1. Charlie Austin could be England’s next casualty
QPR’s set of has-beens and nearly-men launched a lively comeback after going 2-0 down in the first 20 minutes against fellow strugglers West Brom. All goals came from their man of the moment, Charlie Austin, whose hat-trick secured three points for the Hoops.
Austin deserves acknowledgment for his recent performances, but as usual, this brief spell of form has stirred up speculation over his potential inclusion in the England squad.
Let’s keep our heads here. Austin is a competent, hard-working striker who is shining in his current role as key target man in a struggling side, but he will never be much more than this. Selecting a second-rate player based purely on a short run of form is a mistake that England repeat time and time again and which has never, ever worked – either for England or for the players concerned.
By all means, let Austin enjoy his moment in the sun, but remember that he is essentially little more than a poor man’s Rickie Lambert. That is a very, very long way from World Cup quality.
2. Young strikers give Hodgson something to think about
Regardless of Charlie Austin’s shortcomings, he’s done enough to ensure that his name is on a list of young(ish) forwards – along with Harry Kane, Saido Berahino and Danny Ings – who will at least give Roy Hodgson something to think about when he names his next England squad.
The fact that these inexperienced and admittedly limited players are even be taken into consideration is more reflective of England’s lack of genuine quality upfront, but when you consider that Hodgson named just three strikers – one of which was Ricky Lambert – for the October qualifiers, it’s hard not to feel that familiar sense of false hope, particularly with Daniel Sturridge due back in the New Year.
3. Benteke is back and badder than ever
Following his frustratingly long spell out of the game since last April‘s injury, Christian Benteke proved he has slipped well and truly back into his stride in Aston Villa’s home clash against Manchester United this week.
Benteke’s goal on 18 minutes was a sublime finish, and only David de Gea’s heroics prevented him from securing all three points for his club. Always an imposing presence, Benteke made it his business to bully and hound United’s back four throughout the game, at times making Phil Jones look like an anaemic teenager in his wake.
Benteke’s aggression wasn’t only reserved for United’s makeshift defence, however, as Villa’s Leandro Bacuna felt the full force of the Belgian’s wrath for failing to successfully knock a cross to him in the final minute of the game. If Benteke is able to keep his fitness up this time around, he could once again be the difference between mid-table mediocrity and a relegation scrap for Villa.
4. Man City don’t need strikers when they have Silva (and linesmen) on their side
Manchester City shrugged off speculation over a current lack of strikers affecting their title credentials by comfortably beating Crystal Palace to go level with Chelsea (for at least 48 hours, anyway). After a tepid first 45 minutes, City eventually proved too formidable for the Palace defence, with David Silva showing why he’s still so important to the club with an excellent brace in the second half.
Palace were prevented from reducing the deficit to a single goal soon after going two goals down, when a perfectly legitimate header from James McArthur was ruled offside by the linesman.
Through their harsh financial penalties, the FA have effectively silenced Neil Warnock from making his trademark tirades against the officials this season, leaving the Eagles’ boss with little option other than to hint towards his dissatisfaction with the appalling decision with rather unsubtle innuendo and figurative eyebrow-raising in his post-match interview.
Still, given the canter at which City eventually won, it’s questionable just how much of an effect it would have had on the overall outcome of the game.
5. Skrtel is the hardest man in the Premier League
Martin Skrtel, perhaps the only Premier League star who could pass as part of the ‘American History X’ cast, left no doubt over his hard man credentials on Sunday, after Oliver Giroud stamped on his head (accidently, we should add) causing blood to gush out of the nasty-looking wound in full view of the Sky Sports cameras.
Skrtel not only returned to the pitch looking like a bandaged warrior, but scored with a thunderous header in the 96th minute to earn a 10-man Liverpool a much deserved point (although, really they should have taken all three).
Less impressive was Skrtel’s weak defending in the first half, losing an aerial duel to Mathieu Debuchy who nodded in a lose ball to make it 1-1, but the Slovakian made sure he atoned with interest.
Connor Pierce & Alex Andrews
Filed under: Sport
