What the overachievers need for Christmas

West Brom, Stoke and Norwich have started superbly - what must they do to sustain top-half challenges?

 

West Brom (1.42 to finish in the top half)

 

Need: Away improvement

 

Why: Besides greater depth, it's difficult to pinpoint specific positions in urgent need of alteration. They possess strikers who score, creative midfielders and a fairly effective defence, so it is their away record that stands out as an obvious weakness. Whereas only the top two average more points per home game, the Baggies have won just two from eight on the road - at strugglers Wigan and Sunderland - losing four times.

 

How: While they have conceded just seven in their 10 Hawthorns encounters, keeping five clean sheets, they haven't managed a single one on their travels and have leaked two or more on five occasions. The three exceptions have yielded five points, so perhaps a degree more caution is required. They are 4.3 to win to nil at QPR on Boxing Day.

 

 

Stoke (1.91 to finish in the top half)

 

Need: To score more goals

 

Why: Obviously if you possess the Premier League's tightest defence (13 conceded in 18 outings) and have kept the most clean sheets (nine) yet are only ninth, something has to be going wrong down the other end. Stoke have the joint-least prolific attack in the division alongside Aston Villa and QPR after netting only 15 times to date.

 

How: The obvious advice would be to sign another forward but the 4-5-1 formation that they often deploy is a part of why they are so hard to break down. Sacrificing that for greater adventure would risk sabotaging their current strengths and, in Peter Crouch and Kenwyne Jones, they have capable line-leaders for the strategy. Getting Michael Owen fit - if achievable - would allow them to alter things in the closing stages once opponents have been worn down, while the creativity and set-piece craft that Charlie Adam brings to a rather workmanlike midfield has been missed in two of the last three games, and they fired blanks in both.

 

 

Norwich (3.0 to finish in the top half)

 

Need: More clean sheets

 

Why: This has been an issue for the Canaries ever since promotion to the Premier League. Though they have improved under Chris Hughton to achieve five shutouts before Christmas compared to three throughout 2011/12, there have also been four occasions in which they have shipped three or more, including five to Fulham and Liverpool.

 

How: Getting England shot-stopper John Ruddy back from injury will be a start. They conceded just twice in his last six starts before his layoff, whereas they haven't kept a clean sheet and have been breached 12 times in the half-dozen since. Like defensive midfielder Alexander Tettey, Sebastien Bassong has proven a superb addition - the most underrated signing of the summer in this writer's opinion - with the Canaries conceding more than one on only three of his 16 league starts. However, the rest of the back four aren't quite at his level so any opportunities to enhance in the January window should be seized. Their backline face a frightening Boxing Day challenge against Aston Villa destroyers Chelsea, and are 7.2 to lock them out.

 

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