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.
Showing posts with label Sunderland. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Sunderland. Show all posts
Sunday, 13 May 2012
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?
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).
Saturday, 18 February 2012
Another Failure for Arsenal
It's funny how two games in four days can ruin most of one team's season.
But, considering that that team is Arsene Wenger 's Arsenal, it's not that surprising.
More and more people have surely got to be realizing that Wenger is not doing a good job at the London club.
As of today, they're practically out of the Champions League, as a result of the Milan massacre, and eliminated from the FA Cup by Sunderland, a team that they beat just last Saturday, to reach fourth in the Premier League table, which is all they have left.
Sunderland could have scored more, and no longer made the errors that allowed Arsenal to claw their way back, like in the Premiership game played a week ago.
Even Wenger's freshest discoveries, like Oxlade-Chamberlain, are failing him, as shown by the winger's own goal.
But at least Arsenal is fourth in the league. (Yeah, right, big deal!) I would venture to say that they won't finish there (or above), though.
Highlights from Sunderland - Arsenal 2-0:
But, considering that that team is Arsene Wenger 's Arsenal, it's not that surprising.
More and more people have surely got to be realizing that Wenger is not doing a good job at the London club.
As of today, they're practically out of the Champions League, as a result of the Milan massacre, and eliminated from the FA Cup by Sunderland, a team that they beat just last Saturday, to reach fourth in the Premier League table, which is all they have left.
Sunderland could have scored more, and no longer made the errors that allowed Arsenal to claw their way back, like in the Premiership game played a week ago.
Even Wenger's freshest discoveries, like Oxlade-Chamberlain, are failing him, as shown by the winger's own goal.
But at least Arsenal is fourth in the league. (Yeah, right, big deal!) I would venture to say that they won't finish there (or above), though.
Highlights from Sunderland - Arsenal 2-0:
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