Sunday, December 23, 2012

Michu scored again as honours shared between Swansea and Manchester United


Manchester United has been historically the expert in excelling through the Christmas congested fixtures, but last year's collapse in the league has alerted Sir Alex Ferguson to ensure his team is fired up to maintain a comfortable margin above Manchester City. Captain Nemanja Vidic finally returned to the starting lineup in this tough away fixture at Swansea, to replace the injured Rio Ferdinand.

Vidic's return could not bring a clean sheet to United
Swansea started positively with enormous confidence and they put Manchester United on the back foot. The in-form Michu showed determination in challenging Nemanja Vidic, who is yet back to his best after the long layoff from injury. The defence, led by Ashley Williams, was bolstered by the dynamic frontline and did not have much trouble early on in containing the luxurious striker pair Robin Van Persie and Wayne Rooney.

Manchester United had been the second best team, but they showed the quality of a champion. Michel Vorm managed to keep Ashley Young's low shot away, but poor set piece defending allowed Patrice Evra to grab his third league goal of the season.
 
Despite conceding a goal unconvincingly, Swansea continued to show the character which saw them surprise the Premier League last season under Brendan Rodgers. Routledge and Dyer provided the pace while De Guzman and Leon Britton distorted the defence with timely runs and accurate passing – something United had been lacking for the whole match. Shortly after Evra's goal, De Guzman found a gap in United's defence and was left one-on-one with De Gea, but Michu was judged to have block Evans on his route to challenge De Guzman.

A very soft foul and poor officiating ruined a golden chance for Swansea, but Routledge and De Guzman manufactured a rapid counter attack to allow Michu to claim the rebound off De Gea and levelled the match. De Gea could have done better in handling De Guzman's shot, but it was their complacency in possession that first sparked Swansea's attack. Swansea was fuelled by Michu's leveller and cheering from home crowd to push for the go-ahead goal before half time. De Guzman dispossessed Cleverley near the byline and nearly made it 2-1 with a shot towards the near post. Nathan Dyer also threatened with a wide open attempt just outside the box.

In contrast to the desire shown by the home team, the Red Devils were careless and sluggish. While Swansea focused on the defence in the final third, Michael Carrick was given acres of space to boss the midfield. However, he received limited help from his teammates. Robin Van Persie was often outmuscled and even outpaced by Ashley Williams, while Ashley Young never committed to arriving in the box to connect for crosses. Meanwhile, the absence of Rafael weakened the threat from the right flank. His replacement, Phil Jones, continued his disappointing form and was only a destructive unit in attack. Rooney's inability to pass accurately after the interval made Sir Alex's side looked increasingly unlikely to claim the victory in Wales.

Know who I am now, Alex?
Poor passes and slow decisions saw United fail to punish Swansea's carelessness on numerous occasions. Van Persie did come close but the upright denied his magnificent left foot volley. Desperation in Ferguson's mind drove him to take off Valencia and sent on Chicharito, but the lack of width together with Rooney's poor form could not see an effective return in Sir Alex's change. Swansea looked slightly exhausted after a great first half. Ki Sung-Yeung and Luke Moore were lifted from the bench to restore some energy on the field.

A match of high intensity entered its climax in the last ten minutes. Ashley Williams’s ruthless clearance inflicted a heated argument between him and Van Persie after a freekick was awarded. Momentarily after Rooney hit his last kick of the game onto Swansea's wall, Carrick's header was denied by Vorm and the upright. Ryan Giggs impressed in his ten minutes of action and showed he is a better left wing than a central midfielder, despite his age. He released Evra on the left, but efforts from Chicharito and Ashley Young were blocked respectively by Ashley Williams and Ben Davies.

Manchester United can only kick themselves for ruining numerous opportunities in the second half, but the Swans have to be credited for their brave fights in the last half an hour of the match, despite looking extremely exhausted after a brilliant first half display. Swansea sit at the bottom half of the table but is only six points away from fourth place, with Manchester United entering Christmas holding a four-point lead.

Sunday, December 9, 2012

First Manchester Derby Ends in Dramatic Fashion


Man City started with a 4-4-2 with Balotelli and Aguero replacing Dzeko and Tevez, the starting strikers in their crucial Champions League match midweek. David Silva also made the team alongside Samir Nasri, who Mancini highly rates but never regained his form at Arsenal. The visiting neighbours would open up a 6-point lead at the summit and with the majority of his team rested in midweek, Sir Alex had his reasons to be optimistic even though the in-form Anderson would be out for three weeks.

City’s domination continued but as Aguero’s heavy first touch let him down from Balotelli’s through ball, United shifted a gear up and a head-and-chest one-two between Ashley Young and Van Persie sent the English winger down the flank with ample of space before his square pass found Rooney just inside the box who then placed his shot into Hart’s bottom right corner.

Less often this season, United did not concede first.

Things went from bad to worse as City captain Kompany was forced off of an unknown injury just 20 minutes – 4 minutes after conceding – and was replaced by Kolo Toure, who was more preferred in right back this season and Lescott would sure be worrying about his future.

The tide had changed since the first goal and City found it difficult to keep possession, let alone create chances. Van Persie’s lobbed through ball found Young again but failing to get the ball down on his first touch meant the winger had no second chance as his international teammate Hart came out of his penalty box to clear the ball. Aguero, who was unexpectedly dull given the amount of rest he had has, managed to find his way out of five United defenders but his placed shot this time was comfortably held by De Gea.

United’s confidence grew with possession and they doubled their lead before the half hour mark. It was a more seemingly direct and simple but always effective goal as the Rafael overlapped Valencia to send a low cross into the 6 yard box for Rooney to drive the ball into the same corner. The Valencia-Rafael partnership on the right is blossoming into another successful one in United history.

Shortly after the restart, Evans could not shake off and Smalling came on for him whereas for City, their reason for substitution was more interesting.  Balotelli was arguably the best player for his team in the first half, seeing much of the ball and being more creative than Silva and Nasri, resembling to Rooney’s style but after he attempted and failed a backheel, Mancini was signalling Tevez to warm up. Italians are eccentric, aren’t they?

The temperamental substitution paid off in fact as Tevez totally reinvigorated his side and was looking even more threatening than his former team was in the first half. Rather than waiting to receive the ball like Super Mario, his constant movement and exchange of runs with Aguero proved more practical. The minute combination of the Argentines and David Silva was a nuisance to the United defence and the goal you felt was coming finally came when Yaya Toure slotted home into the same corner as Rooney’s brace after De Gea’s fantastic double save. The goal came just after Van Persie’s right foot curler hit the post and Ashley Young was wrongly judged offside for his tap-in.

City continued to pile on the pressure and Silva was again denied by De Gea, although unintentionally, as the playmaker’s close range shot hit De Gea’s shoulder to clip the woodwork for a corner. With less than 10 minutes to go, Mancini summoned his super-sub from the bench hoping to scramble an equaliser to say the least. It was not from Dzeko but the equaliser did come when Zabaleta unleashed a fierce low drive after United headed clear Tevez’s corner.
Zabaleta after his equalizer through the United wall of players
It was Tevez again however in the first minute of injury time when he fouled Rafael in a position where a left-footed free kick taker could hardly ask for better. Rooney, who was on a hat trick, gave way to a determined Van Persie and his shot to the far post, helped by a wicked deflection from former Arsenal teammates Nasri, went pass a fully stretched Joe Hart to not only give United their 6-point lead up the top but as well halted Man City’s unbeaten run at the Etihad.

The two Rs combine again for three points

City will only have themselves to blame though as the two goals from Rooney were far too easily conceded. The marking was disastrous with 3 defenders failing to even get close to the striker in his first goal and was nowhere near him again when he scored the second. Summer signing Nastasic was quickly given a place in the starting lineup although he always looked more convincing in European matches than in the Premier League. Clichy on the other hand was equally disappointing as his offence today was better than his defence.

For Sir Alex, it should still be concerning as his side gave away two goals, in which both were from City players arriving late in or outside the box for the loose ball. They have never really found any replacements for Roy Keane nor Nicky Butt since they both left and although the Red Devils have achieved much success still in their absence, that’s where they could do better, especially if they would want to curb their recent habit of conceding first. While Mancini continues to overlook Javi Garcia just like he did with Nigel De Jong last season, United fans would no doubt be wishing they have either one.

Wednesday, December 5, 2012

Second string Red Devils failed the assessment at Old Trafford

Ahead of a fixture as critical as title-decisive, it is common that managers grant extra rest to their key players. Having already qualified for knockout round of Champions League, Sir Alex Ferguson still fielded a relatively strong side against CFR Cluj, who needed a win to keep their qualifying hope alive. While he believed that Rooney is a player who only gets better through playing, several players who are on the brink of first team opportunity were given the chance to show their ability in this competitive though pressure-less match.


Scott Wootton showed significant improvement from his disastrous performance in League Cup against Chelsea. He enjoyed a nearly faultless night through solid positioning and simple clearance. The young defender will hardly be an integral part of the first team in the near future, but he has certainly demonstrated the potential to become a decent centreback.

Phil Jones and Chris Smalling, who both had recovered from injury lately, shared the responsibility of the defence on the right. While Smalling was as composed as ever and showing better fitness than in the match vs Aston Villa, Phil Jones struggled offensively at the right back. With the Red Devils operating without a proper winger, the physical strength of the utility defender was seldom utilised through overlapping. His poor passing only made his night even more miserable. Rooney's help in the second half brought some improvement, but it would still be hard to envision Jones being able to regain a first-team regular position.

The reality is always cruel and it is indeed very hard to swallow for Manchester United fans to realise that the club legends, Paul Scholes and Ryan Giggs, are the weakest links in the team at the moment. While there is little expectation on the loyal pair to have significant contribution in defence, their inability to create opportunities in attack had truly hurt the home team. Many simple passes were misplaced, with Scholes' one even directly linked to the conceded goal. It has not been a hard decision for Sir Alex to drop the two veterans in important matches and one will not expected to see either of them start in the upcoming Manchester Derby.

Amidst the misery in the loss, Alex Buttner deserved some praise. There is little doubt on the wing back's attacking ability, but the Dutchman had also been reliable in defence. Having only just arrive in Old Trafford this year, he has already made positive impact to first-choice left back Patrice Evra. The declining Frenchman cannot let complacency take over, with Buttner awaiting the chance to overtake Evra.

Nick Powell and Federico Macheda are the remaining two unmentioned young players, and there were little worth to mention indeed. Powell started the match on left midfield and although he showed flashes of excellent techniques, Powell were unable to fluently combine with Alex Buttner and often slowed down the attack with his indecisiveness. Macheda was once a hero in Old Trafford, but the development of the young Italian has stalled in the past few years. He had not been involved in much attack in his brief 20 minutes of the night. His lack of pace can barely fit the style of the Red Devils and only further add uncertainty to his future at the club. 

Saturday, December 1, 2012

Vulnerable defence did not slow down Red Devils at Reading


Two consecutive heart-broken losses had sunk Reading a step closer to the bottom of the table. Brian McDermott would be over optimistic to hope to rebound with a win at home against league leader Manchester United. He chose to keep the team who fought hard in mid-week unchanged and hoped the extra support from the home crowd could bring them a surprise result in the late Saturday afternoon.

Despite the victory over West Ham, Sir Alex Ferguson was not completely satisfied with the team performance on Wednesday. The return of Rio Ferdinand and Darren Fletcher gave better assurance in defence, while Ashley Young, the only available winger in the squad, would be responsible for providing some width in attack.

The 4-3-3 formation enabled Manchester United to dominate possession early in the game, in particular Reading opted not to press too high up the field. Without a natural right winger, Rooney and Van Persie rotated to fill in the position, but this had left a hole in the defence, which Reading capitalised when Evans could not clear cleanly a cross by McAnuff on the left flank and Robson-Kanu stroke past Lindegaard to give Reading an unexpected early lead.

Rooney ended his goal drought with a brace
Manchester United had already got used to the story line of the season and it seemed there was little reason to panic. Nerve had caught Reading first indeed. Shortly after Anderson got the better of Federici in the near post, Jay Tabb needlessly bodychecked Johnny Evans in the box following a corner. Rooney ended his goal drought by converting the penalty and the Red Devils had once again come back from behind.

Reading fans could not believe in what they witnessed, but 10 minutes later, the head-shaking turned into delightful chanting. Two excellent corners from Nicky Shorey, together with United hibernated defence, saw Le Fondre and Morrison power two headers past the helpless Lindegaard. Hairdryers in the dressing room were already warming up, but United struggled thoroughly in dealing with crosses from both flanks. The traditional tactics were taunting Manchester United.

 The fascinating football Reading plays is truly entertaining, though the practicality is truly questionable. The depth in midfield was lacking and a few passes could penetrate the defence fairly easily. Evra and Ashley Young combined with a one-two on the left and when the cross of the French captain found Rooney, Reading's centrebacks were looking in desperation for help from their midfield. They scored three against the league leader, still they could not protect the lead merely in the first half.

Brian McDermott may still be happy with a draw at half time, but Van Persie ensured this did not happen. Rooney's flick released the Dutchman and Federici conceded the fourth goal of the match, only 34 minutes into the match. Nicky Shorey was the man to blame who failed to align with the defensive line and allowed Van Persie to beat the offside trap with ease.

Surely there would be little celebration in United's dressing room during interval, even if Robin Van Persie's effort on the rebound from Federici's save had been ruled as a goal. The shot with enormous speed was clearly over the line, but would be hard to spot with only human eyes. United ended the first half with a crazy 4-3 lead, but their two Brazilians had already finished their duties of the night. Anderson was forced off due to injury, while the booked Rafael was pulled out with his lacklustre performance in defence.

Has McDermott realised the importance of defence yet?
Three points are more important than entertaining football to Sir Alex Ferguson. The substitution of Chris Smalling for Rafael was justfied. The more defensive-minded Phil Jones also helped to stabilise the midfield. However, one goal margin was never a comfortable cushion, especially against a team with unlimited willingness to attack.

Patrice Evra had a very busy evening. Often being a creator on the left flank, Robson-Kanu had also threatened in Evra's zone with some daring runs. While Reading did not give up on equalising, United defence was much more composed than that in first half. McDermott tried to further haunt his opponents by introducing Pogrebnyak and Noel Hunt, but it was Morrison who had the final chance in the injury time.

Another comeback yet much more dramatic for Manchester United. It has not been very convincing recently, but United managed to become one of the three teams to survive the congested league fixtures with all three victories. Sir Alex will ride with the three point lead over Manchester City to begin the December.

Wednesday, November 28, 2012

Gareth Bale inspired Spurs to a big first half to overcome Liverpool


Tottenham and Liverpool have produced some entertaining matchup in recent years. Although not as high-profile as any London Derby, the intensity of the match has always been enormous. An enjoyable night was well anticipated.

Both teams may not be at their peaks, but there are things to cheer about recently. Luis Suarez, despite all the controversies around him, has been in magnificent form. Together with the revived Jose Enrique at a more advanced role and the promising Raheem Sterling, Liverpool has been showing some spectacular attacking football.

Wingers combined for Spurs' first goal
November has been a nightmare for Tottenham, with consecutive losses to Wigan, Manchester City and Arsenal, as well as the fans incident at Rome last Thursday. However, they recovered with a London Derby win over West Ham. There were more delights for the fans, as they witnessed Clint Dempsey finally live up to expectation, also the return of Moussa Dembele after a long rest.
While both midfielders started for Tottenham on Wednesday night, Stephen Caulker was absent due to illness. The agility of Suarez and Sterling was a concern for Michael Dawson and William Gallas, but it seemed Liverpool had more to worry about in defence. Glen Johnson, who is never famous of his defensive ability, could not match Gareth Bale's speed, with Stewart Downing, the unnatural left back, caught napping at the far post to allow Aaron Lennon send Bale's cross into the net with ease only 7 minutes into the match.

Tottenham have often found themselves fail to clinch matches from winning position this season. This time, they made use of the momentum from the opening goal and did not let chances slip. Gareth Bale had already threatened Pepe Reina with a freekick earlier, but he didn't miss his second attempt. Whether it was the loosely-organised wall or the poorly-positioned goalkeeper, the well-struck thundering freekick gave Tottenham an early two-goal margin.

Dembele's return was a great boost to Tottenham's midfield. With the presence of the all-rounded midfielder, Tottenham dominated the midfield and had endured a 3 minutes possession spell in the first half. The fluid football was surely delightful to watch, but there were moments of fragility in front of their goal. Kyle Walker who twice rescued Spurs, with a crucial clearance to keep Suarez's attempt half a yard away from a goal.

Joe Allen and Jordan Henderson had been far from effective and were outshone by Sandro and Dembele. Steven Gerrard had little room to operate and in consequence, Suarez was left frustratingly alone up front. Careless passing by Tottenham's defenders granted the away team a handful of opportunities early in the second half, but none of them did actually worry Hugo Lloris. Jose Enrique had a couple of decent chances, though ruined by his own decision making and Walker's solid defending.

Kyle Walker was the star of the night in defence
Crowds were getting impatient as the home team could not reproduce their performance in the first half.  When Gareth Bale scored again, there was little cheering in the stadium. The innocent Welsh could not get out of the way of Lennon's clearance from an empty goal. The own goal brought Liverpool back in the game, while Spurs once again found themselves on the brink of gifting points away from a winning position.

Sigurdsson continued his disappointing campaign. The Iceland midfielder, who shone on loan with Swansea last season, completely lost his direction at White Hart Lane. Spurs was essentially operating with one man less when Dempsey was taken off. Composure was nowhere to be seen when under pressure and Liverpool was so close to pulling off a leveller. Suarez fired a volley in the box way over the bar and Jose Enrique's stunning shot following a clearance from corner just clipped the outside of the post. With time ticking by, the quality of the match deteriorated. The Kop was in a rush for a late equaliser, but lost the ball cheaply at least three times in the last 5 minutes of the game. 

Finally, Spurs was able to hang on for the second consecutive home victory.  Bale would be relieved that their brilliant first half was just about adequate to overcome Brendan Rodger's side. With results elsewhere at their favour, Tottenham races ahead of Everton and Arsenal and is now only 3 points away from the fourth position. 

Tuesday, November 27, 2012

QPR managed a draw at Sunderland on Harry's arrival



Having previously rescued Portsmouth and Tottenham from troubled water, Harry Redknapp reckons his mission at Queens Park Rangers is even tougher. With little margin for error, the former Tottenham manager opted for safety ahead of fantasy. Bosingwa and Granero returned to first team, with Mbia and Diakite shielding the defence in midfield. To anchor the players' belief that the season is not over yet, to leave Sunderland with at least a point is a must.

Sunderland's recent struggle would have given Redknapp a hand. Movement up front was very limited, with only Sessegnon being able to threaten occasionally. Adam Johnson again looked toothless in the left wing, which left Steven Fletcher isolated between Ryan Nelsen and Clint Hill. Cattermole once again was bothered by his knee and had to leave merely 5 minutes into the match. Since, the Black Cats was never able to take control in midfield, even though QPR's passing had been off the mark.

While Djibril Cisse is having a poor season, QPR is boosted by the return of Jamie Mackie, who had not been Mark Hughes' favourite. The strong winger does not shy away from strong tackles and shows great desire for victory. Being a frequent receiver of Taarabt's passes, Mackie was fractionally close to scoring for the second consecutive match, only to be denied by Mignolet, who looked to recover from his horrible mistake on Saturday.

The flow of the match sums up the story so far this season for the two teams. Neither showed flashes of clinical touch in the final third. QPR never prepared to put much manpower beyond half way line, but Sunderland, who ought to have more initiative to go for a win, often found their attack terminated due to inadequate support in the box. Their two best chances in the game both came from Steven Fletcher. Julio Cesar and Robert Green, who came in after half time for the injured Brazilian, split the responsibility of retaining the clean sheet.

The introduction of Louis Saha and James McClean gave the home team more physical presence in attack. However, they have nearly lost the match late in the game when Shaun Wright-Phillips, who had substituted Taarabt, came close to snatching the win following a fastbreak.

In the end, it was only a goalless draw. The competent and spiritual football QPR displayed might be still far from the quality Tony Fernandes expects from his investment, but QPR has at least got their first step right towards the great escape. Harry Redknapp would have every reasons to be satisfied with his first match back in the Premier League.

Wednesday, November 21, 2012

Four problems that are stopping Tottenham from reaching top four


A derby loss is more than just a loss. To lose by a hefty score from a leading position makes it hurt even more. Tottenham fans may argue they were the winning side when head counts were still equal for both teams, but Andre Villa-Boas has wider issues than temperament to resolve to re-establish their stance at a challenger for the Champions League berth.

1. Where is the leader?
The retirement of Ledley King has not left Tottenham short-handed in the centreback position, but the Yids have been struggling to find a replacement to the influential leader. Tottenham has not been once buckled under pressure this season and conceded late goals to gift away victories. When Adebayor was sent off, the absence of the outspoken character under crisis cost them dearly. By the time AVB had the chance to restore the team order, Tottenham already had left themselves with the task of overcoming a two goals deficit with a man down.

2. Why still Gallas?
Ideally, William Gallas is capable of providing the much needed leadership to Spurs. This might well be the sole value of keeping the aging centreback in the starting XI. It is obvious, though, that the Frenchman failed to deliver once again  on Saturday. He was never the source of confidence and stability at the heart of defence. What made worse was the display of a lack of interest to play approaching the end of the match, something you do not expect to see from your captain. In contrast, Michael Dawson had been more than spiritual joining the game half way through. At his peak, Gallas may be a fitter centreback than Dawson, but it is growingly obvious that he has become the defensive liability. Fans will be hoping it is not long until the loyal Dawson re-emerges as the first-choice captain again.

3. Optimising the tactics
It would be impossible to judge whether employing a 4-4-2 at Emirates Stadium was a sensible option now, but this does show Tottenham's versatility in tactics. No matter they are playing one or two strikers, it is important that they maximise their capabilities. The match against NK Maribor was a perfect demonstration in utilising their strength in the passing range and width of midfield, but seldom can they maintain the consistency throughout a match and often find themselves losing the balance of attack. How well can AVB address this problem with the team could be the key in avoiding unnecessary points-dropping and bagging a top four spot.

4. Lack of self belief
This is one of the main reasons why Tottenham completely collapsed and lost out to Arsenal in the Champions League race last season. Although recording some victories over their rivals in the last few seasons, the lack of historical success leaves the players struggle to self-convince of their capabilities to be the winner. When Mancity was pouring the attack in Etihad Stadium, Tottenham looked no different to the QPR side who involved in the dramatic title-deciding game last season. The departures of Van der Vaart and Modric do not help either, as neither Sigurdsson, Dembele nor Dempsey has equivalent achievement in top flight football. More than an inspirational speech is needed to anchor the players' confidence and belief in their own capabilities. This will be a stern test to AVB on his ability to exert positive influence and get the maximum out of the players.




Wednesday, November 14, 2012

A weakened but promising Three Lions side at Sweden


Conservative and unimpressive squad selection steered England to Quarter Final of Euro 2012, prompting criticism over their playing style and tactics. The shout for inclusion of young talents into the national team prompts increased chances for Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain, Tom Cleverley and Danny Welbeck, but it is nowhere near a revolutionary change. Unconvincing performance against Ukraine and Poland demonstrated that this could not be the team to win the World Cup in 2014.

Whether the disappointment at Poland has enlightened Hodgson is questionable. After all, international friendly matches are perfect opportunity to experiment new tactics and players. Injuries drove or forced Hodgson to hand several players their international debuts. While their performance is encouraging and promising, it might not be strong enough to persuade their manager to grant them a second chance during the build-up to World Cup.

Out of all debutants, Raheem Sterling would be the most exciting one. He may not be better than Walcott or Lennon at this stage, but he definitely qualifies to be their understudy. His speed, bravery and passing vision made him the star of England at Sweden. He would also be thankful to have Glen Johnson and Stephen Gerrard around to settle his nerve.

Stephen Caulker starred in Swansea's defence last season and has emerged as Tottenham's first choice centreback lately. There was no Terry, Ferdinand or Ashley Cole there to give Caulker covering and assurance. While the young centreback hardly settled in the first half, he did manage to utilise his strength and earn a debut goal by converting Gerrard's marvellous freekick.

On the other hand, Ryan Shawcross did not have Caulker's luck. Coming in with a 2-1 lead, he saw himself bully by Ibrahimovic to equalise and the world-class striker went on to add two more in the last ten minutes of the game. It was hardly Shawcross' sole responsibility, but the scoreline surely would not please Hodgson. While Ferdinand would be kept out of the team for footballing reason, should other young centrebacks be given more chances to play against world-class calibre strikers to shake off their nerves, as shown by Shawcross and Caulker?
Can Osman win Hodgson's heart with his maturity and established game?

Another interesting selection from Hodgson was Leon Osman. He is never the stand-out player in Everton throughout the years and remains in the bottom of the pecking order in England midfield. Nevertheless, the techniques, work rate and football intelligence he possesses make him an all-rounded midfielder, which one would wonder why he has been kept in the dark in the last few years, when Frank Lampard, Stephen Gerrard and Gareth Barry, the automatic choices for the Three Lions, are declining. However, at his age, he will hardly be the preferred choice for Roy Hodgson, in particular with the rise of Tom Cleverley, the return of Jack Wilshere, Tottenham's pair Livermore and Huddlestone, and not to forget Osman's previous teammate Jack Rodwell.  

With John Terry, Wayne Rooney and Frank Lampard set to return for the upcoming qualifying fixtures in March, it would be likely that these debutants will again be left at home to watch their national team play. The argument that whether this is the best move for England's football development will continue, but for sure the combination of aging veterans and nervy youngsters will not win them the World Cup they are longing for.  

Thursday, November 8, 2012

Tottenham raced past Maribor behind Defoe's hat-trick


Tough and congested fixtures left AVB in dilemma of squad selection on Thursday night. The Portuguese once again emphasise their focus in Europa League, despite knowing their main priority is to return to Champions League. The former Europa champion manager believes that top teams do have the mentality to thrive in the congested mid-week fixtures. Whether these "trainings" could bring improvement to Tottenham, who surprised AC Milan in 2010 but failed to get back to Champions League, will only be known by the end of the season. 

While Sergio Aguero was at the O2 arena to support his country Tennis hero Del Potro, Tottenham had to labour at home, with Sunday match against Manchester City in mind. With two days less to rest and having to give way to Chelsea and Liverpool, Tottenham may argue that the lunchtime Sunday slot is a bit unfair. However, it was their lacklustre performance at Slovenia and Greece that left them in the must-win position tonight.

Hat-trick hero Jermain Defoe
Playing without Sandro and Dembele, AVB turned to the more aggressive 4-4-2 formation, handing young Thomas Carroll the start in midfield. Adebayor and Defoe started together for the first time this season, while they would have different persons in mind to impress. Since his return, Adebayor have not won the trust of AVB yet and would be keen to impress in his rare opportunity to start. Fans favourite Defoe was unhappy with his short spell against Wigan. His form has indeed declined lately and would be determined to rediscover his goal-scoring touch.

However, it was Gareth Bale who was the sharpest early in the game. The game plan was simple and clear --- feed Bale as early as possible. Tom Huddlestone's diagonal passes targeted Bale accurately and the left winger utilised his speed and footwork to give right back Milec a horrific night. When his cross finally found Defoe, the poacher skilfully guided the cross towards the bottom corner and beat keeper Handanovic.
Without much pressure from the Slovenian side, Tom Huddlestone mastered the midfield with his composure and passing range. With Thomas Carroll shaking off then nerve, Tottenham gradually dominated and an easy victory was in sight. However, young full back Kyle Naughton's suicidal back pass victimised Lloris and gave Maribor a moment to cheer.

The fans paid tribute to Fabricio Muamba at half time, while AVB was busy to re-energise the team in search for their first European victory this season. They did not spend long to regain the lead. Carroll's through pass found Defoe and the English striker scored his second with another poacher effort. He may not have as many starts in his career as he has this season, but the 30-year old shows he still has something left in the tank to stay as their first-choice striker.

Lenient officiating left Bale and Defoe frustrated, but with Huddlestone and Carroll controlling the possession and Adebayor, though not at his best, linking up plays with his technique and physicality, Tottenham displayed fluent attacking football in the second half. The combination of Huddlestone, Gareth Bale and Defoe sealed the victory and granted Defoe the game ball.   

The furious celebration by AVB showed how much he wanted the victory. It is a much needed one to re-gather the morale of the team ahead of their tough fixtures. Tottenham finished the night on a high note and would be looking to reproduce this confident performance at Manchester coming Sunday afternoon.  

Tom Carroll deserved the praise
The Brilliant TomTom
Tom Huddlestone and Thomas Carroll are not well-known of their work-rate, but they shone in the night which Maribor hardly challenged them. The two Toms showcased their passing and ball-control skills and distributed the ball wisely and timely all across the field. Their first-time passes had led to Tottenham's second and third goals of the game. Their performance tonight made Dembele's absence forgettable and AVB would require Huddlestone to be at his best again on Sunday.

4-2-3-1 or 4-4-2?
Gareth Bale and Aaron Lennon make their 4-4-2 very penetrating, but they undoubtedly need the workhorses Sandro and Dembele in the midfield to make this effective in Premier League. Adebayor is also the key in this formation, with his ability to shield his partnering striker and create space with his height and skills. It would not be surprised to see AVB restore to the 4-2-3-1 against Manchester City, in order to crowd the midfield, but 4-4-2 maybe a better alternative to clinch matches against weaker teams. The results tonight is the best proof.  

Wednesday, November 7, 2012

Chelsea celebrates thrilling victory amidst defensive woes

The unlikely hero

The 2-1 win at Ukraine over Chelsea may have shocked some England fans, but Shakhtar has been impressive in the last few European campaigns. Di Matteo's decision to bench Terry even though realising the threat of the Brazilians Fernandinho, Luiz Adriano and Willian was indeed a brave move.

Also without Ashley Cole, the loopholes on the left hand side of defence was very obvious. Ryan Bertrand tested his own goalkeeper with a comedic header following a corner. David Luiz's adventurous style left huge gap at the back. Mikel managed to fill in the gap for numerous time, but not when Fernandinho thoroughly exposed their weaknesses with a daring run and crossed for Willian to finish.

It seemed Chelsea's best strategy of defence was to attack. David Luiz looked fully inspired by the talents in the field and was more interested to be an attacker in this decisive group match. Fernando Torres looked lively and determined, and it was his hard work that earned a goal resulted from the Pyatov's poor clearance.

Both teams were frequently throwing punches at each other and Shakhtar emerged as the better team after Willian's leveller. Nevertheless, Pyatov was again involved in another avoidable goal. Having forced to clear Chelsea's counter attack as a sweeper, his header could only reach Oscar and the Brazilian fired a fantastic shot near halfway line over the goalkeeper. Shakhtar had themselves to blame with the poor defending but Oscar deserved the credit for the amazing goal. Chelsea found themselves in the driving seat despite conceding  majority of the possession to Shakhtar.

The goal, though, seemed did little to deflate the Ukrainian Champion. Shortly into second half, the game was back to where it began. Another quality attack started by Fernandinho, whose pass released Srna and the cutback cross found Willian once again to level the match at 2-2.

Shakhtar was flying with confidence and played the Barcelona style to play the way out of defence. Rat nearly gave them the first lead in the game but the post denied his long-range shot. Pressure was exerted on Bertrand and with Willian moving to the middle more often,  Ramires and Mikel struggled to contain the Shakhtar's mobile midfield.

Willian tormented Chelsea's defence led by his compatriot
Having dominated the game but failed to capitalise the chances, tired legs started to hit Shakhtar, which in turn gave Eden Hazard the space to shine. His quick feet gave Kucher and Rakitskiy some moments to suffer. A spell of great football put Chelsea in the favourite position again. Mikel missed marginally with his shot following a corner and Ramires was brought down by Srna in the box, though no penalty was given.

Just when the game was tilted to the home side once again, Shakhtar found the magic to recover and attempted to grab the unlikely winner with rapid counter attack. David Luiz was inevitably the clown when Chelsea was under pressure. Unnecessary fouls and mis-positioning left Chelsea wonder whether they could leave the stadium with even just a vital point.

Bagging four points from Chelsea would leave Shakhtar in a favourable position to qualify for knockout stage. Getting six would make it a certainty, but whether it would be the right move in the dying minute of the match was debatable. Shakhtar remained faithful with their style, but it was Chelsea who ultimately benefited from it. Ramires' breaking run from a Shaktar's corner eventually led to a corner of their own, which gave substitute Victor Moses the opportunity to enjoy the heroic moment.

The dramatic victory rocketed Chelsea to the top of the group on goal difference. With Juventus winning at home with ease on the same night, the group remains tight with only one point separating the three teams. Di Matteo will have little worries over the attacking, but will the defence let the team down? Chelsea fans will be praying for Terry and Ashley Cole's return in their trip to Turin. 

Tuesday, November 6, 2012

Manchester City's fading European dream stays alive


Roberto Mancini obviously knows the Maths well. 3 points are vital to qualifying in the group of death regardless of the outcome at Madrid. England trio James Milner, Johan Lescott and Micah Richards were dropped, so as bench specialist Edin Dzeko. Mancini employed a 4-2-2-2 formation, pairing up Tevez and Aguero with the support of Yaya Toure and Samir Nasri.

In the do-or-die match, Manchester City's terrible 1st half performance put them on the back foot. There was lack of energy and intensity. Organisation at both ends of the field was poor. With Javi Garcia sitting deep in midfield, Gareth Barry could not define his own position and was often found running aimlessly. Ajax did not find their opponents hard to defend with the lack of width and teamwork. As a defender himself, Frank De Boer found the magic to neutralise a team which Ajax's winger Ryan Babel commented as a group of great individual but could not play as a team.

What made worse was the collapse of Mancini's proudest department --- defence. Two poorly coordinated corner defence left De Jong unmark and beat the innocent Joe Hart from close range twice. Just as Mancini was finding the white flag in his pocket, Yaya Toure reduced the deficit with an impromptu back-to-the-goal volley. Individual excellence kept Manchester City's hope alive.

At ultimate desperation, Mancini turned to Mario Balotelli. With Javi Garcia removed, Barry was more settled and Manchester City eventually took control of the game tempo with the more invasive formation. Ajax attempted to contain with  team effort but often found themselves struggle to get out of their own half. The better attacking plays were never converted, with Aguero twice disappointed the fans with boot slips near the box. Meanwhile, De Jong was marginally close to complete his hat trick but was denied twice by Joe Hart.

Just as if the experience of Christian Poulsen had helped stabilise Ajax, and De Jong and Eriksen were able to see more of the ball, Manchester City constructed a simple but important leveller. A long goal kick, Baloetelli's flicked header and Aguero's right foot shot reignited the hope in Etihad Stadium.

15 minutes to go and with the deflated and tired Ajax, fans started to recall last season's dramatic scene of Aguero's last minute title-winning strike. Nevertheless, it was officials rather than goalkeeper Vermeer standing in their way. Aguero's goal was disallowed when linesman judged another substitute Kolarov was offside before his delivery. The last minute shirt-pulling incident involving Balotelli in the box was neglected as well by the referee.

 It would be another furious press conference for Roberto Mancini, but in truth Manchester City was never the team who deserved to win. The point earned at home tonight extends their Mission Impossible to Germany. A much better and convincing performance is in need for a victory over Dortmund next game week. 

Wednesday, October 31, 2012

A week of controversy points to the direction of technology


The quality of officiating has never failed to emerge as a heated topic. The Linesman has not been once highlighted the fact that officials have let the football fans down. Sometimes it could even cost a manager's job. Mark Hughes would be the first to protest. Mbia's temperament left QPR a very deep hole to dig out of, but it was Mikel Arteta's offside goal which ruined Julio Cesar's brilliant day and robbed QPR a hard-fought point.
relief for Gunners, worries for QPR
Referees are human beings and they make mistakes. With only a split second in the modern games to make important decisions, it would be harsh to amplify and blame every single mistakes they have committed. Liverpool, though, had a case to make when Everton's equaliser originated from a throw-in which was never the Toffee's. Credits were dedicated to Mirallas, who cleverly resumed the play well before the referee had a chance to think. Nevertheless, Suarez's disallowed goal left the linesman in an embarrassing position. To admit that he "thought there was offside" would only trigger the anger of the kop. Sadly, no people mentioned the unfair header battle between Coates and Jagielka.
Offside? Foul? 
All three of the controversial matches last weekend were decided by merely a single goal margin, but at last it was Mark Clattenburg who stole the show. Though it is still early in the season, neither Chelsea nor Manchester United undermined the importance of the clash. For two-third of the game, it was exciting, magnificent with exchange of world-class calibre attack, until officials took over the control of the match.
Neglecting the racism claim by Chelsea over Mark Clattenburg, which we are not in a position to comment, did Mr Clattenburg have a poor game indeed? It was pretty poor for the standard of an Olympics Final referee, but there are several points worth clarifying. First of all, Hernandez's winner was wrongly allowed, but it was hardly Clattenburg's fault. There was no way for the main official to determine whether there was an offside in that situation.
While Ivanovic's sent off was a no-brainer, it was Fernando Torres' dismissal that stirred the discontent of the Blues. Johnny Evan's reaction had told the story, but Mark Clattenburg strongly disagreed. Fernando Torres did have the license to fall to ground, though his initial thought of professionalism had indeed made his fall slightly awkward and theatrical.
Torres may have to blame Suarez and Bale who have made diving the news headlines. Whether Mark Clattenburg was attempting to "kick diving out of football" remains an unknown, but his determination to alter the momentum of the match was questionable. The quality of the game was damaged when Di Matteo was forced to withdraw his talented attackers.
Clattenburg did not think twice before sending Torres off
Roberto Di Matteo claimed that every decisions had gone his opponents' way. It is quite a strong claim that Di Matteo might want to reconsider. Michael Carrick and Wayne Rooney could have been booked, while the latter should have been sent off following Torres. However, could Torres already been given a red for his first half injury time challenge on Tom Cleverley? While Clattenburg did not fancy the idea of a red card before half time, Mikel should have received another marching order with the second booking following his body check on Valencia late in the game. Instead, Clattenburg judged it as Valencia's dive. It may mean little if it was 9 vs 11 or 8 vs 11 at that moment, but to have four players suspended to travel to Swansea would be far from ideal for Chelsea.
It is understandable that the losing side would try to make the most out of the decisions against them, but the ultimate interest is in finding the solution. All of the incidents point to technology, not only goal line technology, but replay review. A similar system to tennis --- granting teams limited chances to challenge the referees' decisions --- could have eliminated lots of unnecessary arguments. There are worries that the authority of officials, as well as the rhythm of the game, might be harmed, but whether it is tennis, American Football, or basketball, it  has already proved that as long as the motivation is right, there must be a way to work around it.  

Sunday, October 28, 2012

Merseyside Derby ends with honours even at Goodison Park

The fierce Merseyside Derby was the first match of the double-header for Premier League Super Sunday. Brendan Rodgers, the first time to encounter the tremendous atmosphere at Goodison Park, decided to stick with the more enthusiastic Suso and Sterling. Glen Johnson was absent due to injuries, while Pepe Reina's poor form this season only earned him a bench position. Young defender Andre Wisdom would anticipate a busy afternoon, especially with Fellaini back from injury to make up for the loss of Pienaar on the left flank due to suspension.
Both teams strived through the rain to start off the match at enormous pace. Nuri Sahin and Joe Allen, debutants of Merseyside Derby, slightly struggled to catch up with the speed but Kevin Mirallas did not show his nerve and nearly forced Daniel Agger on to an own goal.
There were already a lot of talking points prior to the match, but nothing is more dramatic than having Suarez to start the scoring. The controversial striker followed Enrique's cross and his powerful shot would have gone out of the byline if it did not hit the thigh of a helpless Baines. Luis Suarez made use of the lucky goal to further irritate the home crowd with a "diving" celebration in front of David Moyes.
Captain Phil Neville warned Everton before the match that they got to keep their heads cool. Surely the goal was hard to swallow and even Phil Jagielka couldn't recover promptly. The defender twice stopped Suarez in the final third early in the game, but the loosely-organised defence saw Jagielka leave Suarez with acres of space to head Gerrard's freekick into Everton's net. 
Osman struck one back for Everton
20 minutes and it's 0-2 down. There was a mountain for Everton to climb, but the home supporter s made sure the players were not alone. Leon Osman quickly responded with a well-struck shot, which was slightly deflected off Joe Allen to make it harder to save, but it was goalkeeper Brad Jones who started the trouble by punching Baines' corner right at the centre edge of the box to set up Osman's shot.
All of a sudden, Everton was all over Liverpool. Brad Jones nearly made another error in set piece but was rescued by the referee's whistle on Distin's innocent foul on Jones. Everton decided to pile the pressure on Liverpool's right back Andre Wisdom. Sterling intended to help ease the pressure of Wisdom but nearly got himself sent-off. Finally, the defence was torn apart. Jose Enrique let Naismith run at his back to meet Fellaini's cross from the left to level the match. The thrilling first half ended with two goals for each side.
Several changes were made after interval. Magaye Gueye came in for Mirallas who limped off. Liverpool made a couple of tactical changes. The invisible Nuri Sahin was replaced by the more physical Jonjo Shelvey, and defender Coates came in for Suso. Sterling moved to a more central role to impose a more direct threat. However, the young prospect wasted a fantastic pass from Enrique and could not make it 3-2 early in the second half. Everton was indeed the more threatening side after the break, but Liverpool slowly consolidated the defence. Another out of favour midfielder was then converted by Rodgers into full back. Jordan Henderson came in for Andre Wisdom, who might be exhausted by the physical Derby.
There were more whistles than shots in the second half. Liverpool was looking increasingly dangerous in counter-attacks. Jonjo Shelvey restored the stability in the midfield and Everton did not help themselves with the substitution. Gueye never looked sharp and Everton could not reproduce their fluency on the left. The French winger was nearly the man to blame when he was robbed near his own byline, but Jagielka rescued him with a brave block over Gerrard's shot.
The dive without caution
Being booed is already a norm for Suarez. Whether he enjoys playing under it or not, he seems to care little about intensifying hatred from other supporters. A cynical foul on Distin could have easily got himself sent off for an early bath, although the referee did not listen to the crowd to produce the red card. Suarez was not distracted and remained focus in the game. He won the battle against Distin minutes later but only to see Baines’ sliding block stopped his shot to end up behind Tim Howard’s goal.
The game slowly developed into a stalemate, with both sides more interested in tackles rather than scoring. The latest drama was induced by a stupid tackle by Osman. Gerrard made another excellent delivery in the box and Suarez easily tapped in Coates' squaring header. When Suarez and Gerrard were celebrating, the linesman disallowed the goal with his flag up. While there was no sign of offside, Coates appeared to jump unfairly with Jagielka to win the header. Silence in the crowd was soon turned into a sigh of relief.
It was a very entertaining match and leaving Goodison Park with a point is never a poor result for Liverpool. However, will Brendan Rodgers address the problem that his team failed to hold onto the lead again? In truth, they were never the better side in the match, but they should have done better to defend the two goals advantage. Liverpool still looks promising, but Brendan Rodgers still has a lot of work to promote them into top 6 in the league.   

Thursday, October 25, 2012

Tottenham left Slovenia still without a win in Europa


While most of the English teams faltered in the Champions League game week, AVB would be keen to lead Tottenham to their first European victory this season. The trip to Slovenia is a must-win as Tottenham looks to qualify, but NK Maribor, the Slovenian champion, has played with confidence at home this season in all European competitions, only lost marginally to Dinamo Zagreb which cost them the Champions League place.
Tottenham will feel a bit hard done by their European results so far. A dominant performance at home against Lazio and a 75 minutes lead at Greece were rewarded with merely 2 points from 2 matches. Regardless of the result at Lazio, 3 points are essential to keep their hope of qualification within grab.
Townsend could not live up to the expectation
That could be why the unfit Emmanuel Adebayor was not even named in the squad, when AVB could not foresee an easy game at Maribor. However, without Bale, Dembele and Dempsey, the creativity in attack was very limited, especially when Sigurdsson is playing nowhere close to the level of the commanding Van der Vaart and Modric, playmakers of Tottenham last season.
With Dawson injured, Vertonghen shifted back to his natural position centreback, leaving the left flank to Andros Townsend and the returning Kyle Naughton. Both were fairly sloppy in the first half though and Tottenham had to focus their attack on the right. However, the support from midfield was never quick enough. Sigurdsson, Sandro and Townsend often arrived too late into the box in support of Aaron Lennon and Kyle Walker.
The storyline has always been the same for Tottenham facing teams of smaller reputation. They control the possession but direct threats are lacking. One single moment of lapse in concentration would then put them on the back foot. This time, it was Townsend being dispossessed Dejan Mezga, who then followed with a brilliant run into the box and fed Robert Beric to give Maribor the lead. Townsend's mistake came at the wrong moment, when Stephen Caulker was roaming forward hoping to help up front and could not track back on time. The goal came just before the half time whistle, which only further boasted the confidence of the home side, going to the second half with a deserved lead.
It was not surprised to see Townsend being taken off after half time, but whether Dempsey would be a better substitute than Iago Falque would be debatable. Maribor looked even more comfortable to play a counter-attack approach after interval. Hugo Lloris, who started again in the Europa League, made a good save to prevent Tavaris doubling the lead early in the second half.
Sigurdsson's 2nd goal of the season rescued a point for Spurs
Tottenham showed sign of urgency, knowing that a four-point gap with the second place could be way  too far to reach. Iago Falque was much more composed than Townsend on the left and the Spanish emerged as the unlikely contributor to Tottenham's leveller. The winger's cross caused some confusion in the box and Sigurdsson captured the chance to make it 1-1.
Nevertheless, Tottenham could not ride on the momentum and Maribor had bravely held on. There were a couple of chances since Dempsey came on with a quarter of an hour to go, but neither teams could find the winning goal to claim the driving seat to earn the second place of the group.
NK Maribor would not be too unhappy with the draw, but they will be aware that their next two rounds are both away matches. On the other hand, the bright side for AVB is they will have the backing of home fans in the coming two games. Tottenham will be under the expectation of bagging all six points. Otherwise, they will leave themselves with quite a task to complete in Italy. 

Saturday, October 20, 2012

Juan Mata gave AVB a hard time at White Hart Lane


From the day AVB is hired as Tottenham's manager, the matchup with Chelsea has always been the talking point. It matters little whether AVB and Roman Abramovich, or other Chelsea veterans are still friends. Both teams knew a London Derby victory would mean more than only three points, and Tottenham definitely wanted to revenge for their bitter FA Cup loss. An early Saturday afternoon after the international break is indeed the perfect schedule for the long-awaited London Derby.
While both teams are in the midst of fabulous form, neither side could field their strongest XI. John Terry's suspension meant Cahill will partner David Luiz at centreback. There was better pace, but poor set-piece marking had nearly put them on the back foot three minutes into the game. Dembele was injured during international duty, while Tottenham's key man Gareth Bale was absent because his wife was in labour.  As both Huddlestone and Sigurdsson's performances were far from convincing in the league so far, one couldn't help think Chelsea had a definite advantage even before the whistle was blown.
Gary Cahill had made Terry's absence forgettable with a flying volley, which even the brilliant Brad Friedel struggled to claw it back from the top of the net. The American got the nod to start the game ahead of Hugo Lloris, who had an outstanding performance against Spain on Tuesday night. Miles of travelling was the only excuse for not starting the French captain.
On the other hand, another Frenchman started the match terribly. Whether it was because of his previous reign with Chelsea caught his nerve, William Gallas failed to show any leadership at the back. He was not the only one who struggled. Huddlestone and Dempsey were sluggish, while Sandro's positioning and passing was lacking.
Chelsea's midfield was in contrast much sharper than Tottenham. Ramires and Oscar dominated over their compatriot Sandro, whereas Mata, Torres and Hazard linked up multiple times to threaten Friedel in counter-attacks. Ashley Cole and Petr Cech led the defence to withstand Tottenham's pressure approaching the end of first half. The five yellow cards proved the intensity of the derby, but it was Chelsea who deservedly led at the break.
Tottenham had not lost to Chelsea at White Hart Lane since 2007, and AVB has a track record of inspiring Tottenham to a better second half at home this season.  Well before the fans began to pray, Gallas made up for his mistakes by bringing the match back to where it started. It was a similar story to first half, and it was Ivanovic who let Vertonghen run free this time in a free kick.
It suddenly became a mystery whether Tottenham's dressing room also had a hairdryer. The level of concentration and energy was much higher after interval. The left hand side was particularly lively and it could have easily been 2-1 if Sigurdsson had better finishing touch. However, Defoe ensured their hard work was paid off when his quick feet beat Petr Cech. 
AVB's push was just short to bring Tottenham the victory
Di Matteo for sure was shocked by this ten-minute nightmare. Tottenham was all over Chelsea and just as if they would be able to hold off Chelsea for the next half an hour, Hazard, Oscar and Mata turned to full gear. Mata captured the momentarily carelessness of Tottenham, as well as Gallas' poor clearance again to level at 2-2. Shortly after, Mata teased the slow-turning Gallas, received a brilliant break-through pass by Hazard and made it 3-2. In the space of five minutes, the momentum shifted to the Blue side of London.
The anxious AVB inserted his sole hope on the bench, Emmanuel Adebayor, but the Togo striker was clearly too rusty to make a huge impact. Defoe and Kyle Walker's long shots were threatening but both were parried away by Petr Cech. When Mata captured Kyle Walker's complacency in the injury time and fed Sturridge to a straightforward finishing, it had deflated Tottenham and definitely diminished AVB’s hope of revenge.
It was quite an alerting signal sent to Manchester, as Chelsea demonstrated the winners' attitude which is an essential character to win a league title. It will be a massive confidence boost to Chelsea ahead of the clash with Manchester United at Stamford Bridge next week. Meanwhile, AVB should not be too discouraged to be defeated by a brilliant Chelsea. Tottenham has shown significant improvement since the Opening Day, but do they have the mentality on the pitch to challenge for a Champions League berth? There is still a long way to go but they will have to first recover from this heartbroken derby loss.

Saturday, October 6, 2012

Wigan lost two points to the spiritual Toffees


It was a match of no-match if purely looking at the league position of Wigan and Everton prior to the game. However, each team dominated half of the game and a draw seemed to be a fair result. Martinez would have thought they deserved all three points, but his failure to react to increasing pressure on the defence may have cost them two points.   

Roberto Martinez played the usual 3-4-3 formation with a simple but effective counter attack plan. With the less mobile Jelavic as the lone striker, the right centerback was able to help the slightly less adventurous Boyce to contain Everton's threatening left-hand side. The hardworking Di Santo and Maloney filled in the void in Wigan's midfield and were the main engines for attack. Di Santo, who returned from injury, was the main man in the final third. He fuelled Wigan's attack with his energy and techniques. Not once he released Arouna Kone on the right with brilliant passes to spark a threat. Kone scored himself while also set one up for Di Santo.  
Unfortunately Di Santo's delightful performance could not bring Wigan a victory
Everton could not resolve Wigan's defence in the first half with their imbalanced squad. Coleman often found himself alone on the right when going forward. Jelavic's goal, which came with a bit of luck, was the sole positive talking point for David Moyes at half time. The Scottish manager showed no rush after interval, but first resolved the defending issues. Substitute Distin's better positioning and determination made Arouna Kone more or less an invisible man in the 2nd half. Leighton Baines thus was granted extra freedom to attack Wigan's right flank.

Leon Osman shifted to the right, while Kevin Mirallas played just behind Jelavic to try disrupt Wigan's defence. Fellaini dropped to midfield to help link up defence and attack. Frustration grew when more dubious decisions were given against Everton, but the exhausted Wigan became less capable to withstand Toffee's pressure. Al Habsi had done all he could to keep the score at 2-1. Anichebe could have joined earlier in the match, but he made an instant impact by troubling Caldwell in the box. Moyes' clever tactical moves, coupling with Everton's admirable team spirit, earned them a hard-fought point at JJB stadium. 

Baines celebrating his goal from penalty spot
Man of the Match: Leighton Baines. The introduction of Distin in 2nd half allowed the English fullback to  pose constant threats on the left. His connection with Pienaar, Fellaini and MIrallas constantly exerted pressure and had finally exploited Wigan's defence, despite a solid performance by Boyce. The calmly, though bravely, converted penalty concluded Baines' sensational afternoon.  

Flop of the Match: Maynor Figueroa. He was obviously the weakest link on Saturday afternoon. With little damage caused from Everton's right flank, the left centreback found himself facing Jelavic often. Pienaar's misfired shot luckily floated over Figueroa's head to reach Jelavic to level the score at 1-1, but the defender mis-positioned again in the 2nd half to free Jelavic for an open shot, only to see his clumsy challenge surprisingly unspotted by officials. His final highlight of the day was another late tackle on Mirallas around the penalty spot, although it was Caldwell who brought down Anichebe that directly gifted the penalty to Toffees.  

Official performance: Kevin Friend seemed to be more nervous than Roberto Martinez when Everton piled on the pressure in the 2nd half.  The yellow card was out of his pocket more than often, as if he was eager to keep the game under his control. He correctly identified some moments when Everton players were looking for a penalty, but had also missed a handball and Figueroa's tackle on Jelavic in the box. Overall, it was a less than friendly and below-par match for Kevin Friend.