With each teaming having had the opportunity to fight for 21 points and an international break underway, I have decided take a closer look at how the 2014/15 Premier League season has begun. In this blog I will evaluate the summer signings, the fast starters, the disappointments and those who have efficiently gone about their job under the radar. I will also attempt to make some predictions about how the next 31 games will pan out.
The obvious headline grabbers have been Chelsea, sitting top of the league, having dropped just 2 points so far in that 1-1 draw at the Etihad, it would be difficult to argue that they have not made the 2 most effective summer signings. Diego Costa currently leads the way in terms of goals scored, while Cesc Fabregas sits top of the assists column, their two landmark summer signings.
| Player | Goals | Player | Assists |
| Diego Costa (Chelsea) | 9 | Cesc Fabregas (Chelsea) | 7 |
| Saido Berahino (WBA) | 5 | Gylfi Sigurdsson (Swansea) | 6 |
| Leonardo Ulloa (Leicester City) | 5 | Angel Di Maria (Man Utd) | 3 |
| Sergio Aguero (Man City) | 5 | Stewart Downing (West Ham) | 3 |
| Nikica Jelavic (Hull City) | 4 | Ramires (Chelsea) | 3 |
| Papiss Cisse (Newcastle) | 4 | Jordan Henderson (Liverpool) | 3 |
| Steven Naismith (Everton) | 4 | Leighton Baines (Everton) | 3 |
| Nacer Chadli (Spurs) | 4 | Dusan Tadic (Southampton) | 3 |
| Diafra Sakho (West Ham) | 4 | Erik Lamela (Spurs) | 3 |
| Graziano Pellé (Southampton) | 4 | Stephen Quinn (Hull City) | 3 |
With 9 goals from 7 appearances, it would seem only injury is going to stop Costa pushing 25, perhaps even 30 goals this season. While some strikers blow hot and cold, with players like Fabregas, Oscar and Hazard charged with creating the chances, it’s hard to see his goal scoring form slowing anytime soon (They have created 44 chances between them so far). The Brazilian born Spaniard seems to have adapted to English football very quickly, thanks in part to his ability to handle the physicality and fast pace of the league. However, the major help he has had lies in the system employed at Chelsea. We saw during the World Cup that he struggled to adapt to a possession based game, whereas there is little to separate the counter-possession based systems of Simeone’s Atletico and Mourinho’s Chelsea.
Also near the summit of that list, Saido Berahino. The West Brom forward is the top scoring Englishman in the league at present and must surely be on the radar of Hodgson with attacking options seemingly limited. The baggies top goal scorer has an impressive return rate for the under 21’s too, with 9 goals in 11 appearances.
Leonardo Ulloa is another who has started positively and is already starting to repay some of the £8m transfer fee that Leicester paid for him this summer. The 28 year old Argentine has 5 goals in 6 starts.
On to the matter of assists, it is hardly surprising that the £30m former Barcelona midfielder playing behind Costa is top of the table, but it looks like Gylfi Sigurdsson may be making an early claim for signing of the season. Bought as part of an exchange which has essentially seen Swansea upgrade their keeper and swap the back up for Danny Rose for the Icelandic international and £10m, he has had an exceptional start to the season. With 6 assists and a goal already to his name (the opening day winner against Manchester Utd), he has been involved in 70% of Swansea’s league goals this season.
As modern football is following in Spanish footsteps and adopting a more possession based approach, it’s worth taking a look at those who excel in the art.
| Player | Successful
Passes |
Passing Accuracy |
| Yaya Touré (Man City) | 541 | 90% |
| Cesc Fabregas (Chelsea) | 500 | 90% |
| Gareth Barry (Everton) | 447 | 87% |
| Etienne Capoue (Spurs) | 443 | 89% |
| David Silva (Man City) | 428 | 87% |
| Aaron Ramsey (Arsenal) | 407 | 86% |
| Morgan Schneiderlin (Southampton) | 411 | 88% |
| Ashley Williams (Swansea) | 394 | 88% |
| Nemanja Matic (Chelsea) | 389 | 88% |
| Jordan Henderson (Liverpool) | 386 | 87% |
It is interesting to note, that if you were to sort this top 10 by passing accuracy, the list becomes littered with 4 Arsenal players, all above the 90% maximum seen above.
As ever, Yaya Touré is a man who will be heavily involved in building and finishing attacks for City, hence being the player who has completed the most passes in the league. His attacking pedigree is unlikely to face much scrutiny; however his already questionable defensive contribution appears to be in further decline. The Ivorian averages just 1 defensive action per 90 minutes and wins just 32% of his defensive battles, both figures down on his previous two seasons.
The number of holding midfielders in the list is further evidence in support of their evolving role. The view of the defensive mid as simply a hard working ball winner is beyond outdated and they now more closely resemble the Andrea Pirlo style chess player, orchestrating from an effective vantage point.
On to the defensive work.
| Player | Interceptions | Blocks | Clearances |
| Mile Jedinak (Crystal Palace) | 26 | 6 | 20 |
| Laurent Koscielny (Arsenal) | 25 | 3 | 24 |
| Ritchie De Laet (Leicester City) | 24 | 7 | 53 |
| Andrew Robertson (Hull City) | 23 | 2 | 22 |
| Etienne Capoue (Spurs) | 23 | 2 | 23 |
| Patrick van Aanholt (Southampton) | 22 | 1 | 26 |
| Younes Kaboul (Spurs) | 22 | 5 | 49 |
| Angel Rangel (Swansea) | 21 | 3 | 28 |
| Curtis Davies (Hull City) | 21 | 7 | 91 |
| Jose Fonte (Southampton) | 21 | 2 | 27 |
Jedinak had a fine campaign last time round and has continued into 2014/15. Averaging 7 defensive actions per game, he also has 2 goals to his name and has been an ever present for Palace this season.
Fonte and van Aanholt currently hold the best defensive in the league, while Kaboul and Capoue are part of the 2nd best. This will come as welcome news for two clubs who conceded a combined 97 goals last season (Spurs -51, Southampton – 46). In stark contrast, last season’s 3rd best defence (Everton), is currently the worst in the league.
The keepers.
| Player | Saves | Clean Sheets | Saves Per Goal | Catches | Distribution Accuracy |
| Hugo Lloris | 15 | 3 | 2.50 | 6 | 75% |
| Lukasz Fabianski | 19 | 3 | 2.38 | 41 | 67% |
| Joe Hart | 8 | 2 | 2.00 | 16 | 67% |
| Fraser Forster | 14 | 3 | 2.80 | 26 | 66% |
| Vito Mannone | 22 | 2 | 3.14 | 23 | 69% |
Vito Mannone is another who had an impressive 2013/14 campaign and is carrying on where he left of. He is arguably playing behind the worst defence of the above keepers, but is still averaging the most saves per goal and has made more saves than the other 4. Forster and Lloris have both earned themselves a number of ‘man of the match’ awards this season and the internet is awash with clips of the pairs work. One of the two is a first choice at international level, should the other be?
Signing of the season so far? Sigurdsson to Swansea followed in no particular order by Tadic, Di Maria, Costa & Fabregas.
Team of the Season so far?
Predictions?
It’s an easy choice to say Chelsea for the title, but I fully expect City to push them with no other team close to the top 2. I can see United taking 3rd. If such a dysfunctional scrambled together side can already be getting results, it is frightening to see what Van Gaal will be able to do when his side are a little more settled. They are two centre backs away from a title challenging team at the moment.
Arsenal will obviously fulfil their obligation to the Premier League and finish 4th, they have finished there in 6 out of the last 9 seasons, with 3 3rd place finishes amongst them. This then leaves Spurs and Liverpool to fight it out for 5th, a battle which will be determined by who gets their act together quickest. Liverpool’s attack without Suarez or Tottenham’s new front 3 of Chadli, Eriksen and Lamela.
As for relegation, I can’t see much that will keep Burnley up at the moment and I would be happy to reserve them a place in the Championship already. Everton won’t be languishing down there for long and I feel Stoke are too organised to go on one of those runs that drags you into trouble. West Brom have managed some impressive results recently, but I see them still fighting the drop come May, probably along with Sunderland, QPR and Palace. As for Newcastle, anything could happen.
A few other stats for you.
196 – This is how many goals have been scored so far this season, that works out at an average of 2.8 per match.
9 – The most goals scored in one match, in Chelsea’s 6-3 win over Everton at Goodison Park.
8 – The number of English managers in the league: Sean Dyche, Neil Warnock, Steve Bruce, Nigel Pearson, Alan Pardew, Harry Redknapp, Garry Monk and Sam Allardyce. Interestingly only two of those currently in the top 10.
1 – The number of hat-tricks, it was scored by Diego Costa in Chelsea’s 4-2 victory over Swansea City.
5 – The incredible number of yellow cards that Callum Chambers has managed to accumulate at Arsenal already.
10 – The number of red cards dished out in the opening 70 games.
36,300 – The average attendance.
Football; As a Coach and a Fan 
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