Chelsea place pressure on United after win.

Chelsea 2 – 1 Man Utd

 

Chelsea closed the gap on Manchester United and are now level on points with the champions as well as keeping their unbelievable unbeaten home record in tact.

 

Chelsea kicked off to a good start and United seemed unsettled and had to replace Vidic who had a face injury. The blues seemed to have more desire as United soaked up the pressure. However right before halftime Michael Ballack scored a header assisted by Didier Drogba.

 

Second half saw United play better attacking football and were rewarded by a misplaced pass by Carvalho which slipped in Wayne Rooney who calmly slotted in the equaliser.

 

The game was an enticing watch but referee Alan Wiley ruined it, he made some awful decisions and was whistle happy and a total “homer” giving all decisions to the home side.

 

Late in the game, Michael Carrick accidentally handled the ball in the penalty box, the linesman gave the penalty decision and Michael Ballack stepped up and scored the winning goal.

 

There was some drama in the end with goal line clearances galore but Chelsea held on and forced the title to be decided in the last game.

 

Criticisms

 

What I don’t understand is why Sir Alex rested key players like Patrice Evra, Christiano Ronaldo and Paul Scholes? Surely this is the most important match of the seaon, the big one? Or at such a crucial time, why did John O’Shea replaced Anderson who was our only chance of scoring alongside Ryan Giggs?  

 

I think the team selection was dubious and the substitutions were badly timed and quite simply wrong.

 

Every United fan would rather we won the league than the Champions League so why sacrifice our best players for a something less desirable. I don’t understand but Man United’s away record has been awful this season; not just results but poor performances too.

 

All this Media coverage suggesting this is Sir Alex’s best ever Squad of players suggests that the players have fallen for their own hype and have become complacent.

Now in order to win the league, United have to rely on goal difference after squandering chance after chance to wrap it up and focus on the Champions League.

 

 

 

Michael Owen – Overrated has been.

 

First sign of a bad player is always having to prove his critics wrong and for as long as I could remember, Michael Owen has been trying to prove his critics wrong.

 

For the past 5 years of his career, Owen has done nothing; his form has gone from bad to worse. He peaked 10 years too early and is half the player he was when he first arrived on the scene.

 

In my opinion Michael Owen is a average player at best, he’s a good finisher, he’s injury prone, he lost his pace years ago, hasn’t got a first touch, isn’t technically gifted and has dismal spells and goal droughts.

 

The only thing that Michael Owen has is a reputation for scoring goals and if ever one goal has shaped a career, it is that wonder goal he scored against Argentina when he was 18 years old at France 98. Now that was 10 years ago.

What else has Michael Owen done in a world stage, how bout his club career?  He did well at Liverpool, he did ok at Madrid but at poor old Newcastle, he’s been injured the entire time. He has scored 30 goals in his last 75 club appearances including both stints at Real Madrid and his current club Newcastle.

 

Michael Owen will score goal however he is not a prolific striker and he does nothing in 90 minutes, he is weak, defenders find him easy to deal with, there are no signs of that blistering pace he possessed as a kid.  The only positive aspect of his game is that he still harbours that predatory style which gets him goals in the box.

 

Fabio Capello does not rate him, Rafa Benetiz never did, and the only person who thinks he has something to offer is the ever-deluded Kevin Keegan.

 

It’s well known that Michael is an avid gambler and horse racing enthusiast, perhaps he should hang up his boots early and focus on “sports” he’s better at.

 

Dimitar Berbatov – A Class of his own.

When Tottenham splashed out £10 million pounds on a 25 year old virtually unknown Bulgarian striker from Bayern Leverkusen, the name Serhiy Rebrov came to mind. A big money signing that went horribly wrong for the North London side back in 2000. Rebrov arrived at White Heart Lane with a big reputation mainly because he was Andriy Shevchenko’s old strike partner at Dynamo Kiev and the two shared a prolific partnership.  Spurs had spent £11 million on Rebrov and he turned out to be a total failure with 10 goals in only 60 appearances, he left in 2004 and has since returned to Dynamo Kiev.

 So you could forgive me and the rest of the football world for being slightly sceptical when we collectively heard the news that Tottenham had purchased Dimitar Berbatov for what seemed like a huge amount of money for an unknown at the time (£10.9 million). In hindsight of course, it turned out to be a bloody bargain.  The classy Bulgarian did have a slow start to his career in the Premiership but it wasn’t long before he showcased his world-class talent.

 

I could list the qualities and traits of what separates the good players from the great players, what makes a footballer special, what separates players like Zidane, Cantona, Ronaldinho, and Maradona from your regular European class footballers and in my opinion Dimitar Berbatov possess those attributes so instead I’ll list his skills.

 

 The one of many great aspects of his game I noticed was his close control, he amazes me with his first touch, it is so deft, it’s magical, he can control a ball no matter its height, pace or angle, and he holds the ball up and creates space for himself. It is like time stops when the ball is at his feet and  like all great players, he has ample time on the ball, he can dribble and go past players although he isn’t particularly lightening quick. His vision, his eye for goal, he is a direct threat, a natural goal scorer yet he sets up as many as he scores. (11 assists last season) Another trait of his game that impresses me is his build up play, his passing range, He is incredibly unselfish and likes to slow the game down and play at his own pace, his body language suggest how natural it all is to him.

 

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Berbatov’s ability to strike a ball from all angles with both feet is another trait a few footballers can claim; he has already acquired a ridiculous catalogue of goals in his still very short Tottenham career. (Think back to his effort against Middlesbrough) he can even header, he is an all-round striker and in my opinion the best in the premiership and among the best players in the world.

 

His great strike partnership with Robbie Keane keep players such as Jermaine Defoe and Darren Bent out of the Tottenham side, their understanding of each others games makes it a joy to watch Tottenham sometimes bar their awful defence.

Its often printed in the papers that Manchester United were interested in Berbatov previous to him joining Tottenham but never mad a bid, and rumours circulating suggest that United may make an offer in the summer 2008. The never-ending reports linking Berbatov to United seem to suggest that there is truth to the story as it has since emerged that Sir Alex had enquired about his availability a number of times.

 If there is a negative thing to say about Dimitar Berbatov is perhaps due to the on-going media speculation about his future, he seems unsettled. His body language isn’t great, he has a slight attitude problem when things don’t go his way and he is sometimes quick to demand a free-kick. Like most European players, he does not attempt to track the ball especially when he has lost possession himself, he exudes a silent arrogance that only truly great players can get away with, in that sense he reminds me of the great Eric Cantona, tall, sophisticated, mute and abnormally calm in any high-pressure frenzied footballing situations. 

 

Another credit to his class is his record on the international stage; Berbatov has scored 39 times in 62 games for Bulgaria which is a phenomenal record for a player who is not an out and out striker. 

 

There is no doubt that Dimitar Berbatov is a world class player, a special player who deserves to play in great competitions such as UEFA Champions League alongside great players and win trophies, no disrespect to Tottenham but he wont win anything other than the Carling Cup with Spurs and at the age of 27, he needs to move to a big European team in order to truly fulfil his potential. 

 

 I’m a huge admirer of the Bulgarian forward and think he has made the premier league so much more exciting, I love to watch him play; his technical ability is of such a high standard, there is nothing he can’t do with a ball. He’s effortless and a real pleasure to watch.  It’s quite well known that Berbatov’s childhood hero was Alan Shearer who ironically turned down a move to Manchester United back in 1996; hopefully Berbatov won’t be stupid enough to make the same mistake as his childhood hero.  

 

Stars fail to shine at the Nou Camp

 

Barcelona 0- 0 Manchester United

 

The two giants of the European stage met tonight at the first leg of the Semi Final of the Champions League.

After all the pre-match build up and hype surrounding the tie, the game itself was an anti-climax. Considering the attacking style of both teams; there were no goals, few chances but plenty of penalty appeals, mainly for Manchetser United.

 

A penalty was rewarded to United after just 2 minutes and perhaps the pressure of the occasion finally got to Ronaldo as he side footed it high and wide.

 

Although the whistle happy referee was determined to stop the flow of the game at every chance he got, he turned down some pretty strong penalty appeals by United. He also appeared to favour the home side and awarded every free-kick to Barca.

 

Barcelona dominated possession throughout the match and United saw little of the ball however these were the exact tactical manoeuvres which Sir Alex had executed, intending to keep a clean sheet but at the expense of scoring no goals either.

 

Barcelona looked a side lacking a cutting edge and ran out of ideas and couldn’t get passed United’s solid defence.

 

Paul Scholes won his 100^th European cap tonight and played magnificent in midfield,

His passing accuracy and surprisingly his tackling were among his finest traits in a game which he didn’t dictate with his passing.

 

Ronaldo was United’s only hope of a threat as Rooney was forced out right, practically playing as a right back at times. The Portuguese prodigy and no doubt the best player in the world played alone up front and caused havoc when he could.

 

It was a defensive, professional and disciplined performance by United but they hardly troubled a weak Barcelona defence and must score at Old Trafford to commence to the Final in Moscow.

 

I must confess, European nights at Old Trafford at knock out stages are notoriously nervy and with a team like Barcelona coming to town, they may just cause an upset.

 

I think Sir Alex got his tactics wrong and was way too defensive, should have started with either Giggs or Nani instead of Park and played a traditional 4-4-2 attacking formation.

 

Hopefully come next week, Ronaldo wont live to rue that penalty miss.

 

 

Lucky Chelsea gain advantage

 

Liverpool 1 – 1 Chelsea

 It takes a lot for me to feel sorry for Liverpool but tonight after watching them dominate against a predictable Chelsea team which lacked creativity, I genuinely felt bad for Scousers all over the country.

 

Chelsea will see this as a vital advantage and one they will not want to lose come the second league.

 

It was an interesting game and it seemed as though Liverpool were going to record a well deserved victory before an own goal by John Arne Riise gifted Chelsea a crucial away goal to take back to Stamford Bridge.

 

The match was dominated by Liverpool who played better football and had better chances however credit must go to Peter Cech who kept the London side in the game with some superb stops.

 

Fernando Torres was the main threat as usual and had good chances in both halves and had been given extra “attention” by Chelsea Captain John Terry and Ricardo Carvalho who got rather psychical with the Spaniard.

 

The battle in midfield between “England Golden Boys” Steven Gerrard and Frank Lampard was won by the Liverpool Captain. Lampard was awful; he was virtually non existent in the middle of the park and saw nothing of the ball. In deep contrast Gerrard lead his side right to the very end and has a few shots on target making Cech work.  

 

Considering Chelsea’s immaculate home record and stubborn defence and after the last gasp unlucky away goal conceded by Liverpool, you have to put your money on Chelsea to go through to the final at Liverpool’s expense at the third time of asking.

 

Who will they face? Barcelona or Manchester United, either way it should make for thrilling viewing.

 

 

 

Ginger Genius

 

Paul Scholes is a perfect player, a professional on and off the pitch, he embodies the traits of players such as Bobby Charlton, Roy Keane and is a credit to English football. A fantastic ambassador of football and I am an intense admirer of the man.

 Why you may ask?

 

Because he is a world class English player… yes ladies and gentleman an ENGLISH player whose technique, vision and natural ability rivals the greatest players to ever graced a football pitch.

 

Because much similar to issues in real life… it’s the small unnoticeable things that matter, the small things which are not noticeable to the “human” eye. Or should I say Sven Goran Ericson’s so called footballing eye. Don’t get me started on that idiot.

 

Looking back four years ago at Euro 2004, when the entire country had jumped on the “Lampard & Gerrard” bandwagon (courtesy of most of my peers of course) even I had disregarded the Manchester United soon to-be-legend.

 

But I see the quality the man possesses.

 

His first touch is damn near perfect, his vision, passing range, movement and not to mention he’s got a rocket of a shot and a catalogue of goals which prove it.

 

My argument is this; how rare is it to see a world class footballer who is not tempted by the flares and glares of modern day football, a player who stays loyal to one club throughout his career, a player who consistently performs week in week out for years on end. Few come but so many go; Diego Maradona, Paul Gascoigne and more recently Ronaldinho have all self-destructive.  Just look at Ronaldinho a man so talented it could actually make you cry yet he lacks the passion and mental strength to deal with the pressure of top-flight football to the point where he is looking to play in an Italian league!

 

Paul Scholes has been an established first team player sine 1997; he has won 13 major trophies for Manchester United including seven Premiership titles and now it looks as though he will win 8.

 

Paul Scholes is a player with such endless talent and yet such modesty, respect and possess natural passion for the game, he shuns the media spotlight; he does not have an agent and lives a humble life off the pitch.

 

A player so underrated by the Media but true football fans, ex-players and pundits agree he is the most gifted England player since Paul Gascoigne; however he has achieved so much more and in my opinion is a much greater player.

 

He retired from the international stage at the age of 29, which broke my heart but I could understand why, Scholes is a huge family man and knew that England were going nowhere with Sven.

What manager would sacrifice getting the best out of Paul Scholes in order to play Frank Lampard?

Scholes was fished out on the left of midfield even though he isn’t left footed or a particularly quick, the words “retard” come to mind when I think of Sven Goran Eriksson.

 

I remember Sven’s final press conference after the 2006 World Cup where he said sorry a thousand times. If only he could apologise for inadvertently shortening the international career of Paul Scholes. 

 

What a player, what a man.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Spirit of Mourinho lingers on…

  

No offence to Avram Grant but the man is clueless; he is not Chelsea’s long term replacement for the ever-charismatic Jose Mourinho nor is he a football man. (he didn’t even possess the right badges/qualifications)

 

However considering the lack of passion, knowledge and love for the game Grant exudes, Chelsea seem to be functioning as normal, grinding out result, scrappy football, stubborn defense but they  continue to play absolutely god-awful football.

 

Their defensive, long ball congested footballing style have attracted some critics but I feel sorry for those Chelsea season ticket holders who fork out hundreds of pounds to watch League 2 style football.

 

Considering how much Roman has spent, surely he wants attractive attacking football being showcased too.

 

Damn right he does.

 

(Exit Grant)

 

It’s not pretty on the eye but its effective and that is exactly what Mourinho installed into his team of players, a very clever media man, the “special one” always deflected attention away from his team and took on the spotlight. (Not that he minded of course)

 

The man was a winner and he made his players winners which is why Chelsea are still in the title race and are in their Third Champions League Semi Finals in as many years.

 

Mourinho still has his paws on Grants “side” with almost the exact same team he bought in Grants first eleven but the former Israeli Manager does not appear to have an influence over his team whatsoever.

 

I suspect that this summer, that Roman Abramovich will start shopping for a new manager as opposed to new players.

 

The Gunners have run out of Ammunition.

 

After another Super Sunday win for Manchester United over their arch rivals Arsenal effectively ending the gunner’s title bid. The Arsenal have now gone four seasons without a title and you have to wonder why is that?

 

Once again the Gunners went ahead but could not win in another big game, perhaps lacking a leader. (William Gallas is a man who lacks credibilty and natural leadership qualities) And also lacking experienced high quality players who have contested in these important high pressure games before like Thierry Henry or Robert Pires.

 

Wenger in a post match interview hinted that there was some kind of refereeing conspiracy against his team which made him look even more pathetic and self pitying than ever before.

 

Arsene Wenger is no doubt a great coach but he has never been a great man to man manager.

 

He avoids buying big-name players with egos and reputation to avoid confrontation; he has no discipline over his players, which is why throughout the years Arsenal have had such awful disciplinary records.

 

Wenger cannot blame anyone but himself for his team’s lossess.

 

In my opinion, this “young” Arsenal side have over-achieved and if they want to succeed anytime soon, they need to invest in some quality experienced players as opposed to buying players when they are in their teens and then raising them as youth players.

 

If you look at Arsenals first eleven you’ll see their average age is  25 which isn’t as young as Wenger and Arsenal fans like to think.

 

Thanks to Arsene Wenger’s “youthful” fetishes, Arsenal have no become a selling club and you have to wonder how long before world class players like Cesc Fabregas and Robin Van Persie are sold to bigger clubs.

 

Almunia (30)

 

 

Cliché (22)                  Gallas (30)                 Toure (27)                           Sagna (25)

 

 

Hleb (26)                     Flamini (24)                 Fabregas (20)              Rosicky (27)

 

                                               

                                    Eduardo (25)               Van Persie (24)

 

Arsenal’s first eleven lacks experience, natural leaders and big strong players. (Both mentally and physically)

 

Wenger needs to buy and buy big.