DEC 23 — The English Premier League (EPL) season 2011/2012 will reach its halfway mark at the end of the year (just eight days away) with the 19th match being played by most teams on Saturday, December 31.
With that, it would be a good time to take a look back and assess some of the individual performances which I think have been the most fascinating and captivating so far in the EPL.
There certainly have been several outstanding players and some who have maintained a very high quality of performance week-in-week-out.
To start with, let’s look at the number one position – just ignore the issue of crazy non-sequenced numbering that has goalies wearing even number 29 these days.
The shortlist here is down to three main shot-stoppers – namely, Joe Hart from Manchester City, Tim Krul from Newcastle United and Michel Vorm from Swansea City.
Worth mentioning, too, are the consistent performances by Wojciech Szczesny for Arsenal and Ali Al-Habsi of Wigan, who has shown tremendous courage.
My pick for the best goalkeeper, however, is Vorm, as he has played an important role in maintaining the prestige of the newly-promoted Welsh team. His saves have kept them at a reasonable position in the league table.
The player of choice in the right-back position is Man City’s Micah Richards. He has shown a maturity and consistency in almost every match to warrant his first-team place among a team of superstars.
I could also add that his performances really started to excel since he was managed by Roberto Mancini.
For the two centreback positions, I will go back to Man City for the excellent pairing of Vincent Kompany and Joleon Lescott.
The duo form an almost impenetrable shield in front of goalie Hart and also seem to have a telepathic understanding on the pitch. It is also not difficult to make this choice as I am hard-pressed to find a tougher pair of centrebacks in any other team in the EPL.
Now, for the left-back position, I have hardly seen a more consistent player this season in that position than Liverpool’s Jose Enrique. He is the first choice in the Reds’ squad and just goes about doing his job calmly and with little recognition.
In the middle of the pitch, the name of Scott Parker has already received much praise by many. He is seen as being at the heart of Tottenham Hotspur’s great form this season.
Parker’s energetic performances in midfield have given a robustness to the Spurs midfield, which has always been considered the weakness of the North London side.
Next to him, I see Spanish international David Silva holding fort with his presence, let alone amazing skill on the ball. It’s worth mentioning that his presence in itself, lends some credibility to a football league that is more famous for its rough and tumble ways.
The other two men in the middle for me this season has to be Man City’s Yaya Toure and Luka Modric of Spurs.
Even though he played as a defensive-midfielder with Barcelona, now Toure has matured and turned into an”all-round” midfielder at the Eastlands. With his experience and a high-level of technical skills, it is clear that he is becoming an even more accomplished player.
About Modric, I think it would be difficult not to choose him because, this season, he has started pulling the strings, and is like the orchestra conductor at Spurs. Slowly but surely, he has started to develop more courage in taking on the heavy responsibility of putting the “H(e)art” in White Hart Lane.
In attack, Sergio “Kun” Aguero’s ability and mobility highlights just how difficult it is for the opposition to read his play.
Like I mentioned about his teammate Silva, he brings credibility to the EPL but at the same time, Aguero also makes the prestigious league in England look like a walk in the park.
And finally, the main centre-forward in my Top XI pick for the first half of the season is the one, and only, Robin van Persie.
He is the leading striker in the EPL currently and truly illuminates the football landscape in England with his abilities and opportunistic eye for goal.
The current captain at the Arsenal, van Persie seems to exude an aura of invincibility as he demonstrates his goal-scoring feats. He has certainly moved on from his past and early experiences at Highbury, or Emirates and stepped up to a level where he continues to grow in self-confidence.
So, my First XI for the EPL Season 2011/2012 is as follows:
Vorm – Richards, Kompany, Lescott, Enrique – Parker, Modric, ,Silva, Toure -Aguero, Van Persie... in a 4-1-3-2 formation.
* The views expressed here are the personal opinion of the columnist.
Comments
Please refrain from nicknames or comments of a racist, sexist, personal, vulgar or derogatory nature, or you may risk being blocked from commenting in our website. We encourage commenters to use their real names as their username. As comments are moderated, they may not appear immediately or even on the same day you posted them. We also reserve the right to delete off-topic comments