Premier League Preview: Sunderland v. West Ham United

If the Hammers think that coming back to draw with Arsenal represent the proverbial "turn the corner" then the good work must be continued with another fine display against Sunderland. Playing at the Stadium of Light is not an easy task as the Black Cats have very passionate fans which can prove to be the 12th man for the home side. With nothing to choose between Sunderland and West Ham, the challenge is on West Ham to firstly, silence the home fans and secondly, to overpower Sunderland on the pitch.

The 4-4-2 formation that Zola fielded last weekend against Arsenal worked very well and it would be a good idea to stick with that formation. Mark Noble however have not been performing as well as he should and he must be the one to make way for the impressive Valon Behrami. A midfield four of Diamanti, Parker, Behrami and Collison looks combative enough against the pressuring and harrying Sunderland midfielders.

One worrying factor is the way Tomkins, Upson and Green have dealt with corners, crosses and free kicks into the penalty area. Worrying because this is a strength of Sunderland's. The Black Cat's twin terrors have demonstrated that they are a force by plundering 13 goals in the last 10 Premier League matches. If Danny Gabbidon is fit enough, he would be ideal to partner Upson as he has the experience and defensive expertise.

From the Arsenal match, the partnership of Cole and Franco would need time to gel and build an understanding. Yet it looks to be a potentially good partnership with Zavon Hines coming on as an impact substitute with his pace to unsettle tired defences. Carlton Cole has yet to finish on the winning side whenever he scored this season and that's a run that he will look to change this coming Saturday.

The Flat Back Four's favoured West Ham lineup (4-4-2):
--------------------------------- Green

Spector --------------- Gabbidon ------ Upson ------------ Ilunga

---------------------------- Parker

----------------------------------------------- Behrami

Diamanti -------------- ----------- ---- ------------------- Collison

------------------------ Cole ------ Franco

So relegation thoughts are not welcome at this stage! A draw seems a feasible target but it is the much needed win that Hammer fans are looking for. Furthermore, three points against a very good Sunderland side may finally mean that the Hammers have turned the corner. A good match is in store, for sure filled with passion, commitment and great passing football.

The Premier League WAG news scene whould be a lot poorer without the delectable Elena Bonzanni, the Italian TV presenter who is Valon Behrami's long time partner.

West Ham United: A Look At The 2009/2010 Premier League Season

West Ham kick off their 2009/10 Premiership season with an away tie against promoted side Wolverhampton Wanderers. There is no reason why the Hammers cannot open the campaign with a resounding victory.

It should be fair to say that the major concern for West Ham is the lack of depth upfront. Apart from Carlton Cole, no other West Ham player had scored above five goals last season. The club recently issued a statement saying that they will endeavour to ensure that a striker is brought in before transfer deadline. Signing a striker is a priority. Let's hope that Zola and the club management are able to make good on that promise. Despite being linked with a number of players, that striker or two have yet to show up at Boleyn Ground.

Luis Jimenez, on loan from Inter Milan, therefore remains the most significant signing of the season. During pre-season, "Jimmy" as he is known, has shown that he is a neat little player. A tricky player who takes defenders on, displaying flicks, little cute passes and smart interchanges mean that his talent and style of play is in keeping with the West Ham tradition. He will very important to the Hammers this coming season.

West Ham's strongest department is the midfield. Scott Parker is undeniably the engine of the Hammers' midfield. He is the ideal person to take over as captain of this side and forcibly drive the team forward towards positive results. A preferred midfield quartet of Parker, Mark Noble, Luis Jiminez and Jack Collision looks a strong balance of industry and creativity. There is significant strength in midfield for West Ham and Zola may opt to play with five midfielders across the park.

Defensively, the return of Welsh international, Danny Gabbidon will be a boost to Zola and Steve Clarke. The emergence of young James Tomkins as a reliable Premiership defender meant that the imminent departure of Lucas Neill, the Aussie mercenary will not be felt at all. It is nevertheless important for the Hammers to hang on to Matthew Upson who was one of the most consistent performers of last season.

The wait for the perpetually injured Dean Ashton has been painful and meaningless. He is a great player but if Stoke City wants him, then Zola should do business. Zola and Clarke still believes in Savio Nsereko, who is still only 20. Zola must get this youngster to start believing and performing.

After a great first season, the management team of Zola and Clarke will be put to more tests in this second season. Getting more out of Collision, Stanislas, Tomkins and Noble will prove to interested parties that he is indeed a Premiership manager.

This is the full First Team lineup for this season's campaign.

Player Profiles (as seen at West Ham United FC Official Website) 1 Robert Green Goalkeeper 4 Daniel Gabbidon Defender 7 Kieron Dyer Midfielder 8 Scott Parker Midfielder 9 Dean Ashton Striker 10 Savio Nsereko Striker 12 Carlton Cole Striker 13 Luis Boa Morte Midfielder 15 Matthew Upson Defender 16 Mark Noble Midfielder 17 Luis Jimenez Midfielder 18 Jonathan Spector Defender 19 James Collins Defender 20 Julien Faubert Midfielder 21 Valon Behrami Midfielder 23 Herita Ilunga Defender 26 Nigel Quashie Midfielder 27 Calum Davenport Defender 28 Peter Kurucz Goalkeeper 30 James Tomkins Defender 31 Jack Collison Midfielder 33 Fabio Daprela Defender 35 Josh Payne Midfielder 41 Zavon Hines Striker 44 Bondz N'Gala Defender 45 Jordan Spence Defender 46 Junior Stanislas Midfielder Marek Stech Goalkeeper

Onwards then to the Molineux Stadium for the first match of the Hammers' 2009/10 Premier League season.

2009/2010 Barclays Premier League Season: Five Must See's

And it starts this weekend! The 2009/10 Barclays English Premier League season is going to be an incredible one. Why do I say that? There are two reasons for this. One, if either Manchester United or Liverpool wins it, then that club will surge ahead as the leader in the titles won category. Second, if Manchester United wins it, then they will be the first club to have won the league title four times in a row.

Previewing the 2009/10 season, the Big 4 (Arsenal, Chelsea, Liverpool and Manchester United) should continue to occupy the top four places in the league table.

Manchester United won the Premiership last season by dominating the smaller clubs. United registered an 84% wins statistic against teams outside the Big 4. More significantly, Cristiano Ronaldo scored 17 of his 18 league goals against these clubs. United will have to look to Rooney, Berbatov or Owen to shoulder this loss of output and maintain this phenomenal dominance. For United to retain the title, they cannot afford to slip up against the clubs outside the top 4.

Losing Alonso, their best player last season, may have killed off Liverpool's chances of title no. 19. Signing the oft-injured but talented Alberto Aquilani is a gamble at best. So, like the last two seasons, Liverpool will rely heavily on the Gerrard-Torres partnership. Even in an injury-hit season as last season, the G-T tandem garnered 19 goals and five assists in 14 matches together, winning 100% of those games that they started together. That shows the effectiveness and potency of the best strike partnership in the Premiership. The fitness and physical conditioning of both players will be vital if Liverpool want to wrest back the Premiership from the champions.

Sadly though, my own opinion is that neither will capture the crown come May 2010 but instead Chelsea looks to be well-suited to be the pacesetters and eventually clinch the title. Much will depend on the Chelsea players settling into the diamond formation favoured by Carlo Ancelotti. Frank Lampard should have a great season playing in the "Kaka" role for Chelsea.

Being the season before the 2010 World Cup, there are plenty to play for...national team selection are up for grabs and the players know this is the ideal time to state a strong case for inclusion.

These are my five Must See's for the 2009/2010 Barclays English Premier League.
1. Manchester United's Michael Owen scoring goals eventually winning a place in the England World Cup team.
2. Liverpool's Alberto Aquilani playing on the pitch and staying injury-free.
3. West Ham United breaking into the top six and making it into the Europa League.
4. Manchester City's Mark Hughes sacked.
5. Arsenal's team of very talented kids winning the FA Cup.

Do you have a list of Must See's? What are you looking forward to this season? Let me know in the Comments section.

Though I will doubtlessly cover the travails of the Big 4 clubs, my special focus this season is on the trials and exploits of West Ham United and Gianfranco Zola's second season in club management. If you would like to read about West Ham for the coming season, then you may subscribe to The Flat Back Four RSS feed.

Find out more about the analysis behind the Gerrard-Torres partnership here.
Read the statistics on Manchester United and their dominance over the teams outside the Big 4.
A recap of the previous 2008/09 season can be found here.