UK Football

photo: Paul Blank

So Chelsea’s undefeated home streak has officially come crashing down this season. Two losses in the last few weeks have to start rocking the Blues confidence, especially when the match ends 2-1 with Arsenal scoring all goals, and the home side never dominated without creating really one convincing opportunity. My criticism was of Arsenal’s attack and defence before today, but apparently I should have saved all that for Chelsea.

You’d think with 60% possession Chelsea would have been able to produce more, but only managed 2 unconvincing shots on target, to Arsenal’s 7. But the Blues just never looked like they had that extra bit to pull the trigger. In fact even the own goal conceded by Djourou looked as though it would have gone past any blue shirts and out into touch had Djourou not stupidly played the ball.

Chelsea were useless, with Nicolas Anelka completely gun shy in the box all match, and Kalou not much better. Lampard managed a few shots, each of which not up to the England mans standards by any means.

No, the story here was all Robin Van Persie, who showed that the Dutchman should always be a first choice for Arsenal, when available. As an Arsenal side that looked to be beaten despite having half a match to play, Van Persie had enough commitment to put them ahead, and he only needed three minutes to do so.

Arsenal are well and truly back in the title race, and Chelsea could suffer a real blow to their campaign, as Liverpool has a prime chance to pull adrift of the Londoners on Monday when they face West Ham, and try to take the lead in the Premiership once again.

 Manchester City v Manchester United

Photo: John Dobson               Photo: George Groutas

The Manchester derby. A big one considering last year Manchester City took away all three points from both matches last year, and now have a more improved squad this year. Despite City having failed to fire on all cylinders at times this season, they’re always up for a fight on derby day, and I don’t see today’s match up as being any different.

Both Berbatov and Robinho are expected to make their returns for United and City respectively, which means we should get to see both sides at full attacking strength. But that probably won’t matter, as United just haven’t performed that well away from home this season, and have fared especially badly when given the earlier matches of the day, for some reason they can’t play well around lunchtime I guess?

But, Fergie should be confident, despite going into the City of Manchester stadium after failing to score at all in United’s last two fixtures, Ferguson has an incredible record against club’s managed by former United players. In fact Fergie is 11-0-1 in his last twelve, so Mark Hughes should beware. United will be hungry, Ronaldo looks as good as ever, and Rooney really wants that elusive 100^th club goal. With Berbatov back in the squad, I think United turn back into the type of attacking threat that made them champions last year. City will put up a fight, but United will edge them out 3-1.

Chelsea v Arsenal

photo: John Dobson     Photo: wonker

By far a more important fixture for Arsenal than Chelsea, as the Gunners sit adrift of the Premiership top four, and really have not gotten themselves up to the standard required of a championship team all season. Arsenal need to get something from Stamford Bridge, should Arsene Wenger have absolutely any hopes that the Gunners can stay in the top four. Because I really think if Arsenal drop their sixth loss this early in the season, they’ll be lucky to finish fifth and secure a place in the UEFA Cup with the downfall the players attitudes will suffer.

Remember also that recent history is against Arsenal in this London derby, as the Gunners have only secured victory against Chelsea once in their last 12 meetings. But in the broader picture Arsenal is the club that Chelsea has dropped more points, lost more matches, and conceded more goals against than any other Premier League club.

Meaning the match, given Arsenal’s absolute desperate need for a victory, could be a Premier League classic.

Remember that should the Gunners fall, this would be their third successive league defeat, a stat you just cannot have when you are claiming to be one of England’s elite.

Despite the Gunners desperation I don’t see a way out for them, and I see them conceding yet another loss, furthering their downward slope that’s been building since the end of last season.

The way I see things, Chelsea takes it 2-1, edging out their fellow Londoners at the last minute.

photo: Nigel Wilson

Marseille are being charged by UEFA after Steven Gerrard was hit with an object thrown by a Marseille supporter during Wednesday’s match. And this isn’t the first time Marseille have been penalized for their supporters actions, last time Liverpool and Marseille met, the French giants were forced to shell out £12,644, for an incident that was remarkably similar. Apparently the French supporters need to be put in check, because that sort of physical behaviour towards opposing football clubs is just unacceptable.I would hope that after the incident having been repeated, despite the fine put against Marseille the last time, UEFA will do something more drastic to encourage the French giants to police their supporters better, therefore protecting a visiting club from things they shouldn’t have to worry about at a sport stadium.

photo: Philip Gabrielsen

Injury woes bother Fernando Torres again, as the Liverpool striker, who had just come back from injury, has apparently strained his hamstring during Liverpool’s match with Marseille. Torres is expected to be out for at least two weeks, with the possibility of three. But Liverpool probably won’t miss him, with Robbie Keane hitting form, and really all of Liverpool looking like a force to be reckoned with in the Premiership at the moment.

On the happier side of injury news, Manchester United can breath a sigh of relief as Dimitar Berbatov returned to training, and could start Sunday against Manchester City. This week also saw the return of Paul Scholes to training, meaning Scholes could be available very soon, although more likely Ferguson will sit the former England man down to give Scholes a chance to get his fitness back after such a long break.

But both will be happy news, as United have suffered two 0-0 draws in a row, at Villa in the Premiership, and then again at Villarreal in the Champions League. Of course either match only hurt United in the sense that they were spectacularly boring to watch. But the Villarreal draw meant both United and the Spanish club advance to the round of 16. And the draw at Villa park means United stay the same amount of points behind Liverpool, and Chelsea, and gain a point on Arsenal, so a little in the positive.

But United need Berbatov and Scholes healthy if they hope to retain either title from last season, as they have a lot of ground to make up in the Premiership so far.

photo: Gordon Flood

If you watched Manchester United’s Champions League match yesterday, you would have noticed Wayne Rooney’s obvious dive during one of United’s best attacks.  Rooney went down in the box without having been touched, clearly penalty hunting, which is uncharacteristic of the England man and a huge disappointment for fans like me.

Wayne Rooney is normally the type of player that’s incredible to watch because of his work rate, he never gives up on a ball, and really has no flashy moves for getting past opponents so he bullies his way into the box.  Really entertaining to watch.  But for Rooney to take a page out of Cristiano Ronaldo’s book, and to take a dive instead of fighting for the ball, is just disgusting for every Manchester United fan and England supporter worldwide.

I suppose though in the grand scheme of things, at least Rooney apologized after the incident to both the United players and Villarreal for having done such a thing.  Sir Alex Ferguson even commented on the incident in an after match interview: “He apologised to me and said he didn’t mean to do that.

“I think he’s been watching Robert Pires too much. At least he apologised to their players. You’d never see Pires do that.”

Fergie did raise a good point by picking out Villarreal’s Pires for diving all the time, and really we all saw that match, and the only thing that Villarreal was actually good at was diving.

But that’s no reason for Rooney to respond with the same tactics, and I’m disappointed in the United forward, and I would hope he’s disappointed for resorting to such a low state himself.  Rooney used to be the sort of player you could put up as an example for the Ronaldo’s and Pires’ of the world who lay down at their first opportunity hoping for the ref to bail them out, instead of fighting through defenders, because you always have a better scoring chance when you stay on your feet.

Villarreal v Manchester United

photo: Austin Osuide

Manchester United are hurting from the injuries at the moment, both Neville and Dimitar Berbatov will be unavailable for the fixture, and Cristiano Ronaldo himself is also doubtful for the fixture after having limped off the pitch during United’s match away to Villa on Saturday. But, after having drawn against Villarreal in their previous fixture at Old Trafford, Manchester United really could use a victory, and I don’t see that happening without Ronaldo.

Rooney’s streak is over in terms of his goal scoring, and without Berbatov, the England man will have a much less qualified target in Carlos Tevez. Tevez has been playing atrociously as of late, and I would hope for United’s sake that they don’t try to make his loan deal permanent at the end of the season. Developing Frazier Campbell’s talents would be much more fiscally sound, and Campbell has shown loads of promise for his Premiership future.

So, a Manchester United without Berbatov, and Ronaldo, and likely without Giggs, as the old man played ninety minutes on Saturday, cannot beat Villarreal. United need to hope for a draw, which also may be impossible given that Van Der Sar is going to be rested, giving Kuszczak a chance to screw up the match for the men in red.

1-1 a respectable result for United given the circumstances.

Arsenal v Dynamo Kiev

photo: Paul Blank

Well Arsenal have been in trouble as of late, having lost two in a row in the Premiership, and having the inner turmoil of one captain being stripped of the honour, to give a new candidate the chance to step up. Fabregas will be carrying the weight of the entire Arsenal organization, as well as every supporter the London club has. A lot of pressure for a young lad that’s been handed a huge responsibility.

But my biggest question is of William Gallas, will Gallas be able to get passed his dishonour, and play up to the level the Gunners will need him to. For a club that wants to be a part of the Premiership elite for another year, Arsenal has been leaking a lot of goals lately. Whether Gallas can put everything behind him, and lead the back four to a consistent performance is something I don’t see him doing.

And that’s unfortunate, because Arsenal can secure a spot in the knockout stages with a victory today, but I just don’t think the club is in the right state of mind to win.

Arsenal is in a downward spiral, and I expect the score line to reflect that, so I think Dynamo Kiev just edge them out 1-2.

Photo: Jsmith11

Cesc Fabregas has officially replaced William Gallas as the Arsenal skipper, which comes as no surprise as Fabregas was the man who most of us thought would be better suited for the captaincy of anyone at Arsenal. Gallas just is not a leader, and let’s his emotions overcome his better judgment much too often. When your captain is supposed to be your club’s stoic symbol on the pitch, the last thing you need is for him to spout off on fellow team mates to the press, making the club look like a bickering mess.

So really is anyone surprised that Gallas has been stripped of the captaincy, or that he missed Saturday’s match against Manchester City?

But I think Fabregas is as quality as they come in terms of the sort of captain Arsenal need. Fabregas has already led the club from midfield on most occasions, and now having been given the all important armband will likely work even harder to do so.

Arsene Wenger had this to say about his opinion on the matter: “Fabregas will be the captain, permanently. I do not have to explain to you why.” “I believe the captain is the voice of the club towards the outside, and is one of the leaders of the team.

Photo: Gordon Flood

Well it was a boring day for the Premiership if you’re a fan of one of England’s elite clubs, as Chelsea, Manchester United, Liverpool, and Arsenal all failed to score on the day. With Chelsea, Liverpool, and Manchester United all drawing level after ninety minutes in their fixtures, and Arsenal being completely demolished by Mark Hughes’ reinvigorated Manchester City side.

Despite Manchester United’s absolute dominance they just couldn’t take a point away from the fixture, and Aston Villa should be proud of their valiant effort to deny the champions three points despite Villa not having won against Manchester United since 1995. And despite Manchester United’s 63% possession and 12 shots on goal the champions still could not offer a real effort during the match’s entirety, never looking like a side that could have legitimately won the match.

Chelsea did not fare much better, as despite 70% possession and a whopping 33 shots on goal with 9 on target, still the Blues could not find the back of the net. Liverpool also with basically the same statistics, dominating possession and shots on goal, but feeling the force of a Fulham side in for a fight. That and Torres really never looked on target during the match, and when Torres is having a bad day, Liverpool has a bad day.

Arsenal, well Arsenal had a rough day at the office, as Manchester City gave them a lesson Wenger may never forget, in Premiership humility. Arsenal haven’t fared to well this season, with many players struggling against each other from within, and today was no different, as the Gunners still lack that team passion despite their flowing attacking play. Wenger seriously needs to do some damage control, because Arsenal have already approached 5 losses on the season, and no team in Premiership history has won the league with more than 5 losses, meaning if Arsenal really hope to challenge for the title, they are in serious trouble.

photo: John Dobson

Well chalk up another casualty from the weeks International fixtures, as Dimitar Berbatov will be out for at least two matches with a slight hamstring pull. Probably made worse by the fact that Berbatov really didn’t need to play as there wasn’t much he would have been able to do given Bulgaria’s being stomped on by Serbia 6-1.

Which no doubt must make Ferguson angry, as Berbatov has shown himself to be an integral part of that United attack with his ability to manufacture an amazing shot out of nothing, and his pinpoint accurate attacking passes. Considering Tevez’s lack of production, United will be in for a fight to retain their title hopes in both the Premiership and Champions League.

United have Aston Villa away tomorrow, a match in which Martin O’Neill’s men will be looking for another three points, after having defeated Arsenal at the Emirates last week. Ronaldo needs to keep his current level of play going, as apparently the Portuguese has hit full fitness given his recent form. Rooney needs to make a strong comeback and score that 100^th club goal to keep his streak going, and Tevez just needs to stop making mistakes, then United should have more than a good chance.

Villareal away in the Champions League however will be a match where United might have to hope for a draw being the best result. Villareal are an excellent club, and fully capable of defeating any competition out there on any given day, and a weakened United facing them away from Old Trafford may find their hands quite full.

photo: wonker

Arsene Wenger is understandably upset about the way international fixtures coincide with the Premiership season. Especially now that Theo Walcott has dislocated his shoulder in England training, and had to have surgery, and will now be out of action for three months. So because of a pointless friendly, that Walcott really didn’t need to be a part of, Arsene Wenger loses one of his star players for three months.

An already struggling Arsenal loses a player that was desperately needed for their attack for three months.

And to think Capello was complaining about the many players that haven’t reported to England duty because of injury. Like Rooney, Ferdinand, Gerrard or Lampard. What exactly are they supposed to do? Risk an injury like the one that now plagues Walcott, for a friendly? Seriously?

It’s a friendly. Who cares.

I’m all for more England matches, and I do enjoy watching at least the first half of a friendly, because the match is relatively competitive for 45 minutes. And then the tempo switches to what a friendly really is, a test for you to sure up your squad. Why is Capello risking his World Cup chances for a trial match, when he already knows who is best for the squad. Does he really need to see Rooney again for England and not Manchester United, to realize he’s the best man to start up front? Or did he need to risk Walcott the way he did, to reassure himself that Walcott’s pace is a vital weapon?

Something needs to be done, because I, just as many Premier League managers, am tired of seeing so many players come back bruised and injured from their international campaigns, leaving them out of club football for long periods of time.