While many did not get the white Christmas they dreamed of, we have heard more about the blues during first half of this Premier League season than anyone could have asked for.
“The blue moon rising” in Manchester has dominated headlines as City won the plaudits for their high pressing game, slick passing orchestrated by Silva and flurry of goals featuring the strange Balotelli character. Despite threatening to break every record in the league, those in the blue half of Manchester must be wondering what it takes to shake off the shadow of their red neighbours. Entering the New Year, it is shocking that the two Manchester clubs are level on points regardless of critical headlines about United’s unimaginative midfield and defence that looks so porous in the absence of inspirational Vidic.
Across in London, Man City’s wealthy blue cousin that microwaved their way to success over the last decade have a less revered story to tell about this season. Despite enjoying the most eye catching start to a managerial career, Villa Boas has at times demonstrated that he is still in “managerial diapers.” While qualification to the Champions League’s next round and ending Man City’s unbeaten start to the season are very impressive feats, some of Villa Boas’ decisions during the draw at Wigan’s DW Stadium were so naïve it calls for the highest level of optimism to believe in a Chelsea title for this season.
The pauper blue cousin in Mersey side has endured a very frustrating first half of the season as their brilliant manager continues to be crippled by budget limitations. Qualification for the Europa League is now viewed as “the good old days”! Everton fans are irked with envy as their red Mersey side rivals spend on an array of talent that makes them look like genuine contenders for a Champions League place.
The bottom end of the table has also featured its blues tale with Wigan and Blackburn battling to escape relegation. While both have recently enjoyed some impressive results against the so called traditional big four, it is consistency against the less illustrious bottom half of the table teams that will shape their destiny. What Martinez lacks for in financial resources has at least been compensated for with unity and support from the Wigan fans and owner. Blackburn’s Kean on the other hand has been hangout to dry by the club owners who have chickened out in the face of more viscous fan protests. Despite blowing a lot of hot air with talk about marquee signings at the start of their reign, no serious professional will be looking to join Blackburn’s relegation dog fight under owners that evidently have very limited knowledge about football.
My prediction about Wigan is that they are a cat with many lives and will enjoy another last day of the season escape as Rolladega and Dos Santos form an incredible striking partnership. Blackburn on the other hand have so much negative energy to contend with, not even Yakubu’s scoring feats will enable them to swim upstream. As they sink into the Championship, Big Sam will jubilantly wave at the Venky’s as he leads West Ham back to the Premiership.
While many of those craving a white Christmas were disappointed, the Championship will welcome two whites along with Blackburn. Bolton knew at the start of the season that they would struggle to make up for Elmander and Sturridge’s goals. Their defending has however been so awful, Bolton may as well cash in on Cahill, raise the white flag and start rebuilding for an immediate return from the Championship. As Wigan makes their dramatic last day of the season escape, it will be the swan song from the solitary Welsh side in the league. Formidable as their home record has been during the first half of the season, Swansea like Burnley a couple of seasons ago, play too pretty to mix it up in a relegation dog fight.
Have your say on which colours are likely to hug the headlines during the next half of the season. Whether your choice is blue, red, white or whatever other colour, for you, it is a special wish for a very prosperous 2012!
Tuesday, December 27, 2011
Thursday, December 15, 2011
Who will be blinded by The Dark Cloud in Manchester?
For all their early season talk about how close they were to Barcelona, last week a dark cloud descended upon Manchester’s illustrious clubs when they were eliminated from Europe’s major show piece. Despite premier league dominance during the early season, both United and City will now have to make do with the less glamorous Europa League. This week we explore which of the two clubs will be blinded by this dark cloud to derail their premier league campaign.
For City, elimination as Champions League novices from the group of death is excusable. They also have Europa League experience to draw from and arguably the deepest squad in Europe to manage the challenge of Thursday night and Sunday football better than their Manchester rivals.
United on the other hand, a three time winner and finalist in three of the last four seasons was very embarrassed by elimination from the most winnable of groups. As they demonstrated against Wolves last weekend, and previously following a 2003 first leg quarter final battering in Madrid, United are at their most dangerous after embarrassment.
City has such a deep squad it can afford to keep their players fresh all season for both Europe and domestic contest. United on the other hand has over nine first team players out injured, including Vidic, the glue that holds a sometimes leaky defense together. Ferguson has stressed that United do not need to feel sorry for themselves about the injuries and if he can navigate December with the team in touching distance of the league leaders, will stand a good chance of reclaiming the title. One can draw parallels between this season and the 2009/2010 season when players returning in the second half of the season propelled United from total obscurity to finish the season within a point of Chelsea.
Although the Europa League is one trophy that Ferguson has never won, we would be silly to think this will motivate him to prioritize it over the premier league. Despite reports that Ferguson has only not won this trophy because his teams have never been bad enough to compete in it, United did not even make the cut for Europa on the last two occasions they were eliminated from the group stages (1994 and 2005). Given their stretched player resources, United’s best hope for a sustained premier league challenge may be to dedicate the Europa League to academy and fringe players’ experience.
The biggest challenge for City at the start of the season was how to keep the egos of their overpaid stars in check. The Tevez Munich disaster did not just conclude his transformation from talisman to villain, but finally gave Mancini a chance to make his mark as the dressing room’s top dog.
Given that both United and City are likely to prioritize the premier league, it is very unlikely that the Europa league will shape their respective premier league destinies. With their high up the field pressing game recently showing frailties when countered with energy and pace, City’s collapse may depend on whether players of other teams will have the courage and discipline to implement this blue print. A few more losses may cause dressing room unrest as some of Mancini’s stars begin to question his strategy. Having played most of their premier league title rivals away from home in the first half of the season, City have the easier run in on paper. Despite enjoying a perfect home record thus far, City fans will be wary that their home record over many of their title rivals has not been flawless in recent seasons. United’s season on the other hand rests on how Ferguson addresses Vidic’s absence and a midfield that lacks a cutting edge.
For City, elimination as Champions League novices from the group of death is excusable. They also have Europa League experience to draw from and arguably the deepest squad in Europe to manage the challenge of Thursday night and Sunday football better than their Manchester rivals.
United on the other hand, a three time winner and finalist in three of the last four seasons was very embarrassed by elimination from the most winnable of groups. As they demonstrated against Wolves last weekend, and previously following a 2003 first leg quarter final battering in Madrid, United are at their most dangerous after embarrassment.
City has such a deep squad it can afford to keep their players fresh all season for both Europe and domestic contest. United on the other hand has over nine first team players out injured, including Vidic, the glue that holds a sometimes leaky defense together. Ferguson has stressed that United do not need to feel sorry for themselves about the injuries and if he can navigate December with the team in touching distance of the league leaders, will stand a good chance of reclaiming the title. One can draw parallels between this season and the 2009/2010 season when players returning in the second half of the season propelled United from total obscurity to finish the season within a point of Chelsea.
Although the Europa League is one trophy that Ferguson has never won, we would be silly to think this will motivate him to prioritize it over the premier league. Despite reports that Ferguson has only not won this trophy because his teams have never been bad enough to compete in it, United did not even make the cut for Europa on the last two occasions they were eliminated from the group stages (1994 and 2005). Given their stretched player resources, United’s best hope for a sustained premier league challenge may be to dedicate the Europa League to academy and fringe players’ experience.
The biggest challenge for City at the start of the season was how to keep the egos of their overpaid stars in check. The Tevez Munich disaster did not just conclude his transformation from talisman to villain, but finally gave Mancini a chance to make his mark as the dressing room’s top dog.
Given that both United and City are likely to prioritize the premier league, it is very unlikely that the Europa league will shape their respective premier league destinies. With their high up the field pressing game recently showing frailties when countered with energy and pace, City’s collapse may depend on whether players of other teams will have the courage and discipline to implement this blue print. A few more losses may cause dressing room unrest as some of Mancini’s stars begin to question his strategy. Having played most of their premier league title rivals away from home in the first half of the season, City have the easier run in on paper. Despite enjoying a perfect home record thus far, City fans will be wary that their home record over many of their title rivals has not been flawless in recent seasons. United’s season on the other hand rests on how Ferguson addresses Vidic’s absence and a midfield that lacks a cutting edge.
Sunday, December 4, 2011
The Boiling Point: Who Gets Sacked Next?
First, I would like to extend my sympathies to football fans at a time when the football world has been stunned by the premature deaths of Garry Speed and the great Socrates. As Wales and Brazil mourn the losses of their most cherished sons, our thoughts and prayers are especially with the deceased’s families and friends.
On a less tragic but still painful note, during the last week, the Premier League witnessed its first managerial casualty in Steve Bruce of Sunderland. Having overhauled his entire squad following a season in which Sunderland flirted with European football, expectations were sky high. In all honesty, Sunderland had clearly lost their way since the loss of Darren Bent in the middle of last season. Coupled with the departure of Asamoah Gyan and the brilliant Danny Welbeck, it is of little surprise that they continue to struggle for goals. Unfortunately for Bruce, Nicholas Bendtner who was brought in on loan to compensate for these three has so far failed to deliver the goals when it matters.
With so much money at stake in the Premier League, many owners have recently adopted a ruthless approach that has left managers more vulnerable. December is usually the time for owners to decide whether to trust the incumbent with funds for squad reinforcement or if a total change of direction is necessary.
It is easy to mark out managers at clubs that are at the foot of the table as most susceptible, but in many ways, it is a case of being at the right club at the right time. Steve Kean one of the early favorites for the sack continues to defy the odds and was even recently rewarded with a new contract. Strange that the new owners got rid of Sam Allardyce when the club was comfortably in mid-table, citing his “lack of ambition”, but have continued to stand by Kean despite fans’ unrest. My prediction is that Steve will keep his job until a few weeks into the Championship season next year, when the owners will finally yield to fan pressure.
Speaking of fan unrest, Wolves and Everton are the other two premiership clubs that have had to deal with demonstrations. While the Wolves fans were demonstrating against McCarthy, Moyes at Everton is a fan favorite and all the noises are directed at the owners for lack of investment into the squad. My take is that both managers will be safe as they continue to mobilize their troops to punch above their weight.
If with the purchase of Blackburn, Big Sam was not at the right place at the right time; Martinez could not have timed his presence at Wigan any better. Firmly rooted at the foot of the table, probably as testament to Whelan’s understanding of the game, he is one owner that acknowledges that for their lack of investment, it is a bonus to simply stay in the division. The club fans are also so in love with Martinez, their former player and hero; one can’t help but feel that his job is safe. As a caution though, we don’t need to look further than Arsenal to recognize how fickle a manager’s relationship with fans can be.
Bolton is another struggling club that has a former player managing on a very meager budget. Owen Coyle started his reign by mixing great results with style but like Bruce at Sunderland; saw a late collapse as last season progressed. Also similarly, the loss of loan signing Daniel Sturridge coupled with the departure of Johan Elmander has deprived Bolton of a goal threat. Unlike Wigan though, I get a feeling that Premier League survival is paramount for Bolton’s owners and if results do not turn around soon, Owen will not survive the season.
While Wigan, Everton and Blackburn have together made a troubled season for teams with Blue home jerseys, their illustrious counterparts from London mainly have a trigger happy owner to be concerned about. Andre Villas-Boas continues to assure in the press that he is confident about the safety of his job, but Abromavich’s record of seven managers in eight years is reason for pessimism. Andre draws his confidence from the fact that he was signed for over £13 million on a three year contract but the sacking of many of his predecessors did not seem rational. Ranieri was sacked despite leading Chelsea to the Champions League semi-finals and second in the league to break the Man United – Arsenal stranglehold. Mourinho was sacked despite winning the club’s first title in over 50 years and retaining it the season that followed. Grant was sacked despite putting Chelsea within a whisker of their first ever Champions League title. Ancelotti was sacked despite winning the club’s first ever League and FA Cup double in his first season. This weekend’s win against Newcastle may have just bought Villas-Boas more time, but one fears the worst if Chelsea fails to win against Valencia this week.
Have your say on which club owners are likely to reach boiling point first and axe their manager in what is likely to be a crazy December.
On a less tragic but still painful note, during the last week, the Premier League witnessed its first managerial casualty in Steve Bruce of Sunderland. Having overhauled his entire squad following a season in which Sunderland flirted with European football, expectations were sky high. In all honesty, Sunderland had clearly lost their way since the loss of Darren Bent in the middle of last season. Coupled with the departure of Asamoah Gyan and the brilliant Danny Welbeck, it is of little surprise that they continue to struggle for goals. Unfortunately for Bruce, Nicholas Bendtner who was brought in on loan to compensate for these three has so far failed to deliver the goals when it matters.
With so much money at stake in the Premier League, many owners have recently adopted a ruthless approach that has left managers more vulnerable. December is usually the time for owners to decide whether to trust the incumbent with funds for squad reinforcement or if a total change of direction is necessary.
It is easy to mark out managers at clubs that are at the foot of the table as most susceptible, but in many ways, it is a case of being at the right club at the right time. Steve Kean one of the early favorites for the sack continues to defy the odds and was even recently rewarded with a new contract. Strange that the new owners got rid of Sam Allardyce when the club was comfortably in mid-table, citing his “lack of ambition”, but have continued to stand by Kean despite fans’ unrest. My prediction is that Steve will keep his job until a few weeks into the Championship season next year, when the owners will finally yield to fan pressure.
Speaking of fan unrest, Wolves and Everton are the other two premiership clubs that have had to deal with demonstrations. While the Wolves fans were demonstrating against McCarthy, Moyes at Everton is a fan favorite and all the noises are directed at the owners for lack of investment into the squad. My take is that both managers will be safe as they continue to mobilize their troops to punch above their weight.
If with the purchase of Blackburn, Big Sam was not at the right place at the right time; Martinez could not have timed his presence at Wigan any better. Firmly rooted at the foot of the table, probably as testament to Whelan’s understanding of the game, he is one owner that acknowledges that for their lack of investment, it is a bonus to simply stay in the division. The club fans are also so in love with Martinez, their former player and hero; one can’t help but feel that his job is safe. As a caution though, we don’t need to look further than Arsenal to recognize how fickle a manager’s relationship with fans can be.
Bolton is another struggling club that has a former player managing on a very meager budget. Owen Coyle started his reign by mixing great results with style but like Bruce at Sunderland; saw a late collapse as last season progressed. Also similarly, the loss of loan signing Daniel Sturridge coupled with the departure of Johan Elmander has deprived Bolton of a goal threat. Unlike Wigan though, I get a feeling that Premier League survival is paramount for Bolton’s owners and if results do not turn around soon, Owen will not survive the season.
While Wigan, Everton and Blackburn have together made a troubled season for teams with Blue home jerseys, their illustrious counterparts from London mainly have a trigger happy owner to be concerned about. Andre Villas-Boas continues to assure in the press that he is confident about the safety of his job, but Abromavich’s record of seven managers in eight years is reason for pessimism. Andre draws his confidence from the fact that he was signed for over £13 million on a three year contract but the sacking of many of his predecessors did not seem rational. Ranieri was sacked despite leading Chelsea to the Champions League semi-finals and second in the league to break the Man United – Arsenal stranglehold. Mourinho was sacked despite winning the club’s first title in over 50 years and retaining it the season that followed. Grant was sacked despite putting Chelsea within a whisker of their first ever Champions League title. Ancelotti was sacked despite winning the club’s first ever League and FA Cup double in his first season. This weekend’s win against Newcastle may have just bought Villas-Boas more time, but one fears the worst if Chelsea fails to win against Valencia this week.
Have your say on which club owners are likely to reach boiling point first and axe their manager in what is likely to be a crazy December.
Sunday, November 27, 2011
Will Manchester City match Arsenal’s Invincibles?
After Man City thrashed their illustrious rivals at Old Trafford, much of the talk switched from who are favorites to win the title to whether City could match Arsenal’s 2003/2004 unbeaten season. Having spent just under £450 million on player transfers since Sheikh Mansour’s September 2008 investment and a manager who won three consecutive Italian titles, Manchester City are undoubtedly equipped to break records.
The first challenge facing Mancini is how to keep the egos of his overpaid stars in check and create a team spirit in his dressing room to win titles. Much like Steve Kean at Blackburn, Mancini’s appointment left a sour taste of unfairness as his predecessor was arguably doing a great job. Having won the club’s first trophy in 34 years, Mancini can now command a “top-dog” authority, casting the shadow of last season’s talisman, Tevez, in his wake.
The next possible obstacle would be balancing the rigors European football with the domestic season. However, with a squad so deep their reserves could win the league, surely City’s rivals are only clinging onto branches that City’s squad could be stretched so thin. Take into account the experience of their manager as well as that of most of their squad, and again one cannot help but feel that City have all the tools to break records.
The tougher test is probably how the team will cope with the pressure of being title favorites and their response to a loss in other competitions. On the back of City’s loss to Napoli, and their Champions League campaign hanging on a thread, the game against a rested Liverpool team that boasts a great head-to-head record against City, could in the eyes of antagonists not be timed any better. Even with ten men for the last 10 minutes of the game, City managed to record only their second draw of the campaign and with their five-point lead still intact, should still feel comfortable in the title race.
The real test for Mancini will be how to keep his troops grounded even against the league’s bottom teams that sometimes play with a bold “nothing to lose” attitude that could catch City out. After all, last season it took a dogged Wolves performance to end Man United’s long unbeaten run. There will be games against teams like Arsenal and Man United that should get better as the season progresses, and are marshaled by seasoned generals who will be extra motivated to deny City such a prestigious coup. Tottenham as well have continued to improve and have a great record against City while Chelsea is bound to end their miserable run against City at some point.
Like United’s 1999 treble, I believe the Gunners 2003/2004 run is a one off that will not be repeated, at least not in the near future. Luck has to align with ability and hunger, but luck is especially not an aspect that is easy to sustain through a season. If City can survive the December 7th – 18th period, where they have a tough run of games against Bayern Munich, Chelsea and Arsenal, they just may be in line to make lightning strike again!
The first challenge facing Mancini is how to keep the egos of his overpaid stars in check and create a team spirit in his dressing room to win titles. Much like Steve Kean at Blackburn, Mancini’s appointment left a sour taste of unfairness as his predecessor was arguably doing a great job. Having won the club’s first trophy in 34 years, Mancini can now command a “top-dog” authority, casting the shadow of last season’s talisman, Tevez, in his wake.
The next possible obstacle would be balancing the rigors European football with the domestic season. However, with a squad so deep their reserves could win the league, surely City’s rivals are only clinging onto branches that City’s squad could be stretched so thin. Take into account the experience of their manager as well as that of most of their squad, and again one cannot help but feel that City have all the tools to break records.
The tougher test is probably how the team will cope with the pressure of being title favorites and their response to a loss in other competitions. On the back of City’s loss to Napoli, and their Champions League campaign hanging on a thread, the game against a rested Liverpool team that boasts a great head-to-head record against City, could in the eyes of antagonists not be timed any better. Even with ten men for the last 10 minutes of the game, City managed to record only their second draw of the campaign and with their five-point lead still intact, should still feel comfortable in the title race.
The real test for Mancini will be how to keep his troops grounded even against the league’s bottom teams that sometimes play with a bold “nothing to lose” attitude that could catch City out. After all, last season it took a dogged Wolves performance to end Man United’s long unbeaten run. There will be games against teams like Arsenal and Man United that should get better as the season progresses, and are marshaled by seasoned generals who will be extra motivated to deny City such a prestigious coup. Tottenham as well have continued to improve and have a great record against City while Chelsea is bound to end their miserable run against City at some point.
Like United’s 1999 treble, I believe the Gunners 2003/2004 run is a one off that will not be repeated, at least not in the near future. Luck has to align with ability and hunger, but luck is especially not an aspect that is easy to sustain through a season. If City can survive the December 7th – 18th period, where they have a tough run of games against Bayern Munich, Chelsea and Arsenal, they just may be in line to make lightning strike again!
Sunday, November 13, 2011
Defense or attack for Premier League Success?
Winning titles is what traditionally separates great teams from “also runs”. The count of World Cups won, League titles and Champions League trophies are what make Brazil and Real Madrid the most successful teams in international soccer. A desire to join the elite group of successful teams has seen a new crop of money loaded club-owners relentlessly splash out on stars in their quest for titles.
Like Roman Abramovich, many soccer sugar daddies soon realize that like wealth, thirst for success is not easily quenched. Mourinho may have won Chelsea’s first English League title in 50 years and followed it up with another, but failure to deliver a Champions League title and style led to his unceremonious departure from Stamford Bridge. Mourinho’s fellow professionals are quickly realizing the paradox of money for success. Money may allow them to assemble a fantasy team but it forces upon them unbearable weight of expectation and impatience from owners and fans. Word has it that Big Sam at Blackburn joined the Venky’s slaughtered chicken because he did not buy into the belief that they could earn Champions League football by investing £5 million in player purchases!
Unfortunately the source of pressure on managers is not all in-house, and past success does not always result in trust. Sir Alex Ferguson and Arsene Wenger may be the most successful managers currently in the English game but last season they were united by contrasting forces. Alright, it may have actually been the same force, “criticism”, but they were criticized for totally opposite reasons. Wenger presented a stylish Arsenal that delivered a sixth consecutive trophy-less season while Ferguson’s United had no flair in its delivery of a forth trophy in five seasons.
Arsene reacted with an out of character nine signings, most of them experienced or at least older than the kids that have been used as an excuse for the recent trophy drought. Sir Alex returned with youth as replacement for his older heads to deliver more speed and flair that earned plaudits until United received a reality check from their noisy neighbors. United have since responded with a more conservative approach that has seen them keep four consecutive clean sheets with less adventurous style. So is attack or defense more essential for success in the EPL?
Attack will undoubtedly earn your team the praise of neutrals and envy by opposition that Barcelona enjoys. Unless it is followed up by similar success on the field, players and fans soon cease to buy into the manager’s philosophy and a restlessness that only benefits the likes of endless-spending Man City soon develops.
Defense on the other hand is the foundation upon which Mourinho ended Chelsea’s trophy famine and Pardew has established Newcastle’s surprise elevation in league standing this season. For all the talk of attack that has been said as a tribute to Sir Alex’s 25 great years at United, it was a defense of steel that delivered United’s last competitive match victory against a Barcelona side that has deprived him of the European dominance his genius deserves.
Teams like Wolves, Stoke and Blackburn have recently endured criticism for their defensive tactics, but it is these are tactics that have probably kept them in the premier league. Stoke have particularly been able to use defense as a foundation upon which they have added some attacking flair, allowing them to punch their way into top- half- of- the- table finishes.
United the new undisputed most successful team in English League soccer, deposed leaders Liverpool, former champions Chelsea and current league leaders Manchester City have all recently placed plenty of focus on attack. Unless they have a foundation of defense, these teams will unfortunately fall short of their aspirations for this season. Success in this league calls for plenty of organization in defense, covered by a steel-silk midfield combo to also link offense and an unpredictable attack. They may have started the season as outsiders for even a top four finish, but one team that is currently effectively displaying the desired mix is Spurs. A healthy Ledley King and the inspirational signings of Scott Parker and Adebayor have provided the perfect ingredients for an improved Spurs that may soon prove to be the true challengers to a league that threatened to be Manchester dominated.
Like Roman Abramovich, many soccer sugar daddies soon realize that like wealth, thirst for success is not easily quenched. Mourinho may have won Chelsea’s first English League title in 50 years and followed it up with another, but failure to deliver a Champions League title and style led to his unceremonious departure from Stamford Bridge. Mourinho’s fellow professionals are quickly realizing the paradox of money for success. Money may allow them to assemble a fantasy team but it forces upon them unbearable weight of expectation and impatience from owners and fans. Word has it that Big Sam at Blackburn joined the Venky’s slaughtered chicken because he did not buy into the belief that they could earn Champions League football by investing £5 million in player purchases!
Unfortunately the source of pressure on managers is not all in-house, and past success does not always result in trust. Sir Alex Ferguson and Arsene Wenger may be the most successful managers currently in the English game but last season they were united by contrasting forces. Alright, it may have actually been the same force, “criticism”, but they were criticized for totally opposite reasons. Wenger presented a stylish Arsenal that delivered a sixth consecutive trophy-less season while Ferguson’s United had no flair in its delivery of a forth trophy in five seasons.
Arsene reacted with an out of character nine signings, most of them experienced or at least older than the kids that have been used as an excuse for the recent trophy drought. Sir Alex returned with youth as replacement for his older heads to deliver more speed and flair that earned plaudits until United received a reality check from their noisy neighbors. United have since responded with a more conservative approach that has seen them keep four consecutive clean sheets with less adventurous style. So is attack or defense more essential for success in the EPL?
Attack will undoubtedly earn your team the praise of neutrals and envy by opposition that Barcelona enjoys. Unless it is followed up by similar success on the field, players and fans soon cease to buy into the manager’s philosophy and a restlessness that only benefits the likes of endless-spending Man City soon develops.
Defense on the other hand is the foundation upon which Mourinho ended Chelsea’s trophy famine and Pardew has established Newcastle’s surprise elevation in league standing this season. For all the talk of attack that has been said as a tribute to Sir Alex’s 25 great years at United, it was a defense of steel that delivered United’s last competitive match victory against a Barcelona side that has deprived him of the European dominance his genius deserves.
Teams like Wolves, Stoke and Blackburn have recently endured criticism for their defensive tactics, but it is these are tactics that have probably kept them in the premier league. Stoke have particularly been able to use defense as a foundation upon which they have added some attacking flair, allowing them to punch their way into top- half- of- the- table finishes.
United the new undisputed most successful team in English League soccer, deposed leaders Liverpool, former champions Chelsea and current league leaders Manchester City have all recently placed plenty of focus on attack. Unless they have a foundation of defense, these teams will unfortunately fall short of their aspirations for this season. Success in this league calls for plenty of organization in defense, covered by a steel-silk midfield combo to also link offense and an unpredictable attack. They may have started the season as outsiders for even a top four finish, but one team that is currently effectively displaying the desired mix is Spurs. A healthy Ledley King and the inspirational signings of Scott Parker and Adebayor have provided the perfect ingredients for an improved Spurs that may soon prove to be the true challengers to a league that threatened to be Manchester dominated.
Saturday, September 24, 2011
Predicting the Premier League’s B’s
With Arsene finally aligning his Arsenal to gun down opposition and their conquerors of last week, Blackburn losing to drop into the relegation zone, we need no reminding about how long a week in this league can be. Bolton who were this week’s victims of the resurgent gooners are firmly rooted at the foot of the table, stark contrast to last season’s dizzy heights when they were early in the season challenging for fourth place.
Ironic that Bolton legendary manager, big Sam who kept willing investors into a Blackburn side that was clearly punching above its weight during his reign was sacked only a few matches after his wish was realized. While the reasons for his sacking remain mysterious to this day, the promises made of Champions’ League football and marquee player signings highlight the naivety of the club’s new owners given that they have only invested pocket change into their squad. The promotion of first-team coach Steve Kean to his first managerial role had “gamble” written all over it and unfortunately his record since has Blackburn as the bookies favorites for relegation.
The transfer window may have destabilized Blackburn’s defense with the departure of the magnificent Phil Jones, but the fact that the deal was closed so early during the transfer window for a juicy £17m gave Steve Kean enough time and money to improve his squad. The fact that Blackburn still failed to attract significant quality is either testimony to the fact that the new owners are frugal business men who sought to hire a grateful novice manager that would not question their lack of vision, or Steve Kean simply does not have the ability to win the confidence of ambitious professionals. On paper you could say that Steve has shrewdly strengthened his squad in various positions, but with the sense of injustice surrounding his predecessor’s departure and Blackburn fans quickly turning against him, he will have to demonstrate astute management and a thick skin to keep himself in the job and his side in the division for another season.
Bolton fans on the other hand welcomed the long overdue replacement of “clueless” Gary Megson in January 2010. They were delighted to see the return of former player and hero Owen Coyle who looked pure genius for the scalps he claimed as manager at Burnley and the free flowing football they treated the league to. Indeed his return to Bolton was greeted by a honey moon period that saw his side not only display more entertaining football but were clearly dreaming of a return to Europe during the first half of last season.
The turning point for Coyle’s reign seems to have been the FA Cup semi-final collapse to Stoke City last season. Despite thrashing QPR in a perfect opening game to the season that had them sitting at the top of the table, Bolton has since failed to add to their points tally and have quickly wandered their way to the foot of the table. Bolton are failing to compensate for the loss of last season’s surprise star, Johan Elmander, and have scored only once since the opening day fantasy. Chris Eagles and David Ngog look like quality additions, and Coyle will be hoping that his loan signings are as influential as Sturridge was during the second half of last season. Should he emerge from this bad run before the fans and ownership lose their patience, it should make great learning experience for Coyle’s young managerial career. He should soon steer his troops away from the relegation zone and get Bolton into their right place just below mid table.
BLACKBURN
Players in: David Goodwillie (Dundee United, £2.8m), Radosav Petrovic (Partizan Belgrade, undisclosed), Simon Vukcevic (Sporting Lisbon, undisclosed), Scott Dann (Birmingham, undisclosed), Yakubu (Everton, undisclosed), Jordan Slew (Sheffield United, £1m)
Players out: Phil Jones (Manchester United, £17m), Frank Fielding (Derby, £300,000), Jason Brown, Zurab Khizanishvili, Maceo Rigters (all released), Benjani Mwaruwari (Portsmouth, free), Keith Andrews (Ipswich, loan), Nikola Kalinic (Dnipro, undisclosed), Brett Emerton (Sydney FC, free).
BOLTON WANDERERS
Players in: Darren Pratley (Swansea, free), Nigel Reo-Coker (Bolton, free), Chris Eagles and Tyrone Mears (Burnley, joint £3m), Tuncay Sanli (Wolfsburg, season loan), Dedryck Boyata (Manchester City, loan), Gael Kakuta (Chelsea, loan until January), David Ngog (Liverpool, £4m).
Players out: Joey O'Brien (West Ham, free), Johan Elmander, Jlloyd Samuel, Tamir Cohen (all released), Ali Al-Habsi (Wigan, £4m), Matt Taylor (West Ham, £2.2m), Danny Ward (Huddersfield, £1m).
Ironic that Bolton legendary manager, big Sam who kept willing investors into a Blackburn side that was clearly punching above its weight during his reign was sacked only a few matches after his wish was realized. While the reasons for his sacking remain mysterious to this day, the promises made of Champions’ League football and marquee player signings highlight the naivety of the club’s new owners given that they have only invested pocket change into their squad. The promotion of first-team coach Steve Kean to his first managerial role had “gamble” written all over it and unfortunately his record since has Blackburn as the bookies favorites for relegation.
The transfer window may have destabilized Blackburn’s defense with the departure of the magnificent Phil Jones, but the fact that the deal was closed so early during the transfer window for a juicy £17m gave Steve Kean enough time and money to improve his squad. The fact that Blackburn still failed to attract significant quality is either testimony to the fact that the new owners are frugal business men who sought to hire a grateful novice manager that would not question their lack of vision, or Steve Kean simply does not have the ability to win the confidence of ambitious professionals. On paper you could say that Steve has shrewdly strengthened his squad in various positions, but with the sense of injustice surrounding his predecessor’s departure and Blackburn fans quickly turning against him, he will have to demonstrate astute management and a thick skin to keep himself in the job and his side in the division for another season.
Bolton fans on the other hand welcomed the long overdue replacement of “clueless” Gary Megson in January 2010. They were delighted to see the return of former player and hero Owen Coyle who looked pure genius for the scalps he claimed as manager at Burnley and the free flowing football they treated the league to. Indeed his return to Bolton was greeted by a honey moon period that saw his side not only display more entertaining football but were clearly dreaming of a return to Europe during the first half of last season.
The turning point for Coyle’s reign seems to have been the FA Cup semi-final collapse to Stoke City last season. Despite thrashing QPR in a perfect opening game to the season that had them sitting at the top of the table, Bolton has since failed to add to their points tally and have quickly wandered their way to the foot of the table. Bolton are failing to compensate for the loss of last season’s surprise star, Johan Elmander, and have scored only once since the opening day fantasy. Chris Eagles and David Ngog look like quality additions, and Coyle will be hoping that his loan signings are as influential as Sturridge was during the second half of last season. Should he emerge from this bad run before the fans and ownership lose their patience, it should make great learning experience for Coyle’s young managerial career. He should soon steer his troops away from the relegation zone and get Bolton into their right place just below mid table.
BLACKBURN
Players in: David Goodwillie (Dundee United, £2.8m), Radosav Petrovic (Partizan Belgrade, undisclosed), Simon Vukcevic (Sporting Lisbon, undisclosed), Scott Dann (Birmingham, undisclosed), Yakubu (Everton, undisclosed), Jordan Slew (Sheffield United, £1m)
Players out: Phil Jones (Manchester United, £17m), Frank Fielding (Derby, £300,000), Jason Brown, Zurab Khizanishvili, Maceo Rigters (all released), Benjani Mwaruwari (Portsmouth, free), Keith Andrews (Ipswich, loan), Nikola Kalinic (Dnipro, undisclosed), Brett Emerton (Sydney FC, free).
BOLTON WANDERERS
Players in: Darren Pratley (Swansea, free), Nigel Reo-Coker (Bolton, free), Chris Eagles and Tyrone Mears (Burnley, joint £3m), Tuncay Sanli (Wolfsburg, season loan), Dedryck Boyata (Manchester City, loan), Gael Kakuta (Chelsea, loan until January), David Ngog (Liverpool, £4m).
Players out: Joey O'Brien (West Ham, free), Johan Elmander, Jlloyd Samuel, Tamir Cohen (all released), Ali Al-Habsi (Wigan, £4m), Matt Taylor (West Ham, £2.2m), Danny Ward (Huddersfield, £1m).
Friday, September 16, 2011
Predicting the Premier League’s A’s
This season’s predictions will start with team by team analysis from Arsenal to Wolves. Arsenal and Aston Villa are two teams that thanks to their alphabetical placing, sat at the top of the table before a ball was kicked this season. It is only 4 rounds into the 38 rounds season, but the ease with which both relinquished their top of the table status for the current 12th and 8th positions they respectively occupy will give fans little optimism that they will return to the top.
Arsenal fans hoped that they would seek quality defensive reinforcements to allow them sustain a title challenge following last season’s late painful collapse. They were frustrated at the lack of transfer activity to address this obvious weakness as the season kicked off. As painful an experience as the massacre at Old Trafford was for Arsenal fans, it finally kicked reality into Wenger’s head and he responded by bringing his summer expenditure to a whopping £ 51 million! Desperate times call for drastic measures and indeed Wenger signed 5 players over 25 years old to bring much needed experience. That 5 of Arsenal’s 8 signings came in the last 3 days of the window, just after they were thrashed may have indicated panic, but this recklessness may have finally brought together the variety in style, experience and stature the Gunners have been desperate for to attain success. Contrary to the excuse that youth is the reason for Arsenal’s lack of silverware in recent years, the squad was simply too similar in style, stature and attitude. While fans’ optimism is growing mainly because of the signings of Gervinho, Arteta and Mertesacker, it is the emergence of Frimpong that may just allow Wenger to end the season with his reputation as a developer of young talent intact.
Aston Villa fans were in rage when the idea of signing manager Alex McLeish from bitter rivals Birmingham was floated. The owner ignored their protests to sign Alex and went ahead to start balancing the club’s books following lavish spending of the Gerard Houllier and Martin O'Neill eras. The club is now returning to relative calm as McLeish demonstrated during the transfer window that he could wisely deal by signing real quality in Shay Given and Charles N'Zogbia. There is no doubt that the latter cannot make up for the loss Downing and Young, but the loan signing of Jermaine Jenas may bring much improvement to the middle of the park, an area that was desperately weak last season. The only positive for Villa last season was the development of Marc Albrighton, and if he continues developing at the same pace this season, Villa fans may continue to enjoy real quality wing play. Most critical though for McLeish will be reviving loyalty and belief from players like Stephen Ireland, Gabriel Agbonlahor and Stephen Warnock. If these players can play to their potential, they will all be like quality new signings for Villa and the fans could ironically warm up to the man they once considered enemy.
Fans from both Arsenal and Aston Villa endured a summer to forget, mainly disgruntled at the loss of two of their respective biggest stars to greener pastures. Disappointed as they were at their loss, no fan can argue with the fact that their former heroes were justified in moving on, if there is truth in their stated reasons of leaving for silverware rather than money. The new reality to fans of these two clubs is probably as painful as it is most households in today’s economy as adjustments to expectations are made. For Arsenal, recent seasons begun with talk about reclaiming the title, while this season’s talk is about whether they can hold off the challenge of big spending Liverpool and make it 15 consecutive seasons in the champion’s league. Aston Villa on the other hand, as recently as three seasons ago were disappointed with missing out on Champions League football but would now give anything to get into the Europa League this season.
ARSENAL
Players in: Carl Jenkinson (Charlton, £1m*), Gervinho (Lille, £10.7m*), Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain (Southampton, initial £12million), Joel Campbell (Deportivo Saprissa, undisclosed), Park Chu-young (Monaco, £3m-5m*), Andre Santos (Fenerbahce, £6.2m*), Per Mertesacker (Werder Bremen, £8m*), Yossi Benayoun (Chelsea, season loan), Mikel Arteta (Everton, £10million).
Players out: Gael Clichy (Manchester City, £7m*), Denilson (Sao Paulo, season loan), Jay Emmanuel-Thomas (Ipswich, £1.5m-£2m*), Kyle Bartley (Rangers, season loan), Cesc Fabregas (Barcelona, £35m*), Emmanuel Eboue (Galatasaray, £3m*), Carlos Vela (Real Sociedad, season loan), Samir Nasri (Manchester City, £25m*), Armand Traore (QPR, undisclosed), Joel Campbell (Lorient, season loan), Gilles Sunu (Lorient, undisclosed), Henri Lansbury (West Ham, season loan), Nicklas Bendtner (Sunderland, season loan).
ASTON VILLA
Players in: Shay Given (Manchester City, £3.5m*), Charles N'Zogbia (Wigan, £9.5m*), Alan Hutton (Tottenham, undisclosed), Jermaine Jenas (Tottenham, season loan).
Players out: Nigel Reo-Coker (Bolton, free), John Carew (West Ham, free), Robert Pires, Moustapha Salifou, Isaiah Osbourne (all released), Brad Friedel (Tottenham, free), Ashley Young (Manchester United, £16m*), Stewart Downing (Liverpool, £20m*), Luke Young (QPR, undisclosed), Jean Makoun (Olympiacos, season loan).
Arsenal fans hoped that they would seek quality defensive reinforcements to allow them sustain a title challenge following last season’s late painful collapse. They were frustrated at the lack of transfer activity to address this obvious weakness as the season kicked off. As painful an experience as the massacre at Old Trafford was for Arsenal fans, it finally kicked reality into Wenger’s head and he responded by bringing his summer expenditure to a whopping £ 51 million! Desperate times call for drastic measures and indeed Wenger signed 5 players over 25 years old to bring much needed experience. That 5 of Arsenal’s 8 signings came in the last 3 days of the window, just after they were thrashed may have indicated panic, but this recklessness may have finally brought together the variety in style, experience and stature the Gunners have been desperate for to attain success. Contrary to the excuse that youth is the reason for Arsenal’s lack of silverware in recent years, the squad was simply too similar in style, stature and attitude. While fans’ optimism is growing mainly because of the signings of Gervinho, Arteta and Mertesacker, it is the emergence of Frimpong that may just allow Wenger to end the season with his reputation as a developer of young talent intact.
Aston Villa fans were in rage when the idea of signing manager Alex McLeish from bitter rivals Birmingham was floated. The owner ignored their protests to sign Alex and went ahead to start balancing the club’s books following lavish spending of the Gerard Houllier and Martin O'Neill eras. The club is now returning to relative calm as McLeish demonstrated during the transfer window that he could wisely deal by signing real quality in Shay Given and Charles N'Zogbia. There is no doubt that the latter cannot make up for the loss Downing and Young, but the loan signing of Jermaine Jenas may bring much improvement to the middle of the park, an area that was desperately weak last season. The only positive for Villa last season was the development of Marc Albrighton, and if he continues developing at the same pace this season, Villa fans may continue to enjoy real quality wing play. Most critical though for McLeish will be reviving loyalty and belief from players like Stephen Ireland, Gabriel Agbonlahor and Stephen Warnock. If these players can play to their potential, they will all be like quality new signings for Villa and the fans could ironically warm up to the man they once considered enemy.
Fans from both Arsenal and Aston Villa endured a summer to forget, mainly disgruntled at the loss of two of their respective biggest stars to greener pastures. Disappointed as they were at their loss, no fan can argue with the fact that their former heroes were justified in moving on, if there is truth in their stated reasons of leaving for silverware rather than money. The new reality to fans of these two clubs is probably as painful as it is most households in today’s economy as adjustments to expectations are made. For Arsenal, recent seasons begun with talk about reclaiming the title, while this season’s talk is about whether they can hold off the challenge of big spending Liverpool and make it 15 consecutive seasons in the champion’s league. Aston Villa on the other hand, as recently as three seasons ago were disappointed with missing out on Champions League football but would now give anything to get into the Europa League this season.
ARSENAL
Players in: Carl Jenkinson (Charlton, £1m*), Gervinho (Lille, £10.7m*), Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain (Southampton, initial £12million), Joel Campbell (Deportivo Saprissa, undisclosed), Park Chu-young (Monaco, £3m-5m*), Andre Santos (Fenerbahce, £6.2m*), Per Mertesacker (Werder Bremen, £8m*), Yossi Benayoun (Chelsea, season loan), Mikel Arteta (Everton, £10million).
Players out: Gael Clichy (Manchester City, £7m*), Denilson (Sao Paulo, season loan), Jay Emmanuel-Thomas (Ipswich, £1.5m-£2m*), Kyle Bartley (Rangers, season loan), Cesc Fabregas (Barcelona, £35m*), Emmanuel Eboue (Galatasaray, £3m*), Carlos Vela (Real Sociedad, season loan), Samir Nasri (Manchester City, £25m*), Armand Traore (QPR, undisclosed), Joel Campbell (Lorient, season loan), Gilles Sunu (Lorient, undisclosed), Henri Lansbury (West Ham, season loan), Nicklas Bendtner (Sunderland, season loan).
ASTON VILLA
Players in: Shay Given (Manchester City, £3.5m*), Charles N'Zogbia (Wigan, £9.5m*), Alan Hutton (Tottenham, undisclosed), Jermaine Jenas (Tottenham, season loan).
Players out: Nigel Reo-Coker (Bolton, free), John Carew (West Ham, free), Robert Pires, Moustapha Salifou, Isaiah Osbourne (all released), Brad Friedel (Tottenham, free), Ashley Young (Manchester United, £16m*), Stewart Downing (Liverpool, £20m*), Luke Young (QPR, undisclosed), Jean Makoun (Olympiacos, season loan).
Thursday, August 11, 2011
EPL is back and so are the predictions!
It is exciting times again as the dawn of a new EPL season is upon us!
Player movement continues until August 31st and while the next 19 days will give certain fans more confidence about their team’s fortunes in the season ahead, for others it may be total heart break.
While fans at the Emirates Stadium have been biting their nails anxiously about who they might lose, United’s noisy neighbors have been rubbing their hands about who they might sign. Both sets of fans must be so disgusted about the recurrent transfer tag of war that their captains subject them to every transfer window; they are now ready to say good riddance to their heroes. The destiny of their respective clubs in the new season will however depend on their respective managers finding the right balance between their vastly different personalities. Wenger will need to give up his frugal style purchases and add some steel to his defense and midfield, while Mancini will need to take more adventure and allow his lavishly assembled talent to express themselves especially against the big teams.
Anfield will be reeling after they were recently knocked off their perch as England’s most successful club, but in Daglish they have a man who eats and breathes Liverpool. With the backing of a generous check book that has allowed him to sign over £ 100 million worth of talent during his short reign, the fans are justifiably optimistic. Their conquerors at Old Trafford though embarking on a massive rebuilding spree that has seen the need to replace old war heads will have been encouraged by the promise of the young lads coming through. After the success of what is commonly labeled “Class ‘99”, these kids will know that unlike Emirates, youth is not an excuse for failing to win silverware at Old Trafford.
One side that does not go into field battle with kids is Chelsea. The question is whether their Mourinho era Warlords are too old to last the distance, or if they have just the right blend of experience that their undoubtedly intelligent but youthful coach needs to continue his trophy laden career.
Chelsea has so far succeeded in keeping their London rivals Tottenham on the back foot as they battle to keep Modric, their prized asset away from Chelsea’s clutches. With no acquisitions for a Spurs’ squad that was stretched so thin last season by the rigors of Champions League football, the White Hart Lane faithful must be concerned that for them, this may be one of those seasons to forget.
With the promotion of Queens Park Rangers, one thing London will not have in short supply is local derbies. West Ham may have been relegated but together with Fulham, QPR complete the traditional roaster of five London teams competing in the EPL. The Craven Cottage faithful may have taken encouragement from Jol’s replacement of the ungrateful Hughes as manager, but QPR will be relying on Warnock’s hunger to prove he can keep a team in the division after his Sheffield United woes.
The battle to stay in the division will traditionally be one that the other promoted sides; Norwich City and Swansea will have also braced themselves for. The former brings excellent English football tradition to the EPL while the latter will have EPL teams facing an unfamiliar trip to Wales. Given their limited transfer activity so far, the battle against relegation is one that last season’s final day survivors; Wigan, Wolves and Blackburn will expect to join.
Sunderland have been busy using the check they received from Liverpool’s Henderson purchase to assemble a full team. The question fans at the Stadium of Light will be asking of Bruce is whether this team will have the stamina to sustain their Europa League qualification challenge through the second half of the season.
Unlike Chelsea, Sunderland's derby rivals with black and white stripes have got rid of their proven EPL Warlords and replaced them with less illustrious bargains. Whether St. James’ Park will have joy or remorse will determine whether Pardew will finally be taken to heart by these most faithful of fans.
Other interesting events were at Villa Park who had the audacity to sign their manager from bitter rivals Birmingham. Having lost their two star players, McLeish will have to hit the ground running if he is to avoid a backlash from the fans.
Stoke have surprisingly thrown their weight around during this transfer window and should have some more exciting EPL games to supplement their Europa League adventure. A survey last season indicated that Man City fans were the happiest set in the league, a title that looks like shifting to the Britannia Stadium this time around.
Bolton Wanderers, Everton and West Brom complete the lineup with the division’s arguably most shrewd shoestring budget managers. Top half of the table finishes may just be enough to please their respective fans that have learned to be realistic about their clubs’ ambitions.
Watch this space for predictions through the season about who will win the title, Champions League qualifiers, Europa League qualifiers and Relegation candidates. Have your say!
Player movement continues until August 31st and while the next 19 days will give certain fans more confidence about their team’s fortunes in the season ahead, for others it may be total heart break.
While fans at the Emirates Stadium have been biting their nails anxiously about who they might lose, United’s noisy neighbors have been rubbing their hands about who they might sign. Both sets of fans must be so disgusted about the recurrent transfer tag of war that their captains subject them to every transfer window; they are now ready to say good riddance to their heroes. The destiny of their respective clubs in the new season will however depend on their respective managers finding the right balance between their vastly different personalities. Wenger will need to give up his frugal style purchases and add some steel to his defense and midfield, while Mancini will need to take more adventure and allow his lavishly assembled talent to express themselves especially against the big teams.
Anfield will be reeling after they were recently knocked off their perch as England’s most successful club, but in Daglish they have a man who eats and breathes Liverpool. With the backing of a generous check book that has allowed him to sign over £ 100 million worth of talent during his short reign, the fans are justifiably optimistic. Their conquerors at Old Trafford though embarking on a massive rebuilding spree that has seen the need to replace old war heads will have been encouraged by the promise of the young lads coming through. After the success of what is commonly labeled “Class ‘99”, these kids will know that unlike Emirates, youth is not an excuse for failing to win silverware at Old Trafford.
One side that does not go into field battle with kids is Chelsea. The question is whether their Mourinho era Warlords are too old to last the distance, or if they have just the right blend of experience that their undoubtedly intelligent but youthful coach needs to continue his trophy laden career.
Chelsea has so far succeeded in keeping their London rivals Tottenham on the back foot as they battle to keep Modric, their prized asset away from Chelsea’s clutches. With no acquisitions for a Spurs’ squad that was stretched so thin last season by the rigors of Champions League football, the White Hart Lane faithful must be concerned that for them, this may be one of those seasons to forget.
With the promotion of Queens Park Rangers, one thing London will not have in short supply is local derbies. West Ham may have been relegated but together with Fulham, QPR complete the traditional roaster of five London teams competing in the EPL. The Craven Cottage faithful may have taken encouragement from Jol’s replacement of the ungrateful Hughes as manager, but QPR will be relying on Warnock’s hunger to prove he can keep a team in the division after his Sheffield United woes.
The battle to stay in the division will traditionally be one that the other promoted sides; Norwich City and Swansea will have also braced themselves for. The former brings excellent English football tradition to the EPL while the latter will have EPL teams facing an unfamiliar trip to Wales. Given their limited transfer activity so far, the battle against relegation is one that last season’s final day survivors; Wigan, Wolves and Blackburn will expect to join.
Sunderland have been busy using the check they received from Liverpool’s Henderson purchase to assemble a full team. The question fans at the Stadium of Light will be asking of Bruce is whether this team will have the stamina to sustain their Europa League qualification challenge through the second half of the season.
Unlike Chelsea, Sunderland's derby rivals with black and white stripes have got rid of their proven EPL Warlords and replaced them with less illustrious bargains. Whether St. James’ Park will have joy or remorse will determine whether Pardew will finally be taken to heart by these most faithful of fans.
Other interesting events were at Villa Park who had the audacity to sign their manager from bitter rivals Birmingham. Having lost their two star players, McLeish will have to hit the ground running if he is to avoid a backlash from the fans.
Stoke have surprisingly thrown their weight around during this transfer window and should have some more exciting EPL games to supplement their Europa League adventure. A survey last season indicated that Man City fans were the happiest set in the league, a title that looks like shifting to the Britannia Stadium this time around.
Bolton Wanderers, Everton and West Brom complete the lineup with the division’s arguably most shrewd shoestring budget managers. Top half of the table finishes may just be enough to please their respective fans that have learned to be realistic about their clubs’ ambitions.
Watch this space for predictions through the season about who will win the title, Champions League qualifiers, Europa League qualifiers and Relegation candidates. Have your say!
Friday, May 20, 2011
Who Will Ride the Titanic with West Ham?
For what has been labeled the most unpredictable and tightest season in recent history, the only anti-climax is that Man United and West Ham United were respectively crowned champions and relegated last week. While the former United succeeded because of a unified resoluteness that saw them defy critics, the latter flimsily surrendered winning positions, more tellingly last week when they sealed their fate in the match against Wigan.
Thanks to that last ditch victory courtesy of some N’Zogbia magic, Wigan live to fight another day against FA Cup finalists Stoke City. With four other teams separated by just one point, for once center stage will be occupied by the strugglers in the finely poised table below:
Team GF GD PTS
15. Blackburn 43 -14 40
16. Wolves 44 -19 40
17. Birmingham 36 -20 39
18. Blackpool 53 -21 39
19. Wigan 39 -22 39
20. West Ham 43 -24 33
Center Stage
Stoke City v Wigan Athletic
Wolves v Blackburn Rovers
Tottenham Hotspur v Birmingham City
Manchester United v Blackpool
Wigan will be hoping that a Stoke City side that looked more like the walking wounded at the end of the FA Cup final will be missing many of their stars, and will be under the same hangover that clouded Birmingham’s season after a rare Wembley visit. Wigan will need to show a lot more fight than they have shown all season in order to stand a chance. Arguably the league’s most unpredictable side, it would be crazy to bet against Wigan until one can see which side they chose to show on Sunday.
Victory over Stoke will give Wigan the chance they need to leapfrog Birmingham into safety if the latter fails to find the better of a Spurs side that will be fighting to retain direct entry into the Europa League. Birmingham’s tie is on paper the toughest given that Spurs also has lost only once at home for the best home record in the league after Manchester United. Birmingham on the other hand has won only twice away from home all season.
Blackpool also hoping to leapfrog Birmingham into safety will be hoping to get a better result than Wigan when they visit the Champions, unbeaten at home all season. Blackpool’s hope will be that the eagerly anticipated Champions League final will distract United from continuing a record breaking run of consecutive home victories. However, United’s recent thrashing of Schalke with a shadow side will give Blackpool no consolation.
Wolves hosting Blackburn is promising to be a real cup final! For all the satisfaction Blackburn must have felt in settling for a draw against the champions last week, they should be worried about a resurgent Wolves side that gives away very little at home. It is also very unlikely that McCarthy will roll the dice and settle for a draw given that Blackburn with a better goal difference will have more to gain. If any two of Birmingham, Blackpool or Wigan win their games, a draw would relegate Wolves, while a win by all three would see both Wolves and Blackburn relegated with a draw.
It is so tight; relegation could be determined by goal difference or even goals scored (GF). If Wolves or Blackburn win, the loser would be relegated with the last relegation place going to the team with the worst goal difference - or even goals scored - out of Birmingham, Blackpool and Wigan. Given that they are currently separated by just two goals, if Birmingham, Blackpool and Wigan all lose then the two with the worst goal difference - or goals scored - will go down.
If I had to predict which two from this lot will go down, I would have to go for Wigan and Birmingham. However, I have a strong feeling Blackburn and Wigan could just swap places in a measure of justice against the new Blackburn owners who unjustifiably sacked Sam Allardyce.
Thanks to that last ditch victory courtesy of some N’Zogbia magic, Wigan live to fight another day against FA Cup finalists Stoke City. With four other teams separated by just one point, for once center stage will be occupied by the strugglers in the finely poised table below:
Team GF GD PTS
15. Blackburn 43 -14 40
16. Wolves 44 -19 40
17. Birmingham 36 -20 39
18. Blackpool 53 -21 39
19. Wigan 39 -22 39
20. West Ham 43 -24 33
Center Stage
Stoke City v Wigan Athletic
Wolves v Blackburn Rovers
Tottenham Hotspur v Birmingham City
Manchester United v Blackpool
Wigan will be hoping that a Stoke City side that looked more like the walking wounded at the end of the FA Cup final will be missing many of their stars, and will be under the same hangover that clouded Birmingham’s season after a rare Wembley visit. Wigan will need to show a lot more fight than they have shown all season in order to stand a chance. Arguably the league’s most unpredictable side, it would be crazy to bet against Wigan until one can see which side they chose to show on Sunday.
Victory over Stoke will give Wigan the chance they need to leapfrog Birmingham into safety if the latter fails to find the better of a Spurs side that will be fighting to retain direct entry into the Europa League. Birmingham’s tie is on paper the toughest given that Spurs also has lost only once at home for the best home record in the league after Manchester United. Birmingham on the other hand has won only twice away from home all season.
Blackpool also hoping to leapfrog Birmingham into safety will be hoping to get a better result than Wigan when they visit the Champions, unbeaten at home all season. Blackpool’s hope will be that the eagerly anticipated Champions League final will distract United from continuing a record breaking run of consecutive home victories. However, United’s recent thrashing of Schalke with a shadow side will give Blackpool no consolation.
Wolves hosting Blackburn is promising to be a real cup final! For all the satisfaction Blackburn must have felt in settling for a draw against the champions last week, they should be worried about a resurgent Wolves side that gives away very little at home. It is also very unlikely that McCarthy will roll the dice and settle for a draw given that Blackburn with a better goal difference will have more to gain. If any two of Birmingham, Blackpool or Wigan win their games, a draw would relegate Wolves, while a win by all three would see both Wolves and Blackburn relegated with a draw.
It is so tight; relegation could be determined by goal difference or even goals scored (GF). If Wolves or Blackburn win, the loser would be relegated with the last relegation place going to the team with the worst goal difference - or even goals scored - out of Birmingham, Blackpool and Wigan. Given that they are currently separated by just two goals, if Birmingham, Blackpool and Wigan all lose then the two with the worst goal difference - or goals scored - will go down.
If I had to predict which two from this lot will go down, I would have to go for Wigan and Birmingham. However, I have a strong feeling Blackburn and Wigan could just swap places in a measure of justice against the new Blackburn owners who unjustifiably sacked Sam Allardyce.
Saturday, May 14, 2011
How Did an Unconvincing Man United Win the Premier League?
For much of this season, Man United has done battle not just against the other 19 teams in the league but against the shadow of more fantasy predecessor United teams.
For the better part of the first half of the season, a lot of the talk was about how the team continuously surrendered winning positions, a trait so unlike past Man United conquering teams. The team was said to lack any fluidity in their play and for a side that has for the most part of the modern Premier League era boasted the best away record, United never looked like winning away from Old Trafford.
At the turn of the second half of the season, talk gradually begun to switch to United’s unbeaten run and whether the club stood a chance of emulating Arsenal’s invincibles (2003 – 2004, in a season that had already proved to be the most unpredictable ever. After a club record equaling 29 games unbeaten, United finally lost a game, interestingly to then bottom of the table Wolves! United renowned for their bounce back ability, in accordance with tradition returned to spectacularly beat local rivals Man City in what will be one of the major highlights of the season because of Rooney’s spectacular volley.
As United fans were starting to believe that Sir Alex would somehow marshal his squad of average stars to the title, March descended with defeat by Chelsea followed by a timid display and loss at Liverpool. The critics were soon circling again as this United team had again departed from tradition by losing back to back games!
United traditionally turn on the style in the second half of the season and Chelsea’s winter slump also gave them encouragement. As United steadily surpassed its challengers to lead the table, talk swung to “Man United is only top because everybody else has been poor and inconsistent!”
United’s disappointing away record of 5 wins all season may stand out as the worst for a league champion since Liverpool in the 1976/77 season, but they compensated for this with one of the most formidable home records in Europe with 17 wins and 1 draw from 18 games!
While much of the criticism labeled against United was justified for much of the first half of the season, bar the odd game, United’s displays have since been very impressive. A couple of memorable come from behind away wins at Blackpool and West Ham showed United’s trademark never say die spirit. In fact, the best displays of the season for me will go to Liverpool for the Anfield game against United and then to United for the Old Trafford title decider against Chelsea.
For a side often labeled boring, it is surprising that after 36 rounds, United led the scoring charts with 73 goals, 6 more than nearest challengers Arsenal, and 22 more than Tottenham which is generally considered to be a very attacking side. This is an average of more than 2 goals per game!
Granted, United lack Ronaldo’s flair, Beckham’s curlers, the telepathic Keane - Butt - Scholes midfield, the terrifying Cole – Yorke strike force or the decisive game changing bench of Ole Gunnar Solskjaer and Teddy Sheringham. However, Rooney - Berbatov had some breath taking combinations upfront most notably during the thumping of Blackburn at Old Trafford, Carrick and Scholes in separate moments demonstrated a master class range of passing, Chicharito delivered Ruud van Nistelrooy’s poacher’s instinct, Captain Vidic was as commanding as Steve Bruce, Nani for the most part delivered his own share of wing wizardry and Edwin van der Sar was as impressive in goal as the great Peter Schmeichel.
United’s experience of 4 Premier League titles in 5 seasons, the work rate and intelligence of Park Ji- Sung and the return of the consistently excellent Antonio Valencia were grossly underestimated.
It was argued that if Ferguson could win the title with his current crop, he would have won it more easily with any of the top four squads. Of course the Ferguson factor cannot be over emphasized! His record of 12 Premier Leagues, 5 FA Cups, 4 League Cups, 2 Champions Leagues, 1 UEFA Super Cup, 1 UEFA Cup Winners' Cup, 1 Intercontinental Cup and 1 FIFA Club World Cup is only the stuff of true legend.
The biggest asset that this United boast, is that they are so easily underestimated. The trashing choruses that have been ringing across England and Europe will have only helped to spur on the team to disprove critics. With 3 Champions League finals in 4 seasons, this crop could actually claim the most successful era in the club’s illustrious history! Big cheers especially to the legendary Giggs whose decision making was the difference in the big games, Michael Owen who in finally winning the one club medal to elude him will be vindicated for moving to the old enemy and the retiring van der Sar who at 40 years old was yet again the best keeper in the league! To Sir Alex, as he has demonstrated a true management master class by playing to the strengths of the individuals in his team and using the saga surrounding the Rooney attempted move to inspire “pay the fans back” performances. Fergie’s bow to the fans at Old Trafford after defeating Chelsea last weekend was so well earned!
For the better part of the first half of the season, a lot of the talk was about how the team continuously surrendered winning positions, a trait so unlike past Man United conquering teams. The team was said to lack any fluidity in their play and for a side that has for the most part of the modern Premier League era boasted the best away record, United never looked like winning away from Old Trafford.
At the turn of the second half of the season, talk gradually begun to switch to United’s unbeaten run and whether the club stood a chance of emulating Arsenal’s invincibles (2003 – 2004, in a season that had already proved to be the most unpredictable ever. After a club record equaling 29 games unbeaten, United finally lost a game, interestingly to then bottom of the table Wolves! United renowned for their bounce back ability, in accordance with tradition returned to spectacularly beat local rivals Man City in what will be one of the major highlights of the season because of Rooney’s spectacular volley.
As United fans were starting to believe that Sir Alex would somehow marshal his squad of average stars to the title, March descended with defeat by Chelsea followed by a timid display and loss at Liverpool. The critics were soon circling again as this United team had again departed from tradition by losing back to back games!
United traditionally turn on the style in the second half of the season and Chelsea’s winter slump also gave them encouragement. As United steadily surpassed its challengers to lead the table, talk swung to “Man United is only top because everybody else has been poor and inconsistent!”
United’s disappointing away record of 5 wins all season may stand out as the worst for a league champion since Liverpool in the 1976/77 season, but they compensated for this with one of the most formidable home records in Europe with 17 wins and 1 draw from 18 games!
While much of the criticism labeled against United was justified for much of the first half of the season, bar the odd game, United’s displays have since been very impressive. A couple of memorable come from behind away wins at Blackpool and West Ham showed United’s trademark never say die spirit. In fact, the best displays of the season for me will go to Liverpool for the Anfield game against United and then to United for the Old Trafford title decider against Chelsea.
For a side often labeled boring, it is surprising that after 36 rounds, United led the scoring charts with 73 goals, 6 more than nearest challengers Arsenal, and 22 more than Tottenham which is generally considered to be a very attacking side. This is an average of more than 2 goals per game!
Granted, United lack Ronaldo’s flair, Beckham’s curlers, the telepathic Keane - Butt - Scholes midfield, the terrifying Cole – Yorke strike force or the decisive game changing bench of Ole Gunnar Solskjaer and Teddy Sheringham. However, Rooney - Berbatov had some breath taking combinations upfront most notably during the thumping of Blackburn at Old Trafford, Carrick and Scholes in separate moments demonstrated a master class range of passing, Chicharito delivered Ruud van Nistelrooy’s poacher’s instinct, Captain Vidic was as commanding as Steve Bruce, Nani for the most part delivered his own share of wing wizardry and Edwin van der Sar was as impressive in goal as the great Peter Schmeichel.
United’s experience of 4 Premier League titles in 5 seasons, the work rate and intelligence of Park Ji- Sung and the return of the consistently excellent Antonio Valencia were grossly underestimated.
It was argued that if Ferguson could win the title with his current crop, he would have won it more easily with any of the top four squads. Of course the Ferguson factor cannot be over emphasized! His record of 12 Premier Leagues, 5 FA Cups, 4 League Cups, 2 Champions Leagues, 1 UEFA Super Cup, 1 UEFA Cup Winners' Cup, 1 Intercontinental Cup and 1 FIFA Club World Cup is only the stuff of true legend.
The biggest asset that this United boast, is that they are so easily underestimated. The trashing choruses that have been ringing across England and Europe will have only helped to spur on the team to disprove critics. With 3 Champions League finals in 4 seasons, this crop could actually claim the most successful era in the club’s illustrious history! Big cheers especially to the legendary Giggs whose decision making was the difference in the big games, Michael Owen who in finally winning the one club medal to elude him will be vindicated for moving to the old enemy and the retiring van der Sar who at 40 years old was yet again the best keeper in the league! To Sir Alex, as he has demonstrated a true management master class by playing to the strengths of the individuals in his team and using the saga surrounding the Rooney attempted move to inspire “pay the fans back” performances. Fergie’s bow to the fans at Old Trafford after defeating Chelsea last weekend was so well earned!
Sunday, March 13, 2011
Africa's Brightest Shinning EPL Player
With Africa hosting its first ever World Cup this year, I found it imperative to dedicate a column this season to the African stars that have helped set the English Premier League alight. In line with this blog’s theme of predictions, we shall have your word on who should be crowned African player of the year in the EPL.
Ivory Coast’s Didier Drogba and Ghana’s Michael Essein both at Chelsea are traditionally the most recognized African stars in the EPL, but new arrival and BBC African player of the year, Ghana’s Asamoah Gyan at Sunderland would definitely have a say this season.
At 9 goals apiece and level 9th in the league’s top scorers chart, you would have to say that Drogba, Gyan and West Brom’s Peter Odemwingie are the leading African strikers in the league. Other obvious challengers are Morroco’s Marouane Chamakh at Arsenal and Ivory Coast’s Salomon Kalou at Chelsea with 7 league goals each. West Ham’s mid-season Senegalese signing, Demba Ba who has scored 4 league goals in 4 starts has definitely set the second half of the season a light with some breath taking performances and will also have a major say. Other notable African striking stars are Nigeria’s Victor Obinna at West Ham, Victor Anichebe at Everton and Obafemi Martins who famously fired Birmingham to Carling Cup glory, their first trophy since 1963. Malian Mamady Sidibe at Stoke, Zimbabwean Benjani Mwaruwari and Senegalese Mame Diouf on loan at Blackburn as well as South African Benni McCarthy at West Ham are also worth mentioning.
While strikers always take the plaudits, midfield may be the position where Africa presents the league with the best talent. Ivory Coast’s Yaya Toure at Manchester City and Ghana’s Michael Essein at Chelsea are two world class midfielders. Cameroonian Alex Song influential in Arsenal’s title challenge, South African Steven Pienaar playing a key role in Tottenham’s fairytale Champions League campaign and battle for a fourth place league finish, as well as New Castle’s Ivorian Cheik Tiote who scored a famous scorcher of an equalizer in the league’s first ever recovery from a 4 goal deficit in the game against Arsenal, may also have a shout in the race for Africa’s best midfielder in the EPL this season. Other notable African midfield mentions include Sunderland’s loan Egyptian Ahmed Elmohamady and Ghanian Sulley Muntari, Nigeria’s Obi Mikel at Chelsea and Dickson Etuhu at Fulham, Senegalese Abdoulaye Faye and Salif Diao at stoke, Aston Villa’s Togolese Moustapha Salifou and mid-season Cameroonian signing Jean Makoun, as well as West Brom’s Congolese Youssouf Mulumbu and Cameroonian Somen Tchoyia who scored a famous equalizer against United in the only points the league leaders have dropped at home so far.
In the case of defense, Congolese Christopher Samba is probably the epitome of toughness and Blackburn’s most influential player. Cameroonian Benoit Assou-Ekotto at Tottenham is definitely amongst the league’s best left backs and Ghanaian John Mensah is a tower of strength at miserly Sunderland. Until his suspension for a failed drugs test, Ivorian Kolo Toure the former Manchester City skipper completed the list of best African defenders in the EPL. Other notable African defenders in the EPL include Ivory Coast’s Emmanuel Eboue at Arsenal, Steve Gohouri at Wigan and Abdoulaye Meite at West Brom. Ghanaian John Pantsil at Fulham, Congolese Herita Ilunga at West Ham, Senegalese Habib Beye at Aston Villa and Cameroonian George Elokobi who scored a goal as Wolves ended Manchester United’s long unbeaten start to the season.
In the race for this season’s African brightest shining star, there is no doubt that strikers usually take all the headlines and my vote would go to one of the forwards. On current form and especially if he helps West Ham sustain their top flight status, Senegalese Demba Ba would be my pick. Since his arrival, West Ham have clearly been rejuvenated with goals flying in from all over, they play at a very high tempo and would be a match for even the league’s most accomplished opposition. His story of a passionate plea for former club Hoffenheim to release him to fulfill his dream to play in the premier league and rejection by suitors Stoke because of a failed medical, make his an emotional story in which he demonstrates the epitome of resolve.
Ivory Coast’s Didier Drogba and Ghana’s Michael Essein both at Chelsea are traditionally the most recognized African stars in the EPL, but new arrival and BBC African player of the year, Ghana’s Asamoah Gyan at Sunderland would definitely have a say this season.
At 9 goals apiece and level 9th in the league’s top scorers chart, you would have to say that Drogba, Gyan and West Brom’s Peter Odemwingie are the leading African strikers in the league. Other obvious challengers are Morroco’s Marouane Chamakh at Arsenal and Ivory Coast’s Salomon Kalou at Chelsea with 7 league goals each. West Ham’s mid-season Senegalese signing, Demba Ba who has scored 4 league goals in 4 starts has definitely set the second half of the season a light with some breath taking performances and will also have a major say. Other notable African striking stars are Nigeria’s Victor Obinna at West Ham, Victor Anichebe at Everton and Obafemi Martins who famously fired Birmingham to Carling Cup glory, their first trophy since 1963. Malian Mamady Sidibe at Stoke, Zimbabwean Benjani Mwaruwari and Senegalese Mame Diouf on loan at Blackburn as well as South African Benni McCarthy at West Ham are also worth mentioning.
While strikers always take the plaudits, midfield may be the position where Africa presents the league with the best talent. Ivory Coast’s Yaya Toure at Manchester City and Ghana’s Michael Essein at Chelsea are two world class midfielders. Cameroonian Alex Song influential in Arsenal’s title challenge, South African Steven Pienaar playing a key role in Tottenham’s fairytale Champions League campaign and battle for a fourth place league finish, as well as New Castle’s Ivorian Cheik Tiote who scored a famous scorcher of an equalizer in the league’s first ever recovery from a 4 goal deficit in the game against Arsenal, may also have a shout in the race for Africa’s best midfielder in the EPL this season. Other notable African midfield mentions include Sunderland’s loan Egyptian Ahmed Elmohamady and Ghanian Sulley Muntari, Nigeria’s Obi Mikel at Chelsea and Dickson Etuhu at Fulham, Senegalese Abdoulaye Faye and Salif Diao at stoke, Aston Villa’s Togolese Moustapha Salifou and mid-season Cameroonian signing Jean Makoun, as well as West Brom’s Congolese Youssouf Mulumbu and Cameroonian Somen Tchoyia who scored a famous equalizer against United in the only points the league leaders have dropped at home so far.
In the case of defense, Congolese Christopher Samba is probably the epitome of toughness and Blackburn’s most influential player. Cameroonian Benoit Assou-Ekotto at Tottenham is definitely amongst the league’s best left backs and Ghanaian John Mensah is a tower of strength at miserly Sunderland. Until his suspension for a failed drugs test, Ivorian Kolo Toure the former Manchester City skipper completed the list of best African defenders in the EPL. Other notable African defenders in the EPL include Ivory Coast’s Emmanuel Eboue at Arsenal, Steve Gohouri at Wigan and Abdoulaye Meite at West Brom. Ghanaian John Pantsil at Fulham, Congolese Herita Ilunga at West Ham, Senegalese Habib Beye at Aston Villa and Cameroonian George Elokobi who scored a goal as Wolves ended Manchester United’s long unbeaten start to the season.
In the race for this season’s African brightest shining star, there is no doubt that strikers usually take all the headlines and my vote would go to one of the forwards. On current form and especially if he helps West Ham sustain their top flight status, Senegalese Demba Ba would be my pick. Since his arrival, West Ham have clearly been rejuvenated with goals flying in from all over, they play at a very high tempo and would be a match for even the league’s most accomplished opposition. His story of a passionate plea for former club Hoffenheim to release him to fulfill his dream to play in the premier league and rejection by suitors Stoke because of a failed medical, make his an emotional story in which he demonstrates the epitome of resolve.
Saturday, February 26, 2011
Evaluating My Start of Season EPL Predictions
As we get towards the business end of the season (the last ten games), it felt appropriate to check in on the predictions I made at the start of the season.
Most of my predictions did not involve specific finishing places but highlighted the teams that would finish in each of the key categories. Minutes before most teams kick off their 28th round of games and a handful of others go through their 27th round of fixtures, this is how I am fairing based on current league standings. Champions League – 3 of 4, Europa – 1 of 3, Top half – 0 of 3, No Man’s Land – 4 of 7 and Relegation – 2 of 3. This gives an accuracy of just 50% to highlight how unpredictable the league has been so far.
My predictions about Newcastle, Aston Villa and the last 3 teams that should make the top half of the table seem to be most wide off the mark! Go ahead and test your predicting ability this week before most teams embark on the season’s last 10 rounds of games. We shall check in at the end of the season to determine who our “Predictions Champion” is.
That you have been given the advantage of watching at least 28 rounds of games making your predictions, at the minimum you should beat my prediction score! In case of a percentage tie, we shall look at actual team placement to award 3 points for a team finishes in the exact position you place it in the table format below, and 1 point for finishing in the correct award category i.e. Champions League, Europa, Top Half, No Man’s Land and Relegation. Your predictions must be placed before 2359 GMT on Thursday March 3, 2011 to be eligible.
Good luck!
Most of my predictions did not involve specific finishing places but highlighted the teams that would finish in each of the key categories. Minutes before most teams kick off their 28th round of games and a handful of others go through their 27th round of fixtures, this is how I am fairing based on current league standings. Champions League – 3 of 4, Europa – 1 of 3, Top half – 0 of 3, No Man’s Land – 4 of 7 and Relegation – 2 of 3. This gives an accuracy of just 50% to highlight how unpredictable the league has been so far.
My predictions about Newcastle, Aston Villa and the last 3 teams that should make the top half of the table seem to be most wide off the mark! Go ahead and test your predicting ability this week before most teams embark on the season’s last 10 rounds of games. We shall check in at the end of the season to determine who our “Predictions Champion” is.
That you have been given the advantage of watching at least 28 rounds of games making your predictions, at the minimum you should beat my prediction score! In case of a percentage tie, we shall look at actual team placement to award 3 points for a team finishes in the exact position you place it in the table format below, and 1 point for finishing in the correct award category i.e. Champions League, Europa, Top Half, No Man’s Land and Relegation. Your predictions must be placed before 2359 GMT on Thursday March 3, 2011 to be eligible.
Good luck!
Saturday, February 12, 2011
Champions in Waiting
Of the twenty English Premier League teams, five claimed title aspirations at the start of this season. I will stick with the teams I predicted in an earlier article would finish in the top four as the genuine title contenders. Chelsea for their experience and apparent strength in depth, United for their experience and manager’s prowess, Arsenal for their development as a team over previous seasons and Manchester City for their limitless investment in players.
Pre-season favorites and defending champions Chelsea had an assured start but went on a painfully long poor run at the quarter way stage of the season when they inexplicably sacked assistant manager, Wilkins and lost a few of their seasoned campaigners to injury. Chelsea’s £ 70 million January investment should help them close the gap on their rivals but the poor loss to Liverpool probably cost them the championship as there will not be many more weekends where both Manchester United and Arsenal slip up.
Manchester City fans may feel hard done that I apparently just insinuated the champion will come from either of Manchester United or Arsenal. No doubt Manchester City with over £340m spent on player purchases since Sheikh Mansour’s 2009 takeover has assembled a squad of genuine championship winning quality. However, Manager Mancini’s approach contrary to Spurs’ Redknapp is apparently too conservative to win the title. The purchase of Dzeko gives City’s attack a new dimension with some genuine height although they seem to still be mapping out a formula to effectively utilize two out-and-out strikers at the same time. During today’s derby Mancini was forced to portray more adventure although Rooney’s stunning goal may have volleyed City out of title contention.
Arsenal with the best away record in the league and a few gritty victories like the recent one at Everton has shown continued progress and are clearly the only other side with a genuine chance of winning the title. Wenger has previously won the title three times so he has the know-how. The majority of his side has also matured together gaining significant experience over the years challenging for the title in the Premier League and Champions League. To quote Wenger, “the title is Arsenal’s to win”, although record breaking results like the pioneer Premier League surrender of a four goal lead at Newcastle will cause some concern about Arsenal’s on pitch leadership quality. Two potentially decisive moments of Arsenal’s season lie in their performance against Champions League favorites Barcelona and the impact of their expected first piece of silverware in six years, a predicted Carling Cup triumph against Birmingham.
Manchester United being table toppers and with the experience they boast from previous triumphs will no doubt be most people’s favorites at this stage. Most pundits have echoed all season that United are not playing particularly well although they continue to surprise with their league placing. United deserve credit for being the league’s highest scorers going into the 26th round of games and for sustaining such a long 29 unbeaten game start to a season in which many wait for a consistent display of their best form. I believe United’s season will greatly depend on performances of their recent bargain buys Chicarito and Smalling. Chicarito has popped up with game winning goals in the three away wins that United have enjoyed so far this season while Smalling has been an assured presence when he has been called in as cover for Ferdinand. Given that Chelsea only edged United to the title last season by one point despite the absence of most of United’s back four beyond the first half of the season, one cannot over emphasize the importance of a solid defensive bench as cover for especially injury prone veteran Ferdinand. After their recent loss to Wolves, rivals may have started to rub their hands in anticipation of the major collapse that followed the last notable long unbeaten run by Arsenal’s “invincibles” but United popped up again with the “bounce back ability” commodity that has seen them dominate the Premier League era. United’s major challenge during the business end of the season will no doubt be their away form especially with a few potential “six-pointers” lying in wait, but Ferguson’s tremendous ability to re-invent the side in recent seasons when faced with different challenges should edge them to title number 19 of their illustrious history.
Pre-season favorites and defending champions Chelsea had an assured start but went on a painfully long poor run at the quarter way stage of the season when they inexplicably sacked assistant manager, Wilkins and lost a few of their seasoned campaigners to injury. Chelsea’s £ 70 million January investment should help them close the gap on their rivals but the poor loss to Liverpool probably cost them the championship as there will not be many more weekends where both Manchester United and Arsenal slip up.
Manchester City fans may feel hard done that I apparently just insinuated the champion will come from either of Manchester United or Arsenal. No doubt Manchester City with over £340m spent on player purchases since Sheikh Mansour’s 2009 takeover has assembled a squad of genuine championship winning quality. However, Manager Mancini’s approach contrary to Spurs’ Redknapp is apparently too conservative to win the title. The purchase of Dzeko gives City’s attack a new dimension with some genuine height although they seem to still be mapping out a formula to effectively utilize two out-and-out strikers at the same time. During today’s derby Mancini was forced to portray more adventure although Rooney’s stunning goal may have volleyed City out of title contention.
Arsenal with the best away record in the league and a few gritty victories like the recent one at Everton has shown continued progress and are clearly the only other side with a genuine chance of winning the title. Wenger has previously won the title three times so he has the know-how. The majority of his side has also matured together gaining significant experience over the years challenging for the title in the Premier League and Champions League. To quote Wenger, “the title is Arsenal’s to win”, although record breaking results like the pioneer Premier League surrender of a four goal lead at Newcastle will cause some concern about Arsenal’s on pitch leadership quality. Two potentially decisive moments of Arsenal’s season lie in their performance against Champions League favorites Barcelona and the impact of their expected first piece of silverware in six years, a predicted Carling Cup triumph against Birmingham.
Manchester United being table toppers and with the experience they boast from previous triumphs will no doubt be most people’s favorites at this stage. Most pundits have echoed all season that United are not playing particularly well although they continue to surprise with their league placing. United deserve credit for being the league’s highest scorers going into the 26th round of games and for sustaining such a long 29 unbeaten game start to a season in which many wait for a consistent display of their best form. I believe United’s season will greatly depend on performances of their recent bargain buys Chicarito and Smalling. Chicarito has popped up with game winning goals in the three away wins that United have enjoyed so far this season while Smalling has been an assured presence when he has been called in as cover for Ferdinand. Given that Chelsea only edged United to the title last season by one point despite the absence of most of United’s back four beyond the first half of the season, one cannot over emphasize the importance of a solid defensive bench as cover for especially injury prone veteran Ferdinand. After their recent loss to Wolves, rivals may have started to rub their hands in anticipation of the major collapse that followed the last notable long unbeaten run by Arsenal’s “invincibles” but United popped up again with the “bounce back ability” commodity that has seen them dominate the Premier League era. United’s major challenge during the business end of the season will no doubt be their away form especially with a few potential “six-pointers” lying in wait, but Ferguson’s tremendous ability to re-invent the side in recent seasons when faced with different challenges should edge them to title number 19 of their illustrious history.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)