What Goes Around, Comes Back Around

30th March 2010

Its business end of the season , yes the squeaky bum time is on and Manchester United are roaring on all the fronts with gusto. Its a chilly night in the Allianz Arena as United are trying to close out the game to take a 1-1 scoreline with them to Old Trafford. Man of the moment Wayne Rooney has the ball, and he gets robbed off it, as he goes down in pain Bayern launch an attack which results in a winner, meanwhile Rooney rolls on the floor in agony as he badly damages his ankle, getting injured at possibly the worst part of the season, when his side needed him the most, a side that he had been carrying all along by himself for most of the season. The rest as we say is history as United lost to a wonder goal from Robben in the return leg and then an offside Didier Drogba goal won Chelsea the title at Old Trafford. Dreams were shattered as first United and then England folded up in the presence of a shadow of a player that Wayne had been before that fateful night.

2nd April 2011

Upton Park, a resurgent West Ham capitalize on the uncharacteristic errors of the United defence as they race into a 2 goal lead. Come second half, Sir Alex pulls of a master stroke, as he switches Giggs to left back, brings on Hernandez and the revival begins. Rooney starts seeing much more of the ball as he scores a hat-trick in 14 mins to drag back United into the title race and it proves crucial as Arsenal surrender meekly to Blackburn at the Emirates.

6th April 2011

United produce a masterful display at Stamford Bridge to beat Chelsea for the first time in 9 years with a Rooney goal. With the ball at his feet there were gasps in the crowd as they very well knew that the player that had been caged since 30 March 2010 had been unleashed. He was all over the park, tracking back to cover his full backs,defending corners, forming a midfield triangle with Carrick and Giggs when united did not have the ball, picking his teammates with pin point cross field trademark passes. He was instrumental in the win.

United have been nothing short of electric lately with as their talisman has roared back into form at precisely the right moment when his side need him the most. United were doing with the goals of the skillful Berbatov in the first half of the season, Hernanadez had been scoring the winners at crucial moments but a fit and firing Rooney is a completely different player altogether. And when he roars back into form and plays like this you really stand up and take notice. With a strong backline and now a resurgent midfield with Rooney playing in his favored position behind the striker in a 4-2-3-1 things are looking quite bright. This side in this kind of form can stand up against any team right now, United have been steadily shifting gears and are in the top one right now as they chase their treble dream , Wembley awaits, quite how many finals they end up playing in, will define their season.

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AND WHILE WE ARE AT IT

Daily mail is running a vociferous campaign against disgraceful behavior towards the referees and have played a pivotal role in awarding of the punishment to Wayne Rooney for his verbal f-word tirade in front of the camera. Then quite possibly how do they explain that they are not encouraging debating the decisions taken by a ref during a game by allowing Graham Poll to write a column in which he judges the correctness of the pivotal decisions that the refs take over the weekend is something very difficult to understand

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This Barca side don't quite seem as invincible as the world makes them out to be, certainly not without influential skipper Puyol marshalling the defence line at the back. With him injured there is a wave of optimism sweeping through the Bernabeu as his Specialness eagerly awaits the upcoming ElClasico s with a scent of revenge.

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The comparison between the on-field demeanors of Dhoni and Rooney is preposterous to say the least. The adrenalin rush that you get while playing football is unparalleled to one you get while playing cricket. Emotions running high, fans screaming, the abuses being hurled from the touchline, the immense pressure and it gets to you on a bad day and thats what led to the f-word outburst in front of the camera. The atmosphere that a derby game at Anfield generates when Manchester United come visiting is unparalleled to anything in this world.

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The Unstoppable Eto'o

Inter Milan beat Bayern 3-2 in the second leg of the Champions League knockout round and they became only the second team in the Champions League's history to advance further after suffering a first leg defeat at home. It was Samuel Eto'o's night at the Allianz Arena after being involved in all the three Inter's goals. He scored the first and set up the other two. This match just confirmed what we already knew of Eto'o's capabilities.

Used as a classic No.9 striker during his Barcelona days, very few would have then imagined how influential he would go on to become for a treble winning Inter team. Under Jose Mourinho, he became widely used at the left of the attacking role in the 4-2-3-1 formation. This was one of the Mourinho's tactical masterpiece when he made Eto'o a threat on the left side. When Inter didn't have possession, he tracked back and helped the defenders. When Inter got the ball, he kept it well and supplied the attack. It was at this point when Eto'o's contribution for the cause of the team increased. Switching to the left helped Eto'o raise his game to another level. He was dribbling more, beating defenders at will. Not completely happy at that role, Mourinho, as he revealed later, had to convince Eto'o how this move can help them bring home the champions league trophy ahead of their game against Chelsea in the first knockout round. This season, however, he is back in his familiar No.9 position under Leonardo because of lengthy injury spells to Diego Milito. As the center forward, Eto'o can now not only score goals but also create a lot of chances making him one of the most lethal strikers in Europe at the moment. Fairly, he has given all the credit to Mourinho for making him a better striker.

He has scored 32 goals in all competitions so far, including eight in eight champions league ties. His tally of 19 in serieA makes him the third highest in the league, just one behind second placed Edinson Cavani and five behind the Udinese hero Antonio Di Natale.

Gunners gunned down by Barca and Massimo.. Sorry, Massimo who?



Barca's 1st goal of the night, courtesy Messi



The more you would want to watch the 1^st leg between Arsenal and Barcelona at the Emirates, the less appreciative you will be after watching the 2^nd leg at Nou camp. Shambolic performance by Arsenal and one Swiss citizen on the pitch. No, this guy isn’t from Arsenal or Barcelona. This was the man officiating the game who hogged the limelight for all the wrong reasons more than Barcelona who deserved it for all the right reasons. In the end there was only team which deserved to go through and rightly so Barcelona moved to the next stage in the competition.

After the 1^st leg there were voices which described Arsenal’s performance as ‘something special’. The phrase ‘Arsenal coming of age...’ has been used umpteen times and for once Arsenal had a chance to live up to that but they failed miserably. And miserable is such a small word when you want to describe Arsenal’s performance. I am being very critical of Arsenal here and because I believed if the giants had to be slayed, it had to be done at this stage. As they move forward they are only gonna grow with confidence. And with Arsenal’s impeccable record in this season’s competition, 21 goals, better than any other team, Arsenal had to score.  But no Arsenal player had a single shot – on, off target or blocked which was highly disappointing.

The question was did Arsene Wenger give up even before the game began? Or did he arrive with a defensive strategy? Or was it that Barcelona were simply too good for Arsenal? The 3^rd reason is very much true and I don’t think anyone will disagree with that. If anyone does, my only suggestion would be to watch the game again if you haven’t already done so. Arsene Wenger isn’t someone who quits even before a game has been played, but the feeling is that he got his strategy wrong. Without a natural DM in Song it was a costly mistake to play defensive football against Barca but Barca are so good at keeping the ball that it would be very difficult to play football!!. No shots on goal was as disappointing as it can get but Arsenal have no one but themselves to blame. The below stats point out as to why Arsenal had a poor poor night.

• Barcelona had the ball for 49’ 3” while Arsenal had control for 22’ 41” of the game.

• Barcelona completed 724 passes versus Arsenal’s 199.

• Arsenal completed 71% of their passes while Barcelona’s completion figure was 90%

• Barcelona's midfield trio was Javier Macherano (95 passes, 86% success), Xavi (133 passes, 90% success) and Andres Iniesta (105 passes, 92% success)

• Arsenal's midfield trio was Abou Diaby (24 passes, 88% success), Jack Wilshere (33 passes, 79%success) and Cesc Fabregas (30 passes, 70% success)

• No Arsenal player had a single shot  - on, off target or blocked. Seven Barca players had attempts on goal - including both full - back.

• Barcelona recorded 21 shots - 12 were on target, five off target and the remainder were blocked.

• In his 56 minutes on the pitch Robin van Persie had attempted eight passes.

• The Dutchman had not touched the ball in the oppositon penalty area.

• The only Arsenal player who logged an average position in the opposition half was substitute Andrey Arshavin.

• Arsenal committed 19 fouls to Barcelona's 8. Five of those fouls were attributed to Jack Wilshere.

• Manuel Almunia has conceded ten goals in the 271 minutes he has played against Barcelona in his career. That's a goal conceded every 27 minutes. 



Van Persie's plea falling on deaf ears



UEFA champions league which is considered to be one of the world's biggest competitions, has been repeatedly setting low standards in refereeing and this game was no exception. Massimo Busacca, a Swiss referee is well known for handling the UEFA cup (now Europa League) in 2007 and the final of the Champions league in 2009. But after his bizarre peformance in this game how did he handle such big profile games remains a mystery. The sending off of Robin Persie for kicking the ball after the whistle was blown though is correct by the letter of law, was an aboslute ridiculous one. Not an ounce of common sense was displayed by the referee and the fact the time between the referee's whistle and the shot was one second rubs salt into the Arsenal wound. It was the key decision and the wrong one. No-one will ever know what the outcome would have benn but it certainly had an effect on the course of the game as it is hard enough to play Pep Guardiola's side with 11 men, let alone 10. He sent off the wrong man, while Laurent Koscienly was having a field when he should have been sent off not once but twice, once for a tackle on Pedro which resulted in a penalty and then for a tackle on Xavi. Also how could he have missed the tackle by Abou Diaby on Messi which was a clear penalty, raises doubts not only on the referee's calibre but also UEFA for letting these men handle such crucial games. Micheal Platini should have a dig at his own men before he even points fingers at players, managers and club officials.

Game over, Champions league dream washed away, where do Arsenal go from here? This loss is a boon to Arsenal as it lets them concentrate and keep them fresh for the remaining premier league games and the FAcup which might lead them to the elusive silverware. With Manchester United losing 2 games in a row, the league title is wide open and Arsenal will ot get a better oppurtunity than this. It's upto Arsene Wenger and his boys not to repeat the mistakes which has eluded them of a title for 6 years.

Till then the wait cotinues when everyone can say without doubt 'Arsenal have come of age.....'

P.S.: Special thanks to Justin and Jenson. This post is the result of the small but fruitful discussion we had on Fb. Hoping to have many more of them.. :)

Liverpool 3-1 Manchester United. The Sweet Sound Of Silence

Do you hear it? No? Listen closely. Can't you hear it? "All I hear is silence" I hear you say. That, Ladies and Gentlemen, is the sweet sound of silence when Alex Ferguson refuses to speak to the media whenever things don't go his way. So, how did such a joyful event come to pass? Well for starters, Liverpool beat Manchester United 3-1 on Sunday keeping the title race very much open.

 

Both Liverpool and Manchester United came into this match on the back of defeats to West Ham and Chelsea respectively. Arsenal had drawn with Sunderland the previous day. This was a great chance for the league leaders to consolidate their lead at the top. Well, that is if they won the match. For the match Liverpool lined up with Reina, Johnson, Carragher, Skrtel, Aurelio, Gerrard, Lucas, Kuyt, Meireles, Maxi, Suarez. Manchester United had 11 players on the pitch and Phil Dowd.

The game started off in quite a lively fashion with Liverpool dominating. Luis Suarez, who really is looking like a great buy by Liverpool, had a half-chance to score but failed to control Raul Meireles' pass. This was just a taste of the things to come. At the other end, Berbatov had a shot glance off the post with Reina beaten. But the breakthrough came at the 34th min with Suarez producing a moment of magic, skipping past 3 players and passed the ball to Dirk Kuyt who had no trouble tapping it in at less than 2 yards from the goal. Five minutes later it was Nani who was the provider with a bizarre header back to Kuyt from Suarez's cross. Kuyt headed the ball in, again from less than 3 yards from the goal. 2-0 to Liverpool.

You could sense the frustration coming out from the Man Utd camp. Things reached a boiling point when Jamie Carragher tackled Nani harshly with his studs making contact with Nani's shin. The referee Phil Dowd, who had a decent game so far, reached for the yellow card to be shown to Carragher. But Nani (who was seriously injured. Apparently.), clearly not satisfied with this, walked around to face the referee showed him the wound. Dowd didn't appear too impressed with the theatrics. But Nani isn't someone who gives up so easily. When Gerrard placed his hand on his shoulder, he somehow felt extreme pain and fell down again. Now just to be clear, the tackle was really rash. Carragher should have been more careful and in my opinion, it was a straight red card. But when I saw Nani prance around like a tearful ballerina trying to get players sent off, all I could think about was the story of the boy who cried wolf. You deserve what you get, You reap what you sow, are some other phrases that spring to mind.

Play resumed after Nani was stretchered off to well deserved boos. Shortly after that Rafael, a graduate of the Paul Scholes Tackling School, flew in two footed on Lucas which caused another ruckus with Martin Skrtel losing his cool and shoving the defender away. Suarez endeared himself to the Liverpool fans even more with his cheeky tug of Rafael's hair during the fracas. Phil Dowd finally blew the whistle bringing an entertaining 1st half to an end.

The second half started with Manchester United dominating and Liverpool sat deeper inviting the pressure. Compared to the first half, the second was fairly subdued. Liverpool were close to scoring a couple of times, but somehow couldn't find the breakthrough. It finally came in the 65th min. Luis Suarez's freekick was saved by Van Der Sar, but Dirk Kuyt was there to put in the rebound into the net to complete his hat-trick. Liverpool 3-0 Manchester United. Game Over.

Hernandez got a late consolation for the away team with a header from Berbatov's cross denying the hosts a clean sheet. But overall, a good day for Liverpool.

Mr.Ferguson showed the world(again) that he's a sore loser with a self imposed media blackout. The only reaction to come out of the Man. Utd camp was Rio Ferdinand's tweet - "Bad result, no excuses." For someone who's been in the game for so long, behaving so petulantly is disrespectful to the fans of his team.

But everyone else is enjoying the sweet sound of silence.

So here's hoping the blackout continues for a very long time!

 

Chelsea's Goliath and Bison key to success...

Dubbed as a game between the strongest attack and the meanest defence of the season the game between Manchester United and Chelsea showed why Chelsea still have it in them to finish the season on a high despite the drubbing they have received from the opposition both on and off the field in recent times. To ignore Chelsea could be a mistake and that’s what the club would want at the moment. This is not a post match analysis of the game but a Chelsea fan’s appreciation of the club’s performance and to prove a fact as to why fans never give up on their clubs even at worst times.

Since the arrival of Fernando Torres at Stamford Bridge the talk has been of his form and predictions of failure in forming an alliance with Didier Drogba who has been an ever improving player since his arrival in 2004. Also rumours that Drogba would be on his way out have been an advantage to Chelsea keeping the opposition distracted. Torres, Drogba and Anelka are wonderful strikers and having all three in the starting line up would be a dream for any manager. This could be a good headache for Ancelloti considering that there would be competition for spots keeping the players at their best. Torres hasn’t sent the ball into the net in the games he has played for Chelsea but he has been improving since his nightmare debut against Liverpool, the team he left to join Chelsea. Back to the game against ManU, Anelka and Torres were preferred to Drogba and it might have been for the best as the fury built within him for being dropped to the bench was unleashed in the last 30 minutes when he literally had the United defense dancing to his footsteps, resulting in Vidic being sent off who was frustrated by Drogba’s play drawing him to commit a foul on Ramires.

15 points behind and in 5^th position was enough warning for Carlo Ancelotti’s men to step up to the occasion and when you are playing Manchester United you have no reason to let yourselves down. It would have been every non United fans prayer to see Chelsea win and the final result would have been relief for everyone except Sir Alex Ferguson who has got in to trouble with the FA for his rant against referee Mark Atkinson. First 10 minutes lit up my spirits when I saw Chelsea play sparklingly, but as the clock slowly ticked to reach 1^st half my joy was short lived as Chelsea were not able to stamp their authority going a goal down at half time. It looked like Chelsea fans had to contend with the fact that Chelsea would be 18 points behind ManU at 90 mins but it didn’t have to be. And on display was a show which showed everyone as to why Chelsea still have their morale up, why Drogba is still a tormentor for the opposition and why Lampard still can score penalties.

Bison and Goliath

One person I haven’t yet mentioned about is David Luiz. He was bought to the squad to fix a slightly leaky defence but he would have inspired any striker with his well timed strike. He was the Goliath of the team taking down the opposition at will with some well timed tackles. Honestly speaking he was lucky to be on the pitch when he brought down Rooney, but hey hey…It’s Rooney you are talking about, the guy who caught Wigan’s McCarthy with an elbow in Manchester United’s precious game. If Sir Alex had no problems with that then he should not be around throwing tantrums for this. When you play well, you make your day and that is what Luiz did. He had an awesome day on the pitch and I hope he has a wonderful time playing at Chelsea.

I would certainly like to shower special praise on the Bison for putting up a splendid performance. For people who may not know who I am referring to its Michael Essien. The hard working guy was at all places at all times. Defending when it needed the most and pushing forward keeping the United defence on their toes. He has been magnificent and at times single handedly controlled the way the game has been played in midfield. You would have watched the game and hardly missed Essien at any moment. He may not have put the ball in the back of the net but his attacking play combined with some smart defending might have just put Chelsea’s season back on track.

90 minutes and it was Luiz and Lampard‘s name on the score sheet but it was a team win. Each of the Chelsea players who played a part in the game deserved it and I could hardly see the selfishness Chelsea players are accused of in front of goal. Top 4 finish might just be an understatement and I would be overjoyed if they can do well in the Champions League and accomplish something they haven’t yet achieved. Hoping that by end of May the ghosts of this season are wiped out. Cheers to a Wonderful team!!

Milan beats Napoli, but problem persists....

It is not often that when a team wins 3-0 and goes 5 points clear at the top, you still find a lot of flaws in that team. It is true that a win can cover up a lot of issues, something that wont be talked about until the team starts losing. AC Milan beat Napoli 3-0 on Monday night but it revealed a few things.

Milan still seems to be struggling to find the right combination between Pato and Ibrahimovic. Yes, Pato scored a beautiful goal and set up another yesterday but Ibra's involvement in these goals was minimal. They might have provided some excellent one-two passes inside the box, take a look at it again and you tend to feel something is still missing between the two. On the contrary, the passes between Pato and Robinho looks more complete. They can find the passes between each other's feet so fluently and regularly, naturally because both are Brazilians playing together in the national team as well. Time seems to be running out for the Rossoneri in this aspect as there is another talented striker on the bench ready to come on and make an impact. Allegri seems to be uncertain on whom to start with. Pato has an excellent goals to minute played ratio but Ibra performs better with Cassano alongside him.

Ibrahimovic has done himself no good to get rid of the 'Big Match Flop' tag. He has scored goals at will against the smaller clubs but he has failed to score against Juventus, AS Roma, Real Madrid and more recently Tottenham. Interestingly, Milan have lost in all of them. If yesterday's game was considered a big one, he did score the first one, only from the spot, as he did in the Milan derby. However, his presence was more lively in the derby and that could be the only big match performance he can boast about.

Tottenham showed just how poor Milan's fullbacks are. Yesterday's game showed how much other teams tactically target this weak link in the Milan team. Napoli's game plan was evidently to shift the play to the wings, more from the right side to unsettle Jankulovski who made his first start since May 2010. Maggio had a poor match, so did Dossena who struggled to get past Gattuso. On the other hand, there was little help for the Milan forwards from their fullbacks offensively. Passing was mediocre, number of crosses even lesser. The only way Milan found any sort of width was Pato and Robinho drifting on either sides. Their technical abilities covered up the weak links in this Milan team.

Looking into the positive side of things, the talking point was indeed Pato's performance. Finally, he seems to have found the form for the first time under Allegri and capped it with a fine goal.

Radiant Spurs, Disgraceful Milan...

Tottenham returned to the San Siro once again this season to play AC Milan and hoped to avoid a drubbing they received earlier in the season playing Inter Milan, though they did score 3 goals courtesy Gareth Bale. But with the superman missing out through injury, Spurs would have had to play out of their skins to continue their dream debut season in Europe and it was down to Peter crouch’s deft touch to give Spurs the edge going into the return leg at White Hart Lane.

Celebrations by Crouchy

Redknapp brought his team to Italy with a renewed spirit, qualifying through the group stage on top from a group comprising of defending champions Inter Milan and believing that they carry on their dream run. But never in the 1^st half did they seem like they would be able to fulfill this dream. Even Milan did seem rusty, with the game being controlled in midfield and almost put me to sleep. Abbiati was stretchered off after suffering from a concussion and in came Marco Amelia who was making his debut for Milan, on loan from Genova. A boring 1^st half was all the inspiration I needed to sleep, but I put this thought off considering all the high voltages clashes I have previously witnessed and hoping this one too wouldn’t disappoint.

At the start of the 2^nd half Massimiliano Allegri replaced Seedorf with Pato hoping to induce more pace to the Milan side. And definitely I felt I had made the right decision to stay awake to watch a much improved game on the pitch. But on the disciplinary front Milan were a disgrace. Flamini went in two footed on Corluka and it was the end of the game for Corluka but not Flamini as he was shown only a yellow card. How the referee let him be on the pitch after such a horrendous tackle is still a mystery. To top it Milan players were disrespectful when Corluka was receiving treatment on the pitch. Flamini was seen pointing to the clock, indicating wasting of time when his rightful place was in the dressing room and not on the pitch. Gattuso did a Cristiano Ronaldo when he roughed up Spurs assistant Joe Jordan on the sidelines. Frustration was Milan main opponent and it was displayed all through by Gattuso trying to take down Crouch time after time after time. Maybe this small man was jealous of Crouch's height. In between all this the fiery Lennon breaks quickly leading a counter attack and my word, the Milan defenders were no match for Lennon’s raw pace and he unselfishly passes the ball to Crouch who put it coolly in the back of the net. Spurs were defending this lead with all their might and Milan almost snatched it with what was the last touch of the game when Ibramovich put the ball beyond Gomes’ reach. Unfortunately for him he fouled Dawson and the referee disallowed the goal. What a relief for Spurs which could have otherwise ruined their wonderful night. A deserved lead and the away goal will give Spurs a major boost when they play Milan back at home.

Where is the 'RESPECT'?

With the final whistle, chaos reigned once again as Gattuso went after Joe Jordon and head butted him. Though Gattuso has now apologized for his actions I don’t think he should be left off without a ban. It was shame to such a beautiful game. The tackle by Flamini was dangerous, really dangerous and if that wasn’t a red card I don’t know what else could be. It was a miracle to see him play the whole 90 mins. The refereeing was excellent except for the decision taken on Flamini's tackle and credit to Stephane Lannoy of France for getting most of his decisions spot on. Tottenham were on course to win over the 90 minutes and deservedly they are going into the return leg with a lead they would like to build on. Harry just wave your magic wand!!!!

Del Neri Outwits Leonardo in the Derby d'Italia

Derby d'Italia, as the match between Juventus and Inter Milan is famously called, is always a fiery encounter and not just because it is a match between two giants of Italian football but due to their rivalry after the Calciopoli scandal. For Juventus, beating Inter has always been a thrill in itself and last night such emotions were visible on the faces of all the top Bianconeri directors. Alessandro Matri's goal at the half hour mark sealed the match. The match had a lot to it than what the 1-0 scoreline would suggest.

If anybody had doubts on Leonardo's tactical abilities, their view could have only been strengthened after last night's match. The game was won more by the Del Neri's tactics on how his team contained all the possible attacking threat from Inter. Giorgio Chiellini at left back produced a stunning individual duel with Maicon, a treat to watch for the neutrals and at the same time little forward movement for Maicon. Surprisingly, we saw Chiellini more in the Inter half before the 45 minute break. On the other end, Eto'o was well marked by the 18 year old Sorensen, a remarkable show of faith from Del Neri towards the youngster asking him to mark a very experienced and in-form striker in such a big match. Inter's 4-3-1-2 looked narrow as Juventus were able to cut out all the supply from the Inter wings. The pressure was now on Sneijder to provide that killer pass to Pazzini but both the players were allowed very little space with tight markings from Bonucci, Barzagli and Aquilani. Aquilani had a great game defensively but offered little going forward on the counter attack. Perhaps this match showed how much Inter relies on Maicon and Eto'o than Sneijder. Juventus, when in possession, made more meaningful runs into the Inter defence. This was one of the characteristics of Juventus before the winter break when they had a good unbeaten run.

Matri's continuous movement caused problems for Inter as he regularly dropped deep, collected the ball and shifted the play towards Krasic who used his pace well to burst into the box through the right. Javier Zanetti as a right back looked tired after his midweek International duty for Argentina.The goal was a result of a similar move with Krasic letting an unmarked Sorensen cross into the box and a fine header from Matri ensured Juve took the lead. Another point of reference for Juve attack was Luca Toni who held the ball up well thus creating space behind him.

Leonardo might have provided a few inspired substitutions in recent weeks but his hold on this game looked weak. Pandev was introduced for Kharja and later Japanese international Nagatomo for Cambiasso. However, this game will be also be remembered for the miss of the season from Eto'o who failed to bury the ball in the back of the net in front of an open goal at the dying minutes. He, instead hit the crossbar and it landed just in front of the line denying the chance of apoint for Inter. Hardly a minute later, Eto'o again fumbled to get past Buffon on one-on-one situation. The match was tensed till the death, with Inter desperately searching for the equalizer and thereby providing the required space for Juve to score a second. Matri missed a few decent chances but Juve fans will remember his brave effort of staying on the pitch to ensure his team won despite struggling with a pain on his ribs.

During the start of this season, Juventus overturned a bad league start with a home win against Cagliari and then continuing with a good unbeaten run till the winter break. The fact that fascinates the most is that this time too, after last week's away 3-1 win over Cagliari, this short run of two wins in two games could lead to something positive.

In the pic: Matri getting past Inter centre back Ranocchia, chased by Maicon.

It’s Red, It’s ManU......



Rooney's magical shot to seal the derby's fate



The 144^th Manchester Derby in the premier league held greater significance than all the earlier derbys not only because of the fact that it was a Manchester derby, not only because Tevez was playing for MCFC quitting MUFC two seasons ago but for a fact that in a long long time Manchester City seemed to be serious title contenders which I don’t think any ManU player or ManU fan will relish and also that in Tevez and Berbatov this game had the highest goal scorers in the league for this season till date. But it all came down to Rooney’s jaw dropping overhead kick 13 minutes from time which settled a pulsating Manchester Derby.

ManU came into the game with the absence of their central defending duo of Rio Ferdinand and Johnny Evans while Man City came into the game with a confidence exuberating Tevez who scored a hatrick in their last game. Sir Alex Ferguson had Berbatov on the bench which seemed really surprising considering that he has been ManU’s best player this season and it did threaten to backfire with ManU seemingly being less threatening than Man City in the early part of the game. Silva missed a chance very early in the game to score a goal from a beautiful Tevez through ball which otherwise would have done them a world of good. They missed a lot of chances which if finished would have put ManU out of the game. And rightly Man City were punished by Nani near the end of the 1^st half when a long ball upfield by VanderSar was flicked on to Giggs by Rooney and a neat pass from the Welshman was intercepted by Nani, fooling the in position Zabaleta and a brilliant 2 touch goal by Nani put ManU ahead just before half time. Nani as a player has really come of age and he has perfectly filled the void which was created last season after the departure of Ronaldo and which did threaten to hamper their title aspirations.

Man City seemed to comeback into the game when a shot by Edin Dzeko deflected off the back of David Silva with the later having no idea about it. This could have been a moment from where Mancini’s side should have dominated but they faltered from time to time making no attempt to compliment their defence who were valiantly fighting to keep the opposition strikers at bay. And 13 minutes from time a deflected cross from Nani found an unmarked Rooney who hit an overhead shot into the top corner of the net. Not a soul moved. Joe Hart rooted to the ground. Such was the aura of the goal that there is nothing even Mancini could have done but appreciate the genius in Rooney. This goal was the last straw in Man City’s comeback efforts and maybe even in their efforts to win the premier League title this season.

This was a much improved game than the one played earlier in the season at Eastlands. City were marginally the better side throughout the 90 minutes of the game but it counts for nothing when you don’t take your chances. Man City themselves are to be blamed for letting go of such a good opportunity of carrying forward the challenge for the title. Mancini has to realize that individual stars are not around just to make the numbers or to be paid huge wages. He as manager has to repay the faith shown in him by the club’s fans and owners. Rooney for my part has silenced his critics with this performance. His play may not have been sparkling, but the goal, people, the goal!! This is Rooney's best goal considering that it came at a time when his morale was down and to surpass this effort this season would need an extraordinary effort. At Old Trafford, at the end of 90 minutes it was only red, it was only Manchester United!!

The Crap Invincibles

I was being told by Starfish Stevie, our companion on footiemagic that ManU might just break Arsenal’s record of 49 unbeaten games in the Premier League for which all I had to say was ‘Chill! Such things are only bad dreams’

And that’s one thing no one has to even dream about right now coz Wolves ended ManU’s unbeaten 29 game streak, a treat for all other football lovers considering the fact that this team never deserved to be called “Invincibles” in the first place, a term that can only be associated with the great Arsenal team of 2003-04.

A statement by Sir Alex Ferguson in October reiterates, why even imagining that ManU would go unbeaten throughout the season would have been a mistake. "In this present league you cannot think for a minute you will go through undefeated. It is an amazing league this year." The present ManU team who were unbeaten till the last game weren’t even a shadow of the team which won the premier league titles in 06, 07 and 08 and to have remained unbeaten throughout the season and break Arsenal’s 49 game record would have needed more than luck.



Left : 'Invincible' Arsenal , Right : The 'So Called Invincible' MANU



Except for a few games, ManU haven’t really played like a team which could instill fear in the opposition. All the teams including the smaller ones have played them with great optimism which showed they believed that ManU couldn’t run away with the game. Only Berbatov and Nani have been their saving grace with Berbatov leading United's title charge so far this season, bagging 19 league goals, and is understandably delighted with the standards he has set following lingering criticism throughout his time at Old Trafford. Arsene Wenger on the other hand had built a team to compare with any side in Europe. With Sol Campbell and Kolo Toure at the back, Patrick Vieira and Pires in midfield and Henry partnering Dennis Bergkamp up front, Arsenal had too much steel and too much style for their Premiership rivals. They had bags of character too. But it all ended in controversy at Old Trafford as a harshly-awarded penalty spurred Manchester United to a 2-0 win in October 2004.

Very rightly Manchester United were defeated 1-2 by bottom placed Wolves and what a morale booster this will be for Mick McCarthy’s boys. They achieved what no team in the Premier League could achieve till date this season.

Wenger's 'Invincibles' will never be forgotten.

Juventus: A Project in Ruins

On Sunday evening, Palermo was 2-0 up at half time against Inter Milan at the San Siro, on the verge of a historic victory. In the second half, Pastore missed a penalty and thereby the chance to go 3-1 up and effectively kill the game. But Inter and in particular Pazzini fought back to win a thrilling game. On Wednesday evening, almost the same Palermo side, now playing at home, were again 2-0 up after 20 minutes. But this time there was no turnaround even after Marchisio's goal in the first half and Palermo bagged all the three points with their fourth straight win against Juventus. One of the newspapers, Il Giornale even came up with the headline "Juventus lose. Maybe this isn't news any more"!

These are difficult days at the Turin club. The Wednesday match was supposed to give some belief to the Bianconeri supporters who came to the Barbera hoping for a change of fortunes as their two most important January signings, Alessandro Matri and Andrea Barzagli, made their debut. Throughout the game, Matri looked isolated at the front and when the opportunities arrived, missed three glorious chances. It is too early to judge the impact he would make on this struggling Juve side but their transfer dealings have been far from impressive. Their bench consisted of Jorge Martinez, Simone Pepe among others, two players bought last summer and mediocre by the standards of the Old Lady of Italian football. Recently their president Andrea Agnelli expressed satisfaction over the January purchases saying ' now the fuel tank has been refilled' but the fans didn't seem to be convinced. Moreover, Inter rubbed salt over Juve's wounds by successfully taking Pazzini from Sampdoria. Pazzini had always been a target for Juventus and add to the the fact that both coach Del Neri and transfer director Marotta previously worked with Sampdoria and Pazzini, came to be of no use. Fullbacks have been another weak link in the team so far, the arrivals of Marco Motta and Traore may influence, or illustrate, the rating you would give to Marotta.

They are currently in 8th place in the serieA standings, out of Coppa Italia and Europa League. They have the same points as they had last season at this time of the year and finishing in the top four looks highly unlikely. However, the recent dismal showing by the Turin giants would not be putting any sort of pressure on Del Neri's job as Juventus have invested far too much to build on this team exactly how he wanted it. The rebuilding project was born last summer with a new coach, new transfer director and new players, looked like taking shape till December when this same side was called title contenders. Since the new year, injury to key players and fatigue factors have led the side down. Milos Krasic has played close to 60 matches this season, since he was playing with the Russian club CSKA Moskva during the summer due to the strange fixtures schedule in Russia. Alberto Aquilani, who impressed so much in the first half of the season that even earned him a call up to the Italian national team, looks to be failing to give the creative spark in the centre of midfield. And as mentioned earlier, depth in the squad lacks enough quality. It would be interesting to see how Juve would perform rest of the season because Del Neri being a disciple of 4-4-2 formation, certainly will not be changing formations or tactics.

Qatar's Asian Cup is a qualified success

Put forward as a dress rehearsal for the 2022 World Cup, the 2011 Asian Cup was nothing of that sort. Everything was going smooth and fine till there were complaints with fans being locked out for the final with lots of empty rows in the stadium. However overall it was a job well done by Qatar and we can expect a great show in 2022.

The final game between Japan and Australia was deserving to be called one. Like I had said in my previous post Australia looked like a complete Asian team and if someone looked like challenging them it was Japan and they did it. Australia didn't take their chances and Lee Tadanari made them pay when he scored from a well controlled shot on 109'. There were no other goals and Japan won the Asian cup for the 4th time.

The oil rich middle east nation of Qatar put up a show which was truly admirable. However the number of people turning up to the stadium is a major issue as people would prefer to sit at home and watch Real madrid or Barcelona rather than come out and support their team. This problem might be solved during the World Cup with a lot of visitors coming in. The distance between the stadiums will be a relief for everyone and fans might be able to sneak into all 3 games played on any particular day. Temperatures soaring to a high of 50C will be a major worry but Qatar has promised to aircondition all the stadiums. You can aircondition the stadiums but can you aircondition the whole country?  Another solution that has been put forward is moving the world cup to the winter months of January. This thought has already ruffled a few feathers.

For now the Asian Cup has passed off without adding more fuel to the critics' fire. What has become clear at the Asian Cup is that Qatar, for better or worse, will produce a World Cup like no other.