UK Football

What is going on at Liverpool?  Rafa Benitez, the normally brilliant tacticion looked absolutely clueless on Saturday when Liverpool were outclassed by Fulham 3-1.  The match started off well enough for Liverpool, with the Reds dominating their hosts for the first twenty minutes.  That is until their shoddy defending allowed a great Fulham attack in which Zamora was allowed to tap in Damien Duff’s cross on 24 minutes.

Here is my first point about where Benitez just has it wrong these days, Jamie Carragher.  Carragher was a fantastic defender a few years ago.  But now every year that Carragher ages, that’s one more year he just looks more off the pace, trying to compete with younger attackers.  Sure Carragher had a career performance against United last week, but what matters most is how well you play against the clubs Liverpool should easily dominate.  The first goal showed that Carragher just cannot cover the ground the way that your star center back is expected anymore. 

From there Liverpool looked decidedly shaky, and only equalized when a terrible Voronin header ricocheted off a Fulham defender and was met by a typically sublime Fernando Torres volley.  A thing of beauty, and what you would expect from the no. 1 striker in the world.  Torres had Liverpool equal after 42 minutes, against the run of play.  That’s what Torres does, that’s why he’s brilliant.

Then, against the run of play as Liverpool had finally found their flowing passing, Fulham strike once more, taking the lead once more.  And worse, only four minutes later Degen receives a straight red for a terrible challenge on Clint Dempsey.  So how does Rafa respond to try and secure at least a point?  Well, by taking off Liverpool’s most creative and talented midfielder save Gerrard himself, as Yossi Benayoun makes way for the great Nathan Eccleston.  Because Nathan Eccleston is the man to turn around the match for Liverpool right?

Rafa went on to further embarrass himself by taking off Kuyt in the 84th minute, sealing Liverpool’s fate.  Not a decent attacker in sight, and a game strategy that I can’t explain.  Once again Rafa has got it horribly wrong.  Which confuses me.

That revenue is vital to Liverpool’s survival, and Benitez just doesn’t look capable of ensuring the Reds receive the money that they need.  

David Beckham has practically announced his interest in rejoining the English Premier League, and I think that’s the best thing for him and his career.  Especially considering his hopes to keep his place in the England squad.  Let’s face the facts, MLS is far below the quality of football that you would want a world class athlete to be playing to keep them sharp for the biggest sporting tournament in the world.  So no surprise Beckham wants to get himself back to the top football league in the world to keep himself fit and sharp.  But where does he go?

My wish is to see Beckham wearing Manchester United red again.  United need a creative midfielder and David Beckham is one of the most creative midfielders to have ever played the game.  Not to mention he’s already a living United legend.  Becks arrival could help ease the pain of Ronaldo’s loss in ways that Michael Owen and Antonio Valencia have failed to do as yet. 

Too bad Sir Alex Ferguson will never be able to get over their falling out.  So rather it looks as though United fans will have to look forward to their living legend playing against them twice a year for the rest of his career.  

 I’m not exactly a Reading fan, but I always respected the heart and determination that Kevin Doyle left out on the field.  Whether fighting to show himself to be worthy of the Premier League, or fighting to try and keep Reading alive in the dying stages of their last failed Premiership campaign., Doyle proved himself as a worthwhile striker.  And Wolves have seen that, and have saved the Irishman from his exile in the Championship by spending a club record 6.5million for his services.

Kevin Doyle is the right choice for Wolves.  Tested, and passed with flying colors as the right fighting forward for a team like Wolves.

Manchester City with their infinite billions, are targeting Barcelona’s Samuel Eto’o as the big possibility for their next high profile transfer, when the window opens this summer.  And Barcelona isn’t a bad place to be looking for talent, considering the Spanish giants are practically overflowing with it.   Which will also no doubt propel them to a Champions League title this year.

Which is why I say if you’re targeting someone on Barcelona, and you want a striker that you know can handle the Prem, why waste your time on Eto’o when Henry could easily be pried from Barca’s slimy fingers.  You know, Thierry Henry, the man that single handedly turned Arsenal into the best club anybody had ever seen, when they completely dominated the Premiership in the 03/04 season.  Henry can not only play the Premiership way, he can excel at it like few other players could ever hope to accomplish. 

That’s the target City should be gunning for, that’s the type of quality Mark Hughes needs to put that transfer money to good use.

And if you’re still not convinced, remember Henry was the Premiership’s top scorer for three years in a row before he left the League.  

18 years in the making, but finally getting the reward he so desperately deserved, Ryan Giggs has been crowned the Professional Footballer’s Association’s award for Premier League Player Of The Year.  And if not for this season, surely Giggs deserved it for a career that’s been nothing short of legendary.  Ryan Giggs has been an absolute standout quality midfielder from the first day he took United’s pitch way back on March the 2nd 1991 against Everton. 

Not to mention United wouldn’t have acquired a good portion of silverware that they have done without Giggs’ quick feet and pacey attacking runs, one standout being the Welshman single handedly eliminating Arsenal in the ‘99 FA Cup Semi-final replay with one of the most spectacular goals in the history of football.  

I understand he’s only got 12 starts this season, and I understand Giggs isn’t the player with the best statistics on the list this year, but you have to look beyond that to why Giggs is still a prominent feature in United’s first team.  Giggs lifts the squad when he takes the pitch, inspiring many a late victory, and for United to concentrate, string passes together and become the dominant force for which they have the ability.  Ryan Giggs is a legend, a living still playing legend who will feature for United once again next season at the age of 36 and perhaps even beyond.

And to anybody that would say Ryan Giggs doesn’t deserve the PFA award, Giggsy has 10 League titles, 2 Champions League titles, 4 FA Cups, 2 League Cups, 6 Community Shields, 1 UEFA Super Cup, and a FIFA Club World Cup that say otherwise.  And if United win the League this year the record books really need to change the arrangement of the records for most English League titles to: Manchester United 18, Liverpool 18, Arsenal 13, Ryan Giggs 11.  

Well Martin O’Neill has finally admitted defeat for Aston Villa’s Champions League campaign.  Due completely to the fact that Villa has essentially sputtered out towards the end of this season, with a form that doesn’t befit any side hoping to break into the Premiership’s top four.  Aston Villa have six matches left to play, they are eight points behind Arsenal, and their last six matches have gone draw, four losses, and now another draw against Everton.

Villa need to purchase more players this summer, because Martin O’Neill just doesn’t have enough quality to successfully rotate his first team, allowing his big stars the rest they need.  Everybody on Villa just looks tired at this stage, and O’Neill doesn’t have anyway to rest the ones that matter most to his squad.  Villa are set up right now to flop at the end of every season until they follow the big four format and expand the squad to include some great secondary talent.  

photo: Oldelpaso

Mark Hughes has made it a habit to target the right players, opposed to the high profile football celebrities everybody thinks City should target given their unlimited transfer budget.  Up to this point I agreed with Mark Hughes strategy, especially considering the quality Hughes has to make useful players more useful, like what Hughes did with David Bentley last season.  But now I have to say, perhaps City aren’t employing the strongest possible strategy, because something is still seriously wrong at the club, and none of the current transfers have had any effect on making the squad better in the long run.

Mark Hughes has a serious problem on his hands, and the retooling of the squad up to this point hasn’t really done it’s job at all.  Leading me to believe City need a new strategy, or a new manager at the end of the season.  Because those unlimited billions are being wasted on a club that could be called lackluster at best.  

Federico Macheda is becoming a miraculous hero for Manchester United.  First the 17 year old, in his first appearance ever in Manchester United’s first team, tips United past Aston Villa to win 3-2 in the second minute of extra time.  And then, as if that wasn’t enough to begin his United legacy, Macheda makes his second appearance in United’s first team today, and within four minutes of him entering the match, the brilliant youngster puts United ahead 2-1 for the win over Sunderland with a lucky left footed strike.

I just can’t wait to see into Macheda’s future, to see if we are actually seeing the beginnings of something special.  Or if this is just a lucky 17 year old that will level out into an average at best player in the next few years.  

photo:  Mr. Phillip Chambers

If Liverpool are to win the League and Europe it looks as though Rafa Benitez’s men will have to do it practically without captain fantastic, as Steven Gerrard has picked up a groin injury that Liverpool will be forced to deal with until the end of the season.  This means that Gerrard is likely to miss out on Saturday’s clash with Blackburn as well as next Tuesday’s second Champions League leg against Chelsea.  A major blow to Liverpool considering at times Gerrard is their whole team, and Liverpool desperately need to keep pace with United in the Premiership, and have a 3-1 aggregate to bounce back from in the Champions League.

Oh how quickly football can turn around on you.

photo:  Jh1442

Speaking of clubs suffering injury blows to major players, Arsenal also suffered a huge blow to their squad in the Champions League, as former captain William Gallas has been ruled out for the rest of the season with a knee ligament injury.  A gigantic blow to an Arsenal side that’s going to need to defend stoutly to have any hopes of beating a Villarreal side that’s been excellent in the Champions League this season.  Not to mention the help Wenger’s defense is going to need to fend off a Europe hungry Aston Villa from taking one of the top four spots in the Premier League.

I don’t particularly understand why Amr Zaki is doing practically everything in his power to mess up his football career, and his standing with Wigan Athletic, who have given him the world stage necessary to become a star.  As you likely know by now, Zaki still hasn’t reported back to Wigan after the international break, and is essentially missing in action, giving no reason to manager Steve Bruce for his absence.  Considering Wigan pay the lad very well, and the fact that he’s become a major star for them, why would Zaki throw all that away, and ruin his standing with other clubs that could be interested in purchasing him?

I would hope that anybody considering buying Zaki would also factor in his behavior towards his club, because he really isn’t good enough to have such a diva attitude.