Premier League Underrated XI including Villa’s Andreas Weimann

With the world supposedly set to end in 6 days, bringing an end to the beautiful game (along with everything else, but hey, as if we’re going to miss anything other than football), this weekend’s Premier League fixtures may be the last round of games we will ever be blessed to witness. I feel it is only right that our attention falls upon not solely the stars of our top division, but also the forgotten men of planet Premier League; those unlikely to ever make the FIFA Ultimate Team of the week, or have their performance highlighted on Match of the Day.

Our underrated XI Goalkeeper was a fairly easy choice. Although I do believe Robert Green is a far better Goalkeeper than people give him credit for, there is really only one unfashionable goalkeeper in the Premier League who puts in consistently good performances for his team, and that man is Ali Al-Habsi.  Al-Habsi’s performances played a huge part in Wigan’s rise in form during the second half of last season, with his high-quality saves earning Wigan nearly as many points as their forward players.  Along with his agility and commanding presence in the box, Al-Habsi possesses a top-class ability to save penalties. During the entirety of the 2011/12 season he saved half of the eight penalties he faced, which has earned him a reputation that induces fear in any penalty taker’s mind when they face his tall figure from twelve yards. To his detriment, Al-Habsi shares Steven Gerrard’s defect of rarely making mistakes, yet when he does, they are laughably bad. It is this ability to press the self-destruct button that has causes hesitancy in the minds of a number of higher ranked Premier League clubs, however it is my belief that Al-Habsi would not look out of place in any mid-to-higher Premier League starting XI, while would also provide reliable backup to the Champions League teams.

Right-back was a toss-up between Danny Simpson and Angel Rangel, however I have gone with the latter as his overall play is superior to Newcastle’s versatile full-back. Though it does not prove much, it is interesting to note that Rangel had the most touches of the ball out of every player in the Premier League last season. One thing this statistic does show is his consistency, in that he played a large part in all but six of Swansea’s games during their impressive debut Premier League season, during which they conceded only 6 more goals than the European Champions Chelsea.  It also demonstrates his self-confidence and his desire to be involved in the game, and never to hide away. Going forward Rangel is strong, he can pick out a pass well and cross accurately; Opta stats showed Rangel to be the Premier League’s top defender by November last season. Defensively however he can be caught out, most noticeably at home to Manchester United last season when he was robbed of possession which lead to United scoring the winning goal. As a defender, Simpson is far better, with Opta placing him highest on tackles and interceptions out of all Premier League right-backs last season. Simpson also holds the record for goal line clearances in a single season, with 8, however going forward he rarely makes things happen. With the changing dynamics in attacking football, and the rise to prominence of full-backs as attacking forces, it is Rangel’s ability to get up and down the channel that in my eyes makes him a better right back than Simpson, and with the way his team are playing this season, European football could be on the cards for him next year.

At Centre-back is the much maligned Johnny Evans. Apart from any real pace, Evans possesses all other qualities needed to be a great defender. He makes up for his lack of acceleration by winning the ball early, a risky strategy, but often a very effective yet unnoticeable skill.  Evans’ troubles come when he is up against skilful strikers with the ability to evade his early pressure and roll past him in a flash. He however is a strong and well-timed tackler, and often makes up for these errors by winning the ball back while chasing the forward towards his own goal. On the times when this is not successful, he gives away penalties and free kicks – last season’s 1-6 Manchester Derby sticks in the memory – which also lead to his racking up of bookings and the occasional red card. His distribution is good – he is more than capable enough to play a ball out wide or long using both feet – and his marking ability has improved season by season. Like with Carrick and Fletcher, Evans finds it hard to win over Manchester United fans, however one must not forget that he played a key role in United’s record breaking clean sheet record in the 08/09 season, while last season United kept a clean sheet in all but four of the games he started. With Ferdinand’s career drawing to a close, and Vidić’s regular injury troubles, Evans may well find himself starting major Champions League clashes for United in the near future, and dare I say it, captaining the Red Devils a few years down the line.

Our second Centre-half is James Collins, a strong rock in the West Ham back four, whose presence has been key to the Hammers’ resiliency this season. As we saw on the opening day of the season, Collins is a leader, and inspires confidence in his team mates. It is not often that a team is promoted and keeps a clean sheet on the first day of the season against a regular Premier League side like Aston Villa, but Collins’ ‘man of the match’ performance earned West Ham a vital three points allowing them to gain momentum upon their return to England’s top-flight. Defending corners Collins is excellent, while as an attacking force he can be dangerous when attacking set-plays. Though not spectacular, Collins regularly puts in brave performances: blocking shots, clearing crosses and marking forwards out of the game, which is why he makes it into the underrated XI.

At Left-back I have chosen who I consider to be the signing of the season in last January, Jean Beausejour. After he signed from Birmingham, Wigan were able to switch to a 5 man defence, with Beausejour playing left full-back, getting forward at every opportunity, and creating a vast number of chances which were fundamental for Wigan’s survival. This season he has already created 26 opportunities, and though he only has three assists to his name, he would surely be right up there in the assists chart were he in a team with more prolific forwards than Wigan. Defensively he rarely gets caught out, while his energy levels are phenomenal. If he were English I am adamant that we would be raving about him, therefore he deservedly is given the No.3 jersey in our underrated team.

In the box to box Midfield role, I have selected Norwich’s summer signing Alexander Tettey. It is early days in his Premier League career; however already he has cemented a place in Norwich’s starting XI and become a key player in the centre of the park for the Canaries. His stamina is tremendous, while his strength and presence in the centre of midfield is what has powered Norwich’s good form in recent weeks (which began after his introduction to the side). Performances against Manchester United and Arsenal showed Tettey is capable of stamping his authority over top-class midfielders, while his consistency has contributed towards Norwich recent unbeaten run in the Premier League. Though his Premier League career has been short, Alexander Tettey has so far gone relatively unnoticed, yet it would not surprise me if in three seasons time he is making the Premier League team of the year; for now though, he will have to settle for the underrated XI.

As an underrated attacking midfielder, three names stand out in particular; Kevin Nolan, Yossi Benayoun and James Morrison. Nolan is a reliable goal scorer from midfield, however his overall play does not merit a place in the top eleven underrated Premier League players. James Morrison, this season in particular, has demonstrated just how depreciated he is. Capable of passing and shooting with both feet, Morrison has played a key role in West Brom’s early season form. He also tracks back well and has an eye for the spectacular, be it a long range pass, or a goal from distance; however as a manager, I would much prefer the agility and craft of Yossi Benayoun in my starting line up. Benayoun, “The Diamond from Dimona”, has thirty one Premier League goals to his name, a fine record for a player who has not been a starter in the last two and a half seasons. Even being a bit-part player, he managed eight goals during his loan spell at Arsenal last season, and had it not been for Abramovich’s vast spending during the summer window, would probably  be starting games for Chelsea this season. Despite his diminutive figure, he keeps the ball in tight situations excellently, and after producing a skill to free himself from his markers, is often able to pick out the right pass to set up a chance for his side. Like Morrison, he tracks back well, and has an excellent work rate, and depending on where he ends up after his loan at West Ham finishes, could become a key player for a mid-to-higher Premier League side next season.

Of the players promoted to the Premier League with their clubs last season, Jason Puncheon has impressed me the most. Puncheon possesses the type of selfishness that a manager often will think against curing. Like Jermain Defoe, whenever Puncheon picks up the ball near the opposition goal his first thought is to get an effort in on goal. This season he has had thirty one shots already, which to some may seem greedy, but when you’re struggling at the bottom end of the table like Southampton are, Puncheon’s positivity is integral in keeping the opposition on the back foot. He creates chances, and as shown in recent weeks, has the ability to finish them as well (note he also scored two for Blackpool during his half-season loan spell in the Premier League), yet thus far his talents have been ignored by many fans and pundits alike. Though erratic, Puncheon is most definitely a fine footballer and could definitely cement a place in a regular premier league side.

I for one was surprised when some of the European position challenging sides did not go in for Craig Gardner’s signature after his release from Birmingham following their relegation. Gardner possesses a wonderful first touch, following which he is able to beat a man and get a shot in on goal using either foot to good effect. His dead-ball capabilities are top class (his free kick on the Match of the Day introduction sequence is simply sublime), while he also scores a number of goals when played in an attacking midfield role (he scored ten for Birmingham during their relegation season). Martin O’Neill plays him in a slightly deeper and more rigid role than that granted to him at Birmingham, however when given the licence to roam forward, Gardner has demonstrated he could feature in the midfield of most Premier League sides.

Though not strictly “underrated”, Dimitar Berbatov is a world-class striker, yet when offered around for the bargain fee of £6 million, there were very few takers. Fulham saw sense and snapped him up and have reaped the rewards ever since. Without Berbatov, Fulham’s squad is fairly weak, and as expected, Berbatov has become a talisman for the West-London outfit, already scoring five goals and assisting three this season. Often labelled as one who plays the game at his own pace, Berbatov differs from forwards in the mould of Shane Long or Carlos Tevez who hassle defenders at every opportunity; he does however possess arguably the greatest control of a football the Premier League has seen in a very long time, and the ability to finish a high percentage of the chances he gets. Since his move, he has added tracking back to his attributes, and has become a more complete player than that who left Manchester United, and could definitely start games for a number of highly respectable European Clubs.

Our final player, and strike partner to Berbatov is Andreas Weimann. His manager, Paul Lambert has accurately described him as a “natural finisher”, as shown when he scored braces against Manchester United in the Premier League, and Norwich more recently in the League Cup. As well as predatory instinct, he is able to arrow shots in from distance, and feeds off a more powerful strike partner like Benteke very well. Still only twenty one, I can see Weimann going on to become a figurehead for Aston Villa’s emerging side of young talented footballers, and continuing his recent striking form; the dangers of which however are that he will no longer remain underrated and his talents may be spotted by bigger sides who are able to entice him away from Villa Park before Lambert’s master plan unfolds.