4-2? At home? To Man City? Really? Yes, it was that bad. Chelsea succumed to a team that had failed to win any of their other games this season against the putative top 4. After taking a (deserved) lead late in the 1st half, indecision and incompetence allowed Man City to equalise and it all went downhill from there. Jon Obi Mikel is clearly not good enough to play a key role in a championship contending team, and to me, John Terry no longer instils a sense of confidence in the rest of the team. Mikel's replacement, the ageing Beletti, also showed his lack of quality in earning himself a red card in conceding a penalty that made the score 3-1 (although, it begs the question, what was the difference between Beletti's offense and that committed by Walter Samuel in the San Siro earlier that week?).
If Chelsea are to win the Premier League this season, it is going to require what would appear to be a flawless 2 months on the run-in. You can argue the point, but I think that it's fair to say that with trips to Old Trafford, Anfield, White Hart Lane and a visit from Aston Villa that they have a pretty tough run-in. And they must do it without both 1st choice full backs after Jose Bosingwa joined Ashley Cole on the 'out for the season' list earlier this week. I'm pretty sure Zhirkov will be an excellent replacement if he can stay fit, and Ivanovic has shown he has decent attacking abilities (see his run in the San Siro),so maybe they will be ok. Time will tell, but Michael Owen's loss could be a factor in determining whether or not the title returns to London-I don't believe that Wayne Rooney's run of goalscoring from can run all the way to the end of the season, and Dimitar Berbetov hasn't shown that he is ready or willing to pick up the slack. But, let us not forget that there is always the chance another Fedrico Macheda will surface (Mame Diouf?)
The other London team were hit with yet another broken leg last weekend. Arsene Wenger and Cesc Fabregas were understandably upset after the game, but I thought their comments were out of order. Still, when I saw Liam Fox of Burnley (who escaped with merely a talking to) dive 2 footed at Theo Walcott (who was lucky to avoid injury) earlier today, I wonder if maybe they have a point.
The long and ridiculous saga at Fratton Park appears to be drawing to a sadly inevitable close with administration, the loss of 9 points and almost certain relegation assured. This sort of scenario isn't unusual in the lower leagues or the League of Ireland, and I'm not surprised it has happened in the Premier League, but it's not something you want to see in the putative 'best league in the world'.
Friday, 5 March 2010
Friday, 19 February 2010
I guess some people never change. Or, they quickly change and then quickly change back
Well, well, well. Or, to put it another way, was anyone surprised by Wednesday night's carry on in the Champions League?
First off, we had Arsenal drafting Sol Campbell in as defensive cover. You're a team that has pretensions of winning the Premier League and the Champions League. You need a centre back to cover for your 2 first choice stoppers. Where do you turn? To a 35 year-old who latterly played (1 game) in League 2 and who you allowed to leave the club on a free transfer over 3 years ago. Is this some sort of mid-life crisis for Arsene Wenger? I always thought his preference was to fill the team with as many 16 and 17 year olds as possible? Not with clearly washed up players like Campbell (just witness his reaction to the backpass that ultimately cost his side the game) or Man Utd cast-offs (Mikael Silvestre). But, Arsene quickly reverted to type post game. His ridiculous assertion that Campbell's poking of the football with his foot towards his goalkeeper did not constitute a back-pass was truly Arsene at his best, although, I would have got more of a kick if he had said he didn't see it!
Now, where Arsene might have had a point, was in his criticism of referee Martin Hansson in the way he 'handed' the ball to a Porto player and then allowed him to take the indirect free-kick straight away (it's hard to believe the ref could have asked the Porto player did he wish to take the free-kick quickly in the time that elapsed between the award of and taking of the free-kick. Of course, the same referee also had a significant role in 'handing' France their place at the World Cup. Was his attempt at appeasing Irish fans anger at the French (by playing a key role in the downfall of a team managed by a Frenchman and one who would count Thierry Henry as one of its greatest ever players)? I don't know. What I do know is that we will still get to see Mr. Hansson officiating in South Africa this summer. It's small minded of me, but I would like to see him turn up at an England game.
For a while on Tuesday night, it looked like Italian club football was going to redeem itself after several years in the wilderness. AC Milan had an early lead and played plenty of good football agianst Man Utd, but ultimately faded and were outdone by their failure to take chances and the English side's clinical taking of goals from a limited pool of chances. A late goal from Milan means that they only have to win but 2 clear goals at Old Trafford. I expect that odds might be long on that happening.
But the cruelest demonstration of incompetence, past performance being a predictor of the future and downright thivery was at the Allianz Arena, where a certain Tom Henning Ovrebo wronged the Viola not once, not twice but three times. The decision not to punish Bayern players van Bommel and Klose for dangerous tackles and the decision to allow Miroslav Klose's late winner ensured that Bayern escaped with a narrow advantage. Fiorentina, unlike Chelsea last May, have 90 minutes to right the wrongs visited upon them by Mr. Overbo. Let's hope for the sake of football that they do just that.
First off, we had Arsenal drafting Sol Campbell in as defensive cover. You're a team that has pretensions of winning the Premier League and the Champions League. You need a centre back to cover for your 2 first choice stoppers. Where do you turn? To a 35 year-old who latterly played (1 game) in League 2 and who you allowed to leave the club on a free transfer over 3 years ago. Is this some sort of mid-life crisis for Arsene Wenger? I always thought his preference was to fill the team with as many 16 and 17 year olds as possible? Not with clearly washed up players like Campbell (just witness his reaction to the backpass that ultimately cost his side the game) or Man Utd cast-offs (Mikael Silvestre). But, Arsene quickly reverted to type post game. His ridiculous assertion that Campbell's poking of the football with his foot towards his goalkeeper did not constitute a back-pass was truly Arsene at his best, although, I would have got more of a kick if he had said he didn't see it!
Now, where Arsene might have had a point, was in his criticism of referee Martin Hansson in the way he 'handed' the ball to a Porto player and then allowed him to take the indirect free-kick straight away (it's hard to believe the ref could have asked the Porto player did he wish to take the free-kick quickly in the time that elapsed between the award of and taking of the free-kick. Of course, the same referee also had a significant role in 'handing' France their place at the World Cup. Was his attempt at appeasing Irish fans anger at the French (by playing a key role in the downfall of a team managed by a Frenchman and one who would count Thierry Henry as one of its greatest ever players)? I don't know. What I do know is that we will still get to see Mr. Hansson officiating in South Africa this summer. It's small minded of me, but I would like to see him turn up at an England game.
For a while on Tuesday night, it looked like Italian club football was going to redeem itself after several years in the wilderness. AC Milan had an early lead and played plenty of good football agianst Man Utd, but ultimately faded and were outdone by their failure to take chances and the English side's clinical taking of goals from a limited pool of chances. A late goal from Milan means that they only have to win but 2 clear goals at Old Trafford. I expect that odds might be long on that happening.
But the cruelest demonstration of incompetence, past performance being a predictor of the future and downright thivery was at the Allianz Arena, where a certain Tom Henning Ovrebo wronged the Viola not once, not twice but three times. The decision not to punish Bayern players van Bommel and Klose for dangerous tackles and the decision to allow Miroslav Klose's late winner ensured that Bayern escaped with a narrow advantage. Fiorentina, unlike Chelsea last May, have 90 minutes to right the wrongs visited upon them by Mr. Overbo. Let's hope for the sake of football that they do just that.
Tuesday, 16 February 2010
And it came from a partially cleared David Beckham free-kick....
Jebus. Sky would have to find a way to ensure David Beckham had a starring role in the opening Milan goal on Tuesday night. Name: Martin Tyler. Favourite film: 6 Degrees of Separation from David Beckham. Given the choice between watching on Sky and TV333333333333, it really is a case of the lesser of 2 evils.
Monday, 15 February 2010
Far from Good My Son
Will the defeat on Merseyside mark a pivotal point in Chelsea’s chase for the title? Bad enough to surrender an early lead, but the loss of Ashley Cole, possibly for the remainder of the season, made a bad night worse. All of this while Man Utd were down to 10 men and level with Aston Villa. Chelsea stay top, but their form away from Stamford Bridge, their propensity to concede from set pieces and the fact they still have to travel to both Old Trafford and Anfield doesn't fill me with confidence for their prospects for the months ahead.
Chelsea have Michael Essien to come back of course, but Man Utd have managed ok without Ferdinand and Vidic. And, I think it would be fair to say that Chelsea will miss Ashley Cole more (and for a longer period of time) than Man Utd will miss Ryan Giggs. At least expensive Russian recruit Yuri Zhirkov can step in-a proper left sided player, but he lacks Premiership experience, and I would question his defensive qualities at this point.
Let’s face facts-Ricardo Carvalho ain’t getting any younger, John Terry ain’t getting any better and Petr Cech hasn’t looked or played like Petr Cech since he met Stephen Hunt. Chelsea’s Achilles heel may very well be the centre of their defence and their goalkeeper. Someone like (confessed Chelsea fan) Roger Johnson would fit in very well at Stamford Bridge next season, but for the remainder of this season, Chelsea must make a better fist of the basics of defending than they have done to date.
Around the league, Liverpool did their best of making a mockery of my prediction that they would finish ahead of Arsenal in 3rd place by losing 1-0 at the Emirates. Spurs stay 6th and within a point of 4th, despite losing 1-0 to Hull City, underling what a truly mediocre Premier League this has been to date. Man City have still not established any kind of consistency, but get the chance to make a statement when they visit Chelsea on February 27.
The January transfer window closed without much to get writing about-all I’ll say about Robbie Keane’s move to Celtic is that his career appears to have come full circle.
Saturday, 6 February 2010
It's What You Do on the Pitch that Counts
Apologies for the lack of new material loyal followers-matters of an automotive nature have monopolised my thoughts of late, but the fog is beginning to clear and a resolution (of sorts) appears imminent...
Chelsea certainly spluttered on Tuesday night-badly as Man Utd played at Hull over the Christmas period, they still managed a 3-1 victory. The returning Didier Drogba managed to score, but it was not enough-it would be ironic if Chelsea suffer a dip in form with the return of Drogba!
What better way for Chelsea to get back on track than by taking on a wounded Arsenal at Stamford Bridge. Arsenal's performance last Sunday did not suggest that they belong in the Title conversation-and you would have to assume that a victory by Chelsea tomorrow would put that issue to bed-we should remember that Arsenal have been beaten convincingly by both Chelsea and Man Utd at the Emirates, while they contrived to turn victory into defeat at Old Trafford earlier in the season. Given that they face an in-form Liverpool at the Emirates on Wednesday night, we will soon find out just how much 'mental strength' Arsene Wenger's 'youngsters' really have in what could be the defining weeks of the 2009/10 season.
We can assume Man Utd will beat Portsmouth today, we cannot say the same about Chelsea in the clash with Arsenal. Wednesday night has some interesting fixtures as well as Arsenal v Liverpool, Man Utd face Aston Villa at Old Trafford and Chelsea travel to Everton. It's hard to see Man Utd dropping more than 2 points, while draw draw is not an improbable outcome for Chelsea.
As I started to write this, 10 man Liverpool have beaten Everton and now sit in 4th place. A draw in the 5.30 game between Spurs and Villa would do the red half of Merseyside very nicely. Mark my words-Liverpool will play Champions League football next season, and, when/if Torres returns, I wouldn't be surprised if they catch Arsenal. As TMQ likes to say 'all predictions wrong or your money back'!
In other news, John Terry has been stripped of the England captaincy owing to his affair with Wayne Bridge's publicity shy former girlfriend. And who has been been appointed has his replacement? Why it's suspected drug cheat and drunk driver Rio Ferdinand! Seriously, I could care less about John Terry's antics off the football pitch-I'm sure his moral compass points towards the same version of north as that of most other professional footballers in the Premier League today. For me, scoring away from home last weekend at Burnley is of more interest than his playing away from home off the pitch.
Chelsea certainly spluttered on Tuesday night-badly as Man Utd played at Hull over the Christmas period, they still managed a 3-1 victory. The returning Didier Drogba managed to score, but it was not enough-it would be ironic if Chelsea suffer a dip in form with the return of Drogba!
What better way for Chelsea to get back on track than by taking on a wounded Arsenal at Stamford Bridge. Arsenal's performance last Sunday did not suggest that they belong in the Title conversation-and you would have to assume that a victory by Chelsea tomorrow would put that issue to bed-we should remember that Arsenal have been beaten convincingly by both Chelsea and Man Utd at the Emirates, while they contrived to turn victory into defeat at Old Trafford earlier in the season. Given that they face an in-form Liverpool at the Emirates on Wednesday night, we will soon find out just how much 'mental strength' Arsene Wenger's 'youngsters' really have in what could be the defining weeks of the 2009/10 season.
We can assume Man Utd will beat Portsmouth today, we cannot say the same about Chelsea in the clash with Arsenal. Wednesday night has some interesting fixtures as well as Arsenal v Liverpool, Man Utd face Aston Villa at Old Trafford and Chelsea travel to Everton. It's hard to see Man Utd dropping more than 2 points, while draw draw is not an improbable outcome for Chelsea.
As I started to write this, 10 man Liverpool have beaten Everton and now sit in 4th place. A draw in the 5.30 game between Spurs and Villa would do the red half of Merseyside very nicely. Mark my words-Liverpool will play Champions League football next season, and, when/if Torres returns, I wouldn't be surprised if they catch Arsenal. As TMQ likes to say 'all predictions wrong or your money back'!
In other news, John Terry has been stripped of the England captaincy owing to his affair with Wayne Bridge's publicity shy former girlfriend. And who has been been appointed has his replacement? Why it's suspected drug cheat and drunk driver Rio Ferdinand! Seriously, I could care less about John Terry's antics off the football pitch-I'm sure his moral compass points towards the same version of north as that of most other professional footballers in the Premier League today. For me, scoring away from home last weekend at Burnley is of more interest than his playing away from home off the pitch.
Sunday, 31 January 2010
The Post without a title
As January turns to February and the snows melt, we enter a few weeks that could go some way to deciding Premier League Champions 2009/10.
Chelsea have weathered the African Nations Cup absences without dropping points, and scoring goals at an impressive clip-19 goals in 5 games without their African quartet, and a 100% record in both league and FA Cup. Aside from the injury to Michael Essien (which to me seemed like it was caused during a challenge with Didier Drogba!), Chelsea go into next weekend's (pivotal?) clash with Arsenal in rude health (an update on Ashley Cole's early departure at Burnley yesterday is pending). I have to say that Carlo appears to have got his team selections right of late-I lamented the fact that he opted for a lone striker at home to woeful Sunderland, yet they scored 7 goals. Against Burnley, Drogba was omitted from the squad, yet Anelka's early tap-in and John Terry's late winner got them 3 points. In addition, Ricardo Carvalho has received regular rest, with Alex proving to be an adequate replacement (albeit against some of the Premier League's lesser attacking forces).
Meanwhile, Man Utd and Arsenal have maintained their challenge, despite ceding top spot to Chelsea. Wayne Rooney's form has been excellent (I was hugely unimpressed with his performance at Hull on the December 27, but he's been all goals since.
In the battle for scraps, my money remains on Liverpool. As unimpressive as they have been for so long this season, they remain in the hunt, and despite the fact that they lacked both Gerrard and Torres in their Anfield clash with Spurs, they never looked in danger of losing the game, and were worthy of the 3 points. Prior to this, Spurs has failed to beat (or score on) Hull City at White Hart Lane.
Check back during the week when I'll react to Arsenal v Man Utd, preview Chelsea v Arsenal, and give my predictions for top 6 and bottom 3.
Chelsea have weathered the African Nations Cup absences without dropping points, and scoring goals at an impressive clip-19 goals in 5 games without their African quartet, and a 100% record in both league and FA Cup. Aside from the injury to Michael Essien (which to me seemed like it was caused during a challenge with Didier Drogba!), Chelsea go into next weekend's (pivotal?) clash with Arsenal in rude health (an update on Ashley Cole's early departure at Burnley yesterday is pending). I have to say that Carlo appears to have got his team selections right of late-I lamented the fact that he opted for a lone striker at home to woeful Sunderland, yet they scored 7 goals. Against Burnley, Drogba was omitted from the squad, yet Anelka's early tap-in and John Terry's late winner got them 3 points. In addition, Ricardo Carvalho has received regular rest, with Alex proving to be an adequate replacement (albeit against some of the Premier League's lesser attacking forces).
Meanwhile, Man Utd and Arsenal have maintained their challenge, despite ceding top spot to Chelsea. Wayne Rooney's form has been excellent (I was hugely unimpressed with his performance at Hull on the December 27, but he's been all goals since.
In the battle for scraps, my money remains on Liverpool. As unimpressive as they have been for so long this season, they remain in the hunt, and despite the fact that they lacked both Gerrard and Torres in their Anfield clash with Spurs, they never looked in danger of losing the game, and were worthy of the 3 points. Prior to this, Spurs has failed to beat (or score on) Hull City at White Hart Lane.
Check back during the week when I'll react to Arsenal v Man Utd, preview Chelsea v Arsenal, and give my predictions for top 6 and bottom 3.
Friday, 22 January 2010
The Magnificent Seven!
Last Saturday, I went to my first Chelsea game. Was it worth it? Given they won 7-2, then the answer should be yes, but the curmudgeon in me has to say the following:
P.S. You and now Follow Me! Yes, that's right, I'm now on Twitter. I'm sure it will be just as interesting as this blog...
P.P.S. If you like that Uncle Kracker song, please stop following this blog and don't ever talk to me again.
- Sunderland presented no opposition-Ashley Cole was allowed to operate as an auxiliary forward for crying out loud! So even though there were 9 goals, it wasn't really a great game (Still, my fear about going to a Premier League game was always that it would finish 0-0 or Chelsea would lose, so I really shouldn't moan).
- Florent Malouda was the most skilful player on the pitch. His recent comments about Frank Lampard haven't endeared him to the Chelsea faithful (there were more than a few boos when his name was read out and when he was on the ball) and himself and Lampard certainly seemed to get in each others way more than I would like to see.
- Joe Cole ain't the player he was. I'm not entirely surprised about these rumours.
- I would have liked to see Anelka get his hat-trick (and he should have-the shot that rattled the woodwork would have been a fine goal)
- I would have liked if I could have seen the video screens (if only for the fact that because it was my first time in the stadium I kept looking around me and missing the on-field action...)
- Beer in the stadium? Great. Heineken only? Not so much.
- And lastly, no Drogba, or Essien-how I would have loved to seen the Bison rampage!
P.S. You and now Follow Me! Yes, that's right, I'm now on Twitter. I'm sure it will be just as interesting as this blog...
P.P.S. If you like that Uncle Kracker song, please stop following this blog and don't ever talk to me again.
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