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. 

Thursday, October 4, 2012

Tottenham wasted effort from Huddlestone and Dawson


Last year, Europa League offered second string of Tottenham squad a chance to fight for a first team berth. This year, AVB decides to field strong even the competition is often being regarded as less important. Rather than rewarding the core group with a holiday after their historical win at Old Trafford, the 18 players who were named on the team sheet on Saturday travelled all the way to Greece, with the exception of 41 years old Brad Friedel.

The loyal duo combined for Tottenham's first goal
There were no unfamiliar names for the North London side. Instead, three established players, Tom Huddlestone, Michael Dawson and Hugo Lloris, were desperate to prove their worth to the team.
Already having a terrible start in the domestic league, Panathinaikos struggled to make an impact at home against Tottenham. Individual skills were there, but apart from former Gunner Quincy Owusu-Abeyie, there was little threat in the final third.

On the other hand, Michael Dawson thoroughly enjoyed the rare start. Nearly on his way to QPR in late August, the spiritual captain showed why he is one of the fan favourites. The enthusiastic celebration after his near-post header punished the poor set piece defending of the Greek side had said it all. His presence allows Vertonghen to relieve the short-handed full back positions, but the fact that he was caught outpaced several times, in particular in the goal conceded, suggested that he would not be moving up the packing order within a short time.

Lloris has more work to be done to beat Friedel
Lloris, though, was still far from convincing. There were moments of carelessness and signs of mis-communication. On a night against the mostly toothless Panathinaikos, the French goalkeeper had no chance to prove his value over Brad Friedel, instead could only helplessly see Toche's shot level the score.

Huddlestone is well-known for his technique and footwork. His freekick delivery and long shot in the first half proved his value. His willingness to sit slightly deeper compensated for his lack of mobility, also provided additional balance to the midfield which tended to roam forward. In a game which the pace was significantly slower than usually Tottenham would have played, Huddlestone endured a rather comfortable game, but just could not sustain for 90 minutes.

There was no intensity in the team in second half at all. As a result, the travelling miles were ultimately wasted with only a point earned. AVB's gamble of exhausting the physicality to maintain the team morale in a winning streak did not pay off. At some point, the Portuguese coach would have to reassess the value of the Europa League competition to the club.  

Tuesday, October 2, 2012

Wake You Up When September Ends


1. Swansea's magic faltered: The honeymoon period is officially over. Not only has Michu stopped scoring, so as the whole team. Since international break, Swansea has collected no goals, no wins and conceded seven. Their struggles against the more physical teams recently could have ended in October at home against Reading and Wigan. Whether Swansea can escape the slump will be a good indication to Michael Laudrup's genuine managerial capability.

All going right for Everton, but not so for Swansea
2. Merseyside split: The Reds ended their blue September with a 5-2 win over Norwich. Questions remain in their defence and finishing, which has let down their improved passing ability. Everton's XI has been impressive and Moyes is able to get the maximum out of the balanced starting lineup. Squad depth will be a concern, but their exit in Capital One Cup indicates their determination to focus on securing the European berth.

3. Officiating woes continue: It proves that officials are not merely biased towards top teams. In general they are poor. Manchester City was the major victim, conceding  to Crouch's basketball move and Riise's soft penalty. Jonjo Shelvey was sent off in Anfield, but seeing Johnny Evans escaped. Antonio Valencia won a soft penalty which destined to be the winning goal. Demba Ba of Newcastle benefited from a no-call handball against Reading, while his team rescued a point at Goodison Park thanks to wrongly-disallowed goals for Fellaini and Anichebe. More pairs of eyes clearly do not help; we need eyes of better quality.

4. Defence disaster: Southampton and Norwich just could not sustain their concentration in defence for 90 minutes. More surprisingly, Manchester City, who usually is good at defence, still could not keep one clean sheet this season. Manchester United's struggle at the back is less unexpected, given only four healthy senior defenders are available. Are the spears stronger, or has the shields weakened this season?

5. I love, I love Allardyce: What has he done wrong to not earn a new contract? Even West Ham supporters, who clearly are not convinced by Big Sam's style, could not resist praising the charismatic manager. The players would either be motivated to keep Big Sam in Upton Park, or demotivated because of the lack of security.  The management board is surely playing a gamble, but the results speak for Big Sam.