The UEFA Champions League returns this week, as Real Madrid aim to become the first team to retain the title in the Champions League era, and the first in the competition as a whole since AC Milan in 1990. Carlo Ancelotti's men will face competition from the usual suspects in the shape of Barcelona, Bayern Munich, Chelsea, PSG, and in the group stage they will face another potential contender in Liverpool, back in the competition for the first time in five years.
As well as the elite, there are teams simply happy to take their place in the tournament. Malmo are in the group stage for the first time, as they dream of emulating their 1979 side, who reached the European Cup final before losing to Nottingham Forest. The Bulgarian champions Ludogorets didn't even exist then, and their fairytale rise to Europe's top table was completed by a sensational play-off victory over Steaua Bucharest, where defender Cosmin Moti became their penalty-saving hero. Progression to the knockout stage from either club would represent a huge shock, but their participation can only be a good thing to appease those who believe the Champions League is a closed shop for anyone but the very biggest clubs.
Here is Behind The Goal's predictions of how the groups will finish. Admittedly, some are easier than others to predict, but while first place in the group is so important, no games can be taken lightly.
Group A:
1. Atletico Madrid
2. Juventus
3. Olympiakos
4. Malmo
Group B:
1. Real Madrid
2. Liverpool
3. FC Basel
4. Ludogorets
Group C:
1. Benfica
2. Bayer Leverkusen
3. Zenit St Petersburg
4. Monaco
Group D:
1. Arsenal
2. Borussia Dortmund
3. Galatasaray
4. Anderlecht
Group E:
1. Bayern Munich
2. Manchester City
3. AS Roma
4. CSKA Moscow
Group F:
1. Barcelona
2. Paris Saint-Germain
3. Ajax
4. Apoel Nicosia
Group G:
1. Chelsea
2. Schalke 04
3. Sporting
4. Maribor
Group H:
1. FC Porto
2. Athletic Bilbao
3. Shakhtar Donetsk
4. BATE Borisov
English clubs:
I expect all four Premier League teams to reach the round of 16 at the very least, although that could be where Liverpool and Manchester City find out the hard way just how important winning the group is. Facing a group winner in the first knockout round may be a step too far for Liverpool, whereas City may need a lucky draw. Arsenal are well placed to reach the quarter finals, but probably no further.
The last English team left will in my opinion be Chelsea. The semi finals is the very least I expect them to reach, maybe even further. Jose Mourinho's squad is twice that of Roberto Di Matteo's which won the European Cup in 2012, but as that season proved, anything can happen in cup football.
Dark horses:
This is surely the year that Juventus pose a bigger threat in the competition. Massimiliano Allegri's Serie A champions have flattered to decieve in Europe of late. Their group could have been a lot worse, and with perhaps a bit of luck in the draw, the bianconeri could reach the later stages. If - and it's a big if - Roma can get out of their group, maybe they could progress to the last eight, but in Manchester City and Bayern, their first hurdle couldn't have been more difficult.
Winners:
Last season I told friends I thought Real Madrid would win the title, and they did. This year I will tell all of you the same. My prediction is for Carlo Ancelotti's side to make Champions League history and retain the European Cup in Berlin in June.
Showing posts with label Liverpool. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Liverpool. Show all posts
Tuesday, 16 September 2014
Tuesday, 12 August 2014
Barclays Premier League Preview 2014-15 Part 1: The Title
The new Barclays Premier League season begins this weekend, and in this post I will take a look at the title contenders.
Last season's title race was one of the most exciting for years. Liverpool looked like certainties to win their first championship for 24 years until their (well, Steven Gerrard's) late slip allowed Manchester City to take home the trophy, Manuel Pellegrini's first domestic title in a European league. Arsenal led the table for longer than anyone else, yet suffered damaging defeats to all of their title rivals. Chelsea beat both Manchester City and Liverpool home and away, but dropped points to so-called lesser opposition to end up only 3rd, and Manchester United suffered an unthinakble decline as their worst ever Premier League finish of 7th place followed. It's impossible to believe that the title will go anywhere else but to one of these five teams again, and here, I will look at their credentials.
Arsenal's Community Shield win this week over a suprisingly poor Man City side has given their supporters the right to believe that they can live with the big boys this time around. Last season's defeats against their fellow contenders weren't just notable for their frequency, but for their comprehensiveness. Chelsea, City and Liverpool scored a combined 17 goals against them in three infamous early kick-offs. Their challenge wasn't helped by a familiar problem, that of an injury list far too long for their liking. Aaron Ramsey's early season form could have brought more to the Emirates trophy cabinet than the FA Cup had he not missed almost the entire second half of the season. He, a fully fit Jack Wilshere and Mesut Ozil, as well as the big money addition of Alexis Sanchez may give them the sort of midfield dominance needed to get over the line, but once again, they may just fall agonisingly short over 38 games, especially if they don't ease the workload on Olivier Giroud with another forward signing. (Behind The Goal Prediction: 3rd)
Manchester City's title win should have come as no surprise given that on paper, they had the best squad, but even great groups take time to gel. Their poor away form in the first two months of the season could have cost them, but once they got going they didn't really look back. Their transfer activity has been relatively quiet, as their hands are tied by the Financial Fair Play regulation slapped on them by UEFA. Despite that, Pellegrini has brought in Fernando and Eliaquim Mangala both from Porto, as well as Willy Caballero, Bacary Sagna and surprisingly Frank Lampard for a bit of squad depth. Sergio Aguero and Edin Dzeko will continue to provide plenty of goals, and Stevan Jovetic will be like a new signing this year, after his debut campaign was blighted by injury and poor form. Holding on to Yaya Toure is a huge boost too, after the controversy surrounding what did or didn't happen around his birthday. Whoever finishes above them will probably win the title. (BTG Prediction: 2nd)
Manchester United and their fans expected a transitional season under David Moyes last year. But by Manchester United's standards, that still means a title challenge and maybe a Cup run. It certainly didn't mean 7th place and your Chosen One out of a job by April, but that's exactly what they got. In Louis van Gaal, they have the manager with the sort of credentials that warrants one of the biggest jobs in world football. Whereas Moyes looked delighted to be there in his opening press conference, van Gaal was telling United that they should be delighted to have him. Ander Herrera and Luke Shaw have been brought to Old Trafford, but they still look short defensively following the exits of Patrice Evra, Rio Ferdinand and captain Nemanja Vidic. At the other end of the pitch, van Gaal is the right man to inject new life into Robin van Persie, who captained his Netherlands side at the World Cup. If they can get themselves back into the Champions League, United's fans will be happy. 4th place would never have been considered success under Sir Alex Ferguson, but it will be after last year's debacle. The trouble is, they have very quickly fallen too far behind the top three to get any higher this year. (BTG Prediction: 4th)
Liverpool snatched Premier League defeat from the jaws of victory last season. Brendan Rodgers' side may have won 12 of their last 14 games, but that's no good when the other two cost you everything. The 2-0 Anfield reverse by a Chelsea team who found a way to win with resolute defending, canny counter attacking and that slip, was followed by the catastrophe that was the last quarter of an hour at Crystal Palace which led to a 3-3 draw. They let Manchester City in to take the title that looked Liverpool bound after their win against the Citizens in April. Even that 3-2 victory though illustrated the ultimate reason why it went wrong. Despite scoring for fun, they simply conceded too many sloppy goals at the other end. Dejan Lovren's arrival should help arrest that trend, but how on earth do they go about replacing Luis Suarez and his incredible haul of goals? The £75million will hopefully from their point of view be spent better than Tottenham's Gareth Bale money was, but the jury is out on whether Adam Lallana and Rickie Lambert can make the step up. Lazar Markovic should be good when fit, but Liverpool need another outlet in midfield, but if anyone can, Emre Can. Liverpool haven't turned into a bad side overnight, far from it, but despite being linked with a few, they remain a top-class striker away from getting as close as last season. even finishing in the top four should be considered progress. (BTG Prediction: 5th)
Chelsea came only four points behind Man City last season even with the high number of dropped points against the likes of Sunderland and Norwich City. A new, improved Blues starting eleven should be far more comfortable of avoiding any such mistakes this time around. Ashley Cole and Frank Lampard have moved on, although the old guard is still represented in the form of John Terry and the returning Didier Drogba from Galatasaray. The Ivorian legend may not play as many games as he used to, but as any Chelsea fan will tell you, the higher the stakes, the more likely it is he'll score. Of course they also still have Fernando Torres, who gets more goals than people think, but the main man will no doubt be Diego Costa. The Brazilian-born Spaniard bagged 36 goals for Atletico Madrid last season, helping them to the La Liga title and very nearly the Champions League. Anywhere near that return and Chelsea will take some stopping. That's even before I mention the arrival of Cesc Fabregas. Arsenal didn't want him and Manchester United didn't think they needed him, but I bet they'll soon regret he's a Blue. The addition of Filipe Luis to what was already the league's best defence make Jose Mourinho's side my favourites. Like City, whoever finishes above them will win the title. (BTG Prediction: 1st)
Who are your tips for the title? Tweet @adamgray50 or leave a comment.
Last season's title race was one of the most exciting for years. Liverpool looked like certainties to win their first championship for 24 years until their (well, Steven Gerrard's) late slip allowed Manchester City to take home the trophy, Manuel Pellegrini's first domestic title in a European league. Arsenal led the table for longer than anyone else, yet suffered damaging defeats to all of their title rivals. Chelsea beat both Manchester City and Liverpool home and away, but dropped points to so-called lesser opposition to end up only 3rd, and Manchester United suffered an unthinakble decline as their worst ever Premier League finish of 7th place followed. It's impossible to believe that the title will go anywhere else but to one of these five teams again, and here, I will look at their credentials.
Arsenal's Community Shield win this week over a suprisingly poor Man City side has given their supporters the right to believe that they can live with the big boys this time around. Last season's defeats against their fellow contenders weren't just notable for their frequency, but for their comprehensiveness. Chelsea, City and Liverpool scored a combined 17 goals against them in three infamous early kick-offs. Their challenge wasn't helped by a familiar problem, that of an injury list far too long for their liking. Aaron Ramsey's early season form could have brought more to the Emirates trophy cabinet than the FA Cup had he not missed almost the entire second half of the season. He, a fully fit Jack Wilshere and Mesut Ozil, as well as the big money addition of Alexis Sanchez may give them the sort of midfield dominance needed to get over the line, but once again, they may just fall agonisingly short over 38 games, especially if they don't ease the workload on Olivier Giroud with another forward signing. (Behind The Goal Prediction: 3rd)
Manchester City's title win should have come as no surprise given that on paper, they had the best squad, but even great groups take time to gel. Their poor away form in the first two months of the season could have cost them, but once they got going they didn't really look back. Their transfer activity has been relatively quiet, as their hands are tied by the Financial Fair Play regulation slapped on them by UEFA. Despite that, Pellegrini has brought in Fernando and Eliaquim Mangala both from Porto, as well as Willy Caballero, Bacary Sagna and surprisingly Frank Lampard for a bit of squad depth. Sergio Aguero and Edin Dzeko will continue to provide plenty of goals, and Stevan Jovetic will be like a new signing this year, after his debut campaign was blighted by injury and poor form. Holding on to Yaya Toure is a huge boost too, after the controversy surrounding what did or didn't happen around his birthday. Whoever finishes above them will probably win the title. (BTG Prediction: 2nd)
Manchester United and their fans expected a transitional season under David Moyes last year. But by Manchester United's standards, that still means a title challenge and maybe a Cup run. It certainly didn't mean 7th place and your Chosen One out of a job by April, but that's exactly what they got. In Louis van Gaal, they have the manager with the sort of credentials that warrants one of the biggest jobs in world football. Whereas Moyes looked delighted to be there in his opening press conference, van Gaal was telling United that they should be delighted to have him. Ander Herrera and Luke Shaw have been brought to Old Trafford, but they still look short defensively following the exits of Patrice Evra, Rio Ferdinand and captain Nemanja Vidic. At the other end of the pitch, van Gaal is the right man to inject new life into Robin van Persie, who captained his Netherlands side at the World Cup. If they can get themselves back into the Champions League, United's fans will be happy. 4th place would never have been considered success under Sir Alex Ferguson, but it will be after last year's debacle. The trouble is, they have very quickly fallen too far behind the top three to get any higher this year. (BTG Prediction: 4th)
Liverpool snatched Premier League defeat from the jaws of victory last season. Brendan Rodgers' side may have won 12 of their last 14 games, but that's no good when the other two cost you everything. The 2-0 Anfield reverse by a Chelsea team who found a way to win with resolute defending, canny counter attacking and that slip, was followed by the catastrophe that was the last quarter of an hour at Crystal Palace which led to a 3-3 draw. They let Manchester City in to take the title that looked Liverpool bound after their win against the Citizens in April. Even that 3-2 victory though illustrated the ultimate reason why it went wrong. Despite scoring for fun, they simply conceded too many sloppy goals at the other end. Dejan Lovren's arrival should help arrest that trend, but how on earth do they go about replacing Luis Suarez and his incredible haul of goals? The £75million will hopefully from their point of view be spent better than Tottenham's Gareth Bale money was, but the jury is out on whether Adam Lallana and Rickie Lambert can make the step up. Lazar Markovic should be good when fit, but Liverpool need another outlet in midfield, but if anyone can, Emre Can. Liverpool haven't turned into a bad side overnight, far from it, but despite being linked with a few, they remain a top-class striker away from getting as close as last season. even finishing in the top four should be considered progress. (BTG Prediction: 5th)
Chelsea came only four points behind Man City last season even with the high number of dropped points against the likes of Sunderland and Norwich City. A new, improved Blues starting eleven should be far more comfortable of avoiding any such mistakes this time around. Ashley Cole and Frank Lampard have moved on, although the old guard is still represented in the form of John Terry and the returning Didier Drogba from Galatasaray. The Ivorian legend may not play as many games as he used to, but as any Chelsea fan will tell you, the higher the stakes, the more likely it is he'll score. Of course they also still have Fernando Torres, who gets more goals than people think, but the main man will no doubt be Diego Costa. The Brazilian-born Spaniard bagged 36 goals for Atletico Madrid last season, helping them to the La Liga title and very nearly the Champions League. Anywhere near that return and Chelsea will take some stopping. That's even before I mention the arrival of Cesc Fabregas. Arsenal didn't want him and Manchester United didn't think they needed him, but I bet they'll soon regret he's a Blue. The addition of Filipe Luis to what was already the league's best defence make Jose Mourinho's side my favourites. Like City, whoever finishes above them will win the title. (BTG Prediction: 1st)
Who are your tips for the title? Tweet @adamgray50 or leave a comment.
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!
Tuesday, 18 March 2014
TWIF 2.05: Moyes and Davies under Derby day pressure
This Week In Football I look at two managers facing battles to save their jobs following, or ahead of, derby day fixtures.
Manchester United's 3-0 home defeat to Liverpool was a shocking new low in what has been a horrendous season for the Barclays Premier League champions. Shocking in that Liverpool only managed to score three goals. Two penalties from captain Steven Gerrard and a goal from Luis Suarez gave Brendan Rodgers' side an unbelievably easy victory. Liverpool would have been disappointed it wasn't six or seven. What would have hurt the home fans the most would have been the players' lack of urgency, fight, and ultimately discipline. To concede three penalties is pretty shameful, and to be honest, referee Mark Clattenburg could, maybe even should, have given Liverpool five. United were getting overrun in midfield; it looked like 12 men against ten at times. Juan Mata was out of position again. If you don't play him in the No.10 role, you may as well put him in goal. The gulf between the two old rivals was apparent for all to see, and it proved that David Moyes, despite his defiance in press conferences before and since, is on borrowed time at Old Trafford. If United are knocked out of the Champions League by Olympiacos and then lose at home to Manchester City in the Premier League, I am reasonably confident that the United hierarchy will act. We all expected a transitional season, but 7th in the table is an absolute failure.
Speaking of managers who may be up against it, Billy Davies is allegedly facing a battle to hang on to the Nottingham Forest hot seat after a poor run of results and an FA charge, which has brought a touchline ban, subject to appeal. It gives me no pleasure as a fan of his and of the club to see his position brought under threat by an increasing band of supporters who have had enough of his antics and percieved lack of tactical nouse. In all fairness, find me another team in the Sky Bet Championship who wouldn't struggle to maintain a good run of results with almost their entire starting XI out with not insignificant injuries. The Billy Out Brigade will point to the fact that the club is in no better position now than a year ago, when they ultimately missed out on a play-off place on the final day, but he needs to be given the chance to see out the season. If Davies isn't the manager, who will be? Last time he left, he was followed by Steve McClaren, Steve Cotterill, Sean O'Driscoll and Alex McLeish, a glorious period in the club's history it wasn't. On Saturday Forest travel to the iPro Stadium to face local rivals Derby County. Needless to say, the Reds fans aren't all that confident, illustrated by their struggle to sell out their ticket allocation for the match. Following the reverse fixture at the City Ground in September in which Forest won 1-0, Derby sacked Nigel Clough. I am just hoping that the roles aren't reversed on Saturday afternoon.
Manchester United's 3-0 home defeat to Liverpool was a shocking new low in what has been a horrendous season for the Barclays Premier League champions. Shocking in that Liverpool only managed to score three goals. Two penalties from captain Steven Gerrard and a goal from Luis Suarez gave Brendan Rodgers' side an unbelievably easy victory. Liverpool would have been disappointed it wasn't six or seven. What would have hurt the home fans the most would have been the players' lack of urgency, fight, and ultimately discipline. To concede three penalties is pretty shameful, and to be honest, referee Mark Clattenburg could, maybe even should, have given Liverpool five. United were getting overrun in midfield; it looked like 12 men against ten at times. Juan Mata was out of position again. If you don't play him in the No.10 role, you may as well put him in goal. The gulf between the two old rivals was apparent for all to see, and it proved that David Moyes, despite his defiance in press conferences before and since, is on borrowed time at Old Trafford. If United are knocked out of the Champions League by Olympiacos and then lose at home to Manchester City in the Premier League, I am reasonably confident that the United hierarchy will act. We all expected a transitional season, but 7th in the table is an absolute failure.
Speaking of managers who may be up against it, Billy Davies is allegedly facing a battle to hang on to the Nottingham Forest hot seat after a poor run of results and an FA charge, which has brought a touchline ban, subject to appeal. It gives me no pleasure as a fan of his and of the club to see his position brought under threat by an increasing band of supporters who have had enough of his antics and percieved lack of tactical nouse. In all fairness, find me another team in the Sky Bet Championship who wouldn't struggle to maintain a good run of results with almost their entire starting XI out with not insignificant injuries. The Billy Out Brigade will point to the fact that the club is in no better position now than a year ago, when they ultimately missed out on a play-off place on the final day, but he needs to be given the chance to see out the season. If Davies isn't the manager, who will be? Last time he left, he was followed by Steve McClaren, Steve Cotterill, Sean O'Driscoll and Alex McLeish, a glorious period in the club's history it wasn't. On Saturday Forest travel to the iPro Stadium to face local rivals Derby County. Needless to say, the Reds fans aren't all that confident, illustrated by their struggle to sell out their ticket allocation for the match. Following the reverse fixture at the City Ground in September in which Forest won 1-0, Derby sacked Nigel Clough. I am just hoping that the roles aren't reversed on Saturday afternoon.
Tuesday, 17 September 2013
TWIF 2.01: Shelvey stuns, Sturridge scores, Champions League returns
Welcome to a second season of This Week In Football.
A night to remember for Shelvey:
Monday night's game between Swansea City and Liverpool was a timely reminder that the Barclays Premier League can still provide us with exciting games, after what has been a tough start to the season from a neutral fan's perspective. One player who certainly won't forget it is Jonjo Shelvey. Before the game he spoke about facing his former club and the challenges that brings, but few would have thought that the task for Shelvey would be to remember for which team he was playing. To provide a goal and an assist for one team and two assists for another is enough to confuse even the greatest of players. To be fair, apart from the mistakes, Shelvey had a good night. He must have heard that Swansea were trying to sign him!
Goals galore for Sturridge:
Another topic from Monday Night Football was the form of Daniel Sturridge, who scored in his fourth successive Premier League game for Liverpool with a typical poacher's goal. When Luis Suarez was handed his ten-game suspension, I had doubts as to whether Sturridge could step up and be the talisman that Liverpool needed, but he's doing it, and Brendan Rodgers will have a dilemma once Suarez comes back over who to select, or how to accomodate both of them. It's just a shame that he didn't do it for England last week. Mind you, it's far more important to be fit for club commitments these days. Sigh.
Champions League returns:
The UEFA Champions League is back this week, and the group stage has brought a mixed bag for the Premier League's representatives. It will be interesting to see how, if at all, Sunday's upcoming Manchester derby affects the two sides' team selections this week. United (v Bayer Leverkusen) and City (at Viktoria Plzen) both have winnable games, so I expect a few changes from each side. Maybe it's finally an opportunity for Shinji Kagawa to remind David Moyes of his abilities, following his recent omissions from the side. Chelsea should find Wednesday night's game against FC Basel, indeed their whole group, fairly straightforward, but after last year, they can't afford to take it lightly. At the time of the draw, I worried for Arsenal that they could fail to qualify from the group, but right now confidence couldn't be higher. A win in Marseille sets them up perfectly, but with Borussia Dortmund and Napoli - whose game on Wednesday I'll be watching - also awaiting, it may be essential that the Gunners hit the ground running.
A night to remember for Shelvey:
Monday night's game between Swansea City and Liverpool was a timely reminder that the Barclays Premier League can still provide us with exciting games, after what has been a tough start to the season from a neutral fan's perspective. One player who certainly won't forget it is Jonjo Shelvey. Before the game he spoke about facing his former club and the challenges that brings, but few would have thought that the task for Shelvey would be to remember for which team he was playing. To provide a goal and an assist for one team and two assists for another is enough to confuse even the greatest of players. To be fair, apart from the mistakes, Shelvey had a good night. He must have heard that Swansea were trying to sign him!
Goals galore for Sturridge:
Another topic from Monday Night Football was the form of Daniel Sturridge, who scored in his fourth successive Premier League game for Liverpool with a typical poacher's goal. When Luis Suarez was handed his ten-game suspension, I had doubts as to whether Sturridge could step up and be the talisman that Liverpool needed, but he's doing it, and Brendan Rodgers will have a dilemma once Suarez comes back over who to select, or how to accomodate both of them. It's just a shame that he didn't do it for England last week. Mind you, it's far more important to be fit for club commitments these days. Sigh.
Champions League returns:
The UEFA Champions League is back this week, and the group stage has brought a mixed bag for the Premier League's representatives. It will be interesting to see how, if at all, Sunday's upcoming Manchester derby affects the two sides' team selections this week. United (v Bayer Leverkusen) and City (at Viktoria Plzen) both have winnable games, so I expect a few changes from each side. Maybe it's finally an opportunity for Shinji Kagawa to remind David Moyes of his abilities, following his recent omissions from the side. Chelsea should find Wednesday night's game against FC Basel, indeed their whole group, fairly straightforward, but after last year, they can't afford to take it lightly. At the time of the draw, I worried for Arsenal that they could fail to qualify from the group, but right now confidence couldn't be higher. A win in Marseille sets them up perfectly, but with Borussia Dortmund and Napoli - whose game on Wednesday I'll be watching - also awaiting, it may be essential that the Gunners hit the ground running.
Friday, 14 September 2012
This Week In Football
Queens Park Rangers entertain Chelsea at Loftus Road this weekend, and once again, sadly, the focus will be on what happens before the game. The will-they-won't-they scenario featuring Anton Ferdinand, John Terry, and that handshake. Ferdinand of course has every reason to dislike Terry following the fiery encounter last season and the subsequent race trial, but I do think that the QPR defender should be a big man and shake his hand. He doesn't have to mean it of course, but while the procedure exists, it should be honoured. There's the problem though, Not enough players want to do it and fans know that some players don't mean it. It's too often a hollow gesture. Can we just scrap it and get on with the football?
England were in action this week and while it wasn't particularly exciting, or some may say particularly successful, it was a decent start to another World Cup qualifying campaign. Moldova, with respect, was always going to be as easy as the 5-0 thrashing suggested, and I didn't think we were as bad in the home game with Ukraine as some fans and press were quick to point out. Maybe Roy Hodgson could have been more positive with his tactics, but Ukraine are no mugs, and it was a tough test. With the players available to him, four points from six is not a disaster. I still expect us to qualify from the group without defeat, despite the doom-mongers claiming that we will struggle in the tough away environments. I have never been one of these fans who show apathy towards International football or England. You would never turn your back on your club, yet some can't be bothered with their nation. That annoys me.
The Hillsborough report came out on Wednesday after a long campaign. You all know what happened 23 years ago, and we now know the truth. The real truth. It's not the beginning of the end for the families of the 96 though, it's the end of the beginning. They will want those ultimately responsible brought to justice. There were no doubt many instances of foul play on that afternoon in April 1989 and since. After all, the sheer amount of doctored files could not have been down to just one bent copper. It has been too easy over the years to assume that Liverpool fans were solely, or even partly to blame, and those that have should take time to think of what 23 years of false rumours has done to Liverpool, as a city and as a football club. It could be the start of the removal of the sick chants about it and other tragedies, which will be very welcome. Liverpool v Manchester United next weekend should be fierce, but hopefully without the terrace taunts.
England were in action this week and while it wasn't particularly exciting, or some may say particularly successful, it was a decent start to another World Cup qualifying campaign. Moldova, with respect, was always going to be as easy as the 5-0 thrashing suggested, and I didn't think we were as bad in the home game with Ukraine as some fans and press were quick to point out. Maybe Roy Hodgson could have been more positive with his tactics, but Ukraine are no mugs, and it was a tough test. With the players available to him, four points from six is not a disaster. I still expect us to qualify from the group without defeat, despite the doom-mongers claiming that we will struggle in the tough away environments. I have never been one of these fans who show apathy towards International football or England. You would never turn your back on your club, yet some can't be bothered with their nation. That annoys me.
The Hillsborough report came out on Wednesday after a long campaign. You all know what happened 23 years ago, and we now know the truth. The real truth. It's not the beginning of the end for the families of the 96 though, it's the end of the beginning. They will want those ultimately responsible brought to justice. There were no doubt many instances of foul play on that afternoon in April 1989 and since. After all, the sheer amount of doctored files could not have been down to just one bent copper. It has been too easy over the years to assume that Liverpool fans were solely, or even partly to blame, and those that have should take time to think of what 23 years of false rumours has done to Liverpool, as a city and as a football club. It could be the start of the removal of the sick chants about it and other tragedies, which will be very welcome. Liverpool v Manchester United next weekend should be fierce, but hopefully without the terrace taunts.
Friday, 31 August 2012
A new start for Andy Carroll
Today is Transfer Deadline day in England, and although there will doubtless be plenty of last-minute deals, I think possibly the best transaction was done yesterday by West Ham United, who finally sealed a loan move for Andy Carroll of Liverpool.
Carroll of course moved to Anfield for £35million from Newcastle in January 2011, and while he went for a transfer fee which was, and still is, barely believable, his subsequent performances in a red shirt to justify that price, while not groundbreaking, have certainly not meant that he should be labelled a flop. With little service at times he still managed to show his ability, and his return to form at the end of last season for his club and at the European Championship for England shows just how dangerous he can be if given a chance.
Which makes it all the more remarkable in my opinion that new manager Brendan Rodgers can come to Anfield so quickly and dismiss him without so much as a fleeting glimpse at his capabilities. Ok, he might not fit into his style of football, which is a lot more about short, quick passing play through the middle of the pitch with a lot more balls to feet, but I feel he could play in any system if given an opportunity. It wasn't his fault after all, that he had such poor service last season, not least from Stewart Downing, whose own Liverpool future is reportedly under threat.
I think Carroll will thrive at Upton Park with a Sam Allardyce-style of play. West Ham are a lot happier to play long balls through the middle, and in Matt Taylor and Matt Jarvis they have two of the better crossers of the ball in the Barclays Premier League. If he stays fit, I geniunely think he could score at least 15 goals this season and really show Liverpool - who are still a striker short - what they are missing.
Carroll of course moved to Anfield for £35million from Newcastle in January 2011, and while he went for a transfer fee which was, and still is, barely believable, his subsequent performances in a red shirt to justify that price, while not groundbreaking, have certainly not meant that he should be labelled a flop. With little service at times he still managed to show his ability, and his return to form at the end of last season for his club and at the European Championship for England shows just how dangerous he can be if given a chance.
Which makes it all the more remarkable in my opinion that new manager Brendan Rodgers can come to Anfield so quickly and dismiss him without so much as a fleeting glimpse at his capabilities. Ok, he might not fit into his style of football, which is a lot more about short, quick passing play through the middle of the pitch with a lot more balls to feet, but I feel he could play in any system if given an opportunity. It wasn't his fault after all, that he had such poor service last season, not least from Stewart Downing, whose own Liverpool future is reportedly under threat.
I think Carroll will thrive at Upton Park with a Sam Allardyce-style of play. West Ham are a lot happier to play long balls through the middle, and in Matt Taylor and Matt Jarvis they have two of the better crossers of the ball in the Barclays Premier League. If he stays fit, I geniunely think he could score at least 15 goals this season and really show Liverpool - who are still a striker short - what they are missing.
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