Christmas wishes from the Premiership

Soccer Betting Lines

12/15/2008 - Philadelphia, PA (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - With just over a week of shopping left to go before Christmas, here are a few last-minute gift ideas that will be sure to please your favorite Premiership team.

ARSENAL - Toughness/Leadership.

When Gunners boss Arsene Wenger decided to let midfielders Mathieu Flamini and Gilberto leave over the summer, it left a huge void in the middle of the field. Arsenal is filled with talented, finesse-type players, but without the physical presence of either Flamini or Gilberto to deliver a crunching tackle when needed, the Gunners are soft. Wenger failed to address the need over the summer, and he would be wise to find someone to fit that mold in January. Leadership has also been a big issue with the London side, as Cesc Fabregas has taken over for William Gallas as captain. Wins over Chelsea and Manchester United show how talented this team is, but losses to Fulham, Hull City, Stoke City and Manchester City show a severe lack of mental toughness. The Gunners have had a tendency to rise to the occasion, but they also come up small in less prestigious fixtures because of a lack of strong veteran leadership in the dressing room.

ASTON VILLA - A little more depth.

Through 17 games, Aston Villa has established itself as a team that can make a serious challenge for a top-four spot. A win over Arsenal, draws with Liverpool and Manchester United, and a competitive loss to Chelsea have proven that. The Villains have one of the most underrated managers in Martin O'Neill, plus future stars in Gabriel Agbonlahor and Ashley Young. The only problem facing Villa is that outside of a strong starting 11, the team is pretty thin. O'Neill's men have been relatively healthy this season, but you have to think that one or two key injuries could put an end to dreams of the Champions League. Villa would do well to sign another defender, as well as some more depth in midfield in January, if they want to keep themselves in the top four where they currently reside.

CHELSEA - Good form at home.

Prior to this season, Chelsea's last home loss in the league was to Arsenal in February 2004. Much of the Blues' success over the past couple of years can be attributed to their fantastic form at home, but this season the results have been reversed. Luis Felipe Scolari's team is a perfect 8-0 away from Stamford Bridge this season, but not only was Chelsea's 86-game home unbeaten streak snapped by Liverpool at the end of October, but the Blues suffered defeat to Arsenal one month later. Chelsea has posted just a 3-2-4 mark at home this year, and draws with Tottenham, Newcastle and West Ham have made the Bridge a much less intimidating place to play.

FULHAM - A legitimate scoring threat.

After surviving relegation on the final day of the season last year, Fulham finds itself in 10th place and in the mix for a spot in Europe. You would think that such a turnaround would have fans around Craven Cottage in great spirits, but they would be even more pleased if the club could find a legitimate scorer. The club has conceded just 12 goals in 16 games this season, fourth to only Chelsea, Liverpool and Manchester United. However, Fulham has also found the net just 13 times, second-fewest in the league and just one goal better than last-place West Bromwich. Andrew Johnson leads the team with four goals, while Danny Murphy is the only other player with more than one. Bobby Zamora has just one goal in 15 starts, while substitutes Seol Ki-Hyeon and Clint Dempsey have also failed to make an impact. The team is begging for a consistent threat in front of goal, but will likely need one of those players to find their form before they can go out and sign a big upgrade.

LIVERPOOL - A healthy hamstring for Fernando Torres.

Torres made quite a splash in his first season in England with the Reds, scoring 24 goals in 33 appearances in league play last season. However, this current campaign has not gone quite as planned, with El Nino bagging just five goals while being limited to nine appearances because of a troublesome hamstring injury. The 24-year-old is one of the top strikers in the world when healthy, but he has not played since November 26 and has seen specialists in Spain to try and solve the problem. The club signed Robbie Keane over the summer in hopes of pairing the Irishman with Torres, but Keane has produced just two goals in 15 appearances in the league and is in need of some help up top.

MANCHESTER CITY - Patience.

A deep-pocketed ownership group brings with it a certain level of expectation. So when the Abu Dhabi United Group completed a takeover of the club on the final day of the summer transfer period and proceeded to sign Brazilian star Robinho from Real Madrid for a record transfer fee, fans around Eastlands were getting visions of a Chelsea-like revival. However, with the club sitting in 17th place, just clear of the relegation zone on goal difference, it is time for fans to exhibit some patience. If the Abu Dhabi United Group had taken over in the middle of the summer, chances are there would be another star player or two in Manchester, but the team has already set its sights on players like Valencia's David Villa, AC Milan's Kaka and Bayern Munich's Lukas Podolski in the January transfer window. The problem is that those players would all bolster the attack, which has scored the second-most goals in the league with 30. The team has had more trouble keeping the ball out of its own goal, but if manager Mark Hughes is given the substantial funds that the ownership group has promised, City should be contending for a top-five spot in the next year or two.

MANCHESTER UNITED - Consistency from Wayne Rooney.

United's success this season has mirrored that of its top striker, Wayne Rooney. With Cristiano Ronaldo missing the early part of the season because of an ankle injury, many United fans looked to Rooney to shoulder the scoring load. The 23-year-old didn't exactly live up to expectations as he failed to score during the team's 1-1-3 start. But after scoring his first goal of the campaign in a 2-0 win over Bolton the next week, United reeled off five successive wins as Rooney scored a goal in each game. He has gone back into a scoring slump since that streak, failing to score in the team's last seven games while United is just 2-1-4 in that stretch. When Rooney is in the mood United is tough to stop, but when teams are able to focus on Ronaldo, the offense has a tendency to struggle.

NEWCASTLE - A stable ownership situation.

Kevin Keegan's return to St James' Park as Newcastle manager this season was met with a great deal of excitement on Tyneside. However, the supporters quickly turned on owner Mike Ashley when King Kev abruptly resigned less than two months into the season and the team spiraled into turmoil. Keegan quit after a disagreement with Ashley over transfer policy, and with the supporters pitted firmly against the owner, Ashley has put his team up for sale after paying $205 million for the club last May. If a new owner is not found prior to the opening of the January transfer window, manager Joe Kinnear may have a tough time bringing in additional players to help his cause. Kinnear might also have to fight to keep star striker Michael Owen from leaving. Owen leads the team with seven goals and has been mentioned as a possible target of Chelsea among other clubs.

TOTTENHAM - A time machine.

There is no team in England that has pulled off a more dramatic turnaround than Tottenham. Spurs started the season with just two points from its first eight games under manager Juande Ramos, but since Ramos was fired in the middle of October, Harry Redknapp has guided the team to 17 points from its last nine games in the league. Tottenham was viewed as a team that could challenge for a top-four spot before the season started after the summer- signings of David Bentley, Roman Pavlyuchenko and Luka Modric, but their terrible start has made that a difficult proposition at this point. However, if given a do-over, Tottenham would be a good bet to land at least a spot in the top six.

WEST HAM - Playmaker in midfield.

Despite getting a 1-1 draw with Chelsea at Stamford Bridge on Sunday, the Hammers are still languishing in 16th place, just one point above the drop zone. The team finished in 10th last season, and if they are able to add some creativity in midfield, there is no reason they can't find themselves in the top half at the end of this season. The team has a very underrated goalkeeper in Robert Green, as well as a quality strike partnership with Craig Bellamy and Carlton Cole. The problem is that there is no player who can work the ball from the back to the front with any consistency. No player on West Ham has recorded more than two assists, but if a player can be found who can get the ball to its talented strike duo, the club will put some distance between itself and the relegation zone.