...And Daniel Sturridge got all three of them.
Is Liverpool capable of challenging for the title?
It's still way too early to tell.
But beating Manchester United, even without coach Ferguson, is a step in the right direction.
And it should be pointed out the FC Liverpool is the only remaining team with a perfect record, in the Premier League, now.
It all started with a non-impressive win at home against Stoke, in which they were lucky that the visitors missed a penalty. But then the win against Aston Villa, who had managed to inflict a defeat on Arsenal at Emirates Stadium, and had given Chelsea a good run for their money at Stamford Bridge, suggested some good form.
And then, of course, at least in my opinion, Liverpool was the better side, for most of the match, against last season's champions.
Really, Manchester United, despite more and more pressing need to score, always seemed to me to play much more chaotically, and in a disorganized fashion, than Liverpool, at Anfield, today.
Five points difference, in the league tables, after only three matches played, between Liverpool and Manchester U. (in favour of The Reds)! I'm sure it would have been extremely hard to find a Liverpool fan to anticipate such a string of results before the season started.
However, a league break, like the one coming up due to international play, is seldom a good break for teams that have a surprisingly good run going. So, I can't wait to see how Liverpool will be continuing their campaign afterwards.
Highlights from Liverpool - Man. U. 1-0:
Showing posts with label Manchester United. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Manchester United. Show all posts
Sunday, 1 September 2013
Monday, 26 August 2013
Disappointing
The first great derby of the Premier League, 2013-2014.
Manchester United - Chelsea FC.
New coaches for both sides. David Moyes replaces retired old-timer Alex Ferguson, while Jose Mourinho returns to Stamford Bridge after 6 years.
These stats, as well as the promise of a hopefully close battle between these two giants, to try and win the title, are way more interesting than what has happened during the actual match.
Man. u. fans are going to claim the possibility of getting a penalty or two for some handballs (which, had they been awarded as PKs by the referee, would have been severely criticized by many people, including of course all Chelsea staff). And Chelsea fans would point out the fact that their chances were somewhat more direct and even more penetrating and incisive. Chelsea actually hit the bar in the second half.
Also, it should be said that Mourinho still dislikes Juan Mata, who again did not play, and that he preferred Schurrle to Torres in the first half. (Torres did not come in until the 60th minute, actually, replacing another relatively unknown Chelsea player, de Bruyne. And, based on how he played, Mourinho's decision to keep Torres on the bench was right on the money.)
Chelsea is bound to get better this season. They were very cautious in this match, and I'm sure they weren't the best they can be.
As for Man. U.... Well, they don't necessarily have to be better than their Premier League opponents to get the best results they need to get. So, they'll pretty much always be in the hunt until (close to) the end. Enough said.
Highlights from Manchester united - Chelsea London FC 0-0:
Manchester United - Chelsea FC.
New coaches for both sides. David Moyes replaces retired old-timer Alex Ferguson, while Jose Mourinho returns to Stamford Bridge after 6 years.
These stats, as well as the promise of a hopefully close battle between these two giants, to try and win the title, are way more interesting than what has happened during the actual match.
Man. u. fans are going to claim the possibility of getting a penalty or two for some handballs (which, had they been awarded as PKs by the referee, would have been severely criticized by many people, including of course all Chelsea staff). And Chelsea fans would point out the fact that their chances were somewhat more direct and even more penetrating and incisive. Chelsea actually hit the bar in the second half.
Also, it should be said that Mourinho still dislikes Juan Mata, who again did not play, and that he preferred Schurrle to Torres in the first half. (Torres did not come in until the 60th minute, actually, replacing another relatively unknown Chelsea player, de Bruyne. And, based on how he played, Mourinho's decision to keep Torres on the bench was right on the money.)
Chelsea is bound to get better this season. They were very cautious in this match, and I'm sure they weren't the best they can be.
As for Man. U.... Well, they don't necessarily have to be better than their Premier League opponents to get the best results they need to get. So, they'll pretty much always be in the hunt until (close to) the end. Enough said.
Highlights from Manchester united - Chelsea London FC 0-0:
Monday, 3 June 2013
England - UEFA Club Competitions Participants - 2013-2014
Manchester United --> Champions League Group Stage
Manchester City --> Champions League Group Stage
Chelsea London --> Champions League Group Stage
Arsenal London --> Champions League Play-off Round
Tottenham Hotspur (London) --> Europa League Play-off Round
Swansea City --> Europa League Third Qualifying Round
Wigan Athletic --> Europa League Group Stage
Note: Wigan was relegated from the Premier League.
Manchester City --> Champions League Group Stage
Chelsea London --> Champions League Group Stage
Arsenal London --> Champions League Play-off Round
Tottenham Hotspur (London) --> Europa League Play-off Round
Swansea City --> Europa League Third Qualifying Round
Wigan Athletic --> Europa League Group Stage
Note: Wigan was relegated from the Premier League.
Monday, 8 April 2013
Mancini Speaks Out
Today, people who are still interested in this year's English Premier League can watch Manchester United - Manchester City.
This match is certainly not a big thing, however, because even if City ridiculed United today they would still be twelve points behind Ferguson's team. And the title would still be virtually decided.
So, this fixture will certainly be somewhat boring and unexciting, no matter what the outcome.
But what's interesting on this day is what City's Roberto Mancini said, prior to the game.
He said too many teams roll over for United.
Good! Somebody from an important position sees it, too, and is talking about it.
Teams lose too easily to Manchester United. Yeah! That's exactly what I've been saying.
Mancini, though, going into more details about his affirmation, said he thinks most teams are just afraid of Alex Ferguson's United.
I believe, however, that Ferguson and his people succeeded, not only in creating fear of his team, but basically a system whereby United gets the wins it needs no matter what the means. Most likely, intimidation and money are involved, outside of the strict legalities of the Man. U. footballing payroll.
And I'm quite sure Ferguson is a master at these kind of things. Because he's certainly not a master when it comes to actual coaching, and how could a so-so coach have stayed where Ferguson is for so long?
Really, one has to look at United's record in the other competitions, the ones United was not expected to win (or did not desperately need to win) this year, to see that there's something weird about their performance in the league.
They have 25 wins, 2 draws and 3 losses, from 30 matches, in the EPL. That's the kind of record that teams like Barcelona get. (But Barcelona has roughly the same record in all competitions in which they take part, not just the one.)
However, United's records in the Champions League and the FA Cup are: 4 wins 1 draw and 3 losses, and 3 wins 2 draws and 1 loss, respectively.
How come a team that wins only about half of their fair matches, against honest opponents, and no more, can pull off five times more wins than draws or losses in the PL?
I say the fix is in. Quite often.
If Manchester United was to play opponents they found out about just 2 weeks to 2 months prior, like they do in the elimination competitions, would they win trophies anymore?
So, I believe Mancini is not far from the truth, indeed, but his is still a naive view. Either that, or he knows he can't say more, so has to do with exposing the bare minimum.
This match is certainly not a big thing, however, because even if City ridiculed United today they would still be twelve points behind Ferguson's team. And the title would still be virtually decided.
So, this fixture will certainly be somewhat boring and unexciting, no matter what the outcome.
But what's interesting on this day is what City's Roberto Mancini said, prior to the game.
He said too many teams roll over for United.
Good! Somebody from an important position sees it, too, and is talking about it.
Teams lose too easily to Manchester United. Yeah! That's exactly what I've been saying.
Mancini, though, going into more details about his affirmation, said he thinks most teams are just afraid of Alex Ferguson's United.
I believe, however, that Ferguson and his people succeeded, not only in creating fear of his team, but basically a system whereby United gets the wins it needs no matter what the means. Most likely, intimidation and money are involved, outside of the strict legalities of the Man. U. footballing payroll.
And I'm quite sure Ferguson is a master at these kind of things. Because he's certainly not a master when it comes to actual coaching, and how could a so-so coach have stayed where Ferguson is for so long?
Really, one has to look at United's record in the other competitions, the ones United was not expected to win (or did not desperately need to win) this year, to see that there's something weird about their performance in the league.
They have 25 wins, 2 draws and 3 losses, from 30 matches, in the EPL. That's the kind of record that teams like Barcelona get. (But Barcelona has roughly the same record in all competitions in which they take part, not just the one.)
However, United's records in the Champions League and the FA Cup are: 4 wins 1 draw and 3 losses, and 3 wins 2 draws and 1 loss, respectively.
How come a team that wins only about half of their fair matches, against honest opponents, and no more, can pull off five times more wins than draws or losses in the PL?
I say the fix is in. Quite often.
If Manchester United was to play opponents they found out about just 2 weeks to 2 months prior, like they do in the elimination competitions, would they win trophies anymore?
So, I believe Mancini is not far from the truth, indeed, but his is still a naive view. Either that, or he knows he can't say more, so has to do with exposing the bare minimum.
Monday, 1 April 2013
Search for Two Cups Continues
Manchester United is out of the FA Cup, too, now.
Just like in the League Cup, Chelsea did it.
After coming back from 0-2, at Old Trafford, to tie it at two, Chelsea managed to defeat the probable League winners this season, in the replay, and in doing so oust them from the direct-elimination tournament.
Dembe Ba scored the only goal, in minute 49, after a glorious effort to deflect the ball away and over Man. U. goalkeeper De Gea.
United had a couple of good chances to tie the match. Hernandez, first, was denied a point-blank header by the palm of Petr Cech, after the hour, and then van Persie could not slam the ball on target, from 10-12 meters out, with only 2 minutes left in regulation.
(I guess the curses of Arsenal fans might be catching up with him.)
The Manchester team did not play badly. Chelsea played better. But neither team was exactly spectacular.
Chelsea will now face Manchester City, at Wembley, in the second semifinal, while the winner of Wigan-Millwall will be awaiting in the final.
And, on Thursday, Chelsea will be contesting another quarter-final, in the Europa League, the first leg against Rubin Kazan, in their third of four matches in nine days (- March 30 - April 7).
I think it's good for Chelsea fans that their team still could win two reasonably big trophies this year. (Manchester United, for example, cannot say that they won the Europa League. And it's not like they didn't have the chance.)
I'm probably getting ahead of things too much, but if Benitez wins them both, maybe he should stay in charge at the London club.
(He did show that he taught his team not to concede early against their biggest rivals. Not again.)
Highlights:
Just like in the League Cup, Chelsea did it.
After coming back from 0-2, at Old Trafford, to tie it at two, Chelsea managed to defeat the probable League winners this season, in the replay, and in doing so oust them from the direct-elimination tournament.
Dembe Ba scored the only goal, in minute 49, after a glorious effort to deflect the ball away and over Man. U. goalkeeper De Gea.
United had a couple of good chances to tie the match. Hernandez, first, was denied a point-blank header by the palm of Petr Cech, after the hour, and then van Persie could not slam the ball on target, from 10-12 meters out, with only 2 minutes left in regulation.
(I guess the curses of Arsenal fans might be catching up with him.)
The Manchester team did not play badly. Chelsea played better. But neither team was exactly spectacular.
Chelsea will now face Manchester City, at Wembley, in the second semifinal, while the winner of Wigan-Millwall will be awaiting in the final.
And, on Thursday, Chelsea will be contesting another quarter-final, in the Europa League, the first leg against Rubin Kazan, in their third of four matches in nine days (- March 30 - April 7).
I think it's good for Chelsea fans that their team still could win two reasonably big trophies this year. (Manchester United, for example, cannot say that they won the Europa League. And it's not like they didn't have the chance.)
I'm probably getting ahead of things too much, but if Benitez wins them both, maybe he should stay in charge at the London club.
(He did show that he taught his team not to concede early against their biggest rivals. Not again.)
Highlights:
Sunday, 10 March 2013
Still Not Learning Any Lessons
When Rafa Benitez became Chelsea's coach, I was among the first to say that the Chelsea fans were unfair towards him. I thought Benitez should be given time to do good work.
But his work is not improving. In fact, it's probably getting worse and worse.
Granted, maybe the Chelsea players should all be replaced, with the probable exception of Mata, but Benitez is also not showing any kind of strength as an established coach.
In the cup match against Man. U., although Chelsea was not eliminated, one could see that Benitez was not able to make his players learn their lesson, following that abhorrent match against their rivals, in the Premier League, on October 28th, 2012.
Yeah, he wasn't there last fall, but they must have recordings.
What the fuck, Benitez? You're going to coach a team that again concedes two goals in the first ten minutes, or so, like a bunch of amateurs?
People aren't going to say anything yet, because Chelsea just happens to have been able to draw level, so they're still in it, but Chelsea, as a football team, still sucks, big time. Major changes are in order, for them to win anything anymore.
But his work is not improving. In fact, it's probably getting worse and worse.
Granted, maybe the Chelsea players should all be replaced, with the probable exception of Mata, but Benitez is also not showing any kind of strength as an established coach.
In the cup match against Man. U., although Chelsea was not eliminated, one could see that Benitez was not able to make his players learn their lesson, following that abhorrent match against their rivals, in the Premier League, on October 28th, 2012.
Yeah, he wasn't there last fall, but they must have recordings.
What the fuck, Benitez? You're going to coach a team that again concedes two goals in the first ten minutes, or so, like a bunch of amateurs?
People aren't going to say anything yet, because Chelsea just happens to have been able to draw level, so they're still in it, but Chelsea, as a football team, still sucks, big time. Major changes are in order, for them to win anything anymore.
Tuesday, 5 March 2013
Cut the Bitching, Sore Losers!
Living in an English-speaking country, I heard a lot of sports programs after the Man. U. - Real Madrid match condemning the referee for giving a red card to Nani. -- "It should have been a yellow...", "His eyes were on the ball the whole time...", "It was reckless, not malicious...", "What was the referee thinking?!...", and so on.
That's all bullshit! Enough with the sympathy for this huge conglomerate called "United", from Manchester! The only thing this club is innocent of is paying the referee who made that call.
Alright, so the decision could have gone either way. God forbid, for once, the referee takes the road that doesn't give a break to this giant of football, Manchester United!...
Also, it's not a decision that was match-altering. Not at all. You see players sent off in other matches, for lesser offenses, and their teams don't make such a big fuss. They just play, 10 versus 11. (It wasn't 8 versus 11. It wasn't a clear penalty, not given. And may I remind you that Real lost a crucial piece of their puzzle, di Maria, in the first half? Mourinho did some shuffling around, and he fixed it. I'm sure he could have fixed having his team play 10 versus 11, too.)
So, these people who are condemning the Turkish referee should save their bitching for real crucial decisions. Like Lampard's unseen goal in that match against Germany, at World Cup 2010. That was a match-altering bad call. Nani's red card is small potatoes. United was still one goal up, at that point. And the incident did not lead to conceding a dangerous free kick, or anything of the sort, either. And I've seen so many teams playing 10 against 11, from worse positions, and winning. So, saying that the elimination of Nani - who's not always in the starting eleven (!!!) - was the main factor in Man. U.'s elimination is nothing more than trying to find an easy scapegoat.
What, the English team could not have played with 10 players, and without Nani, and won?
As a matter of fact, looking at the last twenty minutes independently, they seemed to do quite well, especially in attack. Where Nani would have had most of his contribution. They just didn't score (but it's not like Nani is a born goalscorer or had scored a lot of goals recently).
And what did Ferguson do, to help his team? Instead of doing any good switches and changes, he started bellowing at the referees, like he always does when things don't go his way.
(Maybe in the English league United players don't get sent off for those high challenges, but in international competitions you don't always get the favouritism you think you're entitled to, Ferg!)
So, yeah, basically I'm saying ferguson is not a very good coach. Apparently he built a team that seemed to crumble like a house of cards, in three minutes, for a reason so banal as having to play 10 versus 11.
But it wasn't the red card that changed the match. I don't think so. For me, the match-changing moment was Mourinho's genius move in substituting Luka Modric for Arbeloa. Not Nani's elimination. It was Modric's insertion. And his brilliant shot, in the 66th minute, that came out of nowhere.
If Modric had not scored then, who knows what the final score would have been. So, there!
Also, if you want to talk about unfair, how about Ramos' stupid own goal, three minutes after the interval?
Don't you think the mentality of the Real players could have been shattered at that point? But they came back.
Really, that's where I think a great coach makes the difference. Real had one, United didn't.
The Champions League is better with Real in it, now, than it had been had the English progressed.
I mean, really, this is a so-called contender that was beaten/humiliated by the likes of Galatasaray, Basel and CFR Cluj, in the Champions League over the past two years. (And they keep getting results in the English league way too easily.)
Maybe they didn't deserve to lose the match, but they deserved to go out.
Highlights:
That's all bullshit! Enough with the sympathy for this huge conglomerate called "United", from Manchester! The only thing this club is innocent of is paying the referee who made that call.
Alright, so the decision could have gone either way. God forbid, for once, the referee takes the road that doesn't give a break to this giant of football, Manchester United!...
Also, it's not a decision that was match-altering. Not at all. You see players sent off in other matches, for lesser offenses, and their teams don't make such a big fuss. They just play, 10 versus 11. (It wasn't 8 versus 11. It wasn't a clear penalty, not given. And may I remind you that Real lost a crucial piece of their puzzle, di Maria, in the first half? Mourinho did some shuffling around, and he fixed it. I'm sure he could have fixed having his team play 10 versus 11, too.)
So, these people who are condemning the Turkish referee should save their bitching for real crucial decisions. Like Lampard's unseen goal in that match against Germany, at World Cup 2010. That was a match-altering bad call. Nani's red card is small potatoes. United was still one goal up, at that point. And the incident did not lead to conceding a dangerous free kick, or anything of the sort, either. And I've seen so many teams playing 10 against 11, from worse positions, and winning. So, saying that the elimination of Nani - who's not always in the starting eleven (!!!) - was the main factor in Man. U.'s elimination is nothing more than trying to find an easy scapegoat.
What, the English team could not have played with 10 players, and without Nani, and won?
As a matter of fact, looking at the last twenty minutes independently, they seemed to do quite well, especially in attack. Where Nani would have had most of his contribution. They just didn't score (but it's not like Nani is a born goalscorer or had scored a lot of goals recently).
And what did Ferguson do, to help his team? Instead of doing any good switches and changes, he started bellowing at the referees, like he always does when things don't go his way.
(Maybe in the English league United players don't get sent off for those high challenges, but in international competitions you don't always get the favouritism you think you're entitled to, Ferg!)
So, yeah, basically I'm saying ferguson is not a very good coach. Apparently he built a team that seemed to crumble like a house of cards, in three minutes, for a reason so banal as having to play 10 versus 11.
But it wasn't the red card that changed the match. I don't think so. For me, the match-changing moment was Mourinho's genius move in substituting Luka Modric for Arbeloa. Not Nani's elimination. It was Modric's insertion. And his brilliant shot, in the 66th minute, that came out of nowhere.
If Modric had not scored then, who knows what the final score would have been. So, there!
Also, if you want to talk about unfair, how about Ramos' stupid own goal, three minutes after the interval?
Don't you think the mentality of the Real players could have been shattered at that point? But they came back.
Really, that's where I think a great coach makes the difference. Real had one, United didn't.
The Champions League is better with Real in it, now, than it had been had the English progressed.
I mean, really, this is a so-called contender that was beaten/humiliated by the likes of Galatasaray, Basel and CFR Cluj, in the Champions League over the past two years. (And they keep getting results in the English league way too easily.)
Maybe they didn't deserve to lose the match, but they deserved to go out.
Highlights:
Sunday, 9 December 2012
Fire the Loser!
Roberto Mancini is still the manager, at Man. City?
Even after that sorry display, this afternoon?
Wow!
For the life of me, I can't understand why...
(I can only speculate that they're trying to go for an Alex-ferguson kind of management deal. That's stupid! Look at Arsenal and Wenger. That kind of attempt only works for a specific kind of team. Keeping the same manager forever is dumb, unless that manager has many, many political kind of relations going on. And he can look down on referees and officials, and such. You know, like Ferguson. Mancini is nowhere near that kind of status.)
So, getting back to regular managers:
In my opinion, whenever a big team messes up a derby in such a pathetic way, at home, going down early, and suffering the entire match, and ending up losing almost right at the final whistle, the manager has got to go! (Right then and there. No more second chances!)
There's no two ways about it.
If I had that power, I wouldn't even think twice: I would show that coach the door and rip his contract right after the final whistle.
Because if you're not going to perform, against your biggest rival, at home, in one of the biggest match of the year, and maybe of your career, too, you're just not good enough.
Mancini proved good enough last year, but this year...
Very much like Roberto Di Matteo, Roberto Mancini forgot that his team needs reinforcements over the summer, before a new season. Proper reinforcements, not second-rate newcomers like Hazard/Zabaleta, Oscar/Maicon or Moses/Nastasic.
You can't just get some little-known players and expect the best results.
Hasn't the case of Arsenal's downfall already showed that if one is a cheap bastard one will not win anything anymore, in English football?
Also, just like Di Matteo's Chelsea, Mancini's Man. City lost its first match of the season against the team they needed to beat the most. Exactly like Chelsea, if they cannot rise to the challenge in the most important encounter of the battle for the league supremacy, then something is rotten to the core.
The one(s) who cannot fix that rot has(/have) got to go first, and then somebody who can fix it should step in.
Now, the title chase is probably over. It's United's to lose, really.
Stupid English title challengers, with their Christmas-losers mentality! They did it again.
And, thus, another league loses its appeal. No more EPL for a while. (The difference between first and second teams in the standings is bigger than 5 points.)
By the way, from a neutral standpoint, you, no matter who you are, gotta admit: Any league in which second and third in the standings lose to first in the standings, at home, messing up their unbeaten records in the process, too, is shit.
That season in that league has all the makings to turn out to be garbage. Thinking ahead, it's probable that Man. U. will win the home games, too. And nobody wants to see a season in which a team wins the title by more than 10 points, except for the fans of that team, right?
And, finally, to bash Man. City even more, which is what they deserve right now, it needs to be admitted:
Seeing Manchester City falling down 0-2, to a couple of the shittiest goals that Man. U. ever scored, and seeing how their supposed best just wasn't enough in the most important match they played this fall, I realized that it was no accident that City was eliminated from European competitions, altogether, already.
They have no good forward, and their defence is leaking terribly.
And just how the hell have they come to rely now on a no-name like Zabaleta?
Last season, they had that incredible run of fourteen games, and still they needed luck and goal difference to take the title!... This year, I'd be surprised if they come within ten points of it!
Even after that sorry display, this afternoon?
Wow!
For the life of me, I can't understand why...
(I can only speculate that they're trying to go for an Alex-ferguson kind of management deal. That's stupid! Look at Arsenal and Wenger. That kind of attempt only works for a specific kind of team. Keeping the same manager forever is dumb, unless that manager has many, many political kind of relations going on. And he can look down on referees and officials, and such. You know, like Ferguson. Mancini is nowhere near that kind of status.)
So, getting back to regular managers:
In my opinion, whenever a big team messes up a derby in such a pathetic way, at home, going down early, and suffering the entire match, and ending up losing almost right at the final whistle, the manager has got to go! (Right then and there. No more second chances!)
There's no two ways about it.
If I had that power, I wouldn't even think twice: I would show that coach the door and rip his contract right after the final whistle.
Because if you're not going to perform, against your biggest rival, at home, in one of the biggest match of the year, and maybe of your career, too, you're just not good enough.
Mancini proved good enough last year, but this year...
Very much like Roberto Di Matteo, Roberto Mancini forgot that his team needs reinforcements over the summer, before a new season. Proper reinforcements, not second-rate newcomers like Hazard/Zabaleta, Oscar/Maicon or Moses/Nastasic.
You can't just get some little-known players and expect the best results.
Hasn't the case of Arsenal's downfall already showed that if one is a cheap bastard one will not win anything anymore, in English football?
Also, just like Di Matteo's Chelsea, Mancini's Man. City lost its first match of the season against the team they needed to beat the most. Exactly like Chelsea, if they cannot rise to the challenge in the most important encounter of the battle for the league supremacy, then something is rotten to the core.
The one(s) who cannot fix that rot has(/have) got to go first, and then somebody who can fix it should step in.
Now, the title chase is probably over. It's United's to lose, really.
Stupid English title challengers, with their Christmas-losers mentality! They did it again.
And, thus, another league loses its appeal. No more EPL for a while. (The difference between first and second teams in the standings is bigger than 5 points.)
By the way, from a neutral standpoint, you, no matter who you are, gotta admit: Any league in which second and third in the standings lose to first in the standings, at home, messing up their unbeaten records in the process, too, is shit.
That season in that league has all the makings to turn out to be garbage. Thinking ahead, it's probable that Man. U. will win the home games, too. And nobody wants to see a season in which a team wins the title by more than 10 points, except for the fans of that team, right?
And, finally, to bash Man. City even more, which is what they deserve right now, it needs to be admitted:
Seeing Manchester City falling down 0-2, to a couple of the shittiest goals that Man. U. ever scored, and seeing how their supposed best just wasn't enough in the most important match they played this fall, I realized that it was no accident that City was eliminated from European competitions, altogether, already.
They have no good forward, and their defence is leaking terribly.
And just how the hell have they come to rely now on a no-name like Zabaleta?
Last season, they had that incredible run of fourteen games, and still they needed luck and goal difference to take the title!... This year, I'd be surprised if they come within ten points of it!
Wednesday, 5 December 2012
Man. U.'s Reserves
How can Manchester United get win after win in the Premier League, by having players in their squad that, when 3-5 crucial main players are not playing, cannot inspire their team to even grabbing one point from teams like Galatasaray and CFR Cluj?!?
Yeah, okay, they're already qualified, but these East European teams are surely no better than Chelsea, Arsenal and Liverpool, maybe even Newcastle. All of these English teams saw Man. U. leave the stadium in which they faced each other in the EPL with full points, this season.
So, then, how come Man. U. screws up such a small percentage of matches in the Premier League, and such a large one in the Champions League?
(In the last two years, in Europe's best inter-club competition, United failed to win 50% of their matches. They lost 25%. In the English Premier League, over the same period of time, they won more than 75% of their matches. Out of 53 matches.)
It's weird. Especially because Man. U. supposedly got an easy CL draw last year, and they got an easy CL draw this year.
I can't fully remember the last time a team got six wins out of six in the Champions League group stage. (Maybe I gotta look back to the PSG team of the early '90s, for that.)
But, anyway, why wasn't Man. U. interested in a record like that, considering the fact that they got to be in the crappiest group, and they could have won all six matches, potentially, if playing at full strength?
...Or could they?
Highlights from Man. U. - Cluj:
Yeah, okay, they're already qualified, but these East European teams are surely no better than Chelsea, Arsenal and Liverpool, maybe even Newcastle. All of these English teams saw Man. U. leave the stadium in which they faced each other in the EPL with full points, this season.
So, then, how come Man. U. screws up such a small percentage of matches in the Premier League, and such a large one in the Champions League?
(In the last two years, in Europe's best inter-club competition, United failed to win 50% of their matches. They lost 25%. In the English Premier League, over the same period of time, they won more than 75% of their matches. Out of 53 matches.)
It's weird. Especially because Man. U. supposedly got an easy CL draw last year, and they got an easy CL draw this year.
I can't fully remember the last time a team got six wins out of six in the Champions League group stage. (Maybe I gotta look back to the PSG team of the early '90s, for that.)
But, anyway, why wasn't Man. U. interested in a record like that, considering the fact that they got to be in the crappiest group, and they could have won all six matches, potentially, if playing at full strength?
...Or could they?
Highlights from Man. U. - Cluj:
More About UEFA's Stupid Rule
Again, I just can't shut up about the stupidity of the people involved in making the decision that teams tied on points at the end of the group stage are to be separated first based on the direct results.
Chelsea fans will back me up in arguing just how stupid, dumb, imbecilic, senseless, absurd, foolish, idiotic, harebrained, etc., this rule proved to be. (CFR Cluj fans, too, would say the same thing, by the way. They go to Old Trafford, beat Man. U., have a better goal difference than Galatasaray, overall, but they don't go through because of just one goal scored by Galata in the 78th minute. Just stupid!)
Getting back to the Chelsea issue, which is even more outrageous, how the fuck was Shakhtar Donetsk more deserving of progressing than Chelsea?
Even the direct results showed that. 2-1 and 2-3. Now just why should this pair of results eliminate the team that did not score two goals in each match, I do not understand. Well, I understand it when there's direct elimnation involved, and the only other option is extra time + PKs, but this is a group, and there are way better and fairer criteria for separating teams that play the results 3-2 and 1-2 between themselves and are tied on points at the end.
Chelsea was overall better than Shakhtar, considering especially how Shakhtar performed in the last few matches, and deserved better. UEFA really screwed up.
More people should complain.
Highlights from Shakhtar - Juventus:
Highlights from Chelsea - Nordsjaelland:
Highlights from Manchester U. - CFR Cluj:
Highlights from Braga - Galatasaray:
Chelsea fans will back me up in arguing just how stupid, dumb, imbecilic, senseless, absurd, foolish, idiotic, harebrained, etc., this rule proved to be. (CFR Cluj fans, too, would say the same thing, by the way. They go to Old Trafford, beat Man. U., have a better goal difference than Galatasaray, overall, but they don't go through because of just one goal scored by Galata in the 78th minute. Just stupid!)
Getting back to the Chelsea issue, which is even more outrageous, how the fuck was Shakhtar Donetsk more deserving of progressing than Chelsea?
Even the direct results showed that. 2-1 and 2-3. Now just why should this pair of results eliminate the team that did not score two goals in each match, I do not understand. Well, I understand it when there's direct elimnation involved, and the only other option is extra time + PKs, but this is a group, and there are way better and fairer criteria for separating teams that play the results 3-2 and 1-2 between themselves and are tied on points at the end.
Chelsea was overall better than Shakhtar, considering especially how Shakhtar performed in the last few matches, and deserved better. UEFA really screwed up.
More people should complain.
Highlights from Shakhtar - Juventus:
Highlights from Chelsea - Nordsjaelland:
Highlights from Manchester U. - CFR Cluj:
Highlights from Braga - Galatasaray:
Saturday, 1 December 2012
City Still Doesn't Know
As a member of the Manchester City experts, how can you not know that you have to bring your best game to defeat Everton?
The season before the one City won, their title hopes were dashed, again at the Stadium of Light, by Everton. They beat Man. City, on that day (- 20 December 2010 -), 2-1, with 2 goals scored in the first 19 minutes, and effectively took Mancini's team out of real contention.
(Everton's previous and next result, flanking that famous win, were 0-0 at home against Wigan and 1-1 at home against West Ham. One can easily see, therefore, that Everton really gave its best to trouble Man. City. And it doesn't take a genius to see that it was all for the benefit of Man. U. But that's another story.)
If Mancini is a somewhat smart individual, he should have known that it would be just as tough to defeat Everton as it would probably be to defeat Man. U. (if the referee does not throw some blatant help to Man. U., like mark clattenburg did in the match Chelsea - Man. u., in which case beating United might be slightly harder).
Maybe he did know that, but the players certainly did not act as if they knew.
Even though they scored the equalizer relatively quickly, they were just not incisive enough to prevent an Everton team playing very good football from stopping the EPL champions from getting the win.
So, these were two huge dropped points by City.
And I'm sure Everton and Manchester United people were both celebrating. Maybe some of them even together.
But, getting back to yet another title contender not named Man. U. faltering in December, what else is new? Such title contenders are now notorious for shooting themselves in the foot, hard, come holiday time.
It's a great time to be a manchester United fan, isn't it? It's beginning to look a lot like Christmas...
The season before the one City won, their title hopes were dashed, again at the Stadium of Light, by Everton. They beat Man. City, on that day (- 20 December 2010 -), 2-1, with 2 goals scored in the first 19 minutes, and effectively took Mancini's team out of real contention.
(Everton's previous and next result, flanking that famous win, were 0-0 at home against Wigan and 1-1 at home against West Ham. One can easily see, therefore, that Everton really gave its best to trouble Man. City. And it doesn't take a genius to see that it was all for the benefit of Man. U. But that's another story.)
If Mancini is a somewhat smart individual, he should have known that it would be just as tough to defeat Everton as it would probably be to defeat Man. U. (if the referee does not throw some blatant help to Man. U., like mark clattenburg did in the match Chelsea - Man. u., in which case beating United might be slightly harder).
Maybe he did know that, but the players certainly did not act as if they knew.
Even though they scored the equalizer relatively quickly, they were just not incisive enough to prevent an Everton team playing very good football from stopping the EPL champions from getting the win.
So, these were two huge dropped points by City.
And I'm sure Everton and Manchester United people were both celebrating. Maybe some of them even together.
But, getting back to yet another title contender not named Man. U. faltering in December, what else is new? Such title contenders are now notorious for shooting themselves in the foot, hard, come holiday time.
It's a great time to be a manchester United fan, isn't it? It's beginning to look a lot like Christmas...
Saturday, 29 September 2012
23 Years Later...
1989 was the last time when Tottenham beat Manchester United at Old Trafford.
And very few people expected the team with the worst pound-for-pound, let's say, record against Man. U., in the Premier League, to do what they did this Saturday evening.
But the team run by Andre Villas-Boas did just that.
(And the young Portuguese coach celebrated each goal, and the final whistle, as if he had just won a big trophy.)
Man. U. played atrociously in the first half. Nobody can deny that. 2-0 for Spurs at half time was a deserved scoreline.
When Man. U. came back from 0-2 to 1-2 and from 1-3 to 2-3 very quickly, after the interval, though, most people probably said "Oh! Here we go...", in expectation to see another one of Man. U. 's traditional so-spectacular-that-they-cannot-be-believed-to-be-thoroughly-deserved comebacks.
But such a comeback never materialized.
And all credit goes to Tottenham for not losing their cool, even after Kagawa's goal (which made it 2-3, in the 54th minute). Maybe Villas-Boas is doing a lot of things right over there, at that team. (And reporters should quit taunting him about the Friedel-vs-Lloris situation, which is not such a big deal.)
Manchester United fans were probably expecting to see their team leapfrog Chelsea in the standings, just a few hours earlier. Instead, they were treated to seeing their team fall to four points behind their Stamford-Bridge rivals.
Oh, and did you see Alex Ferguson bitching about those four minutes of extra time that, I'm paraphrasing, did not give his team a chance to win this match?... What a cry-baby!
Highlights:
And very few people expected the team with the worst pound-for-pound, let's say, record against Man. U., in the Premier League, to do what they did this Saturday evening.
But the team run by Andre Villas-Boas did just that.
(And the young Portuguese coach celebrated each goal, and the final whistle, as if he had just won a big trophy.)
Man. U. played atrociously in the first half. Nobody can deny that. 2-0 for Spurs at half time was a deserved scoreline.
When Man. U. came back from 0-2 to 1-2 and from 1-3 to 2-3 very quickly, after the interval, though, most people probably said "Oh! Here we go...", in expectation to see another one of Man. U. 's traditional so-spectacular-that-they-cannot-be-believed-to-be-thoroughly-deserved comebacks.
But such a comeback never materialized.
And all credit goes to Tottenham for not losing their cool, even after Kagawa's goal (which made it 2-3, in the 54th minute). Maybe Villas-Boas is doing a lot of things right over there, at that team. (And reporters should quit taunting him about the Friedel-vs-Lloris situation, which is not such a big deal.)
Manchester United fans were probably expecting to see their team leapfrog Chelsea in the standings, just a few hours earlier. Instead, they were treated to seeing their team fall to four points behind their Stamford-Bridge rivals.
Oh, and did you see Alex Ferguson bitching about those four minutes of extra time that, I'm paraphrasing, did not give his team a chance to win this match?... What a cry-baby!
Highlights:
Monday, 4 June 2012
England - UEFA Club Competitions Participants - 2012-2013
Manchester City --> Champions League Group Stage
Manchester United --> Champions League Group Stage
Arsenal London --> Champions League Group Stage
Tottenham Hotspur (London) --> Europa League Group Stage
Newcastle United --> Europa League Play-off Round
Chelsea London --> Champions League Group Stage
Liverpool FC --> Europa League Third Qualifying Round
Note: Even though they finished the league in a Champions-League-Play-off position, Tottenham Hotspur was automatically relocated to the Europa League because Chelsea, who did not finish in a Champions-League position, won the 2011-2012 Champions League (and in 2012-2013 England was not permitted to enter more than 4 teams in the Champions League).
Manchester United --> Champions League Group Stage
Arsenal London --> Champions League Group Stage
Tottenham Hotspur (London) --> Europa League Group Stage
Newcastle United --> Europa League Play-off Round
Chelsea London --> Champions League Group Stage
Liverpool FC --> Europa League Third Qualifying Round
Note: Even though they finished the league in a Champions-League-Play-off position, Tottenham Hotspur was automatically relocated to the Europa League because Chelsea, who did not finish in a Champions-League position, won the 2011-2012 Champions League (and in 2012-2013 England was not permitted to enter more than 4 teams in the Champions League).
Sunday, 13 May 2012
Crazy, Crazy Ending in the EPL Title Chase
After many instances in which Manchester United found itself on the winning side of last-gasp victories, most notably the Champions League final in 1999, their fans witnessed a monumental loss in extra time today.
Yes, Manchester United lost even the last trophy it could possibly win this year, the English Premier League title, after Manchester City players were able to score two goals after the 90th minute of their match against Queens Park Rangers (and one of these goals was actually scored after the conclusion of Man. U. 's game at Sunderland, as everybody who likes Man. U. was waiting to be able to start celebrating).
Speaking of which, this game, against Sunderland, did not seem to hang in the balance at all.
United for sure couldn't have scored 10, to be sure of a title win on goal difference (and maybe they should get some advice from Lyon on how to get teams - see Dinamo Zagreb - to step aside and lose at large goal differences), but they were always the team most likely to score next. At the end, also, they were just trying to pass the time safely, no doubt paying more attention to the game in Manchester than to their own exploits. Thus, in the last minutes, the Man. U. team was many times seen just passing the ball randomly so the time could run down quicker. And was that apathy, or what, from Sunderland?
QPR, though... totally different story! They did play the best game of their season, probably. And was there some compensation promised from United?
(I don't know.)
But, in my opinion, there was another factor that changed QPR a bit during the last few minutes of the match.
See, they were up 2-1. But Bolton, the team trailing QPR, was also winning 2-1, at Stoke. Man. City was missing chance after chance. And the QPR team maybe thought there was no way for City to score two goals when they could barely score one (with Zabaleta's goal even seeming to have gone in by accident) in almost eighty minutes.
And then it happened. In minute 77, Stoke City equalized against Bolton, and that score meant QPR no longer needed a win. A draw was not necessarily needed, either, anymore. And for sure QPR thought they would at least get a point against Man. City, considering how the game was going.
So, with the news from Stoke becoming known at the Etihad Stadium, Dzeko perhaps scored from amidst a bunch of players already thinking of their well-deserved vacations, and sure of their Premiership survival.
For sure, QPR did not want to lose, but I think Dzeko's goal discombobulated them.
Additionally, Aguero's goal was lucky, too, because Balotelli got an amazingly inspired touch of the ball, that fooled three QPR defenders, just as he was falling down, to set up Aguero's finish.
But all of that circus, and having their fans go from crying in despair to unexpected joy in extra time, should have totally been avoided.
Manchester City tortured their fans by almost letting slip away a win that they should have secured easily in the first place.
They were up 1-0 against the team with the worst away record in the Premier League. How do you screw that up? Well, Tevez and company, or should I say Lescott and Kompany, almost did. Cisse's and Mackie's goals should never have been.
Of course, in the end, City did very well to get back on track for the title, but it should have been way easier. That's all I'm saying.
Manchester City was certainly better than Manchester United this season. But they need to improve to win more titles, that's for sure. If they let another team come from behind, like this year, to secure an eight-point lead in the standings, with 6 matches to go, next year, for sure City won't come back to win the title in the same kind of dramatic fashion.
And yes, for those who give two cents, Bolton was the one relegated, not QPR, in spite of the amazing loss.
See highlights here.
By the way, Mark Hughes, QPR's coach said "Manchester City got lucky", not long after the match. A better commentary than anything Alex Ferguson had to say.
Yes, Manchester United lost even the last trophy it could possibly win this year, the English Premier League title, after Manchester City players were able to score two goals after the 90th minute of their match against Queens Park Rangers (and one of these goals was actually scored after the conclusion of Man. U. 's game at Sunderland, as everybody who likes Man. U. was waiting to be able to start celebrating).
Speaking of which, this game, against Sunderland, did not seem to hang in the balance at all.
United for sure couldn't have scored 10, to be sure of a title win on goal difference (and maybe they should get some advice from Lyon on how to get teams - see Dinamo Zagreb - to step aside and lose at large goal differences), but they were always the team most likely to score next. At the end, also, they were just trying to pass the time safely, no doubt paying more attention to the game in Manchester than to their own exploits. Thus, in the last minutes, the Man. U. team was many times seen just passing the ball randomly so the time could run down quicker. And was that apathy, or what, from Sunderland?
QPR, though... totally different story! They did play the best game of their season, probably. And was there some compensation promised from United?
(I don't know.)
But, in my opinion, there was another factor that changed QPR a bit during the last few minutes of the match.
See, they were up 2-1. But Bolton, the team trailing QPR, was also winning 2-1, at Stoke. Man. City was missing chance after chance. And the QPR team maybe thought there was no way for City to score two goals when they could barely score one (with Zabaleta's goal even seeming to have gone in by accident) in almost eighty minutes.
And then it happened. In minute 77, Stoke City equalized against Bolton, and that score meant QPR no longer needed a win. A draw was not necessarily needed, either, anymore. And for sure QPR thought they would at least get a point against Man. City, considering how the game was going.
So, with the news from Stoke becoming known at the Etihad Stadium, Dzeko perhaps scored from amidst a bunch of players already thinking of their well-deserved vacations, and sure of their Premiership survival.
For sure, QPR did not want to lose, but I think Dzeko's goal discombobulated them.
Additionally, Aguero's goal was lucky, too, because Balotelli got an amazingly inspired touch of the ball, that fooled three QPR defenders, just as he was falling down, to set up Aguero's finish.
But all of that circus, and having their fans go from crying in despair to unexpected joy in extra time, should have totally been avoided.
Manchester City tortured their fans by almost letting slip away a win that they should have secured easily in the first place.
They were up 1-0 against the team with the worst away record in the Premier League. How do you screw that up? Well, Tevez and company, or should I say Lescott and Kompany, almost did. Cisse's and Mackie's goals should never have been.
Of course, in the end, City did very well to get back on track for the title, but it should have been way easier. That's all I'm saying.
Manchester City was certainly better than Manchester United this season. But they need to improve to win more titles, that's for sure. If they let another team come from behind, like this year, to secure an eight-point lead in the standings, with 6 matches to go, next year, for sure City won't come back to win the title in the same kind of dramatic fashion.
And yes, for those who give two cents, Bolton was the one relegated, not QPR, in spite of the amazing loss.
See highlights here.
By the way, Mark Hughes, QPR's coach said "Manchester City got lucky", not long after the match. A better commentary than anything Alex Ferguson had to say.
Sunday, 6 May 2012
Manchester City, Champion?
Well, after seeing how they played against Manchester United and Newcastle United, I have to say Manchester City did wake up at the right time, and should win the Premier League this year.
They have one match left, against Queens Park Rangers, at home, and if they win that game, they should win the title. And they should win that game, because QPR is certainly a weaker team than Newcastle.
Of course, Man. U. could also win by a margin nine goals larger than City's win margin, away at Sunderland, and get the title, but how likely is that to happen?
(Example of scorelines that could give Manchester U. the title if both teams win:
Man. City - QPR 2-1
Sunderland - Man. U. 0-10
...Not gonna happen, right?)
Queens Park Rangers is still in danger of being relegated, though, despite beating Stoke on this matchday, and could go down if they lose in Manchester on Sunday, if wigan picks up at least one point from their last two matches and Bolton wins away at Stoke City on the last matchday.
So, it's not like QPR has nothing to play for.
But City can only blame themselves if they screw this up. Who knows when they'll get another chance like this one?
They have one match left, against Queens Park Rangers, at home, and if they win that game, they should win the title. And they should win that game, because QPR is certainly a weaker team than Newcastle.
Of course, Man. U. could also win by a margin nine goals larger than City's win margin, away at Sunderland, and get the title, but how likely is that to happen?
(Example of scorelines that could give Manchester U. the title if both teams win:
Man. City - QPR 2-1
Sunderland - Man. U. 0-10
...Not gonna happen, right?)
Queens Park Rangers is still in danger of being relegated, though, despite beating Stoke on this matchday, and could go down if they lose in Manchester on Sunday, if wigan picks up at least one point from their last two matches and Bolton wins away at Stoke City on the last matchday.
So, it's not like QPR has nothing to play for.
But City can only blame themselves if they screw this up. Who knows when they'll get another chance like this one?
Monday, 30 April 2012
Nice, Unexpected Comeback
I gotta say, I never expected this.
Manchester United was up 8 points, and they were playing Wigan and Everton, teams they traditionally beat easily.
Well, I don't have a perfect idea of why they dropped points to Everton, but, anyway, United sure screwed themselves!
And, you know, this year, Ferguson's team has been absolutely pathetic against good international teams: Benfica, Basel, Ajax and Athletic Bilbao.
But the Premier League is different. United gets these titles even when they're not the best team in the league.
However, United clearly is a very shitty team this season. They can't win many games that they play fairly.
Of course, they should win the remaining games, against Swansea and Sunderland. No matter what the cost.
But the big question is, what if Manchester City beats Newcastle?
(They should beat QPR, at home, on the last matchday, too, if they're that good. And Manchester City 's getting two wins in the last two matches means United has to get at least two 5-0 wins, or something that amounts to being at least ten goals better than their opponents. This is not something that Man. U. cannot arrange, I'm sure, but what if City gets a 4-0 win, or something, in one of their two matches?)
What I'm saying is, basically, that Manchester City should win this title, but the game against Newcastle is not going to be easy.
Manchester United is probably going to try to provide additional incentives for Newcastle to try their best to not lose that game, I believe. Not that Newcastle doesn't want to win, but... that's the way it works sometimes in football.
As for the match today, in itself, all that can be said is that Man. U. was just pathetic. They only had one chance, in minute 2. After that, it was all City, even when United needed to score.
Kompany's goal was lucky, unexpected and surprising. Bad marking from Smalling left the powerful City player free to head in the ball from just 5 meters away, in first-half injury time. It was a disappointing goal for Man. U. to concede. But then the team was disappointing throughout the entire course of this match.
And I'm sure all United fans would agree, after seeing this one, that making one single goal worth 2 extra points is unfair.
See highlights here.
Manchester United was up 8 points, and they were playing Wigan and Everton, teams they traditionally beat easily.
Well, I don't have a perfect idea of why they dropped points to Everton, but, anyway, United sure screwed themselves!
And, you know, this year, Ferguson's team has been absolutely pathetic against good international teams: Benfica, Basel, Ajax and Athletic Bilbao.
But the Premier League is different. United gets these titles even when they're not the best team in the league.
However, United clearly is a very shitty team this season. They can't win many games that they play fairly.
Of course, they should win the remaining games, against Swansea and Sunderland. No matter what the cost.
But the big question is, what if Manchester City beats Newcastle?
(They should beat QPR, at home, on the last matchday, too, if they're that good. And Manchester City 's getting two wins in the last two matches means United has to get at least two 5-0 wins, or something that amounts to being at least ten goals better than their opponents. This is not something that Man. U. cannot arrange, I'm sure, but what if City gets a 4-0 win, or something, in one of their two matches?)
What I'm saying is, basically, that Manchester City should win this title, but the game against Newcastle is not going to be easy.
Manchester United is probably going to try to provide additional incentives for Newcastle to try their best to not lose that game, I believe. Not that Newcastle doesn't want to win, but... that's the way it works sometimes in football.
As for the match today, in itself, all that can be said is that Man. U. was just pathetic. They only had one chance, in minute 2. After that, it was all City, even when United needed to score.
Kompany's goal was lucky, unexpected and surprising. Bad marking from Smalling left the powerful City player free to head in the ball from just 5 meters away, in first-half injury time. It was a disappointing goal for Man. U. to concede. But then the team was disappointing throughout the entire course of this match.
And I'm sure all United fans would agree, after seeing this one, that making one single goal worth 2 extra points is unfair.
See highlights here.
Man. City - Man. U. -- New Title Race?
I think there could still be a race between these two only if Manchester City beats United.
Manchester United is going to beat Swansea and Sunderland, in the last two matches, I'm sure, and I would bet on it.
And they might probably be working on the referees in the match against their city rivals, too, I think.
However, if City does manage to pull the upset, they could have an advantage of possibly 8-10 goals on United. All United needs to do is pull a couple of 6-0 wins, and they might still be good for the title.
Let's not forget, also, that Manchester City has to go to Newcastle, where Man. U. lost 0-3, and Pardew's team still has Champions League ambitions...
But, let's see first what happens at the City of Manchester (Etihad) Stadium, before I go back to posting more Premier League fixtures/results.
(And, ha, ha, I bet the United management is now ruing the way they approached the match against Wigan...)
Manchester United is going to beat Swansea and Sunderland, in the last two matches, I'm sure, and I would bet on it.
And they might probably be working on the referees in the match against their city rivals, too, I think.
However, if City does manage to pull the upset, they could have an advantage of possibly 8-10 goals on United. All United needs to do is pull a couple of 6-0 wins, and they might still be good for the title.
Let's not forget, also, that Manchester City has to go to Newcastle, where Man. U. lost 0-3, and Pardew's team still has Champions League ambitions...
But, let's see first what happens at the City of Manchester (Etihad) Stadium, before I go back to posting more Premier League fixtures/results.
(And, ha, ha, I bet the United management is now ruing the way they approached the match against Wigan...)
Wednesday, 11 April 2012
The Day of the Slave
Looks like the fact that Manchester City stumbled at Arsenal, too, was a good omen for Wigan!
How could that be, you may ask?
Well, seeing themselves eight points up on a hopeless Man. City, Man. U. could now afford to give some well-deserved help to their faithful slaves, Wigan. (<-- wigan - manchester united 1-0 -- no, this is not a misprint -- sic!)
And the funny thing is wigan actually would have been leading from minute 30, if only somebody had told the linesman that United does not need any help on this matchday!
Yes, there was a good goal for Wigan in the first half, too, but it was disallowed.
Sure, United is now only 5 points up on City in the title race -- Oops, did I say "race? Ha, I meant "disgrace"! -- but nobody, not even Mancini, believes that City can still get it.
And, surely, it's over.
On the other hand, Wigan should stay up, to help Manchester United next year, too, no?
When you're eight points ahead, and so sure of the win, you can spare three for one of your sidekicks in desperate need, no?
P.S. I wonder if Fulham might leave some points for Wigan, too, two matchdays from now. 'Cause, otherwise, Wigan have to face Arsenal, Newcastle, Blackburn and Wolverhampton. And those teams need points (although by the time of their match, Wolves might be relegated already and in a mood to bargain, too)!
How could that be, you may ask?
Well, seeing themselves eight points up on a hopeless Man. City, Man. U. could now afford to give some well-deserved help to their faithful slaves, Wigan. (<-- wigan - manchester united 1-0 -- no, this is not a misprint -- sic!)
And the funny thing is wigan actually would have been leading from minute 30, if only somebody had told the linesman that United does not need any help on this matchday!
Yes, there was a good goal for Wigan in the first half, too, but it was disallowed.
Sure, United is now only 5 points up on City in the title race -- Oops, did I say "race? Ha, I meant "disgrace"! -- but nobody, not even Mancini, believes that City can still get it.
And, surely, it's over.
On the other hand, Wigan should stay up, to help Manchester United next year, too, no?
When you're eight points ahead, and so sure of the win, you can spare three for one of your sidekicks in desperate need, no?
P.S. I wonder if Fulham might leave some points for Wigan, too, two matchdays from now. 'Cause, otherwise, Wigan have to face Arsenal, Newcastle, Blackburn and Wolverhampton. And those teams need points (although by the time of their match, Wolves might be relegated already and in a mood to bargain, too)!
Sunday, 1 April 2012
That's It for the EPL This Year
It has to be completely over now in England. (Sunderland's draw at Manchester City convinced me fully.)
There's no more point in following the Premier League this year anymore, because those pathetic incompetents at Manchester City just cannot come up with a good win nowadays, no matter what they do.
I don't even know why they play anymore, because they would probably be assured of a Champions League berth even if they lose all of their remaining matches. And they're not going to win the Premier League, so that's that.
How does one team go from dropping only 4 points, and not losing any matches, in almost four months, at the beginning of the season, from going 20 home matches without giving up a single point, and from crushing Manshitty united 6-1 at Old Trafford, to not coming close to winning the title?
It's simple. I believe that these three things were major factors:
1) Bad organization at the top: Roberto Mancini is somewhat of a loser coach. He cannot motivate a team, to save his life. He's been receiving warnings about the lack of quality and depth of his squad for more than three months now and he could do nothing about it. He didn't get good new players, and he could not get the old players to remain at the same level as in the fall, when they were worth their money. And, also, the owners apparently do not know that he's a very mediocre coach, either.
2) Amateurish players: There is at least one team, every year, in every league, that plays way better for a short while than their actual value. Manchester City was that team this year, in the Premier League. In the first half of the current season, it was definitely them, yes. The fact that Manchester United has also been a sucky team this football year, led City to believe that their players were good enough to sustain the rhythm shown in the first 13-14 matches, against United. But, in actuality, the players that Mancini brought to Etihad, thinking that they're good enough to get the title, are second-rate players who are simply not capable of playing a full season at the same intensity. Mancini got way too much out of them in the first half of the season, and now there's way too little left to squeeze out when the going gets tough. With such easily-withered players, City should have actually bought two squads, one to play the first half of the competition, and one to play the second half.
3) Manchester United 's obsession with winning: They always seem to pay to get their way, and they just could not possibly have accepted to see Manchester City winning this year without doing everything to see another conclusion. So, one of the shittiest Manchester United teams ever - eliminated from the Champions League at the hands of Basel, ha, ha, and not going more than two rounds in the Europa League either - keeps beating everybody in the league, for six matches now, and nine out of the last ten, courtesy of either unbelievably weak performances from the teams they face or referee mistakes that everybody overlooks as "[honest] errors that even out over the course of a season"
That was actually said by Alex Ferguson, by the way.
And, since this guy is over 70, I would be very interested to hear, given his life experience of over 70 decades, how he could formulate the explanation to the following inquiry, to make it sound that his team is totally honest: Why, at crucial times in so many seasons, and I'm not talking just about this season, so many teams suddenly play so well against the title contenders that are going up against Man. U., while United always seems to have much easier times against most of the same teams? I'm talking about the likes of: tottenham, Sunderland, Everton, Wigan, Fulham (when they got paid, 'cause they apparently got a little upset that they didn't get paid for the match on Monday, when the referee saved United's asses, and they actually played a good match), Wolverhampton (when they got paid), Stoke, Bolton, and so on.
(As a related fact, in other leagues, which don't make a big point of pretending to be completely fair, it's common knowledge that some teams with money pay smaller teams to play well against their rivals. Could that also happen in England? Well, I don't know. What do you think?)
Here's the simple conclusion I think is accurate, based on what I see:
When you're trying to win a Premier League title at the same time as Manchester United, which, because of the connections they have everywhere in English football, is every year in this day and age, you're going against most of the English Premier League, too. You better be prepared to beat everybody, including Man. U., because Man. U. is definitely going to beat almost everybody that they need to beat, through whatever means necessary, on and off the pitch, to make you lose.
I can't believe Mancini and the owners of Manchester City are too stupid to understand this. I wouldn't expect the players to understand this, because some of them are too young to accept the fact that results do not only come through the team's effort on the pitch, but some people with experience should understand this and prepare for it. If you want to win the league in England, you better make your team get way better results in the second half of the season than in the first half (which should also be very good, too).
That's why, clearly, the title race in England is over, and I would bet on it. Manchester united is not going to lose this title. And manchester City is clearly substandard as a top team at this point, too, which is why there is no hope left, either.
So, there's no reason to watch this year 's Premier League any more (unless you're betting on it).
There's no more point in following the Premier League this year anymore, because those pathetic incompetents at Manchester City just cannot come up with a good win nowadays, no matter what they do.
I don't even know why they play anymore, because they would probably be assured of a Champions League berth even if they lose all of their remaining matches. And they're not going to win the Premier League, so that's that.
How does one team go from dropping only 4 points, and not losing any matches, in almost four months, at the beginning of the season, from going 20 home matches without giving up a single point, and from crushing Manshitty united 6-1 at Old Trafford, to not coming close to winning the title?
It's simple. I believe that these three things were major factors:
1) Bad organization at the top: Roberto Mancini is somewhat of a loser coach. He cannot motivate a team, to save his life. He's been receiving warnings about the lack of quality and depth of his squad for more than three months now and he could do nothing about it. He didn't get good new players, and he could not get the old players to remain at the same level as in the fall, when they were worth their money. And, also, the owners apparently do not know that he's a very mediocre coach, either.
2) Amateurish players: There is at least one team, every year, in every league, that plays way better for a short while than their actual value. Manchester City was that team this year, in the Premier League. In the first half of the current season, it was definitely them, yes. The fact that Manchester United has also been a sucky team this football year, led City to believe that their players were good enough to sustain the rhythm shown in the first 13-14 matches, against United. But, in actuality, the players that Mancini brought to Etihad, thinking that they're good enough to get the title, are second-rate players who are simply not capable of playing a full season at the same intensity. Mancini got way too much out of them in the first half of the season, and now there's way too little left to squeeze out when the going gets tough. With such easily-withered players, City should have actually bought two squads, one to play the first half of the competition, and one to play the second half.
3) Manchester United 's obsession with winning: They always seem to pay to get their way, and they just could not possibly have accepted to see Manchester City winning this year without doing everything to see another conclusion. So, one of the shittiest Manchester United teams ever - eliminated from the Champions League at the hands of Basel, ha, ha, and not going more than two rounds in the Europa League either - keeps beating everybody in the league, for six matches now, and nine out of the last ten, courtesy of either unbelievably weak performances from the teams they face or referee mistakes that everybody overlooks as "[honest] errors that even out over the course of a season"
That was actually said by Alex Ferguson, by the way.
And, since this guy is over 70, I would be very interested to hear, given his life experience of over 70 decades, how he could formulate the explanation to the following inquiry, to make it sound that his team is totally honest: Why, at crucial times in so many seasons, and I'm not talking just about this season, so many teams suddenly play so well against the title contenders that are going up against Man. U., while United always seems to have much easier times against most of the same teams? I'm talking about the likes of: tottenham, Sunderland, Everton, Wigan, Fulham (when they got paid, 'cause they apparently got a little upset that they didn't get paid for the match on Monday, when the referee saved United's asses, and they actually played a good match), Wolverhampton (when they got paid), Stoke, Bolton, and so on.
(As a related fact, in other leagues, which don't make a big point of pretending to be completely fair, it's common knowledge that some teams with money pay smaller teams to play well against their rivals. Could that also happen in England? Well, I don't know. What do you think?)
Here's the simple conclusion I think is accurate, based on what I see:
When you're trying to win a Premier League title at the same time as Manchester United, which, because of the connections they have everywhere in English football, is every year in this day and age, you're going against most of the English Premier League, too. You better be prepared to beat everybody, including Man. U., because Man. U. is definitely going to beat almost everybody that they need to beat, through whatever means necessary, on and off the pitch, to make you lose.
I can't believe Mancini and the owners of Manchester City are too stupid to understand this. I wouldn't expect the players to understand this, because some of them are too young to accept the fact that results do not only come through the team's effort on the pitch, but some people with experience should understand this and prepare for it. If you want to win the league in England, you better make your team get way better results in the second half of the season than in the first half (which should also be very good, too).
That's why, clearly, the title race in England is over, and I would bet on it. Manchester united is not going to lose this title. And manchester City is clearly substandard as a top team at this point, too, which is why there is no hope left, either.
So, there's no reason to watch this year 's Premier League any more (unless you're betting on it).
Monday, 26 March 2012
Why the Help?
In minute 89 of the Manchester United - Fulham encounter, Danny Murphy was caught in the penalty area of Man. U. and he went down.
Referee Michael Oliver of course refused to even consider pointing at the spot.
The commentators agreed that there was contact with the leg, no contact with the ball, and that there were serious grounds for awarding a penalty. As a matter of fact, one commentator said "That's a penalty."
But people who understand that football is not the sport where everything can happen, and every team can win, anymore can form some opinions as to why teams like Fulham do not get such calls when teams like Manchester United really need results to go their way.
Money talks.
Manchester United will never be troubled by referee calls against them, I firmly believe, until they have the title wrapped up. The referees generally have too little power and courage to upset a conglomerate that wields billions of pounds. In fact, I'm sure clubs like Manchester United have the power to be able to get a friendly referee whenever they need one.
So, really, Manchester City's only hope to get the title is to crush everybody honestly, because they don't have the relations that Manchester United has formed over the last two decades.
But if those losers continue to drop points away from home like crazy, they're going to be out of it soon. Because, even if a team plays honestly and openly against Manchester United, like Fulham seemed to do today, Ferguson's organization is still going to find a way to get the results they need.
This is really borderline over for Manchester City, truly.
If they drop any more points, that's it.
It's still in the hands of Mancini's team, because all they have to do is win all of their games. I think that, if they win all of their remaining games, they will get the goal difference edge, too, even though manchester united is so close. But how the hell is Manchester City going to win four away matches and the home game against United, when they've been sucking away from home for the last three months, and Man. U. will not stop getting wins?
Referee Michael Oliver of course refused to even consider pointing at the spot.
The commentators agreed that there was contact with the leg, no contact with the ball, and that there were serious grounds for awarding a penalty. As a matter of fact, one commentator said "That's a penalty."
But people who understand that football is not the sport where everything can happen, and every team can win, anymore can form some opinions as to why teams like Fulham do not get such calls when teams like Manchester United really need results to go their way.
Money talks.
Manchester United will never be troubled by referee calls against them, I firmly believe, until they have the title wrapped up. The referees generally have too little power and courage to upset a conglomerate that wields billions of pounds. In fact, I'm sure clubs like Manchester United have the power to be able to get a friendly referee whenever they need one.
So, really, Manchester City's only hope to get the title is to crush everybody honestly, because they don't have the relations that Manchester United has formed over the last two decades.
But if those losers continue to drop points away from home like crazy, they're going to be out of it soon. Because, even if a team plays honestly and openly against Manchester United, like Fulham seemed to do today, Ferguson's organization is still going to find a way to get the results they need.
This is really borderline over for Manchester City, truly.
If they drop any more points, that's it.
It's still in the hands of Mancini's team, because all they have to do is win all of their games. I think that, if they win all of their remaining games, they will get the goal difference edge, too, even though manchester united is so close. But how the hell is Manchester City going to win four away matches and the home game against United, when they've been sucking away from home for the last three months, and Man. U. will not stop getting wins?
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