The Top 10 Most Overrated Players In The Premier League

Most overrated players in the premier league

Kieran Gibbs

Why Arsenal preserve with him I am not sure. He is a way off the ability of Monreal in the times I’ve seen the Spanish defender play, his defending often leaves a lot to be desired and added to this he has frequent injury troubles yet whenever he returns from his injuries Arsene Wenger seems to throw him straight back into the starting 11.

Alan Hutton

Paul Lambert finally seems to have recognised his many weaknesses. Defensively he is slow, attackingly he shows little quality and I fail to see why someone ever invested £8million in him as he displays very little talent in any capacity and also has a dubious injury record.

Frank Lampard

Probably the most controversial of my selections, and whilst Lampard has been a great player over the years, last year I feel he declined and is no longer the player he once was. Yes he scored lots of goals, but last season he found himself out of position frequently and Chelsea conceded several extra goals because of this, he no longer has the energy to play in front of the Chelsea defence and often leaves them exposed.

Darron Gibson

Gibson has never really shown a lot of quality for me. Despite this he continues to start most weeks for a very strong Everton side. His long shot ability is shouted about due to the occasional screamer but he also wastes possession having long shots so frequently. His tackling is sub-standard and his passing is not exceptional so I question what he brings to a premier league side.

Adel Taarabt

There’s no doubt that Taarabt possesses a tremendous amount of quality and is difficult to play against when he’s on form. However, those days don’t come about too often and when he’s off form it can be like playing with 10 men when he doesn’t do any defending. His sulking and temperament issues can rub off on the team and make them play worse and lower morale and his performances do not compensate for the poor attitude that he has. 

Gareth Barry

With all the riches available to Manchester City, you would think they would have a top class defensive midfielder. Instead they have Barry. Don’t get me wrong Barry is a decent midfield player as he showed at Aston Villa, but he doesn’t affect the game anywhere near enough to be good enough for one of the best teams in England.

                                                                                                                                            

Alexander Kolarov

Kolarov in an attacking sense is useful, his freekicks are impressive and is bombing down the left is a threat to defenders. His actual defending however, is awful and the primary function of fullback is to defend. Why Man City paid £16million for him is beyond me, he is a defensive liability and costs his team far more goals than he contributes to in an attacking sense.

Phil Jones

Perhaps a controversial one, but after all the hype about Jones being England’s next big thing, the new Rio Ferdinand I feel it is justified. Jones lacks the physical presence to be a commanding centre half in my opinion and he struggles against big strikers. He does not have the attributes to play central midfield at the highest level, whilst his positional sense is questionable at right back. There’s no doubt that Jones is a decent player but to expect him to be England’s next big player is too far for a player who is far from first choice with his club.

Steven Taylor

There’s more to a good defender than diving in front of the ball and putting your body on the line. Taylor is a very committed defender and every now and again he has one of those games where everyone questions why he isn’t in the England squad, the game at home to Anzhi last year being the prime example. His positional sense and his concentration are severely lacking and no amount of passion can make up for his poor decision making, yet he is often excused by Newcastle fans simply for being a Geordie. Taylor is simply another run of the mill average premier league defender, not the new John Terry as he was previously proclaimed.

Glenn Whelan

Why this championship standard midfielder continues to be a regular in the Stoke side I do not know. I expect Mark Hughes to move him on sharpish. For all his endeavour Whelan possess very little talent, he’s not a great tackler and he’s not the most creative of midfielders. 

Newcastle versus West Ham player ratings

Newcastle United versus West Ham ratings

Newcastle United

Krul 6- little to do for the Dutch international, with only one shot on target at his goal

Debuchy- 6- A much improved performance from the Frenchman compared to Monday night, Jarvis did still cause him problems on a couple of occasions though.

Yanga-Mbiwa- 7- looked much more comfortable in his preferred position of centre-back compared to his shaky performance at left back on Monday night. Definitely Newcastle’s 2^nd best centre-back in my opinion.

Coloccini- 7- typically assured performance from the Newcastle captain, the Argentinian is so important to Newcastle United and is their most consistent and best performer.

Santon- 7- solid enough defensively although Downing was able to get a few crosses in, Newcastle’s biggest threat going forward, he cut inside effectively and gave the West Ham defenders a difficult afternoon.

Ben Arfa- 4- An afternoon to forget for the Frenchman. He was wasteful in possession with a number of shots being fired off target, the West Ham defenders dealt with him well and he was visually frustrated with his own performance.

Sissoko- 7- a powerful performance and he definitely looks a better player in a deeper midfield position to the one where Alan Pardew tends to deploy him. Him and Anita looked a good central midfield combo.

Anita- 8- The man of the match for me, he was comfortable in possession and was the start of all of Newcastle’s attacking moves. Should have a regular place in the Magpies side in my opinion.

Marveaux- 6- a quiet afternoon for the winger but when he was involved he looked like he might create, needs to be brought into the game more often.

Shola Ameobi- 5- the Nigerian striker tried hard but had little effect on the game. He won a few free kicks and held the ball up well but he didn’t ever look like he was going to get a goal and there was little to worry the 2 centre backs.

Cisse- 4- he didn’t get involved in the game at all and never looked like getting a goal. Last season I constantly told people I wasn’t worried about his form because he was getting chances and it was only a matter of time before he started putting them away. Now I am worried as he isn’t getting into positions to shoot anymore, he was static and easy to defend against.

Subs

Sammy Ameobi-7- was lively when he came on and increased the tempo of Newcastle’s play as he attacked his fullback. Nearly managed to grab a goal for himself but the effort that cannoned back of the upright was an attempt at a cross.

Gouffran-5- like Sammy, he added pace to the Newcastle attacks and was the only one of the 3 strikers to offer movement. However, his late miss was embarrassing and he should have given Newcastle 3 points.

West Ham

Jaaskelainen-6- The veteran Finnish goalkeeper had little to do as Newcastle failed to muster a shot on target.

Demel-6- was solid for most of the game although Santon did cause a few problems, offered little in an attacking sense however.

Collins-8-didn’t give Ameobi and Cisse a kick, the lack of Newcastle chances has to be down to how the two centre-backs managed to restrict the magpie strikers.

Reid-8- as with Collins a terrific performance, had a half chance to score at the other end and the New Zealand international added to his fledging reputation with a brilliant defensive display.

O’Brien- 7- Dealt excellently with the threat of Ben Arfa and if you keep Ben Arfa quiet against this Newcastle side you go some way to keeping Newcastle quiet.

Diame-7- another powerful display from the box-to-box midfielder, the battle between him and Moussa Sissoko was intriguing and it more or less evened itself out through the course of the match.

Noble-6- hard working off the ball in midfield but did not affect the game in possession as much as he’d have liked to.

Nolan-6- a typically combative performance from the former Newcastle captain. However, he will have been disappointed to have wasted a free header with most in the ground expecting the Hammers captain to score as he has so often in similar situations.

Downing- 7- a couple of dangerous crosses from the England international on his full debut, I was surprised to see him substituted although his replacement also caused trouble on the flanks. He maybe should have done better with a header but his aerial ability isn’t a strength of his game.

Jarvis-7- caused trouble on the wing for the Newcastle back four when he cut in on his right foot, he managed to get  passed Debuchy a few times.

Maiga- 5- the striker who almost joined Newcastle in January 2012 was ineffectual for most of the 90 minutes although he had a late effort correctly chalked off for offside.

Subs

Cole- 6- caused a few problems when he came on, nearly grabbed a goal but his shot went agonisingly wide of the post.

Morrison- 5- made little impact during his brief cameo off the bench. 

Aston Villa versus Liverpool match preview

Aston Villa versus Liverpool

Expected lineups

Aston Villa 4-3-3                                                                                               Liverpool 4-3-3

Guzan                                                                                                                   Mignolet

Lowton                                                                                                                 Johnson

Okore                                                                                                                   Toure

Vlaar ©                                                                                                                 Agger

Luna                                                                                                                      Enrique

El Ahmadi                                                                                                           Gerrard ©

Westwood                                                                                                          Henderson

Delph                                                                                                                    Lucas

Agbonlahor                                                                                                        Coutinho

Benteke                                                                                                               Sturridge

Weimann                                                                                                            Aspas

I think this could be a very entertaining and interesting game to watch. Both sides attempt to play attacking football at pace and this match really could go either way. I don’t expect many changes to either side as both teams started the season well last week and by all accounts Villa were unlucky to not get anything in midweek. Liverpool will want to increase their ruthlessness however, as if it hadn’t been for Simon Mignolet’s penalty save they may have thrown two points away in a game they dominated and had chances to win comfortably.

Prediction 2-2

Stoke City versus Crystal Palace match preview

Stoke City versus Crystal Palace

Expected lineups

Stoke 4-3-3                                                                                         Crystal Palace 4-3-3

Begovic                                                                                             Speroni

Cameron                                                                                           Ward

Huth                                                                                                 Gabbidon

Shawcross ©                                                                                     Delaney

Pieters                                                                                                Moxey

Whelan                                                                                               Dikgacoi

N’Zonzi                                                                                              Williams

Wilson                                                                                                 Jedinek ©

Walters                                                                                               Puncheon

Crouch                                                                                                Chamakh

Etherington                                                                                            Gayle

Outs- Shea, Palacios                                                                                                                                      Outs-   Parr,McCarthy, Bolasie, Thomas, Murray, Price

Stoke showed signs of attempting to play more attacking football at Anfield and although Liverpool

Had their fair share of chances to win the game handsomely, Stoke nearly nicked a point late on. I expect both teams to be in the relegation battle come the end of the season so it could be an important game for both sides. I expect Stoke to come out on top however.

Prediction 2-0

Southampton versus Sunderland match preview

Southampton versus Sunderland

Expected lineups

Southampton 4-3-3                                                                                         Sunderland 4-4-1-1

Boruc                                                                                                                    Westwood

Clyne                                                                                                                     Celustka

Fonte                                                                                                                    O’Shea ©

Lovren                                                                                                                  Valentin

Shaw                                                                                                                     Colback

Schneiderlin                                                                                                       Giaccherini

Wanyama                                                                                                            Larsson

Ward-Prowse                                                                                                    Cabral

Rodriguez                                                                                                            Johnson

Lambert                                                                                                               Sessegnon

Lallana  ©                                                                                                            Altidore

Outs- none                                                                                         Outs- Cattermole, Bardsley, Fletcher, Brown

Differing fortunes for these two last week as Southampton came away with an impressive 1-0 victory at the Hawthorns and the clean sheet will particularly please Mauricio Pochettino whose side played some very impressive attacking football last season but the defending was often shaky. I can see them recording a win at St Marys against a much-changed Sunderland side. Sunderland played well against Fulham but could not find a goal and I expect Di Canio to play a similar side this week although second guessing Di Canio is a dangerous game!

Prediction 3-1

Newcastle v West Ham match preview

Newcastle v West Ham

Expected lineups

Newcastle 4-4-2                                                                                                               West Ham 4-3-3

Krul                                                                                                                                        Jaaskelainen

Debuchy                                                                                                                              O’Brien

Yanga- Mbiwa                                                                                                                   Collins

Coloccini ©                                                                                                                         Reid

Dummett                                                                                                                            Demel

Ben Arfa                                                                                                                              Noble

Anita                                                                                                                                   Nolan ©

Sissoko                                                                                                                                 Diame

Marveaux                                                                                                                           Cole

Gouffran                                                                                                                             Maiga

Cisse                                                                                                                                      Jarvis

Outs- Williamson, Gutierrez, Haidara, Remy,                                                       Outs- Carroll, McCartney

Alnwick, R.Taylor

Doubts- Santon, Tiote

I expect West Ham to remain unchanged with no new fitness worries and former Geordie hero Andy Carroll still on the sidelines. West Ham’s away form was poor last season and they will want to improve on that this time around although they did win at St James’ Park last year with ex- Newcastle captain Kevin Nolan getting the winner. This match is huge for Alan Pardew, anything other than a win for his magpies side will put him under enormous pressure and I think a loss could see him out of a job come Monday morning. I think this one could be a bore draw.

Prediction 0-0

Hull City versus Norwich match preview

Hull City versus Norwich

Expected Lineups

Hull 4-4-2                                                                                                             Norwich 4-4-2

McGregor                                                                                                           Ruddy

Elmohamady                                                                                                      Whittaker

Davies                                                                                                                   Turner

Chester                                                                                                                  Martin ©

Figueroa                                                                                                              Garrido

Aluko                                                                                                                    Redmond

Huddlestone                                                                                                      Howson

Koren    ©                                                                                                            Johnson

Brady                                                                                                                    Olsson

Graham                                                                                                                Van-Wolfswinkel

Sagbo                                                                                                                    Elmander

Outs- Faye, Quinn                                                                                           Outs- E. Bennett, Snodgrass, Hooper

                                                                                                                                Bassong, Pilkington

Hull were always going to struggle with their first fixture back in the big time and this game represents their first real chance at picking up some points. Norwich look a strong side and this is shown by them having a good lineup on paper despite missing some key players in their team. Norwich have real competition for places now particularly in wide areas although several wingers are out for them for this clash. A solid result against Everton last time out I think they may spoil the party at the KC Stadium but I think it will be a close encounter.

Prediction 1-2

Everton versus West Brom match preview

                                                Everton versus West Brom

                                                   Expected lineups

Everton 4-4-1-1                                                                                                 West Brom 4-5-1

Howard                                                                                                                Foster

Coleman                                                                                                              Jones

Heitinga                                                                                                               Olsson

Jagielka ©                                                                                                           McAuley

Baines                                                                                                                   Ridgewell

Mirallas                                                                                                                  Morrison

Barkley                                                                                                                 Mulumbu

Osman                                                                                                                  Yacob

Pienaar                                                                                                                 Brunt ©

Fellaini                                                                                                                  Dorrans

Jelavic                                                                                                                   Long

Outs- Alcaraz                                                                                     Outs- Anelka, Reid, Thorne, Gera

Doubts- Distin, Gibson, Hibbert, Gueye

I think Roberto Martinez will be satisfied with the result at Carrow Road even though they were in the lead for a period of the game. I don’t expect many changes to his side although Sylvain Distin is struggling to be fit for this encounter. It’s been a tough week for Steve Clarke with last week’s disappointing home loss to Southampton followed by questions over Nicolas Anelka’s future in the game and the striker has been granted compassionate leave due to the passing away of his agent. I can’t see Everton finding this to be an easy clash, but I think they will just about come out on top.

prediction 2-1

Fulham versus Arsenal match preview

Fulham versus Arsenal match preview

Expected lineups

Fulham 4-4-1-1                                                                                                  Arsenal 4-3-3

Stockdale                                                                                                            Szcezney

Riether                                                                                                                 Jenkinson

Hughes                                                                                                                 Sagna

Hangeland ©                                                                                                      Mertesacker

Briggs                                                                                                                    Gibbs

Duff                                                                                                                       Wilshere

Boateng                                                                                                               Cazorla

Sidwell                                                                                                                  Ramsey

Kasami                                                                                                                  Walcott

Taarabt                                                                                                                Giroud

Berbatov                                                                                                            Podolski

Out- Kacaniklic, Richardson,                                                   outs- Koscielny, Oxlade-Chamberlain

 Steklenburg, Amorebieta                                                      Arteta, Myaichi, Vermaelen, Diaby

Both teams picked up results that surprised me last week in differing ways. Fulham battled hard to see out a 1-0 win and that’s an impressive start for a team that is usually weak on the road. Much has been made of Arsenal’s shock home defeat against Villa but I think it is important to remember that it is only one match. Whilst Arsenal do need to strengthen, knee-jerk reactions are not required and that is why it surprised me to see Arsenal linked with Yohan Cabaye. Cabaye is a fantastic player but not the one Arsenal need with Wilshere and Cazorla already in the ranks as forward-thinking midfield players. Arsenal achieved a brilliant result in Turkey in the week but Fulham are strong at home and I can see the spoils being shared.

Prediction 1-1

Manchester City versus Newcastle United- player ratings

Manchester City versus Newcastle United- player ratings

Manchester City

Hart- 6- had very little to do, dealt with the only Newcastle shot on target comfortably.

Zabaleta- 8- caused problems throughout the night, him and Navas gave Newcastle’s makeshift left back Mapou Yanga-Mbiwa a nightmare, less so Paul Dummett in the second half but this may have been because the game was already wrapped up.

Kompany- 7- solid throughout the night, crucial interception on Cisse in the first half as it led directly to a Manchester City goal. City must hope the injury he limped off with isn’t bad as he is crucial to them.

Lescott- 6- was solid enough with everything he had to deal with but in truth he was rarely tested throughout the night.

Clichy- 6- Ben Arfa caused him a few problems but by and large he managed to keep him in check, was less effective going forward than Zabaleta from the other side however.

Navas- 8- Fantastic debut and it’s easy to see what a fantastic asset he is going to be to this Manchester City side, pace in wide areas and fantastic crossing ability.

Fernandinho- 7- powerful midfield display on his debut as him and Toure dominated the centre of the park.

Toure- 8- as with Fernandinho, it was a typically powerful performance from the Ivorian added to by a brilliant freekick even if the wall could have done a bit better to keep it out.

Silva- 9- spectacular performance from the Spanish playmaker as he drifted all over the pitch, Newcastle struggled to pick him up throughout the night, was the man of the match for me, by the time he went off the game was wrapped up.

Aguero- 8- a return to his best was evident in this performance, a great finish for the second goal when it looked like Taylor had done enough to force him wide. Was lively throughout the night as he drifted into little pockets of space behind Dzeko.

Dzeko- 8- all his performance lacked was a goal, a terrific performance and he will thrive on the service that Navas will provide this season. Linked up well with the team in possession which represents an improvement for the Bosnian striker as a criticism labelled at him is that he often slows the play down but that did not happen last night.

Subs

Nasri- 7- the game was won by the time he came on but he managed to get himself a goal through good anticipation and Debuchy falling asleep.

Garcia-5- Did solidly enough when he came on but the truth is he had nothing to do at centre back.

Negrado- 6- some nice touches from the big target man but the game was over by the time he came on and City didn’t really get out of second gear whilst he was on so to judge him on this game would be difficult.

Newcastle United

Krul-8- If it hadn’t been for the Dutchman it would have been a lot more than four. He made a string of good saves during the encounter and spectators will have felt sorry for him that he did not have more protection from his back four.

Debuchy-2- I can accept bad performances, every player in this match will have a poor performance at some point during this season. What I can’t accept is a lack of effort and care and Debuchy seemed to show that last night. He seemed unwilling to put himself on the line for his teammates and I hope that someone in the Newcastle team has told him in no uncertain terms that this is not acceptable.

Taylor- 3- brainless sending off when the game was already up, meaning his position may be in danger after his three match suspension. Was struggling with Dzeko’s movement already during the game before his red card.

Coloccini- 5- he kept fighting whilst others around him gave up, he struggled with Aguero’s fantastic movement but kept at it throughout the night, Coloccini is the only clear leader in the side and the Newcastle skipper needs to have harsh words with his team after this performance.

Yanga-Mbiwa- 4- He struggled at left back against Navas and Zabaleta but that is unsurprising as he is not a fullback, he performed much better when he was moved to the centre of defence.

Ben Arfa- 7-The one spark in the side not only last night but regularly in this Newcastle side. Sylvain Marveaux also provides a spark when he plays but Pardew seems reluctant for whatever reason to select the former Rennes man. Ben Arfa caused the City defence problems when he had the ball but too often it looked like he had to do everything on his own and that is worrying from a Newcastle point of view.

Tiote- 4- He gave the ball away far too often and it looked like he had kept his form of last season rather than that of his first 2 seasons in England. The lack of a creative man alongside him in Cabaye’s absence however, made him try to be more creative leading to him giving the ball even more often.

Sissoko- 4- The French international was practically non-existent for the entire 90 minutes as Toure and Fernandinho dominated the midfield, it didn’t help him in fairness than Alan Pardew forced him to play on the left wing during the second half which is clearly not his position.

Gutierrez- 5- The Argentine battled gallantly whilst he was on the pitch, many fans myself included feel he is passed it but you can never fault the endeavour the winger gives you. I thought he was one of the better performers last night for Newcastle before a hamstring injury forced him off.

Gouffran- 5- the Frenchman tried hard whilst he was on and was Newcastle’s second best attacking threat after Ben Arfa.

Cisse- 2- Cisse like Debuchy for me was guilty of a lack of effort last night. That’s unlike Cisse as he usually tries his best for the team but his performance last night was not acceptable. Added to this every touch he took seemed to just present the opposition with the ball back putting Newcastle under increased pressure during the 90 minutes.

Subs

Anita-3- I’m a big fan of Anita but it’s fair to say last night was not his best performance in black and white. He gave the ball away too frequently and struggled to stamp himself on the game. However, Anita was only on when Newcastle had 10 men so it is harsh to criticise the deep-lying playmaker too much for not creating much.

Dummett- 6- The Welsh under 21 international looked solid on his premier league debut. Whilst Manchester City certainly dropped their tempo in the second half and so it was easier than the first half to defend, the academy graduate did a good job in keeping Navas at bay.

Sammy Ameobi-5- the tall winger did very little worth commenting on during his brief substitute appearance although he didn’t do much wrong after coming on. 

Manchester City v Newcastle match preview

Man City v Newcastle

               

                                Expected lineups

4-4-2                                                                                                      4-2-3-1

Hart                                                                                                       Krul

Zabaleta                                                                                               Debuchy

Kompany                                                                                             Yanga-Mbiwa

Lescott                                                                                                 Coloccini

Clichy                                                                                                    Santon

Nasri                                                                                                      Tiote

Fernandinho                                                                                          Cabaye

Toure                                                                                                    Ben Arfa

Silva                                                                                                       Sissoko

Negrado                                                                                               Gouffran

Jovetic                                                                                                  Cisse

I like the look of the Manchester City squad now with additions made in key areas that looked like they needed strengthening. Newcastle have a good team on paper but too often it did not come together last season and it will have to for them to have a chance in this match. Sergio Aguero’s is doubtful and this will give Newcastle a boost but I can’t see it affecting the outcome of this one.

Prediction- 2-0 Man City

Outs- Nastasic, Sinclair                                                                                   Outs- Remy, Alnwick,                                                                        R.Taylor

Doubt- Aguero                                                                                                  Doubt- Gutierrez