Thank goodness for the EPL!
Without it, what would European football aficionaodos have to enjoy over the holidays?
Indeed, while the rest of the domestic leagues around Europe take a winter break into January, the EPL, as usual, plows ahead with a full schedule of holiday football fare. Monday’s traditional December 26 Boxing Day card is the first half of the annual year-end football fun in England, with another full slate of matches set for New Year’s weekend.
For the moment, however, we focus on the Boxing Day action, and a pair of matches to be televised in the states by the FOX Soccer Channel.
First, it’s Manchester City traveling to The Hawthorns to tangle with West Bromwich Albion in a 10 a.m. (ET) kickoff. European wagering shops have priced a City win at 4/9, with the take-back on a West Brom upset listed at 13/2. The draw is priced at 10/3.
Then, Sunderland hosts Everton at The Stadium of Light, with kickoff also at 10 a.m. (ET) in the states, with the TV coverage delayed until later Monday on FSC. The host Black Cats are listed at 3/2 for a win, with Everton success fetching a 15/8 price. The draw price in the northeast is posted at 23/10.
Much of the Boxing Day focus figures to be on Man City, which has mostly had a glorious first half of the campaign but not without hitting a few speed bumps, with failure to advance to the knockout round of the Champions League topping that list. Instead, Roberto Mancini’s men will have to settle for entry into the later stages of the less-prestigious Europa League in February.
Some City supporters, however, view those continental developments in plus terms for the Blues, who can mostly focus upon their EPL duties without being too distracted by Europe after New Year’s. Ironically, rival Manchester United finds itself in the same boat after also being eliminated from the Champions League at the group stage.
After threatening to run away with the EPL, City now finds itself in a scrap with United at the top of the table, even surrendering the top spot for a few hours last weekend before the 1-0 win over Arsenal. City’s previous week’s loss at Chelsea had closed the gap at the top of the table.
There have been some distractions lately at Eastlands, mostly regarding Carlos Tevez and his possible destinations during the upcoming transfer window, but Tevez has become an afterthought this campaign. City is now David Silva’s team, as the ex-Valencia playmaker is taking advantage of all the attacking options at his disposal. Former Atletico Madird striker Sergio Aguero and former Wolfsburg hit-man Edin Dzeko have combined for 21 goals, and there’s always livewire Italian Mario Balotelli, who has banged home another eight scores. Silva himself has five goals in EPL action.
The emergence of ex-Arsenal midfielder Samir Nasri has given Mancini yet another creative influence on the pitch, while Joe Hart continues to excel in goal.
Meanwhile, West Brom is merely looking to stay afloat and above the drop zone for veteran manager Roy Hodgson, who as always remains adept at mixing and matching combinations. A good manager for a relegation fight due to his resourcefulness, Hodgson is getting good marks for acquiring Irish striker Shane Long in the summer from Reading, tallying a team-best five goals.
The cloud of relegation looms a bit darker above both Everton and Sunderland, also squaring off on Monday. Everton sits on 17 points, one spot behind West Brom and four spots above the drop zone. For the Black Cats, it’s a bit more ominous, on a mere 14 points and one slot above the drop zone and 18th-place Wigan on 13 points.
Everton backers are bracing for a relegation fight and hoping that manager David Moyes can wrangle another creative influence into the mix during the upcoming transfer window. The midfield, in particular, has lacked culture since Mikel Arteta’s late-August transfer to Arsenal. And Moyes is lacking frontline options as well, with Tim Cahill looking overwhelmed when pushed into a lone striker role and Louis Saha still not in top form.
Moyes and cash-strapped Everton might instead be tempted to sell in January, however, with some of their high-profile youngsters, specifically midfielder Jack Rodwell, reportedly drawing lots of interest (Chelsea rumored to be lining up a huge offer).
Livewire young Dutch attacking midfielder Royston Drenthe has at least been providing plenty of spark off the bench, but the most important component for the Toffees remains GK Tim Howard, whose continuing excellence might be required to keep Everton out of serious relegation trouble.
Meanwhile, low-variance Sunderland continues to play low-scoring affairs, lacking explosiveness in attack to push the pace and content to absorb pressure and attack on the counter. The recent ouster of manager Steve Bruce and appointment of respected Martin O’Neill is expected to help keep Sunderland above the drop zone; the Black Cats were 1-1 in O’Neill’s first two matches in charge in mid-December.
Swedish midfielder Sebastian Larsson has proven a useful addition after arriving from Birmingham in the summer, but O’Neill could really use Danish hit-man Nicklas Bendtner (only two goals this term) to live up to his potential after his August loan deal from Arsenal.