Bale Wins It for Spurs Again

Gareth Bale ensured Tottenham has the best preparation ahead of the North London Derby, potentially a 4th place deciding match. His double, including the exceptional late winner that left Jussi Jääskeläinen helplessly staring at the top corner, inspired Tottenham to recover from trailing 1-2 at Upton Park and moved up to third place of the table, maintaining a four-point cushion over arch rival Arsenal.

Star of the Team

Tottenham

With no doubt the Welshman Gareth Bale. He could not quite get the touch he wanted on several free-kick attempts, but he made sure he connected it properly and beautifully at the end. The man in the form of his life tortured West Ham defenders with his enormous speed and technique. Gary O'Neil, Mohamed Diame and James Collins all got booked in the second half because of the winger, which limited the aggressiveness West Ham could put up in the final minutes to stop Tottenham; another effective and brilliant performance from Bale.

West Ham

The 37 years old Jääskeläinen has shown no signs aging and has been consistent throughout the season for West Ham. The Finn made a huge double save to deny Sigurdsson and Adebayor, in which minutes later, his team was in front. Gareth Bale twice threatened with his well-adjusted left foot, while Adebayor looked destined to score with a bullet header. However, none of those had beaten Jääskeläinen and only a fabulous strike could leave him dumbfounded. The veteran would have been the man of the match had the final whistle was blown a minute earlier.

Manager's moves

Andre Villas-Boas

Possibly the most effective substitutions AVB has made this season. Seldom decisive in making in-match changes, the Portuguese did not hesitate this night in taking off Holtby when the score was still level at 1-1. The struggling Sigurdsson was constructive from the minute he joined the game. He forced a fantastic save from Jääskeläinen with the help of the post and eventually grabbed his first league goal for Tottenham. Tom Carroll was also more industrious and energetic than the disappointing Dembele, who had to keep himself under check after an early needless booking. Without a proper striker on the bench, AVB rightly utilised the bench players to regain the control of the away match.

Sam Allardyce

Kevin Nolan was forced off due to injury, and although Matthew Taylor was not quite Nolan's type which suits Allardyce's style of playing, he nearly sealed the game with a well-timed run, only to be denied by the determined Hugo Lloris. There was no way back it West Ham went 3-1 up. The questionable move was to take off Guy Demel and introduce Emanuel Pogatetz. Not knowing the reason of the substitution, the fans only saw Pogatetz striving to catch up with Aaron Lennon and looked clumsy to handle the pace at Tottenham's flanks. Big Sam's move may sum up the reason of West Ham's recent struggle --- lack of self-belief.

Looking Ahead

Where should Bale go?

This is not about where he will be this summer, but where he should be played in the field. It sounds stupid to remove him from the free role where he is flying high at the moment. Nonetheless, from time to time Tottenham does not look very fluent with the possession. They could not quite create anything against Lyon, but their best moment against the French was when Bale operated on the left. Bale's shift to the centre has made up for the lack of creativity in the midfield, but whether this has over-tilted their balance of the attack is questionable. It is always a luxury to have a plan B in the pocket. Gareth Bale grants AVB some choices in tactics. It will now be down to the manager to push the right button at the right time to make the most out of his talents.

Can they survive?

You tend to believe Big Sam's team would have the experience and spirit to avoid relegation in the league anyhow. In fact, quality football from Joe Cole, Andy Carroll and Matt Jarvis was promising, but they will have to show more passion in order to survive in Premier League. While Wigan can be playing better than ever in the final stage of the season, and Southampton is cruising under their new manager Pochettino, West Ham could not find their feet since the 3-1 home victory against Chelsea last December. Being only six points above the bottom three and with Manchester United, Chelsea, West Brom and Liverpool lining up to await for the Hammers, Big Sam has a lot to do in a short period of time to ensure West Ham stay in the league next season (which also determines his next contract).    

The Only Way QPR Can Survive

The financial resources and the enviable squad depth the club has is definitely rare in relegation battlers. They even have Harry the sorcerer who almost single-handedly rescued Portsmouth from relegation to Cup finalist and recently reinvigorated Spurs as the best of London. However the ego and mentality of their players are perhaps the only obstacle in their relegation battle and it’s too much for Harry Redknapp to take this time.

Confident? Deflated? Harry Redknapp faces an uphill task.

Esteban Granero left star-studded Madrid to join QPR, not only because he wants first team football but also command.  A good passer of the ball, he no doubt has the attributes to be the metronome of a team like QPR. Yet with more than 2/3 of the season gone, he has yet to settle in the league. The biggest reason is, and apparent, when league leader Manchester United visited Loftus Park this weekend. Granero obviously has a problem playing with another egoistic teammate – Taarabt.

Adel Taarabt, an outcast at Spurs when Redknapp was in charge, reunites with his former manager and has become an indispensible part of the team. Nonetheless the Moroccan talent has to understand that football is always a team sport even if you are as good as Cristiano Ronaldo or Messi. His confidence is admired but he has to have confidence in his teammates too. He has to let the former Madrid man to dictate tempo and to let Zamora or Remy or other strikers to finish off attacks.

Andros Townsend, playing consistently since Redknapp signed him on loan, showed good signs of talent but his eagerness to prove himself and similar over-confidence as Taarabt often resulted in making the wrong decisions at the wrong time and, to be frank and honest, he is not a match-winner yet worthy of starting games which captain Samba suggests to play as cup finals.

While young players and big team imports are risking the club’s fortune – albeit unintentionally – to make a name for themselves, established players are also finding it difficult to at least act motivated on the pitch.

Jose Bosingwa, arriving as a Champions League winner, would expect himself to walk straight into the team but his performance on the pitch was not worth a starting berth, and definitely not his rumoured 100k salary. His first return from being frozen out against Man United was abysmal compared to his best days; he looked, as ever since in a QPR shirt, passionless.

Other new signings last season such as Junior Hoilett, Park Ji-Sung and Diakite have survived the exile under Redknapp but are only fringe players at the moment. They are yet to prove their intentions of landing at Loftus Road are not for the paycheque. If they still could not start challenging for a place in the starting lineup and contribute to the relegation battle, it is hard to not believe in rumours of a safety net included in their contracts – relegation release clause.

Looking back at when Portsmouth survived relegation, Redknapp assembled a team of experienced and humble individuals. David James, Sol Campbell, Sylvain Distin, Niko Kranjcar, Kano, Benjani etc., they played and fought like a team, which is always the most crucial factor against relegation. Now Harry Redknapp has players of exceptional quality which Roberto Martinez did not at Wigan last year, but the tougher characters of the Latics players, as well as the "moneyball" effect makes Harry's task more improbable than ever. 

Now Harry would wish he went to Hogwarts.

How Wenger Messed It Up Again

One of the big tasks of a manager is to keep his players in the buoyant mood, either by satisfying their salary demand, creating a team of champion-calibre, or offering the player an important role in the team. Having failed to win a trophy for long and losing key players in successive offseasons, Arsene Wenger is trying hard to hold on to his key players as well as to lure big names. However, he may have tried a bit too hard this time.

Theo Walcott's football talents are well recognised across the country. He has been a nightmare for fullbacks with his daring and direct approach. Being still a very young player, Walcott is looking for a breakthrough in his career. Thierry Henry, one of the legends in Arsenal, is the example Walcott wants to follow - a transition from the flanks to a central role.

The contract stalemate was followed by a handful of goals from the English international. Whether Wenger had been convinced by Walcott's ability, he obviously promised the youngster more opportunities to play as a centre forward and successfully convinced him to ink the contract.

Walcott's off-the-ball movement and his enormous speed can cause chaos between central defenders. This was exactly the game plan of Arsene Wenger, facing Van Buyten and Dante of Bayern Munich. Nevertheless, this may be an over-ambitious game plan. Clearly, Theo Walcott is yet to be a world-class striker who could single-handedly win a match for Arsenal (thinking of Van Persie, right?).

Knowing that he would be outmuscled, Aaron Ramsey, Santi Cazorla and Jack Wilshere had actively attempted to put more numbers up front to create space for Theo Walcott. It was not as straightforward as they thought, though, because of the high discipline of the German defence, and also when Javi Martinez and Bastian Schweinsteiger sat very deep in its own half.

While they failed to penetrate Bayern's backline, they could not find a comfortable zone in their own half as well. Thomas Muller, Toni Kroos and Franck Ribery worked their socks off to limit the space Mikel Arteta and Jack Wilshere could enjoy. This was also how they got their first goal. Despite the brilliant finish by Toni Kroos, Bayern Munich would not have created the chance if Arsenal had not given away the ball cheaply.

There was a genuine reason that Bayern Munich was confident to sit deep --- Mario Mandzukic. A man of considerable size but high football intelligence, the Croatian used his strong body, clever runs and decent footwork to hold off defenders and allow teammates arriving late to support. His goal, Bayern's third of the match, was the classic example. Mandzukic fought off Koscielny for a long ball, laid it off to a teammate and eventually scored from Phillip Lahm's cross.

In contrast, Arsenal operated with the lack of physicality which limited the effectiveness. When they found the way to create some rare threats, Sagna and Podolski could never find a teammate in the box. In fact, Arsenal's best chance in the match came when Oliver Giroud was introduced and Walcott returned on the right flank, challenging potentially the weakest link of Bayern's defence, David Alaba.

Now they need a 3-0 or better victory at Munich to turn their fortune around. Chelsea had done the magic last year against the less experienced Napoli, but it is very unlikely Bayern Munich would collapse completely in the second leg to give away their place in quarter final. It looks as if another title opportunity is gone, two in a roll in the space of four days. The media can have another go to irritate Arsene Wenger, but Arsenal fans seem destined to endure another heart-breaking season. 

A Draw for the Match the Whole World Wants to See

Just as Jose Mourinho anchors his status as one of the greatest managers in the world by stopping Barcelona from dominating the La Liga, his time at the Bernabeu seems to be ticking down. Discipline and harmony in the dressing room are disappearing and they are miles away from the league summit.

It is never easy to sustain top performance in modern football for two consecutive seasons. To maintain for more than 20 years is undoubtedly a rarity. However arrogant Jose Mourinho may be, he has sincere respect towards Sir Alex Ferguson. To recover from a heartbreaking season to leading 12 points with one-third of the season to go, Sir Alex can always find his way to influence and motivate his team to excel.

The well-anticipated match did not disappoint the fans. The away goal rule and Real Madrid's porous defence encouraged Sir Alex to go for an ambitious formation at the Bernabeu. Neither team was afraid to throw players in attack, with Ozil particularly lively and troubling Rafael in the first half. Although Manchester United looked penetrating in the formation, Alex Ferguson was still cautious with Cristiano Ronaldo, one of his favourite former players. Rooney was instructed to operate on the right to counter the Portuguese winger, albeit ineffectively.

Di Maria had a few shots which was narrowly off-target

Luck was on the visiting team in the first half. Phil Jones escaped from two tackles, which one on Di Maria could have been a penalty. De Gea's fingertip save was helped by the post to deny Fabio Coentrao. More importantly, they gained an away goal through Danny Welbeck's header, although the corner leading to the goal was controversially given.

Danny Welbeck gives Man Utd the lead in the 20th minute

However, Real Madrid is a team too dangerous to contain for 90 minutes. United sat too deep after the goal and allowed Ozil plenty of space to operate in midfield. Phil Jones played the anchorman but was never composed enough in transition. Shinji Kagawa had moments of flair but was inconsistent and often outmuscled. United could never bring Michael Carrick into the match and was outperformed in midfield.

Mehmet Ozil and Angel Di Maria were the better players on Madrid side, but who else could it be when you want a goal? Ronaldo out-jumped Patrice Evra (with his knee-cap levelling Evra’s head) and converted Di Maria's cross to beat De Gea. A very subtle celebration by Ronaldo could not calm De Gea's disappointment. While Ronaldo's aerial ability is to be praised, Patrice Evra could have done more than standing there to defend his former teammate.

There was no way Madrid would accept a 1-1 home draw to finish off the first leg. Di Maria continued to threaten United after the interval, but De Gea refused to give away another goal and produced saves after saves. Real Madrid had the majority of possession, but Ozil and Ronaldo enjoyed less liberty, with Rafael and Evra raising their game in the second half.

United were set to absorb the pressure, but threats were coming from everywhere. Arbeloa and Coentrao combined with the latter looked destined to score with a sliding shot. De Gea somehow kicked the ball away with his boot. Ronaldo was always crowded during open play, but he had all the time he wanted in dead ball situations. His 30+ yard attempt was just over the bar with De Gea astonishingly stationary.

The Red Devils countered well with their limited possession. Carrick's pinpoint pass released Evra and only Diego Lopez was in his way to score. Varane appeared to have dispossessed the Frenchman, but replay suggested he could instead be sent off. Rooney and Van Persie led a counter attack, with the Dutchman's right foot shot just denied by the woodwork. The top goalscorer of United then broke the offside trap but miscued his left foot shot which was cleared off the line by the quiet Xabi Alonso.

Xabi Alonso's greatest contribution of the somewhat off-night

United were knocking on the door for the second away goal. Ryan Giggs entered the match to help regain possession in midfield, and came close to scoring but was prevented by his own indecisiveness. Mourinho inserted Luka Modric to counter Alex's move, knowing that conceding the second away goal could put them in the back foot.

Robin Van Persie posed a last minute threat though denied by Diego Lopez, but United's ultimate hero was Phil Jones. Dropping back to a third central defender in the last five minutes, he made a last ditch tackle to deny Real’s number 7 in the box from close range. Although seldom constructive in attacking, he delivered his defensive assignment and covered a lot of ground for the back four.

Going into the second leg with an away goal is a definite advantage for Manchester United, but you can never write off Mourinho's team in Champions League. The tactician has his gameplans in mind to turn things round at Old Trafford. United cannot count on their defence this season at all. To advance through a goalless draw at home seems close to impossible. We will be set for another evenly contested attacking match in the second leg. 

What else could stop Manutd from Winning the EPL?

They were leading by 4-2 at Old Trafford with 7 minutes to go. Roberto Mancini might have already conceded the title. A miracle happened and Premier League title slipped away from United's hand. There are still more than a dozen of games to go until the faith of the trophy will be decided, but Manchester United once again find themselves on the front foot, with Mancini losing his favourite Mario, as well as his superiority in Etihad Stadium. However, by no means the race has ended. There are hurdles that Sir Alex still has to bring his team through…

(a) Porous goalkeepers --- David De Gea is an excellent shot-stopper, but is proved to be vulnerable at crosses and long balls. Giving away cheap goals is the least thing one wants to see late in the season. Reserve goalkeeper Anders Lindegaard is yet to show his ability in big occasions. Sir Alex spent six years in the post-Schmeichel era before identifying the perfect replacement – Van der Sar. He would not look for an encore this time. No wonder Manchester United is rumoured to be interested in Asmir Begovic.

Stoke's Begovic looks set to depart at the end of season

(b) Defensive woes --- Nemanja Vidic and Rio Ferdinand cannot play two intensives games in one week again. Johnny Evans has just returned from injury, while Phil Jones will be out for a month. With Fletcher shelved for the season, Michael Carrick is the sole fit defensive midfielder. Paul Scholes can never turn the clock back; Anderson, Ryan Giggs and Tom Cleverley are too adventurous to provide shielding for the defense. United's defensive record is one of the worst in recent years, and they could not expect Van Persie to rescue them every time.

(c) Tougher is yet to come --- Putting aside the clash with Real Madrid in Champions League, the remaining League fixtures remain tough. United escaped at the Etihad Stadium, White Hart Lane, as well as at home against Liverpool and Newcastle United with some below average performance. They will need more than this in the coming two months. West Ham, Sunderland, Stoke City, Arsenal are awaiting for their visit, with a home clash against Manchester City and Chelsea to be played closer to the end of season. Do not forget they would be distracted by Champions League campaign, which Roberto Mancini has already expressed his "sincere" support towards his city rivals. A moment of complacency could lead to a quick vanish of the 9 points gap.

(d) Lesson learnt, pressure to bear --- Yes they may have learnt the lesson, but what would be in their minds when they march into April in a similar circumstance? It will be a stern test to their youngster's mental strengths. Manchester City's players have the experience of being the underdog, or maybe even enjoy being one. You cannot write them off until the very last second of the season.

What will happen at Old Trafford this time?

Roberto Mancini has been active in media coverage, trying to put more pressure onto the lads at Old Trafford. Why? Because Everton is visiting this Sunday…