Wednesday, June 29, 2011

INFTH Top 100: Numbers 54 and 53

54. Charlie Adam- For me, Charlie Adam is one of the most overrated players in football at the moment, but nevertheless, his performances last season more than warranted a place on this list. A big fish in a small pond, Charlie Adam was unable to prevent Blackpool from dropping into the second division, but his sparkling long passing insured that he wouldn't go down with them.

The captain of Blackpool, Charlie Adam led by example all season long, scoring a fair number of goals from midfield, and getting stuck into the opposition. However, it was passing which really made Charlie Adam stand out, every game saw at least two or three stunning sixty yard balls, ones which complemented consistently dangerous deliveries from set pieces.

Following a stellar first half of the season, Adam fell off a little bit during the Winter period, a digression which probably had something to do with consistent talk of a transfer to Liverpool. Credit to him though, Adam rebounded, remained at Blackpool, and was back to his best by the end of the season.

Despite choosing to remain with the Tangerines in January, Charlie Adam now looks to be on his way out, with Liverpool rumored to be his destination. Personally, I don't think Adam is quite good enough to play for Liverpool, a move to Villa Park, though less likely, would suit his level far more comfortably.

53. Rafael Van Der Vaart- It is unfortunate that Van Der Vaart isn't in the top fifty, though he performed admirably for the first few months of the season, injuries and weight problems inhibited his progress.

After arriving at Tottenham on transfer deadline day, Van Der Vaart made an instant impact at White Hart Lane, scoring goals and entertaining to boot. Three goals across two North London derbies last season also did much to improve the Dutchman's reputation at Spurs, as did his wife in the stands...

Scoring thirteen goals, Van Der Vaart was the joint top midfield scorer in the Premier League, a fine achievement considering his mid season injury problems. Van Der Vaart's performances in the Champions League were equally impressive, the Dutch international was integral to Tottenham's attack in the first round, scoring twice as the Lily Whites topped their group.

Up until November, Van Der Vaart was a potential member of this list's top ten, making his fall to fifty-third all the more surprising. There is no question that he has the skill to compete consistently at the highest level, but his fitness has continually let him down; maybe with a good pre-season at Spurs he can kick on in 2012!

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