Conclusions about this Season’s Title Contenders

With changes in management and playing personnel at England’s largest clubs, this was expected to be the most open title race. Mourinho has often been quoted saying that any of six teams could win this season’s title. Aside from gate crushing Everton, those six teams now occupy the top positions in the league.

At exactly the mid-way point of this season’s race, of the six tipped teams, you could say that Manchester United and Tottenham have so far had disappointing seasons while Arsenal and Liverpool have been amazing. To put into perspective just how fickle applauds during the course of a season can be, Liverpool this season’s Christmas Champions now seat in lowly fifth place just two points above the disappointing duo.

Arsenal on the other hand has returned to the summit! Against Newcastle, Wenger showed that Arsenal is now willing to compromise their silky DNA for a Stoke-like approach if it will allow them to cling onto three valuable points. Such a display of hunger for the title justifies tipping Arsenal as genuine title contenders. On the flip side, I must warn Arsenal fans that contrary to reports that he is on the verge of signing a contract extension, such drive for success at all costs may point to a planned Wenger exit with a bang. He has the look that I saw in Feguson’s eyes last season, especially when United were playing against Real Madrid in the Champions League.

Despite Arsenal’s presence at the top of the league, most pundits are tipping Manchester City as favorites for this season’s title. Inconsistent away from home during the first half of the season, City now seem to be settling into their stride and are lurking just a point behind the summit. The ease with which City blew away Arsenal at the Etihad Stadium will give them a lot of confidence entering into the second half of the season. It is now an increasingly popular saying especially adopted by Arsenal fans that this league will be won by consistently beating teams in the lower half of the table rather than beating the big six. While partially true that consistency against the course of the entire race will determine the winner of this marathon, loosing against a major rival is such a big blow, “six-pointer” is no exaggeration.

Although not many pundits agree with me at this point of the season, I rate Chelsea as City’s major rivals for the title. While Arsenal and Liverpool have already been consistently playing out of their skins, Chelsea have remained “there abouts” without quite impressing, of course until last weekend against Liverpool. Mourinho has used the first half of this season to down play his sides chances and keep all the pressure off what he considers to be a very inexperienced group of players. A master of mind games, he will try to get under the skin of those he considers to be major threats for the title and this could just unsettle the opposition. You would think that Pelligrini is experienced and diplomatic enough not to be sucked in but he has never quite faced the brunt of Mourinho’s tactics. Chelsea’s misfiring strikers are also likely to pick up in the second half of the season as Mourinho’s public criticism inspires them to finally start scoring.

While Rodgers has tremendously improved this Liverpool’s performances from last season, I think he and his squad are just too inexperienced to win the title this season. Facing the challenge of a tenacious Everton as well as resurgent Manchester United and Tottenham, holding on for a top four finish will be as good as Liverpool are genuinely in contention for. However, if Rodgers keeps improving Liverpool at this pace, they are likely to be genuine contenders for next season’s title.

In conclusion, this season’s title is Man City’s to loose, Chelsea’s to win and Arsenal’s to grab. City boasts the most complete squad; Chelsea has the savviest manager and Arsenal the most stability. I get the feeling that for Wenger it is now or never, so it will be interesting to see what happens at Arsenal at the end of the season.

Enjoy a happy and successful 2014!

United They Stand!

It is a cliché that when you find an ally in what was a major rival, you are no longer considered a major threat. That is the place Wenger found himself in over the last couple of seasons as some Arsenal fans advocated for his sacking after an unbearable trophy drought, and Sir Alex vocally stood in his defense. After a flying start to the new season that has taken Arsenal five points ahead of nearest rivals in the league, Wenger is returning the favor by defending Sir Alex’s successor as United finds itself trailing in unfamiliar mid-table territory.

Moments away from what is sure to be a season defining game, the dynamics of this encounter are more different than they have been in nearly a decade. Given their lofty league position and that they have just returned from impressively conquering last season’s Champions League finalists on their own turf, Arsenal are considered overwhelming favorites for this tie. Not even United’s relative improvement in form with a run of eight games unbeaten will reduce the odds that are heavily in Arsenal’s favor!

Pound for pound, you could say there is very little to choose between the quality of players on both sides. Granted Arsenal boasts a vastly superior midfield but United’s attack is dominant. United’s defense will however only measure up if new manager David Moyes makes the right selections with regular right back Rafael Da Silva’s availability in question.

If both sides hold firm to make it an even contest, this is a game that is likely to be won on United’s right flank. Moyes must stay away from the easy option of selecting center halves Chris Smalling or Phil Jones as replacement right backs. Their performances have bordered on comical when faced with a tricky winger! A masterstroke for United would be the selection of regular winger, Antonio Valencia at right back and roll the dice with the wild card selection of Wilfred Zaha. Though untested at this level, Zaha’s potential is enormous and the element of surprise could put United on the front foot. Nani if he understands that he is playing for his future after the boos he had to endure from his own fans during the last outing may also turnout to be a smart move if it prompts him to improve his decision making. After all, either winger will be up against the offensively brilliant but sometimes defensively naïve Kieran Gibbs.

Given their run of form since the turn of the year, Arsenal will have every reason to head into this tie with more confidence than their rivals who have recently not enjoyed the most positive of results on home turf. United’s form in the Moyes era has been patchy at best, only showing glimpses of class but never a collective performance of verve to last an entire match. You can almost touch the tension at Old Trafford as many fans cheer in hope rather than expectation that this evidently hard working, humble and honest man can win a trophy and secure the job of his dreams.

What may just keep United standing at the end of this much anticipated encounter is the support from neutrals and some sworn enemies that they will enjoy for the first time in decades. While most neutrals will prefer an Arsenal success at the end of the season, they will hope a win by Manchester United, the serial champions, will make the league more watchable as suddenly several other clubs come into play for this season’s title. Even Manuel Pellegrini from the noisy neighbors could not hide his support for United in this encounter during his pre-match press conference at Sunderland.

Can a United win help them build momentum that will come back to haunt some of their bitter rivals for their support?

The Shifting Balance of Power in the English Premier League

The curtains came down on last season with speculation about who would fill the power vacuum left by the incredible Sir Alex Ferguson rife. Sensing the opportunity to launch their clubs to the pinnacle of the English game, the two runner ups to Ferguson’s Manchester United decided to replace their managers with more formidable names.

Manchester City signed a couple of seasoned professionals to strengthen their already enviable squad and Chelsea returned the trophy laden self-proclaimed “Special one” to gel their embarrassing wealth of attacking talent. Predictions intensified that Mourinho would be the true challenger to Arsene Wenger as the league’s new Godfather. In order to work their way to this season’s title, they both would have to overcome Man City, led by Pelligrini, nicknamed the engineer because of his ability to make so much of his teams with very little resources.

As Arsenal’s North London rivals splashed plenty of resources on reinforcing a team that very narrowly missed out on fourth place last season, Wenger continued to tighten his purse strings. As speculation intensified that last season’s fourth placed manager may follow his conquerors out of the door, Wenger was thrown a life line by Madrid’s Bale signing from Tottenham.

For now at least, it looks like Wenger’s signing of Mesut Ozil, European football’s assist master was a master stroke. The signing has also caused previously considered average players like Aaron Ramsey and Olivier Giroud to lift their performances to a much higher level, and a brilliant Arsenal to the top of the league. Chelsea who started the season like a work in progress are however lurking just two points behind and many pundits are starting to predict that Mourinho’s affinity for trophies may just tilt the balance of power in the blue corner’s favor.

Evidence of Fernando Torres’ recent rejuvenation may give predictions of a Mourinho success some weight, but it is the player’s former club’s rejuvenation that seems to be catching more attention. The Sturridge – Suarez partnership is generally acknowledged to be the best striking partnership in the league with many at Anfield hoping they could tilt the balance of power back to Merseyside after a long absence. This weekend’s top of the table clash against Arsenal may be a key pointer to which of these two pretenders in the eyes of some skeptics is in the race for the long-haul. With Everton ridding high just two points behind second place, Liverpool will be determined to win the clash for Merseyside dominance if not for their own title aspirations. After all Liverpool’s ownership has been quietly playing down their title aspirations to fourth place much like Wenger did last season.

Ironic that despite being defending champions, there are not many betting on the title aspirations of the team that knocked Liverpool off their perch. Even Yaya Toure from their noisy neighbors wrote off Manchester United’s title chances saying “they are really struggling under Moyes”, and tipped Liverpool to be City’s major threat. Given that City are just two points ahead of their struggling Manchester neighbors, it may be argued that the Manchester dominance of the last three seasons is shifting away. Whether it is shifting to Mersey side or London may be up for debate over the next twenty nine rounds. If the spirit of Ferguson that continues lurk over Manchester with his recent autobiography translates to the players’ performances on the pitch, Manchester may not relinquish the power that easily. However, given the very uncertain start that “The chosen one” has made to life at Old Trafford, even the most loyal fans will consider any sort of title challenge a major success.

Moyes Turning around United’s Disastrous Transfer Window

Manchester United’s disastrous transfer window has dominated headlines for the last few weeks with many fearing that the huge boots left by legendary manager Sir Alex Ferguson and CEO David Gill will prove impossible to fill by their successors.

Most held new CEO Ed Woodward’s inexperience as responsible for the undignified transfer window that threatened to destroy one of the most carefully crafted sports team brands on the globe. However, David Moyes the new manager was at least partly culpable for the messy transfer of midfielder Maroune Fellaini from Everton the club he previously managed. United's need for Fellaini was so obvious, it was shocking that Moyes would watch as Fellaini’s exit clause expired, costing the club £4 million extra as they scrambled to complete what should have been a straight forward signing.

None the less, there is now a growing feeling that Moyes has started to turn things around in a way that could endear him to the United faithful.

United fans have viewed events at Old Trafford suspiciously since the unpopular takeover of the club by the Glazer family, but Moyes will have struck a chord with many by demonstrating great accountability. In his first pre-match press conference since the infamous transfer window, Moyes took the opportunity to explain why the signing of Fellaini was delayed and why he had so far been unable to field some fan favorites (reference Shinji Kagawa).

Although Moyes has consistently expressed humility and honor at the opportunity to succeed arguably the greatest manager in history, that he is steadily proving to be his own man will earn him the respect he needs to succeed in this huge institution. It was apparent that in making his dispute with Wayne Rooney public during his final act, Ferguson was determined to kick out another non-compliant star player. As shown in all the games in which he has featured so far this season, keeping hold of a motivated Rooney is a much greater coup than signing any of the marquee midfielders that Moyes had targeted. The fans appreciate Rooney for his hard work and skill, and it is great credit to Moyes United retained his services despite Chelsea’s aggressive advances during the transfer window.

While van Persie was considered last season’s statement signing, the rapturous reception Fellaini received from fans during his debut shows that they recognize he is United’s much needed signing. United’s midfield finally has a player with the courage, strength and size to stand up to the likes of Yaya Toure who has bullied them in recent seasons. He may have cost £4 million more than he should, but many in Old Trafford feel that he will make an invaluable addition to the team both offensively and defensively. Early signs are that he may also further drive the club’s record revenues with merchandising sales.

Granted, as long as Tom Cleverly keeps making side way passes and Anderson generously gifts possession to the opposition, United will continue to be in desperate need for a player with energy and drive to link attack with defense. However, if there is any positive to be taken from what seemed to be an outlandish search for a world class creative midfielder, it is that Moyes recognizes this as a major problem area that he will need to address soon.

For a team that probably has the greatest heritage of star wingers in history, United are now spoiled for choice as the young classy Zaha was added to the likes of Nani, Young and Valencia. Fitting for the stadium’s nick name “Theater of Dreams”, during the last league game against Crystal Palace, a dream debut was handed to a very exciting young prospect on the left wing. Akin to Christiano Ronaldo and Ryan Gigg’s debuts, the unearthing of 18 year old Januzaj will have got the pulse of many historical fans racing about the kind of future that awaits this gem.

Moyes has done well enough in the opening games of the season bar the loss at Anfield, a ground where he was never able to win in eleven years with his former club Everton. A defender by trade during his playing days, it is probably of little surprise that attack is the one area of the team that he would face the greatest challenge to spark the fluidity of old. As evidenced during the Champions League game against Leverkusen, if Moyes can tellingly find a way to create a balanced team that includes van Persie, Rooney and Kagawa, there is no doubt that this squad will be well placed to strongly challenge for honors domestically and in Europe. Once he brings home the first piece of silverware, Moyes will have taken the first step that may earn him years of loyal support from these fans that have enjoyed over two decades of consistent success.

The man behind the greatness

While we did not have the breathtaking finish of the 2011-2012 championship, there was an air of privilege in watching arguably the greatest manager of all time take charge of his final game.

A modest Ferguson had stated earlier in the week that he was surprised that Manchester United’s 20^th league title had been greeted by even wilder celebrations than the historic treble of 1999. The truth is, everyone in Manchester, whether red or blue would do anything to have one last glimpse at the man that helped make their rainy city the new capital of English football.

His drive for success especially earlier in his Old Trafford career gave an impression of a reign of terror that saw some star players that did not wholeheartedly buy into Ferguson’s philosophy unceremoniously kicked out. He was renowned for the “hairdryer treatment” dished out to players and yet many describe him as the father figure they leaned on for professional and personal advice. While his approach divided opinion, he succeeded in driving home the fact that no one was bigger than the club.

Sometimes considered arrogant for confronting referees or making strong statements against what he considered contentious decisions, it is probably of little surprise that Ferguson is very politically influential. His involvement with the labor party is well documented and he has been a major activist against policy that looked to bar Scots that lived elsewhere in UK from voting during Scottish elections. How ironic that failure to make a statement in the face of controversial refereeing that cost his side the most important game of his final season (against Real Madrid) would be his last personal penalty in football.

Ferguson’s passion and strong will were not restricted to just football and politics. Now that he is retired from football management, Ferguson will probably spend a lot of time in a hobby that nearly cost him his job in 2004. A bitter row with major United shareholder, John Magnier, over the ownership of racehorse Rock of Gibraltar demonstrated how hard Ferguson can be to crack.

A young 45-year old Ferguson was the fifth manager hired to try and replicate the glory days of Matt Busby. Ferguson’s self-belief was highlighted when on his appointment he had the audacity to declare that Manchester United would knock the mighty Liverpool off their perch. The cheering voices in the crowd would hardly have expected United to claw back a deficit of nine league titles during their lifetime especially when Liverpool won two additional titles before Ferguson won his first for United.

Ferguson is a great motivator with a unique ability to transfer his belief to his troops. A hallmark of Ferguson’s teams over the years has been their belief and fight to the very end of matches. This was epitomized by the club’s most famous victory with two stoppage time goals against Bayern Munich in the 1999 Champions League final to deliver Britain’s only golden treble.

Success for Ferguson at United did not come instantly and it is widely reported that he was on the verge of being sacked in 1989 when his side finished just outside the relegation places. Fergie, as he is fondly called, had spent three years establishing an infrastructure and changing a club culture that would fortunately for him deliver his first trophy during the next year. This patience and attention to detail would offer great success for several seasons to follow. How proud any surviving board members must feel for not succumbing to pressure to sack him when they see Sir Alex Ferguson 1,500 games, 26 years and 38 major titles later for United!

Perhaps his greatest strength was his humility and willingness to continuously be a student of the game. Ferguson has had a unique ability to reinvent himself and United with each challenge. From the professor at Arsenal to the billionaire owners at Chelsea and Manchester City, Ferguson consistently found a way to make United find that extra gear to get then to the promised land. At twenty league titles, United now proudly sit two above Liverpool and enjoy arguably the strongest brand in all of team sport!

Ferguson will without doubt be a great loss for the sport, but given his longevity and achievements, it is a well-deserved break. It is a tearful good bye from the multitude of fans he has established over the years but these should only be tears of great pride at an incredible job delivered by a truly great man.

Mid-Season Circus Shaping Close-Season Crisis

While many English Premier League (EPL) managers complain about the lack of a winter break, fans watch breakneck activity on and off the pitch with great excitement. Organizers may have only had holiday entertainment in mind, but the schedule congestion and squad reinforcements add an element of surprise that make the EPL arguably the toughest league in the world.

This mid-season’s headlines were dominated by lowly Queens Park Rangers (QPR) and Newcastle making six signings a piece. While QPR has recently enjoyed some really impressive results against table toping sides like Chelsea, Spurs and Manchester City, they can’t seem to conjure up a much needed winning streak. With just 2 league wins for the season and a massive 7 points away from safety, one can’t help but fear Harry may have facilitated a worse financial disaster for QPR than he did at Portsmouth.

It was however Newcastle’s mid-season signings that irked Mr. Wenger the most. They may have helped pick up points against major rivals Chelsea, but Wenger clearly believes it is his final game of the season against Newcastle will determine Arsenal’s Champions League destiny. With the odds now firmly stacked against Arsenal making it past Bayern Munich in this season’s UEFA Champions League (UCL), a top-four finish, Wenger’s “only trophy” of the last eight years is imperative. To help realize this goal, a single £8.5m left back was signed from Malaga to help restore the defensive solidity that gave Arsenal so much promise earlier in the season.

Events at Old Trafford, home of English football’s only other UCL survivor may play a key role in the long term UCL future of Arsenal and other UCL qualification contenders. While Manchester United’s sole mid-season purchase immediately loaned back to Crystal Palace was not of much concern to rivals, it is their current UCL adventure that places rivals in a “Catch-22” situation. Unless United have a good run during this season’s UCL, the English league which has lost its dominance of recent seasons runs the risk of losing their fourth qualifying place as Italy’s two representatives are well placed to advance to the next round. On the other hand, should United break the Real Madrid jinx to advance against them for the first time since 1968, they will have a good chance of winning the UCL final in Wembley Stadium which may not delight major domestic rivals. Domestically, United continue to do just enough to win each game. They depended on outscoring the opposition earlier in the season but now have defensive organization to help while they score less and grind out results.

United’s cross-town rivals had hoped to gain advantage in the title race from a lighter football schedule but have slumped to a 3 game winless streak that has placed them closer to 3^rd place than top of the table. Surprisingly, Manchester City’s only mid-season activity was the sale of maverick Mario! If their last game in the FA Cup is anything to go by, City’s unorthodox approach may have sparked life into their misfiring strike force. This weekend’s game against Chelsea may go a long way in determining whether the respective seasons of these two financial super powers will continue to promise success or if the season will diminish for one of them.

Like their billionaire rivals, Chelsea had a quiet mid-season transfer window by their extravagant standards, only adding £ 7million worth of talent. While Demba Ba has shown enough promise to give Chelsea hope of reviving their faltering season, it will take some doing to overcome the club’s miscalculated November gamble to sack Champion’s League winning manager, Di Matteo. A win against City on Sunday will place Chelsea just a point behind City in the league table, and following their Europa League success may finally get the crowd off Benitez’s back to rally them around their heroes. A loss will allow Tottenham to leapfrog them into 3^rd place and potentially allow Arsenal to exert significant pressure on them for 4^th place.

Besides Newcastle, Liverpool is the club that added significant quality to their squad. Sturridge and Coutinho signed for a combined £20 million should give Liverpool a realistic chance of returning to the Europa League next season.

Although the rest of the league signed a combined 27 players during the mid-season window, it is Southampton’s controversial managerial change that is threatening to make the biggest splash in the pond. Mauricio Pochettino has now made the Saints a threat against any opposition and if as expected they stay up this season, they will be the team to watch next season, probably generating more excitement than the Swans have done so far this season.

Bold Moves this weekend to shape destination of EPL Trophy

At this stage of the season, there seems little debate that the EPL title will end up at one of three possible destinations. In a weekend when all three clubs face potentially tricky ties, it is very likely that the club(s) that triumph will score a major psychological victory in the battle for the championship.

The first battle pits a typically fluid Chelsea against a rugged Stoke side that has not lost any home games this season.  While Chelsea boasts a decent record of 18 wins in 33 engagements at the Britannia stadium, they know they will have to fight until the final whistle to stand any chance of getting a result. Midfield is likely to be the key battle as Chelsea’s crafty midfielders try their wit against Stoke’s grit. Any opportunities they create will be pounced on by the predatory Demba Ba. Stoke’s direct approach is however likely to create just as much menace at the other end especially if Terry’s defense organizing skills are missing.

The second battle between Manchester United and Liverpool is considered a clash of history as English football’s two most decorated clubs go head-to-head. While United has won 44 of 87 matches that it has hosted between the two titans, they face an in-form Liverpool side that has enjoyed back to back 3:0 league victories albeit against lesser opposition. Ferguson’s defense selections will be critical to keeping the lethal Suarez quiet and of course there is the potential surprise of a resurgent Daniel Sturridge linking up with him for Liverpool. United’s approach will have to be bold to create supply lines to the prolific van Persie who if paired with the predatory Hernandez will enjoy a first double over Liverpool in four seasons.

The last title shaping battle is between the Champions, Manchester City and an Arsenal side that enjoys a 62% home-win record against City. The absence of Silva, City’s creative brain has been used to explain their last two barren outings at the Emirates, so his presence is likely to be critical to the outcome of this match up. Wenger on the other hand seems to be struggling to determine his preferred attacking setup with Walcott apparently upsetting the team’s shape during the last outing as he consistently drifted from the wing to join Giroud in the middle.

A Chelsea slip up could mark the end of their challenge if their Manchester rivals enjoy a positive return. A United double over Liverpool will keep their momentum going and potentially boost their confidence even more ahead of tough second round home fixtures against their title rivals. City on the other hand needs to win to keep the pressure on United ahead of the Champions League second round. The club’s that approach this round’s tough matches with boldness are likely to emerge with very valuable points that will offer tremendous capital in the psychological battle for supremacy in the race for gold.