Heavens 11

Fortune Hides Cracks

2010-11-01T11:56:00.004Z

It's the 84th minute and Spurs are on the end of another slightly farcical episode at Old Trafford. The match ends 2-0 to the home team, yet all anyone can manage to discuss is that controversial goal at the end which yet again exposes the difficulty referees face when officiating a big game. This isn't a critique on the referee's performance, nor will it suggest with the aid of hindsight what should've been the correct course of action, what it will postulate is how yet again Redknapp has managed to escape with his record intact.

Now allow me to make something extremely clear; I am in no way saying I think Redknapp is rubbish. With that established I will go on to question his tactics and selections.

With Huddlestone injured, Redknapp was forced to choose between Palacios, Jenas and Sandro to start alongside the diminutive Croat. The choice inevitably falls to one of Palacios or Jenas with Redknapp invariably preferring Jenas in these high profile matches, perhaps due to Palacios' somewhat volatile nature (although he's only received 2 red cards in his 3 seasons at the club). His aim is to go for 2 ball playing midfielders, discarding the traditional ball winning midfielder. As a result, Tottenham were overrun in the midfield.

Up front things weren't much better. I can only assume that Keane was preferred as he plays deeper, perhaps linking up nicely with Van der Vaart in training. However for Redknapp to discard Crouch (who has been in decent form, connecting deliciously will Van der Vaart so far), and then introduce an untested partnership (with a player who hasn't played a decent game of football since joining Liverpool) in one of the most threatening grounds in the country was a bad idea on paper and turned out to be a bad idea on the pitch.

Against Inter, Tottenham were undone in quite some fashion. However fast forward to full-time and the subject on everyone's lips is Gareth Bale.

For some time now there is an assumption that Harry Redknapp is a media darling, that he can no wrong in the eyes of the press. Perhaps because of this association journalists are afraid or simply don't feel the need to bring up his tactical naivety.

Too often when watching Spurs do I feel irritated by the way they seem to roll over in these away games. Too often it seems to be the same symptoms, a pedestrian midfield, unthreatening wingers and very busy centrebacks. The issue isn't with the players themselves, as they have enough quality to do some damage, but I do think the issue is with the gaffer.

'Arry is a man manager. There is no doubt about it. Sure along the way he gets his teams to play some decent football, but his continual insistence on 4-4-2 or "big man/little man" striking partnerships is out of touch. Tottenham have got where they are because of excellent financial management, and some managerial consistency. They got there on merit and hard work. But if they are to stay there or even make the jump their fans crave then Harry Redknapp is not the man for the job.

Just who is going to buy Wayne Rooney?

2010-10-18T12:14:00.003Z

With the press being dominated by the Wayne Rooney saga, the inevitable question is this; “Just who is going to buy Wayne Rooney?”

Having spent upwards of £25 million on Rooney back in 2004, and having sold Cristiano Ronaldo for £80 million, it would be reasonable to assume that United wouldn’t sell Rooney for anything less than £40 million. And that would be cheap of them.

Toward the end of the last season the figure being bandied about was closer to £60 million, and with his current wage demands reportedly hovering around the £160k p/w mark the possible candidates for his signing can only be Manchester City and Real Madrid.

At a push Chelsea, Barcelona and Inter could be included but the reality is a little different; Barcelona got burnt with the Zlatan transfer, and Rooney doesn’t seem like their “kind” of player. Inter are reportedly trying to deal with vast debts incurred by Moratti over the last 5 years, debts which resulted in an unprecedented trophy haul for the Milan side last season. Regardless, this blog doubts somehow that Benitez would be able to persuade Rooney to move to Inter. And Chelsea? The club needs a (young) striker, and being British certainly helps his cause, but the wage demands will be far too high, and with the club aiming for an operating profit an outlay of £40+ million won’t help.

So we come to the 2 financial giants in European football. Manchester City have the cash, that much is clear, but for Rooney to switch from the red half to the blue half of Manchester would be scandalous. Once bandied about as the boy who would bring United further European glory and be “the man” until he retired it would be unthinkable for him to change his allegiance.

Detractors may point to Tevez, however his case was vastly different. Tevez was on loan at United, and although he cared for their fans, it wasn’t as if he’d been there from a young age with the faith of the fans and more importantly his manager resting on his shoulders. I don’t remember anyone being taken aback when he moved to City.

That really only leaves Real Madrid.

Rooney is rumoured to be an admirer of Mourinho, and at 24 this represents his greatest chance to seal a big money move to play under a manager at the top of his game. He would be reunited with Ronaldo, a player with whom he enjoyed tremendous success, and who he clearly got along with as an individual. But it isn’t as cut and dry as that; when Beckham moved to the Spanish giants he was a media magnet, already the poster-boy of English football, already adorning Adidas billboards around the globe. At a time when Florentino was running a club based on shirt sales Beckham represented the holy grail of footballers.

Now things are very different. Florentino is trying to run a football club, and Mourinho will not suffer fools gladly. Having been ejected from Stamford Bridge after a run-in over transfer policy with Abramovich it has become apparent that his current deal is that he and he alone chooses the team. He is rumoured to be interested in a new striker, but what he wants is a Drogba, a Milito, a Llorente, not a Rooney.

Time is running out for Rooney, if Fergie wants him out, then he’s gone. And if no-one comes in for him then he may find himself on the blue half of Manchester, or biting his tongue and getting on with what his focus should be right now; playing well for the Reds.

Can you teach an Old Frim new tricks?

2010-10-04T16:00:00.006Z

Gascoigne, Laudrup, Thern, McCall, Steven... these were but a few of the top class names I could call upon whenever I loaded up a game of Championship Manager 96/97 and selected my favourite team to play with, Rangers. Its not that Celtic didn't have appeal. Larsson, Lennon, McStay and Lambert were also strong performers and either club, if well managed, would bring me Champions League victory eventually. I would look forward to watching them both on Eurogoals or in the Champions League if they were on TV.

Today, they, and the league they play in are derided by pundits and fans alike. A quick peak at their squads reveal decent ex-championship performers in the likes of Lafferty and Hooper coupled with internationals from Algeria, Israel and Bosnia. The best Scottish talent has long gone South of the border where Craig Gordon, Barry Ferguson and Darren Fletcher ply their trade. Even the young talent is leaving early with Danny Wilson being poached by Liverpool and Shaun Maloney's brief sojourn in the Midlands showing the Old Firm's inability to keep their assets.

Partly this decline must be seen as a by-product of the lack of money available in the SPL where 1st and 2nd receive circa £3m each come pared with £20m+ in the Premier League. Celtic and Rangers real debt is around the £32m mark which has curtailed their ability to attract as well as afford top class talent. Furthermore, it implies that all first team players are effectively up for sale at all time and at affordable prices. Expensive and unsuccessful signings, like the £12m Rangers dished out for Tore Andre Flo, have hardly helped matters. It has to be said that the SPL is one of the least competitive league in Europe, and players' unwillingness to ply their trade in such a league is understandable. This problem has been identified by the head honchos at both clubs and their attempt to join the EPL were doomed to failure.

While these problems seem to spell doom and gloom in the foreseeable future for the Glasgow giants there are positives as well as options. Celtic Park and Ibrox boast a full 60'000 an 51'000 filled seats, respectively, in most home games as well as a windfall of £5m through the sale of season tickets every year. As things stand the SPL has two Champions League berths which de facto guarantees Rangers and Celtic some form of access every year which gives it an important financial boost as well as allowing players a taste of the big time, which is one of the greatest draws for players moving to either club.

With such a platform these clubs should be looking to follow the example of Portuguese clubs like Benfica and Porto who snap up young, promising talent across Europe and the Americas. Ramires and Cissokho are examples of players who have performed exceptionally well in the League. The jump to one of Europe's 'big clubs' increased their value and they were sold on for a healthy profit. There needs to be an acceptance in Glasgow, that the Old Firm have to shift their emphasis towards being a springboard to Europe's giants, rather than a giant themselves.

In truth, it has been a while since I have played with either Rangers or Celtic in the new Football Manager editions so maybe I will try this philosophy out for myself.

Nature vs Nurture

2010-10-04T11:21:00.001Z

I’m sitting at home with the television on Sky Sports 2. Tottenham are about to kick off against FC Twente in the driving rain, you don’t need an HDTV to see that. When discussing the lineup, we aimlessly wander to the subject of Iniesta. “You know he’ll be remembered forever for that goal in the World Cup Final”. Pause, “Oh, and that goal against Chelsea too”.

This of course is nothing new to any of you, yet it is an incredible feat. The ability to score the most important goal of all when the clock is ticking and the pressure is on is what separates the “great” from the “excellent”. In that one moment with what may be the only chance, you have to have the belief, technique and mental presence to put it away. Iniesta of course is not alone, half the Barcelona team alone are players of this calibre. But is that what really separates them? That innate skill?

I’m reminded of an interview I read with Frank Lampard where he discusses his youth and footballing education. He tells a story of how his father, noticing his son’s weakness in speed devised a routine to improve his touch and quick thinking. He would stand Frank Jr in space with his back to a wall, whereupon he would kick the ball with strength. As soon as Frank Jr heard the sound of the impact he would turn and trap the ball. He learnt to use his right foot, left foot, his chest and movement to do so.

The eternal “Gerrard or Lampard” debate often hinges on this point. Gerrard is widely regarded as a player born with the skills he possesses whereas Lampard is said to be a player who worked at his craft. Yet the successes the latter has achieved as an individual are comparable if not greater.

There are other examples; David Beckham was renowned for staying behind after training to practise his free kicks - there’s a clip him taking kick after kick, one flying above the posts in a rugby fashion bouncing off the roof of the stand behind it. He said that he only ever used one ball, so the punishment of having to fetch it was enough to make him work that bit harder.

For every Lampard and Beckham, there’s a Heskey and a Kuyt. Just as for every Iniesta or a Gerrard there’s a Bentley or a Quaresma .

Tottenham’s David Bentley was once a starlet in the Arsenal academy, who after impressing with his form at Blackburn ended up at Spurs for £15 million. There can be no question over his skills, yet his off pitch issues may have cost him his career. Done for drink-driving in August 2009, Harry Redknapp was less than impressed and spoke of Bentley’s need to “develop a different side to his personality”. Later Bentley revealed how personal issues had affected his performances.

Remember Kieron Dyer? Following his move from Ipswich to Newcastle, the trappings of the off-field stardom of a footballer were too much for him. Once touted as a potential England star back in 2000 he found himself involved in a sex scandal with other England hopefuls Rio Ferdinand and Frank Lampard. Whereas Ferdinand and Lampard went on to bigger and better things, Dyer became notorious for his drinking and injuries. The rest as they say, is history.

Ricardo Quaresma is another; at 27 he is reaching what should the peak of his career yet he has been through Barcelona, Chelsea and Inter and ended up in Besiktas. In his youth at Sporting where he dazzled with his tricks, his understudy was a skinny boy with a heart condition (which later required surgery). That boy with his racing heart was called Cristiano. Cristiano Ronaldo.

Football is filled with those players who work hard and don’t make it to the top table and then there are those who were born with the skills yet don’t have the mental toughness to do the work to improve them. This was embodied in Real Madrid’s “Zidane’s y Pavon’s” policy of the last decade.

That team with it’s galacticos and it’s workers (and a terrific manager in Del Bosque) were superb for a good couple of seasons, however over time when the workers became of lower quality and the galacticos of bigger egos things turned sour.

Remember the playground? It’s lunchtime and everyone’s lined up against the fence waiting to be picked. Standing between big Hugo and toothy Matt are lanky Steven and little Andres. Next to them are pretty-boy David and stocky Frank. If someone asked you which two you’d rather have in your team you’d probably gun for Stevie and that little Spanish lad. But if you really want to win and go to Geography smiling from ear to ear, you’d need to pick David and Frank too.

P.S. What a great goal by Van der Vaart.

Hip to be square.

2010-09-27T12:49:00.001Z

When watching the highlights of Man City v Chelsea on MOTD on Saturday night, it struck me how many chances Chelsea had to take the game. The highlights package showed about 3 chances for the Citizens, yet when watching the game it felt to me that City were the better side.

The battle was won and lost as many of these tense affairs often are, in the midfield. With Chelsea lacking midfield talisman Frank Lampard, a trio of Mikel, Ramires and Essien lined up in the centre of the park with the attacking trident of Malouda, Anelka and Drogba ahead of them.

While City’s 4-5-1 is ostensibly a 4-3-3 in a similar vein to Chelsea’s, there is a crucial difference. City’s aim is to contain, and break at speed with all the attacks coming through Carlos Tevez’s running. Chelsea on the other hand aim to score with wave-upon-wave of attacks. City employ Milner and Johnson to great effect on the wings, but against Chelsea opted for the more short-passing oriented David Silva. Together with the now customary trio of Barry, De Jong and Yaya Touré, Silva aimed to drop deep looking to release Tevez or Milner.

Usually when in possession players look to position themselves in triangles, thereby offering 2 choices for the player on the ball. When done well (Arsenal and Barça) it often results in lethal counter attacks at breakneck speed. During this game we saw 2 different interpretations of this triangular movement; in City’s case what we often saw were rhombuses in the midfield, and in Chelsea’s the positioning was extremely flat.

As they worked the ball through the midfield, any City player more often than not had 3 passing opportunities. They created these lopsided squares which moved through the pitch comfortably retaining possession and dragging Chelsea’s midfield around. Conversely when Chelsea were on the ball their midfield remained flat, forcing players to attempt long balls over the defence for the strikers to run onto. Eventually Anelka was forced to come deep to collect the ball which took a man out of the attack, leaving Touré, Kompany and Boyata (who did a great job) to marshal a lonely Drogba.

Oddly for Man City their tactic was very unbalanced; Milner rarely if ever left the left-wing, whereas Silva rarely remained in the same position. With Adam Johnson they seem a much more threatening side, as he enjoys cutting inside dragging defenders with him, but perhaps for the bigger occasions Mancini wants to play it safe.

In the end the only goal came from a counter attack. Yaya Touré released the little Argentine engine and the rest is history.

Chelsea would’ve fared a great deal better with Lampard’s involvement, his positioning in that hole behind the strikers is superb. As a result he would’ve forced Barry or De Jong to sit a lot deeper, and the knock on would’ve been a more open midfield battle. As it stood though, neither Essien nor Ramires took up the mantle.

A fairly contested affair, with some interesting tactical battles. Just don’t expect to be wowed by City very much this season.

Liverpool. A bad day in the City.

2010-08-24T14:58:00.007Z

Last night Liverpool were undone by an excellent Manchester City side. But 3-0 doesn't tell the whole story.

Hodgson set the reds up in a 4-4-2, with Lucas playing a more holding role theoretically allowing Gerrard license to roam. Up front N'Gog partnered Torres for the first time in a Premierleague game. Possibly not the best time for Hodgson to have experimented.

N'Gog too often found himself drifting into the right hand channel, a position surely better suited for Kuyt. As a result Kuyt was too often in no man's land, N'Gog was not in the centre of the box and Torres had too little involvement.

In the midfield Hodgson grossly underestimated City's prowess. With City ostensibly playing 3 DMCs (although Barry was the more advanced of these), Liverpool had no space to play the ball into. When a red shirt did receive a pass in the City half they weren't allowed to turn and lost possession easily.

With Johnson and Richards having a cracker on the right against an out of position Agger, Jovanovic was forced deep into a supporting defensive role. A similar thing happened on the left as Milner caused all sorts of problems for Glen Johnson.

Steven Gerrard was the busiest of Liverpool's team. However he was sitting far too deep trying to cope with the attacking threat of City's midfield, and never quite found himself in those positions from which he is so dangerous. Towards the end of the game he resorted to long passes all of which were unsuccessful.

In short this wasn't the game for Hodgson to tinker. With the absence of Mascherano it seems obvious that Poulsen should've started with one of N'Gog or Torres on the bench. The situation is reminiscent of Spurs v Young Boys last week where Harry lined up with a 4-4-2 only to find his team 3 goals down. The difference there was that Redknapp was quick to see the problems and change his team accordingly; Huddlestone came on to bolster the midfield and the result was a decent performance.

However the fixture list has been harsh on Liverpool and Roy Hodgson, he needs to discover his best 11 and until then this will be the best time to play Liverpool.

Wigan. The right style, the wrong results.

2010-08-23T10:46:00.006Z

When Wigan lost 6-0 to Chelsea, Martinez's reaction was "'The way we let things slip had nothing to do with our style of football." And he's right.

The final stats support his theory, Wigan retained 52% possession and even successfully completed 82% of their passes compared to Chelsea's 80%. So how could they fail to even realistically trouble the Chelsea defence?

Stam and N'Zogbia were some of Wigan's more industrious players, with Stam attempting 61 passes of which 52 were successful. The same goes for N'Zogbia who also on the right wing had 32 successful passes. However it was their unsuccessful passes which were their undoing.

Of the 9 unsuccessful passes by Stam, 7 were in the final 3rd. 6 of those were intended for the box yet failed. The situation is similar for Rodallega and Figueroa on the left wing (although if you observe Rodallega's passing stats, it's all too apparent that he doesn't pass enough in comparison suggesting he is wasted out wide).

When Wigan did find themselves in dangerous areas they resorted to long shots from outside the 18 yard box. Chelsea on the other hand scored all 6 goals from very close to, or inside the 6 yard box.

So was Wigan's problem in the final 3rd that Chelsea's defence was too good for them? Or that they lacked ruthlessness and belief?

A bit of both would be the unsatisfactory answer. There can be no doubt that Wigan played some excellent passing football (as supported by the stats), and Rodallega game Ivanovic a torrid time until Ferreira replaced him. However it seems that by playing Rodallega out wide they lack a player to focus passing to in the centre.

Diamé, McCarty and Thomas all occupy similar areas of midfield, with McCarthy being the most advanced yet even his positioning is that of an attacking midfielder. Their number 9, Boselli had an awful afternoon, completing 4 passes and not seeing very much of the ball. After his £6.5 million move from Estudiantes it may be too soon to expect him to lead the line solo. He clearly found it difficult against both Blackpool and Chelsea, and Martinez's insistence on playing Rodallega as a winger/striker means Boselli cuts a very lonely figure at the tip of the trident.

Compare that to Drogba's involvement as the contrast could not be greater. Drogba exhibits a greater range of movement around the pitch and an excellent work rate aided by the excellent Malouda and Anelka.

Martinez clearly has the right ideas; the passing at times is excellent and their insistence on playing an attractive brand of football is admirable.

Wigan will continue to leak goals at the back (that article is for another day) but until they work on their positioning and movement in the final 3rd they won't score any at that end either.

Captain Ronaldo; the denouement.

2010-06-30T13:30:00.006Z

Just over a week ago this blog wrote a piece for the Guardian. It suggested that Ronaldo was not the correct choice for Portugal captain; inevitably it got panned and accused of just jumping on the "Ronaldo sucks" bandwagon. 10 days later and it seems that it was correct all along.

The words of former captain Luis Figo say it all, "in the most difficult moments the captain must always face up for the group". And what did our beloved CR7 say in the aftermath of the Spain defeat? "Talk to Carlos Queiroz".

Ronaldo wants to be the face of Portugal when it suits him. Following the 7 nil drubbing of North Korea where Ronaldo was awarded the Man Of the Match performance, he publicly and correctly handed it to Tiago who had been superb. But when the chips came down and Ronaldo retired to the shadows it was Tiago who spoke up, "that's his opinion. The captain won't talk, but the rest of the players are here to talk".

Tiago was ready and willing to take on the responsibility of Portugal's exit. And why not, Tiago had a very decent tournament, so maybe was not afraid of the personal attacks which would surely be aimed at Ronaldo. Afterall, Tiago is not at fault for the defeat as he's 'merely' a midfielder whereas Ronaldo is the hero when we win and the enemy when we lose. That is what comes with being a captain.

António Simões, legend of the 1966 Portugal team "os Magriços" spoke up demanding a "greater sense of responsibility" from the captain, and putting his finger on the pulse suggesting that "when providing statements [he] must be consistent and coherent with the stature and responsibility he has".

Of course it has been overblown, and the player himself has come out and apologised. But to this blog, apologising after an act of extreme immaturity (I refer of course to the spit) and blame-pushing comments is cheap. It's easy to say "it was in the moment", but just like Rooney's petulant "nice to see some loyal support" comment, it's not what you come to expect from a captain. Perhaps that is why Rooney is not considered for the role just yet, as he's yet to mature.

Let me make something very clear; I am not lambasting him for his outburst per se, nor am I blaming him for Portugal's exit. I am not suggesting he is anything other than a special player either. What I am saying is that he is not captain material.

At the end of the Guardian blog, there was a quote by the man himself saying that "it's not through being captain or not that I will change".

That quote is clearer than ever now.

Tournament takes shape

2010-06-24T09:02:00.003Z

Now that half of the groups are complete we can begin to form a picture of the "real" World Cup, and how it could pan out.

With Uruguay and USA topping their groups a situation has been created where one of Uruguay, South Korea, the USA or Ghana will be in the Semi-Finals of this World Cup. Had we been told this fact prior to the tournament a "scoff" would've been heard echoing in the room. As it is, Uruguay seem the stronger of the 4 teams.

In Suarez, Cavani and the exceptional Forlan they have a very threatening side who will give the South Koreans a lot to think about. Portuguese based fullbacks Fucile and Maxi Pereira have looked dangerous in attack, and in Lugano they have a very intelligent (although inconsistent) centre-back.

The Koreans were very lucky against Nigeria, took an absolute pasting from Argentina and beat a very poor Greece. They are the weakest team in that group of 4, but with enough discipline and pace they can cause an upset.

Ghana vs USA is a very intriguing tie, however Ghana have found it very difficult to score goals and indeed have not managed to score a goal in open play having to rely on 2 penalties for their qualification. USA on the other hand have scored 4 goals, and had a couple ruled out along the way, and had it not been for that awful call on the 3-2 in the Slovenia game they would've assured their 1st place qualification earlier.

The most likely quarter final would seem to be Uruguay v USA, with Uruguay the stronger of the two should Forlan continue firing on all cylinders.

The other side of the draw sees Germany, England, Argentina and Mexico fight it out for a Semi-Final berth. This is of course what the World Cup is all about and all 3 fixtures leading to the semi are mouth watering. Mexico could cause an upset as up until now Argentina's opponents have been an inconsistent Nigerian side, an awful Greek side and against a decent South Korean team they conceded an awful goal. Demichelis and Gutierrez are their weakest players and haven't really been tested, and on the occasions where they have been called on they have disappointed.

Mexico are an excellent team going forward, Salcido is a very dangerous fullback and could pin back Argentina's defence. Giovani is looking superb at front, as is Chicharito aka Javi Hernandez of Man Utd. However as good as Mexico have looked, Uruguay were the better side when these 2 met earlier this week and Argentina are a significantly better attacking unit. Looks like a great game.

Finally we come to England v Germany. On paper the Germans have to be the favourites, they are faster more organised and in Ozil have one of the most exciting players in the tournament. Klose will be back for this one after seeing red against Serbia, he will be rested and wanting to prove a point. Together with Podolski they have one of the most dangerous tournament-based attacking pair. At the back however they are shaky, and had it not been for prolifigacy in front of goal Ghana may have changed the outcome of this group.

As it stands, England improved immeasurably against Slovenia and their confidence will be their greatest asset. Should Rooney find his form then they are a significantly tougher opponent, as it stands though England's midfield will be where the battle is won or lost. Khedira looks an excellent player, and 25 year old Schweinsteiger is a very strong presence and should cause England's immobile midfield a lot of problems.

The quarter-final is likely to be Germany v Argentina, however that is too tough to call.

Nevertheless the tournament is starting to take shape, and a very exciting shape it is. Can't wait to see how the other half of the draw works out.

Punditry: fewer puns and more knowledge please.

2010-06-17T10:45:00.005Z

The quality of punditry on British television has long been the subject of great debate. Lawro is widely regarded as the worst thing to have happened to punditry since records began, and the rage directed in the direction of Jamie Redknapp seems never ending, but the depths to which the quality has dropped in this World Cup is galling.

Alan Hansen is regularly praised to high heaven by viewers of MotD for his unreserved criticism of defending and generally "telling it like it is", and in his defence his tactical analysis whilst being a little shallow is often spot on. On ITV, Hansen's contemporary Andy Townsend is without doubt significantly worse. Those of us who have had to sit through Champions League games and listen to the blindingly obvious being pointed out by the former Ireland international knew full well what to expect from the ITV team.

But the other night something occurred which genuinely took me aback. During the post-match "analysis" of the Italy v Paraguay game being televised by the BBC, the discussion fell to the impact performance of Italy's 2nd half substitute striker Di Natale. The scorer of 29 goals in Serie A, making him the top goal scorer. He came 7 clear of Milito despite playing for a significantly weaker team, and at 32 it's not as if he's an unknown either. This though wasn't enough for the MotD team and Clarence Seedorf had to reach for a piece of paper to find his name. When scanning the team-sheet it became apparent that Clarence had picked up the Dutch team-sheet (that it took him about 5 seconds to notice is another surprise) prompting laughter from Lineker and Hansen and general hilarity ensued. Di Natale's name never came up.

There are things that should roll off the tongue when being on a pundit on the national coverage of the biggest tournament in football; the top goal scorer in England, Spain, Italy and at a push Germany and France. Incidentally all bar 2 of those players are at the World Cup.

The more you watch, the more it becomes apparent that little to no research is done by the pundits -- I don't doubt that there are producers for the show who know their onions, yet how can Shearer et al get away without knowing theirs? If I turned up to a meeting and was unable to answer a very straightforward question on a subject which is my forte then I would be taken to one side and given a very stern talking to. I'm not expecting them to have Football Manager-esque levels of knowledge, but I do expect them to know that Hamsik is a massive talent and that he plays for Napoli.

If you were to read a newspaper article reviewing last night's Spain game, yet the journalist in question wrote something along the lines of "..and late in the 2nd half that chap with the ginger beard rattled the post with a long range effort" and couldn't remember who he played for or his name you would be outraged and stop reading the article there and then. So why is it acceptable for national television pundits to not know the ins and outs of their craft? Do we forgive them because it's live and the journalists have time to do some reading? Anyone who agrees with that needs to listen to the superb Guardian Football Weekly podcast (or the The Game podcast for those who are a little less liberal), where off the cuff discussion of the leagues covering Europe is a regular, and where research is done prior to each recording with pieces of paper at hand to backup arguments with stats and importantly, players' names.

Compare it to the cricket commentary, the tennis or even the F1 and the football falls far far behind.

I don't expect this to change any time soon. Or perhaps ever. I have come to accept that the punditry on British television is not aimed at the savvy viewer, but I find it very hard to contain my frustration at a job that frankly a lot of people could do better at.

Queiroz heavily criticised.

2010-06-16T09:36:00.003Z

The day after the night before; a decent amount of sleep and hindsight should allow for more accurate reflection on yesterday's game.

It was without doubt a poor performance from Portugal against a team "with explosive players" according to Sporting's Paulo Sergio. Jorge Jesus expected us to win, "Portugal are a much better team. African teams are kilometres away from the Europeans". It proved that perhaps they're closer than we think.

Fabio Coentrao was expected to feature in the attacks, Jorge Jesus the Benfica title winning manager pointing out that "our fullbacks did not get involved in the offensive play, we need to review our positioning". With two defensive midfielders a greater amount of defensive support was expected, too often the fullbacks were left unprotected having to work too hard.

Jesus was rightly critical of the attacking midfield. "Deco and Danny had no fixed positions and couldn't organise [the game]. They were out of the game." Great things were expected from Danny, and prior to the match Queiroz highlighted the importance of holding the ball, "He who dominates the ball, dominates the game" he yelled at his team as they marched onto the field. Yet his tactical decision to force Deco onto the right wing backfired, and the player himself was heavily critical of his manager in the post-match interview "Everyone knows I'm not a winger and have always played in the centre". He went on to criticise the manager, "the manner in which we approached the 2nd half wasn't the best; we wanted to play a more direct passing game but that didn't materialise".

Yet again it appears that apart from not being able to score goals, it was the manager's tactical decisions that cost Portugal the 3 points. "In the 1st half we were controlling the game... if we improved a few aspects we would've won. But the manager decides."

A damning indictment, which coupled with the rumours of a rift with Nani points to problems in the Portuguese camp. Has Queiroz lost the dressing room? Did he ever have it?

Only time will tell of the internal issues surrounding Portugal, and as both Sporting and Benfica managers pointed out, it's imperative to "change as North Korea can surprise".

Elephants stand strong

2010-06-15T17:40:00.001Z

Elephants stand strong

It's hard not to wrote a reactionary piece based on Portugal's dire
nil all draw to Ivory Coast so I will do my best to hold some sort of
impartiality when judging where Portugal go next.

Queiroz played a very narrow 4-3-3, ostensibly a 4-5-1 with Liedson
leading the line with Danny and Ronaldo supporting. Behind them the
trio of Mendes, Meireles and Deco would supposedly boss the midfield.
This of course never materialised.

I predicted Danny would be the star today, yet he was totally
anonymous mislaying passes everywhere though not as bad as team
captain Ronaldo who completed a mere 59% of his passes, the lowest for
both sides.

Coentrao and Ferreira were being pegged back all game, Ferreira the
subject of Gervinho's excellent attacking play preventing either
player from assisting in the offensive play. As a result Portugal were
far too narrow, and were forced into a scruffy midfield battle.

Queiroz brought on Simão which seemed like a good move, yet he then
replaced both Deco and Meireles for carbon copy players Tiago and
Ruben Amorim. Portugal were stogy and lacked invention.

Hugo Almeida perhaps deserved a look in when Portugal were on top in
the final 20, but perhaps Queiroz was more concerned with the points.

Regardless it's easy to see where to improve, and Nani's absence is
greater than expected but points to where Portugal should be looking.
I can't see them playing any worse and at least that's something.

Full backs, the key to winning?

2010-06-14T09:06:00.003Z

When recently listening to a Guardian podcast a theory emerged which I
had hitherto never given much time. The idea was that the team with
the best full back combination would win the world cup.

As football has evolved the fullback has become one of the most
important players on the pitch. Dani Alves, Ashley Cole, Maicon, Evra,
et al are regarded with high esteem and all regularly linked with
transfers to Real Madrid.

I can only remember as far back as '94 when Jorginho and Branco
tore up and down the wings to great effect, then '98 when Thuram
rescued France's cause against Croatia partnered by Lizarazu.

The theory is a solid one, and while obviously a little simplistic
it's worth considering for the forthcoming tournament.

Favourites Spain employ the oft eccentric yet highly skilled Sergio
Ramos and Arbeloa, a much less exciting player who can cross a ball
yet is more of a workhorse - yet they're not a side who traditionally
play through the wings preferring instead to ferry the ball through
it's outrageously gifted midfield. Ramos does find himself in advanced
areas quite regularly for both club and country and has been known to
possess a very decent finish.

Brazil of course have both Alves and Maicon, the former having a
sensational 60% win percentage when playing for the seleção. Looking
to the left back Michel Bastos of Lyon and you again find a very
adventurous player yet it would be a shame if one of Maicon or Alves
were forced to miss out.

The main surprise is Argentina. Maradona has infamously named a side
which will contain no fullbacks. He plans on playing with 4
centrebacks and relying on wingers Di Maria and Newcastle's Jonas
Gutierrez to provide width a creativity. Jonathan Wilson recently
suggested that perhaps there is genius in Maradona's methods as his
lineup will provide problems which other teams have forgotten how to
solve. With keeping 4 at the back they garuntee defensive solidity but
may find themselves relying too heavily on little Leo Messi.

The Dutch pairing of Van der Wiel and Van Bronkhorst are perhaps the
most unusual. The former a very young and inexperienced converted
centre back and the other the antethesis of that; 36 years old and
converted midfielder. They have both however had excellent warm up
games and seem to suit the style of the Dutch with Robben and Sneijder
providing the brilliance for Van Persie.

And what of Portugal? Bosingwa has been out since October forcing
Queiroz to call up part time footballer Paulo Ferreira; a conservative
player who often looks defensively suspect. On the left it seems that
youngster Fabio Coentrao will get the start. Coentrao is a left winger
who was played out of position by Benfica to great effect, and he has
been linked to Mourinho's Madrid as a result. He's a very attacking
minded player but could find himself unstuck against very attacking
(read Brazil) sides.

Update.

And finally to the Germans, a side I had written off last week but who
last night really tore it up. Lahm was magnificent providing the best
full back performance so far this tournament. Badstuber was solid yet
had very little to do against a poor Australian side. How he does
against Ghana is a greater test but I can't see Germany dropping
points in this group.

From Russia with love.

2010-06-07T11:50:00.005Z

Danny Alves.

We've all heard of him right? Diminutive Brazilian fullback? Wrong. How about Russian based Portuguese attacking midfielder? No?

When Queiroz made the decision for his final 23, the inclusion of Danny wouldn't have surprised those in the know; the subject of a €30 million move from Dynamo Moscow to Zenit St. Petersburg in 2008, Danny has shone on the Russian stage. When Zenit played Manchester United in the Supercup in 2008 he scored a fantastic goal, picking up the ball in midfield before finding some space and weaving his way through into the United penalty area before calmly slotting away an excellent near post finish.

So why are we only hearing this now?

In recent years the Russian league has boomed; in 2005 Dynamo Moscow owner Fedorychev spent big and brought in a few players from the Portuguese league; Derlei, Costinha, Seitaridis, Maniche and Danny. All of those players became unsettled in Russia bar Danny.

In his debut season for Dynamo he was voted the club's player of the season, and since then has gone from strength to strength.

Born in Venezuela, he moved to Portugal at a young age eventually making his way to Sporting before being loaned out to Maritimo. His career in Portugal never took off, and as such Sporting let him go to Dynamo. After his sensational performances, then manager of Zenit Dick Advocaat paid his €30 million buyout clause to bring the player to Russia's 2nd largest city.

With Deco nearing the end of his career the timing could not be more perfect. Just as in 2004 when Rui Costa played his last game for Portugal and Deco stepped into the frame, it feels as if this World Cup is the time for Danny to announce himself on the world stage.

Similar to Rui Costa in his rugged latin looks, he enjoys running at defenders and arriving late in the box to put away those crucial goals. He may not have much of left foot, but his agility has clearly made up for this. Where he differs to his predecessors is in his desire to be involved in the final third. Whereas Deco shies away from entering the area, Danny enjoys getting involved and supporting the strikers, a blessing for an international side with a frankly disappointing goal scoring record.

Quieroz is nobody's fool, although whether he has the downright stones to play Danny is another matter. What is true is that this Danny Alves has a bright future ahead of him, and the legacy of Portugal's number 10 will continue.

Group G.

2009-12-07T15:46:00.007Z

The World Cup draw took place on Friday 5th at about 6pm, delayed by about 10 minutes due to Charlize Theron totally not grasping the concept of a football draw. Eventually it was all over and the groups for the 2010 South African World Cup became clear. What became abundantly clear too was that Group G - Portugal's group - was the clichéd "Group o' Death".

So what does it all mean?

Portugal were in Pot 4 - the pot containing the remainder of non-seeded European nations, and therefore were drawn with Brazil, the Ivory Coast and North Korea. What it means is very clear; Portugal will have to play to the best of their ability if they're to progress from this group.

They face Ivory Coast first on the 15th of June in Port Elizabeth (a beautiful 48 000 seater stadium), a game which should be the best start they need. Although facing North Korea would be a nice way to possibly earn some points early on, facing the Ivory Coast with all guns blazing would stand them in good stead for the other group games.

Crucially Portugal face Brazil on the last day of the group stage; should they require a result to progress from the group then that would be very tricky.

It's an enormous game, as they tend to be. The most recent was a 6-2 win for Brazil, and before that a 2-0 win for Portugal. Portugal have Deco, Pepe and Liedson; 3 nationalised Brazilians for whom this will be a massive game. All 3 presumably became Portuguese as a result of not earning any Brazilian caps and so this will be the chance to shine and prove themselves. I have no doubt they will give everything they've got.

Portugal have been embarrassed in the past, most recently their 2002 group stage exit. After an opening day defeat to the USA, it ended with former Benfica and Sporting legend Joao Pinto physically assaulting the referee following his dismissal. They have learnt their lessons, and in 2006 progressed to the semi-final where they narrowly lost to a Zidane penalty. This is of course a different team, yet the maturity is there.

This may be the last chance for players like Simao and Deco, the first and only chance for Liedson and most importantly the best stage for Cristiano Ronaldo to shine.

As good as the Ivory Coast have become (they are undefeated in 12 qualifiers, only dropping points in their final game away to Malawi), Portugal have to believe that they are better. Although with the majority of the Ivorian players plying their trade in Europe maybe this is no longer the case.

Scolari recently gave his thoughts on the matter, explaining how he was "happy" at the draw because it meant that "both teams will pass, and won't meet again in the knockouts". I only wish the rest of us were that optimistic.

The Downing Of A New Era?

2009-11-30T18:49:00.005Z

Moving on from our look at Everton's continuing decline and descent to the relegation zone, we turn to another challenger; Aston Villa.

Only 3 points from Tottenham in 3rd (assuming that Arsenal will leapfrog them with their games in hand), it seems things aren't going too badly for the Villains, and they're not. They're not going wonderfully either.

There are many positives to look at; the signing of Dunne was a shrewd move by Martin O'Neill. Costing only £6 million from moneybags City (another challenger for 4th) he has proven to be the rock Villa were lacking in the centre of the defence following the departure of Mellberg. The games against Chelsea & Tottenham a great example of how they are now able to soak up a greater amount of pressure before breaking quickly.

Using both Young and Milner they are a team who drive play down the wings delivering passes and crosses to Agbonlahor and Carew, the former putting away 8 goals thus far. Milner has been in outstanding form this season earning a justified callup to England's B-Team experiment against Brazil. His workrate has never been in question, but he has worked on his final ball and is looking terrific.

Young too has often promised much, and has yet to deliver on that promise. He only has to look as far as North London to Lennon to see the kind of progress he could be making, and as David Pleat points out he still has a tendency to retreat into his shell. Petrov is a terrific player and of great importance to this Villa side, but it is at the point of this midfield that I have questions.

In the summer Martin O'neill captured the signing Stewart Downing; a player long since linked to the likes of Spurs and Manchester United amongst others. A slow player, he perhaps one of the best crossers of the ball in the England team. So he bought as a left winger right?

What if though he was bought to play as the point of a midfield diamond? What if he was bought to play across the front of the midfield, allowing all 3 of Milner, Agbonlahor and Downing to drift into channels pulling defenders out of position wreaking havoc. Perhaps MON had initially thought of playing Milner in the middle yet his performances have been so consistent that the idea of playing Downing in the middle isn't so crazy after all.

Sidwell was brought to fill this role, playing a similar role for Reading before being groomed to substitute Lampard at Chelsea. Mourinho may have seen something in the player, although as a free transfer it's tough to tell. Sidwell however is far too shy to play this role, he is a decent passer and tackler (and is a great striker of the ball) yet seems to be afraid to continue his runs into the box. Downing is a much more attacking minded player who won't have a problem ending up in the box.

There is also the chance of forming a Ronaldo/Giggs partnership with the 2 wide players, something which really would add a different dimension to their game.

Either way, Villa fans should look forward to his debut in claret and blue, it may the Downing of a new era.

Portugal's Bosnian Examination

2009-11-13T11:17:00.004Z

So here it is; the playoff.

Portugal face off against Bosnia-Herzegovina and are massive favourites, but the reality may not be as the bookies have predicted. Firstly Portugal are without talisman and "greatest player in the world"™ Cristiano Ronaldo. Secondly they are playing a side who scored 25 goals in Qualifying, in a group containing Spain.

How did things become so complicated for the Lusitanos? They were drawn in a group containing both Sweden and Denmark, teams notorious for their organised and unadventurous football. There was also a tricky tie with Hungry to negotiate (although a far cry from the unbeaten Magnificent Magyars of the early 50s), and the compulsory whipping boys; Albania and Malta.

There is never one answer to any footballing question, and this case is no different. There can be though, many hypotheses; Queiros and his management, the selection policy, the pressure on Ronaldo to reproduce his domestic form, and the desire of the team. There is one thing above all else which seems to be the problem; goals.

Since Pauleta's retirement from international football Portugal have failed to replace his goals. Pauleta has the distinction of being Portugal's top goal scorer, usurping the great Eusebio late in his career. As a player he divided opinion in Portugal; some considered him to be a superb striker as proven by his record in Ligue 1 for PSG, others on the other hand thought of him as average, scoring goals against the likes of Lichtenstein yet not against tougher opponents like France. The truth is somewhere in between, yet what remains obvious is that when Portugal needed him he often cropped up and put the ball in the net.

In the 2010 qualifying, Portugal's top scorer was Simao with 4 goals. The top scoring striker was Hugo Almeida, with 2 goals. 2 goals. To put that in some sort of perspective, Wayne Rooney scored 9, but perhaps more importantly Edin Dzeko also scored 9.

Not since 1998 have Portugal failed to qualify for a major tournament, and costly 0-0 draws in away games to Armenia and Northern Ireland decided their fate. Once again, the lack of goals could prove their downfall.

Against Bosnia-Herzegovina, Portugal face Dzeko, Misimovic and Muslimovic with a combined firepower of 18 goals. That's 1 more goal than Portugal scored in their entire qualifying period.

Fortunately for Portugal, their opponents also conceded 13 goals. This record is what will set these teams apart, Portugal's defence is far superior only conceding 5. Pepe and Carvalho are two of the best centrebacks in world football, plying their trades at 2 of the greatest clubs in Europe and should be more than a match for Dzeko and co. Former FC Porto defender Ricardo Costa has been drafted in, a suprise inclusion to many, the reasoning may be more immediate; he plays at Wolfsburg together with both Dzeko and Misimovic.

In the midfield both Tiago and Raul Meireles are expected to start, neither a stranger to the big game environment. On the wings Querios is expected to name Nani and Simao to partner the creative spark of Deco. Finally the fulcrum; Liedson.

A controversial inclusion, Liedson's call up to the national side has caused arguments over coffee in practically every counter in the country. Some (admittedly many Sporting fans) see his inclusion as an obvious step, as his domestic form is stunning; the 31 year old has scored 146 in 250 games. On the reverse there are those who regard the call up of a third Brazilian born as one step too far. There is a very real worry that these naturalisations are diluting the desire and commitment of the national side, after all does a Brazilian really care how well Portugal do, or is he satisfying his own ego?

The lack of captain and superstar Ronaldo will be felt very keenly, but Portugal have enough quality to see off the challengers. They will depend on their defence more than ever as it will be tested thoroughly. Should they achieve a good result at home in Lisbon (and importantly keep a clean sheet) then they have a very real chance to show what they're worth in South Africa.

Strikers: The resurrection

2009-11-04T10:47:00.006Z

If anyone were to bring up the subject of the summer transfer window, the first player to probably come to mind is Ronaldo. Last season saw the rise and rise of the Portuguese star, culminating in his £80 million move to La Liga, a league now containing 3 of the best (if not "the"
best) footballers in World football; Messi, Kaka and the aforementioned Ronaldo. It was the season of the midfielder.

When Xabi Alonso was sold to Real Madrid, Liverpool fans threw their arms up in despair. When Drogba was injured, Chelsea fans were thinking "well, that sucks, but we've got Lampard!". When Tottenham were exploring the nether regions of the Premierleague, Modric was there to pick up the pieces.

For this humble observer, there can be no doubt that last season the midfielder reigned supreme. Anyone who played fantasy football last season will tell you that unless you had Ronaldo, Lampard or Gerrard (or a combination thereof) then you weren't going to win didly. On the other hand, there wasn't a single striker who seemed to be at the top of his game for the whole season.

Anelka ended up with the gong for Top Goal Scorer, however he scored the vast majority of those before Christmas. Torres too was in the top 5, yet he scored the majority of his after Christmas. Drogba had a season to forget, and other contenders like Rooney, Berbatov or Van Persie just didn't turn up.

However this season everything is different. This season is the season of the striker.

Look through the Top Scorer statistics for this season and you will find that the top 10 is made up entirely of strikers. From Drogba on 12, to Agbonlahor on 6, these guys have accumulated 80 goals between them.

Drogba is on incredible form at the moment, having scored 2 goals in his return to Champions League action last night against Atletico Madrid. He has contributed 8 assists as well as his 9 goals. The story is similar for Van Persie, who has scored 7 and assisted 6.

Of course it's easy to sit here and point out statistics supporting this theory, but what is more puzzling is "why"?

In Chelsea's case the answer is immediate; Carlo Ancelotti. The new manager is obviously bringing the best out of the Ivorian, which in turn is having wonderful effects on the rest of the team. With Liverpool the absence of Xabi Alonso and erratic form of Gerrard has left Torres to carry the goal scoring mantle. With Arsenal the answer is less immediate; although perhaps the improvement in Fabregas' form combined with Arshavin's adaptation has given the dutchman the service he requires. For Manchester United, it's clear; Ronaldo has gone.

For other teams though, the answer is less clear. Darren Bent, Carlton Cole and Jermain Defoe are all chart topping scorers this season. Darrent Bent is perhaps the most curious, his goal scoring abilities have never been in doubt (he was in fact Tottenham's top scorer last season) but he seems to have truly found his feet in Steve Bruce's rigid 4-4-2. Partnering Kenwyne Jones (and a beach ball) upfront has created chance after chance, and the Englishman has been putting them away.

Cole has been threatening to explode on the scene since his days as a promising youngster at Chelsea, and perhaps it is just a coincidence that Zola's coaching has finally had an effect.

Jermain Defoe has always been a prolific scorer (although much more in purple patches rather than with any sort of consistency), and the beginning of the season saw him bang in goal after goal. The absence of Luka Modric though has curbed Defoe's enthusiasm.

Overall there can be no doubt that the striker has returned for 09/10. There isn't one golden rule which explains this resurgence, rather it's simply a combination of factors. Regardless, it's making for some very exciting football, and long may it continue.

Benfica - Has the sleeping giant awoken?

2009-10-31T14:28:00.009Z

There's something in the air that's causing the Portuguese people around the world to

experience a vast array of feelings. Sheer euphoria and reawakened pride for some, and genuine concern and apprehension for others. This spectrum could easily be labeled as what the Benfica fans are feeling, and what Porto and Sporting fans are dreading.

For the last 15 years Benfica, arguably one of the world's top ten football clubs has been comatose. It could best be compared to someone who was in a critical condition, practically at death's door but managed to hold on and stabilize. But instead of a full recovery this patient just remained in a prolonged slumber.

And while Benfica fans around the world despaired that their beloved club showed no sign of significant recovery, the Porto and Sporting fans rejoiced and grew in stature and reputation.

But after 15 years of being in the shadow of its two greatest rivals, are Benfica finally showing some signs of life? Is there a little green line beeping and jumping up and down in their ECG? Benfica fans sure seem confident of this. And maybe they have a right to be.

This season Benfica have been in an outstanding form, in 8 league games benfica have scored a jaw dropping 30 goals, giving them an average of 3.75 goals a game, which if it was to continue would guarantee them 112 league goals by the end of the season. To get a true sense of these numbers, last year under Quique Flores Benfica only managed to score 30 league goals after 18 games. But its not only in the league that Benfica have been scoring goals for fun, in Europe too Benfica have scored 12 goals in 5 games including a 5-0 thrashing of Everton. In total Benfica have scored an impressive 48 goals in 14 games in all competitions. Making them the currently the team with the highest goal average in Europe. Defensively Benfica have also been surprisingly efficient conceding only 8 goals in all competitions.

The main catalyst for this amazing start of the season is the oddly named Jorge Jesus who for the first time in his 20 year career is in charge of one the big three in Portuguese football. A firm believer in tactical consistency and fast flowing total football, Jesus has revolutionized Benfica's style of play.

Using a 4-1-3-2 diamond formation Jesus has managed to turn a team of "has been's" and "wonder kids" into one of the most exciting teams in Europe. The back four maybe the weakest area of the team, has two quality center backs. Luisão, the Brazilian international is accompanied by David Luiz one of the hottest prospects in European football who has been described as a mixture of Paolo Maldini and Ricardo Carvalho.

The midfield is where the team finds its strength, in Javi Garcia the former Real Madrid player who arrived in Lisbon this summer for 7.5 million Euros has been one of the true surprises this year, physically imposing (1:86m, 78kg) he's the typical anchorman but with an above average technical ability and distribution.

Another new addition is the Brazilian international Ramires a complete athlete who has been averaging 10.3km a game, and endless pool of stamina but technically gifted as well. Super agent Kia Joorabchian has recently described him as Pirlo meets Essien and that the 7 million Euros Benfica paid for him was a bargain.

On the left there's Argentine international Angel Di Maria who in his third season at Benfica has finally exploded, and is showing all his potential, a truly gifted winger who like David Moyes recently said reminds him of the "throwback" wingers from the 1960's and 1970's whose only role was to beat the man and run down the channel.

But the true creative force comes from one of the "has been's" Pablo Aimar who spent the last 3 seasons out of the limelight but this season has emerged, like a Phoenix risen from the ashes in true style. The old Aimar is back in his preferred role as the creative nº10, all of Benfica's attacking play is orchestrated by his amazing ability and vision.

Up front Jesus opted for the tried and tested method of having a tall and strong target man accompanied by a small and quick second striker. Oscar Cardozo who has scored 11 goals in 8 league games and is already leading the European Golden Boot ranking this year, has been in phenomenal form a true predator and clinical finisher. Next to him is the other "has been", Javier Saviola who after spending the last 3 years rotting at the Bernabeu has finally found his form having scored 9 goals in 14 matches.

Could this be Benfica's year? Or after this amazing start are they going to fail spectacularly? Its still too soon to know, but one thing is certain, for the last 15 years Benfica fans have never felt so confident in their manager and their team.

Time will tell if this sleeping giant will finally awake and if a still more glorious dawn awaits.

Is Berbatov On Borrowed Time?

2009-10-30T12:42:00.003Z

Flashes of brilliance best defines Dimitar Berbatov’s Manchester United career to date, (the sublime goal line turn and flick to set up Ronaldo against West Ham comes to mind), but surely £30m warrants more than intermittent touches of class.

At the time of writing, his career at Old Trafford represents just 17 goals in 57 appearances. Ferguson and United supporters alike will generally defend Berbatov, and so they should. Most other clubs would do the same for their most expensive signing, but supporters can be so fickle.

Whilst at Tottenham it was Berbatov’s touch, vision and more importantly goals that grabbed Sir Alex Ferguson’s attention. The partnership he struck with Robbie Keane made them as revered as any in the Premiership.

Berbatov was Tottenham’s player of the season 2006-07 and was also named in the Premier League PFA team that very year – only one of three non-United players to make the list.

Berbatov soon realised his personal ambition was to be rubbing shoulders with those in the top echelons of European football. It appears though he was far more comfortable playing in the Lilywhite of Tottenham than he is in the red of United.

Keane brought the best out of Berbatov at Spurs and vice-versa. It is no coincidence that over the two seasons Keane was playing alongside Berbatov, the Irish captain accumulated more goals than in any other seasons whilst at The Lane – 22 goals in 06-07, 23 goals in 07-08, (all competitions).

They were working towards the sort of understanding that made Andy Cole and Dwight Yorke so prolific for United in the late 90’s. At Old Trafford though Berbatov has continually been battling against his reputation.

In the Premiership last season he failed to hit double figures and being on the bench in the Champions League Final against Barcelona, in essence, summed up his first season.

The biggest club in the world unquestionably expect more from their most expensive asset. With Ronaldo and Carlos Tevez out of the picture this season is his chance, maybe with a different approach, to become as indispensable as the aforementioned Portuguese captain.

But Berbatov’s performance against Liverpool at Anfield typified the flaws many see in him. United as a unit were poor, but the languid style of their number 9 only reinforced their failings. They came alive briefly when Michael Owen made a cameo; his endeavour though was more a personal vendetta of a man desperate to prove a point.

Berbatov’s lethargic tendencies were identified at Spurs but his link-up play and goals concealed that trait. He is technically gifted and has an astute footballing brain, both facets that originally attracted Ferguson. The Bulgarian must delve deeper to rediscover what made him.

A measure as to what is expected of a £30m player can be seen in Liverpool’s record signing Fernando Torres, granted he was £10m cheaper than Berbatov. But it is safe to say the Anfield jury barely took their seats, he gave them no choice but to adore him.

How much longer can Manchester United’s record signing fail to live up to his reputation and maybe more importantly, his hefty price tag. Evidently, pressure to score goals can be a dividing line between success and failure at Manchester United, Diego Forlan will testify to this.

Hypothetically it would be interesting to see how Spurs supporters would receive a Berbatov return if he became available tomorrow. He left under a cloud of discontent formed by the fans at Tottenham, which was based mostly on his attitude; they did not ever question his ability.

The fact remains, Dimitar Berbatov does not have the demeanour of Manchester United’s most expensive player, it seems a burden more than a source of inspiration.

If the murmurings drifting around Fleet Street are to be believed then Ferguson is looking at one of, if not the hottest striker in Europe, Valencia’s David Villa. With the kitty from Ronaldo’s sale still relatively untouched and Valencia’s desperate need to balance their books, a rumour such as this seems plausible.

The United boss would not like to admit failure on his or Berbatov’s behalf, but unless the latter can shake off his enigmatic status then the day may come where Ferguson may have to.

"I remember when Everton were good, son"

2009-10-29T15:17:00.016Z

Sunday 15th May 2005, Everton have just lost 3-2 away to Bolton Wanderers after being 1 up at half-time. Referee Neale Barry blows the final whistle to signal the end of the 04/05 campaign. Rapturous cheers fill the stadium (following a bit of handbags between Jaaskelainen and some Everton players), but the cheers are not those of the Bolton fans. Today the cheers are those of the Toffees. Today Everton have finished 4th in the table, sandwiched between Arsenal and Liverpool. Today Everton have qualified for the Champions League.

Sunday 25th October 2009. Everton have just lost 3-2 away to Bolton and currently sit 14th in the table.

There can be no denying that the blue half of Merseyside are struggling this year. All signs pointed to a decline when on the opening day of the season they lost 6-1 to Arsenal, with a team still boasting Lescott at the heart of their defence. Opening day fixtures can often be discounted as flukes, or slight blips in the graph, yet this was something greater and much more ominous.

Last season, Everton finished in 5th as they had done in 07/08. They had the 5th best defensive record in the country, and were runners up in the FA Cup. Overall they won 45% of all their matches with an excellent away record. Cahill, Fellaini and Saha all netting 7+ goals and Lescott contributing 5 from defence. It truly had been an excellent season, more so when one considered the late surge from Tottenham, the consistency of Fulham and the millions of Manchester City.

This season though it's all falling apart. Only last week an Everton side shorn of 10 starting players were torn apart by a magnificent Benfica. They conceded 5 goals, and have since conceded another 5 in games against Bolton and Spurs. In the league alone they have lost 3 quarters of their away games.

The first port of call in these situations is often the same; injuries. At the time of writing, the Toffee's injury list reads like Steve Bruce's shortlist. No less than 10 players are injured, 8 of whom are arguable starters for the club. Players such as Jagielka, Pienaar, Neville, Osman, Yobo and worst of all Arteta. Those players alone account for 27 of Everton's goals last season.

Which brings us to the question of depth.

Everton are not a rich club, they do not have the deep pockets of their red neighbours, nor the sound financial nous of their direct rivals; Tottenham. They have had to work hard to get where they are, and are lucky in that Moyes famously shares an excellent relationship with their owner, Bill Kenwright. This summer they spent quite big by their own standards and brought in Heitinga, Distin and Bilyaletdinov at a combined cost of £20 million. Compare that to the money spent by Manchester City on Adebayor alone.

Heitinga was a rush buy to compensate for the loss of Joleon Lescott, a player who won't be having a testimonial for former employers Atletico Madrid. The loss of Lescott cannot be underestimated. Moyes did everything in his power to keep him, turning away bid after bid from potential suitors, and even publicly turning down a transfer request from the player himself. Eventually the £24 million offered by City was too good to turn down, and once again in late August Everton found themselves missing a vital piece of the jigsaw.

"There is not a chance we will sell this close to the end of the window, the offers were not big enough. We think the world of him, as a centre-half and a left-back. He gives us two players in one."

They have lost a rock at the heart of their team, in both the dressing room and on the field he was a leader, a goal scorer and seemingly irreplaceable. The numbers don't lie, they have conceded 15 goals this year compared the 37 they conceded all of last season.

The contribution from the forwards is also telling; they failed to bring in a striker and so are making do with the services of Saha, Yakubu and Jo. On his day Saha is up there with the best, however his day seems to come around as often as wins for Ipswich. Yakubu is permanently crocked and Jo although having decent technique just doesn't cut the mustard. They rely far too heavily on their midfielders, and with the absence of Pienaar, Osman and Arteta, have left Cahill carrying too heavy a burden. Bilyaletdinov has contributed with one goal, yet he has come half-way through the Russian season and cannot be relied upon to pick up the slack. Fellaini has made a decent contribution, although in my opinion has struggled to live up the record-price-tag paid for him.

In the end the buck has to stop with the people who run this club. In my opinion Moyes did not do enough to strengthen his squad, especially with the likes of Man City, Tottenham, Fulham and Villa swarming all around. In his defence, the sale of Lescott ended up forcing his hand, and he played it poorly -- Heitinga may well be the answer, but it's too soon to tell. Lucas Neill's recent arrival could also provide the solidity and leadership so desperately lacking.

Hopefully by the time the winter transfer window opens, Neill, Heitinga, Distin and Bilyaletdinov will have settled and a few first teamers will have returned. Either way, it may be too late to relive that feeling of Sunday 15th May 2005.

The taming of the Lion

2009-10-29T01:15:00.003Z

Sporting Lisbon are 10 points off the pace after only 8 games in the Portuguese Superliga trailing the seemingly unstoppable force of Benfica. Benfica's strength, which shall be explored in this blog in the coming days, is of course one part of the situation but Sporting seem to be in a gradual state of decline since their last league title in 2002. That team was built around the colossus that was Mario Jardel who managed to bang in 42 goals in 30 league appearances and scooped up the golden boot for his troubles. However, Sporting create enough talent through their youth system to consistently challenge effectively for the title every season as well as improve on their record of 2 titles in the last 27 years.

Over the last 15 years Sporting have produced players of genuine world class that have been sold to foreign clubs for good money. Luis Figo, Simao Sabrosa, Ricardo Quaresma, Hugo Viana and Nani have been nurtured by the Sporting Academy's loving arms and sold for a combined total of €80 million. Some still remain in the form of Joao Moutinho and Miguel Veloso (who incidentally is nowhere near as good as he is in FM 2009, but talented nonetheless) so where is the crisis?

Apart from the general decline of the Portuguese league dating back to the early nineties Sporting suffers from the nuisance that is debt, estimated to be in the region of €200 million, which means that Sporting can only use 20% of their transfer income. Ironically this debt was only a third of what it was in 1995, and apart from the hefty income generated through sales, Sporting have benefited from Champions League revenue, the astronomical rise of TV revenue, increased merchandise sales and very, very frugal transfer spending with Rodrigo Tello representing their record signing for a grandiose fee of €7 million. Fingers have been pointed at their management which is suspected of dipping their fingers in the financial coffers (something rather acceptable throughout Portuguese football clubs).

Sporting's current manager, Paulo Bento, has ditched the team's traditional use of width, which had effectively made use of the quality wingers being churned out of their academy, and put his faith in a diamond formation. Consequently they have found it harder to unlock defences with less being created for their leading front man Liedson. Where they should have been picking up 3 points they are ending up with one as happened against Vitoria Guimaraes on Tuesday. The signing of Matias (Matigol) Fernandez was seen as the creative spark of the diamond but he is yet to settle in and perform to his potential.

Sporting's squad needs serious investment and this can't happen while they are burdened with such astronomical debts. The other two signings this season were Caicedo on loan from Manchester City and the 32 year old Angulo on a free transfer, hardly mouthwatering prospects. It has become a selling club that cannot replace the talent they sell with a much maligned manager trying to adapt to the squad available to him rather than a genuine title contender. Nurturing young talent is the key, but its not enough when grubby paws are bogarting funds from the kitty.

Where have all the Brolins Gone?

2009-10-27T17:29:00.004Z

World football may not have quaked, or even trembled, at the news that Sweden are not going to South Africa next year. Sweden have struggled to reach the highs achieved in USA those 15 years ago and whimpered out of the last World Cup against a superior Germany.

Failure to qualify has seen the resignation of long serving coach Lars Lagerback who has managed to qualify for every major tournament since 2000, which considering Sweden's population, and paltry league, is an impressive feat. Sweden's ageing squad has been found out and despite having strength and depth in attack, their major failing has been to score goals. Sweden's problem is ingrained in its very culture. Stability and consistency are prized traits, as are players who have tactical awareness and a willingness to perform their duties to the letter. It has been Sweden's strength too. On their day they are the bane of creative teams, one of the most difficult teams to break down with a midfield that is hard working and able to cover for positional errors and a defence that dominates both aerially and that can mark a potent strikeforce out of the game. However, times change, and a strong defence is not enough when you can't score goals.

The Swedish Football Federation needs to ditch the Nordic values that may have made IKEA the flagship of modest, minimalist efficiency and hire someone who is willing to display some minerals when it comes to team selection. As much respect as I have for Niclas Alexandersson, Daniel Andersson and Anders Svensson, these are players I was watching when Jurassic Park came out and young Swedish players are not given a chance. Where is Toivonen, Elm or Berg? Players that were so unfairly knocked out of the U21 European Championship semi finals?

Sven has already said no, Hodgson is still on the cards, but as much respect as I have for them both I think its time to think young and fresh. Give some of the young Swedes a chance and build a team round Zlatan while he still has some playing life left in him. Otherwise where the hell are we going to find our new Tomas Brolins?

Los Miserables

2009-10-26T14:30:00.003Z

When Real Madrid raided their Scrooge McDuck coffers this summer for some transfer kitty they had done something which hitherto had not been the case.

Sure they spent big, but they also spent big in the days of Florentino Mach 1. No, this time they added some sense.

See, the big plan that started with the arrival of Luis Figo all those years ago was to create a team of super stars. We all know what happened; not much (apart from a stunning Champions League victory, 2 League titles, 2 Spanish Supercups, the Intercontinental cup and a UEFA Supercup).

This time though, things would be different. Florentino spent his years in the wilderness learning from his mistakes (and making large amounts of moolah in some rather dodgy real estate negotiations), and with the aid of Valdano and Zidane they would create a team of super stars. They would buy the best player in Europe, and to add to that they would buy the 2nd, 3rd and 4th best too. They would seal up the leaky defence, buy Spanish and create a team with unparalleled depth.

One problem; they forgot about "width".

Last weekend, Los Merengues failed to score a goal against Sporting Gijon. Fair enough, there were some casualties as a result of injuries, notably Ronaldo and Benzema, but to spend close to £300 million and find that you need to play a product of the cantera up front is not what one would expect.

Earlier in the season, Real experienced their first league defeat at the hands of Sevilla, a team bosting width, pace, creativity and Didier Zokora. This was the first game without Ronaldo, and it showed.

However, as Pepe succinctly put it, "There's no need to talk about the absences, we need to talk about those of us who are here".

Pellegrini employs a narrow tactic, dubbed "perfect" whereby Ronaldo and Kaka are free to roam with Alonso and Lass supporting them and thereby creating some stability and support. Up front Benzema and Raul dovetail to form what sounds like the Pro Evo dream team. The wingers in this tactic are Sergio Ramos and Marcelo. There are 2 main problems with this tactic; Sergio Ramos and Marcelo.

Sergio Ramos is a shadow of the player he was in Sevilla, showing frequent lapses of concentration, bad judgement and poor anticipation. In the game against AC Milan, a friend of mine remarked upon how much worse he is when you're watching him in real-life -- he was stunned at how frequently Ramos would turn his back to the game, allowing Pato to roam free and forcing Lass to come wide to cover him the whole time (thereby denying the midfield of one it's most stable players).

Marcelo on the other hand has been excellent going forward, but he too has had a torrid time of it when being asked to do some actual defending.

What Real Madrid miss then is this width; they played Drenthe on the left of midfield against Gijon on the weekend after his excellent impact performance in the midweek AC game, yet he was unable to provide a similar spark.

When you play Xabi Alonso, Lass and Kaka in the midfield you are going to have these problems, and unfortunately Ramos and Marcelo are not Ashley Cole, Patrice Evra or Dani Alves.

I commend Madrid in strengthening their side with some of the greatest names in the game, yet in my humble opinion it is either a call to reinforce the full backs or to change the tactic (which would force someone like Higuain to play out wide).

In the meantime, the return of Ronaldo cannot come quickly enough for Pellegrini and the supporters of this great club.

Champions League be Gones for Liverpool

2009-10-22T16:32:00.005Z

There have been endless articles, blogs and podcasts espousing shock and bewilderment at Liverpool's lack of form this season. But why?

Liverpool's record in the league over the past 5 years has been one of top 4 mediocrity bar an incredibly surprising title challenge last season. Liverpool have failed to adequately strengthen their squad despite Benitez's longevity at the club whilst teams like Tottenham, Man City and Aston Villa have added impressive squad depth to their ranks. The bottom line is that the Premier League is getting more competitive by the year, largely due to the largesse of Middle Eastern oil barons, American industrialists and business savvy Jews.

Much has been made this week of Gerrard and Torres' absence as a key factor in their Liverpool's defeat to Sunderland and Lyon. But this is a top four team we are talking about, one that pushed Manchester United to the end last season I hear you cry.

Their weaknesses lie in their inability to cope with the lack of availability or lack of form of their main goal scoring threats, Gerrard and Torres. Playing Ngog as a lone striker against Lyon whose inexperience and goal scoring record lay bare Liverpool's lack of options.

Martin Kelly's full debut, although impressive, was a gamble and displayed not only a lack of faith in Martin Skrtel's ability but inadequate cover for Glen Johnson. Insistence on Lucas Leiva who hasn't got the positional awareness of a holding midfielder or the passing range of a deep lying playmaker exposes the folly of Beniez's purchase of Mr. Swarowski aka Alberto Aquilani as a direct replacement for Xabi Alonso.

Not only does it smack of a panic buy akin to losing a good player in Championship Manager and buying the first highly rated player willing to come, he has bought a player that has failed to last a full, injury free season. I bet Benitez wouldn't turn his nose up at having Reo Coker or Pavlyuchenko on their books at the moment as cover.

Blame has to be squarely laid at Benitez's feet. He may whine that the club now needs investment to paper over the cracks, but he must have had a vision for a strong, competetive Liverpool that can compete in League, the Cups and of course the Champions League when he arrived at the club.

Keane has been replaced by the return of Voronin from loan and Babel seems to be used only as a last resort. Benayoun's form this season has been Liverpool's saving grace, with some delicious creative play his ability to find space through intelligent runs has seen him on the scoresheet 4 times this season.

Adding to the lack of goal scoring personnel in Liverpool's squad, the erstwhile strength of its defence has evaporated. Carragher's flaws as a cumbersome and clumsy defender have come through added to Skrtl's loss of confidence and Agger's tendency to get crocked has seen Liverpool concede to often and too easily. How many times have we seen Reina's angst ridden face when he is let down by his defence? Sami Hyypia anyone? This isn't helped by Benitez's insistence on the zonal marking system which seems to make his defence stationary and vulnerable to well worked set piece routines.

This is going to be a season of transition for Liverpool, they are at risk of not qualifying to the next stage in the Champions League or of even being a part of it next season, something that should have happened when Everton pipped them to fourth spot 5 years ago. The team over achieved in the league last season but it is time to revolutionise the squad again. The Benitez system has ultimately failed to provide a team able to win the Premier League, and it is time now for a different approach or Liverpool fans should get used to the Intertoto Cup and signing the new Igor Biscans and Djimi Traore's of this world.

Hugo Nilsson

Malouda: Ginola or Camara?

2008-12-02T15:00:00.001Z

Florent Malouda. Scorer of 10 goals for Lyon in 06/07. Player of the year in 06/07. Sold to Chelsea for £13.5 million pounds in July 2007.

On paper it looks like the success story of an incredibly talented footballer, impressing all in Ligue 1, winning the ultimate acolade in French domestic football and completing his dream move to one of the most succesful clubs in Europe. But then why is the reality so different?

Malouda was purchased in the summer of 2007, by then Chelsea manager, Jose Mourinho. With the constant injuries afflicting Arjen Robben, and the less than world class displays of Solomon Kalou, Mourinho was looking for a new option. Having previously signed "French footballer of the year" Michael Essien from Lyon, it would've made complete sense to sign yet another of the league's top assets. After a summer of relative thriftiness from the blues of west London, it seemed that Malouda finally formed the final piece of the Chelsea jigsaw -- a fast and agile player, with good ball skills who enjoyed taking on players, and not too shy of goal.

So where did it all go wrong?

It isn't fair to suggest that Malouda is "rubbish" or any other derogatory description, his time in Lyon proved otherwise, as did his appearances for the French club in the Champions League. However the facts cannot be disregarded. In his time at Chelsea, the winger has scored a total of 4 goals in all competitions, 2 of those in his first season, and 4 so far this season. The "recipients" of these goals? Shalke, Newcastle, Bordeaux ,Middlesborough and Portsmouth.

"What about the assists?" I hear you cry. In his 1st season, Malouda managed just 1 assist, in all competitions. This year he is much improved, already boasting 5 assists in the league. So the statistics point to an improving player, a player reborn under Scolari, a manager who enjoys the fast flowing football played by his Portugal side, rather than the drol football played by Mourinho in his later days at Stamford Bridge, and the snooze games managed by Grant.

However, I believe that he just flatters to deceive. Time and time again, he can be seen powering down the left wing in a decent postion only to make the wrong decision. He too often takes players on, when there is an easier passing option. His crossing is far from perfect, but perhaps most importantly he doesn't track back. This Chelsea side plays with rampaging fullbacks, who like to play the entire wing leaving them exposed to counter attacks, unless the covering wingers do their bit in defending. Malouda too often stays up field, walking back into place. During defensive corners, he sits on the halfway line waiting for the break. When the team go 1 nil down, he drops his head. But far too often doesn't play with his heart.

He isn't the worst player from a technical aspect, and on his day can shine and cause havoc to the opposing full backs. Yet he doesn't play the sort of football he is apparently capable of, or indeed he may already be playing that football but can't handle the pace and physical nature of the English game.

It's a mystery, one which Scolari is continuing to persue, yet one which is damaging Chelsea's title chasing season. If the question isn't answered by Christmas then Chelsea will pay for it.

Justified?

2007-10-29T20:49:00.000Z

So after the dust has settled on the Mourinho saga, and Martin Jol has finally been handed his p45 via txt message, the challenge for the top 4 is definitely under way.

Chelsea beat a re-invigorated Man City side 6-0 at the fortress of Stamford Bridge. Their style of play and dedication to attacking football was outstanding, with Frank Lampard providing the motor for the victory. They were outstanding, and although Man City did a lot to make them look better (Garrido was so bad, it was farcical), it cannot be overlooked that Henk Ten Cate's training methods are clearly making an immediate impact.

If the rumours of intense training and box to box sprints the day after the CL defeat of Shalke are to be believed, then it is apparent that Chelsea are changing the way they play, starting at the front. They seem to be attacking more fiercly, leaving holes in the midfield which leave the defense extremely vulnerable. Mourinho would never have allowed such play, and would certainly not been a fan of chasing goals when already 3 nil up against a top 4 contender.

On several occasions since his appointment as head coach at Chelsea FC, Grant has mentioned his step-by-step plan to re-introduce attacking football to the club, "we're trying to do exactly what Roman wants" he failed to add.

Perhaps we are all wrong to laugh at him. Perhaps he knows what he's doing. Perhaps of course Tottenham will come fourth.

Somehow, this blog doubts it.

All Hail The Return

2007-08-13T10:51:00.000Z

And so the Premiership returned, finally after a long absence in which we had to make do with the less than interesting Tevez transfer-saga, the weekend was sunny and filled with exciting episodes such as Obafemi's impressive bicycle kick, Gerrard's pin-pointed free kick, Chopra's last minute winner, Arsenal's comback, Chelsea's return to attacking football and suprisingly the only real bore-fest was United's draw at home to Reading.

We saw Sven put together an attacking team which gave City an away win to West Ham -- a team who have spent big, and were expected to achieve mid table mediocrity. Instead, they could be on the verge of free-fall. Will the blues of Manchester be able to keep this up all season? I certainly hope so, and in repeating such performances perhaps the media will finally go quiet regarding Svennis. Perhaps not.

Will the Geordies fronted by Allardyce finally make up for lost time? It seems that Allardye has finally roused some desire from his side, something that both Roeder and Sounness were unable to do in their combined tenure at the club. It won't be every week that they'll be lucky enough to play against a side as pitiful as Bolton were, but surely a top 7 finish is within their grasp.

This blogger watched the highlights of the Derby v Portsmouth game, but frankly, can't remember them, (although there was a Todd diving header which looked pretty smashing) and therefore won't write an opinionated comment on Portsmouth's season aspirations.
Derby to go down.

Chelsea were suprisingly good to watch -- they attacked at every opportunity (most likely due to the absence of a decent defence, Ben Haim wasn't great and Glen Johnson was embarassing), and Malouda seems to be justifying his price tag. Wright-Phillips was good too.

Man Utd were distinctly average, plus they had to deal with Reading performing the olde "parketh the bus in fronteth the goaleth" trick. Reading did this well and Harmesson was incredible in goal. Rooney picked up an injury, and turns out he's broken his foot. For the third time. Surely it's time to consider changing his boots to adidas?

Liverpool played too, but this blogger reserves the right to biased journalism and therefore any comment on them ends here.

Bring on Tuesday, where Tottenham face Everton!

Counting Down

2007-08-06T10:22:00.000Z

This blogger wasn't able to watch Chelsea v Man Utd: the rematch this past weekend. Not that we're too bothered, because by the sounds of it (and itermittent glances at Sky Sports News while having tea with the parents), the game was just a repeat of the FA Cup Final of a few months ago.

Thanks to the wonders of YouTube, we were able to watch the goals, and can conclude that both were fairly good. Giggs demonstrated incredible composure and technique, and Malouda demonstrated speed, strength and skill in holding off Rio Ferdinand, but it was the skill and sheer size of Edwin "Super-Double Save" Van der Sar which won the game for the Reds.

All 3 of his penalty saves were excellent, not purely a product of luck, but a combination of the agility and height which has served the dutch-man well throughout his career. The Telegraph mentioned in passing that Alex Ferguson's ommision in hiring a true world class goalkeeper would be telling over the coming season -- they were wrong.

Classically a legendary performance in a penalty shoot-out isn't enough to save a 'keeper's career, as demonstrated by Jerzy "bench-warmer" Dudek following his mesmerising performance in the 2004-05 CL Final. Jerzy has moved to warmer climes, where he will no doubt perform a similar bench warming task to that of Woodgate during his times in Real Madrid.

So what of Man Utd's goalkeeping prospects? Kuszczak's loan move from West Brom has now been made permanent, and Ben Foster needs surgery on a cruciate ligament problem. Obviously Van der Sar can't last forever, and when he does go, United face the same problem they experienced after Schmeical's departure -- however, Ben Foster looks likely to be one of the best keepers in the game.

Elsewhere, Rooney was up to his old tricks. The boy who wouldn't grow up has failed to live up the promise demonstrated in the Euro 2004. He was largely eclipsed by Ronaldo last season, and this season, the arrival of Nani and now Tevez promise to be more exciting, and will perhaps be the elixir that Rooney needs to return to his form of old. A spell in the England u-21's wouldn't hurt the boy.

All that remains now is to wait for the weekend, for the thrilling encounter that is Sunderland v Spurs. We can hardly wait.

And another thing..

2007-07-31T13:39:00.000Z

One of the main reasons that Beckham went to MLS was to promote the League around the world, to generate a hitherto unprecedented interest in what can only be described as a poor competition. Amongst many of the arguments to bring over Becks, was that a lot of American players, and future talents were leaving MLS at their first opportunity and therefore weakening the League and it's position to hold on to talent.
By bringing over Beckham, they were hoping to be showing some signs of their ambition as a league. They were also hoping that it would convince the younger players that MLS is capable of fullfilling their footballing ambitions, both in terms of wages and quality of football.

By letting Clint Dempsey go to the Premiership they were showing that they didn't have what it took to hold onto their blossoming talent and were widely criticised by the American press and those involved in the game. By signing Beckham, it was a sign that the tide was changing and that perhaps MLS was at a turning point -- good players could be tempted to play in the US.

Alas, it has all been bullshit. Releasing Freddy Adu, a footballer widely regarded as not only the most promising player of US footballing history, but also of footballing history in general, is a big mistake. He has been transfered to one of Europe's 2nd tier clubs (no offence guys, but you know what I mean), for what is probably a reasonable fee -- what message does this send out to other budding players in the US?

Is says that if Adu wants out, then I want out. If Adu has realised that playing for a decent European side is better for his football than scoring bicycle kicks from the halfway line in the MLS, then he's gotta be right. I too, want out.

MLS is sending out the wrong message here to it's clubs, to the kids at grass roots level and to players from abroad who will almost certainly realise that David Beckham going to the US is not that different from Pele doing the same.

And we all know what happened to MLS after that..

2007-06-07T15:17:00.001Z

And so the silly season continues.

At the moment, Man Utd have signed Nani and Anderson from Portuguese clubs Sporting and Porto respectively. They have finally ended the most prolonged and uninteresting transfer-saga of the last few seasons, by finally confirming the signing of Owen Hargreaves. That's about it.

Chelsea have signed Sidwell and Pizzaro on free's, but haven't splashed out any money yet. Abramovich has gone on record saying that he still supports Chelsea in everyway, but frankly, it seems that he isn't willing to dip into his pockets to secure the services of talents out there.

There are many stories linking the club with Tevez, who is yet to leave West-Ham, however both Inter (a traditionally Argentinian supporting club) and Real Madrid have been linked with the star.

Give It A Rest

2007-05-29T21:00:00.000Z

It is at this point in the footballing season that there is suddenly a lot less relevent footballing literature to occupy the minds of those who live and breathe this glorious sport. The media and back-page tabloids everywhere begin to conjure up stories along the lines of "Eto'o to Fulham" or "Mourinho to switch jobs with Martin Jol" and so on. It all ends up being exceptionally confusing and hides the real transfer coups going on.

On the other side of events are these now incessant summer tours to far away continents such as Asia or North America to promote "soccer" as a worldwide brand and to hopefully sell some shirts. Mourinho himself recently described an approaching game against a Mexican side at Stanford College in Conneticut (a location that we assume can only have been chosen due to it's similarity in name to Stamford Bridge) as a "true" test for his side. This is a side who have recently ended a season by playing against the best sides in Europe, and beating most of them, and yet suddenly a US Tour is a good test for your players?

What exactly defines "pre-season"? Surely the idea of a pre-season is to bring your players back to fitness and ready for the struggles ahead. This was once the case, but any player playing 60 games a season for his club during a season, and then playing internationals and Far Eastern tours isn't really getting a rest. In that case, a tour of nations not exactly reknowned for their footballing prowess is just the ticket. It can allow you to play your lesser players, and send off your stars on a 5-star holiday with their kids, it also allows you to integrate your new players into your squad and make some cash on the side -- makes perfect sense really from the club's perspective.

It is in these pre-seasons that suddenly it emerges that the Club are more important the team. Real Madrid have been regularly criticised for their far-eastern tours, returning home to Spain jet-lagged and knackered, but having sold a few Beckham shirts to the kids in South-Korea. Manchester United too are guilty of such Tours, and Chelsea seem to think of nothing else (this club have recently denied their own supporters an open-bus celebration of the FA Cup triumph on the grounds that the Fulham council wouldn't help them out with the 250 grand required...). It seems that the business aspect of these situations take precedent, and that although the club feel it is their right to establish themselves as a brand, as a fan it just seems to take the piss.

Just give them a rest. Let Lampard go to Spain for a few weeks, or Defoe and Ledders to Magaluf, let them all have some time off and rejoice in the millions that you have earnt from being a Premiership side, from securing a European spot, from televising more games and expanding your stadiums. These players need a rest, if they don't, we're going to get more finals like the CL and FA Cup Finals, and nobody wants that.

Revenge Served Warm

2007-05-24T08:45:00.000Z

They say that revenge is a dish best served cold, but for Milan that wasn't to be. With the 2005 Final still fresh on the minds of both sides, it seemed that the time for the Italian side to reep revenge on the red's of Merseyside had come sooner than anyone could have hoped for.

As fans of the beautiful game, we could not have hoped for a better final. Sure, a few weeks back everyone got excited at the prospect of Manchester United and Chelsea battling out for glory on all three fronts in 3 momentous games, however, after watching the FA Cup Final, it was clear that the Champions League warranted something a bit more, something special, something with a bit of morbo as the Spanish say. With the Final being held in the lap of the Gods in Athens, the Gods came through and gave us AC Milan vs Liverpool - Part Deux.

The build up was always going to be the best part of this Final. There was never going to be a repeat of the legendary fightback where Milan appeared to lose 100% concentration for all of six minutes, there was no Dudek and no Shevechenko either. But this time we had an in form Kaka versus a determined Gerrard and a Liverpool side that had improved in every way over the team of 2005. This time, there was morbo.

Liverpool started well, demonstrating an attacking formation and a desire to take the game to the Italians. Gerrard played off Kuyt and was all over the place, Pennant ran Jankulovski up and down the wing and Mascherano was doing a great job of containing Kaka and Pirlo. Seedorf was AWOL, and Pippo was performing a tribute to terriers everywhere by snapping away at defenders and doing his utmost to get in the referee's ear. It was rivettting stuff, and it seemed that finally, a Cup Final was going to be decided in normal time.

The goal was harsh on Liverpool, although if you believe Inzaghi apparently it was intentional. "Every now and again we manage to pull it off. We rehearse it with the manager." Pure Pippo, and here at Heaven's 11 we believe him, after all, this man is famed for goals which are unlikely to feature in any goal of the season competition. 1-0 Milan, and half-time.

In the 2nd half the game had changed. Liverpool were aware that they needed to go for it, and Milan were quite content in giving a masterclass in defending. Milan's defending left a lot to be desired for, although Nesta had a good game and made a fair few essential tackles which otherwise would've allowed Liverpool to level the score.

Gerrard went through on goal, but his tame shot was easily held by Dida. In the meantime, Benitez threw on Crouch at the expense of Mascherano, the one player who seemed to be able to stop everything Kaka attempted in the centre of the park. Within 5 minutes of his replacement, Kaka slipped a throughball to Inzaghi who rounded Pepe Reina and slotted a very classy shot into the net. At 2-0, with 10 minutes to go it seemed that it was all over.

Kuyt had other ideas. Standing at the far post, the dutchman was able to header into the back of the net to bring the scoreline to 2-1. He was arguably offside, but there was a lot of movement in the box and the decision is contestable. Fans in the epic olympic stadium were overjoyed, sensing another comeback, but this time the Milanese weren't going to fall asleep. They kept their cool, and remained focused. Very few passes went astray in those final few nervous minutes, Liverpool rushed their game and Crouch gave away a foolish foul in the buildup to a potentially threatening play. The game was over, and Milan emerged victorious.

The scenes of celebration were fantastic. Inzaghi was mobbed by his team mates while Liverpool players look dejected, and this blog felt sympathy for the likes of Carragher and Kuyt who were interviewed while still in a state of despair.

Platini has decided that from now on, trophies awarded in European Cup Finals will be handed over "amongst the fans" rather than on a platform in the centre of the pitch, a detail which added a certain old-school element evoking victors of the past. Maldini has now lifted the trophy 6 times, a total equal to that of Liverpool's entire history. Incredible.

Benitez later complained about the referee only allowing 2:51 seconds for stoppages instead of the 3 minutes indicated by the board (incidentally, as the boards only show whole numbers, are we to assume that the ref rounds up or down to the nearest whole number at his discretion? If this is the case, then Benitez hardly has grounds for complaint). There were shouts for handball in the first goal, but overall the Liverpool players seemed to admit that Milan were worthy of their medals.

Gattuso rounded things off nicely by handing the trophy over to Berlusconi before finally adding, "The defeat two years ago will stay me for a lifetime, but this is a different story. It's our turn to celebrate now."

Best in Show

2007-05-23T14:26:00.000Z

We suppose that with the imminence of tonight's CL Final that we owe it to the footballing world to pass comment on this game of games. We are all being treated to a rematch of perhaps the greatest CL Final of all time. At least according to Rafa who said; ""For me, 2005 was the best final in the history of the competition."

Quite.

This blog on the other hand, doesn't think that tonight will go the same way. And frankly, although we're looking forward to the encounter as any other CL Final, we prefer to comment on it with the aid of hindsight and without a hangover. Plus we don't want to do a Lawro and predict the scoreline.

Hair of the Drog

2007-05-21T13:50:00.000Z

Here at Heaven's 11 we don't like to be seen to favour certain teams over others, and any bias other than that favouring Tottenham (as a result of our Swedish/North London correspondent) is purely coincidental.

Now that that is cleared up, we can safely say that Chelsea deserved to be the eventual winners at the new Wembley on Saturday past. Sure, it was a dire game of football with very little in the way of inspiration or creativity, but what was apparent was Mourinho's superior tactical nous.

Couple that with United's failure to beat Chelsea this season (along with defeats to Arsenal home and away, away defeats to Copenhagen, Roma and Milan), and it seems that the reds are not the invincible club they think they are.

No one is suggesting that Chelsea deserved the Premiership crown (only a fan blinded by blue could pronounce such blasphemous opinion), United were the better side over the course of the season, however, on Saturday they were beaten by a team who have only one aim; to win.

In Didier Drogba, Lampard, Terry and Cech, they have fighters. Alongside such valiant players are troops such as Mikel, Makalele, Bridge, Cole & Cole and the unstoppable Essien. Throughout the game, Rooney seemed to be the only real player trying to win the game for Manchester United, and his efforts were mostly poor. The two teams have played 126 games between them this season, and it was clear that there were a lot of tired legs out there, but for Drogba to still look fresh enough to lose his marker while playing a scintialing one-two with Lampard was a sign of the hunger that drives these Chelsea players.

Mourinho put up 6 fingers to signal the number of trophies he has won since arriving in London, and only a fool would bet against him adding to that number.

Premiership Royal Rumble: Nilsson’s verdict

2007-05-20T14:20:00.000Z

Which self confessed football fan has never thought about which premiership manager would come out top dog in a WWF (back when it was good) style royal rumble? The answer should be none.

The image of Chris Coleman strutting towards the ref after Fulham lost to … with a facial expression akin to a Viking who had misplaced his drinking horn at the annual Valhalla ‘Free Mead Fest’; Wenger itching for a fight with both Pards and Jol on the touchline; Warnock mimicking a leg breaking challenge to inspire his players against Reading… all these incidents lead us to believe that managers are not always the epitome of calm. No, they are just animals in suits who can scrap with the best of them.

Here is the run down of my Top 8 based on my sterling judgement.

1. Martin Jol – Strong as an ox and oft compared with the ‘Thing’ from the Fantastic Four. He could take a barrage of punches and probably not feel a thing… then bear hug his opponents into slow, suffocating sleep.

2. Stuart Pearce – Close second. His deadly look could probably kill a hippo from 200 yards. They don’t call him ‘Psycho’ for nothing and if you want to pick a fight with this man, make sure you have three or four stocky buddies with you.

3. ‘Big’ Sam Allardyce – Biggest face in football, he may be in his fifties but his massive frame can still generate a fair bit of power. Let him belly flop you and your time in the ring is numbered. If that fails he will moan at the lack of recognition he gets and probably bore you into submission.

4. David Moyes – Has the eyes of a ruthless (albino and ginger) assassin. Wouldn’t think twice about giving you a Glasgow kiss if you look at him the wrong way. Looks like he has survived in a closet for the last 4 years fed solely on bread and water.

5. Mark Hughes – Sparky has a great head of white hair and looks impeccable in a suit. However, aim a punch at that chin and you will have lost 2 or 3 knuckles. When this man gets angry, he does so with a measured calm that would earmark him as a potential successor to Putin as Premier of Russia.

6. Chris Coleman – I would not like to be in the receiving end of a stream of Welsh invective from this man. His youthfulness gives him an edge over a lot of these middle aged managers, stamina and general health would see him last thus far.

7. Neil Warnock – Old and relegated, but wily nonetheless. Warnock would probably have a crow bar in his briefs and a truncheon up his ar*e which would be used to good effect. However, the rest of the mangers would be incensed by his foul play, overpower him, and send him out of the ring… just like Paul Jewell did in the last day of the season.

8. Paul Jewell – Been through the lower leagues and has a large physique that would stand him in good stead in this Royal Rumble. His agility would let him down as well as his lack of tactical knowledge would see him outsmarted by managers with a better CV. Scouse heritage would stand him in good stead.

Seville Retain The Title

2007-05-17T09:00:00.000Z

Sevilla have become only the 2nd ever club to retain the UEFA Cup (we suspect that's because most winners of the UEFA Cup tend to be challenging for the CL the season after...), and they did it in style albeit with a few shaky moments.

The game itself was a fine demonstration of flowing attacking football, both sides battled to the end, a fact exemplified by Jonatas' dramatic equaliser in the 115th minute of the Final. The game was played in good spirit and the refereeing was spot on, with the ref allowing the game to play on on the several occasions when players went to ground too easily. They soon learnt.

Both 'keepers were exceptional, pulling off some incredible saves, not least Palop - who was later to become the hero of the match - from an audacious lop by Riera. Fantastic stuff.

Sevilla should've finished the game sooner, and no doubt Juande Ramos will have a few white hairs this morning (and a stonking hangover we hope). Although Valverde thought "it was real cruel final", and put it down to Palop's performance saying "They have a great goalkeeper. That was crucial", he overlooked the fact that had it not been for Gorka Iraizoz, they wouldn't have even have made it past 90 on the clock.

Still though, great performance and great ad for La Liga -- perhaps an indication of it's competitiveness and overall quality over the Premiership.

We look forward to the FA Cup Final, hopefully both Chelsea and Man Utd will take something from this game and go on the attack at Wembley. Hopefully.

Seriously Silly

2007-05-15T12:12:00.000Z

Sam Allardyce's appointment as Newcastle's new manager has filled the Magpies with ideas too far above their station. This club haven't won a domestic trophy since 1955, which for a "big club" is truly awful everyway you look at it.

Allardyce is now expected to do wonders, buy players and instill a winning mentality in the dressing room -- it's all well within his limits as a manager, and although he's moved to a club who haven't performed at the heights of Bolton in recent years it seems like he's taking a step in the right direction.

Bolton fans have confessed themselves to be disappointed in Fat Sam, but he's taken Bolton as far as he can and it's time for someone else to take up the challenge. Conversely, no manager has taken Newcastle as far as they can go for many years, and it can only be seen as a step up for Allardyce, moving him ever closer to the England job he covets.

Pearce has been moved along by his employers, and cites poor funding as a major reason for his poor performance as City manager -- regardless of poor funding, silly money was spent on Corradi and Samaras, and seriously-silly money was paid for SWP. Is Pearce just a rubbish manager? We don't think so, however he still has a lot to prove and perhaps taking some time out with the under-21s could be the tonic.

With Pearce being sacked, Jewell moving on from Wigan and acts such as Louis "I talk about myself in the 3rd person" Van Gaal and Ronald Koeman, Heavens11 can confirm that silly season has started.

Chelsea are expected to confirm the signing of Sidwell later this week, who could either become best buddies with bench-mate SWP, or turn out to be an inspired (and more importantly English) purchase. Time will tell.

Finally, FIFA are investigating the Tevezgate scandal. We no longer care, and expect very little to come of it, especially with FIFA's involvment.

10 Cents and some change

2007-05-11T14:43:00.000Z

It's that point on a Friday afternoon where after trowling the various blogs and footballing websites of repute and disrepute that this blog feels it's time to throw in it's 10 cents.

Anyone unlucky enough to watch the Chelsea v Man Utd match on Wednesday will know that the league is over. Neither team tried to win, and sympathy must be extended to the fans of both clubs who bought the tickets earlier in the season under the illusion that they were going to witness the title decider. All of those smug people with far too much money to burn weren't looking so smug on Wednesday night when Sinclair and Sahar appeared on one team sheet, and Eagles on the other.

Chelsea formed a guard of honour and clapped on the new Champions, instead however, they were greeted by a team captained by Heinze. This blog can only assume that the applause was directed at Heinze and his recent "Most Hilarious Footballing Moment Of 06/07" award.

Elsewhere, Fergie's love of wine has been brought into the limelight. It seems that every quote leaving the red-faced Scot's mouth has some mention of wine -- good for him, and as a result we finally have conclusive evidence that drinking has a positive effect on your job.

This weekend also sees the 2 games which will decide which team will be accompanying Watford and Charlton into the lower realms of the Championship. Personally we think it'll be Sheffield United or Wigan (for all their whining), but West Ham will have to pull something special out of the bag against Manchester United if they are to remain in the top flight. Tevez has apparently stopped learning English, which suggests that he doesn't fancy the Hammers' chances. Either that or his wages have been cut as a result of the £5.5 million fine.

It could also be the last weekend we are subjected to Poll's refereeing. This blog was unforutnate enough to witness a fine display of the man's officiating during a Fulham v Blackburn encounter. Aside from the dire football on display, there wasn't much to keep this blog entertained other than Poll's trigger happy attitude towards refereeing. Defend himself as he might, he hasn't a leg to stand on. Realistically, it won't be the end. Hackett has come out defending the disgraced Poll, and suddenly what had seemed too good to be true, has indeed turned out to be just that.

There wasn't too much to rub this blog up the wrong way this week, perhaps it will all change with the fast approaching C.L. Final and that other game, you know, the one involving those two giants of English football? No?

No, us neither.

Title Race Over

2007-05-08T16:09:00.001Z

So it has come to pass that Manchester United are the champions and very deservedly so. This season was a battle of attrition, with United playing the silky and threatening attacking football that Arsenal think they play, and Chelsea sporting a more smash and grab method. One proved successful, entertaining and engaging, the other was just shite.

Chelsea never hit top gear throughout the entire season. Chelsea fans will have been surprised and more than a little annoyed at their failure to capitalise on United's recent slip-ups, and in many ways, the poor performances of Ballack and Shevchenko were much to blame. Mourinho's decision to play a side without any real wingers didn't end up dazzling or succeeding in any of the ways that Robben and Duff/Cole had destroyed various teams in the previous two seasons and they will have to clean out some of the bad and change their tactics.

Really though, Manchester United deserve it all -- Ronaldo and Rooney have been outstanding, and the two clubs have been far beyond anything that the other clubs have provided this season, particularly Arsenal and Liverpool who have suffered seasons of extreme mediocrity (aside from Liverpool's 2nd CL Final in 3 years under Beitez). It'd be nice for them to be involved in the race next season, but its far too soon to be thinking about that.

Elsewhere, Charlton were relegated, which many Charlton fans greeted with a small cheer safe in the knowlegde that they'll finally be the best team in the league for a season. They may even win the Championship next season, something that the fans deserve. Who will join them? This blog would like to see West Ham go the way they deserve, however a suspicious feeling suggests it'll be Wigan. They're also crap, so who cares.

Spurs seem to have sealed a UEFA spot along with Bolton and Everton, and once again Newcaste, Boro, Villa and even Blackburn (a very decent side who are often overlooked, although 10th isn't that great) have done very little. Roeder was shown the exit, Southgate learnt the hard way and Mark Hughes learnt that Fabregas is a twat. Frustrations for all, not least, the fans of the shockingly awful Manchester City. As mentioned in the previous post, they have failed to score at home since new year's day -- forget mid table mediocrity, that is just terrible, and the worst bit is that Pearce isn't the worst manager by a long way, he is poor at judging player ability as can be seen in Corradi and Samaras. Now being forced to sell Barton can't be the solution to their problems either.

All this talk of underperforming footballers and the depths of dispair experienced by Newcastle is depressing this blog. Coffee is in order for all.

United One Step Away

2007-05-05T16:22:00.000Z

Manchester United's tale of two penalites game against City has probably handed them the title. Although Vassel's attempt at a penalty was laughable, City fans will proabably be more focused by their failure to score at home since New Year's Day.

Laughable indeed. How City can even defend Pearce amidst claims of Allardyce's potential appointment as the new manager. With a recent bust up in traning between Dabo and Barton, and Barton repeatedly undermining everyone's authority, one can only assume that Pearce has also lost control of the dressing-room.

The evidence was there for all to see against a mediocre United. Mpenza was the only real threat to United throughout the game, and came close on a couple of attempts, not least an impressive half volley on the turn. Either way, it was not to be and Machester United once again demonstrated the desire and attitude to chase the game throughout, particularly the brilliant Ronaldo.

Ball's stamp on the player early in the first half was outrageous and deserved an instant red card, however he managed to get away with it only for Ronaldo to go down under a weak tackle in the box. Ball wasn't as lucky this time, and the referee pointed to the penalty spot. Ronaldo stood up and buried a very well taken penalty.

Vassel will rue his chance to take off some pressure, however, he failed and his manner of failure was exactly why Manchester City are in the predicament they are in.

..Oh, and apparently Sir Alex is going golfing tomorrow. He doesn't fancy watching the Arsenal v Chelsea game. A very rare sign of overconfidence from the United manager, and after today, who could blame him.

Tevezgate

2007-05-04T08:12:00.000Z

While Gattuso is busy taunting Liverpool over their "dated" and rubbish "long ball" game (this blog certainly doesn't see any reasons to argue), we focus our attentions on the approaching Premiership weekend.

Title contenders aside, the battle to secure a stay in the top flight is what really gets exciting at this time of the season. Not least because it is the only time when average teams playing poor football are actually entertaining.

However, attention on the bottom of the table is being drawn to the "Tevezgate" scandal. This blog is part of the contigent that believe a £5.5 million fine is a bit of a let off compared the amount of money West Ham stand to lose should they drop. Recently, the value of promotion has been quoted as being as high as £60 million -- a reflection on the increased TV rights amongst other contributing factors.

A points deduction would've have been a much more just result especially bearing in mind Tevez's recent influence on West Ham's results. The 3-0 win at Wigan was down to man-of-the-match Tevez's creative play and passing, as was the win against Middlesborough earlier in the season. You get the drift.

The point is, that there are 6 points right there which would consign them to almost certain relegation, one which could now befall Wigan. Ask any Hammers fan to choose between a points deduction or £5.5 million fine and they will uniformly say "fine" -- their chairman has deep pockets, and if he can afford to shell out the green for Neill, Upson and Boa Morte then he will have no problems paying the fine. But points?

Once again the Premier League have shown themselves to be weak under pressure, and they all know that West Ham are a club who bring in viewings, full stadia and a chairman who will attract foreign interest. Wigan? Screw 'em. Watford? Them too...

Whelan is right to try and sue the lot of them, and with any luck something will come of it. Although this blog doubts that eventuality, its certainly more entertaining than the football any of these clubs bring to the pitch.

Domestic Glory Doesn't Pay

2007-05-03T16:14:00.000Z

Well well, is it a coincidence that both Chelsea and now Man Utd have faltered at the final hurdle of Europe's prestigious knock-out tournament?

I don't think so.

Obviously that doesn't excuse their performances. Heinze's hilarious backpass to Vidic which resulted in an equally hilarious clearance was only the second most hilarious moment of this year's competition. The winner of that accolade does belong to Heinze, but rather involves Evra's destruction derby impression during the 3-2 win at Old Trafford. That tumbling of bodies was reminiscent of some of the finer moments of the NFL and Kaka did well to avoid being taken out.

United just didn't turn up, and suddenly we get the fantastic sore loser comments from a more than usually red-faced Fergie regarding their fixture pile up. Apparently this pile up is the reason for their unusually poor performance.

"The television was happy to move the game to Sunday but the Premier League said the integrity of the competition had to be paramount", said Fergie in response to the fast approaching derby at Eastlands. Ironically he seems to have ignored all the other occasions this season where Chelsea have had to play before United most weekends. Support for Mourinho? You must be joking.

The integrity of this argument is compromised by the laughability of his narrowmindedness and naturally blinkered nature. The running joke about the F.A. Cup being the 3rd/4th place play-off for the CL has been doing the rounds today, and although does amuse this blog slightly, the authors of this joke are probably Liverpool fans who have forgotten that they are the club who have gone the longest in Europe without reclaiming their domestic title.

Ah well.

Liverpool Reina Continues

2007-05-02T13:35:00.000Z

A few weeks back this blog asked if Chelsea had blown it?

The answer I think we can all agree, is yes.

In 3 days Chelsea went from being Premiership contenders (although the prospect cannot be officially ruled out, only a fool would bet on United throwing it away now) to also rans, and from being challengers to the throne of European football to sore losers.

Mourinho once again whipped out the ol' sulky face that sends those housewives crazy, and moaned about various aspects of the game. He seemed to be quite annoyed that the only team that was trying to win the game was his own. This comment was made regardless of Kuyt's extra time disallowed goal, his earlier header which smacked off the cross bar and Liverpool's legitimate goal in normal time. Indeed it does seem like Liverpool were trying to force the game into penalities. Shame on them.

In a match devoid of any entertainment other than that caused by tension, the highlight was seeing Benitez sitting down cross legged on the touchline awaiting penalites. He seemed calm, controlled and most of all comfortable. Perhaps he should give Sir Alex and Arsene the phone number for his yoga classes -- the premiership would be a happier place.

Elsewhere, Pepe Reina was burgled.

Yes, it seems that there is a ring of burglers out there who have been smart enough to make the connection that if a footballer is playing live on TV, then it follows that he is not at home. Bingo. Result? Jerzy Dudek was seen sporting a t-shirt with the logo "best goalkeeper in the world" printed onto the front -- we may have found our culprit.

Either way, the final few weeks of this season will decide Mourinho's legacy (for there is little chance he will be around next season to entertain us all). If Chelsea can beat United in the F.A. Cup Final then perhaps all will not be lost. After all, he hasn't won that trophy, and it would be a decent winner's medal to add to his collection, and could in fact persuade his owners not to terminate his employment.

No pain, no gain.

2007-04-23T20:28:00.001Z

Have Chelsea blown it?

The opportunity to seize control of their own destiny for the first time since before Christmas was lost by Chelsea away at St. James' park. This week both Manchester United and Chelsea face extremely tough tests in the Champions League, and although they will both be fully focussed on these first legs, a sense of missed opportunity could end up seeing Chelsea lose to Liverpool.

They were poor. Of that there is no doubt. They looked fragile in defense (Ashley Cole and Carvalho both out), and even more lacking in attack. Drogba was a shadow of his former self, and Shevchenko's arrival onto the pitch towards the end of the game had Mourinho tearing his hair out on the sidelines.

Newcastle defended admirably, but Liverpool will present a much sterner task. In many ways, the reds from Liverpool are Chelsea's bogey team in much the same way that Middlesborough are to Manchester United. Any Chelsea fan would be lying if he said that he felt confident of beating Liverpool over the two legs, and it may just be this respect towards their opponents that will guide Chelsea through to the final. Here's not counting my chickens.

Money can't buy Luck

2007-04-19T19:57:00.000Z

The financial roundabouts regularly occuring within and without the F.A. are alarming. A stadium costing £757 million pounds seems to be such a normal phrase in today's media, and although Wembley is a terrific sight, it doesn't exceed the sight presented by the Emirates Stadium, much less eclipse it like it does regarding cost. The new home of the Gunners cost a "mere" £390 million.

Recently, the F.A. were "delighted" to have sealed a deal worth £425 million, a total of about £300 million more than their previous TV deal, and ridiculously, this extra 300 million pounds will only garuntee ITV and Setanta Premiership football for 3 years. At best, the F.A. has made 100 million pounds a year out of Premiership football.

The recent debates about the self-proclaimed "best league in the World" actually being just that, seem to revolve heavily around two issues; that of "luck" (or fate as it is sometimes referred to) and "money".

There is no doubt that "Luck" has had a great influence on English football in recent seasons; witness Liverpool's miraculous come back in the CL final two seasons ago, and Arsenal's progress to the final last year. This year that luck has culminated in the presence of three English teams in the semi-finals of the CL, garunteeing an English finalist for the 3rd successive season. The product of the best league in Europe, or the combination of money and luck?

Perhaps that is all it has ever been. La Liga has been a dominant force in World Football for the last two decades, certainley witnessing their own fair share of luck. Also, Calcio has never been too far from the "best league in the world" title, clearly showing off their financial muscle in being able to secure the services of world-class players whose stars are finally fading (the Figo's, Maldini's, Del Piero's, Seedorf's and so on). There was a time when we were younger when the league to play in Champo was the Italian league.

But the financial side of the game is not due to luck. It is no coincidence that a dodgy billionaire from Russia chose to invest in a struggling West London club. Nor is it a coincidence that the purchase of Liverpool makes it the 3rd club to be owned by Americans. And as recently as last night, we witnessed the departure of a certain David Dein, a man who stood for everything that Arsenal represent, but whom reportedly fell out over the question of foreign (American too) ownership.

These foreign investors know how to make money, and how to keep making money and they have all identified a money making opportunity in English football, potentially garunteeing top class football for years to come. Abramovich could've invested his money in Spain, in an already proven league where the overseas attractions are there for all to see (shirt sales for Beckham reportedly paid off the cost of the player within weeks). He could've chosen to invest in coffins in Zimbabwe, or rape alarms in Ipswich, yet he chose Chelsea. The Glazier's made the obvious choice, however Randy Lerner seems to have walked into a blind alley, as as Magnusson. Yet they won't have done it without considerable investigation and a sound business model.

The point is, that these investors placed money in a league whose star is in ascendancy and as a result they will garuntee that that star shines brightly for many years to come. Money generates good football, and good football generates more money.

Money will not buy you a championship winning side, but with a bit of luck, you can get anywhere.

Best League in Europe, Or Luck Of The Draw?

2007-04-12T07:20:00.000Z

Is the Premiership the strongest league in European football, or have we just witnessed the luck of knock-out football?

Liverpool beat a weakened and frankly demure Barcelona, and then knocked out another side, far from their peak; PSV Eindhoven.
Chelsea beat Porto at home, after coming from behind, and then again had to do the same in two games against Valencia.
Manchester United played a poor side in Lille, and performed an exceptional one-off performance against Roma.

In the UEFA Cup, Spurs had to play such outstanding opposition as Dinamo Bucuresti, Braga and are now struggling to Sevilla. Before that, they received a bye and skipped passed Feynoord.

Could it be that far from being the best league in Europe, with the strongest sides, they have been nothing short of fortunate? At first appearance, this seems to be the case once the facts have been given nothing short of a casual glance.

This however, isn't the case.

Liverpool topped their group and didn't have any particularly tough games, against Barcelona in the Nou Camp they played some outstanding football. Yes, Barca were tired and clearly not at their best, having suffered in the weeks leading up to the tie. However it wasn't all rosy for Liverpool either. In the week prior to the game an internal bust up had occurred featuring the two players who later scored against Barca.
Although they lost in the home-tie, the result had already been attained, and Liverpool played the cautious game they needed to at home, where their defensive record speaks for itself.
Against PSV, they went away and scored 3, and Crouch (again) scored at home to put the tie beyond PSV.

Chelsea played extremely strong football. In much the way a small child will try to fit the square peg in the round hole and relentlessly bash at it until he is successful, Chelsea attack with no remorse. They refuse to be beaten, and have scored 25 goals in the last 10 minutes of games this season, a frightening statistic that teams ignore at their peril. They came from behind in their last 3 CL ties and outperformed Valencia at the Mestalla, being the first English team to triumph there this century.

Manchester United dominated Lille, and hardly broke a sweat. They challenged Roma by attacking and showing no fear, and in their recent 7-1 demolition of the italians (a result Totti referred to as the worst moment of his sporting career, which when you consider has seen him dismissed during the Euro 2004 for spitting at opposition, losing the Euro 2000 final and never winning the Scudetto, means it must have been pretty poor), United proved that they are no longer the lucky side of '99, and are a force to be reckoned with. 7-1 isn't lucky.

Tottenham may have had luck on their side when not having to face Feynoord, but they dispatched the resulting opposition with the sublime ease expected of challengers to the "big four". Only now do they face their greatest test, and were unlucky to have lost 2-1 away to Sevilla in the Sanchez Pijuan. They have the ability, talents and skill to beat the Spaniards at home, and having rested key players over the weekend, Martin Jol's side are in a position to do so.

An English team will be present in this year's CL final in Athens. For the third year running a Premiership side will have a shot at the big time, to get their name in the record books. This is no coincidence, and although fortune cannot help but play a part in any knock-out tournament, surely it is time for the doubters to look towards to the Premiership and place them on the same pedestal as the Spanish and Italian leagues.

On the other hand, should an English team fail at the last hurdle like Arsenal did last year, then this blog will be erased from history.

Consistent Jog For The Title

2007-04-07T22:45:00.000Z

Last weekend, Blackburn were 1-0 up against Manchester United and this blog was amongst many other fans in hoping that somehow the so called "Race For The Title" (even though a race suggests speed, which in turn makes the Premiership more of a marathon of endurance. "Consistent Jog For The Title" doesn't have the same ring to it) was finally becoming just that; a race.

Alas we were all drastically let down, as United once again demonstrated just why they are in first.

That was all until they visited Portsmouth. Perhaps it was the double blow of losing Vidic and Neville in the same week. It could even have been the demoralising defeat to Roma. The fact that Chelsea had psychologically closed the gap to three points after beating Tottenham could also have played some part. Objectively, this blog even believes that making Rio the captain when more senior players such as Giggs and Van der Sar were on the pitch was responsible. But whatever the reasons, the fact remains that Manchester United were beaten.

A casual observer might have put it down to luck, and more importantly, bad luck in United's case. However, the nerves seemed to get the better of the men in red, and a succession of poor mistakes and lazy defending resulted in Manchester United dropping points, and allowing Chelsea to close the gap to 3 points for the first time since Christmas.

David James' role in the game cannot be ignored, and it seems that the ex England man chose the best day to showcase his ability where Paul Robinson was once again beaten from distance with a frankly tame and speculative shot from Carvalho. James' saves were top drawer, and his composure throughout the game was of vital importance. Portsmouth took the game to United and were rewarded, had Tottenham perhaps done the same elsewhere, they too may have left with some dignity. Instead they put in a languid performance obviously tired from their late week exertions, and no matter how fit and professional you're meant to be in this sport, 39 hours is no time to rest a squad still jostling for position on 2 fronts.

Lawrenson and Hansen still put their belief behind United, and although Gabby Logan refused to be drawn to comment (probably in the knowledge of the gagging order imposed on Lineker regarding the ITV/Sentanta TV rights deal), this blog isn't so sure.

This Chelsea side have achieved a lot under Mourinho, and most of them are natural winners. They are a squad of players who know what it feels like to win, and who never give up as has been demonstrated on various occasions this season. They will chase this title to the end, and whether or not the presence of a fat lady is garunteed, the Blues will be there on the last day. Manchester United have played some of the finest football in Europe so far this season, they have in their midfield, the most in form player in Europe, and they have the desire to win. That winning desire may not be enough to stay ahead of Chelsea, and they will be punished should they show a similar lapse in concentration against the potential banana skins lining their run in; West-Ham, Everton, Man City and most notably a visit to Stamford Bridge.

This isn't to say that Chelsea have it easy. Far from it, Chelsea have yet to play Arsenal, West-Ham and Bolton, 3 games against teams either struggling to survive or struggling for Europe. These final 6 games will not be simple tasks for either team, and clichéd as it is, they will all be "Cup Finals" for both.

Then there is the simple matter of the F.A. Cup semi finals, and the return legs of the Champions League quarter finals where both squads face daunting tasks which will test them to the hilt.

To suggest that this is a "race" is folly, it is more about the survival of the fittest, a battle only time will tell.

38 hours and about 45 minutes

2007-04-07T11:06:00.000Z

With fewer than 40 minutes remaing to the Chelsea v Spurs game at Stamford Bridge, this blog would just like to apologise for an earlier misprint.

Didier Drogba is the first player in 22 years to score 30 goals in all competitions for the Blues, since Kerry Dixon, not since Tamling in '62 (that was indeed 30 goals in the First Division).

Spurs have had all of 38 hours and a few minutes to rest since their overseas battle with Sevilla, a gap which doesn't give anyone much hope that Spurs can be the first domestic club to beat Chelsea on their home turf since Mourinho's arrival.

CL: Winner and Losers

2007-04-04T21:14:00.000Z

WINNERS

Peter Crouch

The man standing at somewhere approximating gigantism, has now scored 7 in his last 7 games for the reds, his last coming against a PSV playing how Mourinho likes to call "parking the bus" in front of the goal. His hat trick against Arsenal was exceptional, and the goal against PSV cannot be underestimated.

Wayne Rooney

Finally ending his goal scoring drought, "Wazza" netted a very well taken finish at the Stadio Olimpico in Rome. Although United lost the game, Wayne's contribution may turn out to be the most important goal he's scored in 2007.

Joe Cole

After a long absence, Ashley Cole's "brutha from anotha mutha" took part in Chelsea's campaign for European domination. Substituted on with about 20 minutes remaining, Joe Cole finally saw some footballing action -- his first touch went wayward, but he displayed fitness, speed and hunger to take the game to the Valencians.

Quique Sanchez Flores

It's no secret that Valencia have been experiencing internal turmoil which can only be approximated to that of Eastenders, but Quique's squad scored what could be a crucial away goal (and what a goal it was) and perhaps, just perhaps may have given Carboni the result he needed to prove that all is not lost.

Roma

Manchester United's form of late has been exceptional. Even though this blog predicted United's triumph at the Stadio Olimpico, Roma played a safe game, and were unlucky not to have been awarded a penalty or have made it 3-1. They will take the game to United at Old Trafford, and it will take an exceptional peformance from the Red Devils to progress to the semi-finals.

LOSERS

Shevchenko

Sheva's purchase by a deep pocketed Russian was meant for these exact competitions, although the exact value paid for him is unkown, it can be certain that it was enough to buy European goals (whatever their average cost may be in the modern age of "self-made" billionaires). Shevchenko was made for nights like this, and his performance against Porto was indication of his natural explosive talent. However, against Valencia, Drogba was made to do all the work and the Ukranian star was nowhere to be found on a night where his skill would have been the catalyst to a revolt.

Scholes

Paul Scholes' form this season has been a renaissance, a joy for all to watch, culminating in an incredible goal against Blackburn at the weekend. How he went from hero to zero against Roma was once again due to his absolute blindness in the tackle. No amount of skill can save him from his atrocious tackling, and a first half red card is testimony to that. His reckless nature may prove costly to United's European quest.

Chelsea

Once again, the men in blue went behind due to individual excellence. They started poorly against Porto, and suffered due to a Quaresma goal, and again against Valencia started weakly and were forced to pay from another piece of individual brilliance. How many times will Chelsea have to fight back before they realise their own potential? A trip to the Mestalla with an away goal in mind is hell for any team, and Chelsea will have to be at their utmost best to turn this result in their favour, a performance we haven't seen them give since their late equaliser at the Nou Camp in the group stages of this same competition.

Heavens 11

This blog is the biggest loser this week, for predicting every score incorrectly. Manchester United's game did indeed end up 2-1, however it was not the visitors who added goals to their tally.

FINALLY...

A quick mention should go to Steven Gerrard and Didier Drogba. Stevie G has now entered the Liverpool record books as their most prolific European scorer of all time, and Drogba is the first Chelsea player to score 30 goals in a season since Bobby Tambling in '62 (could be wrong here).

Dirty Sanchez Pizjuan

2007-04-04T10:28:00.000Z

Tottenham Hotspur will be facing their sternest European test of the season tomorrow when facing Spanish title contenders Sevilla at the Sanchez Pizjuan. Spurs have given some of their best performances in this season’s Uefa Cup having beaten teams like Bayer Leverkusen, Besiktas and Club Brugge convincingly, teams that have oft participated in the Champions League in the last 5 years.

The young Tom Huddlestone will be out through injury and Ricardo Rocha, who is beginning to establish himself as the first choice to replace the injured Ledley King until the latters recovery, is cup tied. Nevertheless, Jol will keep the Zokora-Jenas partnership that has worked well in the past few games as the Ivorian gradually comes to terms with the premiership’s playing style. Sevilla on the other hand can count on Kanoute, Palop and Daniel Alves who were rested at the weekend.

The city of Seville is deep in religious celebration this week as it is Semana Santa, or holy week, which could prove be a distraction for the Andalusians. This game will be a closely run affair but both sides are not afraid to go forward with Seville being particularly lethal with the use of their wingers, Jesus Navas and Daniel Alves. Kanoute has had a little Renaissance in la Liga and is as dangerous as he has ever been in his hardly distinguished career and boy would he feel good if he could inflict damage on his old employers. Spurs have been good on the road in Europe and Berbatov has been in sparkiling form against continental opposition. Sevilla’s centre back pairing of Alfaro and Javi Navarro are renowned for their ‘physical’ nature having broken many a proud striker with crunching tackles and below board professional fouls that tend to hoodwink the most experienced of referees due to sheer practice and experience. I hope for Spurs’ sake it won’t be a Dirty Sanchez Pizjuan night for Dimitar.
Prediction: Spurs to equalise late on, 1-1.

Champions League Preview

2007-04-04T07:52:00.000Z

Chelsea face a resurgent Valencia at home tonight. Hailed as the perpetual unachievers of La Liga, Valencia have twice been to the final of the competition in recent years, and twice returned home with runners-up medals. Chelsea have twice progressed to the semi-finals 03/04 and 04/05, where they were defeated by Monaco and Liverpool respectively. Neither are reknowned for their European pedigree.

A lot has been made of Chelsea's recent run of form, and of the fact that they have never hit top gear throughout this season. The return to fitness of Joe Cole will certainly add to team morale, however the loss of the creative spark provided by Arjen Robben will be a blow, especially in these European games where teams like to stand off. Bridge has returned to fitness after surgery, but is unlikely to play any part.
Valencia will no doubt be experiencing the fallout of their post-match brawl with the Nerazzurri, and their away form in the CL is poor, not having won any of their last 3 away games and only progressing past Inter due to the away goals rule.
Prediction: Chelsea take it 2-0

Reading Royally Outclassed

2007-04-03T13:50:00.000Z

Anyone taking a cursory glance at Sunday’s result at White Hart Lane could be excused for assuming the match was a dour encounter decided by a run-of-the-mill penalty. Wrong.

This encounter between Spurs and Reading was more than just a fight for the final UEFA Cup berths. It was about a quest for vengeance after Reading’s convincing win at the Madejski earlier on in the season, it was about Reading out to prove that they were not one season wonders (West Ham and Wigan spring to mind) but a decent footballing unit playing to win. It was about Tottenham turning their backs on their languid start to the season and about Martin Jol justifying his words back in December before these two teams clashed in the first round when he said ‘If we lose to teams like Reading then we are in trouble.’ Events on the pitch were worthy of the significance of the match, of that there is no doubt.

Spurs began the match brightly and could have been 3-0 up by the fifth minute if it wasn’t for some good goalkeeping from the bearded American Marcus Hahnemann. He did well to deny Robbie Keane when the latter was provided with a gilt edge chance by Berbatov’s shrewd ball as the Irishman failed to strike the ball either side of the goal. Malbranque, who was Tottenham’s best player on the night causing the Royals’ defence no end of headaches, hit the post when he was released by Lennon almost immediately after kick off. Reading responded well as Glen Little provided Lita with a free header six yards from goal which the brawny forward contrived to aim at the post (which was a harder feat than hitting the net).

This frantic pace continued throughout the game with Reading unafraid to press forward seeking their wingers more often than not but leaving themselves heavily exposed on the counter. Lennon and Malbranque ruthlessly attacked the spaces left by Reading players supporting their teams attacks. Tottenham’s breakthrough came in the 41st minute when Keane and Halford, making his first premiership start for Reading, were tussling for the ball. Halford managed to get the ball between his thigh and his hand, the contact was there but the intent was not so clear. Alan Wiley blew his whistle and Keane delivered as good a penalty as he has done all season. Spurs were up at the break.

The second half saw Reading fail to make any headway in the Tottenham half and the only reason why the score remained 1-0 was because of wasteful finishing from Berbatov and Defoe. Time and again the Spurs strikers failed to beat Frederici, who by this point had replaced Hahnemann at half time due to the latters rib injury. Despite the modest score line Spurs produced a footballing display packed with verve and creativity showing what is to come when this young team has fully gelled. With some finely tuned finishing Spurs must be taken seriously as one of the contenders for the top four next season, most probably (and hopefully) to the detriment of the self styled kings of beautiful football, Arsenal.

Champions League Preview

2007-04-03T12:21:00.000Z

So after a week of frankly poor international football, we were treated to a weekend return of our domestic leagues. Now, as dessert, we are offered the spectacle that is the Champions League.

Tonight sees Liverpool do battle with PSV Eindhoven, a side managed by former Benfica boss, Ronald Koeman. Last season saw Koeman and the Aguias knock out Liverpool inlcuding an away triumph at Anfield, a rare occasion indeed. Koeman was also the architect of Manchester United's group phase exit, and this year has knocked out Arsenal.
His proven record at European level cannot be underestimated, yet Liverpool will be bouyed by the return to fitness of Bellamy, and their recent 4-1 demolition of Arsenal over the weekend. It seems that even scoring the "perfect" hat-trick cannot garuntee Crouch a position in the ever rotating starting line-up.
Prediction: 0-0

Manchester United face Roma, both underachievers at Champions League level. Domestically, United are unrivalled for form and goal scoring ability, however, in Europe they have consistently fallen short of the mark. Even their Champions League success in '99 was due to some extremely lucky goal mouth scrambling and lack of concentration from Bayern Munich. Since then, they have failed to progress past the quarter-finals, and they will have to be at their best against Roma. Rumour has it that both Saha and Fletcher are to play a part in the game, in which case we can't expect anything special.
Roma are missing Pizarro through suspension, and Panucci is having to play at left-back, two changes which threaten to end Roma's streak of 9 undefeated home wins in European Competitions. Totti remains the danger man, and Wes Brown and Rio Ferdinand are going to have their hands full.
Prediction: 2-1, United remaining on full steam.

...More atfer lunch...

A Weekend Review

2007-04-01T19:38:00.000Z

This weekend saw Manchester United and Chelsea play each other's opposition of the F.A. Cup semi-finals, but more importantly witnessed Liverpool's 4-1 revenge over an Arsenal struggling for form.
Recently, Arsenal have been knocked out of the Champions League, the F.A. Cup and lost the final of the Carling Cup. This poor run of form has seen Wenger comment on how he thinks that perhaps Arsenal should've paid more attention to the league, a comment that one can't help but wonder might not have surfaced has Arsenal either won, or continued a run of success in said competitions.
Peter Crouch was magnificent up front, causing Lehman difficulties throughout the match. Aside from a very well taken hat-trick, his play demonstrated intelligence and class, both elements which were clearly lacking in England's performances over the last week. Perhaps the time has come for McClaren to look to Crouch to solve England's recent poor performances.

Elsewhere, Ronaldo once again demonstrated why he is indeed the player at the top the game, with a scintillating performance at Old Trafford against a strong Blackburn Rovers. Although Rovers got the first goal after some clever play from Pedersen, United never really looked like they were in trouble. Had Friedel not put in some exceptional saves, Manchester United would've been in front a lot sooner.
Paul Scholes' equaliser demonstrated exactly why United are in first, by having a squad who can contribute goals from the midfield when the front line are experiencing a goal-scoring drought. Skipping past three challenges with the deftest of touches, Scholes placed the ball at the far post and brought the game back to life. Unfortunately, Blackburn's second half performance lacked the zest of the first, allowing Ronaldo to once again establish his game plan and create open spaces all over the park. He crossed smartly to Carrick on the far side of the box, and the ex-Tottenham player didn't disappoint.
A saved free kick resulted in Park putting in an easy finish, and Solksjaer slotted in the last goal for his 7th of the season. Aside from an early injury to Vidic, United demonstrated why they have the skill and class to obtain the trophy this season.

Chelsea visited Vicarage Road, to play a club with 52 fewer points, a tally which would currently place a club in 5th. The game was not the easy ride expected, Lampard sporting a cast from an injury obtained from a Rooney strike whilst on international duty was the most wasteful of the first half. Together with Uriah Renney's dismissal of a penalty call on John Terry, Chelsea were lucky to still be on level terms. Cech made an excellent save early on from an overhead kick, while at the other end, Foster seemed to be making up for his gaff at White Hart Lane by stopping everything Chelsea threw at him.
Only in the 92nd minute were Chelsea able to break the deadlock with a well taken header from Kalou. Although Mourinho and Boothroyd certainly looked to be enjoying each other's company on the touch line, the tension on Abramovich's face was there for all to see. Watford's survival in this league is hanging on the balance, as is Mourinho's.

At the foot of the table, Charlton and West-Ham both won crucial games, with Charlton gaining 3 points over relegation rivals, Wigan. Pardew seems to have instilled a new sense of belief in his side, and only time will tell if West-Ham made a mistake in forcing him out of Upton Park.