I participate every year, so I have no room to talk but I would in all honesty like to take a moment to count my blessings as a Liverpool fan. A quick look at the calendar and the EPL table will show that it is November 12, 2013 and Liverpool currently occupy second place. Reds fans can thank a number of people/things for this and I would like to do so in no particular order.

Glen Johnson

Fullback (Left/Right back) might be the most thankless position on a football field. Even in the midst of a data-driven revolution in the sport, it is incredibly difficult to evaluate and quantify the value of a good left/right back. It would seem the only way to do so is to watch how a team plays with and without a particular fullback.

Two weeks ago we saw Jon Flanagan get a last minute start in place of an ill Glen Johnson. The youngster held his own against the best team in England so far this season. But there seemed to be something missing from the right back spot going forward. Liverpool had trouble maintaining possession in the attacking third. This past Saturday Johnson returned to the starting lineup (albeit against a lousy Fulham side) and showed us just how valuable he is. He was constantly stringing passes together with the forwards and the midfielders and helped Liverpool maintain their high backline. He did exactly what a fullback needs to do in Brendan Rodgers system: kept possession in the attacking third and delivered some effective crosses. Even if you look across the field at Aly Cissokho/Jose Enrique, you won’t find the same efficiency and reliability you get with a healthy, fit Glen Johnson.

Luis Suarez

This one is pretty obvious. There isn’t much to be said about the Uruguayan international that hasn’t already been said. He doesn’t just score at an incredibly efficient rate, he does it with a hint of the spectacular. For all the (legitimate) complaints about his tendency to go down easily in the penalty area, he actually tends to work tirelessly, chasing the ball around and making deadly runs in and out of the box. Keeping Suarez should be the team’s No.1 priority in January. We saw Suarez’s new strike partner Daniel Sturridge get visibly frustrated and force the issue way too often against Fulham because he was so concerned with getting a goal of his own. If Suarez leaves and Sturridge has to be relied upon even more for goals, things could go downhill in a hurry.

Lucas Leiva

Despite their success so far this season, Liverpool’s central midfield has been exposed. Steven Gerrard continues to get older and slower while Jordan Henderson works hard but fails to impact the game in big moments. The blond Brazilian has been the only line of defense between the back four and the midfield. Lucas’s work rate as a holding midfielder has helped Liverpool preserve a lot of wins this season and they’ll need more of the same from him in the second half of the season if they’re going to hold a Top 4 spot.

The Schedule Makers

Liverpool have only played three of the current top eight teams in the table and those games have been spread out very nicely. They need to continue to take advantage of their games against lesser competition because there is a 14 day stretch coming in December that will feature games against Tottenham, Manchester City, and Chelsea; all of three of which are away from home.

Sir Alex Ferguson

The recently retired Manchester United boss hasn’t had many nice things to say about Steven Gerrard lately, but his departure from Old Trafford has had a ripple effect across the Premier League. Teams (and referees) are no longer terrified of the Red Devils and as a result we have a wide open title race.

Arsenal

If Liverpool can’t win the whole thing, I’ll be pulling for Arsenal. They’ve been a ton of fun to watch this season and it’s nice to see someone not named Manchester or Chelsea running away with the league so easily.

John Terry’s header saves a draw for Chelsea at White Hart Lane.  This match was about the Student versus the Teacher.  Spurs Andres Villas Boas had learned his trade under the tutelage of Jose Mourinho when both were at FC Porto in the Portuguese top league.  This particular derby match is one of the more contested in the history of the FA and there was plenty of tension at the start.  The two managers shared a cordial handshake in the beginning.  The Spurs fans expressed their hatred for Mourinho as they began singing for him to sit down.  The home side dominated the early part of the match and took the lead in the 19^th minute.  It was a fine move that was started by Christian Eriksen when he played a nice pass across the Blues’ penalty area to Roberto Soldado who then poked a nifty pass to Gylfi Sigurdsson.  Sigurdsson was able to get past Terry and poke home the goal past Petr Cech’s grasp to send the White Hart Lane crowd into joyous singing.  They spent the rest of the half taunting Mourino by changing “You’re not special anymore”.  Spurs could have made it two right at the break when Paulino’s shot bounced off the goal post.  The half ended a really mediocre Chelsea display and Mourinho knew it.  Whatever he did or said during the break worked.  The first adjustment was to finally give Juan Mata a chance.  He came on for a really ineffective Jon Obi Mikel and the change instantly got the Blues moving in a positive direction.  They nearly equalized in the 47^th minute, but Oscar just couldn’t get to Fernando Torres’ square-ball.  A couple of minutes later, Torres forced a fine save from Spurs keeper Hugo Lloris, but then got himself booked in the 50^th minute for mental mistake.  The referee had awarded a free kick to Spurs for a foul by Torres on Jan Vertonghen.  Torres, who was convinced the Spurs defender had taken a dive, grabbed Vertonghen by the face and dug his nails into the Belgian’s skin.  Vertonghen had a brain cramp himself in the 64^th minute when he committed a really dangerous tackle on Ramires in the Spurs defending third of the field.  He was lucky to have only gotten a yellow card for the challenge.  Juan Mata took the resulting free kick and found an unmarked Terry at the back post.  The former England captain headed over Lloris and into the net to level the scores, much to the delight of the visiting supporters.  But then in the 80^th minute, Vertonghen and Torres clashed again.  This time, the referee ruled that Torres had caught Vertonghen in the face with his elbow and gave the Spaniard a second yellow card.  With the Blues down to ten men, Spurs picked up the pace and Sigurdsson and later Jermain Defoe nearly snatched the win.  Defoe’s shot right at the end had to be blocked by Frank Lampard to preserve the draw.

Aston Villa 3 – 2 Manchester City

The Villains strike back twice and grab the upset win over Citeh.  Citeh boss Manuel Pellegrini is a bit baffled after this match.  After all, they were supposed to go to the top of the league this week.  They had achieved an impressive win last week in the Manchester Derby and this trip to Villa Park was to be, literally, a walk in the park.  Villa were without their main striker Christian Benteke who was out due to injury.  This was a chance for Citeh to put their stamp on the league and start their quest to reclaim the BPL trophy.  They did dominate the first half and should have taken the early lead when Aleksandar Kolarov’s cross was put just wide of goal by former Villain James Milner.  Edin Dzeko had another chance in the eighth minute when Samir Nasri put him through on goal.  Villa’s USA international keeper Brad Guzan made a fine save from Dzeko’s shot to keep the net empty.  It took Citeh until first half stoppage time to finally break the deadlock.  Yaya Toure took the initiative and the Ivorian’s shot was deflected past Guzan for the opening goal right at the end of the half.  Citeh should have gotten number two as the second half got underway.  Kolarov’s shot went just wide of the post and Alvaro Negredo nearly took advantage of some slack Villain defending.   But then the home side got a lucky break when Leandro Bacuna’s though pass was put home by Karim El Ahmadi to make the score 1-1.  Replays suggested that El Ahmadi may have been offside, but the referee ignored any pleas by the Citeh defenders.  They retook the lead in the 56^th minute when Dzeko headed home Nasri’s corner kick.  That should have been enough for the visitors to see out the match, but in the 72^nd minute, Matija Nastasic fouled Andreas Weimann just outside of the visitors’ penalty area.  Leandro Bacuna took the free-kick and hit a curling shot into the upper left corner that CIteh keeper Joe Hart could only watch go by him.  The Villains got the winner in the 74^th minute when Weimann was able to get on the end of a long punt from Guzan and get past central defender Vincent Kompany to be one-on-one with Hart.  The Austrian was able to get past the England international and roll the ball into the empty net.  It was then up to Guzan as he was able to save from substitute Stevan Jovetic and later see an injury time corner headed wide by Kolarov.

Fulham 1 –2 Cardiff

Cottagers’ boss Marin Jol could be the next manager fired.  There’s a hot mess at Craven Cottage at the moment.  Owner Shaid Khan is trying to get things cleaned up and one of the first changes has been to take down the Michael Jackson statue.  There are lots of Fulham fans who want the next bit to be removed to be Jol.  Although they did beat Everton in the Capital One Cup on Tuesday, they haven’t had a home BPL win since April 1^st.  One could sense that there was going to be trouble for Fulham when Scott Parker went off injured in the seventh minute, to be replaced by Giorgos Karagounis.  Things went from bad to worse for the home side in the 12^th minute when an unmarked Steven Caulker headed home Peter Whittingham’s corner kick to put the visitors into the lead.  The Welsh side could have made it two in the 26^th minute when Ben Turner’s header was saved by Cottagers’ keeper David Stockdale.  A short time later, Caulker thought he had scored the second, but the referee disallowed it for a push on Stockdale.  Jol made one more change as the first half wore on when in the 41^st minute Bryan Ruiz came on Alex Kacaniklic.  The move worked as Ruiz was able to get on the end of a Pajtim Kasami pass and curl a shot into the top corner to level the score in the 44^th minute.  As the second half got underway, it was the visitors who worked to take back the initiative.  They brought on Jordan Mutch to replace Bo-Kyung Kim in the 55^th minute and he made a great through pass for Frasier Campbell who scuffed the shot on goal.  It was Mutch though who won it for Cardiff when he won a clearing ball in stoppage time and hit a brilliant strike from 25 yards into the top corner of the goal.  It was their first top-flight away win since November 1961 and it looks like the newly promoted side might make a good run at staying up.  Fulham look like they may be one of the relegation candidates.  It’s still early yet, so we shall see.

Hull 1 – 0 West Ham

Robert Brady’s penalty kick is good enough for the win for the Tigers.  West Ham should have an early gift when Hull defender Liam Rosenior sent a weak back pass back to his keeper Allan McGregor.  McGregor was able to clear away any danger though.  This was another match where the Hammers really missed injured striker Andy Carroll.  They just don’t have much punch to their attack because Modibo Miaga and Mladen Petric just can’t seem to make up for not having the England international in the side.  The deciding moment of the match happened in the 12^th minute.  The Tigers’ winger Ahmed Elmohamady hit a cross into the Hammers’ penalty area and defender Joey O’Brien fouled Robbie Brady while trying to head clear.  The referee awarded the Tigers the spot kick which Brady calmly put away.  The Hammers had a chance to level the score in the 23^rd minute when they earned a corner kick.  Matt Jarvis took the kick which eventually went to James Tomkins.  His header was blocked off the line by Elmohamady from his chest.  But that’s as close as the Hammers would come in the first half.  They nearly went further behind when keeper Jussi Jaaskelainen was forced to make an excellent save from Sone Aluko.  The second half didn’t get much better for the visitors as they nearly conceded again in the 47^th minute.  They were saved by the offside flag after Aluko got the ball into the Hammers’ net.  Tigers’ striker Danny Graham should have scored in the 62^nd minute from Brady’s free kick.  But alas, his shot ballooned over the goal.  Graham nearly had an assist when he played in Jake Livermore on goal in the 67^th minute.  His shot bounced off the post.  Hammers’ boss Sam Allardyce just could find a way to get his side’s attack going.  Not even bringing on Ricardo Vaz Te or Stewart Downing would do anything to help.  They thought they had a penalty shout for themselves in the 75^th minute when it looked like Tigers’ defender Liam Rosenior handled in his own penalty area.  But the referee ignored the Hammers’ pleas.  That was about all there was to this match.  Tigers’ boss Steve Bruce is proud of the progress of his newly promoted side and it looks like they may be good enough to stay up.

Southampton 2 – 0 Crystal Palace

The Saints get two second half goals to secure the win over Palace.  I’ll tell you what, watch out for Southampton this season.  It may be early days yet for the league, but the Saints are sitting ahead of the likes of Manchester City and Manchester United (can you believe that?).  Saints’ boss Mauricio Pochettino has done a wonderful job since taking over late last season.  There’s even a whisper or two about Southampton playing European football next season.  Now it’s WAY too soon to be thinking about that, but the Saints were clearly much better than newly promoted Crystal Palace on Saturday.  As far as the match went, there wasn’t a whole lot to write about for the first half.  The only highlight was 28^th minute booking for former Arsenal player Marouane Chamakh.  The Palace striker made a theatrical dive in the Saints’ penalty area when he went in on the goal and he was booked for that really awful acting job.  The Saints get themselves going in the second half and grabbed the first goal in the 46^th minute when Pablo Osvaldo grabbed a loose ball from Palace defender Mile Jedinak.  He was able to get around Kagiso Dikgacoi’s challeng and rifle his shot in past keeper Julian Speroni.  The second goal came two minutes later when the Saints were awarded a free kick for Dikgacoi’s foul on Osvaldo.  Rickie Lambert took the kick and hit a bender that Speroni could only watch go in past him.  The Saints thought they had a third toward the end of the match when substitute Jay Rodriguez found the net, but he was ruled offside.   So this is their third win of the season and they look really hard to beat.  Who dat think they’re gonna beat the Saints?

Swansea 1 – 2 Arsenal

Could this be the Gunners’ year?  The start of this year’s campaign has been one of the most chaotic in quite a while.  First, you have all the preseason shuffling with three of the four top finishers from last season replacing their managers.  Then you have the chaotic start of the Manchester clubs and the indifferent start of Chelsea.  Who would have thought that Arsene Wenger, celebrating his 17^th year in charge of the Gunners, would have even the remotest chance at winning the BPL this year?  Well Saturday was their ninth in a row from all competitions since that shock opening loss to Aston Villa.  A lot of folks credit Mesut Ozil who seems to have fit in well with his new club.  Saturday, however, Aaron Ramsey was the engine for the Gunners at the Liberty Stadium.  The first half was a bit dull, with not much to write about.  Ozil nearly scored right at the halftime interval when he was found unmarked by fellow German Serge Gnabry.  But Ozil’s shot went wide of the goal and both sides finished the half with no shots on goal.  In the 50^th minute, Gnabry nearly got Arsenal into the lead but fired his shot directly at Swans’ keeper Michel Vorm.  The German teenager did get the goal he was hoping for in the 58^th minute when Ramsey took a pass from Olivier Giroud and teed up Gnabry so that he could become Arsenal’s second youngest BPL goal scorer.  Ramsey also had a hand in what should have been a goal from Ozil in the 58^th minute.  He put Ozil in on Vorm, but the Swans’ keeper was able to make the save.  In the 62^nd minute Ramsey scored himself when Giroud put the Welsh international through on goal and he was able to get the ball past Vorm’s reach.  Although Swansea managed to pull a goal back in the 81^st minute, it was too little too late.  There was a penalty shout in stoppage time when Gunners’ defender Bacary Sagna’s clearing kick appeared to strike Mathieu Flamini in the arm, but nothing was awarded.  So the Gunners sit at the top of the league with a two point cushion.

Stoke 0 – 1 Norwich

The Canaries get back to winning ways at the Britannia Stadium.  It was their second win of the season and their first away win.  It’s a relief to boss Chris Hughton as it lifts his side out of the bottom three.  The match itself was a bit scrappy with the Canaries finally taking advantage of some really sloppy play from the Potters.  Jonny Howson grabbed a loose ball in the 34^th minute from Anthony Pilkington and hit a long shot into the net past keeper Asmir Begovic.  Stoke thought they had a second half penalty call when it looked like Canaries’ defender Leroy Fer was holding Kenwyne Jones.  But that would be as close as the home side would ever get to the goal as they’re now one place below their opponents in 15^th place in the BPL table.

Sunderland 1 – 3 Liverpool

Luis Suarez gets a brace to lift the Reds back into contention for the BPL trophy.                Yep, he’s back.  After completing his 10-match ban and making amends for whining about a transfer during the summer, the Uruguayan international was the man of the match on Sunday.  To be fair, the Blackcats are a club that’s in chaos at the moment.  Having fired former boss Paolo Di Canio a week ago, and sitting at the foot of the table, one couldn’t be blamed for betting that they will be the first club relegated this season.  Sunderland did give Liverpool a fight early on and had several attempts on goal.  Those included a shot from USA international Jozy Altidore that was blocked by central defender Martin Skrtel and a Sebastian Larsson free-kick that hit the bar.  But it was striker Daniel Sturridge who opened the scoring when he scored from Steven Gerrard’s corner kick.  Replays of the goal suggested that the ball had gone in off the strikers’ right arm.  Liverpool’s second goal was a warning to the opposition of the potential strike force the Reds now possess.  Gerrard was able to pick out Sturridge’s through run.  Sturridge was able to easily get past Blackcats’ defender Carlos Cuellar and hit a cross for Suarez to head home inside the far post.  That’s the punch they have now and should have opponents worried.  The one thing that Reds’ boss Brendan Rodgers will need to work on is his side’s tendency to suffer lapses in concentration.  One happened in the 52^nd minute when Sung-Yeung Ki was able to waltz through the middle of the Reds’ defense to shoot on goal.  Although keeper Simon Mignolet was able to make the save, the rebound landed at Emanuele Giaccherini’s feet and he tucked the ball into the goal to halve the deficit for the home side.  Altidor should have equalized in the 62 minute when he forced a fine save from Mignolet.  But try as they might Sunderland just couldn’t score and in the 88^th minute, Sturridge and Suarez combined again to put the match away.  Suarez sent Sturridge on his way with a great through pass and Sturridge returned the favor with a cross which Suarez tapped in to launch his side into second place in the BPL table.

Everton 3 – 2 Newcastle

Wait a second here.  Everton are still undefeated?  They sit in fourth place in the BPL table?  They’re eight places above Manchester United, the club who took their beloved manager from Goodison Park?  And they’re doing all of this with Roberto Martinez, the man who couldn’t save Wigan from relegation last season?  You’ve got to be kidding me!  Well, it’s all true.  They were clearly the better team on Monday and started the match in fine fashion.  They scored in the fifth minute when Romelu Lukaku scored from Kevin Mirallas’ fine pass into the Newcastle area.  Lukaku was the provider for the second goal as he fed Ross Barkley through the middle and he was able to get past the Newcastle defenders to score his first goal in front of his home fans.  The one great change that Martinez has been able to make to the Toffees this season so far has been to pass the ball in fine fashion as was shown in the first two goals.  But the third goal was “old fashion route one stuff” as USA keeper Tim Howard’s punt went right straight to Lukaku.  The loanee from Chelsea was able to drive through the Newcastle defense again, easily get around keeper Tim Krul, before rolling the ball into an open net from close range.  Lukaku thought he had his hat-trick right before the end of the half, but the goal was not allowed due to offside.  Newcastle tried to make a fight-back in the second half and they got a goal back in the 50^th minute from Yohan Cabaye.  They got a second in the 88^th minute from Loic Remy, but it just wasn’t their day.  Stop laughing Toffee fans.  Y’all are just as surprised with what Martinez has done and what Moyes hasn’t as everyone else.

Daniel Sturridge got a first half goal and Simon Mignolet came up big a couple times in the second half. I wouldn’t call them efficient, but both wins were certainly huge and seem to have given the entire team a huge confidence boost going forward. They’ll need it with Manchester United on tap for next Sunday.

In the meantime, however, it’s worth asking the question: Just how good is this team?

I’ve seen a lot of people throwing around Liverpool’s recent record without Luis Suarez and it seems plenty of fans are ready to permanently part ways with the polarizing Uruguayan. I’m not thrilled at that prospect. While he did convert it, Daniel Sturridge made his first half goal a lot more difficult than it needed to be. He’s a great steward for the starting striker spot in Brendan Rodgers’s 4-3-3 formation while Suarez serves his suspension, but I still remain unconvinced he can carry the load for an entire season. Suarez’s ruthless efficiency, as well as his ability to create for himself, is still very valuable as the Reds pursue a Top 4 finish this season.

Moving to the midfield, Philippe Coutinho has had two decent games but still looks like a man among boys in the center of the pitch. Jordan Henderson hasn’t taken the next step the way we all hope he will this season, but it’s still early on. Lucas has looked a bit sluggish too as Aston Villa had a little bit of success going straight down the middle of the pitch in the second half on Saturday.

As far as defense goes, Sebastian Coates’s season ending ACL injury seems to have finally conked Rodgers on the head and made him realize he needs to buy a center back before the transfer window closes. Aly Cissokho made his debut in a brief appearance as a substitute and looks capable of platooning with Jose Enrique at left back. Kolo Toure has held a couple target forwards (Peter Crouch, Christian Benteke) in check for these first two games, but he’ll really be tested by Robin van Persie next weekend.

I’m not trying to be a buzzkill or anything. Liverpool are off to their best start in years after winning their first two. While it’s true that great teams grind out results, no matter how ugly, when they aren’t at their best, but it’s disconcerting to see just two goals in as many games when there were plenty of more chances that could’ve been converted. That’s why Suarez is so desperately needed. Manchester United will show us just how good this team really is.

Until then, walk on with cautious optimism in your heart!

“Walk on with hope in your heart and you’ll never walk alone!”

WASN’T THAT AN EXCITING OPENING DAY?!?!

Sorry…that was just my Runner’s High wearing off. But really, talk about getting off to a fast start. Saturday’s 1-0 win over Stoke certainly seemed to have it all.

Now, I’m going to try and avoid recapping each individual game as much as possible this season. But the first match of the season is a time for overreaction and hyperbole (hence the title of this post) so I came up with a list of over-the-top statements and a more realistic counter for each one. Starting with…

OVERREACTION: SIMON MIGNOLET IS THE BEST!!!

REALITY CHECK: WE DON’T KNOW IF HE’S BETTER THAN PEPE REINA

I don’t think there’s a lot of people out there singing the Belgian’s praises so highly, even after he did his homework and denied Jonathan Walters minutes before the final whistle. It would be foolish to overlook his tentative first half in which he struggled to re-direct with the ball at his feet on several different occasions. Let’s hope it was simply first day jitters because he’s going to see much more of the ball at his feet throughout the rest of the season.

OVERREACTION: WHO NEEDS LUIS SUAREZ WHEN YOU’VE GOT DANIEL STURRIDGE?!

REALITY CHECK: THIS TEAM ISN’T GOING ANYWHERE WITHOUT SUAREZ’S EFFICIENCY

It was certainly good to see Daniel Sturridge prove himself capable of leading the front line. While his goal turned out to be the difference, however, it was a bit lucky. Liverpool managed to put up double digits shots on goal and yet only one of them made it in the back of the net.

Sound familiar?

If anything, this match showed us just how valuable Luis Suarez is if a Top 4 finish is going to be achieved. This team had similar performances with the lethal Uruguayan in the lineup last year. Without him, this team will have to rely upon Simon Mignolet more often than they’d like. With him, a Champions League spot next season isn’t completely ludicrous to imagine.

OVERREACTION: IAGO ASPAS IS A BUST!

REALITY CHECK: HE’S NOT A BUST…YET

The newcomer from Celta Vigo didn’t exactly wow everyone with his finishing ability, but (as we just discussed) neither did anyone else. Since I reside in the United States, I did not catch any of the preseason action. I was pretty shocked by how small Aspas is, especially compared to your average EPL center back. His skill set is well suited for the style of play Brendan Rodgers prefers, but guys like Vincent Kompany, Phil Jones, John Terry, etc are going to eat him alive if he can’t get stronger in a hurry or figure out how to move the ball even quicker than he’s shown he’s capable of.

OVERREACTION: SHOULD’VE SOLD HENDERSON AND PUT IT ALL ON JONJO SHELVEY

REALITY CHECK: KEEPING HENDERSON AND SELLING SHELVEY WAS (PROBABLY) THE CORRECT DECISION

I found myself pondering this issue when Jordan Henderson missed a good chance in the first half inside the box. He had a pretty quiet game for someone whom management appears ready make the next midfield general once Steven Gerrard rides off into the sunset. Shelvey didn’t exactly light the world on fire himself, but he had his moments against a grizzled Manchester United defense in his Swansea debut.

Jordan Henderson has always been, good but not quite great; or even “very good” for that matter. This is a make-or-break season for him. Shelvey is young and appears to have a brighter future ahead of him in terms of upside. If Henderson doesn’t start finishing more chances and coming up big in big moments he’s going to find himself on the bench in favor of Joe Allen.

OVERREACTION: ALY CISSOKHO WILL CURE ALL OF LIVERPOOL’S DEFENSIVE WOES!

REALITY CHECK: THE (BIGGER) DEFENSIVE PROBLEM IS NEXT TO DANIEL AGGER

Jose Enrique may not be a world beater at left back, but he’s capable. He does have a tendency to get dispossessed a little too easily while going forward, but he was fine on Saturday. Cissokho may turn out to be world class, but we’ll have to wait and see. The greater need is at center back next to Daniel Agger. Kolo Toure was the physical presence Liverpool needed him to be, but Brendan Rodgers would prefer to have a second Agger; a center back who is extremely confident on the ball. Toure was OK distributing out of the back and Peter Crouch had his moments in the first half as he was getting in behind the line pretty frequently; both through the air and on the ground.

A platoon between Toure, Martin Skrtel, and Andre Wisdom probably won’t be enough to earn a Top 4 finish this season.

“Walk on with hope in your heart and you’ll never walk alone!”

Could this be the year the Reds’ boss Brendan Rodgers finally puts things together?  Well, they made a couple of key moves this season by bringing in defender Kolo Toure from Manchester City on a free transfer and La Liga players Luis Alberto (Sevilla) and Iago Aspas (Celta Vigo) for around $10m each.  They’re going to miss the leadership of retired central defender Jamie Carragher and Stewart Downing has joined Andy Carroll at West Ham.  With striker Luis Suarez’s status with the club has yet to be resolved, look for the Reds to depend heavily on Daniel Sturridge.  Stoke City, on the other hand, are experiencing their own summer chaos as they are one of five BPL clubs with a new manager.  Mark Hughes replaced Tony Pulis who voluntarily left the club two days after the end of last season.  The move made the home fans very angry and one fan spent the summer driving a van around town with a “Hughes Out” banner.  If Hughes recent managerial record is any indication, expect Stoke City to be one of the teams fighting relegation this season.  Liverpool should win this one easily.  Prediction: Liverpool 3-0 Stoke City

Arsenal – Aston Villa

Of the teams that finished in the top four of the BPL last season, the Gunners were the only team not to replace their manager.  There is a lot expected of Arsene Wenger this season and there has been a clean-out of a lot of players over the summer.  Among those out are Marouane Chamakh, Gervinho, and Andrey Arshavin.  While they’ve been linked to strikers such as Gonzalo Higuain, Wayne Rooney, and Luis Suarez, they have yet to land anyone of significance.  There has been a bit of grumbling among the Gunner fans because it’s been 8 years since they’ve last won a trophy.  If they fail again this year, expect the fans to be calling for Wenger’s sacking.  Villa, meanwhile, are feeling better about their chances this season.  They were able to keep star striker Christian Benteke by offering him a new contract.  They also offered a contract to US International goalkeeper Brad Guzan, who had a spectacular season between the posts for the Villians.  This match should be a good one to watch.  Villa boss Paul Lambert will want to improve his away record this season and the Emirates Stadium would be a great place to get that started.  But the Gunners aren’t going to be easy to beat at home.  I expect this to be the start of a campaign for the Gunners that will have them contending for the BPL Trophy in May.  Prediction: Arsenal 2-1 Aston Villa

Norwich – Everton

Well, Roberto Martinez had to go somewhere after his former club was relegated.  But, nearly every single Everton fan I’ve spoken to is angry that he ended up on their side of the Mersey River.  On the good side, Martinez did manage to keep Leighton Baines and Marouane Fellaini, despite interest from their old boss, David Moyes at Manchester United.  Norwich boss, Chris Hughton looks to extend the Canaries stay in the top flight and made some interesting transfers over the summer.  Among them are Gary Hooper from Celtic and Martin Olsson from Blackburn.  The one thing the Canaries did well last season was to defend their home ground.  I look for them to do the same this season.  It will be interesting to see how the Everton players respond to their new boss.  This one will be an interesting first test for Martinez.  Prediction: Norwich 1-1 Everton

Sunderland – Fulham

Well, Blackcat’s boss Paolo Di Canio still hasn’t really endeared himself with the fans yet.  There is some hope that the summer transfers that he has made might make a significant contribution.  Among them is US International striker Jozy Altidore.  Di Canio is hoping that making Sunderland more offensive might get some buy-in from the fans.  Cottager’s boss Martin Jol made a significant move himself by bringing in Moroccan International midfielder Adel Taarabt on loan from Queens Park Rangers.  While Jol’s job is not necessarily in jeopardy, he’ll be wanting his club to perform a lot better than they did last season.  This match should be an interesting one for US fans.  Can Altidore build on his mid-week hat-trick he got with the US Team’s in their last win over Bosnia-Herzegovina? Prediction: Sunderland 2-2 Fulham

West Bromwich Albion – Cardiff

Here is an interesting match.  The Baggies did ok last season as they managed to stay in the BPL even as they seemed to run out of steam toward the end of the season.  Newly promoted Cardiff are the second Welsh team to feature in the BPL and look to build on the momentum that got them promoted from the Championship division.  This match also features two of the games more eccentric strikers in the game today.  Nicolas Anelka, who came from Juventus on a free transfer, suits up for the Baggies and Craig Bellamy lines up for the Welsh side.  This is one of those matches that will be intriguing because you just don’t know what to expect from either side.  Prediction: West Bromwich Albion 0-0 Cardiff

Swansea – Manchester United

Well, the David Moyes era at Manchester United started out with a victory as the Red Devils won the Charity Shield.  While that earned the new boss some good press and such, there are still several issues he has to deal with.  The biggest one remains what to do about striker Wayne Rooney.  The word is still that he is not for sale, but he has yet to play a match for the club since March.  Swansea look to build on their campaign that saw them good enough to make the Europa League qualifying rounds.  The Welsh side were very good at home last season and boss Michael Laudrup is looking to build on that.  This one is a hard match to predict as it will go a long way to show if United have the stuff to defend the BPL Trophy.  But that’s why they play the matches, right?  Prediction: Swansea 2-2 Manchester United

Crystal Palace – Tottenham

Well, the Gareth Bale saga drags on as Real Madrid continue their pursuit of the Welsh winger.  He didn’t play in Wales’ mid-week friendly and it looks like he won’t play on Sunday.  That shouldn’t matter as Spurs travel to newly promoted Crystal Palace.  Palace are excited with their new signing as Morouane Chamakh is set to join 40-year-old Kevin Phillips up front.  Spurs boss Andres Villas-Boas in under a bit of pressure this season as Spurs failed to qualify for the UEFA Champions’ League last season.  This one should be a win for Spurs and would be a good start to silence Villas-Boas’ critics.  Prediction: Crystal Palace 1-2 Tottenham

Chelsea – Hull

Now that the “Special One” has returned to Stamford Bridge, Chelsea are the odds on favorite to win the BPL this season.  A home win should go a long way to get that campaign started.  The one story still out there is whether or not Jose Mourinho will be able to obtain the services of Wayne Rooney.  Both bids for the England International have been rejected, but Mourinho is not one to take rejection lightly.  Hull, back in the BPL after a season in the Championship, are hoping that Tom Huddleston and Jake Livermore, both signed from Tottenham, will give them enough strength in their midfield.  But this is a match where they really don’t have much of a chance.  In fact, I’ll bet that even Fernando Torres scores in this one.  Prediction: Chelsea 5-0 Hull

Manchester City – Newcastle

Manchester City had the best team on paper last season.  Their biggest problem was their idiotic manager Roberto Mancini.  Now that he has been replaced by Manuel Pellegrini, there has been a lot of change at the “Blue Half” of Manchester.  Notable exits have been Carlos Tevez, Wayne Bridge, and Kolo Toure.  The question now is if Pellegrini can make this team his.  The Magpies were lucky not to be relegated last season and Boss Alan Pardew hopes that new transfer Loic Remy will give his midfield a needed kick.  I look for Citeh to win this one easily as it is at home and they’re one of the sides who are expected to contend for the BPL this season.  Prediction: Manchester City 3-0 Newcastle

They aren’t.

This summer has come and (almost) gone with a lot of moves being made. Let’s quickly recap…

Out

Andy Carroll-ST

Jonjo Shelvey-CM

Pepe Reina-GK (Loan)

Jay Spearing-CM

Suso-Winger/FWD (Loan)

Conor Coady-CM (Loan)

Jack Robinson-LB (Loan)

Danny Wilson-CB

Peter Gulacsi-GK

In

Iago Aspas-ST/Winger

Luis Alberto-Winger/FWD

Kolo Toure-CB

Simon Mignolet-GK

Now, for the purposes of this discussion I’m going to assume Luis Suarez is staying here this season. The team has been incredibly firm with him, most recently by sending him to train with the youngsters, and they appear intent on holding onto him and letting him work his way back into the squad upon the completion of his suspension. I’m not sure they always felt that way (see: Aspas and Alberto signings) but there can be little doubt about their intentions at this point in the transfer window.

So let’s take a look at what the lineup will probably look like before/after his return.

Before

Mignolet

Johnson – Agger – Skrtel/Toure – Enrique

Lucas/Henderson

Gerrard    -    Coutinho

Aspas – Sturridge – Alberto

After

Mignolet

Johnson – Agger – Skrtel/Toure- Enrique

Lucas/Henderson

Gerrard    -    Coutinho

Sturridge – Suarez – Aspas

That still leaves guys like Joe Allen, Fabio Borini, Sebastian Coates, and Oussama Assaidi on the bench. It’s exciting to have new signings like Aspas and Alberto in the mix up front and Kolo Toure is a seasoned veteran who should help shore up the backline…a little bit.

See this is the problem with the business done by Brendan Rodgers and Co. this summer. They have failed (so far) to address their biggest need: a world class (or at least a very very good) center back. Kolo Toure may crack the Starting XI regularly this season, but at 32 he is a bit past his prime and will struggle to keep pace with the current crop of Premier League strikers; like newcomers Stefan Jovetic (Manchester City), Wilfried Bony (Swansea), and Gary Hooper (Norwich City). It’s possible Brendan Rodgers will attempt to outscore his opponents every week as he did last season.

But I am concerned that Saturday’s friendly defeat against Celtic is more indicative of the Liverpool we’ll see in 2013; lots of possession and chances with one untimely mistake at the back doing the team in. It was often the story last season, especially in domestic Cup competitions, and management has failed to address the needs that can correct that issue.

There are a few things working in Liverpool’s favor though, mostly with the other clubs around the league. Manchester United appear to be taking a step back as they transition to the David Moyes regime. Arsenal have stood pat all summer and Tottenham, even with the addition of Valencia’s Roberto Soldado, still look like they lack something to compete for a Top 4 spot. Chelsea and Manchester City look like the two favorites to contend for the title and the only guarantees for a Top 4 finish at this point.

Then there’s teams like Swansea, Southampton, and Everton who have quietly made some upgrades to their squads and could challenge for a Top 4 spot. Even this year’s newcomers, Cardiff/Crystal Palace/Hull City, look to be tough opponents. Finishing in the Top 4 looks to be a very daunting task at this point for the squad that Liverpool have assembled currently.

Assuming Daniel Sturridge and Philippe Coutinho can play as well as they did in the second half of last season and the new signings (Toure/Aspas/Alberto) can contribute then anything is possible. But that’s a lot of “ifs” and things have to fall into place with the other clubs as well.

At this point, one week before the Stoke match, I’m predicting a finish of 7th Place which may or may not even be good enough for the Europa League.

“Walk on with hope in your heat and you’ll never walk alone!”

Super Frank breaks Bobby Tambling’s Chelsea goal scoring record.  It was the England’s first start in a while and what may prove to be one of his last for the Blues.  The match started out a bit badly for Chelsea who needed the win to secure their bid for UEFA Champions’ League football next season.  Christian Benteke was able to beat Blues’ defender Gary Cahill to a Brad Guzan clearance in the 15^th minute.  He worked a great one-two with Yacouba Sylla, then glided past Cahill again and poked his shot past Petr Cech for the opening goal.  They nearly had a second in the 17^th minute when Fabian Delph was able to get away from Ramires’ challenge, but his shot went just wide of the goal.  During the 19^th minute, when the home fans were doing their usual applause for Stiliyan Petrov who is still battling leukemia, Demba Ba nearly equalized when he got on the end of a Juan Mata chipped ball.  But keeper Guzan made a brilliant save to deny the close range attempt.  Things got worse for the Blue right at half time when Ramires was sent off for receiving his second yellow card after a high footed challenge on Gabriel Agbonlahor.  The second half saw things tilt back in Chelsea’s favor when Benteke was sent off in the 58^th minute for receiving his second yellow card for a high footed challenge on John Terry.  In the 60^th minute Lampard got the goal that leveled the scores and equaled Tambling’s record.  Eden Hazard gave him a great square pass and Lampard hit a great flaring shot that finished in the top left corner of the goal.  Chelsea thought they had gone ahead in the 71^st minute when Cahill’s shot on goal bounced around in the six yard area and Ba got a foot to the loose ball.  Ashley Westwood appeared to have cleared the ball off the line, but replays showed that the ball actually crossed the line.  Chelsea had a bit of bad news in the 77^th minute when Branislav Ivanovic had to substitute for Terry who was stretched off for a serious leg injury.  But just when it looked bad for the Blues, Lampard was on hand as he has always been for the 12 years of his career in Blue.  Ashley Cole made a great move into the Villa half and made a fine pass for Edin Hazard who knocked the ball across the goal for Super Frank poke home for the winning goal.  The result ensures Chelsea have a lock on third place and with it, automatic qualification for Champions’ League next season.  Why don’t they give this man a contract?

Stoke 1 – 2 Tottenham

Emmanuel Adebayor rescues the win for Spurs.  Spurs needed three points from this match to have any hope at all of Champions’ League Football for next season.  The Potters are never easy to beat at the Britannia Stadium and they took the early lead in the third minute when Steven Nzonzi headed home Charlie Adam’s cross.  Gareth Bale, like he has done all season, tried to pick his team up onto his shoulders and nearly did so when his sixth minute shot on goal was saved by Asmir Begovic.  He had another long range effort in the 10^th minute that went just wide of the post.  Clint Dempsey thought he had gotten the equalizer in the 15^th minute but his goal was ruled out for offside.  But the American international did level the scores in the 19^th minute when he took advantage of a defensive mistake by Begovic and lobbed the ball into the empty net.  Things got more contentious as the half wore on as both sides pressed for some sort of advantage.  Adam was booked for a bad challenge on Spurs midfielder Jan Vertonghen in the 42^nd minute.  Adam nearly made up for the booking right at the half time whistle when his shot was blocked by Scott Parker.  But when the second half started, Adam made another bad challenge on Vertonghen and was sent off for a second booking.  But the one thing the Potters have been able to do this season is lock down their defense and boss Tony Pulis pulled Peter Crouch and Matthew Etherington off in favor of Cameron Jerome and Andy Wilkinson.  It was then a matter of bunkering in and not allowing Spurs any looks at goal.  It nearly worked for the Potters until the 82^nd minute.  This time Bale was the provider as he started the move by sending Dempsey through.  The American was able to hit a neat square pass for an on rushing Adebayor who poked home the winner to keep alive Spurs’ chances at Champions’ League football for next season.

Everton 2 – 0 West Ham

David Moyes’ last home game in charge of the Toffees ends in a win.  One of the notable endorsements that the future Manchester United boss got was from club captain Phil Neville, who is also leaving Everton as a player this summer.  He stated that he had never met a harder working man than Moyes.  That sentiment was shared by the rest of the squad as they worked hard to send the boss off with a win.  In the sixth minute, Leighton Baines found Marouane Fellaini who linked up with Steven Pienaar’s fine run to the area and the South African set up Kevin Mirallas to power home from the edge of the penalty area.  In a day that was all about the home side at Goodison Park, Darron Gibson nearly hit a thunderous volley in the seventh minute.  There wasn’t much resistance offered by the visiting team and as the match progressed, the visiting fans resorted to trying to taunt their hosts by chanting “Where’s your Moysey gone?”  The reply back from the Everton supporters of “You’ve got Sam Allardyce, you’ve got Sam Allardyce” was a direct poke at the Hammers’ boss and a signal to the Toffee ownership of the kind of boss they did NOT want to see in charge of their team.  The closest West Ham would come to scoring was in the 30^th minute when Kevin Nolan when he forced a fine save out of keeper Tim Howard.  Everton should have scored their second goal in the 57^th minute when Leon Osman hit a shot through the Hammers’ six yard area that no one could press home.  But they did get goal number two in the 60^th minute when Pienaar found Mirallas’ run through the defense and the Belgian’s shot was deflected into the goal off James Collins.  As the celebrations continued, Leon Osman nearly made it three in the 67^th minute when his shot was blocked by keeper Jussi Jaaskelainen.  Hammers’ on-loan striker Andy Carroll had a change to get a goal back in the 89^th minute, but his header went wide of the goal.  So when the final whistle blew and players left the pitch, the Everton squad made a honor guard for Neville and then Moyes.  And so he ended his time at Goodison Park to a standing ovation and warm appreciation from all the Toffee fans.

Fulham 1 – 3 Liverpool

Daniel Sturridge grabs a hat-trick for the Reds.  The Cottagers have looked really bad lately.  Whether it’s due to injuries or just bad luck is anyone’s guess.  They have been bitten by the injury bug this season and they lost Kieran Richardson in the 14^th minute to an injury.  Martin Jol had to shuffle his line up a bit as replaced Richardson with Urby Emanuelson.  The home side seemed to have gotten their focus back on the match and went into the lead in the 32^nd minute through Dimitar Berbatov’s fine finish of Sascha Riether’s cross.  But the one thing that has killed Fulham all season has been inconsistency in defense.  In the 35^th minute they were made to pay for their defensive complacency when Andre Wisdom found Daniel Sturridge’s run and the striker was able to finish into the top right corner of the goal.  It looks like Sturridge will have to fill the large boots of Luis Suarez as the Uruguayan serves his ten match ban.  The England striker might just do that as long as he has the likes of Phillippe Coutinho to play with.  The Brazilian winger has been a great asset for the Reds and he was the architect for Sturridge’s second goal in the 61^st minute when he supplied a wonderful pass that Sturridge poked home with ease.  Coutinho has again involved in the 84^th minute when he wreaked a bit of havoc in the midfield.  Sturridge latched onto the loose ball and was able to make fine lob into the top right corner of the goal to secure his hat-trick.  So as the summer off-season looks to prove to be a chaotic mess of coaching changes, player changes and other fun, Liverpool fans can feel better about their side seems to be coming together.

Norwich 4 – 0 West Bromwich Albion

The Canaries win big in their effort to avoid relegation trouble.  The result of this match was a gift that boss Chris Hughton is more than happy to receive.  They were clearly the better side on the day and nearly got the early goal from a three minute corner kick that Shane Long did well to clear off the line.  But the Canaries kept pressing the Baggies and that pressure finally paid off in the 24^th minute Wes Hoolahan set up Robert Snodgrass to score the first goal from inside the Baggies’ area.  Hoolahan nearly got the second a short time later when his shot was saved by keeper Ben Foster.  Grant Holt got the second goal in the 61^st minute when Foster had a huge brain cramp as he came out to clear Hoolahan’s shot and totally missed the ball.  Holt took to offering and waltzed toward the goal and rolled the ball into the net.  Things went from bad to worse for WBA in the 64^th minute when defender Gareth McAuley headed Robert Snodgrass’ cross into his own goal to make the score 3-0 to the Canaries.  The final face-punch for the Baggies happened in right at the end when Jonathan Howson scored the fourth goal from a Luciano Becchio pass.  Lucky thing for WBA that all the relegation places have already been filled.

Queens Park Rangers 1 – 2 Newcastle

The Magpies get a crucial win.  Boss Alan Pardew must be relieved now that his boys have breached that magic 40 point barrier.  The match did not start well for the visitors who went behind in the 10^th minute.  QPR were awarded a penalty after Mathieu Debuchy fouled David Hoilett in the area.  Loic Remy scored the spot kick and it looked like QPR might have a chance to steal a win before they went down to the Championship Division.  But in the 17^th minute Jose Bosingwa fouled Hatem Ben Arfa in the QPR area and Newcastle were awarded a penalty kick for themselves.  Ben Arfa scored the spot kick to level the score and the home fans vented their frustration on the players.  Newcastle thought they had the lead a short time later when Papiss Cisse headed the ball into the net, but the goal was disallowed for offside.  They did get the lead in the 35^th minute thanks to another defensive brain cramp from Bosingwa.  Keeper Rob Green rolled the ball to Bosingwa and the Portuguese defender couldn’t decide what he wanted to do with it.  He rolled a very weak pass back to Green whose kick was knocked down by Jonas Gutierrez and rolled over to Yoan Gouffran who hit it into the bottom right corner of the goal.  The home side was booed off at the half time interval.  Boss Harry Redknapp tried to change the mood a bit by taking off Bosingwa and Shaun Derry and replacing them with Fabio Da Silva and Stephane Mbia.  There really wasn’t more to this match except in the 80^th minute when Newcastle keeper Rob Elliot, already on a yellow card, received his second booking for a handball outside of his area.  Pardew had to take off Ben Arfa in favor of keeper Steve Harper, but his boys were able hang on for a crucial victory.

Sunderland 1 – 1 Southampton

Job done for Paolo DiCanio.  This match was a bit nervy for both sides.  At kick-off time, neither side was assured of a place in the BPL next season.   Both sides knew that the best way forward was to win.  The visitors had the better of the first half, but neither side could create a real goal scoring chance at the start.  Simon Mignolet was the first of the keepers to be called into action in the 30^th minute when he had to save from Jay Rodriquez.  Rickie Lambert had a chance in the 36^th minute, but his shot went wide of the goal.  At the other end, Saints’ keeper Artur Boruc had to save from Adam Johnson’s shot as halftime approached.  When the second half started, Danny Graham should have put Sunderland into the lead from Danny Rose’s pass across the face of goal.  But Graham completely whiffed his kick.  Sunderland did finally score the first goal in the 68^th minute Phil Bardsley’s shot deflected in off defender Jos Hooiveld.  But DiCanio’s celebrations were cut short in the 75^th minute when Jason Puncheon headed home substitute James Ward-Prowse’s cross to level the score.  Lambert nearly won the match for the Saints in the 87^th minute when Mignolet pulled off an amazing save to keep ensure the draw.  With this result and a bit of help, it looks like DiCanio has done enough for the Blackcats for this season.

Arsenal 4 – 1 Wigan

Bye-bye Wigan.  A bit of history was written on Tuesday as Wigan became the only side to win the FA-Cup and get relegated in the same season.  It was always going to be a difficult task for the Latics to win 72 hours after lifting the trophy.  The task got harder in the 11^th minute when Lukas Podolski headed home Santi Cazorla’s corner kick.  But the one thing the Latics have had this season, as in past late season fight-backs, is the ability to get goals when they’re needed.  And they got a chance right at half time when Shaun Maloney earned a free kick in a dangerous area after being fouled by Mikel Arteta.  Maloney took the free-kick and hammered home a great shot into the bottom right corner of the net.  But in the second half, the Latics lost Callum McManaman to injury and had to replace him with Franco Di Santo.  The Gunners, who knew that a win would all but secure fourth place and Champions’ League for them, began to take the impetus and in the 62^nd minute Santi Cazorla set loose Theo Walcott and the England striker scored the go-ahead goal.  That was pretty much it for the Latics at that point.  Cazorla set up Podolski to score his second and Arsenal’s third in the 67^th minute.  Cazorla was also the architect for Aaron Ramsey’s goal in the 70^th minute.  So the win was good news for Sunderland and Newcastle and the speculation has begun about Latics boss Roberto Martinez’s future.

Reading 0 – 2 Manchester City

While the story day was the off the pitch action happening to Citeh, there was a match played on Tuesday.  Kune Aguero scored in the 40^th minute and Edin Dzeko scored in the 88^th minute.  Brian Kidd was in charge of the side on Tuesday and it looks like there will be chaotic days ahead for the Etihad.   Who will replace Roberto Mancini, who was fired after his side lost the FA-Cup to relegated Wigan?  Another question that is begged is will Mancini ever work again?  After all his side were the BPL champions and they are the best side on paper in the BPL.  But alas, they finished the season with no trophies and a public civil war in the locker room.  What will become of the “noisy neighbors”?

Well, perhaps Roberto Martinez isn’t “Big X” after all.  The Latics when ahead twice on Tuesday, yet the one thing that Martinez has not been able to fix all season bit him again as two defensive brain cramps cost them the win.  They had done so well on Saturday at West Brom and they knew that their destiny lay in their own hands.  They started out well as they continued the momentum from their last match.  The Swans were never going to be an easy team to beat as their mid-table position clearly shows.  But keeper Michel Vorm failed to properly clear a Ben Watson cross right at half time and Roger Espinoza was able to volley home to make the score 1-0 for the home side right at half time.  There was quite a bit of speculation on how incredible it would be if the Latics were able to win this and the rest of their matches and pull off the incredible “Great Escape”.  But as the second half got started, it was the Swans who carried the initiative and they nearly equalized in the 46^th minute when Dwight Tiendalli’s shot from the corner kick went just over the bar.  The visitors did get their equalizer in the 49^th minute when Wayne Routledge was able to chip over Espinoza’s shoulder to Angel Rangel’s feet for the forward to poke home to the bottom right corner of the goal.  Wigan got the lead back in the 52^nd minute when James McCarthy was put through on goal and the Northern Ireland international drove through the Swans’ defense to hammer home a great shot.  James McArthur should have secured the win for the Latics when he was found by a 55^th minute Arouna Kone cross.  But alas, the Scottish midfielder put his shot wide.  The home side were made to regret that miss in the 58^th minute when Gary Caldwell had the first Latics defensive brain cramp when his clearance went straight to Pablo Hernandez.  The Spaniard gratefully fed the gift on to Itay Shecter who then equalized for the second time for the Swans.  The Latics had a chance to re-take the lead in the 66^th minute, but keeper Vorm was able to make a great save from Franco Di Santo’s point-blank shot.  The entire Latics defense committed the second, and perhaps most fatal, brain cramp of the match in the 75^th minute.  First Emmerson Boyce failed to properly clear the ball out of the Latics area.  Then both Shaun Maloney and McArthur stood and waited for each other to clear the loose ball out of their six yard box.  Tiendalli was able to score one of the easiest goals if his career and that was that.  There was a tragic postscript to the match as Swansea lost Vorm to a scary clash of heads with Ben Davies.  The Latics, who face Manchester City on Saturday for the FA-Cup, are hanging by a thread in the relegation zone with two matches left.  It ain’t looking good for them.

Manchester City 1-0 West Bromwich Albion

Citeh secure second place in the BPL while preparing for the FA-Cup final.  It was clear, at the Etihad Stadium, that the hosts were more concerned with Saturday’s upcoming match.  The match clearly lacked any sort of edge and although Romelu Lukaku had a couple of early chances, WBA were never going to win this one.  There was some concern from some of the fans about if their side was even going to score, but that was put to rest in the 35^th minute when Edin Dzeko volleyed home a Carlos Tevez cross.  There was one important hiccup for Citeh as Joe Hart appeared to have picked up a knock and is doubtful for Saturday.

Chelsea 2-2 Tottenham

On a day where the football news was about activities going on off it, Blues and Spurs play to an exciting draw.  The pre-match distractions were all about Sir Alex Ferguson’s retirement from football at the end of the season and speculation as to his replacement.  So maybe one couldn’t be blamed for being slightly distracted from the encounter at Stamford Bridge on Wednesday.  But this is where the season’s drama for the BPL is located now.  Third and fourth places and the UEFA Champions’ League qualification that comes with those spots are still up for grabs.  Spurs, who had made such a dramatic comeback on Saturday, have never won on Chelsea’s home ground in more than 23 years.  They soon found themselves down a goal in the 10^th minute when Juan Mata’s cross found Gary Cahill.  Although Cahill’s header appeared to be going wide of goal, an unmarked Oscar was there to poke the loose ball home.  If there is one Spurs player who has been a real enigma this season it has been Emmanuel Adebayor.  The Togo striker has often been missing in action when he has been most needed, but he showed up on Wedneday and in the 25^th minute, he was able to hit a wonderful curling shot into the top right corner of the goal to level the score at 1-1.  Then in the 38^th minute Fernando Torres, playing without his trademark protective mask was able to cut through the Spurs defense and set up Ramires to score to put the Blues back into the lead.  As the second half started, Spurs kept pressing to equalize with Blues keeper Petr Cech doing his usual professional best to deny each Spurs attempt.  The Blue should have sealed the match in the 50^th minute, but Torres had his shot saved by Spurs keeper Hugo Lloris.  With the Blues defense making Gareth Bale a non-factor in the match, Spurs boss Andre Villas-Boas tried to shake things up by bringing on Aaron Lennon and later Clint Dempsey.  In the 74^th minute, Dempsey nearly equalized when his shot was blocked by Blues defender Branislav Ivanovic.  Ivanovic was on hand to also clear away the resulting corner kick.  Last year, the Blues condemned Spurs to the Europa league when they won the UEFA Champions’ League and it looked like they were going to get that done again on Wednesday.  But in the 80^th minute Adebayor was “Johnny on the Spot” again for Spurs when he was able to put Gylfi Sigurdsson in on the Blues goal and the midfielder was able to poke the ball home past keeper Cech.  Bale had a chance in stoppage time to win the match for the visitors.  But his free kick from just outside the Blues area was right at Cech and that was that.  The result sees Chelsea  tighten their grip on third place by three points over Spurs and two points over Arsenal.  This one will probably go down to the last day.

The Royals deliver a face-punch to the Cottagers on their way down to the Championship.  They might be relegated, but the Royals decided to leave the BPL with a win to remember on Saturday.  To be fair to Fulham, the really didn’t have anything play for and their mid-table position assured them safety for BPL next season without the bother of European football.  So the neutral observer could understand why the home side seemed to be going through the motions all through the match and why the home fans were not happy about it.  The rout started in the 12^th minute when Hal Robson-Kanu was awarded a penalty after being fouled by Fulham defender John Arne Riise.  Kanu took the spot kick to give the visitors the good start.  As the match wore on, one couldn’t help wondering where on earth the home side’s players were.  The second half was not much better and Kanu put the visitors up by two in the 62^nd minute when he poked home Garath McCleary’s pass.  Bryan Ruiz did get a goal back in the 70^th minute for the Cottagers after he was set up by Hugo Rodallega.  But substitute Adam Le Fondre restored the visitors’ lead in the 75^th minute when he took hold of Jem Karacan’s cross and, after dribbling around goal keeper Mark Schwarzer, poke home a fine finish.  Ruiz tried to rescue the Cottagers again in the 77^th minute when he headed home Alex Kacaniklic’s cross.  But any thoughts of a comeback by the home side were dispatched in the 82 minute when Karacan fired home from Adam Le Fondre’s set-up pass.  The final whistle couldn’t come soon enough for Fulham and the fans let their players feel their displeasure as they booed them off.  The loss is the fourth in a row for Martin Jol’s side and it was not a good match to lose.

Norwich 1 – 2 Aston Villa

Villa grab three more valuable points at Carrow Road.  You really have to hand it to Aston Villa, they are not going down without a fight.  Villa boss Paul Lambert knows that winning matches like this is the key to a successful BPL survival fight.  It was a hard fight for the visitors as the Canaries have made a habit of tough to beat at home.  In fact, Anthony Pilkington and Robert Snodgrass were quite dangerous down the flanks for much of the match.  To complicate things for the visitors, Matthew Lowton had to go off injured in the 27^th minute, to be replaced by Eric Lichaj.  The visitors were nearly broken in the 39^th minute when keeper Bradley Guzan was forced to make a fine save from Pilkington.  But both sides held firm and the score remained at zeros at half time.  Right from the kick-off, the visitors pressed hard to score and Christian Benteke nearly did so but his shot was saved by keeper Mark Bunn.  Benteke tried a shot from distance in the 47^th minute that went just wide of the goal.  Villa finally did get the goal they had been pushing for in the 55^th minute when Gabriel Agbonlahor made a fine solo effort to cut through the Canaries defense after grabbing a loose ball in the midfield.  The England midfielder was able to surge forward and unleashed a bullet from 25 yards out that finished in the bottom corner of the goal.  Perhaps some of the players were thinking this would be another rout like Monday’s match had been.  But Norwich were not going away quietly and they were awarded a penalty kick when Joe Bennett made a bad challenge on Snodgrass in the Villains’ area.  Grant Holt slotted home the spot kick to level the scores and it looked like Villa would have to settle for a draw.  But Ashley Westwood found Agbonlahor’s run into the area and he was able to poke home the finish that secured the vital win for Aston Villa.  They have now hit the magic 40 point goal that usually means BPL safety.  The loss for Norwich means that at 38 points, they’re now caught up in the relegation fight with four other teams.

Swansea 0 – 0 Manchester City

A boring draw in Wales as Citeh save it all for next week’s FA-Cup final.  The Swans haven’t won in their last seven BPL matches and they felt like they got screwed by the referees in the first half when Matiha Nastasic appeared to bring down Miguel Michu in the Citeh penalty area.  It was clear that Citeh were more concerned with their only chance for silverware this season.  Although boss Roberto Mancini replaced a lethargic Yaya Toure with Edin Dzeko, they just did not look like their hearts were in the match.  They had their own penalty claim waved away when Chico Flores appeared to foul Dzeko in the Swansea penalty area.  The draw secures second place in the BPL for the team from the sky blue half of Manchester.  While that ensures UEFA Champions’ League qualification for next season, Mancini knows that to keep his job, he’d better bring home the FA-Cup.

Tottenham 1 – 0 Southampton

Gareth Bale does it again.  What on earth is there that can be said about the PFA Player of the Year that hasn’t already been said?  Once again he grabs his team, hoists them on his shoulders and carries them on to victory.  The match had been delayed for some traffic fun outside of the stadium.  When things started a half-hour late, Jermain Defoe nearly scored in the fifth minute when he made a fine run though the Saints’ defense, but his shot went into the side netting.  The Saints had an opportunity in the 10^th minute when Rickie Lambert sent Nathaniel Clyne through with a very clever chip over the Spurs defense, but Clyne’s volley was just wide of the goal.  Lambert was creator supreme again a bit later when he put through Guly Do Prado, but the cut-back pass was cleared by Michael Dawson.  Spurs suffered an injury blow in the 35^th when Mousa Dembele had to be replaced by Lewis Holtby.  For most of the match Bale was watched quite closely by the Saints defense.   In fact the Welsh midfielder hardly had a touch in the first half.  The second half saw the visitors come the closest at the start as both Lambert, missing the upper left corner of the goal, and Jay Rodriquez, who had his header blocked, nearly put the Saints into the lead.  Not even Emmanuel Adebayor, brought one for Aaron Lennon in the 60^th minute, could find any break through and it looked like Spurs would have to settle for the draw and concede Champions’ League qualification to their London rivals for the second consecutive year.  But in the 86^th minute, Bale nicked the ball off Holtby and made one of his trade mark runs forward before unleashing his shot past keeper Artur Boruc.  The result means that the race for third place in the BPL is back on again.  Things should be fun at Stamford Bridge next weekend.

West Bromwich Albion 2 – 3 Wigan

Could the Latics escape relegation again?  We’ve seen this before.  After a season of mediocrity and underperformance, Roberto Martinez waves his magic wand and the Latics pull off a miraculous escape from relegation.  This time they have a bit more to play for as they face Manchester City for the FA-Cup final later this month.  So Martinez had a bit of a dilemma on Saturday at The Hawthorns Stadium.  Does he put the focus on BPL survival, or does he focus on winning silverware?  That must have been on his mind when Shane Long grabbed the first half lead for WBA in the 29^th minute.  The Latics came back in the 38^th minute when Arouna Kone headed home Jean Beausejour’s cross to make the score 1-1.  WBA get the lead back in the 49^th minute when Gareth McAuley headed in Graham Dorrans’ free-kick.  But the Latics equalized once again in the 58^th minute when James McArthur out jumped everyone to head home from Shaun Maloney’s cross.  WBA seemed like they were satisfied with sharing the points with the visitors, but in the 80^th minute Callum McManaman put the Latics into the lead when he finished off Shaun Maloney’s free kick.  From there it was all hands to the pump to defend the advantage and assure the win.  Although the Latics, at three points behind their fellow strugglers, are still in the relegation zone, they still have a match in hand.  That match goes off at home on Tuesday versus Swansea and should be exciting to watch.

West Ham 0 – 0 Newcastle

The Magpies are still in trouble as they fail to score at Upton Park.  There is a distinct possibility that Newcastle could be headed back to the Championship again.  At 38 points and a -23 goal differential, they sit one place above Wigan who have a match in hand.  It may be possible that they lost their mojo when they got gob-smacked last week.  But their performance Saturday was simply awful.  Papiss Cisse came the closet to scoring when he had his first half shot cleared off the line by Winston Reid.  The match itself was dull both ways since the Hammers are already safe and have nothing to play for and the Magpies, quite simply, are struggling for form.  They still have a chance to fight for their place next week when they face relegated Queens Park Rangers.  Alan Pardew had better hope his boys do better in that part of London.

Queens Park Rangers 0 – 1 Arsenal

The Gunners take care of business early in this match.  Theo Walcott sealed the victory in the first 20 seconds of this match and put pressure on the other London rivals for third place.  It was easy to see that QPR weren’t really interested in this match as they seemed to go through the motions.  Loic Remy came the closet to getting a goal for the home side, but keeper Wojciech Szczesny was more than able to keep the clean sheet as Arsenal eased their way to their fifth consecutive away win.  No doubt the Gunners will be watching the Wednesday London Derby between Chelsea and Tottenham with interest.  They have the easiest end of season run-in as their opposition are in the bottom third of the BPL table.

Liverpool 0 – 0 Everton

It was a very boring Merseyside Derby on Sunday.  It had been 14 years since Everton had won at Anfield.  At sixth place in the table and five points ahead of their neighbors, the Toffees had every advantage over their rivals.  But alas, the only real high light of this match happened in the 20^th minute when the Everton fans set off a smoke bomb and the blue smoke blew back into their faces.  This fixture is usually filled with lots of angst and drama, but only chances in the whole match fell to Marouane Fellaini in the first half and to Steven Gerrard in the second half.  Fellaini volleyed his close-range shot wide of the goal, while Gerrard had his shot cleared off the line by Sylvain Distin.  This match was a real test of the Suarez-less Reds and they struggled without his creative genius.  And so the 220^th version of the Merseyside Derby was quite forgettable.  The result sees Everton secure their ticked to Europa League football for next season.  Incredibly, Liverpool could also qualify for the Europa League via the UEFA Fair Play rule.  Yeah, I couldn’t believe that one either.

Sunderland 1 – 1 Stoke

John O’Shea rescues a precious point for the Black Cats.  The visitors took the lead in the ninth minute Jonathan Walters was the first to pounce on a loose ball from a Charlie Adam corner and poke it home.  Things have gotten a bit stormy for Paolo Di Canio lately especially after their butt-whipping last week by Aston Villa.  The storms got rougher in the 32^nd minute when Craig Gardner was sent off for a bad studs-up challenge on Adam.  Steven Nzonzi was lucky not to have been sent off himself for a dangerous tackle on Alfred N’Diaye in the 43^rd minute.  When the second half started, Stoke brought on Geoff Cameron for Marc Wilson and the American almost gifted a life line to the Blackcats when he made a real meal of an easy play and horrible clearance.  But James McClean couldn’t take advantage of the opportunity.  Cameron almost made amends for his mistake in the 58^th minute when his shot was blocked by O’Shea.  The one thing that O’Shea has been throughout his career is “Johnny on the Spot”.  He was for Cameron’s shot and he was in the 63^rd minute when he prodded home Seb Larsson’s corner kick for the equalizer.  Increadibly it was 10-man Sunderland who nearly stole the match when Danny Rose’s 80^th minute shot from outside the area bounced off outside of the post.  The result has Sunderland, at 38 points, two places above the drop zone ahead of both Norwich and Newcastle.  The final run-in for the last relegation place should be interesting to watch.

The scoreless draw has put Liverpool’s Europa League hopes in jeopardy. It also served to highlight just how inconsistent the Reds have played this season.

But it did not answer “the question”. In times of such doubt, I find it best to make a pros and cons list.

Con: Dribbling

Ready for some shocking insight?

Andy Carroll is NOT Luis Suarez!

The towering English striker has little to no technical ability to speak of whatsoever. As a result, he is not a good fit for the style of play that Rodgers wants to see out of his team.

Pro: Aerial Prowess

Carroll is more than capable of scoring with his upper half. While his technical ability (or lack thereof) hinders his chances with Rodgers, his tactical ability to play as a lone striker could be of great assistance.

With natural wingers like Stewart Downing, Raheem Sterling, Suso, and Oussama Assaidi on either side of him, Carroll would be ideal starting alone up top in a 4-3-3 formation.

Con: Attitude

Age and time away from Anfield haven’t exactly caused Carroll to mature. He still carries off the field baggage and Brendan Rodgers has made it quite clear that he will not tolerate dissent among his ranks.

Pro: Depth

If nothing else, Andy Carroll is one more true striker to add to the roster. If Luis Suarez leaves this summer then suddenly Carroll looks like a good option with only Daniel Sturridge and a hobbled Fabio Borini to compete with.

By my tally that’s a 2-2 draw. Ultimately it remains to be seen if Andy Carroll can in fact provide any benefit next year. The deciding factor could end up being financial. Carroll won’t fetch the same fee that Liverpool paid for him, but Rodgers may have to take what he can get if he lacks transfer funds this summer.

As of right now, I say he gets sold. And I’d say that’s the right move.