- R.I.P.
- N.B.—The body will be cremated and the
- ashes taken to Madrid.
Tuesday 29 April 2014
RIP Tiki Taka
Thursday 24 April 2014
TWIF 2.06: Champions elect; Champions League; Championship
This Week In Football, it's all about the champions. There was another story too, but you're probably sick of reading about that already!
Chelsea right to rest the starters
Chelsea's shock Barclays Premier League defeat to Sunderland this past Saturday night has virtually handed the championship on a plate to Liverpool ahead of the teams' clash at Anfield on Sunday. The game, which could have been a title decider, comes three days before Chelsea's Champions League semi final second leg against Atletico Madrid. Jose Mourinho's threat to rest his starters for the Liverpool game has been met with some criticism, but in my opinion, he would be stupid not to keep what is left of his first team fit for Europe. Even if the Blues do beat Brendan Rodgers' champions-elect at the weekend, Liverpool have to drop points somewhere else not to win the title, and Mourinho knows it. It's a shame that Chelsea feel they can't win the trophy, and that the closest title race for years has become a slight anti-climax, but what would be a bigger shame is for their Champions League challenge to fizzle out so close to the final in Lisbon having chased a prize they are unlikely to win anyway.
Champions League round up
Mourinho has always faced criticism for his defensive approaches to big games, but is he bothered? Not a bit. Should he be? If Chelsea win on Wednesday, he'll just show you the way to the final. The goalless draw at the Vicente Calderon arguably puts the Blues in the ascendancy, but they will be desperate not to concede an away goal which would leave them needing to score two. Atletico Madrid are more than capable of scoring of course, but I do think Chelsea have enough to go through even if they fail to keep a clean sheet.
Bayern Munich's grip on the European Cup has slipped somewhat following their 1-0 defeat against Real Madrid, but Pep Guardiola will be very thankful that his charges only conceded the one goal. Despite dominating possession, they didn't do enough with the ball and failed to create enough clear-cut chances, and those they did have were wasted. Carlo Ancelotti's game plan would have been to exploit Bayern down their right hand side on the counter attack, and that is exactly how the goal from Karim Benzema came about. It wasn't until the arrival in the second half of Javi Martinez, with Philipp Lahm moving to right back, that Bayern were able to cope with Real without the ball. Despite the off-day, Bayern will still fancy their chances of going through, but if they allow Fabio Coentrao and Cristiano Ronaldo the sort of space they had at the Bernabeu, they will do well to keep another clean sheet. It's great though that we have absolutley no idea what the final will be though even now.
Champions!
Congratulations to Leicester City, who finally secured the Sky Bet Championship title this week. They have been the best team in the division by a long way, and it goes to show what can happen if a board remain patient with a manager and a young team. They have swept all before them and will deserve the milestone of 100 points should they reach it in their last two games. They couldn't beat Forest though, could they? :)
Chelsea right to rest the starters
Chelsea's shock Barclays Premier League defeat to Sunderland this past Saturday night has virtually handed the championship on a plate to Liverpool ahead of the teams' clash at Anfield on Sunday. The game, which could have been a title decider, comes three days before Chelsea's Champions League semi final second leg against Atletico Madrid. Jose Mourinho's threat to rest his starters for the Liverpool game has been met with some criticism, but in my opinion, he would be stupid not to keep what is left of his first team fit for Europe. Even if the Blues do beat Brendan Rodgers' champions-elect at the weekend, Liverpool have to drop points somewhere else not to win the title, and Mourinho knows it. It's a shame that Chelsea feel they can't win the trophy, and that the closest title race for years has become a slight anti-climax, but what would be a bigger shame is for their Champions League challenge to fizzle out so close to the final in Lisbon having chased a prize they are unlikely to win anyway.
Champions League round up
Mourinho has always faced criticism for his defensive approaches to big games, but is he bothered? Not a bit. Should he be? If Chelsea win on Wednesday, he'll just show you the way to the final. The goalless draw at the Vicente Calderon arguably puts the Blues in the ascendancy, but they will be desperate not to concede an away goal which would leave them needing to score two. Atletico Madrid are more than capable of scoring of course, but I do think Chelsea have enough to go through even if they fail to keep a clean sheet.
Bayern Munich's grip on the European Cup has slipped somewhat following their 1-0 defeat against Real Madrid, but Pep Guardiola will be very thankful that his charges only conceded the one goal. Despite dominating possession, they didn't do enough with the ball and failed to create enough clear-cut chances, and those they did have were wasted. Carlo Ancelotti's game plan would have been to exploit Bayern down their right hand side on the counter attack, and that is exactly how the goal from Karim Benzema came about. It wasn't until the arrival in the second half of Javi Martinez, with Philipp Lahm moving to right back, that Bayern were able to cope with Real without the ball. Despite the off-day, Bayern will still fancy their chances of going through, but if they allow Fabio Coentrao and Cristiano Ronaldo the sort of space they had at the Bernabeu, they will do well to keep another clean sheet. It's great though that we have absolutley no idea what the final will be though even now.
Champions!
Congratulations to Leicester City, who finally secured the Sky Bet Championship title this week. They have been the best team in the division by a long way, and it goes to show what can happen if a board remain patient with a manager and a young team. They have swept all before them and will deserve the milestone of 100 points should they reach it in their last two games. They couldn't beat Forest though, could they? :)
Thursday 10 April 2014
Two cup finals in the Premier League
This weekend sees the semi-finals of the FA Cup with Budweiser. Arsenal face holders Wigan Athletic and Hull City play Sheffield United, but in the Barclays Premier League, there are two cup finals too. One will probably decide a relegation place; the other will almost certainly hand the league title to the winners.
Norwich City travel to Craven Cottage on Saturday to play Fulham with the losers facing a near-impossible task to avoid going down, almost certainly alongside Cardiff City and Sunderland, who look doomed already. With five games to go, the Canaries hit the panic button and parted company with boss Chris Hughton. Despite being five points clear of Fulham, who occupy the third relegation place, the board have acted now, given the team's last four games are against Liverpool, Manchester United, Chelsea and Arsenal. It is not inconceivable that Norwich will lose all four. Defeat at the Cottage will leave Fulham two points behind Norwich, and assuming that Norwich do lose all four against the league's big guns, Felix Magath's charges will only need one more win from fixtures against Tottenham, Hull City, Stoke City and Crystal Palace to move above the side from Carrow Road. Magath has a proven track record for pulling teams out of trouble, and no doubt will smell blood coming from a Canaries team who look short of confidence, are out of form and who have just appointed a manager - Neil Adams - with no Premier League experience. Norwich went to Craven Cottage on the final day in 2005 needing a win to stay up. They lost 6-0 and were relegated. The omens are not good, and I think Fulham will add to their growing belief with another win to follow up their success at Villa Park last week.
On Sunday afternoon Liverpool play host to Manchester City in what looks for all the world like a title decider. The Reds are on a run of nine consecutive victories, and five more will earn them their first ever Premier League title, and their 19th in English top flight football. Standing in their way is a City side who have stuttered of late, just weeks after seemingly beginning to run away with the league. Despite this, Manuel Pellegrini still has the bookies' favourites in a strong position; as well as Liverpool, they also know that maximum points from their remaining matches will win them their second championship in three years. Brendan Rodgers has already ramped up the pressure, claiming that the visitors will go into Sunday lunchtime's game as favourites. The Kop boss has said all along that Liverpool aren't in this title race. He may as well keep saying it, because it isn't doing his players much harm at the moment. The timing feels right for the home side to take the bull by the horns and go and win this title. This weekend marks the 25th anniversary of the Hillsborough disaster, and Anfield will be an emotional setting for a game which will kick off seven minutes late as part of the league-wide commemorations of the tragedy. What better way to remember the 96 who lost their lives that day than to win the one piece of silverware that has eluded them since 1990. Mind you, Manchester City will have something to say about that. Who do I think will win the game? I don't know, but I'll have a lot of fun finding out!
Norwich City travel to Craven Cottage on Saturday to play Fulham with the losers facing a near-impossible task to avoid going down, almost certainly alongside Cardiff City and Sunderland, who look doomed already. With five games to go, the Canaries hit the panic button and parted company with boss Chris Hughton. Despite being five points clear of Fulham, who occupy the third relegation place, the board have acted now, given the team's last four games are against Liverpool, Manchester United, Chelsea and Arsenal. It is not inconceivable that Norwich will lose all four. Defeat at the Cottage will leave Fulham two points behind Norwich, and assuming that Norwich do lose all four against the league's big guns, Felix Magath's charges will only need one more win from fixtures against Tottenham, Hull City, Stoke City and Crystal Palace to move above the side from Carrow Road. Magath has a proven track record for pulling teams out of trouble, and no doubt will smell blood coming from a Canaries team who look short of confidence, are out of form and who have just appointed a manager - Neil Adams - with no Premier League experience. Norwich went to Craven Cottage on the final day in 2005 needing a win to stay up. They lost 6-0 and were relegated. The omens are not good, and I think Fulham will add to their growing belief with another win to follow up their success at Villa Park last week.
On Sunday afternoon Liverpool play host to Manchester City in what looks for all the world like a title decider. The Reds are on a run of nine consecutive victories, and five more will earn them their first ever Premier League title, and their 19th in English top flight football. Standing in their way is a City side who have stuttered of late, just weeks after seemingly beginning to run away with the league. Despite this, Manuel Pellegrini still has the bookies' favourites in a strong position; as well as Liverpool, they also know that maximum points from their remaining matches will win them their second championship in three years. Brendan Rodgers has already ramped up the pressure, claiming that the visitors will go into Sunday lunchtime's game as favourites. The Kop boss has said all along that Liverpool aren't in this title race. He may as well keep saying it, because it isn't doing his players much harm at the moment. The timing feels right for the home side to take the bull by the horns and go and win this title. This weekend marks the 25th anniversary of the Hillsborough disaster, and Anfield will be an emotional setting for a game which will kick off seven minutes late as part of the league-wide commemorations of the tragedy. What better way to remember the 96 who lost their lives that day than to win the one piece of silverware that has eluded them since 1990. Mind you, Manchester City will have something to say about that. Who do I think will win the game? I don't know, but I'll have a lot of fun finding out!
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