Manchester United’s Robin van Persie tops the Premier League scoring charts with 16 goals, while Liverpool Luis Suarez occupies second spot with 15. But who has been the best player so far this season?
Once again, Goal.com‘s Carlo Garganese and Peter Staunton take to the debating ring to have their say. Carlo’s in Suarez’s court, while Pete is in full support of Van Persie, but who do you side with?
Leave your opinion in the comment box below.
SPECIAL REPORT
By Greg Stobart
The latest chapter in the stormy relationship between Liverpool, Luis Suarez and Manchester United is set to unfold on Sunday and it could potentially be the last, with the Uruguayan forward set to consider his Anfield future in the summer amid renewed interest from Manchester City.
Fenway Sports Group (FSG), the Reds’ owners, fear Suarez will seek to leave Merseyside in the summer if the club fail to qualify for Europe, despite the player signing a long-term contract worth £100,000-a-week in the summer.
Suarez has been in stunning form this campaign, scoring 15 goals in 20 Premier League appearances – but Liverpool are just eighth in the table and seven points behind fourth placed Chelsea having played one game more than the Blues.
| SUAREZ’S CAREER STATISTICS |
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| Club Liverpool (Jan 11-present) Ajax FC Groningen Nacional |
Games 79 159 38 34 |
Goals 40 111 15 9 |
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The 25-year-old is eager to play in the Champions League and his representatives are understood to be considering potential options, although most clubs will be deterred by Liverpool’s £40 million-plus asking price.
It leaves Liverpool in a dilemma. Brendan Rodgers would be loathe to lose his star man – a player capable of leading the team towards a regular place in Europe’s elite competition – but he also realises the need for funds to re-invest in the squad with FSG unwilling to provide him with a substantial transfer kitty.
Liverpool are also well aware of the implications of Suarez being represented by Pere Guardiola, the brother of former Barcelona coach Pep. He intends to take on a new job in the Premier League next season after a year-long sabbatical in New York, potentially at Manchester City where there is already a strong Barcelona influence in the boardroom.
City have made signing one of Edinson Cavani or Radamel Falcao their top priority – but manager Roberto Mancini is a huge admirer of Suarez’s abilities and expressed his interest in the former Ajax man last year.
One issue is whether the Italian will even be in charge at City come the summer, especially if they fail to retain their Premier League title, with Guardiola and potentially Jose Mourinho available in the summer.
Txiki Begiristain, who was appointed as the club’s director of football in October, will increasingly take control of transfers and is planning a summer overhaul of the team’s strikeforce.
Mario Balotelli is almost certain to leave, potentially this month, with AC Milan the most likely destination for the temperamental striker, whose relationship with Mancini has reached breaking point in recent months.
Edin Dzeko and Carlos Tevez could also be sold in the summer if they attract appropriate bids as City prepare to upgrade their forward options, with the prospect of a South American dream team including Suarez, Cavani and Sergio Aguero their ideal strikeforce.
While City are mindful of Uefa’s financial fair play rules, they have learned the lessons from a poor summer in the transfer market and are prepared to pay big money for stellar signings.
Suarez is settled in Liverpool with his wife and daughter, but his competitiveness on the pitch reflects a drive and ambition to test himself as much as possible, to play and win trophies at the highest level.
City are one of the few clubs in the world who could afford to sign Suarez, provide him with a significant wage increase and give him the opportunity to challenge for league titles and European glory.
The simple fact is that Liverpool are several years away from competing for major honours and Suarez is at the peak of his game, a player who deserves to play in the best club competitions.
Rodgers is targeting a top-four finish this season, which would be enough to convince Suarez to stay at Anfield, but the Reds face a tough task in finishing above the likes of Arsenal, Chelsea, Tottenham and even local rivals Everton.
Suarez will have to decide in the summer just how much he is willing to push for a move away from Anfield to fulfil his career ambitions – but there is a potential storm brewing and there are many people at Liverpool who do not expect him to be at the club next season.
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By Chris Davie
We’ve passed the congested festive schedule in the Premier League and two strikers have emerged from the busy run of fixtures as frontrunners for the Golden Boot.
Robin van Persie tops the chart with 16 goals this season with Liverpool’s Luis Suarez one behind the Dutchman. Demba Ba’s move to Chelsea could also bolster the Senegal forward’s chances of scooping the gong this term, providing he ousts Fernando Torres from his regular role at Stamford Bridge.
Here’s Goal.com’s look at the players who are in the running for the Golden Boot this term.
Providing he stays fit, the 29-year-old is likely to remain a strong contender to scoop the Golden Boot for the second consecutive campaign – the only other players to do this are Alan Shearer and Thierry Henry.
Sitting behind Van Persie with one goal fewer is Liverpool’s Luis Suarez. Unlike the Dutchman, the Uruguay international had a relatively quiet start to December before springing into life towards the end of the month, scoring once against Fulham and two against a hapless QPR at Loftus Road. Suarez continued his prowess in front of goal into the New Year and bagged another double against Sunderland on January 2.
The Liverpool talisman appears to be the strongest candidate to contest Van Persie, but with Daniel Sturridge’s arrival at Anfield, we could see the 25-year-old, who averages just over six shots per game, shifted to a supporting role.
Demba Ba, despite Newcastle United’s struggles this season, has been in superb form in front of goal and struck five times in six matches last month. Chelsea have been quick to pounce on the £7 million release clause the Senegal international had in his contract at St James’ Park, and now the 27-year-old has arrived at Stamford Bridge as a challenger for Fernando Torres.
Ba has already struck twice in Chelsea’s FA Cup third-round win over Southampton and was unlucky to see a goal ruled out against Swansea in the Capital One Cup on Wednesday evening. Given the service the forward is likely to receive from Juan Mata, Eden Hazard and the rest of Chelsea’s midfield, we could see him develop into a strong candidate for the Golden Boot.
| PREMIER LEAGUE TOP SCORERS |
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| Player Van Persie Suarez Ba Michu Defoe Bale Dzeko |
Club Man Utd Liverpool Chelsea Swansea Tottenham Tottenham Man City |
Goals 16 15 13 13 10 9 9 |
Odds
5/4 |
With Emmanuel Adebayor heading to the Africa Cup of Nations this month and Andre Villas-Boas unlikely to sign a striker during the transfer window, Jermain Defoe is set to continue as a spearhead for Tottenham’s attacks until mid-February. The 30-year-old has 10 goals to his name this term.
Providing Defoe with the goal-scoring competition at White Hart Lane is Gareth Bale, who sits behind his team-mate on nine goals this season. The Wales international has impressed this season but it’s unlikely he’ll be able to keep pace with the Premier League’s regular scorers.
Surprisingly, Edin Dzeko also stands on nine goals this season having started just seven games this season and the Bosnian is currently Manchester City’s highest scorer in the Premier League.
Sergio Aguero is one behind his club-mate with eight goals but has now been sidelined with a hamstring injury which will see him miss City’s trip to Arsenal on Sunday. Carlos Tevez has struck seven times this season but Roberto Mancini’s striker rotation looks set to hinder City’s forwards in their pursuit of the Golden Boot.
Van Persie continues to headline Manchester United’s attack and the Dutchman’s form in front of goal has had an impact on Wayne Rooney’s tally this season. The England international, who netted 27 goals last term, has seven goals in 14 appearances this season but has often played in a deeper role.
Chicharito, meanwhile, linked up superbly with Van Persie during United’s 4-0 victory over Wigan Athletic on New Year’s Day and netted a double at the DW Stadium. The Mexico international has eight goals from 13 appearances, five of which were starts.
Walcott bagged a hat-trick against Newcastle United on December 29, which took his tally to eight goals in 17 Premier League appearances this season, and while the Golden Boot is likely to be out of the 23-year-old’s reach this term, being handed a regular run as a striker should sufficiently prepare him for the next campaign.
Steven Fletcher stands on eight goals for the season and the Scotland international appears to mirror Sunderland’s inconsistency having struck just twice last month. If Martin O’Neill can improve his side’s creativity, at the moment only Aston Villa, Reading and Stoke average less shots per game than the Black Cats, Fletcher’s tally could be pushing 20 before the campaign is out.
Rickie Lambert has also struck eight times this season and will be vital for Southampton’s bid for survival. A 15-goal haul from the 30-year-old looks to be a realistic target.