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.

 

 

Super Sunday? Super for Sir Alex

 

Manchester United cruised to a 3-0 win against Liverpool on Super Sunday and made the gap at the top even bigger with 5 points now separating Fergie’s men with their nearest challengers.

 On paper; United have the best players but after their shaky start to the season and questionable away form, some critics were right to predict Arsenal to keep their lead at the top, however after their shocking slump in recent weeks, the gunners are now third.   The game at Old Trafford saw more controversy surface with this new “respect” issue with refs.

RESPECT THE REFS!

Javier Mascherano was sent off for decent after getting on referee Steve Bennet’s nerves. After all the hoo-haa with Ashley Cole incident midweek, this was no doubt a direct backclash. Cole should have seen red for the challenge on Hutton and the FA should have taken extra action on his ass for his blatant arrogant disrespect for the ref in the aftermath of the tackle.

The FA need to remember that these stupid footballers are role models to millions of kids across the globe.    Even though footballers haven’t been showing respect to refs since as long as I’ve been watching the game. I couldn’t help but notice a particular incident with Steven Gerrard, effin n blindin at referee Steve Bennet, but the Liverpool Skipper wasn’t even spoken to,

CERTAIN PLAYERS PROTECTED!

God forbid any England golden boy would receive a yellow card in this day and age, talk about protected, yeah sure… Bennet didn’t hesitate flashing a second yellow at a foreign player who barely grasped the English language; the Argentine quite simply enquired “why” Fernando Torres was booked even though he was the player fouled. Mascherano should have stayed clear but Steven Gerrard did a lot worse and went unpunished.

FOOTBALLERS VS RUGBY PLAYERS?

 Footballers should look at rugby players for examples of professionalism and respect, for a game so brutal and aggressive; rugby players sure show respect to the umpires and referees, its bout time footballers did too.  

CHELSEA VS ARSENAL

Now back to real football issues.  Chelsea beat Arsenal 2-1 at Stamford Bridge after going a goal down and after their amazing unbeaten record at home being in threat, Didier Drogba made a nuisance out of himself and scored two scrappy trademark goals, the Arsenal defence just couldn’t deal with him. So Chelsea climbed to 2^nd place whilst Arsenal lost only for the second time all season but the North London side are yet to win in 5 premier league games.

WHINING WENGER

 Wenger this past week admitted the Eduardo incident had affected his players but I think that that Wenger’s team have run out of steam and excuses. They may be young but definitely lack experience and after their eventful 2-2 draw at Birmingham, it became evident they lack a leader too.

WILLIAM GALLAS – CAPTAIN PATHETIC!

 I wonder what was going through William Gallas’s mind during his reaction to the penalty. Why he decided to act like a stroppy teenager who was refused his weekly allowance is beyond me? It was pathetic and no doubt sent a message to Arsenals title rivals that they had cracked under the pressure.  

  No doubt that this was a major turning point in Arsenals season but Eduardo incident is now 6 weeks old, the lad himself has gotten over it, come on Arsene… just admit it; your team is full of tired kids who has over-achieved and should now focus on the Champions League.  So after this weekend, what did it tell us, Manchester United are hitting form just at the right time and are favourites? Are Chelsea serious contenders? Is it just a one-horse race now? Are Arsenal totally out of it? With seven games to go, I wouldn’t bet against Manchester United now, The Godfather Sire Alex has been there and done it 9 times and nobody would begrudge him of his 10^th title. 

Love him or loathe him…. He is a legend.