As several records were broken, Romily Evans tells us why this weekend's action was the greatest possible advert for England's top division and why Dimitar Berbatov's goals are unlikely to dry up anytime soon.
The Premier League's marketing men can rest easy at a job well done. For this was one weekend when the "product" truly matched their hyperbole - and the tagline that we are watching the most exciting and entertaining league in the world seemed justified.
Even the basic stats bear fitting tribute to this. Not one of the 20 teams playing managed to register a clean sheet (for the first time in Premier League history), as no fewer than 41 goals hit the back of the collective net. Moreover, there were late comebacks, plucky performances and majestic maulings aplenty. And as the dust settled at both ends of the table, the league's new era of competitiveness was showcased from head to foot. Just six points separate the first five clubs, while the relegation monster is positively salivating at the prospect of 14 sides currently lying within an eight-point reach of its grasping tentacles.
With so much goalmouth action, now is as good a time as any to have a pre-Christmas glance at the Top Scorer market. Dimitar Berbatov's five-star showing against a depleted Blackburn outfit stole the headlines and saw the previously struggling striker storm atop the goalscoring charts. Just when commentators were writing the Bulgarian off, he produced a rare performance of industry which trumped his hat-trick against Liverpool in September (which, incidentally, was the last time he'd scored before Saturday).
It's too simplistic to class Berbatov as a mercurial talent that only performs when the muse is with him. Unless, by muse, you mean Wayne Rooney. And few artists do. Still, it's a harsh fact of reality that the Liverpool victory was also the last time Rooney had started alongside Berbatov, and the contributions of the fit-again No.10 cannot be dismissed as a means of bolstering his strike-partner's belief. Confidence has long been a fragile flower for many forwards, but Berbatov's is perhaps the most perishable on British football fields. However, with a sharp, unselfish Rooney back at his side - and Nani doing his best to imitate the wing-service of Christiano Ronaldo - he may now enjoy enough protective casing to have a proper run at golden-boot honours.
Betfair punters evidently concur. The 29-year-old is a top-priced [5.3] to back, and will surely never get a better chance to be the season's top marksman. Already two clear of his closest pursuers on 11 goals, few of the perennial likely lads are on his coat-tails. Indeed, only Carlos Tevez (nine goals) is valued at a similar price (5.4), while this year's surprise package, Andy Carroll, will struggle to keep pace, given Newcastle's inferior squad and resultant supply channels.
Continued:
http://www.betfair.net/blog/soccer/premier-league-betting-a-fanta-291110.html
The Premier League's marketing men can rest easy at a job well done. For this was one weekend when the "product" truly matched their hyperbole - and the tagline that we are watching the most exciting and entertaining league in the world seemed justified.
Even the basic stats bear fitting tribute to this. Not one of the 20 teams playing managed to register a clean sheet (for the first time in Premier League history), as no fewer than 41 goals hit the back of the collective net. Moreover, there were late comebacks, plucky performances and majestic maulings aplenty. And as the dust settled at both ends of the table, the league's new era of competitiveness was showcased from head to foot. Just six points separate the first five clubs, while the relegation monster is positively salivating at the prospect of 14 sides currently lying within an eight-point reach of its grasping tentacles.
With so much goalmouth action, now is as good a time as any to have a pre-Christmas glance at the Top Scorer market. Dimitar Berbatov's five-star showing against a depleted Blackburn outfit stole the headlines and saw the previously struggling striker storm atop the goalscoring charts. Just when commentators were writing the Bulgarian off, he produced a rare performance of industry which trumped his hat-trick against Liverpool in September (which, incidentally, was the last time he'd scored before Saturday).
It's too simplistic to class Berbatov as a mercurial talent that only performs when the muse is with him. Unless, by muse, you mean Wayne Rooney. And few artists do. Still, it's a harsh fact of reality that the Liverpool victory was also the last time Rooney had started alongside Berbatov, and the contributions of the fit-again No.10 cannot be dismissed as a means of bolstering his strike-partner's belief. Confidence has long been a fragile flower for many forwards, but Berbatov's is perhaps the most perishable on British football fields. However, with a sharp, unselfish Rooney back at his side - and Nani doing his best to imitate the wing-service of Christiano Ronaldo - he may now enjoy enough protective casing to have a proper run at golden-boot honours.
Betfair punters evidently concur. The 29-year-old is a top-priced [5.3] to back, and will surely never get a better chance to be the season's top marksman. Already two clear of his closest pursuers on 11 goals, few of the perennial likely lads are on his coat-tails. Indeed, only Carlos Tevez (nine goals) is valued at a similar price (5.4), while this year's surprise package, Andy Carroll, will struggle to keep pace, given Newcastle's inferior squad and resultant supply channels.
Continued:
http://www.betfair.net/blog/soccer/premier-league-betting-a-fanta-291110.html
