Top 4 Most Over Rated Premier League Players This Season

Where there is ability there is inability. Where there is hype there is over hype. The English Premier League is the home to many world class footballers from all corners of the globe.

It is also littered with more garbage than a Mcdonalds’ car park. Here are toggablogga’s  5 most over rated and over paid footballers this season;

4) Samir Nasri – Manchester City

France International Nasri first appeared in the Premier League in 2008 joining Arsenal from boyhood club Marseille. While at Arsenal he produced some scintillating football and scored 18 goals in 86 games for the Gunners. He signed for Manchester City in 2011 for £24m and started off brightly notching up 4 assists on his debut against Tottenham in City’s 5-1 win in 2011. He was a member of the Premier League winning side in 2012 and chipped in with 6 goals in 48 appearances. However the season after the real Samir Nasri started to show itself. Languid and lazy performances topped off by jumping out of the way to allow Robin Van Persie to score a last minute free kick in the derby signalled the start of a poor period for Nasri. Roberto Mancini publicly slating him for his effort in training and influence in the dressing room also contributed to his problems. For all Nasri’s ability his bad attitude seems to be the attribute on which he conducts himself  which in all honesty appears to be part and parcel of French footballers. For this reason Nasri makes it onto the list. Must do better Samir!

3) Chris Smalling- Manchester United

23 year old Smalling started his career at Millwall. After 5 years in the Lions academy he was deemed surplus to requirements and released . He was picked up by Maidstone United where he went on to play twelve games scoring one goal. He signed for Middlesbrough from Maidestone originally but went on to cancel his contract as he was concerned about homesickness. In 2008 he went on to sign for Fulham and spent four years there before joining Manchester United in a £12m deal. It appears that his homesickness problems disappear when his salary hits five figures a week. I don’t have anything particularly bad to say about Smalling, i simply don’t see anything in his play. The fact that he is deemed the future of the England set up concerns me and confirms how much the quality of the national team has dropped.

Smalling has no pace, he doesn’t seem to be able to pass further than fifteen yards and he looks terrified on the ball. He possesses good height but stats show he fails to win the ball in 62% of his aerial encounters. I hope for his sake he can address his shortcomings or Middlesbrough may be signing him once more.

2) Jack Wilshere – Arsenal

I apologise to my Arsenal fan followers, but I simply don’t see it? Don’t get me wrong Wilshere Is OK, to make your Premier League debut at sixteen you must have something about you but the whole “New Gazza” hype is nonsense.

The first statistic I’ll throw at you is that in 79 games for Arsenal and Bolton he has managed just two goals. A poor return for an attacking midfielder in a team as attacking as Arsenal. In twenty seven international games from Under-16 to the senior team he has managed just one goal. His assist record is better however somebody dubbed “The new Gazza” needs to have an all round game.

Another reason for my scepticism is his ability to constantly be injured, which is probably the only attribute he shares with Gazza. Calf injuries, groin strains and bruised toes are synonymous with Wilshere and hinder is ability to gain any momentum.

In short, I’m far from impressed and the reliance on players of this calibre for England and for an institution like Arsenal concerns me.  “Hit the road jack!”

1) Tom Cleverley – Manchester United

London boy Tom Cleverley has to top the list of most over rated players. How on earth does this boy make it into the Manchester United team let alone the England team? What does he contribute? What does he do? I’ve never known a more pointless footballer be so revered by an England set up. He cannot run, he cannot pass and it appears the only attribute he shares with Paul Scholes, who he is being touted to replace is that he can’t tackle for toffee. His England affiliation can quite clearly can only be explained by the fact he wears a red shirt and plays for United.

After relatively successful loan spells at Watford, Leicester and Wigan, Cleverley has established himself as a regular at Manchester United which based on United’s midfield troubles isn’t too difficult. Opinions from the terraces are divided on Cleverley with most United fans I know not convinced with him. His statistics in the Championship within his loan spells are impressive (big fish in a small pond), but the step up to the Premier league seems to be a step to far. The fact he appears to be the first name on the England team sheet is more than a little worrying and again reflects how the quality of the England set up has dropped in recent years. In Fifty one appearances for United he has bagged four goals and chipped in with eight assists.

All in all, Tom Cleverley makes a better Championship footballer than a Premiership one and is living an extremely charmed life with the champions.

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• ‘It’s time for Jack Wilshere to deliver’ – an Arsenal fan’s Premier League season preview (standard.co.uk)
• Samir Nasri: ‘I’m more mature now’ (sportsmole.co.uk)
• Nasri: Critics hurt me last season (soccerway.com)

Liverpool v Manchester United Review – At A Glance

Liverpool have beaten Manchester United to pile more Anfiled misery on David Moyes. Liverpool who were visibly buoyed by the pre-match tributes to Bill Shankly controlled the game for long spells and ran out worthy winners. The Scot has never been on the winning side at Anfield in his fifteen year managerial career and his new side showed no signs of ending that run. United were rocked by the news of a training ground injury to Wayne Rooney and his absence was clear for all to see

Liverpool were quickly out of the blocks and Sturridge fired Liverpool ahead in the 4th minute with a defection from Daniel Agger’s attempt from a Steven Gerrard cross. The defending leading up to the goal looked shabby and will give David Moyes and his coaching team something to think about.

There was a tense feel to the game and both sides looked apprehensive in committing players to attacks. The first half swayed back and forth but without real chances to speak of. The first half ended on a sour note with Robin Van Persie going into the book and appearing to verbally abuse any Liverpool player that brushed past him, in particular Steve Gerrard. Liverpool kept their composure and saw out the first half professionally.

United visibly motivated from a half time grilling started the second half much brighter and with more purpose. Ashley Young nearly gave Mignolet his first task of the day but his shot was blocked by Johnson. The disappointing Young was substituted shortly after and replaced with Nani while Raheem Sterling replaced new signing Aspas.

Despite bossing possession albeit ineffectively it took United 76 minutes to call Mignolet into action with a fizzing Nani cross. Robin Van Persie mad his only real contribution in the dying minutes but failed to hit the target from six yards.

The final whistle was greeted with scenes of jubilation from the Kop as Livepool had put the old enemy to the sword and won their first three games for the first time since 1994. A well deserved win for Liverpool that puts them at the Premier League summit five points clear of champions United.

It’s back to the drawing board for Moyes who was visibly disappointed with his teams efforts and inability to carve out one clear cut chance, much similar to their lack lustre performance against Chelsea last Monday.

Moyes needs to add to his squad quickly especially in midfield where they lack any sort of creativity. It is early days yet and leagues are won over thirty eight games but judging by this performance it seems United are lacking technically and for the first time in a long time a lack of desire was also clearly visible.

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Who Are The Top 5 Premier League Strikers?

Football is all about scoring goals. Hard working fans around the world don’t pay top money to watch boring football and 0-0 draws (Unless you support Stoke City). Football is about winning the ball in midfield, going round the centre half and smashing one in off the crossbar from 20 yards, that is football!!! Since the inception of the Premier League we have witnessed some of the greatest strikers in the world grace our fair shores, Shearer, Van Nistelrooy, Klinsmann and Ravanelli have all arrived here in seasons gone by and done some damage.

Who do we have now though? Which strikers lead the way in the Premier League and who do we class as the top 5? here’s my pick;

5) Daniel Sturridge – Liverpool

Daniel Sturridge is the nephew of former Derby Striker Dean Sturridge and has goal scoring in his blood. He started is career as a youth player at Manchester City where he first came to prominence. His staring role in City’s FA youth cup success in 2008 earned him a place in the first team under Sven Goran Eriksson where he scored 5 goals in 21 appearances. He left City for Chelsea and also went on to have a successful loan spell at Bolton Wanderers scoring 8 goals in 11 appearances for the Trotters. Sturridges’ chances were limited at Chelsea and he joined Liverpool in 2013 where he has gone on to  score 12 goals in 16 appearances. Sturridge’s speed and agility are his main attributes, however he has one of the best left foots in the country at the moment and Liverpool have secured the services of a potentially great centre forward. Expect big things form him this season and a few England call ups to boot.

I’m estimating a minimum of 22 goals in all competitions this season.

4) Christian Benteke – Aston Villa

The unknown Christian Benteke started his professional career in 2009 at Genk in Belguim in whom he joined from youth team JS Pierreuse. His first speel at Genk proved uneventful and he was sold to Standard Liege He was farmed out on loan by Liege straight away to gain some first team experience. His first port of call were KV Kortrijk where he hit an impressive 15 goals in 34 appearances. His second loan spell at Mechelen was not as prolific but he still managed 6 goals in 18 appearances most of which were substitution appearances. Upon returning to Liege he managed 3 goals in 18 games and won his first major honour in the form of the Belgian league title. These two successful spells were enough for Genk to offer Benteke a swift return to his boyhood club and he didn’t disappoint. His return of 19 goals in 37 games in his first season back brought him to the attention of several European clubs. Benteke joined Aston Villa in the summer of 2012 for a fee of £7m. He has since become an instant hit with the Villa faithful and has notched an impressive 22 goals in 37 appearences. His main attributes are his strength and power, he can score with both feet and is more than capable in the air. He has the look and ability of a young Didier Drogba and Villa have performed some seriuously good business in signing him and more importantly keeping him happy. I expect big things from Benteke this season and i suspuect a move to a top European club will happen sooner rather than later.

I’m estimating a minimum of 24 goals from Benteke this season in all competitions.

3) Sergio Aguero – Manchester City

Sergio Aguero has become a cult figure of the English Premier League since his arrival in 2011. His last minute strike against QPR to secure the Premier League title for Manchester City  endeared him to football fans the world over. Aguero is a typical hard working Argentinian with an eye for goal unparalleled in The English Premier League. He started his career in 2003 at Independiente in his homeland making his debut at just 15. He went on to notch 23 goals in 54 games for his boyhood club before European eyes looked his way. Athletico Madrid saw the potential in young Aguero and smashed their transfer record by spending £23m on bringing him to Spain. It didn’t take long for Aguero to make an impact and in his first two seasons as a teenager he smashed in 34 goals in 92 games. His overall goalscoring record at Athletico was an incredible 75 goals in 175 games, most of which he played in the hole behind the strikers. His exploits in La Liga caught the attention of many top European clubs including Real Madrid and Barcelona but he opted to Leave Spain for England and joined Manchester City. His goal per game ratio has improved further in The English Premier League notching 36 goals in 65 games for Manchester City in just over two seasons. Aguero is a predator and is capable of scoring goals from all distances with his left and his right. His goal against Chelsea in the FA cup semi in 3013 also showed he can use his head. His work rate and ethic are a credit to him and his team and he  will undoubtedly develop into one of the greatest Argentinian strikers ever to play in Europe.

I predict a minimum of 26 goals for Aguero in all competitions this season.

2) Luis Suarez – Liverpool

When not biting or punching opposition players Mr Suarez is a seriously awesome striker. They say there is a fine line between genius and insanity and this boy is living proof of that theory! Luis Suarez has become his own worse enemy at a club where he is revered as the new “God”. Trying to engineer a move away from Liverpool has tarnished his already rock bottom reputation but let’s focus on his unquestionable ability. Suarez made a modest start to his professional career starting out at boyhood club Nacional in Uruguay. He notched an ok 10 goals in 27 games before moving to Dutch unknowns Groningen for a fee of £900,000. His exploits at Groningen were not to dissimilar from his time at Nacional. A return of 10 goals in 29 games wasn’t enough to secure any silver ware for Groningen but it was enough to attract the attention of Dutch giants Ajax. Suarez joined Ajax in the summer of 2007 for a fee of £7.5m and made an immediate impact scoring three goals in his first two games. He formed a formidable partner ship with Klass-Jan Huntelaar and went on to notch 17 goals in 33 games in his first season. His overall goalscoring record at Ajax is an incredible 81 goals in 110 games, a record that earned him a move to current club Liverpool. His record at Liverpool currently stands at 38 goals in 77 games. His goalscoring exploits are over the last 6 years are what puts him at 2nd place in this list. I believe Suarez is a world class striker who will continue to improve, I sincerely hope his knack of getting into trouble hinders him.

I predict a minimum 28 goals for Suarez this season in all competitions.(Assuming he doesn’t spit out his dummy again)

1) Robin Van Persie – Manchester United

I’ll lay my cards on the table. I don’t like RVP the man. His personality, his arrogance even his hair winds me up. There have been too many attacks from his former colleagues in the past (Adebayor attempting to gouge his eye out with his studs in 2009) to assume he is misunderstood, he is quite simply an unlikeabale character. However what he lacks in charm he makes up for in ability and it’s impossible to not like RVP the footballer. RVP started his professional career at his boyhood club Feyenoord in 2001. He made his debut at the age of 17 and went on to bag 15 goals in 61 starts playing predominantly as a winger. RVPc apped off a great first season by winning the KNVB young player of the year award for the 2001-02 season. He secured a 3 year contract with Feyenoord the following season and celebrated by scoring 5 goals in a Dutch cup game against AGOOV Apeldoorm. His relationship with then coach Bert Van Maarwijk soured and he found himself demoted to the reserves. Arsenal; caught wind of the situation and Arsene Wenger snapped him up in a heartbeat for a paltry £2.75m in 2004. Van Persie again played often out on the wings but still managed to bag an impressive haul of 96 goals in 194 games for the gunners. This return would have been significantly higher had injuries not plagued pretty much every season he spent at Arsenal. In 2012 rumours started to circulate that RVP had become disillusioned at Arsenal. This was born out of frustration of only winning one major trophy his 8 years at Arsenal. Offers were made by Manchester City and Manchester United but it was the red side of Manchester that held the attraction for him. He joined Manchester United for £24m in the summer of 2012 much to the delight of the Old Trafford faithful. It is here at United that we have seen the world class Robin van Persie stand up! I his first season at Manchester United he bagged 28 goals in 39 appearances and helped United secure their 20th league title, with Van Persie aptly wearing the number 20 on his back. Robin Van Persie has now become one of the top 3 strikers on the planet and just after turning 30 shows no signs of slowing. His wonder goal against Aston Villa last year conformed his status as the most lethal striker in the English premier league. His left foot has been moulded by gods and his tactical awareness is unlike no other. RVP take a bow, you sir are truly world class!

I estimate a minimum of 32 goals this season in all competitions for RVP.

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