Half-term reports: 'Matic is irreplaceable for Chelsea'

  

Half-term reports: 'Matic is irreplaceable for Chelsea'

Nigel Spackman gives his verdict on the Clarets, while Robbie Earle assesses the BPL leaders

Nigel Spackman gives his verdict on the Clarets, while Robbie Earle assesses the BPL leaders

Nigel Spackman says Danny Ings has proven he can score in the Barclays Premier League

The matchweek 19 fixtures on 28-29 December marked the halfway point of the 2014/15 Barclays Premier League season so premierleague.com asked a variety of TV pundits for their verdicts on how the 20 BPL clubs have performed so far.

Burnley

PLTV TV pundit and former Chelsea and Liverpool player Nigel Spackman.

POS	P	W	D	L	GD	PTS
19	20	3	8	9	-15	17

Half-term rating
3.5/5. Athough it took 11 matches to get their first win, they have shown they have a chance of survival. They have the lowest budget in the Premier League and when they got promoted most people wrote them off, yet they are in with a good chance of staying up.

Things to be positive aboutThey can score goals. When you are the wrong end of the table you need someone who can put the ball in the net and at the moment Ashley Barnes is scoring, Danny Ings has scored all season and George Boyd has started finding the net as well.

They showed against Man City they can get something against the very best in the Barclays Premier League, even after going two goals down. They deserved something out of their matches against Liverpool and Tottenham too, which shows they can compete. With hard work, commitment and the belief of their manager Sean Dyche they have got a good chance of surviving.

Things the club need to improve for the second half
While they are producing goals they could do with tightening up at the other end. They have got QPR, Crystal Palace, Sunderland and West Brom coming up in the next four to five weeks and they need to beat those sides in and around them. Getting a point at Man City is a bonus but if you are going to stay up you need to take maximum points off the teams fighting relegation.

What does the manager need to do?They need more strength in depth. Dyche hasn't been rotating his squad much because he hasn't got a big enough squad so a couple of players in the January window, either on loan or permanent, would be a great help. They need someone in the middle of the park who has got experience and can help them keep the ball a bit better and a centre-half with experience of this level. If you look at their squad they have no one with much Premier League experience.

Club's star player so far this season
Danny Ings. Earlier in the season he was the only one scoring goals. Barnes and Boyd have started to chip in but Ings has been the one who other Premier League sides have looked at and thought, "Oh, he can score at this level as well."

Reasons to be optimistic for the second half of the seasonSam Vokes, who has been out all season, is due back so that will give them a boost and their ability to score goals. If you look at their next run of games in January and February when they play a lot of teams around them, they need to focus on a good run during this period, especially at Turf Moor, which is a difficult place to go. If they can get the crowd behind them there, and put points on the board at home against the so-called lesser teams, that will give them the confidence to keep pushing on. Even if they finish fourth from bottom that would be an amazing achievement for Dyche and everyone at Burnley.

Nemanja Matic is Chelsea's only irreplaceable player, according to Robbie Earle

Chelsea

NBC Sports pundit and former Wimbledon forward Robbie Earle.

POS	P	W	D	L	GD	PTS
1=	20	14	4	2	25	46

Half-term rating
4.5/5. While most teams have had their problems Chelsea have been the model of consistency this season, save the defeats at Newcastle and Spurs. They have set the tone to their rivals by saying: "You can't afford to lose too many matches or we will continually plough on and win the title." They have set the benchmark as to what is going to be required this season.

Things to be positive aboutChelsea's transfer business in the summer was the best. Alexis Sanchez has done well for Arsenal but Liverpool's haven't gelled yet. Man United's have had injuries whereas Chelsea's Diego Costa and Cesc Fabregas have brought that X-Factor that was missing last season. I would also point to the resurgence of John Terry. It looked as if he was heading towards his last days but this year he has looked a 21-year-old again.

What do the club need to improve for the second half of the season?
One area they may have to keep an eye on is that they have a hand in all four competitions: the BPL title, Champions League, FA Cup and League Cup. They could lose their focus with too many prizes at stake. Some managers plan a month ahead and think about changing the team around for matches coming up but Mourinho pretty much goes with his strongest team every match, so maybe he has to be mindful of the number of competitions they are in.

What does the manager need to do?Mourinho just needs to be Mourinho. He has not only managed his own players but he has almost micro-managed outside influences. If you think about what he has said about the fans making more noise at home matches, or referees; he'll have a pop at the media, he'll have a little pop at the opposition in his own way, and he's just very clever at manipulating all the elements that could have an influence.

That helps the players because we in the media all start talking about the things he's raised and not the team. In December Chelsea lost a nine-point lead at the top but no one mentioned that, because Mourinho's good at making sure everyone is talking about other things. He shepherds everything else away so the players can just get on with playing their matches.

Club's star player so far this seasonDiego Costa is the obvious one because he has added goals, a physical presence and a focal point that was a reason why they missed out on the title last season.

But I would point to the growth and influence of Nemanja Matic as being just as, if not more, important. He is one player they would struggle to replace. You saw when they lost that match at Newcastle when he was suspended. In most positions, including the goalkeeper, if their first choice goes down Chelsea can bring somebody in of similar quality, but they have no one who replaces Matic. Even if Cesc Fabregas is out, they can find creativity through Oscar, Eden Hazard, Andre Schurrle or Willian. Matic is a unique player in how Chelsea play and I'm not sure they've got another who brings that power and security to the team both going forward and defensively as him.

Reasons to be optimistic for the second half of the seasonWhen I look at that middlie, linear group of players who dictate the strength of your side, Thibaut Courtois is probably the best 'keeper in the league, Terry and Gary Cahill are probably the best defensive partnership, Matic and Fabregas can go toe-to-toe with anything Man City or anyone else have to offer and there is Costa up front. So Chelsea have the strongest spine.

If things aren't going well you can always go back to that spine and it holds you in place and gives you confidence that you can keep going through the rougher periods. At teams like Manchester United and Liverpool that spine hasn't been nearly strong enough this year.