Form? Or Class?

What's the difference between form and class? As one famous pundit whose name I don't give a shit about said, "form is fleeting; class is permanent."

Nobody would argue that Cristiano Ronaldo or Lionel Messi are world class players, regardless of their form. But the question is raised: when players who are simply above average but not world class play exceptionally, how can you tell whether they've raised their game or are just in a good run of confidence and luck?

One player who I've been wondering about lately is Darren Bent. He's scored 8 goals in 9 appearances for Sunderland, and is in sparkling form lately. Looks like the best bit of business that Sunderland have done in a while. The question remains though: is Bent, a player who scored only 18 goals in 60 appearances for Tottenham, truly coming into his own? Or is it a run of form from an above average player?

I hate to say it, but I think it's the latter. World class players are brilliant no matter what club they play for, no matter which club they play against, and no matter who is on the pitch with them. At Tottenham, this wasn't the case. Although he excelled at Charlton and will likely do well at Sunderland, all it will take is a defensive lapse, a poor run of results, or an injury to do him in. It reminds me of Agbonlahor from last season. He went on a run of scoring with something like 10 goals in 13 matches, but then all of a sudden the goals dried up. He's good, but he's not world class.

Time will tell with Bent. It'll take a couple shitty games from Sunderland before we see whether he can keep on pumping out goals, or if he folds under the pressure.