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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: Alex Hleb, Alex McLeish, Aliaksandr Hleb, Andy Carroll, Arsenal, Aston Villa, Avram Grant, Birmingham 2-0 Blackpool, Birmingham City, Blackburn Rovers, Blackpool, Bolton Wanderers, Bosingwa, Cesc Fabregas, Cheik Tiote, Chelsea 2-0 Wolves, Chicharito, Dedryck Boyata, DW Stadium, Everton, Fernando Torres, Florent Malouda, Franco di Santo, Fulham, Gabriel Tamas, Hugo Rodallega, Ian Holloway, James Morrison, Jamie Carragher, Javier Hernandez, Johan Elmander, Jose Bosingwa, Leighton Baines, Liam Ridgewell, Liverpool, Liverpool 2-1 Blackburn, Lukas Fabianski, Man City, Man City 0-3 Arsenal, Man Utd, Manchester City, Manchester United, Manuel da Costa, Marc-Antoine Fortune, Mark Hughes, Matthew Upson, Newcastle United, Nikola Zigic, Patrice Evra, Rafael van der Vaart, Roberto di Matteo, Salomon Kalou, Sanli Tuncay, Scott Carson, Sotirios Kyrgiakos, Spurs, Stephen Hunt, Stoke City, Sunderland, Sunderland 1-0 Aston Villa, Thomas Sorensen, Tottenham, Tottenham 1-1 Everton, Tottenham Hotspur, Tuncay, WBA, West Brom, West Brom 2-1 Fulham, West Bromwich Albion, West Ham 1-2 Newcastle, West Ham United, Wigan 1-1 Bolton, Wigan Athletic, Wolverhampton Wanderers, Wolves, Youssuf Mulumbu . 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 88^th-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: 1-0 Chelsea, Adam, Adlene, Allardyce, Almunia, Ancelotti, Arsenal, Arsenal 2-3 West Brom, Arsene, Aston Villa, Belgrade, Bent, Birmingham 0-0 Wigan, Birmingham City, Blackburn Rovers, Blackpool, Blackpool 1-2 Blackburn, Bolton 2-2 Man Utd, Bolton Wanderers, Brett, Brunt, Carlo, Carlos, Cesc, Charlie, Chelsea, Chris, City, Craig, Craven Cottage, Cuellar, da Costa, Darren, de Jong, Delap, di Santo, Diouf, Dirk, El-Hadji, Emerton, Emile, Essien, Everton, Fabregas, Franco, Frank, Frederic, Fulham, Fulham 0-0 Everton, Gael, Gardner, Gerard, Gerrard, Givet, Gonzalo, Guedioura, Heskey, Hodgson, Houllier, Howard, Hughes, Hugo, Jaaskelainen, James, Jara, Jerome, Johnson, Jones, Jussi, Kenwyne, Kenwyne Jones, Krul, Kuyt, Lampard, Liverpool, Liverpool 2-2 Sunderland, Luka, Man City, Man Utd, Manchester, Manchester United, Manuel, Marc, Mark, Martin, Matt, Michael, Michael Turner, Michel, Mignolet, Mikel, Modric, Nani, Nasri, Newcastle 1-2 Stoke, Newcastle United, Nigel, Nottingham Forest, Odemwingie, Overmars, Owen, Partizan, Perch, Peter, Petrov, Phillips, Piquionne, Reebok Stadium, Rob Green, Robert Green, Robin, Rodallega, Roger, Rory, Roy, Salgado, Sam, Samir, Schwarzer, Scunthorpe, Sheffield United, Simon, Spurs, St Andrew's, St James' Park, Stephen, Steven, Stoke City, Stuart Attwell, Sunderland, Tevez, Thomas, Tim, Tim Krul, Tottenham, toure, Turner, van Persie, Vermaelen, Warnock, Wenger, West Brom, West Bromwich Albion, West Ham, West Ham 1-0 Tottenham, West Ham United, Wigan Athletic, Wolverhampton Wanderers, Wolves, Wolves 1-2 Aston Villa, yaya . 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: Al-Habsi, Alex, Alexandre, Ali, Ancelotti, Anelka, Arsenal, Aston Villa, Aston Villa 1-1 Bolton, ben Arfa, Bent, Berbatov, Birmingham, Blackburn 1-1 Fulham, Blackburn Rovers, Blackpool, Bobby, Bolton Wanderers, Brad, Branislav, Cahill, Capello. Ashley, Carlo, Carlos, Carlton, Cesc, Chelsea, Chelsea 4-0 Blackpool, City, City of Manchester Stadium, Cole, Darren, Davies, Defoe, di Matteo, Dimitar, Everton, Everton 0-1 Newcastle, Fabio, Fabregas, Ferguson, Fletcher, Florent, Friedel, Fulham, Gerrard, Hatem, Hughes, Ivanovic, Jacobsen, Jarvis, Jermain, Jermaine, Jones, Kenwyne, Kevin, Lars, Liverpool, Malouda, Man City, Man Utd, Man Utd 3-2 Liverpool, Manchester City, Manchester United, Mancini, Mark, Matt, McCarthy, Mick, Mignolet, Newcastle United, Nicolas, Pablo, Parker, Pennant, Rafael, Red Devils, Roberto, Roberto di Matteo, Rosicky, Sam allardyce, Scott, Sebastien, Simon, Sir, Song, Spurs, Squillaci, Stadium of Light, Steven, Stoke 1-1 West Ham, Stoke City, Sunderland, Sunderland 1-1 Arsenal, Tevez, Tim, Tomas, Tottenham, Tottenham 3-1 Wolves, Tottenham Hotspur, toure, van der Vaart, WBA, West Brom, West Brom 3-1 Birmingham, West Bromwich Albion, West Ham United, Wigan, Wigan 0-2 Man City, Wolverhampton Wanderers, Wolves, yaya, Young, Zabaleta, Zamora . 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: Adam, Alan Smith, Alcaraz, Alex, Alex Song, Alexandre Song, Antolin, Antolin Alcaraz, Arsenal, Arsenal 4-1 Bolton, Arsene, Arsene Wenger, Asamoah, Asamoah Gyan, Ashley Cole, Baines, Barton, ben Arfa, Berbatov, Berra, Birmingham 0-0 Liverpool, Birmingham City, Blackburn Rovers, Blackpool, Bobby, Bobby Zamora, Bobby Zamora injury, Bolton, Brunt, Burnley, Cahill, Campbell, Cattermole, Cesc Fabregas, Charlie, Charlie Adam, Chelsea, Chris, Chris Brunt, Chris Hughton, Christophe, Christophe Berra, Cleverley, Coyle, Dembele, Dimitar, Dimitar Berbatov, DJ, DJ Campbell, Eduardo, Essien, Evans, Everton 3-3 Man Utd, Ferguson, Fernando, Fernando Torres, Fortune, Fulham, Fulham 2-1 Wolves, Gary, Gary Cahill, Gary Neville, Gilks, Goodison Park, Gyan, Ham, Hart, Hatem, Hatem ben Arfa, Henry, Henry Winter, Hodgson, Holloway, Hotspur, Hughes, Hughton, Ian, Ian Holloway, Joe, Joe Hart, Joey Barton, Jonny, Jonny Evans, Kalinic, Kalou, Karl, Karl Henry, Kevin Nolan, Lee, Lee Cattermole, Leighton, Leighton Baines, Liverpool, Man City, Man City 1-1 Blackburn, Man Utd, Manchester City, Manchester United, Mancini, Marc-Antoine, Marc-Antoine Fortune, Mark, Mark Hughes, Matt, Matt Gilks, McCarthy. Mick McCarthy, Michael, Michael Essien, Mick, Mikel Arteta, Moussa, Moussa Dembele, Neville, Newcastle, Newcastle 0-2 Blackpool, Nikola, Nikola Kalinic, Nolan, Owen, Owen Coyle, Paul Scharner, Pepe, Pepe Reina, Phil Jones, Preston, Reina, Roberto, Roberto Mancini, Robin, Robin van Persie, Rooney, Roy, Roy Hodgson, Salomon, Salomon Kalou, Scott Dann, Sir, Sir Alex Ferguson, Smith, Spurs, Sunderland, Theo, Theo Walcott, Tom, Tom Cleverley, Toon Army, Torres, Tottenham, van Persie, Walcott, Wanderers, Wayne, Wayne Rooney, WBA, Wenger, West, West Brom, West Brom 1-1 Tottenham, West Bromwich Albion, West Ham 1-3 Chelsea, Wigan, Wigan 1-1 Sunderland, Winter, Wolverhampton, Wolves, Younes Kaboul, Zamora . Author: tomvictor . Comments: Leave a Comment

Welcome back Premier League, we missed you

Last week I brought you a round-up of the opening weekend’s of the football league, but many fans will have seen that action as nothing more than a warm-up for the big one: the Premier League kick-off.

Almost every club has been busy in the transfer market, and supporters have been eager to see how their side’s new recruits coped with the demands of top-flight football. But it was an uncharacteristically familiar Chelsea side who took the plaudits after an exciting start to the season up and down the country.

Drogba: hat-trick

Carlo Ancelotti has only made two senior signings this summer, and with neither Ramires or Yossi Benayoun ready to start it was left to Didier Drogba and Florent Malouda to fire a warning shot to the rest of the league. Hat-trick hero Drogba looks to be on worryingly good form already, and the champions are in no danger of stumbling out of the starting blocks

But it would take more than that 6-0 demolition of West Brom to take the shine of the performance of Premier League newcomers Blackpool. The Seasiders coasted (pun intended) to victory at Wigan, with the 4-0 scoreline putting them second in the table, their inexperienced side showing no signs of stagefright.

‘Pool manager Ian Holloway has had limited success in the transfer market so far, but in French under-21 international Elliot Grandin he seems to have found a bargain. The former Marseille and CSKA Sofia youngster ripped the Wigan defence to shreds, creating the third goal for Marlon Harewood when his shot was saved, and could provide the creativity Holloway’s team will need if they are to continue surprising their opponents.

Albrighton: unplayable

Another future star of the game announced himself at Villa Park. Marc Albrighton may be called upon more frequently if James Milner moves to Manchester, but on the kind of form he showed against West Ham there are many who would argue he deserves to start ahead of the England utility man. The young winger created two goals and ran the Hammers’ full-backs ragged as he switched wings with Ashley Young over the 90 minutes.

Avram Grant’s side, like fellow bottom-three residents West Brom and Wigan, were worryingly toothless, demonstrating that an unbeaten pre-season counts for nothing. The return of Manuel da Costa and Thomas Hitzlsperger will help, but Grant may need to bring in more new faces.

Elsewhere, several goalkeepers hit the headlines, none more than Manchester City’s Joe Hart. After an accomplished if unremarkable performance at Wembley on Wednesday, Hart was a one-man barrier between Spurs and the City goal after his back four decided to take the day off. At least half a dozen top-class saves meant the score stayed 0-0, and Hart’s form may well see Shay Given decide he needs to find a new club.

That club could be Arsenal, for whom Manuel Almunia faltered once again. Beaten at his near post by David N’Gog, Almunia’s days at Arsenal must surely be numbered. With his every move under close scrutiny, the Spaniard could not afford to make any mistakes.

Reina: howler

At the opposite end of the Anfield pitch, Pepe Reina looked to be enjoying a more fruitful 90 minutes, with a world-class stop from Tomas Rosicky set to round off a stirring performance. That was until, just minutes after flapping at a cross to nearly let Theo Walcott in for a late equaliser, Reina somehow contrived to scoop the ball into his own net in the last minute of normal time.

With Rob Green and Ben Foster doing little to enhance their international prospects this weekend, Fulham’s David Stockdale staked his claim for inclusion in Fabio Capello’s next squad. Called upon as an eleventh-hour replacement for Mark Schwarzer, Stockdale denied Bolton victory with a number of impressive saves. The Trotters already look more of an attacking force under Owen Coyle than they ever did during Gary Megson’s tenure, with even Johan Elmander starting to find some form.

Cattermole: predictable

At the Stadium of Light, Lee Cattermole surprised no one by becoming the first player to be sent off this season. Failing to recognise the line between reasonable aggression and persistent fouling, the Sunderland captain picked up two yellow cards before the half-time interval. Opposite number Stephen Carr attempted to match Cattermole in the embarrassment stakes with a comical own goal, but he was ultimately bailed out by his team-mates, with two scrappy goals seeing the Blues overturn a two-goal deficit.

The remaining two games both – perhaps surprisingly – ended in home victories. Wolves eased past Stoke after scoring twice in the same game for the first time this century* while yet another goalkeeping howler (this time from Tim Howard) saw Blackburn’s Nikola Kalinic score the only goal against Everton.

Mick McCarthy’s Wolves side have made the necessary improvements to their squad this season, and know they will need to turn Molineux into a fortress if they are to prolong their stay in the top flight. And they can do far worse than look at Blackburn for inspiration, the Ewood Park side picking up 36 of their 50 points last season on home soil.

*statistic may or may not be exaggerrated for comic effect

Team of the week (4-5-1):

Hart (Man City); Onuoha (Sunderland), Samba (Blackburn), Dunne (Aston Villa), Agger (Liverpool); Albrighton (Aston Villa), Jones (Wolves), Grandin (Blackpool), Huddlestone (Tottenham), Malouda (Chelsea); Drogba (Chelsea)

August 16, 2010
Categories: Premier League . Tags: Arsenal, Ashley Young, Aston Villa, Aston Villa 3-0 West Ham, Avram Grant, Ben Foster, Birmingham, Birmingham City, Blackburn, Blackburn 1-0 Everton, Blackburn Rovers, Blackpool, Bolton, Bolton 0-0 Fulham, Bolton Wanderers, Carlo Ancelotti, Chelsea, Chelsea 6-0 West Brom, Christopher Samba, CSKA Sofia, Daniel Agger, David Jones, David N'Gog, David Stockdale, Didier Drogba, Elliot Grandin, Everton, Ewood Park, Fabio Capello, Florent Malouda, Fulham, Gary Megson, Ian Holloway, James Milner, Joe Hart, Johan Elmander, Jose Reina, Lee Cattermole, Liverpool 1-1 Arsenal, Manchester City, Manuel Almunia, Manuel da Costa, Marc Albrighton, Mark Schwarzer, Marlon Harewood, Marseille, Mick McCarthy, Molineux, Nedum Onuoha, Nikola Kalinic, Owen Coyle, Pepe Reina, Ramires, Richard Dunne, Rob Green, Robert Green, Shay Given, Spurs, Stadium of Light, Stephen Carr, Stoke, Stoke City, Sunderland, Sunderland 2-2 Birmingham, Theo Walcott, Thomas Hitzlsperger, Tim Howard, Tom Huddlestone, Tomas Rosicky, Tottenham, Tottenham 0-0 Manchester City, WBA, West Brom, West Bromwich Albion, West Ham, Wigan, Wigan 0-4 Blackpool, Wigan Athletic, Wolverhampton Wanderers, Wolves, Wolves 2-1 Stoke, Yossi Benayoun . 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: 5^th

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: 3^rd

Manchester United:

Manager: Sir Alex Ferguson

Last season: 2^nd

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: 1^st

Newcastle United:

Manager: Chris Hughton

Last season: 1^st (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: 14^th

Stoke City:

Manager: Tony Pulis

Last season: 11^th

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 11^th 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: 16^th

Sunderland:

Manager: Steve Bruce

Last season: 13^th

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: 9^th

Tottenham Hotspur:

Manager: Harry Redknapp

Last season: 4^th

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 – 5^th place is not a terrible result given the strength of their squad.

Prediction: 5^th

West Bromwich Albion:

Manager: Roberto di Matteo

Last season: 2^nd (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: 17^th

West Ham United:

Manager: Avram Grant

Last season: 17^th

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: 13^th

Wigan Athletic:

Manager: Roberto Martínez

Last season: 16^th

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: 15^th

Wolverhampton Wanderers:

Manager: Mick McCarthy

Last season: 15^th

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: Antolin Alcaraz, Avram Grant, Black Cats, Carlton Cole, Championship, Chris Hughton, Cristian Riveros, Dan Gosling, Daniel Levy, Darren Bent, David Silva, Gabriel Tamas, Gianfranco Zola, Harry Redknapp, Javier Hernandez, Kenwyne Jones, Man City, Man United, Man Utd, Manchester City, Manchester United, Mario Melchiot, Matt Jarvis, Mauro Boselli, Mick McCarthy, Nani, Newcastle, Newcastle United, Owen Hargreaves, Pablo Barrera, Pablo Ibanez, Paul Scharner, Premier League, Ricardo Fuller, Roberto di Matteo, Roberto Mancini, Roberto Martinez, Sandro, Scott Parker, Sir Alex Ferguson, Spurs, Stephen Hunt, Steve Bruce, Steven Fletcher, Steven Reid, Stoke City, Sunderland, Thomas Hitzlsperger, Titus Bramble, Tony Mowbray, Tony Pulis, Tottenham, Tottenham Hotspur, Wayne Rooney, WBA, West Brom, West Bromwich Albion, West Ham, West Ham United, Wigan, Wigan Athletic, Wolverhampton Wanderers, Wolves . Author: tomvictor . Comments: Leave a Comment

World Cup top 5

Every World Cup, punters make their predictions about which team will win, who will finish top scorer, which teams will be the ‘dark horses’ (has there ever been a more backhanded compliment?) and which young players are the ‘ones to watch.’ In lieu of this, I decided to make some more obvious predictions about the goings-on in South Africa this summer:

1. An unfancied (probably African) team will perform admirably and then get knocked out in unfortunate fashion.

From Gary Lineker ‘earning’ two penalties against Cameroon in 1990, through Ilhan Mansiz’s golden goal to knock out Senegal in 2002, up to Dida’s fortuitous save from John Mensah four years ago, the story always seems to be the same for African sides in the World Cup.

Hoffenheim striker Chinedu Obasi

Commentators too lazy to watch the Africa Cup of Nations (well it is only every two years) will marvel at and patronise the ‘natural athleticism’ of players they have never seen before – players who have been household names in France or Germany for years but unknown quantities in England because Arsenal are yet to express an interest.

My prediction: Nigeria will qualify for the second round, with Chinedu Obasi starring as they give Argentina a run for their money, before a Thierry Henry handball denies them against France.

2. A young Eastern European player will have one good game, be hailed as a star, join Tottenham and see his career take a dive.

The World Cup is renowned as a shop window for Premier League clubs, with Premier League clubs rarely afraid to take a punt on someone on the basis of one or two good games. West Ham famously forgot about Gary Breen’s years of mediocrity when they signed him after his performance against Germany in 2002, while Daniel Amokachi’s form for Everton did not quite match the high standards he set for himself in 1994.

Gary Breen: Master of mediocrity

Of course, of all the managers in England’s top flight, no one likes taking a punt on an unknown quantity more than Harry Redknapp. While perhaps not as frivolous as when he was at West Ham or even at Portsmouth, ‘Arry still isn’t afraid to pay over the odds, shelling out £14million on hit-and-miss striker Roman Pavlyuchenko and £3million on past-his-best right-back Pascal Chimbonda to name but two.

My prediction: Redknapp will plump for Slovenia’s Mišo Brečko after he puts in a couple of good crosses against England and nutmegs Landon Donovan in the game against the USA. After all, you can never have too many right-backs.

3. Holland will look unbeatable in the early rounds before being found out by a wily older manager in the knockout stages

Two years ago, at Euro 2008, Marco van Basten’s Dutch side were unplayable in the group stages, destroying France and Italy without breaking sweat. But then they came undone in the semi-final, outwitted by Guus Hiddink’s Russia.

Dutch playmaker Wesley Sneijder

Fans of the Oranje will hope new coach Bert van Marwijk has instilled a greater sense of belief and solidity in his troops, and it is certainly true that a number of them – including Internazionale midfielder Wesley Sneijder and Arsenal’s Robin van Persie – have developed as players since that defeat to Russia in Basel two years ago.

My prediction: Holland will win all three group games, before Spain edge past them in the quarter-finals. Pundits will say how much they miss the presence of Ruud van Nistelrooy.

4. A foreign player will become ‘public enemy number one’ in England, probably for something innocuous.

The mild-mannered Diego Simeone, destroyer of hopes and dreams in 1998

Ever since Antonio Rattin threw a wobbly in 1966, England fans have found a foreigner to despise in the aftermath of any World Cup. However, rather than sensibly using Rattin as a benchmark and deciding – actually – some of the more recent offences pale in comparison, many decide the cheek of irking a nation with a minor foul or a wink is worse than murder.

Now don’t get me wrong, Maradona’s handball in 1986 was despicable, and Ronaldo’s wink in 2006 was deplorable, but we don’t half hold a grudge. Such an attitude unfairly draws attention away from the often abysmal performances of our own players, turning us into victims when we should really be blaming ourselves for not doing the job asked of us.

My prediction: The lovable scamp Tim Cahill will nudge Ledley King as a corner is coming over before scoring the goal to knock England out in the second round. Bricks through windows and mildly-racist newspaper headlines will follow.

5. An average player will score a brilliant goal, and proceed to live off it for the rest of his career

This is the one World Cup certainty which I have no problem with. Everyone loves to see a cracking goal, and even an average one is enough if it is the difference between your country making it through their group and them falling at the first hurdle.

Salif Diao has struggled to live up to his early promise

And it is ever so often a journeyman pro or a player who has come out of nowhere who steals the plaudits. Go to any pub in Stoke and you will probably find Salif Diao talking about his goal against Denmark in 2002, while Eder no doubt still roams the beaches of Brazil telling anyone who will listen about the high-point of his uneventful career.

My prediction: New Zealand’s Simon Elliott will score a 35-yard screamer against Paraguay, putting his 12 games for Fulham in the shade.

So, all that is left for me to say is I hope you enjoy the World Cup. It will truly be a tournament like no other. Or maybe a tournament like every other, but with a number of differences so subtle you barely notice them.

And in keeping with my final prediction, I leave you with the 50 best goals ever scored on world football’s grandest stage.

June 10, 2010
Categories: World Cup . Tags: Antonio Rattin, Argentina, Arsenal, Basel, Bert van Marwijk, Cameroon, Chinedu Obasi, Cristiano Ronaldo, Daniel Amokachi, Denmark, Dida, Diego Maradona, Diego Simeone, Eder, England, Everton, France, Gary Breen, Gary Lineker, Germany, Guus Hiddink, Harry Redknapp, Holland, Ilhan Mansiz, Italy, John Mensah, Landon Donovan, Ledley King, Lineker, Maradona, Marco van Basten, Miso Brecko, Netherlands, New Zealand, Nigeria, Obasi, Oranje, Paraguay, Pascal Chimbonda, Robin van Persie, Roman Pavlyuchenko, Ronaldo, Russia, Salif Diao, Senegal, Simon Elliott, Spain, Thierry Henry, Thierry Henry handball, Tim Cahill, Tottenham, Tottenham Hotspur, van Basten, van Marwijk, van Persie, Wesley Sneijder, West Ham, West Ham United, World Cup 1966, World Cup 1986, World Cup 1998, World Cup 2002, World Cup 2006, World Cup 2010 . Author: tomvictor . Comments: 1 Comment

Injury Time

The World Cup is less than one week away, and some of the tournament’s potential stars are dropping like flies.

Many of the competing nations are reverting to plan B or even plan C operations, after losing important players to injuries on the eve of the competition.

Emerson

This is by no means a new phenomenon. Who can forget the dislocated shoulder suffered by Brazilian captain Emerson before the 2002 World Cup, or Ledley King’s absence through injury from England’s squad four years ago.

It seems every major tournament is preceded by a spate of injuries, and this year the pre-World Cup curse seems to have hit countries even harder than usual.

In this post I will look at some of the players struck down in recent weeks, and consider how their absence will affect their countries.

England: Rio Ferdinand, Owen Hargreaves and David Beckham

The identity of two of England’s three major absentees comes as no great surprise, and Fabio Capello will surely have been preparing to embark on a World Cup campaign without messrs. Beckham and Hargreaves for some time. Providing Gareth Barry recovers from his own injury problems before Saturday’s opening fixture in Rustenberg, the group C favourites should be able to cope.

Rio Ferdinand

The knee ligament damage suffered by their captain is, however, a far different story.

Fans and players alike hoped Ferdinand had recovered from the various ailments which have plagued him all season, but now they will need to rely on Ledley King, who has himself only played 59 times for his club Tottenham in the last three seasons. Doubts remain over King’s ability to play so many games in such a short space of time, and there is a strong chance England will have to call upon the out-of-form Matthew Upson or the inexperienced Michael Dawson. Ferdinand’s injury is certainly a setback, but it remains to be seen whether England have the ammunition to deal with it.

Germany: Michael Ballack, Simon Rolfes, Heiko Westermann and Rene Adler

While England have players in reserve who may be capable of stepping in for those injured in their World Cup preparations, the same may not be said of their potential second-round opponents Germany.

The ankle ligament damage suffered by Michael Ballack was always going to be significant, but the damage might have been lessened if Simon Rolfes was able to step in. Instead, the absence of the experienced Bayer Leverkusen man leaves the German midfield looking rather thin.

Of the six midfielders remaining, only Bastian Schweinsteiger and Piotr

Mesut Ozil

Trochowski have more than 10 caps to their name. Joachim Low will now be relying on the youthful energy of the likes of Mesut Ozil and Marko Marin to drag his side out of a tough first-round group.

With the squad so lacking in experience, the cool head of Heiko Westermann would have helped calm Low’s troops, but he too is out, suffering a broken foot in a friendly against Hungary. And Adler, enjoying a good season at Leverkusen and becoming his country’s first choice goalkeeper after the tragic suicide of Robert Enke last November, will also miss out with a broken rib. While England may cope without important players, Germany will face an altogether tougher task to see off Serbia, Australia and Ghana and advance to the second round.

And the rest…

Cote d’Ivoire’s hopes of advancing through the so-called ‘Group of Death’ suffered a massive blow after captain Didier Drogba broke his arm against Japan. He faces a race against time to feature, and if he fails to make it then it is difficult to see Sven Goran Eriksson’s squad getting past Brazil and Portugal in group G.

Michael Essien

If Ghana want to repeat their achievements of four years ago, when they fell in the second round, they will have to do so without talisman Michael Essien.

An increasingly-important player for the Black Stars with captain Stephen Appiah’s own injury issues, Essien has failed to recover from a long-standing knee problem which curtailed his Premier League campaign with Chelsea.

Essien’s club team-mate John Obi Mikel will also be watching the tournament from the sidelines, with a knee injury keeping him out of Nigeria’s squad. While perhaps a bit-part player for Chelsea, Mikel is integral to his country’s form, and his calming influence in front of the back four will be missed.

With only five days remaining until the start of the tournament, I leave you with K’naan’s ‘Waving Flag’, the official anthem of the tournament in South Africa.

June 6, 2010
Categories: World Cup . Tags: Australia, Bastian Schweinsteiger, Bayer 04 Leverkusen, Bayer Leverkusen, Beckham, Brazil, Cote D'Ivoire, David Beckham, Didier Drogba, Drogba, Emerson, England, Eriksson, Essien, FIFA World Cup, Gareth Barry, Germany, Ghana, Heiko Westermann, Ivory Coast, Joachim Low, John Obi Mikel, K'naan, King, Ledley King, Leverkusen, Marko Marin, Matthew Upson, Mesut Ozil, Michael Ballack, Michael Dawson, Michael Essien, Mikel, Mikel John Obi, Owen Hargreaves, Piotr Trochowski, Portugal, Rene Adler, Rio Ferdinand, Robert Enke, Schweinsteiger, Serbia, Simon Rolfes, Spurs, Sven Goran Eriksson, Tottenham, Tottenham Hotspur, Trochowski, Waving Flag, World Cup, World Cup 2010, World Cup South Africa 2010 . Author: tomvictor . Comments: Leave a Comment

Return of the King

On Wednesday night a top international footballer returned from a long spell on the sidelines and slotted back into his team as if he had never been away.

The understanding he has with his team-mates was there for all to see, and his mere presence galvanised his side as soon as he stepped onto the turf.

No, I am not talking about Robin van Persie. The player in question is none other than Ledley King.

The Tottenham Hotspur captain looked assured throughout his team’s victory over Arsenal, and it was only when he understandably began to tire that their opponents found a route back into the game.

What’s more, Michael Dawson, who looked shaky at times during Sunday’s FA Cup semi-final defeat, grew in stature alongside King.

Injuries have restricted King to just 15 league appearances this season

The centre-back’s return after two months out could not come at a better time, with Fabio Capello soon to announce his provisional 30-man squad for the World Cup.

And if King can continue like this there is no chance of him missing out on a seat on the plane to South Africa.

As for the game itself, it marked the end to Arsenal’s title challenge, and their display at White Hart Lane emphasised why they will not be lifting the Premier League trophy this season.

As has been the case throughout the campaign, Arsene Wenger’s side have struggled to convert possession into clear-cut chances, often panicking around the edge of the penalty area.

Indeed it took an impressive cameo from their attacking talisman Robin van Persie to instil a sense of belief going forward, and Wenger’s men had more clear-cut chances in the final 20 minutes than in the 70 preceding van Persie’s introduction.

The lack of decisive movement in the attacking third was summed up by Tomas Rosicky’s burst shortly before half-time, where he tried to do it all himself and ended up firing wildly off-target with the outside of his right foot.

More dynamism from Nicklas Bendtner and more direct bursts from midfield were needed, and this has been the case for much of the season.

With Chelsea and Manchester United dropping more points than might have been expected, you get the feeling Arsenal will see this season as a chance missed.

Tomas Rosicky has failed to rediscover his form in recent weeks

But in a season when they have been without van Persie, Cesc Fabregas and William Gallas for months at a time, it is easy to make a case for a full-strength Arsenal side being in a position to lift the title.

Certainly they have cause to be optimistic next season, as do Tottenham. But Harry Redknapp’s team have a more immediate task-at-hand: beating Manchester City to the fourth Champions League place.

If they can continue producing displays like the one on Wednesday the spot is well within their capabilities, but it remains to be seen whether upcoming matches against Chelsea, Manchester United and Manchester City will take their toll.

For all the talk of the title race being over, I believe this weekend’s timetable is as exciting as ever, with the Manchester derby and Chelsea’s trip to White Hart Lane likely to be emphatic of the rise of the two sides in contention for fourth place.

While this season has come too soon for Spurs and Manchester City to threaten the dominance of the top three, both sides will be eager to lay down a marker for the season ahead.

This weekend could therefore end up being crucial not just for this campaign, but for many years to come.

April 16, 2010
Categories: Arsenal, Premier League, Tottenham Hotspur . Tags: Arsenal, Arsene, Arsene Wenger, Bendtner, Capello, Cesc, Cesc Fabregas, Champions League, Chelsea, Dawson, Fabio, Fabio Capello, Fabregas, FIFA World Cup, Gallas, Harry, Harry Redknapp, King, Ledley, Ledley King, Manchester, Manchester City, Manchester United, Michael, Michael Dawson, Nicklas, Nicklas Bendtner, Premier League, Redknapp, Robin, Robin van Persie, Rosicky, South Africa, Tomas, Tomas Rosicky, Tottenham, Tottenham Hotspur, UEFA Champions League, van Persie, Wenger, White Hart Lane, William, William Gallas, World Cup . Author: tomvictor . Comments: 2 Comments

Beyond their means – Portsmouth’s journey to Wembley

Let me take you back to Sunday morning.

Tottenham fans up and down the country were looking forward to their day out at Wembley, many believing their FA Cup semi-final against relegated Portsmouth was a foregone conclusion.

After all, Avram Grant’s side were without arguably their best player in Jamie O’Hara, and had lost much of their squad over the last 18 months.

Fast-forward a few hours and Spurs fans take to the forums, complaining that Pompey were playing by their own rules, bringing the game into disrepute, and didn’t deserve their place in the final. Sour grapes, or do they have a point?

Portsmouth’s financial woes have been well documented over the 12 months since Alexandre Gaydamak sold the club, but the problems may go back even further than that.

Sulaiman Al-Fahim is one of several owners to have taken the reins at Portsmouth this season

David James revealed the punishing effects of unexpected bonuses when Pompey lifted the FA Cup and qualified for Europe in 2008, and one might argue Gaydamak did well to sell up and get out while he could.

But since the Russian’s departure the club has had numerous owners, none of whom managed to arrest the seemingly inevitable slide into administration.

They have since struggled to pay players, and some would say they acted beyond their means in fielding a senior team against Tottenham.

The main case in point is Aruna Dindane. The Ivorian’s appearance in the semi-final ought to have triggered a £4m payment to former club Lens, but Grant’s team managed to reach an agreement with the French outfit.

But Lens surely would not have agreed the original sale if they knew Portsmouth had absolutely no intention of paying for the international striker. This is particularly pertinent when you consider Les Sang et Or are also allegedly owed payments for the 2008 transfer of Nadir Belhadj to the south-coast side.

Furthermore, due to the constraints of administration, Pompey did not apply for a UEFA licence. Now they have reached the final they are seeking to appeal a decision which they essentially made themselves, in an attempt to qualify for a competition one of their own players has admitted helped orchestrate their downfall.

Harry Redknapp’s side have the right to feel aggrieved about the Dindane fiasco. The fact that he won the clinching penalty is academic, however. The important thing is Portsmouth reaching this stage of the competition is founded on ‘buying’ players they could not afford.

Ghanain midfielder Muntari has since moved to Inter Milan

But was this not also the situation when Redknapp himself was manager at Fratton Park? Rumours have been circulating that the club still owe Udinese £4m for the signing of Sulley Muntari during Redknapp’s tenure, and multi-million pound sales of Muntari himself and Lassana Diarra have been insufficient to generate the funds needed to pay a backlog of transfer installments.

Is the significant difference between Portsmouth and so many other Premier League sides simply the fact that other owners are willing to continue bankrolling debt-ridden clubs when the going gets tough?

Tottenham themselves were shown to be £65 million in debt, according to figures published last year, yet chairman Daniel Levy continues to fork out multi-million pound fees on fringe players such as Kyle Naughton and Kyle Walker.

Without such a benificent owner, Tottenham might find themselves in the same situation as last Sunday’s opponents, at which point talk of ‘existing beyond their means’ could well go out of the window.

April 13, 2010
Categories: FA Cup, Portsmouth, Tottenham Hotspur . Tags: Al-Fahim, Alexandre, Alexandre Gaydamak, Aruna, Aruna Dindane, Avram, Avram Grant. FA Cup semi-finals, Belhadj, Cote D'Ivoire, Daniel, Daniel Levy, David, David James, Diarra, Dindane, Europa League, FA, FA Cup, Gaydamak, Grant, Harry, Harry Redknapp, Inter, Inter Milan, Internazionale, Ivorian, James, Jamie, Jamie O'Hara, Kyle, Kyle Naughton, Kyle Walker, Lass, Lass Diarra, Lassana, Lassana Diarra, Lens, Levy, Muntari, Nadir, Nadir Belhadj, Naughton, O'Hara, Pompey, Portsmouth, Premier League, RC Lens, Redknapp, Russia, Russian, Sacha Gaydamak, semi-final, semi-finals, Spurs, Sulaiman, Sulaiman Al-Fahim, Suleiman Al-Fahim, Sulley, Sulley Ali Muntari, Sulley Muntari, Tottenham, Tottenham Hotspur, Udinese, Udinese Calcio, UEFA, UEFA Cup, UEFA Europa League, Walker, Wembley . Author: tomvictor . Comments: Leave a Comment

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