After Chelsea's somewhat surprising but certainly comprehasive defeat at home to Sunderland last weekend, the title race is 'wide open again'. Sure is. If Arsenal beat Spurs in today's lunchtime kick off, the Premier League will have a new leader for the first time since the opening afternoon. Man Utd face Wigan at home (a team that has not beaten them at 10 tries in the Premier League) coming off the back of a Great Escape against Aston Villa last week, and Wayne Rooney could see some action (on the pitch). Chelsea go on the road without Terry, Lampard and Essien to face a Birmingham team that held them to a 0-0 draw last season (the now departed Joe Hart had a large part to play in that result). Momentum appears to be shifting.
Losing John Terry for what could be an extended period (althought I suspect may only be a few weeks-especially since Alex has delayed what is presumably necessary surgery) will not help-he's not the best centre back in England, but he gives 100% and at least he knows the position-starting a game with 2 nominal full backs, one of which was playing on the wrong side of the centre, is not a recipe for a clean sheet. In addition, Chelsea lack impact players on the bench-Kalou aside, you don't expect to see goals from Sturridge, Kakuta or McEachran. On last weekend's evidence, Chelsea looked to have taken the wrong Danny from Manchester-Welbeck looks a much better prospect than Sturridge.
Looking ahead for each of the Top 3 is interesting:
Chelsea
20/11 A v Birmingham
28/11 A v Newcastle
4/12 H v Everton
12/12 A v Spurs
Prediction 5 points from 12
Arsenal
20/11 H v Spurs
27/11 A v Villa
4/12 H v Fulham
13/12 A v Man Utd
Prediction 7 points from 12
Man Utd
20/11 H v Wigan
27/11 H v Blackburn
4/12 A v Blackpool
13/12 H v Arsenal
Prediction 12 points from 12
If I'm right, by xmas the table will be
Man Utd 37 points
Chelsea 33 points
Arsenal 33 points (trailing by a few goals)
Italian managers really got people's goat on Wednesday night. Fabio Capello played Steven Gerrard for longer than he agreed with Liverpool in England's friendly over France, and Gerrard ended up aggrevating a hamstring injury and will miss a few weeks. 'Il Trap' decided that a meaningless home friendly against Norway was not the time to give a debut to Seamus Coleman, who is perhaps Ireland's outstanding/in form player in the Premier League at the moment. What exactly anyone was to learn from watching Aiden McGeady for 20 minutes at the end of the game is beyond me, and much of the Irish support as well I would think. The old Italian man is living off 60 minutes of football against a wretched French team and a reputation forged long ago in European club football (his record with Italy-a 2nd round exit on the 2002 World Cup to South Korea and a dismal Euro 2004).
And on a more sombre note....on my way to work on Wednesday morning I was listening to Des Cahill reading the sports news on RTE Radio 1. Des was singing the praises of the Munster rugby team, who had beaten the Aussies the night before. 'Thank God for Munster, they've lifted the mood in the province....' This after these stories were reported in the news the day before. Stay classy Des.
Friday, 19 November 2010
Friday, 12 November 2010
Warning-may contain inappropriate content
Well, at least I'm not writing this on my laptop at work, and I'm not actually going to rate anyone, just give my opinion, without pictures.
I always thought that Ray Wilkins was a dull enough individual to be honest, and dull is an apt description of what we have seen from league leaders Chelsea since I last posted. Since the Special One departed, I am alaways worried when Chelsea go a goal down-they are no longer a team that seems to be able to wrest momentum from the opposition. For much of the 2nd half last weekend, they bossed the game, but never really looked convincing to the point you could say that they deserved anything more than they got from the game. The difference in the end was a timely return to form for Fernando Torres-without his goals Liverpool will not amount to much. Fortunately for them, he is certainly showing signs of life of late, and it's hard to believe that this team was in the bottom 3 around a month ago.
For Chelsea, Michael Essien was both hero and villan during the week. A crucial goal, and then an ill-judged (and potentially dangerous) lunge at Clint Dempsey deep in injury time, means that Chelsea will now be without both him and Frank Lampard for at least the next 3 Premier League games (home to Sunderland, away to Birmingham and Newcastle), at a time when they are struggling to score goals (5 in the last 5 domestic games, after starting with 21 in their first 5). Of course, the opposition has been better in some cases, but all through those 6-0 victories, Chelsea never convinced me that they were going to run away with the Premier League this year. A case of "It Ain't What You Do (It's the Way That You Do It)" I guess.
Man Utd had cut Chelsea's lead to 1 point before their stalemate at the City of Manchester Stadium on Wednesday night, and that was without the recuperating Wayne Rooney, who, you have to believe, will come back from the US with a vengance in time for the glut of fixtures over the festive period. At the moment, I'm watching them struggle against Villa, but they are very much still in the game, and Villa are missing some key players, especially in the middle. Remember, Chelsea were held here not so long ago, it will be interesting to see if Utd can better that result.
Arsenal, shorn of their better players through injury much of the time, appear too inconsistent to mount a season long challenge, and this weekend face perhaps the toughest test of the Top 4 with a trip to Everton, who, like their Merseyside rivals, have begun to get things going. History is on Arsenal's side; they are unbeaten in the last 6 games at Goodison and won the corresponding fixture 6-1 last season. Still, I don't have much faith in a centre back pairing of Djourou and Squillaci doesn't augur well in an away game. Arsenal do have van Persie back in the frame, and can pair him with a striker in form in Marouane Chamakh.
Elsehere in the league, Spurs may be winning plaudits for their exploits in Europe, but conceding 4 to Bolton isn't likely to help should they wish to play in next season's Champions League. Rafael van der Vaart certainly looks worth every penny of the reported £8m transfer fee, and Roman Pavlyuchenko is beginning to show more and more flashes of class. However, at the back, they are a mess and this will be their downfall. Also, at home to Inter Milan, they showed the usual British shortcomings-they cannot keep the ball, their only have 'attack' and 'defend' modes, with little control exhibited in between.
Ian Holloway had a good old rant during the week (on whether the Premier League would fine him for making 10 changes to his lineup for a midweek game away to Villa, fielding a nominally weaker team), I have to say I probably agree with him, he's the manager, and a 3-2 defeat doesn't smack of a team that wasn't in a postion to get something from the game. Good for you Ian, let's hope the LMA come out and support you.
I always thought that Ray Wilkins was a dull enough individual to be honest, and dull is an apt description of what we have seen from league leaders Chelsea since I last posted. Since the Special One departed, I am alaways worried when Chelsea go a goal down-they are no longer a team that seems to be able to wrest momentum from the opposition. For much of the 2nd half last weekend, they bossed the game, but never really looked convincing to the point you could say that they deserved anything more than they got from the game. The difference in the end was a timely return to form for Fernando Torres-without his goals Liverpool will not amount to much. Fortunately for them, he is certainly showing signs of life of late, and it's hard to believe that this team was in the bottom 3 around a month ago.
For Chelsea, Michael Essien was both hero and villan during the week. A crucial goal, and then an ill-judged (and potentially dangerous) lunge at Clint Dempsey deep in injury time, means that Chelsea will now be without both him and Frank Lampard for at least the next 3 Premier League games (home to Sunderland, away to Birmingham and Newcastle), at a time when they are struggling to score goals (5 in the last 5 domestic games, after starting with 21 in their first 5). Of course, the opposition has been better in some cases, but all through those 6-0 victories, Chelsea never convinced me that they were going to run away with the Premier League this year. A case of "It Ain't What You Do (It's the Way That You Do It)" I guess.
Man Utd had cut Chelsea's lead to 1 point before their stalemate at the City of Manchester Stadium on Wednesday night, and that was without the recuperating Wayne Rooney, who, you have to believe, will come back from the US with a vengance in time for the glut of fixtures over the festive period. At the moment, I'm watching them struggle against Villa, but they are very much still in the game, and Villa are missing some key players, especially in the middle. Remember, Chelsea were held here not so long ago, it will be interesting to see if Utd can better that result.
Arsenal, shorn of their better players through injury much of the time, appear too inconsistent to mount a season long challenge, and this weekend face perhaps the toughest test of the Top 4 with a trip to Everton, who, like their Merseyside rivals, have begun to get things going. History is on Arsenal's side; they are unbeaten in the last 6 games at Goodison and won the corresponding fixture 6-1 last season. Still, I don't have much faith in a centre back pairing of Djourou and Squillaci doesn't augur well in an away game. Arsenal do have van Persie back in the frame, and can pair him with a striker in form in Marouane Chamakh.
Elsehere in the league, Spurs may be winning plaudits for their exploits in Europe, but conceding 4 to Bolton isn't likely to help should they wish to play in next season's Champions League. Rafael van der Vaart certainly looks worth every penny of the reported £8m transfer fee, and Roman Pavlyuchenko is beginning to show more and more flashes of class. However, at the back, they are a mess and this will be their downfall. Also, at home to Inter Milan, they showed the usual British shortcomings-they cannot keep the ball, their only have 'attack' and 'defend' modes, with little control exhibited in between.
Ian Holloway had a good old rant during the week (on whether the Premier League would fine him for making 10 changes to his lineup for a midweek game away to Villa, fielding a nominally weaker team), I have to say I probably agree with him, he's the manager, and a 3-2 defeat doesn't smack of a team that wasn't in a postion to get something from the game. Good for you Ian, let's hope the LMA come out and support you.
Sunday, 3 October 2010
A chance to make a statement
This should be an interesting game. Both teams are coming off Premier League defeats, Chelsea having failed their first true test of the season, and Arsenal succumbing to West Brom at the Emirates. Arsenal have been impressive at times, but their record against Chelsea of late has been awful, losing the last 4 in a row and winning only twice in the last 17 meetings. Their team is not set up to beat Chelsea, who have much more power and a more settled first XI. Add to that uncertainty at the goalkeeper position and a glut of injuries and all signs point to a Chelsea win. What better way to get back on track after last weekend's defeat and Man Utd's failure to beat Sunderland yesterday.
Chelsea play without Lampard, but Arsenal will miss Fabergas more than Chelsea miss Lampard. Gilberto has been somewhat of a passenger in limited action so far, it will be interesting to see if he can make his mark this afternoon. Didier Drogba returns to the starting XI after missing the midweek game against Marseille through suspension, and being surprisingly substituted during last week's defeat at Man City. His record against Arsenal is tremendous-12 goals in 10 games. He could be the difference this afternoon, on the back of a dominant midfield platform built by the dyanamic Essien and the impressive Mikel, who has surprised me this season as I haven't been his biggest fan. Look for Anelka to shine against a wobbly Clichy as well.
Chelsea to win, 3-1 perhaps.
Chelsea play without Lampard, but Arsenal will miss Fabergas more than Chelsea miss Lampard. Gilberto has been somewhat of a passenger in limited action so far, it will be interesting to see if he can make his mark this afternoon. Didier Drogba returns to the starting XI after missing the midweek game against Marseille through suspension, and being surprisingly substituted during last week's defeat at Man City. His record against Arsenal is tremendous-12 goals in 10 games. He could be the difference this afternoon, on the back of a dominant midfield platform built by the dyanamic Essien and the impressive Mikel, who has surprised me this season as I haven't been his biggest fan. Look for Anelka to shine against a wobbly Clichy as well.
Chelsea to win, 3-1 perhaps.
Monday, 27 September 2010
Blue Moon rising, but the sky is not falling
So Chelsea have been defeated. I for one wasn't surprised-beating West Ham, Blackpool, West Brom and Wigan are hardly the test of champions, and I didn't see anything in those games to suggest that Chelsea were worthy of being crowned champions for 2010/11 at this point. Man City are strong in midfield, and took their goal very well. A draw or even a Chelsea win wouldn't have been an unfair reflection, but thanks to Joe Hart (double save from Ivanovic in the 1st half) and Carlos Tevez, City shaded Chelsea's first true test. For Chelsea, it was surprising to see Didier Drogba being substituted with the game far from over, and it's clear that Ramires is still getting used to life in the Premier League.
Luckily for Chelsea, Arsenal inexplicably lost at home to West Brom and Man Utd had to come from behind to save a point at Bolton, and so Chelsea still lead the chasing pack by 3 points and have a very healthy goal difference (12 better off than their nearest challengers).
Chelsea's next 2 games will give them the chance to show their mettle-away to Aston Villa and home to Arsenal offer the chance to get back on track, but won't be easy (Villa were the only team to take 6 points from Chelsea last season), and they will have to face both teams without Frank Lampard. Man Utd don't look like regaining form any time soon-but for the Ghost of Michael Owen, they would have lost yesterday-Bolton certainly looked the more likely winners for much of the 2nd half. Wayne Rooney's issues and absence aren't helping-but neither is leaking goals at a rate of over 1 per game-a record worse than nearly 50% of the other Premier League teams. Arsenal can make a real statement by beating Chelsea at the Emirates, but how likely is that given that the form of Manuel Almunia (I fully agree with George Graham's views here) and the potential absence of Fabergas and van Persie, not to mention Theo Walcott?
In other news, Spurs have already lost to both Wigan and West Ham (18th and 19th in the latest Premier League table), Liverpool will do well to match Fulham's record under Roy Hodgson last season, and Everton continue to struggle,finding themselves at the bottom of the table after the weekend's games. Early days for sure, but these putative Champions League place challengers have a lot of ground to make up on the current front runners.
Luckily for Chelsea, Arsenal inexplicably lost at home to West Brom and Man Utd had to come from behind to save a point at Bolton, and so Chelsea still lead the chasing pack by 3 points and have a very healthy goal difference (12 better off than their nearest challengers).
Chelsea's next 2 games will give them the chance to show their mettle-away to Aston Villa and home to Arsenal offer the chance to get back on track, but won't be easy (Villa were the only team to take 6 points from Chelsea last season), and they will have to face both teams without Frank Lampard. Man Utd don't look like regaining form any time soon-but for the Ghost of Michael Owen, they would have lost yesterday-Bolton certainly looked the more likely winners for much of the 2nd half. Wayne Rooney's issues and absence aren't helping-but neither is leaking goals at a rate of over 1 per game-a record worse than nearly 50% of the other Premier League teams. Arsenal can make a real statement by beating Chelsea at the Emirates, but how likely is that given that the form of Manuel Almunia (I fully agree with George Graham's views here) and the potential absence of Fabergas and van Persie, not to mention Theo Walcott?
In other news, Spurs have already lost to both Wigan and West Ham (18th and 19th in the latest Premier League table), Liverpool will do well to match Fulham's record under Roy Hodgson last season, and Everton continue to struggle,finding themselves at the bottom of the table after the weekend's games. Early days for sure, but these putative Champions League place challengers have a lot of ground to make up on the current front runners.
Tuesday, 17 August 2010
Week 1 Review
It's never to early to have a recap, right?
Woeful Wigan
I didn't expect Wigan to combust this early, and certainly not at home to Blackpool, but this team looks doomed.
A Change is as Good as a Rest
Aston Villa looked rejuvenated under the watch of Kevin McDonald. Young players like Albrighton didn't look out of place. West Ham were poor and James Milner is gone, so Week 2 will be interesting. For West Ham, this could be a close run thing come May.
No Cesc? Big Problems
Arsenal were poor against a pretty solid Liverpool. Liverpool coped much better without Torres than Arsenal did without Fabregas. Only an uncharacteristic error by Reina and a moment of madness from Joe Cole spared Arsenal. Chamakh was a peripheral figure and the only good thing you could say was that he showed himself capable of 'scoring' the type of goal Arsenal don't score often enough. Winning ugly ain't easy, but it's necessary.
In with the Old, out with the Young
For a 2nd consecutive week, Paul Scholes looked like Man Utd's best player and Wayne Rooney looked as out of sorts as he did in the World Cup. Surely the better teams will find a way to stymie Scholes and then Rooney will need to step up. Time is on their side at this point.
Hit for 6
Ominously for the rest of the Premier League, Chelsea start where they left off-scoring lots of goals against weak opposition. The performance wasn't great (seriously), but the win was convincing. Wigan should be running scared.
Getting there
Ok, so if it wasn't for Joe Hart, Man City could have been 3-0 down at half-time. But they weren't, and the 2nd half performance against Spurs was much better. This team has too many good players in too many positions not to succeed at some point, the question is when? A point at Spurs is a good start.
Plastic Dreams
Ironic that the poor effort to keep out Bassong's header that gave Spurs any hope was down to one Scott Sutter.
Pavlyuchenko showed what he could do with the 2nd goal-he's a player that has much more to give than we have seen so far in my view.
In other news
It looks like Real Madrid have landed Mesut Ozil-but surely they've picked the wrong Germans from the World Cup team-unless money is an object (and maybe it is?) I would have gone for Schweinsteiger and Muller over Khedira and Ozil myself. I thought Khedira was just ok in the World Cup (and might not have played at all were it not for the absence of Michael Ballack, among others), bar the 3rd place game maybe, and Ozil was very hit and miss.
Shay Given will hopefully have a new club before August 31. I really like Joe Hart and don't have a problem with him being 1st choice at Man City, but Shay is still too good a keeper not to be starting somewhere, and why not Arsenal? His perceived lack of command in the box coupled with Arsenal' lack of height at the back might not be a good fit.
Woeful Wigan
I didn't expect Wigan to combust this early, and certainly not at home to Blackpool, but this team looks doomed.
A Change is as Good as a Rest
Aston Villa looked rejuvenated under the watch of Kevin McDonald. Young players like Albrighton didn't look out of place. West Ham were poor and James Milner is gone, so Week 2 will be interesting. For West Ham, this could be a close run thing come May.
No Cesc? Big Problems
Arsenal were poor against a pretty solid Liverpool. Liverpool coped much better without Torres than Arsenal did without Fabregas. Only an uncharacteristic error by Reina and a moment of madness from Joe Cole spared Arsenal. Chamakh was a peripheral figure and the only good thing you could say was that he showed himself capable of 'scoring' the type of goal Arsenal don't score often enough. Winning ugly ain't easy, but it's necessary.
In with the Old, out with the Young
For a 2nd consecutive week, Paul Scholes looked like Man Utd's best player and Wayne Rooney looked as out of sorts as he did in the World Cup. Surely the better teams will find a way to stymie Scholes and then Rooney will need to step up. Time is on their side at this point.
Hit for 6
Ominously for the rest of the Premier League, Chelsea start where they left off-scoring lots of goals against weak opposition. The performance wasn't great (seriously), but the win was convincing. Wigan should be running scared.
Getting there
Ok, so if it wasn't for Joe Hart, Man City could have been 3-0 down at half-time. But they weren't, and the 2nd half performance against Spurs was much better. This team has too many good players in too many positions not to succeed at some point, the question is when? A point at Spurs is a good start.
Plastic Dreams
Ironic that the poor effort to keep out Bassong's header that gave Spurs any hope was down to one Scott Sutter.
Pavlyuchenko showed what he could do with the 2nd goal-he's a player that has much more to give than we have seen so far in my view.
In other news
It looks like Real Madrid have landed Mesut Ozil-but surely they've picked the wrong Germans from the World Cup team-unless money is an object (and maybe it is?) I would have gone for Schweinsteiger and Muller over Khedira and Ozil myself. I thought Khedira was just ok in the World Cup (and might not have played at all were it not for the absence of Michael Ballack, among others), bar the 3rd place game maybe, and Ozil was very hit and miss.
Shay Given will hopefully have a new club before August 31. I really like Joe Hart and don't have a problem with him being 1st choice at Man City, but Shay is still too good a keeper not to be starting somewhere, and why not Arsenal? His perceived lack of command in the box coupled with Arsenal' lack of height at the back might not be a good fit.
Thursday, 12 August 2010
Predictions eh?
So after a relatively mundane World Cup, we had what seemed to be one of the quietest and less interesting off seasons in recent memory (Word Cup aside, I seem to recall saying something similar at this time last year...). So here we go, a few lines on each of the 20 Premier League teams, in the order I expect them to finish.
1. Man Utd
Wayne Rooney should have plenty left in the tank after the World Cup, and Javier Hernandez looks a live-wire, as well as possessing enough talent to score the type of goal we saw in the Community Shield last weekend, so Utd should once again score plenty of goals. There's also a chance that the languid Bulgarian could come alive but that would be stretching things I suppose. Utd should have plenty of motivation this year, and still look like the most dangerous team on the attack in the Premier League. As Chelsea showed last year, loads of goals can make up for deficiencies in other areas of the pitch.
2. Arsenal
Arsenal strengthened their team where they were weak (centre back and centre forward) and perhaps now only a decent goalkeeper stands between Arsene and some silverware. Shay Given would do the job (but why now and not 2 years ago?), but I don't realy know enough about Laurent Koscielny or Marouane Chamakh to say how they will adapt to an away game at Bolton or the attentions of Ryan Shawcross. And, as Alan Smith says, 'who will mark Drogba?' Still, Fabergas is still here and is fit starting the season, and Aaron Ramsey could be back before Christmas. Plenty for the Gunners fans to look forward to in the year ahead.
3. Chelsea
Ramires could be very good, and there is no Afrcian Nations Cup this year, so why do Chelsea drop 2 places? Last season, they relied on other teams failures as much as their own strenghths to win the title. I see a small drop off in their own form and a slight uptick in those of Man Utd and Arsenal leaving Chelsea just off the pace this season. John Terry and Petr Cech especially seemed to have regressed from the Mourinho years, and Ashley Cole doesn't seem to want to play in, let alone for, England these days. Most of the squad is free of serious injury at the outset, and the importance of the return of Michael Essien cannot be understated, so a hot start (their first 5 games should be considered very winnable) could change my mind, but for now, the glass is half empty. The pressure to win the Champions League could also impact the title run in (assuming Chelsea make it past the group stage).
4. Liverpool
Roy Hodgson restores some pride on the red half of Merseyside, and a potential takeover could provide funds to strengthen the XI, either now or during January. This prediction is only valid as long as Fernando Torres reverts to the 2009 edition and not the sorry sight we saw during the World Cup.
5. Man City
David Silva. Yaya Toure. Jerome Boateng. Mario Balotelli. James Milner. Some Serbian guy. Yes, half a team arrived at the Middle Eastlands this summer as Man City keep on keeping on. How will all these new arrivals blend with a team that was good enough to finish within 3 points of Champions League football last year? Maybe not this year, but soon, Man City are likely to get there, just as Chelsea did before them. What they don't have is a manager of the pedigree of Jose Mourinho, who had a lot to do with Chelsea's recent success.
6. Everton
It's hard not to like what David Moyes has done at Goodison. A solid team, with a lot of nice players. Hopefully Donegal's own Seamus Coleman makes the right back spot his own this season. Jermaine Beckford gets the chance to prove himself at a higher level than League 1.
7. Spurs
All this talk of signing William Gallas should worry Spurs fans. Another team that has pretty much stood pat this summer, with Brazilian Sandro that only signing of note.
8. Stoke City
Signing Kenwyne Jones for £8m is a statement of intent-and Stoke are well placed to consolidate last years 11th place finish. One of the most fervent home crowds and a positive style of play make them one of the best of the rest.
9. Sunderland
Can Darren Bent repeat last season's scoring feat? If he can, Sunderland could improve on last season's 13th place-which came about largely as a result of 14 consecutive matches without a win. Manager Steve Bruce has made some good moves in both the transfer and loan markets.
10. Aston Villa
A bad start before a ball is even kicked. I'm not Martin O'Neill's biggest fan, but he brought a fair bit of solidity to Villa. I can understand his frustration at a lack of signings, but look around the league and many other teams have stood pat this summer as well. As for losing James Milner, well, if someone offered me £18m and Stephen Ireland, I'd probably take it (even though a little less money and Craig Bellany thrown into the package might have made it more appealing...). Villa will regress, and barely fend off the Brummies for the right to call themselves Birmingham's first team in 2011.
11. Birmingham
Losing Joe Hart will hurt, but Ben Foster is probably going to turn out to be a decent keeper, once he gets regular playing time. Birmingham had the longest unbeaten run in the Premier League, but managed and average of only 1 goal a game at home. Nicola Zigic will need to hit the ground running for Alex McLeish's side this season, or Birmingham may struggle to stay on the top half. I'm not really sure what to expect from them this time round.
12. Blackburn
Unless he's coaching Newcastle, Sam Allardyce's teams have tended to be pretty solid. Phil Jones looks like a decent centre half and the supporting cast looks pretty solid, but Nikola Kalinic will need to up his scoring rate, otherwise Blackburn could struggle.
13. Newcastle
Let's be honest, Newcastle probably belong in the Premier League. However, they are in arguably the most competitive tier, i.e. those that find themsleves fighting to stay out of the relegation zones for much of the season.
14. Bolton
Owen Coyle looks like he made the right move in leaving Burnley for Bolton earlier this year. Ivan Klasnic is now on board full-time and has a record of 1 goal in 3 wherever he has played, which isn't bad.
15. Fulham
A good manager and the same sqaud as last season-so why not a higher league position this time round? I don't know, I just don't trust London clubs.
16. West Ham
West Ham will rely heavily in Scott Parker again this season. Avram Grant gets a crack at managing in the Premier League with less expectation than he faced at Chelsea and much less pressure (or an impending sense of doom) than he faced at Portsmouth last season.
17. Wolves
I'm surprised that Mick McCarthy's bunch stayed up (with something to spare) last season. If they can do it once, they can do it once more.
18. Wigan
Just how many Caldwells should you field in a team? Wigan held on to Rodallega and N'Zogbia, so might stay up. But I doubt it, and, once this team goes down, I don't know if we'll see them in the Premier League for a long time.
19. West Brom
Brom goes up, Brom goes down. I'd like to see Roberto Di Matteo (and indeed Steven Reid) do well, but I can't see West Brom doing much better than this.
20. Blackpool
A fantastic achievement to reach the Premier League, and that's probably as good as it gets, bar a few tasty Ian Holloway soundbites.
1. Man Utd
Wayne Rooney should have plenty left in the tank after the World Cup, and Javier Hernandez looks a live-wire, as well as possessing enough talent to score the type of goal we saw in the Community Shield last weekend, so Utd should once again score plenty of goals. There's also a chance that the languid Bulgarian could come alive but that would be stretching things I suppose. Utd should have plenty of motivation this year, and still look like the most dangerous team on the attack in the Premier League. As Chelsea showed last year, loads of goals can make up for deficiencies in other areas of the pitch.
2. Arsenal
Arsenal strengthened their team where they were weak (centre back and centre forward) and perhaps now only a decent goalkeeper stands between Arsene and some silverware. Shay Given would do the job (but why now and not 2 years ago?), but I don't realy know enough about Laurent Koscielny or Marouane Chamakh to say how they will adapt to an away game at Bolton or the attentions of Ryan Shawcross. And, as Alan Smith says, 'who will mark Drogba?' Still, Fabergas is still here and is fit starting the season, and Aaron Ramsey could be back before Christmas. Plenty for the Gunners fans to look forward to in the year ahead.
3. Chelsea
Ramires could be very good, and there is no Afrcian Nations Cup this year, so why do Chelsea drop 2 places? Last season, they relied on other teams failures as much as their own strenghths to win the title. I see a small drop off in their own form and a slight uptick in those of Man Utd and Arsenal leaving Chelsea just off the pace this season. John Terry and Petr Cech especially seemed to have regressed from the Mourinho years, and Ashley Cole doesn't seem to want to play in, let alone for, England these days. Most of the squad is free of serious injury at the outset, and the importance of the return of Michael Essien cannot be understated, so a hot start (their first 5 games should be considered very winnable) could change my mind, but for now, the glass is half empty. The pressure to win the Champions League could also impact the title run in (assuming Chelsea make it past the group stage).
4. Liverpool
Roy Hodgson restores some pride on the red half of Merseyside, and a potential takeover could provide funds to strengthen the XI, either now or during January. This prediction is only valid as long as Fernando Torres reverts to the 2009 edition and not the sorry sight we saw during the World Cup.
5. Man City
David Silva. Yaya Toure. Jerome Boateng. Mario Balotelli. James Milner. Some Serbian guy. Yes, half a team arrived at the Middle Eastlands this summer as Man City keep on keeping on. How will all these new arrivals blend with a team that was good enough to finish within 3 points of Champions League football last year? Maybe not this year, but soon, Man City are likely to get there, just as Chelsea did before them. What they don't have is a manager of the pedigree of Jose Mourinho, who had a lot to do with Chelsea's recent success.
6. Everton
It's hard not to like what David Moyes has done at Goodison. A solid team, with a lot of nice players. Hopefully Donegal's own Seamus Coleman makes the right back spot his own this season. Jermaine Beckford gets the chance to prove himself at a higher level than League 1.
7. Spurs
All this talk of signing William Gallas should worry Spurs fans. Another team that has pretty much stood pat this summer, with Brazilian Sandro that only signing of note.
8. Stoke City
Signing Kenwyne Jones for £8m is a statement of intent-and Stoke are well placed to consolidate last years 11th place finish. One of the most fervent home crowds and a positive style of play make them one of the best of the rest.
9. Sunderland
Can Darren Bent repeat last season's scoring feat? If he can, Sunderland could improve on last season's 13th place-which came about largely as a result of 14 consecutive matches without a win. Manager Steve Bruce has made some good moves in both the transfer and loan markets.
10. Aston Villa
A bad start before a ball is even kicked. I'm not Martin O'Neill's biggest fan, but he brought a fair bit of solidity to Villa. I can understand his frustration at a lack of signings, but look around the league and many other teams have stood pat this summer as well. As for losing James Milner, well, if someone offered me £18m and Stephen Ireland, I'd probably take it (even though a little less money and Craig Bellany thrown into the package might have made it more appealing...). Villa will regress, and barely fend off the Brummies for the right to call themselves Birmingham's first team in 2011.
11. Birmingham
Losing Joe Hart will hurt, but Ben Foster is probably going to turn out to be a decent keeper, once he gets regular playing time. Birmingham had the longest unbeaten run in the Premier League, but managed and average of only 1 goal a game at home. Nicola Zigic will need to hit the ground running for Alex McLeish's side this season, or Birmingham may struggle to stay on the top half. I'm not really sure what to expect from them this time round.
12. Blackburn
Unless he's coaching Newcastle, Sam Allardyce's teams have tended to be pretty solid. Phil Jones looks like a decent centre half and the supporting cast looks pretty solid, but Nikola Kalinic will need to up his scoring rate, otherwise Blackburn could struggle.
13. Newcastle
Let's be honest, Newcastle probably belong in the Premier League. However, they are in arguably the most competitive tier, i.e. those that find themsleves fighting to stay out of the relegation zones for much of the season.
14. Bolton
Owen Coyle looks like he made the right move in leaving Burnley for Bolton earlier this year. Ivan Klasnic is now on board full-time and has a record of 1 goal in 3 wherever he has played, which isn't bad.
15. Fulham
A good manager and the same sqaud as last season-so why not a higher league position this time round? I don't know, I just don't trust London clubs.
16. West Ham
West Ham will rely heavily in Scott Parker again this season. Avram Grant gets a crack at managing in the Premier League with less expectation than he faced at Chelsea and much less pressure (or an impending sense of doom) than he faced at Portsmouth last season.
17. Wolves
I'm surprised that Mick McCarthy's bunch stayed up (with something to spare) last season. If they can do it once, they can do it once more.
18. Wigan
Just how many Caldwells should you field in a team? Wigan held on to Rodallega and N'Zogbia, so might stay up. But I doubt it, and, once this team goes down, I don't know if we'll see them in the Premier League for a long time.
19. West Brom
Brom goes up, Brom goes down. I'd like to see Roberto Di Matteo (and indeed Steven Reid) do well, but I can't see West Brom doing much better than this.
20. Blackpool
A fantastic achievement to reach the Premier League, and that's probably as good as it gets, bar a few tasty Ian Holloway soundbites.
Friday, 9 July 2010
Football isn’t total without victory
Could this slogan sum up Sunday’s World Cup final any better? 2 sides that epitomise the beautiful game but have find success hard to come by in times past. Holland suffered defeat at the hands of Germany and then Argentina in the World Cup finals of 1974 and 1978 when they were arguably the best side in the world, perhaps one of the best of all time. Spain, built on the back of Barcelona’s recent domestic and European dominance, have never come so close as Holland to global glory, but have failed to deliver on the promise of their (at times) breathtaking countless occasions in the past decade-the 2008 European Championship was only their 2nd title (they have 1 more than Holland in that respect).
So are we seeing teams worthy of the World Cup Final on Sunday night? I think so. Spain took out both Germany and Portugal, while Holland beat my favourites Brazil in their quarter-final. Spain are reigning European champions-Holland have not lost a game in qualifying or in the World Cup proper. Germany was my favourite after the quarter-finals, but looked more like what I expected to see before the tournament began against Spain. At times, Brazil looked like they were ready to cut loose and destroy the Dutch-but after conceding early on, Holland hung tough, grabbed a fortunate equaliser, and then the Brazilians ran out of ideas and temperament. So, it’s hard to argue that either side shouldn’t be there-let’s hope they prove my point on Sunday night and give us the type of quality game that has been in short supply at this tournament.
On Wednesday night’s evidence, it was apparent to me that David Villa is a more effective player with someone to lead the line playing alongside him, allowing him the opportunities to attack from the wing. Well as Pedro played against Germany, and as impressive as his 20 odd goal tally for Barcelona was this past year, I feel that Torres should probably get the nod for the final. He still cuts a forlorn figure, but has the ability to keep centre backs occupied enough to ensure Villa has the opportunities to worry a suspect Dutch defence. I’ve expressed surprise at the decision of Del Bosque to start Torres and then sub him after 60 minutes for a midfielder (with the exception of Llorente coming on against Portugal), but then Spain don’t tend to set up like many teams-they seem to rely on overloading the midfield with ball players to fashion opportunities for 1-on-1s for a solitary front man or advanced midfield player taking a shot from the edge of the box. It will be a surprise if the coach changes much from the semi-final, where they gave their most impressive display of the tournament so far.
Holland is available at odds of nearly 3/1 for Sunday’s final, surprising in my opinion. They are in the final on merit, and should Spain revert to the low tempo approach that has characterised most of their play in this World Cup, Holland could very well atone for the shortcomings of their 1974 and 1978 predecessors-teams that played total football, but ultimately failed to complete the course. In Robben and Sneijder they have match winners who have stepped up to score goals in the World Cup and in the Champions League when counted on. Indeed, Sneijder could end up with the Golden Boot, thanks in part to FIFA’s decision to award him the 1st goal in their clash with Brazil. They have experience, they are well organised, and other than a minor tiff between Sneijder and van Persie, have been relatively settled, for a nation that seems to make a point of falling out publically at major tournaments. You can be sure van Bommel will make Xavi and Alonso feel his presence-it will be interesting to see how much leeway Howard Webb (yes, an Englishman in the Final!) in this regard-he has proven to be an expert at avoiding bookings so far in the tournament, despite his propensity to hack.
Prediction
Form is temporary, class is permanent. Spain have most of the class, and their form has been average, while Holland’s form has been excellent. Spain should add the World Cup to their European Championship crown on Sunday night. They may even score more than 1 goal in the process.
So are we seeing teams worthy of the World Cup Final on Sunday night? I think so. Spain took out both Germany and Portugal, while Holland beat my favourites Brazil in their quarter-final. Spain are reigning European champions-Holland have not lost a game in qualifying or in the World Cup proper. Germany was my favourite after the quarter-finals, but looked more like what I expected to see before the tournament began against Spain. At times, Brazil looked like they were ready to cut loose and destroy the Dutch-but after conceding early on, Holland hung tough, grabbed a fortunate equaliser, and then the Brazilians ran out of ideas and temperament. So, it’s hard to argue that either side shouldn’t be there-let’s hope they prove my point on Sunday night and give us the type of quality game that has been in short supply at this tournament.
On Wednesday night’s evidence, it was apparent to me that David Villa is a more effective player with someone to lead the line playing alongside him, allowing him the opportunities to attack from the wing. Well as Pedro played against Germany, and as impressive as his 20 odd goal tally for Barcelona was this past year, I feel that Torres should probably get the nod for the final. He still cuts a forlorn figure, but has the ability to keep centre backs occupied enough to ensure Villa has the opportunities to worry a suspect Dutch defence. I’ve expressed surprise at the decision of Del Bosque to start Torres and then sub him after 60 minutes for a midfielder (with the exception of Llorente coming on against Portugal), but then Spain don’t tend to set up like many teams-they seem to rely on overloading the midfield with ball players to fashion opportunities for 1-on-1s for a solitary front man or advanced midfield player taking a shot from the edge of the box. It will be a surprise if the coach changes much from the semi-final, where they gave their most impressive display of the tournament so far.
Holland is available at odds of nearly 3/1 for Sunday’s final, surprising in my opinion. They are in the final on merit, and should Spain revert to the low tempo approach that has characterised most of their play in this World Cup, Holland could very well atone for the shortcomings of their 1974 and 1978 predecessors-teams that played total football, but ultimately failed to complete the course. In Robben and Sneijder they have match winners who have stepped up to score goals in the World Cup and in the Champions League when counted on. Indeed, Sneijder could end up with the Golden Boot, thanks in part to FIFA’s decision to award him the 1st goal in their clash with Brazil. They have experience, they are well organised, and other than a minor tiff between Sneijder and van Persie, have been relatively settled, for a nation that seems to make a point of falling out publically at major tournaments. You can be sure van Bommel will make Xavi and Alonso feel his presence-it will be interesting to see how much leeway Howard Webb (yes, an Englishman in the Final!) in this regard-he has proven to be an expert at avoiding bookings so far in the tournament, despite his propensity to hack.
Prediction
Form is temporary, class is permanent. Spain have most of the class, and their form has been average, while Holland’s form has been excellent. Spain should add the World Cup to their European Championship crown on Sunday night. They may even score more than 1 goal in the process.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
