The football calendar has only just been removed from its packaging but already judgements are being handed down. Far be it from me not to jump on the bandwagon and produce an immature, fairly unthought through and untrustworthy report of the teams strengths and weaknesses; People, I give you the power rankings.
1. Chelsea (played 3, points 9) - Maximum points so far and Burnley the visitors this weekend. Scolari's Chelsea started off well too...
2. Manchester United (p 3, pts 6) - A game against an open and naive Wigan team was just the tonic for the Reds last week. Arsenal will provide a far sterner test.
3. Arsenal (p 2, pts 6) - Their excellent results may have embellished a few weaknesses. We will know more about them after a trip to Old Trafford but the loss of Fabregas and the Eduardo diving saga will not help their focus.
4. Tottenham Hotspur (p 3, pts 9) - Only North London rivals Arsenal have scored more goals and Jermain Defoe, the league's most in-form striker, could add to his early tally against Birmingham at the Lane.
5. Liverpool (p 3, pts 3) - Last season: 38 games, 2 defeats. This season: 3 games, 2 defeats. Liverpool can hardly afford to drop a point over the next few weeks if they are to stay in touch with the leaders but surely they can't play as poorly as they did against Villa again.
6. Manchester City (p 2, pts 6) - They've won twice without playing all that well which is a dangerous sign for the teams above them. The only team yet to concede and with £24million 'worth' of Joleon Lescott added to the ranks this week.
7. Aston Villa (p 2, pts 3) - Getting knocked out of Europe may be a blessing in disguise for this small squad but Martin O'Neill can't be thrilled with his team's inconsistent opening to a year in which they hoped to push their way into the top-4
8. Sunderland (p 3, pts 6) - Steve Bruce has had a decent start and appears to have bought well. Michael Turner could be a member of the Black Cats as they travel to Stoke on Saturday.
9. Everton (p 2, pts 0) - No points but also, now no Lescott. Distin and Bilyaletdinov will strengthen the ranks but it is the returning Yakubu that could be most pivotal in turning their season around.
10. Fulham (p 2, pts 3) - Fulham have been busy in the late summer in bolstering their midfield but will find it difficult to replace the injured Andrew Johnson. Just as difficult will be the game at Villa Park that lies ahead after a long journey back from Russia.
11. Stoke (p 3, pts 4) - Huth and Tuncay add another towering defensive presence and some much needed guile in attack. The loss of Beattie will hurt but there is a lot to like about the way the Potters have built the team over the last year. Even Dave Kitson scored in midweek.
12. West Ham (p 2, pts 6) - Good enough to survive, not good enough to do a whole lot more. They might be better served employing a physio as manager considering the numerous injury-plagued players in their squad. On the plus side, new £6m forward Diamanti could be a Di Canio-esque figure. N.B. Could be.
13. Burnley (p 3, pts 6) - No team may have ever had such a surprising, impactful beginning to their Premiership lives as the Clarets. Their home form will be key to their survival bid, as will early season starlets Wade Elliot and Robbie Blake.
14. Blackburn Rovers (p 2, pts 0) - Rovers are hardly in crisis mode, despite two defeats to open the season, but a victory at home to West Ham would ease the pressure. Nikola Kalinic can not be as bad as he has looked so far (although Jason Robert's facial expressions after each and every miss are priceless).
15. Hull City (p 3, pts 3) - Altidore and Ghilas as a feared front two? Who knew? Wolves away this Saturday in a 'if it were late in the year it would be a big game but right now it's sports page filler' kinda fixture.
16. Birmingham City (p 3, pts 4) - Predictably lost away to Man Utd, predictably beat Portsmouth at home and were predictably held by Stoke last time out. Now a visit to Spurs. Can you predict the result?
17. Wigan (p 3, pts 3) - Their impressive victory over Aston Villa on opening day is a distant memory after their struggles in both the league and League cup since that game. Martinez will have to develop more steel in their lineup if they are to avoid the drop.
18. Wolves (p 3, pts 3) - They performed admirably at the City of Manchester Stadium, almost stealing a draw, but their upcoming game against Hull is far more important. A lack of cutting edge may see Mick McCarthy lean towards Sylvain Ebanks-Blake a little more in the coming weeks.
19. Bolton (p 2, pts 0) - Might be slightly harsh to have them this low but defeats to Sunderland and Hull without any goals do not bode well. A motivated Liverpool team will not make a first point or goal an easy task this weekend.
20. Portsmouth (p 3, pts 0) - Amazing how quickly the FA Cup final squad has been dismantled and, unfortunately for the devout Pompey fans, the quality just doesn't seem to be there. A busy few final days in the transfer window are a must.
Saturday, 29 August 2009
Friday, 28 August 2009
Champions League Winners and Losers
Europe's premier club competition sits teasingly on the horizon, so much so that even the draw is a noteworthy affair. The continent's finest and invariably richest (sorry Man city, you aren't quite there yet) will meet over the next few months to determine who makes the business end of the tournament, you know, when the games actually mean something.
The shake up to this year's qualifying system has seen a number of new clubs make the group stage which, long term, is probably a positive thing however, for this season's version, the big clubs should continue to be fairly untroubled in their saunter to the knockout phase. Last year, none of the elite sides went out before Christmas and only Internazionale troubled unduly. It's been 4 years since an English team fell at the oncoming hurdle; Manchester United were abject in losing 2 of their last 3 games and only beat Benfica at home.
So who will be happiest with Thursday's draw?
The Winners:
Wolfsburg - The German champions were fourth seeds and could have met a number of Europe's most experienced sides in the group stage. As it is, they face Man United, CSKA Moscow and Besiktas and, although they will face tough trips to Russia and Turkey, should have the quality (although maybe not the nouse) to progress.
AC Milan - After a year in the ignominy of the UEFA Cup, now consigned to Cup Winners Cup past, the Italian giants are back amongst European royalty and have the group to prove it; Real Madrid, Marseille and FC Zurich will provide the glitz and glamour that Berlusconi craves.
Samuel Etoo - The other half of the Zlatan Ibrahimovic deal and consistent scorer at this level, Etoo will have the chance to show the Barca faithful what they have been missing. Considering the hefty price tag, there is little that the Swede can offer over the two fixtures to do the same.
Jose Mourinho - More press? A return to Barca? Some random accusations? Bring it on...
Rangers - When they make the group stage, which has been problematic over the last few years, the Scottish champs have performed well and will hope to make the second round for the first time since the 05/06 campaign. They have met Stuttgart twice previously in the Champions League and, on both occasions, won at home and lost away. Other opponents Sevilla and Romanian Liga 1 winners Unirea Urziceni are both beatable.
Arsenal - Great great group. Whatever the say.
The Losers:
Fiorentina - Watch them finish third. Just watch.
Atletico Madrid - Group adversaries Chelsea and Porto are regular qualifiers to the knockout phase. APOEL Nicosia won't be a push over either having dispatched well-funded Danish champions FC Copenhagen in qualifying.
Manchester United - In what could be an uncertain season for the Reds, well seasoned challengers CSKA Moscow and Besiktas, as well as German upstarts Wolfsburg could test their resolve.
Kaka - He may well end up a winner of Real sweep the pair of games with former employers Milan but, for now, he must hold some trepidation in returning to the club he 'loves.'
Sporting Lisbon/Celtic/Aston Villa etc... - This is where you could have been.
The Fans - Early season posturing aside, how much joy can you take from these games?
The shake up to this year's qualifying system has seen a number of new clubs make the group stage which, long term, is probably a positive thing however, for this season's version, the big clubs should continue to be fairly untroubled in their saunter to the knockout phase. Last year, none of the elite sides went out before Christmas and only Internazionale troubled unduly. It's been 4 years since an English team fell at the oncoming hurdle; Manchester United were abject in losing 2 of their last 3 games and only beat Benfica at home.
So who will be happiest with Thursday's draw?
The Winners:
Wolfsburg - The German champions were fourth seeds and could have met a number of Europe's most experienced sides in the group stage. As it is, they face Man United, CSKA Moscow and Besiktas and, although they will face tough trips to Russia and Turkey, should have the quality (although maybe not the nouse) to progress.
AC Milan - After a year in the ignominy of the UEFA Cup, now consigned to Cup Winners Cup past, the Italian giants are back amongst European royalty and have the group to prove it; Real Madrid, Marseille and FC Zurich will provide the glitz and glamour that Berlusconi craves.
Samuel Etoo - The other half of the Zlatan Ibrahimovic deal and consistent scorer at this level, Etoo will have the chance to show the Barca faithful what they have been missing. Considering the hefty price tag, there is little that the Swede can offer over the two fixtures to do the same.
Jose Mourinho - More press? A return to Barca? Some random accusations? Bring it on...
Rangers - When they make the group stage, which has been problematic over the last few years, the Scottish champs have performed well and will hope to make the second round for the first time since the 05/06 campaign. They have met Stuttgart twice previously in the Champions League and, on both occasions, won at home and lost away. Other opponents Sevilla and Romanian Liga 1 winners Unirea Urziceni are both beatable.
Arsenal - Great great group. Whatever the say.
The Losers:
Fiorentina - Watch them finish third. Just watch.
Atletico Madrid - Group adversaries Chelsea and Porto are regular qualifiers to the knockout phase. APOEL Nicosia won't be a push over either having dispatched well-funded Danish champions FC Copenhagen in qualifying.
Manchester United - In what could be an uncertain season for the Reds, well seasoned challengers CSKA Moscow and Besiktas, as well as German upstarts Wolfsburg could test their resolve.
Kaka - He may well end up a winner of Real sweep the pair of games with former employers Milan but, for now, he must hold some trepidation in returning to the club he 'loves.'
Sporting Lisbon/Celtic/Aston Villa etc... - This is where you could have been.
The Fans - Early season posturing aside, how much joy can you take from these games?
The Mighty Duck
The Milan Derby is this weekend and will likely be lit up by its cavalcade of stars. The man I'm most interested in watching? Alexandre Pato.
'The Duck', as he is known, is still only 19 but his pace with the football, his direct yet creative play and his goalscoring exploits are reminiscent of former Milan and Brazil forward Ronaldo.
Currently, Messi, Kaka and Cristiano Ronaldo are the undisputed top-3 performers in World football. Beyond this, the likes of Steven Gerrard, Franck Ribery, Michael Essien, Andres Iniesta, Sergio Aguero, Fernando Torres, Zlatan Ibrahimovic and quite a few more reside. Pato is on the verge of this second group but, within a couple of years, might be amongst the very, very best.
By the way, Wesley Sneijder is set to sign for Inter for about 15 million Euros. Is it just me or is a steal? Indeed, Jose Mourinho may have done the best business of the summer with the Zlatan mega-deal, the acquisitions of Etoo, Diego Milito, Thiago Motta and Lucio. This was hardly an impoverished team last year.
'The Duck', as he is known, is still only 19 but his pace with the football, his direct yet creative play and his goalscoring exploits are reminiscent of former Milan and Brazil forward Ronaldo.
Currently, Messi, Kaka and Cristiano Ronaldo are the undisputed top-3 performers in World football. Beyond this, the likes of Steven Gerrard, Franck Ribery, Michael Essien, Andres Iniesta, Sergio Aguero, Fernando Torres, Zlatan Ibrahimovic and quite a few more reside. Pato is on the verge of this second group but, within a couple of years, might be amongst the very, very best.
By the way, Wesley Sneijder is set to sign for Inter for about 15 million Euros. Is it just me or is a steal? Indeed, Jose Mourinho may have done the best business of the summer with the Zlatan mega-deal, the acquisitions of Etoo, Diego Milito, Thiago Motta and Lucio. This was hardly an impoverished team last year.
Sports Betting
For your weekly beta blogger sports fix, check out http://www.free-bets-uk.net/sports-betting-review.php
Betting + sports? Who knew...
Betting + sports? Who knew...
Arsene's Arsenal
Having just watched Arsene Wenger's press conference in the wake of the Eduardo diving furor, it appears that his reaction, his unnerving defence of his player, his juvenile defiance against the authorities - and this is far from the first occasion - may bring the game further into disrepute than his player's actions.
Eduardo simulated a foul. Did he dive? Well, in his defence he may have been trying to avoid getting his newly formed leg crushed under a Polish freight train but he certainly wasn't touched, indeed Boruc was attempting to pull out of the challenge. When a player is moving at speed and anticipates a tackle, it is a natural reaction to 'jump' over the outstretched arms or legs; Eduardo barely falls into this category with his heightened fall.
The key to this debate is consistency. If all players deemed to have dived are to be subjected to bans and fines, then so be it. It's an arbitrary accusation unfortunately but so are many other fouls in football.
Wenger is correct in suggesting that the SFA were overly aggressive in pursuing Eduardo for his penalty-winning antics. Scottish football is in fairly dire straights and diverting attention from Celtic's failings will not hide their troubles. The English FA and media's response to Chelsea's far more devastating and ugly defeat to Barcelona in the Champions League Semi-Final last year was far less vociferous and less domestic-centric.
This debate ain't going anywhere soon...
Eduardo simulated a foul. Did he dive? Well, in his defence he may have been trying to avoid getting his newly formed leg crushed under a Polish freight train but he certainly wasn't touched, indeed Boruc was attempting to pull out of the challenge. When a player is moving at speed and anticipates a tackle, it is a natural reaction to 'jump' over the outstretched arms or legs; Eduardo barely falls into this category with his heightened fall.
The key to this debate is consistency. If all players deemed to have dived are to be subjected to bans and fines, then so be it. It's an arbitrary accusation unfortunately but so are many other fouls in football.
Wenger is correct in suggesting that the SFA were overly aggressive in pursuing Eduardo for his penalty-winning antics. Scottish football is in fairly dire straights and diverting attention from Celtic's failings will not hide their troubles. The English FA and media's response to Chelsea's far more devastating and ugly defeat to Barcelona in the Champions League Semi-Final last year was far less vociferous and less domestic-centric.
This debate ain't going anywhere soon...
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)