Chelsea vs Tottenham - Battle draws closer to an end...

If this game was played 2 months back Chelsea wouldn't have been given a chance to win with their distratous run and Tottenham would surely have been favourites to win this London derby with their fiery performances. But right now Chelsea are in hot form and on Manchester United's trail for the premier league title with 5 wins and 1 draw in their last 6 PL games. It's interesting to see who gains advantage as this derby could decide the fate of not only Chelsea and Tottenham but also ManU when they play Arsenal tomorrow as a win will get them closer to the title and virtually not give either Chelsea or Arsenal a sniff unless there will be some late drama.

Tottenham will be desperate for a win as dropped points will surely not help their cause for a fouth place finish and the lucrative Champions League qualifying spot. Dumped out of Champions league by Real Madrid, just 8 points from the available 18, surely point to the fact that Tottenham have to pull the rabbit out of the hat to win at Stamford Bridge. Ancelotti might start with Drogba and Torres upfront and with the later breaking his goal scoring duck against West Ham last week one can expect more to come from him.

 Will the Blues go a step ahead in achieving the impossible or will Spurs fulfill their dreams of playing one more Champions League. Ancelotti vs Redknapp - Who will have the last laugh ? To be decided in sometime.

Chelsea vs Tottenham: My Prediction : 2-1

Clásico jousts set to begin..Bring it on!

Real Madrid, the team which is one of the richest, successful and influential club both in Spain and all over the world seemed to be in disarray till the beginning of this season. Their last league title coming 3 years back, not reaching the Champions League quarters for over 7 years and not able able to win the Copa del Rey for a long time were enough reasons for the Real Madrid management to bring one of the most shrewd and magical coaches in the world to the Spanish capital and it was none other than Jose Mourinho. And the turnaround is the reason why the El Clásico is going to take place not once but four times in the next 18 days and it surely is gonna get as exciting as one can expect.

April 16th 2011 - Real Madrid vs FC Barcelona - La Liga 2nd Leg

April 20th 2011 - FC Barcelona vs Real Madrid  - Copa del Rey Final

April 27th 2011 - Real Madrid vs FC Barcelona  - UEFA Champions League 1st Leg

May 3rd 2011 - FC Barcelona vs Real Madrid - UEFA Champions League 2nd Leg

With the arrival of Mourinho the master tactician, Real Madrid have shown signs of the successful past even though they are some distance behind Barcelona in the league and were drubbed 5-0 when they travelled to the Nou Camp earlier in the season.  However Los Galacticos might want want to return the favour when Barcelona travel to the Spanish capital tonight. Four games in 18 days between the same teams might sound boring, but not for this one. The rivalry built between both these teams over the years is still alive and in recent times Barcelona have overshadowed Madrid a great deal which is why Real Madrid would like to get even.

Barcelona seem to be unstoppable with the likes of Messi, Xavi, Iniesta in their ranks and Madrid would need their very own Christiano Ronaldo to step up to the plate. Madrid recent loan signee Adebayor will surely play an important part along with Frenchman Karim Benzema if Madrid are to fulfill their dreams. Their recent destruction of Tottenham Hotspur in the Champions League will boost their confidence a great deal. Mourinho might use the first two games as practice to fuel Madrid 's ambition of winning the Champions League which has become their Holy Grail in recent times. Though he might not take the pitch his influence will be forever felt in all the four games as he walks down the sidelines writing a script to destroy the mighty Catalans.

Neither team is particularly keen on defending, which means we're likely to see a glut of goals. That's sweet music to every fan's ears. And as former Barcelona full-back Giovanni van Bronckhorst puts it
"The whole world stops to watch this match; that shows just how huge it is."

Let the ''four game series" begin.....

Can CavaNapoli do it?

Edinson Cavani- What a revelation he has been! He hasn't just scored 25 goals in his first season at Napoli, but has also carried the San Paolo team on his shoulders and look where they are now, sitting second with just three points behind Milan. Naturally, all the neutrals want Napoli for the Scudetto. Just when SerieA was bored of seeing Inter win it year after year, add to that all the talk of serieA in decline having already lost the 4th Champions League spot to Bundesliga, this is a welcome change all the serieA followers were waiting for. Why not, Napoli is also one of the most attractive and attacking sides (unlike Lazio who are 4th at the moment and play very very boring football) in serieA. Another side equally entertaining to watch this season has been Udinese, driven by the goals of Di Natali and skills of Alexis Sanchez, who are 3 points behind Lazio at 5th. And thats what precisely I am trying to point out. A mouth watering clash- Napoli vs Udinese on Sunday night would definitely be the match of the week in serieA.


What is interesting about this match is that it puts two teams against each other, both of them who have seen a lot of success recently with their wing play. The credit to Napoli's rise in Italian football has a lot to do with their coach Walter Mazzari as well. His 3-4-1-2, or sometimes 3-4-2-1 depending on the opposition, has made good use of the wing backs Christian Maggio and Andrea Dossena. However, Hassan Yebda has been preferred recently instead of the wonderful Walter Gargano at the holding role for reasons unknown (On-field issues or Off-field??). It would be an exciting prospect to see this team play in the Champions League next year after they lit up the early stages of Europa League with the brilliance of Cavani. It is rather unfortunate that Italian teams still tend to take the Europa League lightly, as it showed in Napoli's game against Villarreal in the first knockout round. After having completely dominated the yellow submarines, both in possession and control in the first leg, they went to Spain and left Cavani on bench to rest him ahead of their match against Milan then. They lost in Spain after hitting the post 3 times and eventually lost the following weekend against Milan too. A bad case of not grasping the right opportunity when it knocks!

The success story of Udinese started with their formation
changing to 3-5-2. Their creative spark, Alexis Sanchez performed miracles once he was used as a classic NO.10. This made him use his pace and skills to beat the defence in the centre and supply more to their center forward Antonio Di Natali. It gave them the results and now Di Natali is the top scorer of the league with 26 goals.

So this match could be about whose wing backs are better and also set up a duel between Cavani and Sanchez. All the eyes of the big European clubs will be on Sanchez as he has already attracted a lot of attention from them. He has even expressed once of his love for the Premier League.

End of Spur's Dream European Run?

Sadly this could be true for all London fans. But when the initial draw was called out did anyone imagine that Spurs would go so far. If someone did he would be a mighty genius.  But right now Tottenham's dream of playing in the European Championship seems to be over unless they pull off something extraordinary to overcome the 4 goal deficit when the face Real Madrid at White Hart Lane.

English football always had 4 regulars for Europe in Manchester United, Arsenal, Chelsea and Liverpool for quite a few years now. But with Liverpool's decline Spurs upped their game to clinch 4th spot and eventually qualify to the main stage with a win over Swiss minnows 'Young Boys'. It didn't look good when they drew their 1st game against Werder Bremen and then were 4 goals down against Inter Milan in the first 35 minutes. But one 'Superman' by the name Gareth Bale showed the world what he and his team could do by scoring 3 goals in the 2nd half and bring the deficit to one goal. A defeat ultimately, but was for the good as Inter didn't stand any chance against Spurs when they travelled to White Hart lane and eventually Spurs topped the group which was considered to be a tricky one. Round of 16 couldn't get more spicier with a draw against Inter's bitter rivals AC Milan. Harry Redknapp's men showed grit, courage and smartness to overcome 7 time European champions over the two legs to set up a tie with 9 times European Champions Real Madrid.

Spurs at the Bernabeu against Real Madrid were expected to show a great deal of character but were torn apart by Mourinho's men in white. At no point in time did Spurs show the persistance and commitment they displayed in the earlier games. Peter Crouch did no favours to himself and his team by getting sent off in just the 15th minute for a 2nd bookable offence leaving his team with no chance to fight. Real Madrid grew in confidence after reaching their first quarter final in 7 years. For a team of such great tradition to not be in reckoning at the decisive moments of the championship for so long has been a shame and they would have been relieved after scoring 4 on the night and denting Spurs' chance of progressing.

All is not lost for Tottenham if they can play out of their skins to overcome the 4 goal deficit. However it is easier said than done. Real Madrid wouldn't want to miss out an oppurtunity to meet their Spanish rivals in the semis and a chance to go on and win the title. Can Redknapp bring out the genius in him against a team of great players? Or will 'The Special One' have the last laugh. The answer isn't far away.

The mood at the Veltins-Arena, Schalke's homeground will be quite different compared to the one at the Benabeu. Schalke after going down a goal in the very 1st minute came back to score 5, catching the defending champions off beat. The 2nd leg is not going to get easy for Inter and if they have to be given a chance to defend their title they have to play out of their skins. Considering they have Etoo, Milito, Sneijder in their ranks they can still consider to be in the hunt but they surely have a mountain to climb. If they can do that it would be one of the most memorable comebacks in the history of the championship taking them ahead to a mouth watering clash against ManU. 90 minutes for Schalke to hold on and 90 minutes for Inter to force a comeback and defend their title. In the end it sure is gonna be happy 90 minutes only for one of them.

Delight for Liverpool, Misery for Manchester City

Carroll brace helps Liverpool rout Manchester City

I sat down to write a post about Chelsea's game against Manchester United the next day and I realize, there's a game tonight. Liverpool vs Manchester City. And could I miss this one, definitely not.

As a neutral enjoying this one was so much fun. No pressure when a goal was scored and when a chance was missed. It was the Red's who broke their shackles eventually wrapping up the game by a 3 goals scored in the first half courtesy Andy Carroll and Dirk Kuyt and treating me to some fine display of football.

Considered to be the one of the fiercest strike partnerships in England following their move to Anfield this January, a lot is still being expected from Andy Carroll and Luis Suarez and neither one of them are ready to disappoint. Both of them are in their infancy at Liverpool playing their 4th and 6th game respectively and Suarez has already been among goals. And it was Carroll's turn to prove that he worth each penny paid by Liverpool, the most expensive British's footballer of all time. And it took just about 13 minutes for him to open his Liverpool account after Meireles strike was blocked by Kompany, a ripping low half volley went past Joe Hart who had no chance to stop it. What a sweet strike!! On the other hand Manchester City's problems compounded when Tevez left the field with what seems to be a hamstring which might keep him out of the FA cup semifinal clash against Manchester United.

Liverpool kept up the pace and were again rewarded when their persistence to keep the ball even in the crowded opposition box paid off when Kuyt slid in a low finish, despite several blocks by the City defenders off Liverpool players, making it 2-0. This would have delighted Dalglish and compounded Mancini's problems. And even before City could realize the poor state they were in, a left wing cross by Meireles was headed in by classic Carroll beyond Joe Hart. It took only 94 seconds for Liverpool to score their 3rd after they had scored their 2nd and by now Mancini must have been scratching his head, realizing that come May, he might be sacked.

2nd half was more of attack and defend for Man City while Liverpool kept moving forward in search of the 4th goal. It was only some alert goal keeping by Joe Hart which prevented Liverpool from scoring more goals. David Silva came in for James Milner on 58' and it was difficult to understand what purpose Mancini was serving by having Silva on the bench and substituting Milner who by far was a better player on the night. 90 minutes didn't come at a better time for Man City as they were defeated by only 3 goals.

Carroll was outstanding and so was the whole Liverpool team. They showed great character to comeback from last week's defeat against West Bromich Albion. The fans were seen backing the players each time they touched the ball especially young John Flanagan who made his first team debut playing at right back helping his team keep a clean sheet and was impressive throughout the game. On the other hand for Manchester City when the whole team tries to do their best there is one guy who can undo all the good work. Mario Balotelli, the 20 year old bad boy who is in a team which wants to win, and play at the highest level. His work ethics, his discipline are non-existent and he playing along with a player of Tevez's class who gives his 100% all the time is a shame. When at Inter Mourinho said that he didn't want this bloke around the sidelines too. The Special One also said: "The guy has incredible qualities, but sometimes does not know how to use his brain." Such comments can only make one realize that this guy is not gonna help any team unless he learns to use his talent in the right way.

Liverpool were rampant while the result could be damaging to Manchester City's European dreams. With Tottenham in sniffing distance the game against Spurs at the fag end of the season could be yet another 4th place decider just like last season where Spur's nicked City to play in the Europe where they have gone a long way. For under-pressure Mancini these seem to be the last two months in England and his exit seems inevitable following City's failure to meet the ambitious expectations of the club's Arab owners. Even a win over bitter rivals Manchester United in the FA cup semis doesn't seem to guarantee a safe haven in England. Time to pack your bags, Mr Mancini and time for Liverpool to reward Dalglish with a permanent deal. Shouldn't be far away!!!

Can Chelsea get rid of their Blues??

21 May 2008 somewhere around 22:00 BST : Terry line's up to take a penalty against Edwin van der Sar. The moment all Chelsea fans were praying a long time. The time when the European Championship was only one kick away from Stamford Bridge. Terry lost his footing when planting his standing foot by the ball, and, even though Edwin van der Sar was sent the wrong way, Terry's mis-hit effort hit the outside of the right post and went wide, sending the trophy from London to Manchester.

12 April 2011 at 19:45 BST : Chelsea are in no better position. The earlier one was a finale and this is a two leg affair and Chelsea are already one step behind courtesy Wayne Rooney ' The Wonder Kid'. And it's no easy job for Chelsea to go to Old Trafford and not only erase the deficit but also go one step ahead and win it if they are to fulfill their dream of winning an European Championship.

 

My Chelsea team for tomorrow's game

Chelsea, after having a horrendous mid season are looking like they are getting back on track. But to be fair and honest they are no where near the lightning form they showed at the beginning of the season. They struggled to find the back of the net in the 1st leg at Stamford Bridge and they need to work real hard if they are to score a goal against the likes of Vidic, Ferdianand and Evra. They have already done that by winning against Manchester United after going a goal down in the first half in the Premier League. And doing it would be sweet revenge for that loss in Moscow 3 years ago only if Chelsea can go ahead and win the final.

One step at a time though, it's a $50million question for Carlo Ancelloti. Should he start with Fernando Torres? And the answer should be NO. Torres hasn't been even close to the form he was when he left Liverpool and playing him would be no less than ending your dreams. Drogba's physical presence should be there right throughout the game as it lifts's the whole team and also gives the opposition jitters of having to stand against him. The rest of the squad select themselves, unless Carlo Ancelloti decides to surprise everyone.

This seemingly is the only game  among others where the final result is not yet decided. Can this game live up to the built up expectations? Can Chelsea go a step ahead in fulfilling their dream or will it be another sour season? Will we see Carlo Ancelloti as Chelsea's manager next season or will it be a new man incharge? Tomorrow's game might answer most of the unanswered questions.

Shaktar Donetsk have been the surprise package in Europe but surely their dream has to end here. Barcelona massacred them at Nou Camp by scoring 5 on the night and the lone 'away goal' may not be of any help to Shaktar. Barcelona have 90 minutes to ease their way in to the semis while Shaktar have 90 minutes to overcome a 5-1 deficit the chances of which are 'very small'. Guardiola must have been trying to be very modest when he said "the tie is not already won". It's a David vs Goliath situation but Barca are in no mood to do any favours to 'David'. How many more will Barcelona score or do we have a twist in the tale? I don't believe so. It's time waiting to proclaim the winners. Till then ENJOY RESPONSIBLY...

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.