Last night saw the 'Big Boys' drop valuable points against the so called 'whipping boys' of the Premier League with only Man. Utd picking up all points against Roberto Martinez's 'yoyo' team. The interesting aspect of that game was the sort of 'back from the dead' the Bulgarian magician, who in my opinion is the second most skillful Big Man in the world behind Swedish ponytail pumpkin, Zlatan Ibrahimovic.
The former Spurs forward managed to net a hat trick, adding to his previous goal in the last game (ironically another 5-0) whipping against Fulham. United now have 10 goals in the last two games, and are breathing down fellow Mancunians necks, cross-town rivals Man City. The Citizens, who were backed by everyone except Chow Yun Fatt to beat Wigan, and by a handsome margin at that, came up well short against Roy Hodgson's well-organised, well-oiled machine, West Brom. Bear in mind, the West Brom defense cost all of 2 million pounds. (City's cheapest defender last night was Gael Clichy, at 7 mil).
Before I move on, let me just say that Chelsea were never in the title race from the beginning of the season, so when AVB said at the post match interview that his team were 'all but out of the title race' more than amused me, even my dog howled at the teevee.
Moving on to serious stuff, I think United might actually pip City to the title, and here's why.
Fergie's men have not playing great football in the last five games, but have managed to beat all teams convincingly. And that with more than their fair share of injuries to go along with. City on the other hand, haven't had that many injuries, and have been more often than not, been able to play their best 11, though even if they were to have a couple of niggles they'd still be capable of bringing in support from their 'Gold' bench.
However, in all these games, Yaya Toure has been an ever-present. The Ivorian powerhouse has allowed the likes of Silva to go about his business, and has the capability to play in more than a couple of positions, and it is no wonder why he is City's best paid player. He will be gone next month though, and I don't see anyone in the squad being able to do anywhere near what he does. His older brother Kolo, who has been immense since his return from the drugs ban, will join him to represent Ivory Coast and that would mean the return of Lescott into the team, and he is by no means a world-beater.
Another reason would be the 'know-how' of Alex Ferguson's teams throughout the years. With the Scotsman at the helm, the players are more free to go about their business on the pitch, and most of the team are used to 'getting across the finish line'. The jury is still out on Mancini, however. Moreover, he is a manager who is known to buckle under immense pressure.
Lastly, by hook or by crook, past United teams tend to go into overdrive come January/February. The best part is this time around, it looks like they have started a month earlier.
I am by no means ruling City out of the title race, far from it actually, but it will be anything but easy. The advantage though is with United. The blue half of Manchester have been labelled as favourites all season, and Sir Alex might use that to his team's advantage.
Till next time,
Sayonara.
Tuesday, December 27, 2011
Wednesday, December 21, 2011
Exciting Games in store.
The Christmas period is the time of the season when managers dread, as 'squad depth' comes into play, and those who depend solely on having the best 11 on the pitch tend to have it tough while the big boys (Mancini & Co.) will relish the chance of taking on all comers and prove that they are more than just a flash in the pan. They really are more than that.
Arsene Wenger meanwhile has to be thinking that the football Gods are against him, with 4 of his fullbacks out with niggling injuries and having to play centre backs out of position is not an ideal situation, as he found out at the Etihad at the weekend. Johan Djourou went off injured, further worsening the situation, though to be honest, he's as good a full back as instructing a pigeon to play the role of a 'German Shepherd'. Now, it looks like the Swiss will be out for the best part of three weeks, which means that the stale french loaf (Sebastian Squillaci) will play in one of the games. To be fair to him, he actually had one of his better games in the Carling Cup defeat to Man City. Then again, football is based on consistency and not the 'one-off Whitney Houston gala'. As on now, Koscielny, Mertesacker, Vermaelen, Miquel and Squillaci are the only players who have some sort of first team experience.
Tonight's game at Villa Park is vital for Wenger's men, and it remains to be seen who will play in the full-back positions. Wenger for one cannot afford to have a centre-back partnership of Squillaci and Mertesacker as that would be like the 'Rabbit v Tortoise' race against the likes of Agbonlahor. On the other hand, playing Miquel, (who by the way can be put in the same boat as Mertesacker in terms of pace) at left back gives the chance to McLeish to play Agbonlahor on the right, though he usually does his damage on the opposite flank. One thing which is certain is that if Villa somehow manage to turn up for this game with Albrighton and Agbonlahor on fire, and Delfouneso playing to his capabilities, then they will definitely give the Arsenal defense (which will not consist of Alex Song, who is suspended) a run for their money.
Personally, I wish Arsene tries something different, like going with three at the back and 5 in midfield. He more than has the resources to do that, with Koscielny and Vermaelen playing either side of Mertesacker, and probably playing Frimpong alongside Arteta. That would really unleash the attacking prowess of Ramsey, Chamberlain and Benayoun, because I don't think Arshavin is up to it, the only thing left for him to do is go out the door. And dear ol' Theo will have his long awaited opportunity to give defenders goosebumps alongside the little known Dutchman. Whether or not Wenger decides to implement it is a different question altogether.
A number of pundits after the City game were of the opinion that Arsenal were not far off Man City, well not as far as the gap in the table suggests. That is just not good enough, because the difference between winning or losing is slight, and the gap does not really matter. At the end of the day, it is a results based industry, and if you get the right result, then most of the time you will end up successful and the loser will, well, just moan. The only certain thing this season is that the title will arguably end up in Manchester, though the colour of the ribbons on the Premier League trophy is yet to be decided. Some may think that it is slightly premature that I have come to this conclusion with the Christmas period yet to be played but hold on. Spurs, now have injuries to their deadly duo, Lennon and Bale. Replacements, Kyle Walker and probably Assou-Ekotto are not up to standard, basically square pegs into round holes. Defoe looks short for the upcoming game, with Redknapp saying the other day that his marksman has a Grade 1 hamstring tear (whatever that means, a tear is a tear).
Chelsea meanwhile are like a box of chocolates at the moment, though an expensive one at that. One week they become the first team to bring Man City back to earth, the next they fail to brush aside Wigan, who do not generally do well against the proverbial 'Big Boys' of the BPL. Sometimes, I think that AVB is too tactical for his own good. Against City, he brought on Mikel in favour of an attacker to shore up the defence and guarantee the points. I salute his decision in that game, because it ensured that the Londoners could nullify the attacking threat of the Mancunians. The Wigan game however was a real joke, bringing off their best two players in Mata and Sturridge who managed to score a wonderful goal in favour of Malouda and Mikel. I will not comment more than that, they already have a certain Russian to do that.
Whatever happens, at the end of the day the Christmas period is a most wonderful time of the year, and the 'telly' will definitely be showing a whole lot of matches, so I guess enjoy? Have a Holly Jolly Christmas and a Blessed and Prosperous New Year to all reading haha I think it'll be like 3 people at max.
Sayonara.
Arsene Wenger meanwhile has to be thinking that the football Gods are against him, with 4 of his fullbacks out with niggling injuries and having to play centre backs out of position is not an ideal situation, as he found out at the Etihad at the weekend. Johan Djourou went off injured, further worsening the situation, though to be honest, he's as good a full back as instructing a pigeon to play the role of a 'German Shepherd'. Now, it looks like the Swiss will be out for the best part of three weeks, which means that the stale french loaf (Sebastian Squillaci) will play in one of the games. To be fair to him, he actually had one of his better games in the Carling Cup defeat to Man City. Then again, football is based on consistency and not the 'one-off Whitney Houston gala'. As on now, Koscielny, Mertesacker, Vermaelen, Miquel and Squillaci are the only players who have some sort of first team experience.
Tonight's game at Villa Park is vital for Wenger's men, and it remains to be seen who will play in the full-back positions. Wenger for one cannot afford to have a centre-back partnership of Squillaci and Mertesacker as that would be like the 'Rabbit v Tortoise' race against the likes of Agbonlahor. On the other hand, playing Miquel, (who by the way can be put in the same boat as Mertesacker in terms of pace) at left back gives the chance to McLeish to play Agbonlahor on the right, though he usually does his damage on the opposite flank. One thing which is certain is that if Villa somehow manage to turn up for this game with Albrighton and Agbonlahor on fire, and Delfouneso playing to his capabilities, then they will definitely give the Arsenal defense (which will not consist of Alex Song, who is suspended) a run for their money.
Personally, I wish Arsene tries something different, like going with three at the back and 5 in midfield. He more than has the resources to do that, with Koscielny and Vermaelen playing either side of Mertesacker, and probably playing Frimpong alongside Arteta. That would really unleash the attacking prowess of Ramsey, Chamberlain and Benayoun, because I don't think Arshavin is up to it, the only thing left for him to do is go out the door. And dear ol' Theo will have his long awaited opportunity to give defenders goosebumps alongside the little known Dutchman. Whether or not Wenger decides to implement it is a different question altogether.
A number of pundits after the City game were of the opinion that Arsenal were not far off Man City, well not as far as the gap in the table suggests. That is just not good enough, because the difference between winning or losing is slight, and the gap does not really matter. At the end of the day, it is a results based industry, and if you get the right result, then most of the time you will end up successful and the loser will, well, just moan. The only certain thing this season is that the title will arguably end up in Manchester, though the colour of the ribbons on the Premier League trophy is yet to be decided. Some may think that it is slightly premature that I have come to this conclusion with the Christmas period yet to be played but hold on. Spurs, now have injuries to their deadly duo, Lennon and Bale. Replacements, Kyle Walker and probably Assou-Ekotto are not up to standard, basically square pegs into round holes. Defoe looks short for the upcoming game, with Redknapp saying the other day that his marksman has a Grade 1 hamstring tear (whatever that means, a tear is a tear).
Chelsea meanwhile are like a box of chocolates at the moment, though an expensive one at that. One week they become the first team to bring Man City back to earth, the next they fail to brush aside Wigan, who do not generally do well against the proverbial 'Big Boys' of the BPL. Sometimes, I think that AVB is too tactical for his own good. Against City, he brought on Mikel in favour of an attacker to shore up the defence and guarantee the points. I salute his decision in that game, because it ensured that the Londoners could nullify the attacking threat of the Mancunians. The Wigan game however was a real joke, bringing off their best two players in Mata and Sturridge who managed to score a wonderful goal in favour of Malouda and Mikel. I will not comment more than that, they already have a certain Russian to do that.
Whatever happens, at the end of the day the Christmas period is a most wonderful time of the year, and the 'telly' will definitely be showing a whole lot of matches, so I guess enjoy? Have a Holly Jolly Christmas and a Blessed and Prosperous New Year to all reading haha I think it'll be like 3 people at max.
Sayonara.
Wednesday, December 7, 2011
Manchester 'Edin' into the Europa League? Unbelieveable, but believe it.
For the English clubs at least, this season's Champions League group stage was really nerve-wrecking, and most, (3 of them to be exact), had to go into the final day needing to get some sort of result to ensure qualification into the knockout stages of Europe's premier club competition. Arsenal guaranteed their progress on Matchday 5, while their counterparts in London needed to beat or draw against in form Valencia, former club of Juan Mata and the Blues surprisingly played their best match of the season to roll past the Spaniards into the knockout stages, and topping their group in the process.
United needed to get a draw against Basel while City had it out of their hands in terms of having a chance to qualify, needing assistance from the Navy guys, well they're better known as the Yellow Submarines, (Too-mah-toe, Too-mei-toe). The shock result of the day was obviously Basel beating Sir Alex's team 2-1, getting four out of a possible six points against United in the group stages. Man City meanwhile, played a controlled game, managing to beat the Germans from Munich 2-0, courtesy of goals from David Silva and also a nice passage of play to enable Yaya Toure to toe-poke the ball past Munich no.2 keeper' Hans Jorg Butt.
What this means is that England are now represented by only the two London clubs, while the boys from Manchester are heading into the Europa League, yes the Europa League (Europe's 2nd tier club competition). Sheer embarrassment for both Manchester clubs, considering that the duo are top of the BPL at the moment, and looked like being the strongest clubs in England at the start of the season. That may still be true, but a combination of a few events have now put them in dire straits.
For City, it has to be first season syndrome, not having the relative experience in the Champions League, and perhaps a manager who is not great in Europe, considering his failures with Inter Milan, unable to get them beyond the quarter finals despite being top-dogs in Italy when he was in charge. One would also point to the happenings at the Allianz Arena when Carlos Tevez refused to come on for the game, and the after-effects it had on the team as a whole. That, and also the result in Naples when a draw would have put them in a comfortable position, though it is immaterial discussing about the 'What if's' now.
Sir Alex looks to have made a huge blunder in the last couple of months. Up till late September, the Reds looked like being a team with not only blood in their veins as they were steam-rolling over all comers but they did not get their European campaign of to a good start. It seemed that after the goal fest against Basel at Old Trafford when both teams grabbed 3 goals each was the turning point in Fergie's philosophy this season. They started the season playing the much famed 'free-flowing, attacking, beautiful, majestic football', with Rooney at the spearhead of thing. Recently though, the English talisman has been thrust into a more withdrawn role in midfield, and United have seemed to lack a cutting edge up front. This could perhaps point to the manager's failure to bring an attacking midfielder into the club, and things might've been a whole lot different had the Glazers given him another five million to add to their original bid of 20 mil pounds for Frenchman Samir Nasri.
All said and done, both of them will now ply their trade in the Europa League, far from ideal under any circumstance. From a personal point of view, I think they should just forget about this competition. The only reason is the 'Thursday night-Sunday afternoon' kickoff times if one were to be involved in the competition previously known as the Uefa Cup. If they intent to pursue they Cup, then the chances of them failing to cope up in the Premier League will be much higher. One thing that is certain is both clubs will now put all their eggs into one basket i.e the Premier League. I cannot help think that the FA Cup 3rd round tie will play a huge role in determining the whole outcome. City still have the Carling Cup semifinal to look forward to, but United of course have already been knocked out. So it might also be sensible for Fergie to take the Europa League more seriously if they lose to their bitter rivals in the FA Cup. Realistically, both clubs' seasons depend on THAT tie in England's oldest club competition. The team that loses is going to be in serious trouble.
Personally, I'm looking forward to the Champions League draw, though Manchester fans will definitely prefer watching 'HIMYM' or some half-baked movie just to avoid the embarrassment of witnessing a draw which does not include their team. Today's events though could signal bad times for English clubs as a whole, though next season will be a totally different story.
Till next time,
Jay Jay Denis.
United needed to get a draw against Basel while City had it out of their hands in terms of having a chance to qualify, needing assistance from the Navy guys, well they're better known as the Yellow Submarines, (Too-mah-toe, Too-mei-toe). The shock result of the day was obviously Basel beating Sir Alex's team 2-1, getting four out of a possible six points against United in the group stages. Man City meanwhile, played a controlled game, managing to beat the Germans from Munich 2-0, courtesy of goals from David Silva and also a nice passage of play to enable Yaya Toure to toe-poke the ball past Munich no.2 keeper' Hans Jorg Butt.
What this means is that England are now represented by only the two London clubs, while the boys from Manchester are heading into the Europa League, yes the Europa League (Europe's 2nd tier club competition). Sheer embarrassment for both Manchester clubs, considering that the duo are top of the BPL at the moment, and looked like being the strongest clubs in England at the start of the season. That may still be true, but a combination of a few events have now put them in dire straits.
For City, it has to be first season syndrome, not having the relative experience in the Champions League, and perhaps a manager who is not great in Europe, considering his failures with Inter Milan, unable to get them beyond the quarter finals despite being top-dogs in Italy when he was in charge. One would also point to the happenings at the Allianz Arena when Carlos Tevez refused to come on for the game, and the after-effects it had on the team as a whole. That, and also the result in Naples when a draw would have put them in a comfortable position, though it is immaterial discussing about the 'What if's' now.
Sir Alex looks to have made a huge blunder in the last couple of months. Up till late September, the Reds looked like being a team with not only blood in their veins as they were steam-rolling over all comers but they did not get their European campaign of to a good start. It seemed that after the goal fest against Basel at Old Trafford when both teams grabbed 3 goals each was the turning point in Fergie's philosophy this season. They started the season playing the much famed 'free-flowing, attacking, beautiful, majestic football', with Rooney at the spearhead of thing. Recently though, the English talisman has been thrust into a more withdrawn role in midfield, and United have seemed to lack a cutting edge up front. This could perhaps point to the manager's failure to bring an attacking midfielder into the club, and things might've been a whole lot different had the Glazers given him another five million to add to their original bid of 20 mil pounds for Frenchman Samir Nasri.
All said and done, both of them will now ply their trade in the Europa League, far from ideal under any circumstance. From a personal point of view, I think they should just forget about this competition. The only reason is the 'Thursday night-Sunday afternoon' kickoff times if one were to be involved in the competition previously known as the Uefa Cup. If they intent to pursue they Cup, then the chances of them failing to cope up in the Premier League will be much higher. One thing that is certain is both clubs will now put all their eggs into one basket i.e the Premier League. I cannot help think that the FA Cup 3rd round tie will play a huge role in determining the whole outcome. City still have the Carling Cup semifinal to look forward to, but United of course have already been knocked out. So it might also be sensible for Fergie to take the Europa League more seriously if they lose to their bitter rivals in the FA Cup. Realistically, both clubs' seasons depend on THAT tie in England's oldest club competition. The team that loses is going to be in serious trouble.
Personally, I'm looking forward to the Champions League draw, though Manchester fans will definitely prefer watching 'HIMYM' or some half-baked movie just to avoid the embarrassment of witnessing a draw which does not include their team. Today's events though could signal bad times for English clubs as a whole, though next season will be a totally different story.
Till next time,
Jay Jay Denis.
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