Premier League Predictions: Picking the Top 10 EPL Bad Boys for 2011-12 Season

The English Premier League is one of the most competitive and entertaining leagues in the world, which has a huge following, and the clubs in England have huge publicity around the world. This is further increased by playing friendlies in countries where they can further expand on their popularity, like the current Arsenal tour to Asia.

However, like every other league, the EPL also has its fair share of bad boys in the league, and many of them have come under increased criticism and scrutiny from the media due to their actions or attitude. EPL has a number of physical teams in the league, and every season, there are some players who miss several months of football due to reckless tackles by some players.

Some of the players have earned the notorious reputations of being among the top bad boys in the world, and this article predicts the top 10 bad boys in the Premiership in the 2011-12 season.

Nigel De Jong

Nigel De Jong has earned a reputation for being one of the bad boys in football not only in the Premiership, but around the world. Though he has grown into an excellent defensive midfielder for Netherlands and Manchester City, he has made some dreadful tackles in the past with this "kung-fu" kick on Spain's Xabi Alonso, one of his worst tackles in his career.

He has also made other tackles which have caused injuries to players, like the tackle in the game against Newcastle this season, which ruined Hatem Ben Arfa's first season in the Premiership, as he missed a number of months due to the fracture. However, it is good that Dutch manager Bert Van Marwijk has taken strict action against his reckless tackling and dropped him for a couple of matches due to this.

De Jong is undoubtedly one of the best defensive midfielders in the Premiership, but his reputation for making horrible challenges has meant that he has come under more scrutiny from referees and media. He would do well to cut out those reckless challenges from his game, as he has the potential to develop into one of the world's best midfielders.

Ryan Shawcross

Ryan Shawcross is considered as an excellent young defender in the Premiership, but sadly, he has also earned a reputation for rash tackles. He has made many poor tackles in his short career, with his leg-breaking tackle on Aaron Ramsey causing many supporters and other players to condemn the tackle by the defender.

Stoke City are known for their physical approach to the beautiful game, and Shawcross has not learned from that incident, as this reckless tackle on West Ham's Scott Parker demonstrates. Though the Stoke manager Tony Pulis and many others have defended Shawcross as "not-that-type-of-player," he will have to stop making these sort of tackles in the future if he is to have a good future in the game.

The former Manchester United defender is talented and can go on to have a good future with the England National team as well, but he will have to learn from his previous mistakes, and the manager, Tony Pulis, will have to make it clear that he will not entertain such tackles in the future. 

Michael Essien

In a list of the top defensive midfielders in the world today, Michael Essien is certain to feature in that considering his consistency before sustaining many injuries in the last three years. However, he is prone to rash tackling, but that can be put down more down to his commitment than malicious intent. However, he has made rash tackles throughout his career, which is why he features on this list as well.

Though Essien's style of play can be considered rough by some people, he is very effective in central midfield and is a commanding presence for Chelsea, which allows Frank Lampard to play in a more advanced role. He is also very versatile and can play at CB, DM and RB, which means he can provide depth in more than one position.

However, it is unfortunate that he is injured at present and could be out of action till December, which means Chelsea could look for other alternatives. Essien is a regular for the Blues and new manager Andre Villas-Boas, who has worked with him in his time at Chelsea under Jose Mourinho, will know the value of the strong midfielder.

Joey Barton

In a list of bad boys in the world of football, it is inevitable that Joey Barton will feature in the article because of his various incidents in the past. Barton has been involved in many fights in the past while he has himself admitted that he has been reckless in the past and is trying to improve his mentality in the future. However, in a moment of madness, he punched Morten Gamst Pederson, which led the referee to sent him off for violent conduct.

Barton is talented, but his actions in the past have meant that he has always been under scrutiny for any incident. The Newcastle midfielder had an excellent season for the Magpies, but could depart the club with the club not offering him a new contract. He has only one year left on his contract, and though he could attract interest from other clubs, he could also remain at Newcastle for one more year to leave on a Bosman transfer.

The England midfielder has shown improvement regarding his mentality, and he should avoid such moments of madness in the future, which is important for him personally and also in his football career.  

Mario Balotelli

Mario Balotelli has had a strange career so far because though he is undoubtedly one of the most gifted players in the world, his attitude means that he has got into a lot of trouble with managers and others. He has even got into fights with members of his own teams on the training ground, and Roberto Mancini has tried his best to help the striker integrate with the team.

The Italian International has slowly improved his character and was one of the best players in the historic FA Cup final against Stoke City. Balotelli has been criticized for his poor work rate and attitude even by his manager but it seems that Patrick Vieira, Mancini and others can help Balotelli realize his undeniable potential.

Balotelli also got sent off at a crucial stage in the Europa league when they were chasing the game, and it proved to be decisive, as City were knocked out in the tournament. However, if Balotelli does improve his attitude, he could be a world class player in the future, and being very young, he has the time to put the past behind him and concentrate on the future.

Cheik Tiote

Cheik Tiote was one of the signings of the last season in the Premiership by Newcastle United, who were only then promoted to the Premiership. The Ivory Coast International has been a regular for the Magpies, and his tough tackling has won over the supporters and has also attracted the interest of some bigger clubs as well.

However, the midfielder has a habit of making rash challenges, and though none of them have so far been a dangerous tackle, he has been booked several times and was the player with the most number of yellow cards (14) in the Premiership in the last season. The Magpies did not play him in the final two matches of the season because they did not want him to miss out on matches of the coming season due to injuries.

Though Tiote has only got booked due to his aggressive and committed style of play, he would do better to keep the yellow cards at a minimum because it can mean suspensions and for Newcastle, Tiote is one of the most important midfielders, especially with the departure of Kevin Nolan, who signed for West Ham in the summer.

Jack Wilshere

Jack Wilshere is one of the best young midfielders in the world today and is already a regular for Arsenal and England at the age of 19. The predominantly left-footed midfielder has the ability to create goals, and his technique and vision might be very important for Arsenal FC and England in the future. He plays in a deeper role for Arsenal, and though he likes to attack, he can also be disciplined in the role.

However, his tackling needs to improve, and he was rightfully sent off for his horrible tackle on Nikola Zigic in the game against Birmingham at the Emirates. Manchester United's Paul Scholes was also renowned for his creative play, but his tackles were not admired by most and left a bitter taste for some. Wilshere still has a lot of years to come and can improve his tackling as well.

Also, he is known to be quite hot-headed and would also benefit from having a better temperament, which would help him progress in the game. 

Lee Cattermole

Sunderland manager Steve Bruce has shown immense faith in young English midfielder Lee Cattermole by appointing him as the captain of the club. Cattermole is a talented midfielder, but his indiscipline and bad tackling has meant that he has racked up the bookings in the last season. He has made some late and rash challenges which has prompted the referees to take action against the midfielder.

He finished the season with 10 yellow cards and two red cards to his name, and Bruce would work with the midfielder in the summer to sort out the issues which led to him being booked so many times. Cattermole had previously also played for England U-21s and could have a future with the England set-up as well.

With the departures of Jordan Henderson and Darren Bent from Sunderland, Cattermole could become an even more influential figure at Sundeland, with many signings already sealed. He can look up to players like John O'Shea and Wes Brown for guidance, and the former Manchester United defenders have the experience in playing a lot of big games. 

Karl Henry

The Wolves midfielder would have been relieved to see his team win the battle against relegation in the last season and will hope that he can lead his team to a better position in the next season. Karl Henry is an important player for manager Mick McCarthy, and his robust style of play helps the team fight till the end. Their fighting spirit helped them in their battle against relegation, and they narrowly avoided the dreaded three places in the table.

Though Henry is an integral player for the Wolves, he has come under some severe criticism from some people for his aggressive style of play, especially after breaking the ankle of Fulham's Bobby Zamora. Henry insisted that he was a fair player and there was no malice in the tackle.

However, even if there was no malice in the tackle, it left the striker injured for several months just after winning a place in the England team, and it was a big blow for the Fulham striker. Though Henry is a good player, he will have to make sure that he does not make those sort of tackles again in the future.

Wayne Rooney

Though most players on this list are mentioned because of their rash tackling, Wayne Rooney's name among the bad boys in the Premiership should not come as a surprise considering that he is prone to moments of anger like this one at Upton Park. After scoring a goal, he was swearing at the cameraman and could not control his anger.

He was also incensed at the World Cup, where he was a pale shadow of the striker who was scoring freely for Manchester United in the 2009-10 season because of the supporters' dissatisfaction at Engalnd's dismal performance. He was also the subject of scrutiny for a supposed elbow against James McCarthy, but later, he was not found guilty of any offence.

Though Rooney is currently the best English player, he needs to keep his temper in check, and despite having a contract disagreement with United earlier in the season, he signed a new contract with the Red Devils. Sir Alex Ferguson should understand the feelings of the former Everton striker better than most and will try to get the best out of him through his management skills.