Premier League Ponderings: Some bad news, some good in Premier League

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Liverpool striker Daniel Sturridge could be England’s next great hope in trying to win the 2014 World Cup, despite drawing into the proverbial group of death with England and Uruguay.

Axe Swing on Seventh Manger
Every week, there is one subject in the Premier League that I hope to avoid writing about, and that is another manager being relieved of his duties partway through the season. However this past week I found myself again reflecting on another firing, this time Swansea City's Michael Laudrup.

Arriving at the club in the summer of 2012 in the wake of Brendan Rodgers' departure to Liverpool, Laudrup quickly picked up where his predecessor left off and helped Swansea avoid the dreaded “second season syndrome” that has affected so many clubs that have survived their maiden top-flight season. In addition to achieving a ninth-place finish (the highest in the club's history), Laudrup also guided his team to the English League Cup, the first major title in history of Swansea City, instantly cementing himself as the club's most successful manager.

Despite being linked to a series of high-profile managerial vacancies over the summer following his successful debut season, Laudrup decided to remain in Wales for a second run in the Premier League. Despite a few quality signings, namely Jonjo Shelvey and Jonathan de Guzman, the Swansea squad was drawn into the impossibly tight realm of this season's mid table. Sitting in 12th at the time of his sacking, Swansea had been in a dismal run of one win in their last 10 matches, which was apparently the final straw for the board. As of the second week of February, Laudrup has been replaced with defender Garry Monk, making him the league's first player-manager since Gareth Southgate in 2006, who started off his career with a win in his debut against Welsh rivals Cardiff City.

Deadly Daniel Should Delight England
There has been a lot of doom and gloom surrounding England's World Cup competition. Many supporters (including myself) preparing for early disappointment after being drawn against 2006 champions Italy and an Uruguay squad who exceeded all expectations at the last tournament and will be led by the deadliest striker in world football in Luis Suarez (a man well known to any reader of this column). The people of England have lacked a talisman to get behind, with too much pressure falling on the shoulders of David Gerrard and Wayne Rooney, the only survivors of the failed “golden generation” that was supposed to bring so much glory to the club.

Playing alongside Suarez at Liverpool, however is Daniel Sturridge, who is quickly turning himself into one of Europe's most consistent goal scorers, with 15 in 15 Premier League appearances. Anybody scoring goals at that rate at such a high level should be well considered as someone who can help his country to victory on the biggest stage. Sturridge, despite losing nearly two months of his season to injury, is only being outscored by his strike partner and is finally proving that he can be an effective striker at the top level, and not the arrogant young man that so many thought he was for the early days of his career.