Premier League Round-Up 14/12/10

Tottenham Hotspur v Liverpool , Premier League 28/11/2010 Heurelho Gomes of Tottenham celebrates his sides win 2-1 Photo Marc Atkins Fotosports International 07783 913 777 Photo via Newscom
Manchester United opened up an ominous-looking three-point gap at the top of the table, after they beat Arsenal and Chelsea could only draw at Tottenham.

Sir Alex Ferguson’s side could develop a real gap between themselves and the chasing pack with victory at Stamford Bridge next week, and have a game in hand against Blackpool to boot.

Park Ji-Sung’s first-half header was enough to see off the challenge of Arsenal, who failed to hit their stride on a pitch described by Arsene Wenger as ‘very poor.’

Meanwhile, at White Hart Lane it looked as though hosts Spurs would be made to pay for their profligacy in front of goal as Didier Drogba’s shot beat Heurelho Gomes and the Brazilian keeper then felled Ramires in stoppage time to give away a penalty.

But Gomes made his name stopping spot-kicks, as Lyon found out to their chagrin in the 2005 Champions League, and he stopped Drogba’s effort to keep Tottenham in touch with the top four.

The fixture list provided a great opportunity for Manchester City to put themselves forward as genuine title contenders, and with their rivals facing off against each other Roberto Mancini’s side ended the weekend in third place.

Their lofty position comes courtesy of a comfortable 3-1 win at West Ham, with Yaya Toure continuing to slowly prove his worth in the North-West.

West Ham, meanwhile, remain bottom after that defeat and manager Avram Grant must surely feel his time is nearly up.

If the Hammers are to replace Grant, one man who might come in is Sam Allardyce. The Blackburn manager was the latest victim of a shock sacking as the club’s Indian owners felt defeat against 10-man Bolton was one loss too many.

Owen Coyle’s Trotters continue to hold their own in the top six, with the team making light of Mark Davies’ dismissal to see off their opponents 2-1.

Fabrice Muamba and Stuart Holden scored the goals, either side of a Mame Biram Diouf effort, to leave Coyle’s side five points and seven places ahead of their managerless victims.

Speaking of managerial changes, this week’s incumbent of the St James’ Park hot seat – Alan Pardew – earned himself a stay of execution (only joking) with victory over Liverpool in his first game as Newcastle manager.

Joey Barton almost managed not to rise to fairly blatant Liverpool attempts to wind him up, and actually let his football do the talking, while Andy Carroll’s clinching goal in the 3-1 win will be the kind of thing he falls back on in a few years when his career inevitably goes the way of former North-East darling Michael Bridges.

Aston Villa/West Bromwich Albion Premiership 11.12.10 Photo: Tim Parker Fotosports International Gerard Houllier manager Aston Villa during the game Photo via Newscom

Another boss who remains under pressure – if reports are to be believed – is Aston Villa’s Gerard Houllier, and that will make his side’s victory over West Brom on Saturday all the more important.

The 2-1 triumph came courtesy of goals from Stewart Downing and Emile Heskey, while Paul Scharner’s consolation did little apart from costing me a handful of fantasy league points.

Albion’s Black Country rivals Wolves secured a priceless victory in the second Midlands derby of the weekend, with Stephen Hunt’s second goal in black and gold (the black and gold of Wolves, that is, rather than the black and gold of previous club Hull) enough to see off a painfully disappointing Birmingham outfit.

The only other goal of the weekend came at the Britannia Stadium, where Blackpool continued to confound their doubters with victory over Stoke.

DJ Campbell was the hero for Ian Holloway’s Seasiders, as he has been many times in the past, although the visitors had the woodwork to thank for keeping out Stoke on multiple occasions.

Few could have predicted ‘Pool sitting four points ahead of Everton at this stage in the campaign, but that is exactly where they are after the Toffees failed to break the deadlock at home to Wigan.

David Moyes side missed the creative energy of Mikel Arteta, and fans will hope American international Landon Donovan returns in January for a second loan spell after impressing last season.

The final game of the week was played at Craven Cottage, and involved Fulham and Sunderland.

That’s about as much as I can tell you: I was at the game, and nothing actually happened over the course of the 90 minutes. The ‘highlight’ (if it can be called that) was Ahmed Elmohamady curling into a foetal position after a football-in-the-groin moment which puts Hans Moleman to shame.

Team of the week (4-2-3-1) Foster (Birmingham); Ricketts (Bolton), Vidic (Man Utd), Cuellar (Aston Villa), Ward (Wolves); Yaya Toure (Man City), Barton (Newcastle); Ashley Young (Aston Villa), Vaughan (Blackpool), Holden (Bolton); Campbell (Blackpool)

December 14, 2010
Categories: Premier League . Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , . Author: tomvictor . Comments: Leave a Comment

Premier League Round-Up 22/11/10

Arsenal v Newcastle United, Premier League 7/11/2010 Arsenal Manager, Arsene Wenger clasps his hands to his face as the fourth official shows four minutes of injury time Photo Marc Atkins Fotosports International Photo via Newscom

When summing up this week’s Premier League programme there is only one place to start.

Not that long ago it looked as though Arsenal had banished the fragility which has plagued them in previous seasons, but their capitulation at home to Spurs suggested nothing has really changed.

Credit to Harry Redknapp for inspiring the second-half comeback which earned Spurs a first win at the home of their fiercest rivals in 17 years, but the game was really about Arsenal snatching defeat from the jaws of victory.

They should have been home and dry by half-time but – in scenes reminiscent of their visit to Wigan’s DW Stadium last season – once the fightback begun there was no sign of the Gunners arresting their slide towards defeat.

One team without such fragility issues is Bolton, and Owen Coyle’s side continued their march up the table with a crushing 5-1 win over Newcastle.

Neither Johan Elmander nor Kevin Davies has been particularly prolific while ploughing a lone furrow at the Reebok, yet by bringing the duo together Coyle has formed one of the most dangerous strike partnerships in the league.

Both struck twice on Saturday, with Chung-Yong Lee – one of the most underrated players in the top-flight – getting the other goal for the Trotters. Andy Carroll’s eighth of the season gave the visitors a glimmer of hope but ultimately proved academic.

Just as impressive was Manchester City’s 4-1 win at Fulham. Roberto Mancini’s side have received their fair share of criticism for negative displays but attack was the order of the day, with even the much-maligned Yaya Toure breaking forward to get on the scoresheet.

Mark Hughes’ side, on the other hand, will be nervously looking over their shoulders after the early-season unbeaten run is now starting to look like, well, just loads of draws.

Fulham are now just one place above the relegation zone, thanks in no small part to Birmingham’s surprise win over Chelsea.

While Lee Bowyer scored the goal, taking advantage of a centre-back in Alex whose pain-killing injection seemingly had side-effects of drowsiness, the star of the show was Ben Foster.

After his unconvincing display for England on Wednesday, Foster proved he is still a viable contender for the national side by keeping out everything Chelsea threw at him and earning his sixth clean sheet of the campaign.

As Birmingham are on the up, their west midlands neighbours are all heading in the opposite direction after defeats this weekend.

Aston Villa, missing several key players, were nonetheless outclassed by a Blackburn side comfortable from the moment Morten Gamst Pedersen put them into a first-half lead on Sunday.

The spirit remained from last week’s draw against Manchester United, but Gerard Houllier’s side lacked a cutting edge in the absence of Marc Albrighton.

That result leaves Villa a point ahead of West Brom, who are in freefall with one point from four games.

West Bromwich Albion/Stoke City Premiership 20.11.10 Photo: Tim Parker Fotosports International John Walters Stoke City celebrates 2nd goal with team mates Photo via Newscom

Stoke were the beneficiaries of some generous defending this time around, Jon Walters adding to Matty Etherington’s penalty with a second-half brace in the Potters’ biggest away win since their return to the Premier League.

But the situation remains far from desperate for the Baggies, which is more than can be said for local rivals Wolves.

A fourth successive defeat leaves them on a paltry nine points, although any side would have been hard-pressed to respond to the opening goal from Blackpool’s Luke Varney.

Varney’s effort, a volley from way out which arced over a helpless Marcus Hahnemann, conjured up memories of Hugo Rodallega’s goal of the season contender last year.

On the subject of Rodallega, the Colombian striker did not enjoy quite as fruitful an afternoon at Old Trafford on Saturday.

A two-footed lunge saw him sent off, after team-mate Antolin Alcaraz had seen red just minutes earlier, and Manchester United’s margin of victory could have been far greater than 2-0.

Defeat for Wigan saw them slip into the bottom three, where they have Wolves and West Ham for company.

Saturday’s defeat at Anfield was comfortably the Hammers’ worst performance of the season, which is really saying something given their record of seven defeats and just one win in their opening 14 games.

Liverpool barely needed to break a sweat, racing into a three-goal lead before half-time, and one gets the feeling they could have not turned up for the second half and still scored a couple more without reply, had they so wished.

Monday night’s game was one of the most exciting since Richard Keys returned to out screens on a weeknight, Everton and Sunderland sharing the spoils in a pulsating 2-2 draw.

Danny Welbeck made up for the absence of Asamoah Gyan by scoring both goals for the Black Cats, sandwiched between efforts from Tim Cahill and Mikel Arteta.

But both sides missed golden chances to win the game in stoppage time: first Welbeck snatched at his shot when well-placed, then Everton substitute Jermaine Beckford prodded wastefully over after being put clean through on goal.

Team of the week (4-4-2): Foster (Birmingham); Eardley (Blackpool), Gallas (Tottenham), Johnson (Birmingham), Evra (Man Utd); Holden (Bolton), Meireles (Liverpool), Pedersen (Blackburn), Silva (Man City); Tevez (Man City), Elmander (Bolton)

November 24, 2010
Categories: Uncategorized . Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , . Author: tomvictor . Comments: Leave a Comment

Premier League Round-Up 25/10/10

West Ham and Wolves are starting to see a gap develop between themselves and the rest of the Premier League after defeats this weekend.

The Irons failed to build on a solid first-half performance against Newcastle, woeful defending letting in Andy Carroll to head in the winner unchallenged from six yards.

With Matthew Upson unable to complete the 90 minutes and Manuel da Costa perhaps distracted by off-field events, Avram Grant will need to act fast to shore up a back-line which has leaked 17 goals in the first eight games of the season.

Kalou and Malouda

Wolves can be more pleased with their performance, giving Chelsea a run for their money before slipping to a 2-0 defeat thanks to goals from Florent Malouda and Salomon Kalou.

They tested Petr Cech on a number of occasions, and things are looking up after Stephen Hunt played 45 minutes on his return from injury.

The other team in the bottom three, Liverpool, started what they hope will be a speedy ascent of the table with a 2-1 victory over Blackburn.

Sotirios Kyrgiakos has now doubled his goalscoring tally from last season, and while his opener was quickly cancelled out by a Jamie Carragher own goal, Fernando Torres restored the Anfield club’s lead and earned them their second win of the season.

Liverpool’s only other victory was against West Brom, who kept up their strong recent form by coming from behind to beat Fulham.

Mark Hughes’ side opened the scoring through a Scott Carson own goal, but Youssuf Mulumbu drew the scores level with his first goal of the season and Marc-Antoine Fortune ignored Fulham’s offside appeals to slot home the winner and take Albion fourth on Saturday night.

On Sunday, however, wins for Manchester United and Arsenal saw them leapfrog Roberto di Matteo’s men and move back into the Champions League places.

Dedryck Boyata

Arsenal’s victory was the more impressive, although the 3-0 scoreline against Man City was helped somewhat by opposing defender Dedryck Boyata receiving a red card after just five minutes.

The Gunners made the most of their man advantage, with Cesc Fabregas pulling the strings, and the Spaniard could even afford to miss a penalty.

United, meanwhile, left it late to make sure of all three points at Stoke’s Britannia Stadium. Chicharito opened the scoring with a brilliantly-improvised header, only for Tuncay to draw Stoke level with a finish right out of the top drawer.

But Mexican striker Chicharito had the last word, diverting Patrice Evra’s wayward shot beyond Thomas Sorensen with four minutes to play.

Tottenham slipped out of the top four after being held to a 1-1 draw by an Everton side now unbeaten in four games.

Leighton Baines’ early free-kick was cancelled out by a close-range Rafael van der Vaart strike, but neither team could find the crucial second goal.

1-1 was also the final score at the DW Stadium, with Johan Elmander rescuing a point for Bolton against Wigan.

Hugo Rodallega opened the scoring for the Latics after being played through by Franco di Santo, but Elmander reacted quickest in a goalmouth scramble to poke home the leveller.

Liam Ridgewell

The remaining Lancashire club, Blackpool, slipped to a demoralising 2-0 defeat against an often shot-shy Birmingham outfit at St Andrews.

Ian Holloway admitted to being out-thought by opposing number Alex McLeish as goals from Liam Ridgewell and Nikola Zigic condemned ‘Pool to their fifth reverse of the campaign.

The final game of the weekend saw Sunderland preserve their unbeaten home record with a narrow win over Aston Villa.

An own goal from Richard Dunne was all that separated the sides, a Premier League record eighth for the Irish centre-back.

Team of the week (4-5-1)

Fabianski (Arsenal); Bosingwa (Chelsea), Tamas (West Brom), Kyrgiakos (Liverpool), Baines (Everton); Morrison (West Brom), Tiote (Newcastle), Fabregas (Arsenal), Mulumbu (West Brom), Hleb (Birmingham); Hernandez (Man Utd)

October 25, 2010
Categories: Premier League . Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , . Author: tomvictor . Comments: Leave a Comment

Premier League Round-up 27/09/2010

In a week of Premier League shocks, none were bigger than West Brom’s 3-2 triumph at Arsenal’s Emirates Stadium. Even more surprising than the result was the fact that the visitors were good value for the three points, turning over the hosts with a stirring second-half performance.

They could even afford to miss a penalty, with Chris Brunt firing his first-half effort too close to Manuel Almunia, before goals from Peter Odemwingie, Gonzalo Jara and former Gunners man Jerome Thomas sealed victory.

Gonzalo Jara

Two late Samir Nasri strikes not enough to rescue a point for Arsenal, who will be concerned by their lack of fight in the absence of Cesc Fabregas, Thomas Vermaelen and Robin van Persie (among others). The trio will still be missing for tomorrow’s trip to Belgrade to face Partizan, as will Almunia, and Arsene Wenger will expect big performances from some of his fringe players.

The fixture against West Brom had represented a chance for Arsenal to make up ground on league leaders Chelsea, who fell to a 1-0 defeat at Manchester City earlier on Saturday.

Carlos Tevez may have grabbed the headlines with his superb solo goal, but the plaudits should belong to City’s midfield duo Nigel de Jong and Yaya Toure. The pair bossed proceedings against Chelsea’s not-insubstantial pairing of Mikel and Essien, keeping the champions’ chances to a minimum and freeing space for their forwards to flourish on the break.

Despite his recent goalscoring run, Essien has been looking less of an asset since recovering from the knee problem which kept him out of the World Cup. Carlo Ancelotti will hope the return of Frank Lampard next month spurs the Ghanaian star into action in time for a testing run of fixtures.

With their rivals faltering, the stage seemed set for Manchester United to spring back into life against Bolton, but in truth the 2-2 scoreline at the Reebok Stadium flattered the visitors.

Michael Owen

There are positives to take from the game, though, not least Michael Owen’s return to goalscoring form. The England man, plagued by injuries last season, managed to build on a midweek double against Scunthorpe by deftly placing a header into the far corner of Jussi Jaaskelainen’s net, cancelling out Martin Petrov’s deflected strike within minutes.

2-2 was also the final score at the Stadium of Light, in a game which will be remembered more for one mystifying refereeing decision than for the hard-fought battle between Sunderland and Liverpool.

After ruling that Sunderland had taken a free-kick from the wrong place, Stuart Attwell somehow convinced himself Michael Turner backheeling the ball to the correct spot constituted the taking of the kick. In a scenario not dissimilar to Marc Overmars’ goal for Arsenal against Sheffield United a few years ago, Dirk Kuyt scored the opener with Black Cats ‘keeper Simon Mignolet static and bemused.

With all this controversy hogging the headlines, it is easy to ignore a well-taken brace from the impressive Darren Bent, or even the headed equaliser from Steven Gerrard (a strike which I refuse to dub a ‘captain’s goal’), but 2-2 it ended and Liverpool remain at the wrong end of the Premier League table.

Hot on the heels of Roy Hodgson’s side are West Ham, who moved off the bottom of the table with a surprise 1-0 victory over Tottenham at Upton Park.

Frederic Piquionne scored the only goal, but the hosts owe the three points to a rare display of defensive solidity, epitomised by Robert Green’s world-class save from Luka Modric.

Robert Green

The Irons will hope to build on that result next week when they face Fulham, one of two sides still unbeaten in the league this season.

Mark Hughes’ men ensured their fifth draw in six games after holding basement side Everton to a stalemate at Craven Cottage. Again the goalkeepers were the stars, with Fulham’s Australian stopper Mark Schwarzer edging Everton’s American ‘keeper Tim Howard in the performance stakes.

That was not the only goalless draw of the weekend, with Birmingham and Wigan also cancelling each other out in a game of few clear-cut chances at St Andrew’s.

Tempers began to flare in the first half, Hugo Rodallega tangling with Roger Johnson, and things finally boiled over in stoppage time when Craig Gardner was dismissed for a nasty challenge which left Wigan sub Franco di Santo requiring treatment.

The final game on Saturday was also far from the prettiest, but Blackburn boss Sam Allardyce will not be complaining. Brett Emerton’s stoppage-time strike saw off a spirited Blackpool side, who looked to have salvaged a point when debutant Matt Phillips found a way past Paul Robinson.

Emerton’s goal was his first in the league since November 2007, and the Australian international will be looking to use it as a springboard to reignite his career at Ewood Park after losing his starting place to Michel Salgado.

Brett Emerton

The award for comedy own-goal of the week was a close-call, with Blackpool’s Charlie Adam just pipped by Newcastle right-back James Perch. The former Nottingham Forest man powered a diving header beyond Tim Krul to gift opponents Stoke all three points at St James’ Park.

It was a game which Newcastle should have won, given their visitors’ apparent decision not to start playing until the second half, but a one-goal advantage was not enough once Rory Delap and his missile of a throw-in entered the fray, and a Kenwyne Jones header drew Stoke level before Perch’s aberration.

The final game of the weekend saw something almost as rare as a Brett Emerton goal: a second in successive games for Emile Heskey.

The Aston Villa striker, seemingly enjoying a new lease of life under former mentor Gerard Houllier, headed in Stephen Warnock’s 88th-minute cross to see off Wolves, just four days after equalising in the Carling Cup win over Blackburn.

Wolves will be disappointed to lose the derby game, especially considering Warnock was lucky to still be on the pitch when he delivered the match-winning cross, but they will be more concerned with the broken leg suffered by young midfielder Adlene Guedioura.

Team of the week (4-2-3-1):

Green (West Ham); Jara (West Brom), Cuellar (Aston Villa), Da Costa (West Ham), Givet (Blackburn); De Jong (Man City), Yaya Toure (Man City); El-Hadji Diouf (Blackburn) Petrov (Bolton), Nani (Man Utd); Jones (Stoke)

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September 27, 2010
Categories: Premier League . Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , . Author: tomvictor . Comments: Leave a Comment

Premier League Round-up 20/09/2010

For the second weekend running, Manchester United contrived to throw away a two-goal lead against opponents from Merseyside, but this time they had the resolve to snatch a late victory over Liverpool.

Sir Alex Ferguson’s side looked to be cruising before Dimitar Berbatov netted an early contender for goal of the season, but Steven Gerrard then proceeded to punish needless fouls with two quickfire dead-ball goals to draw the visitors level.

Dimitar Berbatov

While the timing of recent equalisers for Fulham and Everton had given United little time to respond, on this occasion they had more than 20 minutes to find a winner. And Berbatov was the man to provide the crucial goal, completing his first hat-trick in United colours.

The three points kept the Red Devils third in the table, now level on points with an Arsenal side who threw away an almost-certain victory against Sunderland.

While Cesc Fabregas’ opener was a little lucky, there was nothing fortuitous about the marvellous display of possession football displayed by the visitors at the Stadium of Light.

Even when Alex Song’s dismissal reduced Arsenal to 10 men, they continued to play like they were the side with the one-man advantage, running their opponents ragged and creating more than enough chances to win the game.

But Tomas Rosicky spurned the best of those chances when he fired a penalty high over Simon Mignolet’s crossbar, and Arsenal only had themselves to blame when Darren Bent fired home a stoppage-time equaliser.

Carlo Ancelotti

The result at the Stadium of Light allowed Chelsea to extend their lead at the top of the table to four points. Their 4-0 win over Blackpool also brings their goal difference to a remarkable +20 after just five games.

The tie at Stamford Bridge was over by half-time, allowing Carlo Ancelotti to rest some of his stars ahead of next week’s visit to the City of Manchester Stadium, and Nicolas Anelka will be eager to feature against his former club after being deemed surplus to requirements for Sunday’s encounter.

Next week’s opponents Manchester City will go into the game on the back of a much-needed away victory at Wigan, during which Carlos Tevez returned to goalscoring ways.

City’s captain has been guilty of the odd embarrassing miss this season, but the Argentinian’s confidence seemed unaffected as he brilliantly chipped over Ali Al-Habsi to open the scoring.

Yaya Toure

Roberto Mancini will also be happy to see Yaya Toure notch his first goal for the club – City look to have firepower all the way through their squad, with Toure the ninth different player to find the net for them this season.

Wigan now find themselves in the unenviable position of looking up at all three promoted teams, after impressive wins for West Brom and Newcastle on Saturday took the duo up to seven points.

While both will be delighted with the weekend’s travails, the Baggies’ win is even sweeter for having come against local rivals Birmingham.

A stirring second-half comeback helped Roberto Di Matteo’s side emerge with all three points, after netting three in a Premier League game for the first time since May 2009.

Meanwhile, Newcastle saw off an Everton side still yet to win a league game this season, thanks to a stunning strike from Hatem Ben Arfa on his full debut for the club.

Everton, missing the injured Tim Cahill, will need to pick up the pace soon to avoid being drawn into a relegation scrap.

Two sides with similar ambitions, Stoke and West Ham, played out a 1-1 draw in a game with more attacking verve than one might expect from two teams struggling at the wrong end of the table.

The Hammers led through Scott Parker’s scrambled goal before another Rob Green error allowed Kenwyne Jones to equalise, but both sides had chances to win what proved to be a very open game.

West Ham’s next game is at home to Tottenham, who banished talk of a Champions League hangover by displaying great stamina to see off bogey side Wolves.

Steven Fletcher

Despite the 3-1 defeat, Mick McCarthy will be buoyed by the goalscoring return of record signing Steven Fletcher, who could well ensure a comfortable season for the midlanders if he continues in this vein of form.

Fulham could certainly do with a goalscorer of Fletcher’s ability, especially with Bobby Zamora ruled out for several months. But Mark Hughes’ men kept up their unbeaten record with a 1-1 draw at Ewood Park.

Hosts Blackburn, whose manager Sam Allardyce was hoping to demonstrate his credentials for Europe’s top jobs, will need to concentrate on holding on to a lead – they have now scored first in four of their five Premier League games, but only have five points to show for their efforts.

In the weekend’s remaining game, Aston Villa hosted Bolton in a match full of players looking to stake their claim for a place in Fabio Capello’s next England squad.

Ashley Young, who impressed in August’s friendly against Hungary, showed his class with a cracking free-kick, while Kevin Davies, who has all-but admitted defeat in his quest for a call-up, might be thinking of revising that statement after firing home his first goal of the season at Villa Park. With Jermain Defoe injured and Carlton Cole low on confidence and form, now might be the time for Davies to earn that long-awaited England cap.

Team of the week (4-2-3-1):

Friedel (Aston Villa); Jacobsen (West Ham), Ivanovic (Chelsea), Squillaci (Arsenal), Zabaleta (Man City); Yaya Toure (Man City), van der Vaart (Tottenham); Pennant (Stoke), Jarvis (Wolves), Malouda (Chelsea); Berbatov (Man Utd)

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September 20, 2010
Categories: Premier League . Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , . Author: tomvictor . Comments: Leave a Comment

Premier League Round-up 13/09/2010

This weekend showed once again why the Premier League is so popular, with one of the most thrilling encounters of recent years being played out at Goodison Park.

Manchester United were without Wayne Rooney for the trip to Everton, but – whatever Henry Winter tells you – his absence did not lessen their capacity to win the game. Dimitar Berbatov led the line well and scored the third goal which seemingly clinched victory for Sir Alex Ferguson’s side, but Leighton Baines’ crosses caused havoc in the United box, allowing the hosts to score two injury-time goals and salvage a remarkable 3-3 draw.

Ferguson – who later saw his son’s team Preston throw away a similar lead to lose 4-3 at Burnley – must be concerned at his side’s failure to close out games, and he might begin to question the concentration of stand-in defenders Gary Neville and Jonny Evans. While the two are at opposite ends of their respective careers, they are perhaps equidistant from the pinnacle of their abilities.

Michael Essien

United’s late collapse allowed Chelsea to move four points clear at the top of the table with a comfortable 3-1 win against West Ham. Early goals from Michael Essien and Salomon Kalou meant the champions barely had to break sweat, as they sat back and allowed their hosts plenty of possession.

It is difficult to judge Chelsea’s start to the season based on the opposition they have faced so far, but you can only beat what is placed in front of you – something Manchester United have failed to do twice now.

While their rivals continue to hog the headlines, Arsenal are going about their business quietly yet effectively. The odd defensive hiccup remained in their 4-1 victory over Bolton, but Arsene Wenger’s side adjusted well to the loss of Theo Walcott and Robin van Persie.

The scoreline was harsh on a Bolton side very much in the game until the laughable dismissal of Gary Cahill, but Owen Coyle’s side needed to capitalise more on their concerted spells of possession and take the chances presented to them. If you don’t do that, Arsenal will punish you.

The ‘big three’ were joined in the top four by Blackpool, who continued their fairytale start to the season with a surprisingly-comfortable 2-0 win at Newcastle’s St James Park.

Ian Holloway’s men were reliant on goalkeeper Matt Gilks to preserve the lead given to them by Charlie Adam’s first-half penalty, before DJ Campbell sealed the win in stoppage time. Toon Army manager Chris Hughton may be regretting his decision to leave new signing Hatem ben Arfa on the bench, with the midfield trio of Nolan, Smith and Barton failing to provide the necessary creative spark.

Elsewhere Fulham saw off a spirited but indisciplined Wolves outfit at Craven Cottage, in a game which will be remembered for a distressing injury suffered by Bobby Zamora. The England man’s leg snapped under a challenge from Karl Henry, bringing back memories of former Arsenal striker Eduardo’s horrific break in January 2008.

Moussa Dembele

But unlike Arsenal on that fateful day, Fulham were spurred on to record a hard-fought win, Moussa Dembele’s double placating Mark Hughes’ misery somewhat. His opposite number Mick McCarthy, meanwhile, will be concerned that Christophe Berra’s late red card is one of three which could have realistically been awarded against his side.

Another player to see red on Saturday was Sunderland captain Lee Cattermole, who did not even last half an hour against former club Wigan. Two yellow cards in the space of five minutes brought an early end to the combative midfielder’s afternoon for the second time this season.

£13m man Asamoah Gyan still came close to securing an unlikely three points for the 10 men of Sunderland, but his well-taken volley was cancelled out by an instinctive finish from Antolin Alcaraz, who turned in Tom Cleverley’s wayward shot for his first goal in Wigan colours.

1-1 seemed to be the scoreline of the weekend, with Manchester City’s tie against Blackburn and Tottenham’s trip to West Brom both ending in the same scoreline.

City will rue defensive errors and attacking complacency, as they made a meal of coming back into the game after Joe Hart gifted the opener to Nikola Kalinic. Roberto Mancini’s men had 20 shots on goal to Blackburn’s 4, but could not find a way past a determined Rovers back-line.

Chris Brunt

And Spurs were similarly guilty of gifting a goal to their opponents, with a static defence failing to respond when Marc-Antoine Fortune’s shot looped up and spun towards the back post, allowing Chris Brunt to equalise with a rare headed goal from all of a yard out.

Sunday’s televised game was not one for the purists, with Birmingham and Liverpool playing out a dull goalless draw. The hosts had the better chances, but Pepe Reina was equal to everything thrown at him by the Blues, while at the other end an uncharacteristically-negative selection from Roy Hodgson left Fernando Torres feeding off scraps for the most part.

Team of the week (4-2-3-1)*:

Reina (Liverpool); Kaboul (Tottenham), Jones (Blackburn), Dann (Birmingham), Cole (Chelsea); Song (Arsenal), Scharner (West Brom); Arteta (Everton), Fabregas (Arsenal), Adam (Blackpool); Berbatov (Man Utd)

*Team selected ahead of Monday night game between Aston Villa and Stoke

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September 13, 2010
Categories: Premier League . Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , . Author: tomvictor . Comments: Leave a Comment

Transfer window – best bits of business

I know it’s a bit late for a post on the deadline day deals, so I thought I’d take a look at the plethora of deals done over the whole summer.

With the World Cup not finishing until mid-July, it took a while for the biggest transfers to be completed. Milan and Manchester City were among the biggest movers and shakers, with high-profile deals for the likes of Ibrahimovic, Robinho and Yaya Toure standing out, but other teams went about their business more efficiently.

I have highlighted five summer transfers which – while not as headline-grabbing as others – will soon be looked back on as some of the more intelligent pieces of business to take place this summer.

1. Fabio Quagliarella – Napoli to Juventus (loan)

The classy forward was one of very few Italian players to improve his profile at the World Cup, scoring one of the goals of the tournament against Slovakia.

But it is Quagliarella’s Serie A record which suggests Juventus have made a tidy purchase (they have paid €4.5m up front with an option to make his signing permanent for a further €10.5).

He has netted at least 11 league goals in every season since 2006/7, earning him some international recognition, but he has failed to hold down a regular starting spot for the national side. At the age of 27, Quagliarella will hope the move to the Delle Alpi will endear him to new Italy coach Cesare Prandelli as the Azzurri look to get their Euro 2012 qualifying campaign off to a good start.

2. Diego – Juventus to Wolfsburg (€15.5m)

With Quagliarella moving to Turin, along with Milos Krasic and Leonardo Bonnucci on big-money deals, new Juve boss Luigi Delneri needed to clear some space in his squad.

Diego had not enjoyed the best of debut seasons after moving from Werder Bremen in a big-money deal, and Juve felt the time was right to cash in on him. Wolfsburg jumped at the chance to sign the Brazilian playmaker, and who can blame them given the way he starred in Bremen.

Certain players seem to really stand out in the Bundesliga yet fail to make a similar impact in Europe’s ‘bigger’ leagues, and Diego is certainly one of those. He has already netted on his Wolfsburg debut, and it will surely only be a matter of time before we see more goals like this start to fly in.

3. Diego Godin – Villarreal to Atletico Madrid (€8m)

Victory in the Europa League final does not mask the fact that 2009/10 was a largely disappointing season for Atletico. A lowly 9th place finish in La Liga and an early exit from the Champions League meant boss Quique Sanchez Flores knew a lot of work would need to be done.

With an imposing front-line containing Forlan, Reyes, Simao and Aguero, it does not take a genius to realise defence is where Sanchez Flores needed to improve his options. Dominguez is still raw, while Ujfalusi and Juanito are coming to the ends of their careers, so a top-class defender in his prime was on the shopping list.

Godin enjoyed a strong partnership with Diego Lugano in Uruguay’s run to the World Cup semi-finals, and already has 43 international caps at the tender age of 24. When added to three years of La Liga experience at El Madrigal, it is easy to see why president Enrique Cerezo freed up the funds for his purchase.

4. Miguel Veloso – Sporting to Genoa (€9m)

While Liverpool were making their move for Raul Meireles at an over-inflated €14m price-tag, Meireles’ Portuguese international team-mate Veloso was ending his 10-year association with Sporting.

The holding midfielder has seen his stock fall a little in recent years, with Manchester United among others dropping their interest, but he remains a valuable asset to any team.

Genoa coach Gian Piero Gasperini looks to be building a good side at the Stadio Luigi Ferraris, with Kakha Kaladze, Luca Toni and Rafinha all joining Veloso at the club this summer.

5. Dieumerci Mbokani – Standard Liege to Monaco (€7m)

Perhaps the least well-known of my five picks, Mbokani could well prove to be the one who makes the biggest impact. It is not often that Monaco fork out big sums of money, so this guy must be something special, right?

Right. The Congolese striker has a phenomenal scoring record in African football, netting 88 times in 99 games in his homeland, and continued the record in Belgium with Anderlecht and Standard.

He joins a talented young squad including World Cup stars Park Chu-Young and Nicolas N’Koulou, as Les Rouge et Blanc look to get back among the Ligue 1 elite.

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September 4, 2010
Categories: Transfers . Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , . Author: tomvictor . Comments: Leave a Comment

Premier league predictions 2010/11 – part 2

As promised, here is the rest of my team-by-team preview of the new season.

Manchester City:

Manager: Roberto Mancini

Last season: 5th

Players in: David Silva (Valencia, £25m); Yaya Touré (Barcelona, £24m); Aleksandar Kolarov (Lazio, £17m); Jérôme Boateng (Hamburg, £10.4m)

Players out: Valeri Bojinov (Parma, undisclosed); Gunnar Nielsen (Tranmere Rovers, loan); Martin Petrov (Bolton Wanderers, free); Benjani Mwaruwari, Sylvinho (released).

Silva

It goes without saying that this is a crucial season, both for City and for their manager Roberto Mancini. Anything less than Champions League qualification will almost certainly see him sacked, especially given the £75million worth of new signings. Mancini has sensibly recognised there is no need to tamper with his side’s prolific strikeforce, instead spending most of his money on shoring up an unreliable defence. With more competition for places, the likes of Gareth Barry and Joleon Lescott will be looking to improve on disappointing debut seasons, and Mancini will hope his whole team steps up a gear.

Prediction: 3rd

Manchester United:

Manager: Sir Alex Ferguson

Last season: 2nd

Players in: Chris Smalling (Fulham, undisclosed); Javier Hernández (Guadalajara, undisclosed)

Players out: Zoran Tošić (CSKA Moscow, undisclosed); Matty James (Preston North End, loan); David Gray (Preston North End, free); Tom Heaton (Cardiff City, free); Ron-Robert Zieler (Hannover, free); Febian Brandy, Sam Hewson, Scott Moffatt (released)

Hernandez

Last season was a huge disappointment for Manchester United. No one can argue with that. Aside from losing their Premier League crown and disheartening exits from the Champions League and FA Cup, Ferguson’s side simply did not play that well. If previous form is anything to go by, the Scottish manager will not let his side do the same again. The return of Owen Hargreaves will be a massive boost for United, while some of their younger players will have learned valuable lessons from last season, not least Rafael da Silva. If Rooney and Nani repeat their dazzling form of last season, and are joined in doing so by any one of Hernández, Berbatov and Owen, then the title is well within their grasp.

Prediction: 1st

Newcastle United:

Manager: Chris Hughton

Last season: 1st (Championship)

Players in: James Perch (Nottingham Forest, undisclosed); Dan Gosling (Everton, free)

Players out: Jonny Godsmark (Ashington, free); Max Johnson (Inverness Caledonian Thistle, free); Michael McCrudden (Derry City, free); Wesley Ngo Baheng, Nicky Butt, Frank Wiafe Danquah, Darren Lough, Callum Morris (released)

Gosling

About a year ago, Newcastle United seemed to be in complete disarray, losing 6-1 to Leyton Orient just weeks before their Championship campaign. But then something clicked, and they brushed aside all competition, racing to the title. Credit must be given to Chris Hughton for getting a group of players used to playing at a higher level to give their all in the second tier. They have enough quality and enough know-how to stave off relegation this time round, but without the funding for further signings Newcastle look unlikely to trouble the top half of the table.

Prediction: 14th

Stoke City:

Manager: Tony Pulis

Last season: 11th

Players in: Florent Cuvelier (Portsmouth, undisclosed); Carlo Nash (Everton, free)

Players out: Andy Griffin (Reading, nominal fee); Diego Arismendi (Barnsley, loan); Ibrahima Sonko (Portsmouth, loan); Steve Simonsen (Sheffield United, free); Nathaniel Wedderburn (Northampton Town, free); Amdy Faye (released)

Fuller

Last season’s improvement on an impressive debut Premier League season was a bit of an illusion, and Stoke will do well to avoid resting on their laurels. Their 11th place finish was achieved largely due to the paucity of the teams below them, and even then Tony Pulis’s side needed a couple of results towards the end of the season to steer them away from danger. A relatively small squad may struggle if players start to pick up injuries, but they should have enough grit and determination to keep their heads above water. It looks like the board have given Pulis some money to spend, and a strike partner for Ricardo Fuller will be high on his list of priorities after the Potters only netted 34 goals last year.

Prediction: 16th

Sunderland:

Manager: Steve Bruce

Last season: 13th

Players in: Simon Mignolet (Sint-Truidense, £2m); Marcos Angeleri (Estudiantes, £1.5m); Titus Bramble (Wigan Athletic, £1m); Ahmed Al-Muhammadi (ENPPI, loan); Cristian Riveros (Cruz Azul, free)

Players out: Lorik Cana (Galatasaray, £5m); Daryl Murphy (Celtic, £1.4m); Nyron Nosworthy (Sheffield United, loan); Roy O’Donovan (Coventry City, free)

Riveros

2009/10 was a season of two halves for Sunderland, with an impressive few months overshadowed by a seemingly-irreversible slide down the table in the new year. One would hope Steve Bruce has recognised his side’s faults, and indeed he looks to have spent wisely so far this summer. If the strike-partnership between Darren Bent and Kenwyne Jones kicks into gear properly – and with Riveros’s distribution there is no reason for it not to – this should be a comfortable season for the Black Cats.

Prediction: 9th

Tottenham Hotspur:

Manager: Harry Redknapp

Last season: 4th

Players in: Sandro (Internacional, undisclosed)

Players out: Lee Butcher (Leyton Orient, free); Sam Cox (Barnet, free); Jimmy Walker (released)

Sandro

Harry Redknapp was recently ridiculed by opposition fans for suggesting Tottenham could win the league this season, but in truth such outlandish statements may be just what the club needs. While a Premier League title may be beyond Spurs, Redknapp is surely aware of the need to spend big to even maintain the club’s place in the top four. With Manchester City breaking the bank once again, Spurs’ efforts to repeat last season’s achievements are very much under threat, and it is important for chairman Daniel Levy to appreciate that – unless he makes more funds available – 5th place is not a terrible result given the strength of their squad.

Prediction: 5th

West Bromwich Albion:

Manager: Roberto di Matteo

Last season: 2nd (Championship)

Players in: Gabriel Tamaş (AJ Auxerre, £800,000); Steven Reid (Blackburn Rovers, free); Pablo Ibáñez (Atlético Madrid, free)

Players out: Jonathan Greening (Fulham, undisclosed); Borja Valero (Villarreal, loan); Joss Labadie (Tranmere Rovers, free); Robert Koren, Filipe Teixeira, Andwélé Slory (released)

Tamaş

Roberto di Matteo may not have any top-flight managerial experience, but his signings and style of play suggest he may be more capable of keeping the Baggies in the Premier League than previous boss Tony Mowbray. Tamas impressed both on loan last season and in Euro 2008 for Romania, while Reid and Ibáñez are dependable individuals with experience at this level. Albion have a large squad with a number of internationals, and – more importantly – they have a team spirit to go along with their individual quality. It is this which will help them grind out those much-needed 1-0s come March and April.

Prediction: 17th

West Ham United:

Manager: Avram Grant

Last season: 17th

Players in: Pablo Barrera (Pumas UNAM, £4m); Frédéric Piquionne (Olympique Lyonnais, undisclosed); Thomas Hitzlsperger (SS Lazio, free)

Players out: Bondz N’Gala (Plymouth Argyle, free); Guillermo Franco, Ilan, Josh Payne, Danny Kearns (released)

Barrera

It is a strange thing to say given their lowly finish last season, but West Ham’s success this campaign depends greatly on their ability to keep hold of the core of their first team. New signing Hitzlsperger may be able to provide the creative spark which was often missing under previous manager Gianfranco Zola, but Zola’s replacement Avram Grant seems to be bringing in new faces simply to complement the likes of Scott Parker and Carlton Cole. If the squad remains in one piece, last season’s relegation scare should be avoided relatively comfortably.

Prediction: 13th

Wigan Athletic:

Manager: Roberto Martínez

Last season: 16th

Players in: Mauro Boselli (Estudiantes, £5.8m); Antolín Alcaraz (Club Brugge, undisclosed); James McArthur (Hamilton Academical, undisclosed); Ali Al-Habsi (Bolton Wanderers, loan)

Players out: Titus Bramble (Sunderland, £1m); Tomas Cywka (Derby County, free); Tomas Kupisz (Jagiellonia Bialystok, free); Mario Melchiot (Umm Salal, free); Nick Meace, Paul Scharner (released)

Boselli

Wigan have flirted with relegation for several years now, and I for one do not expect this year to be any exception. They have the individual quality to unlock matches, as they showed in their remarkable comeback against Arsenal last April, but their remains a defensive frailty which leaves Martínez’s side vulnerable to the odd momentum-sapping defeat. While Alcaraz looks like a great signing, the departure of Bramble, Melchiot and Scharner leaves defensive cover rather thin on the ground, and the Latics’ fans will be hoping new man Boselli doesn’t take too long to adapt to the Premier League.

Prediction: 15th

Wolverhampton Wanderers:

Manager: Mick McCarthy

Last season: 15th

Players in: Steven Fletcher (Burnley, £6.5m); Adlène Guedioura (RSC Charleroi, undisclosed); Jelle van Damme (Anderlecht, undisclosed); Steven Mouyokolo (Hull City, undisclosed); Stephen Hunt (Hull City, undisclosed); Geoffrey Mujangi Bia (RSC Charleroi, loan)

Players out: Chris Iwelumo (Burnley, undisclosed); Jason Shackell (Barnsley, undisclosed); Andrew Surman (Norwich City, undisclosed); Nathaniel Mendez-Laing (Peterborough United, loan); George Friend (Doncaster Rovers, free); Daniel Jones (Sheffield Wednesday, free); Mark Little (Peterborough United, free)

Hunt

Wolves were relatively comfortable last season, at least in comparison with their fans’ expectations before the campaign. However one should not ignore the fact that a number of teams were incredibly poor, and their tally of 38 points may have seen them relegated in other circumstances. With teams around them strengthening, the counter-attacking style employed so effectively towards the end of last season may be less successful, and boss McCarthy will need to be prepared to abandon his usual style if he wants to make effective use of new signings Fletcher and Hunt. With the energy and enthusiasm of players like Matt Jarvis perhaps unlikely to carry the same impact as last season, Wolves may lack the quality to stay afloat for a second successive campaign.

Prediction: 19th

So, in the unlikely event that all my predictions come true, the final Premier League table will look something like this:

1. Manchester United

2. Chelsea

3. Manchester City

4. Arsenal

5. Tottenham Hotspur

6. Everton

7. Liverpool

8. Aston Villa

9. Sunderland

10. Bolton Wanderers

11. Blackburn Rovers

12. Birmingham City

13. West Ham United

14. Newcastle United

15. Wigan Athletic

16. Stoke City

17. West Bromwich Albion

18. Fulham

19. Wolverhampton Wanderers

20. Blackpool

July 25, 2010
Categories: Premier League . Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , . Author: tomvictor . Comments: Leave a Comment

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