Arsenal but feel more at ease in the centre of the pitch.”

These words were recently uttered by the only person on the Arsenal squad that could be as strong as Cesc Fabregas in the center of midfield.  Yes, there is Jack Wilshere (too young right now), Tomas Rosicky (not the same after that long-standing injury), and Andrei Arshavin (dangerous, but inconsistent). With Cesc Fabregas all but certain to reach his dream of playing in a Barcelona jersey next season, Arsene Wenger’s choice really isn’t one at all.  He has to pick Samir Nasri.

When Samir Nasri was purchased in the summer of 2008 by the Gunners to take over for Barcelona bound Alexander Hleb, he had already proved himself to be a superstar in France.  Coming off of a season with Ligue 1 side Marseille where he scored seven goals and had 14 assists in all competitions as well as walking away with Ligue 1’s Young Player of the Year award in the previous campaign, Nasri had drawn comparisons to the great Zidane as a scintillating playmaker with a gift for the precise pass.  Debuting against West Bromwich Albion that August, he made an instant impression by scoring the only goal just four minutes into the match.  The 2008-2009 season would have Nasri finish with seven goals and six assists as a winger.  Although he missed out on a large part of the 2009-2010 season with a broken leg, Nasri was still able to make an impact with his club upon his return.  His five goals (three of those in the Champions League) and four assists showed that he could be an asset.

So far this season, Nasri has been playing to his strong potential.  A brace against West Bromwich as well as two penalty conversions against Tottenham in a Carling Cup match have shown his ability to turn a game around.   His performance against Romania over the weekend in Euro 2012 qualifying was excellent as he was the orchestrator of many of Les Bleu’s scoring chances.  While Cesc will retain his position when he comes back from injury, there is no mistaking that Nasri has shown himself worthy to be the stalwart in the midfield for Arsenal.  Next season, there will be a new player in Cesc’s position, like it or not.  Hopefully, it will be number 8.

If, as is his reported wish, Cesc Fabregas is sold back to Barcelona, it would without doubt be a sad moment for the Premier League. Not only would it be a damning indictment of ‘The Best League In The World Ever’ ™ that influential players from three of the traditional Big Four had gone to Real Madrid and Barcelona in less than a year, but it would also mean the loss of a stunningly complete, world class midfielder from the league’s great aesthetes. But this does not mean that Arsenal as a club would suffer greatly from his loss.

It would mean that Samir Nasri, for instance, can be moved into the centre, where he has tended to flourish. In the last 16 game against Porto at the Emirates, Nasri was moved from his shackles on the right hand side of a three – into the position usually held by Fabregas. Nasri was exceptional. Not only did he do this, he played the telling pass for Nicklas Bendtner’s first goal – the first two, key goals in overturning a first leg deficit were because of his flair and brilliance. A few years ago he was being compared in quarters to Zinedine Zidane, for his performances as the attacking thrust of Marseille’s midfield; flash points with Hull City players have shown that he does not lack confidence in himself, or fierce competitiveness.

Whilst one game is perhaps too short a sample to be able to judge Nasri as a long term replacement for Fabregas, it is not as if Arsenal are short of midfield options to currently compensate if the club captain was to leave: Abou Diaby’s brand of bandy-legged roaming, it could be argued, has been inhibited by Fabregas’s presence in the side; being forced to become the ‘in-between’ player in a midfield three has meant that moments like this (also without Fabregas) have simply not happened on a regular basis. Denilson is by no means a great player but his more languid style would perhaps be more suited with a purely creative (Nasri), or purely physical (Diaby) presence alongside him, rather than the all-round brilliance of Fabregas: the Spaniard is a better player than either aforementioned Frenchmen, but is not different enough to Denilson to be a consistently effective counterpoint. As such Denilson, as the junior player, has often played deeper and indifferently in big games. Fabregas offers the same qualities to those offered individually offered by Diaby, Denilson and Nasri to the point that finding an effective ‘third wheel’ in the Arsenal midfield has been difficult for Arsene Wenger to put together on a consistent basis.

Moreover, the financial windfall from the sale of Fabregas would enable Wenger to have greater opportunity to address the problems elsewhere in his squad: a fee surely considerably over £30m would help Wenger buy a centre half (possibly someone like Kjaer, or anyone tall and quick) who could let one of Campbell or Silvestre be put out to pasture. Wenger, with the sale of Fabregas, would have greater scope to take out the series of elephants in the room holding Arsenal back – The Goalkeepers! Hugo Lloris, Gigi Buffon, Steve Mandanda, Joe Hart and friends could be prized from their clubs, should any sale of Fabregas allow more money for transfers.

Whilst on first glance it appears bad news for all concerned if Fabregas was to leave, a hefty transfer fee may enable Wenger to dispense over the rest of the squad, as well as possibly replace Fabregas’s output from within. Some questions, such as naming a new captain (surely Arshavin or Sagna if Gallas leaves) would arise if Fabregas were to leave, but that does not necessarily mean that selling Cesc Fabregas would be a bad thing for Arsenal.

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There’s no doubt that the Premier League season is heating up. The last few weeks have been extremely entertaining. And, for the casual observer, it’s wonderful to see the Big Four teams getting beat. But there were two incidents on Saturday that I found deplorable. The first was Javier Mascherano’s horror tackle on Portsmouth’s Tal Ben Haim. The second was Samir Nasri’s deliberate kick at Hull City’s Richard Garcia.

If you watch the Nasri incident again, you can see the Frenchman deliberately and maliciously kick the back of Garcia’s ankle behind the back of referee Steve Bennett. Arsenal had already won the free kick, so there was no need for Nasri to kick out the way he did. It’s bad enough to get kicked in the ankle, but when someone does it behind you without you even seeing it coming, you can imagine how painful that must have been for Garcia.

Nasri deserved a straight red for the incident. But because the Arsenal player did it behind the back of Bennett and the two assistant referees didn’t see the incident in the crowded area, Bennett ended up giving a yellow card to both Nasri and Steven Hunt. It was bad enough that Nasri got off lightly with just a yellow, but there was no way that Hunt deserved that card. After Nasri fouled Garcia, Hunt took matters into his own hands and pushed Nasri, as Nick Barmby did and a melee then ensued.

Nasri has gone way down in my estimation based on this one horrible decision. But I’m also disappointed with how a prominent Arsenal blog (NSFW) saw the incident, which is one of the reasons why I don’t typically enjoy club blogs in general because they often put blinders on and are very biased in favor of their club. This is how ArseBlogger described the incident:

“Samir Nasri, for reasons best known to himself, bumped into a Hull player and gave him a little kick on the foot while the ref’s back was turned. It was a bit sly, I have to say, and there really wasn’t any need for it. Especially as the Hull player wasn’t that little knacker Steven Hunt. But you know, f**k them. A little bit of aggro is no bad thing and it’s nice to see the lads sticking up for each other.”

“Little kick on the foot”? “Sticking up for each other?” Give me a break. Watch this video (around the 1 minute 30 second mark) and see for yourself:

In the other deplorable incident from Saturday, what was Javier Mascherano thinking? He maliciously went in hard with a tackle with Portsmouth’s Tal Ben Haim and ended up raising his studs and kneeing Ben Haim in between the legs. Not only could that one tackle have ended Ben Haim’s career (luckily it didn’t), but Mascherano injured himself in the reckless tackle.

To make matters worse, co-commentator Nigel Winterburn was awful in his judgement of what happened about whether Mascherano deliberately set out to hurt Ben Haim. As he hemmed and hawed about the incident (“his studs are showing, but I don’t know”), Winterburn sounded incredibly shocked when Mascherano received the straight red. In my book, it was a red card immediately after I saw the incident. And the TV replays solidified my assertion. It was only until the beginning of the second half where Winterburn changed his tune and indicated that maybe Mascherano didn’t go for the ball after all. But even then, Winterburn again hemmed and hawed.

Here’s the video of the incident from the first half:

Mascherano Sent Off (19/12/09) – Watch more funny videos here

Fortunately in the Liverpool game, the referee made the correct decision and Mascherano now faces a three match ban. Nasri deserves the same punishment too. While Saturday was a wonderful day of football, it’s a shame that the actions of two Premier League footballers showed the negative side of the game.

Joey Barton is never far from controversy and such was the case today when the Newcastle midfielder returned to professional football. In his game today for Newcastle, he only touched the ball once during the three minutes he played.

In those three minutes, he commited a controversial tackle, showed little respect, was purposefully tripped by an Arsenal midfielder resulting in a yellow card and banged into Arsenal’s top striker.

Here’s exactly what happened during his return to English football today:

• 88:41: Joey Barton comes on for Jonas Gutierrez.
• 88:51: Barton pressures Arsenal’s Cesc Fabregas. The Arsenal midfielder passes the ball across the pitch.
• 89:28: Barton touches the ball for the first time when he goes in for a 50/50 ball against Samri Nasri and knocks the ball into touch. Nasri is knocked to the turf from the challenge. Arsenal fans boo Barton.
• 89:31: Barton stares down Nasri and makes a sarcastic smile.
• 89:42: After watching a replay of the tackle in slow motion, TWI commentator Steve Banyard comments on Barton’s tackle by saying “That’s not the way to endear himself back.” “Not at all,” chimed co-commentator Gary O’Reilly. Banyard continued, “And a smile, a sarcastic smile like that, is frankly out of order.” O’Reilly replies, “Oh well.” Banyard adds, “The big campaign of the summer has been respect and Barton showed little of it there.”
• 90:01: Nasri trips Barton on purpose.
• 91:01: Gael Clichy nutmegs Barton.
• 91:14: Barton goes up for a cross in the Newcastle box, misses the ball completely but drives his back into Emmanuel Adebayor, causing the striker to grab his back in pain.
• 91:21: Nasri receives a yellow card from the earlier trip on Barton.
• 91:46: After a long kick upfield by Newcastle goalkeeper Shay Given, Barton goes up for a 50/50 ball against Gael Clichy but the Arsenal defender gets his head to the ball first and knocks it to William Gallas.
• 92:08: Full-time whistle blows.
• Barton walks down the tunnel, but afterwards Kevin Keegan gets into a heated argument with Gallas and Nasri as the Newcastle manager points his finger at Gallas. Newcastle’s assistant manager Terry McDermott steps in to break things up.

The challenge that Barton made to win the ball was within the law of the game, but what I object to is the manner in which he went in for the tackle. By watching the TV replay, it’s obvious that Barton intended to send a message to Nasri by the way that the Newcastle midfielder drove his right arm into Nasri’s thigh when the tackle took place. Barton could have easily won the ball in a cleaner manner by not using his arm.

Keegan’s response regarding to the controversy was this: “Joey came on, got a good tackle in on Nasri. Then the guy sliced him down. That’s what happened and that’s what I saw, which is what I was upset about.”

Yes the tackle was good, but was unnecessarily rough. Nasri didn’t slice Barton down. He tripped him on purpose.

“I know the referee didn’t see it but the linesman did and it should have been a red card,” said Keegan.

Red card? You’re having a laugh.

“It wasn’t a reckless tackle – it was a good tackle.” Except for the right arm that went charging into Nasri, yes.

For once, Arsenal manager Arsene Wenger’s reaction to a controversial incident was spot on. “I was not surprised by the reaction of the fans – I have been involved in the game long enough not to be surprised by anything,” said Wenger. “Nasri clipped Barton and there was a little incident between them, but he was booked and rightly so.”

Barton’s return to football was full of controversy. Let’s hope that Barton gets his head together if he’s to play any more matches for Newcastle United.