The Rise and Fall of Premier League Teams

Ball Harambee By Bagga Wilks

It is the job of a coach to establish team chemistry and team solidarity. Great teams achieve that level of oneness but football is concomitantly a team game as well as an individual sport. Great teams have players who stand clearly above the rest. The great world cup teams of Brazil had Pele. Argentinian World Cup teams that were victorious had Maradona. In today’s game, Barcelona has Messi and Real Madrid has Ronaldo. Tottenham in recent weeks had lost their way. On April fool’s day, they made fools of the Swansea defense. Pugelistic pundits state that styles make fights. In some respects, Swansea is readymade for Tottenham. Tottenham totters over when confronted with speed. Swansea is a team that emphasizes possession but they build up slowly and that enables the Tottenham defense to cope with their less than imaginative attacks.


Tottenham got back their grove but that did not come about through team chemistry or team solidarity. It is just than an April fool’s day. Bale was unstoppable and Adebayor returned to magnificent form. Adebayor scored two glorious headers. The victory on Sunday puts them in a tie with the stumbling Arsenal.

Wenger and the Ramsey Experiment

Wenger has made some right moves as a manager this year but on the weekend past his tactics and team selection was horrible. He has been experimenting with Ramsey at left-wing. Ramsey is not a left-winger and has not been in fine form for the entire season. Gervinho is more the natural winger and the three attacking forwards, Van Persie, Walcott and Gervinho are a threat to any defense in the Premier League when the trio are at the top of their game. Ramsey is no threat to anyone but himself.
Against Queens Park Rangers, the players who make the difference for Arsenal, Van Persie, Walcott, Song and Vermaelen were having off days and Arsenal has helped QPR chances of avoiding relegation.

Mancini seemed to have blown his chance of winning the EPL this season. If Manchester United is victorious against Blackburn on Monday, with seven games remaining, Manchester United will find themselves five points behind their neighbors. They could only eke out a draw with the tenacious Sunderland squad. It is not too early to begin singing Eva Peron’s theme song, “Don’t Cry for Me Argentina”.