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After a fantastic weekend of football action from the best league in the world, we are left with complete uncertainty of whose hands the title is going to end up in.
As things stand Manchester United are still favorites with one point ahead of Liverpool and a game in hand, but the form Liverpool are in is undeniably breathtaking, their 5-0 win against Aston Villa looked like a day out in the sun, nothing taken away from Villa who just were in the wrong place at the wrong time.
Man Utd carried on with their low confidence dropping three crucial points at Fulham, who have shown to be a tough team to break down for the big four this season. Though Sir Alex’s men still have a cushion from the brilliant run earlier this season, Liverpool are creeping up and the pressure is now on.
Chelsea on the other hand look good and buried with their defeat to Spurs, a superb goal from Modric was enough to seal the win for the North Londoners, but Chelsea performed well and deserved a point from the game, if not more. Chelsea do have the easiest run to the finish however, apart from Arsenal all their tough games have been done with, so they will need to win for the rest of the season and hope the other two slip up to have a chance.
Arsenal are out of the race, mathematically still possible but now they are just looking to secure fourth spot and focus their attentions to the FA cup and Champions League, the game against Newcastle was a classic end to end game we’ve have come to miss from both teams, great football from both sides but a managerial decision (or indecision) cost Newcastle the game, when Steven Taylor was off the pitch receiving treatment the manager didn’t fill the hole, why? It was an odd decision for no one to think quickly which of course Arsenal took advantage for a splendid goal from Abu Diaby to get the gunners ahead. With the luck Newcastle are running on, relegation fears are looking likely to continue right till the end of the season.
So that’s the review of how the top four are looking as we go into the international break, it will require a whole new post to discuss the relegation battle this season, lets just say the way its ended up positions 10 and 11 (Manchester City and Tottenham respectively) are not safe from the drop, a few bad results and they may face the axe.
Christmas is approaching and so is almost the 19 game mark, things have been quite interesting in the beginning half of the season with teams like Hull and Fulham have been killing off some of their giant competitors leaving a very uncertain view of the top four and how things will shape up in the new year.
Liverpool started off with some brilliant results but with some very poor performances but they got the results that they needed and that’s why they are top. Having wins against Man City away and Chelsea away are all great but then drawing to Hull, Fulham and West Ham all at home is shocking, two of them being goalless, sure Hull are playing well but if Steven Gerrard wants to live up to his wishes pre-season of actually challenging for the title the whole season and not just playing for 3rd or 4th, they really had to get at least 7 out of 9 points in those games, had they had done, they would have been 5 points ahead of Chelsea which would definitely have boosted their chances.
Chelsea showed great promise thrashing teams near the beginning and with their prolific striker Nicholas Anelka, actually I say prolific but I am only really quoting what the press say, I think personally Anelka is the most boring goal scorer in the Premiership, that’s harsh I know but he doesn’t do anything, he doesn’t threaten defenders, he doesn’t link up well he doesn’t know how to pass, he just finishes all the things left on a plate. Its not a bad thing I guess but Chelsea want to live to a standard of attractive football and Anelka is not it, ok sure people will criticize me in saying this but just wait when he goes through a period of not scoring goals he will as useless as the referee, or even worse, Kalou.
Now Drogba, there’s a striker who knows how to make an impact, he terrorises defenders and scores some wonderfully team and individually crafted goals, that’s a striker to be proud of (apart from his attitude). Chelsea did look really good but a string of poor home form has left in doubt whether they really have that edge to win convincingly this season, I do believe they will be up there at the end, but it will be very close with them and Manchester United
Speaking of Man Utd, who out of the top four have had the hardest first half of the season, playing 9 away games against the 9 teams that were in the top 10 last season, and they have managed to come out of this quite well being 3rd in the Premiership only 6 points behind Liverpool with a game to spare, they did lose two really important games against Liverpool and Arsenal, but they have done the business against the rest, the 2nd half will be easier for Man Utd and if Berbatov can kick his old goal scoring form into gear, Man Utd are sure to be strong favourites.
Arsenal on the other hand are not, they have struggled this year and its hard to explain why, the only thing that really makes sense about Arsenal is that they don’t have Flamini, or a replacement of him that is experienced enough to hold that mid-field strong, Denilson is absolutely rubbish, this player doesn’t know how to pass the ball, stay on his feet, or score! I think even Eboue is better than him, and Song, who has started playing in that position recently, is just not good enough. Why Arsene Wenger insists on playing Bendtner I don’t know, especially when you have Carlos Vela rotting away on the bench. I really think Wenger has been very stubborn this season and it does seem he is trying to make a point, his first point being not to fall for the presses pressure, the press said he needs experience, pundits said if he has money to spend, then spend it, he went against this, they also said buy experience, he ignored this and went young again, this has cost them dearly, and they just can’t win games with conviction anymore, just like Arsenal used to.
Middle table looks exciting as ever too, Aston Villa are playing some attractive football and so are Everton, Man City have disappointed defensively but attacking football has been immense for them, almost to the standard of the top four, if they spend in January and with over half a trillion funding them I’m sure they will, you can be sure they will be a menace in the 2nd half, and especially next year.
So in the end, I do predict Manchester United will be crowned once again, but if Chelsea can get their home act together it will be a very close race to the finish. Liverpool, no chance, thats harsh I guess, they do have a chance but I really think its more luck than talent that will take the crown. Arsenal, I don’t like to say but this season they need to pit their hopes on the Champions League, because the premiership is going to need a miracle. I do believe the top four will remain the same as last season.
Please leave your thoughts and predictions.
There’s been a lot of dispute and controversy about the utilisation of Wayne Rooney. Sir Alex Ferguson likes to play Rooney as a front man with Carlos Tevez playing off of him, creating the play. However, England boss Fabio Capello attempts to get Rooney more involved in the game but playing off of a striker. Many would argue that this is the best position for Wayne, and I am one of them.
Rooney wants to be involved in everything that happens in the game, and he doesn’t care where on the pitch that is. But many say this effects his fatigue and when a chance comes, he’s too tired to take it. This is the reasoning behind playing him where he’s not creating but meant to be scoring. Even Capello said that sometimes Rooney tracking back to help the defence doesn’t help him in attack.
This being said, Wayne has always known to drop off the striker, create play, open up players and he does so very well. This also gives him more room to take some long distance shots which he can bury into the top corner. I reckon this is Rooney’s position. It always has been and always will be.
The partnership of Owen and Rooney was great as Owen would stay in the box for opportunities while Rooney would knit things together. For Man Utd, the partnership is now Berbatov and Rooney in which I have no doubt will work extremely well. For England, it could be Owen and Rooney but I think that Capello will use Ashton instead of Michael.
Overall, the basic message is: play Rooney off of the striker and let someone else score the goals!!!
This was an interesting game filled with some decent, pure football. I start by congratulating Super Cup winners Zenit, who make a huge step forward in Russian football by winning this trophy. They looked great in the first hour of the game with good, intricate play and looked very threatening both on the counter and slow build up.
The first goal was very well worked from a corner on the stroke of half time. An awesome flick on (I would say the players name but I don’t remember it and wouldn’t try spelling it) taking it over Van Der Sar’s (I know that name) head.
Danny’s solo effort on the hour mark doubled Zenit’s lead with some poor, shaky defending my Manchester United. This was the turning point in the match in terms of performance and Zenit sort of fell asleep whereas Man Utd received a rude awaking. After that, Man Utd’s freshness kicked into gear as well as Zenit’s fatigue.
United’s performance was pretty dull and flat up until this point. There were few moments of real penetration and football that we’re used to seeing from the Red Devils but no real chance was created. After they second goal Man Utd came alive and were really piling on the pressure. Their goal had a pinch of luck but was deserved and they probably did deserve more from the game.
I decided to set this whole paragraph on Scholes’ sending off. It has to be one of the funniest I’ve seen as his version of the ‘Hand of God’ which was more like a volleyball smash straight into the top corner of the goal. Would of been the greatest goal he’s ever scored and maybe even goal of the season.
My man of the match: Carlos Tevez. No surprises about what he brought to the team with pace, aggression and the stubbornness never to give up! Looked really sharp and created the play very well and tracked back to defend when needed. The Olympics have probably played a good role in this as it’s increased his sharpness compared to others still regaining it.
I was going to talk about Rooney and how he really played well in the second half of the game, but that is closely linked to the way in which he’s used by both Sir Alex and Fabio Capello. This area is huge and will need another blog to talk about. Stay tuned to read it!
After an amazing double winning season last year, Man Utd should look to out-do themselves by going for the treble as they cannot stand still. They must look to move/evolve the team further. However this will prove to be very difficult with the loss of Carlos Queiroz.
Strengths:
- Strength in depth: A big squad with a balance of both experience and youth.
- Winning mentality: Always have a desire and belief in their ability.
- The Manager: Has all the experience in the world and knows what makes a winning team.
Weakness:
- Goals: Ronaldo won’t score 42 goals next season. Where will the goals come from?
Our Predictions:
J-Lee: I would love to say that they retain their title, but I think they’ll just miss out and finish 2nd.
The Doc: It will be difficult to top what they did last year espically with Chelsea stepping it up a level. So for me it’s as simple: with Berbatov – 2nd without him – 3rd.
Ash-sta: There is no doubt in my mind Man u are contenders for the title, but they have fierce competition this season, even more tougher than last year. I think United might struggle against teams like Spurs and Villa, as they will now know how to deal with Ronaldo, and I don’t really believe Tevez will do much this season. I agree with the Doc, with Berbatov in for a shout, without and I think there will be a new crowned champion.
Transfers:
- Striker: They’ve always missed Van Nistelrooy so Huntelaar/Berbatov will be the perfect signing.
- Right back: Lets face it Wes Brown is not great. And with Gary Neville rapidly becoming the new Saha/Ole Gunnar Solskjaer. They need a right back!!!
Links: Yahoo! Man Utd Wikipedia Man Utd
Carlos Queiroz was recently named as the new Portugal manager and I congratulate him on his great achievement. This however leaves a huge gap in the Manchester United setup as Queiroz is both passionate and precise with his work. As a Man Utd fan myself, I’m very disappointed to see the back of the Portuguese coach but realise his pull to become national coach.
Sir Alex will definitely miss his influence and presence on the team and his departure could give Cristiano Ronaldo another reason to depart from the club. It could surely be a ‘Double Portuguese Blow’. This is the second time Queiroz has left the assistant manager role at Man Utd, previously coaching Spanish giants Real Madrid.
To read about Carlos Queiroz, click here
Who will replace him? Will Queiroz succeed? or will he just come back to Man Utd again?
Leave your thoughts!
I’m probably jumping the gun here, but I wanted to talk about a number of players that look likely to leave the English Premiership. All the these players have made some sort of impact last season. So how much of a gap will these players leave? Will the premiership be the same without them? Will the respective clubs be able to replace these players? Or will they struggle in the coming season?
Hleb - it all started with an innocent excursion in Milan with the Inter representative, while deciding what flavour of Italian gelato to have, the Italian journalist put two and two together and quickly deduced that this meeting was more then a social excursion. Hleb has amazing ball control, my colleague Ash-sta rates him extremely highly. His ability on the ball, his passing and movement is awesome, he is a typical Wenger player, who loves to pass. However his goal return is shocking!
In recent weeks Hleb has also since been linked with a move to Barcelona. Personally, I don’t see him as a traditional Jose Mourinho player so I reckon he’s off to the Spanish giants. The question remains… will Arsenal miss him? They have Walcott, Rosicky, Nasri (according to everyone) and Eboue (does he really count)? They have plenty of cover, however there are questions marks over these players, especially over fitness and ability (Eboue).
Lampard – After a difficult season both personally and professionally, Lampard looks set to join his old manager at Inter. J-lee mentioned with the bargain signing of Deco. This one is defiantly going to happen. Looks like J-lee’s post has pretty much covered this one:
Deco’s arrival however seems to signify Frank Lampard’s exit from Stamford Bridge, meaning both he (Deco) and Michael Ballack must add to the goal tally.
Adebayor – Another Arsenal player linked with Barcelona! The 30+ goal’s he scored last season has gone to his head and a number of Arsenal fans are wondering if Mr Wenger should cash in ‘Greedy Adebayor‘. Its always hard to tell what Wenger is thinking, so if Adebayor goes, Arsenal will need to sign a new striker to replace him. Villa, Santa Cruz and Arshavin have all been mentioned as possible replacements for the Big Togoan. Any of these would be a great replacement but he will need replacing!
Finally Cristiano Ronaldo – The first player to win all three player of the year awards in England, there is no doubt he will be (or is) world player of year. But is the Portuguese starlet destined for Real Madrid? During the Euro 2008 all reports suggested that he has already agreed personal terms, and that all that was required is for both clubs to decide a price! Read all about the saga here. Out of all the players mentioned in this post I believe if Ronaldo was to leave he will be the most missed. A player who is regarded by most if not all as the best player in the world is no small title. Who will score the goals? Who will Sir Alex look to when a game needs changing? Did I mentioned who will score the goals?
