Nick'n the Top Spot

I was having problems at the start of this years EPL season trying to figure out who was going to be this years top scorer.

I mulled it over. Surely it will be Torres. Last year he made such a dazzling debut with Liverpool and by the end of the season last year it seemed that he had some unfinished business to take care of. Then he began a lengthy stint of riding the pine.

Okay, so its not Torres. Well, it must be Adebeyor! With his cheetah-like speed with sniper rifel accuracy I was sure he would net at least 10 or 15 by now. Then Arsenal got into a rut, lost some games and he got injured.

Who else Drogba? No wait, he's injured. Rooney? Was looking hot for a while but Man U is in some weird transition phase.

Let me get to the point.

I never thought Anelka would be top of the table right now. BUT HE IS. He has manged to put together 10 goals thus far and although none of them have been sensational or jaw-dropping, his consitancy remains somewhat of a mystery to me.

I had a full beleif in this Chelsea side this year, but I always though the goals would be comming from the middle with players like Lampard, Joe Cole, Deco and Ballack. When the Robinho transfer saga was over, I was sure that Chelsea were doomed up front. But some how, some way, Nick Anelka has been consitently pulling through and has creeped to the apex of the EPL top goals list.

I think the reason why so many people have overlooked Anelka in the past is because he doesn't show off. He isn't the guy who is going to crack the ball into the back of the net.

Here is a perfect example of Anelka's cool, calm scoring style (while he was back at Bolton):

Not the net-shattering stuff you will see from players like Wayne Rooney, but you have to hand it to the guy. He is clever. He knows when to turn on the gas, how to keep his cool when a keeper charges out and has the restrain to finish without a bang.

He scored a hat trick against Sunderland the other week with his sneakyness.

So the sneaky Frenchman has not brought the kind of shwashbuckling football players like Drogba, Torres and Adeybyor do but has showed that a striker can play with sly positioning cunning intelligence to bring himself and his team to the top of the table.