Carling Cup Final: Tottenham Hotspur 2-1 Chelsea (Injury time winner from Woodgate)

“Football is like war. You either live or die there is no sentiment”

Juande Ramos, February 2008

Tottenham Hotspur won their first trophy in nine years last night, where they had to come from behind to beat Chelsea FC, with a rather fortunate winner scored in injury time. Didier Drogba had put Chelsea in front in the first half through a freekick, of which Paul Robinson in Tottenham’s goal, should of been wise to. In the second half Tottenham were awarded a penalty after Wayne Bridge had handled in the area. Dimitar Berbatov cooly slotted the ball past Petr Cech in Chelsea’s goal, sending the match into extra time, and putting justice into which team had dominated the match thus far.

Filed under: Chelsea, League Cup, football, soccer, sports, tottenham , football, sports

Wednesday’s Champions league: Valencia 1-2 Chelsea, Liverpool 0-1 Olympic Marseille

 VALENCIA 1-2 CHELSEA: Having been flung into the deep end in his first game at Old Trafford against Manchester United, “rookie” “caretaker” manager Avram Grant had overcome a UEFA coaching license to secure a deserved win agaiinst the Spanish giants. After inheriting a team from a widely perceived managerial great that was Jose Mourinho; any manager filling in his shoes was always going to have to follow a tough act. With only a handful of games underneath his belt, the critics are obviously going to start analysing his record. Therefore, notwithstanding his achievements of nearly earning a qualification to the World cup for the Israel national team, his record for Chelsea thus far should be seen as an admirable one.

A win against Manchester United back in late September would of earned him instant adoration with the Chelsea fans and loyalty aside, they might of been shouting out “Jose who?”, but then again no one expected him to win this fixture. His following game; the Carling cup match against Hull was exactly the type of football that Abramovich wanted played at the club, having beaten them 4-0, but you would expect nothing less against Hull. The 0-0 draw against Fulham was pretty dissapointing where they were expected to win this match considering they’ve let in 16 goals alredy this premiership season, and Chelsea’s apparently great record at home against their West London neighbours. This away win against Valencia sees them in a promising position in the group stages having beaten their alleged toughest opponents away, and after failing to beat Rosenborg in match day one. So the record under Avram Grant reads: Won 2, Drawn 1, Lost 1.

The manager aside, it is important to examine the players who Mourinho had left behind. Certain circles of the football media and what have you, were expressing their concerns of certain players not having enough dedication or desire to play for Chelsea after their inspirational manager had departed. These views were obviously not going to be transfered to John Terry. Not taking into account of his alleged falling out with Jose Mourinho, his name was certainly on the team sheet for the Valencia clash at the Mestalla stadium, nevermind the 72 hours that had elapsed since he had underwent surgery on a fractured cheekbone experienced in the Fulham home match. It is interesting to note that in the League Cup final with Arsenal last season,  J.T. was knocked unconscious after Arsenal’s Diaby met his boot with Terry’s head, and yet this did not deter him from joining the Chelsea after celebrations. I’m sure that if he still was unconscious he would of sleeped walked there. To Didier Drogba (read Evening Standard) who was reported to of cried once hearing the news of Mourinho’s departure and to of been less motivated because of this (thats the last time i will mention Mourinho’s name-sorry) showed in this match that these media tales were completly misfounded. In this match he surpassed himself calling to mind why he was in the running for PFA player of the year last season, and scoring the winner.

Other players all across the pitch perhaps rediscovered their misplaced reliability,  Ricardo Carvallho and Joe Cole in particular putting in a great performances. Valencia took the lead after 9 minutes where the highly demanded David Villa reacted fastest to a loose ball that had bounced off Michael Essien and into his path. Escaping John Terry for pace, he managed to keep his composure and slide the ball past Petr Cech. Joaquin who was posing problems for the Chelsea defence had a good chance to increase the lead after good work from Fernando Morientes but Petr Cech was on hand to make a crucial save. His save, proved as a turning point as seconds later Chelsea managed to equalise and stun Valencia. Exchanging passes with Drogba, Florent Malouda sent in a perfect cross for Joe Cole to draw level ahead of the interests of Valencia’s Emiliano Moretti.

Part of this desire and dedication that i was talking about, was expressed when there was a scare for Drogba when he started clutching his hamstring just before half time. Luckily for Chelsea he emerged after the interval to continue where he left off. Showing real composure after the break Chelsea aimed to stay focused even after a 55th minute chance by David Villa ended up in the net but was chalked off side. Their reward came with 19 minutes left of normal time. Joe Cole, playing out of skin , won possession on the right and then delivered a brilliant throughball on the outside of his foot for Drogba to latch on to and put the ball past Timo Hildebrand. The win for Grant’s Chelsea for however long he has this position of head coach should be a starting point and prove to the critics that this squad need not be lacklustre under his command.

UEFA.COM champions league pictures

Chelseablog.com (Johnathan Dyer)

John Terry is a Cyborg (Shazgood.wordpress.com)

 LIVERPOOL 0-1 OLYMPIC MARSEILLE: Rafa Benitez described this display as one of the worst he has ever experienced with this club. He commented that “it was bad , a very bad game” showing that he has a great grasp of the English language. In truth his statement was true. Liverpool were abysmal and bearing in mind that this competition is supposedly Benitez’s main priority, Liverpool after two games without a win sit in third place in the qualifying group. All the money spent on fire power bellied the fact that they barely threatened until the final stages of the match.

Marseille languished 17th in the French league, poor in comparison to Liverpool’s league positionof 4th. On normal European nights the support from the Liverpool fans is one of the most estatic and memorable that anyone is likely especially for a crowd that only expects the best as they are the most sucessful English club both on the continent and domestically. After the result it was boos that were echoing across Anfield at their own team, which was uncharacteristic of the supporters such was the effect of watchingtheir team lose to Marseille.

Liverpool fashioned a chance early on for Fernando “Ian Rush/number 9″ Torres, early on in the third minute of the game. However a poor first touch allowed Marseille’s keeper Steve Mandanda to clear the danger. This was about it for Liverpool in the way of true goal scoring chances. The football media consensus is that Benitez being in the group of a recently coined managerial trait of “tinkering”, had in some way contributed to the result. Rafa said:

“You can talk about team selection, and we have been talking about big names. But those big names did not play well from the start.”

Steven Gerrad, in particular may pop into the mind when hearing these words, for he was missing throughout the game though he did try more so than the rest of his team mates to raise the standards of his team with a couple of long range efforts. The goal for Marseile, which was coming for some time, came in the 77th minute. Mohamed Sissoko was caught in possession, (in Rafa’s rotation policy it was a pity he had come in for the so far brilliant Javier Marsherano) , where the ball was switched to Valbuena who let in a 20 yard strike, that deservedly made sure his team ended up with the three points. For Benitez this game poses alot of problems to address for his next fixture in Europe. Their position in the Champions league probably will be improved giving the calibre of the squad he has to offer and bearing in mind his inpressive experience in this competition, having taken them to victory in 2005 and to the final last season. Benitez’s tinkering with his team after all may jut be a way and a means of applying the trial and error method to football.

UEFA.COM Champions league pictures:

Being Sven: a Liverpool fc blog

Independent football match report

Shankly gates

Filed under: Champions league, Chelsea, football, liverpool, soccer , football, sports

Jose Mourinho: the depature from the Bridge of the self annointed “Special one”

On the Thursday 20th of September a rare thing happen in the British media. After front page stories of the Northern Rock pictures of the elderly queuing, and the chronic coverage for the quest for Madeline, football managed to find its way to the front page of major newspapers and the details did not involve David Beckham. Jose Mouinho left Chelsea football club coming off the back of disagreements with Chelsea owner Roman Abramovich, and after being held to a draw by Norwegian minnows Rosenberg. The outlook for the rest of Chelsea’s football season now, with the departure of their most successful manager ever is looking bleak, for newly appointed manager Avram Grant who, although has been managing football teams for near enough 35 years, has not ever been in charge or had success with a major club.

What baffles me is the timing of Mourinho leaving the Bridge. He was not sacked, and if reports are to be true he decided to leave after Roman Abramovich challenged him for not playing attractive football after the disappointing draw to Rosenberg, to which the Portuguese manager replied back “if thats how you feel I’m leaving, i don’t need Chelsea”, and so Abramovich let him walk. It is fair to say that if a manager wants to leave then you should not stand in his way, and the relationship between the owner and manager was not as good as it should be thus he was right to let him go. Or was he? The season has been well under way, so losing Mourinho at such a critical stage may come to haunt Chelsea in the future. Personal grievances should of been put to a side until the end of the season where he could have had time to purchase a new manager without upsetting the balance of the teams efforts in all competitions. But then again a season is a long time, and who is to say that the conspiracy theory of Avram Grant’s arrival in the summer with an ambiguously held title was not part of a supposed premeditated move to oust the Portuguese manager?

The situation between manager and owner ironically mirrors that of Tottenham’s piece of off-pitch gossip entertainment. Daniel Levy’s personal dislike of Martin Jol irrespective of what he had already achieved with Totenham, and his ultimatum to Jol of what he wants achieved with the club sits simultaneously with the stories coming out of Stamford bridge. The Chelsea fans are understandably blaming Abramovich for Mourinho leaving, but however must be careful that they do not upset him to the point of him saying that he has had enough also; which will be detrimental to the club as it is his money that had propelled them to the status that they are at now.

Whatever the king says goes and it would take a brave man to stand up to the king, who has ultimate power, but Mourinho had got to a point where he could not sacrifice his principles any further. For if you are going to employ a manager for your club (even though you are paying him extortionate amounts of money), you have employed him to manage the team. In layman’s terms, this means the owner owns the team and the team manages. Otherwise what is he paying Jose £5.2 million for? This hands on approach can work, but not when you have a manager of Jose Mourinho quality working for you. But having Avram Grant at the helm might prove as a smokescreen for Abramovich’s managerial tendencies.

Character, is a special thing in English football and Jose Mourinho, had this in abundance. Yes he was a bastard, yes he was arrogant, yes he was controversial and yes he was opinionated above the watermark; but he backed this up by delivering results, raising the standards and making the premiership more competitive. He indeed talked the talk, but also walked the walk, drawing comparisons with another great club manager of English football: Brian Clough. Mourinho was the modern day continental equivalent of “Ol’ big head”. It can be said that Abramovich bought Chelsea the league titles with his investment, but in order to do this he would have had to acquire the services of a world-class manager such as Mourinho, who had won the Champions league with Porto before he came to Chelsea. If he had given the position to a Sam Allardyce or a Harry Redknapp, i doubt Chelsea would of achieved the same success. Although we can also measure Mourinho’s time at Chelsea to Rafa Benitez who before this season had spent less money than his Portuguese counterpart but managed to surprisingly win the Champions league in 2005; however the premiership he has yet to achieve. It is testament to Mourinho’s pedigree that in his first season in charge of Chelsea he won premiership title that they had failed to do since 1955, and with record points total 95. On the Chelsea Website Jose Mourinho stated:

“I am very proud of my work in Chelsea Football Club and I think my decision in May 2004 to come to England was an excellent one. It was a beautiful and rich period of my career. I want to thank all Chelsea FC supporters for what I believe is a never ending love story.”

Chelsea’s previous manager Claudio Ranieri now manager of Juventus endured himself to the Chelsea fans through his nice guy approach and Johnny Foreigner attitude to English. But Abramovich did not want a nice guy he wanted a winner; someone who would bring the club what he had invested heavily in, trophies and success. Ranieiri’s time at Chelsea therefore was not going to last long and the Russian billionaire went out on a search to find that very person who he thought could bring him that success that he wanted. In search for the ultimate manager he scouted Europe for a manager and came up with Jose who had just won the Champions league with an un-fancied Porto side. Therefore if Mourinho’s exodus from Chelsea was in part due to the fact that he failed to win the Champions league for Chelsea in his three year spell, then this would show that his pedigree as a manger was also his downfall at Stamford bridge. Winning the Champions league with Porto in a short space of time gave Abramovich the disillusionment that Mourinho could do the same with Chelsea.

Prior to coming to Chelsea, Mourinho had many suitors wanting his hand in marriage. In response to this interest Mourinho was reported in the Telegraph in 2004 as saying:

“Liverpool are a team that interests everyone and Chelsea does not interest me so much because it is a new project with lots of money invested into it. i think that it is a project which if the club fail to win everything, then Abramovich could retire and take money out of the club . Its an uncertain project. It is interesting for a coach to have the money to buy quality players but you never know if a project like this will bring success.”

So whereas other managers might be excited at the prospect Mourinho was prophetically more weary. Any football manager at a club should be able to govern the team according to his job description. What had allegedly occurred at Chelsea should definitely have no place in English football. This shows the club as another Real Madrid in the making: gallictico superstars, a succession of managers, a succession of past prime players and below par performances. From Mourinho’s previous job at FC Porto we can see that he is not a gallactico type manager; having signed unwanted players such as Maniche from Benefica, and unknowns like Paulo Ferreira from Vitoria Setubal.

If Mourinho had not wanted Shevchenkco, then why was the Ukranian bought then forced to play against the managers wishes? Analysing the run up to Mourinho’s departure we are able to see a series of interesting events. Mourinho had not played Sheva for the first 5 games of the season even though he was fit, in the Champions league game against Rosenberg after Shevchenko had scored the equaliser, his celebration was abstruse; the punching of the air and aggressiveness, is something that i have called an “in your face” celebration. So to the other reason why Mourinho and Abramovich ended their love affair due in part with Abramovich’s dissatisfaction in not witnessing his team play attractive football. Unsurprisingly though both Chelsea supporters and football nuetrals felt the same way. Once upon a time the inclusion of Michael Ballack and Andriy Shevchenko in any squad would of given that team an extra impetus, but for Chelsea this has been far from the case. Mourinho had tried to implement both players who had both come from impressive reputations into an established Chelsea squad but ended up with negative results. What many people have observed is that Chelsea play best when playing with wingers in a 4-3-3 formation and there was a resurgence of this attacking type of play this season where Shuan Wright Phillips had excelled. Chelsea can and have played attractive football in the three years under Mourinho, but when they have played ugly they have still come out with result. Bearing in mind injuries and what have you Mourinho has had to adapt his squad in order to get the best out of his team. The need for attractive football which any neutral would love to see can be said to be an element of Abramovichs’ desire to make Chelsea a global brand in the same way (which I may not hasten to name this team again) Real Madrid has done, and Manchester United has done in the past. A series of interesting clues point to this theory. Peter Kenyon’s appointment as chief executive in 2004; the countless marketing and P.R involvement with Samsung mobile phone Addidas etc and Harry Ramsden’s being replaced by a Marco Pierre White restaurant. All this aside and the sentiments of what Chelsea supporters are expressing in mourning of the departure of their special one success o its own will never be enough for Abramovich.

Jose Mourinho soundbites:

“Please dont call me arrogant, but i’m a European champion and i think i am a special one” Jose Mourinho introduces himself to the English.

“If i wanted an easy job i would of stayed at Porto-Beautiful blue chair, the Uefa Champions league trophy, God, and after God, me.” establishes his position in metaphysical terms.

“For me pressure is bird flu. It’s not fun and i’m more scared of it than football.” Prior to a tense clash with Barcelona he identifies what concerns him the most.

“Look at my haircut. I am ready for war” On his fashion faux pa

“He has zero trophies and i have a lot of them” Smack talk with Frank Rijkaard.

“Three years without a premiership title? Idont think i’d still be in a job” On Rafael Benitez and boardroom politics

“Wenger is a real problem with us and i think he is what you call in England a voyeur” Basically calling Le boss a pervert.

“No eggs, no omelettes! It depends on th equality of the eggs. In the supermarket some are more expensive than others. So when the class 1 eggssare in Waitrose and you cannot go there and have a problem” Seaguls and Sardines. Cantonaesque.

“Young players are like melons. Only when you open and taste the melon are you sure its good” Grocery metaphors again

“We all want to play great music all the time, but if  that is not possible you have to hit as many right notes as you can” music metaphor

“How do you say cheating in Catalan?” accusing Lionel Messi faking a foul to get Assier Del Horno sent off in a Champions league clash against FC Barcelona

“If you ask me if i jump with happiness when i know Mr Poll is the referee? No” A big fan of the former referee.

“It is not possible penalties against Manchester United, and it is not possiblepenalties in favour of Chelsea. If somebody punishes me because i tell the truth it is the end of democracy. We go back to the old ages.” conspiracy of penalties being given against Manchester United.

” When i saw Rijkaard entering the referees dressing room i couldn’t believe it. When Didier Drogba got sent off i didn’t get surprised”Comments against Frank Rijkaard which earned him two match ban in a 2005 champions league clash against FC Barcelona

Links:
The Observer reported a John Terry fall out of which the player has threatened to take legal action.

The Guardian (Zoe Williams)  the seven ages of Mourinho. A look back at a special career of the “special one”

Filed under: Chelsea, football, soccer, sports , football, sports

Depatures from English Football.

The completion of two major transfers occured last night, where Arjen Robben left West London and Gabriel Hienze left Manchester both bound for Madrid. Robben claims in the Guardian that “Chelsea should of done more to keep me”, which is funny considering he requested the move, and besides who would want to keep a player no matter how talented that player is (and Robben is immensely talented) who is always on the injury bench?? Heinze finally got his move away from Manchester, and  the Telegraph reports on whether Heinze will still take further action against Manchester United blocking his “dream move” to Liverpool.

Elsewhere Roy Keane lands the services of Andrew Cole who will reunite with the manager and Dwight Yorke. (football.co.uk)

Filed under: Chelsea, football, football transfers, liverpool, manchester united, soccer, sports

Match of the Weekend (and the rest of the games)

As i cannot physically write all match reports i am going to pick out the best game then links for the rest.

Chelsea 3  Birmingham City 2

Last season, if Chelsea were to be compared to a national football team it would probably be Italy, with their philosophy of Catenaccio (bolt door). The emphasis here is on defence and organisation, then nicking the odd goal at the other end. This season , and judging from their first game, the agenda has changed for Mourinho’s Chelsea, with the aim to play less like Italy and more like Brazil. Therefore if the opposition scores two past your side, you should aim to score three.

One of Mourinho’s soundbites from last season, was his criticism of a particular team that although won a match, had still let in too many goals for his liking. He had described that match as a cricket score and not a game of football. However his team were singing to a different tune on Sunday, with the starting lineup speaking for itself. He employed a classic 4-4-2 formation with the inclusion of two pacy wingers and a pair of nimble strikers. The outcome of this was a free and easy approach for the West Londoners that could make space for itself but at the price of allowing scope for the opposition

The Chelsea player who seemed to most benefit most from this free flowing type of football was the much censured Shuan Wright-Phillips. Previously and if i were to be metaphoric, the winger played as if he were constrained to something; an object a type of play, always fighting to break free yet to no avail. On Sunday he was playing as if he had dispose of these shackles , and had garnered a renewed self confidence that enabled him to pop up everywhere down the right flank, deliver inviting crosses and give the opposition full back a torrid time.

With Mourinho’s new faith in wingers in his set up, it was down to them after Birmingham had first taken the lead, and then equalised , to rescue three points for his side. Chelsea began the game with intent, a crossfield ball from Shuan Wright-Phillips finding Salomon Kalou on the left side of the Birminham penalty area where he squared for the onrushing Malouda who could only see his shot sail over the bar. Their second relevant attack came when Wright-Phillips hustled Steve Ridgewell for the ball on the right wing. Ridgewell tried to intercept the ball but could only clear under pressure to  new signing Claudio Pizarro. Pizarro plays in Wright-Phillips whop has broken free and has found himself one-on-one with the keeper. From a tight angle S.W.P sends his shot wide, and if he can improve on his finishing like he has done with the rest of his game in this match he shall be one to reckon with this season.

After all this pressure from the home side, it is however the visitors who open the scoring. In the 15th minute, Ricardo Carvalho gives away afree kick near the edge of the area. As Gary Mc Shefrey sends the free kick in, captain Steve Ridgewell helps it on its way in the air, giving Mikael Forsell the easiest task of nodding the ball past Petr Cech with his head. Being a former Chelsea boy himself, and appreaciating how the fans stood by him when he had injury problems he neglects to celebrate the goal.

The response from Chelsea was almost immeadiate. Michael Essien sends a long ball to WrighT-Phillips on  the far right who then lays it off for Malouda. Malouda returns th ball to Wright Phillips, who has made a run into the Birmingham area who cuts the ball back for Pizarro to score. In the 31st minute Chelsea found themselves in thelead. Salomon Kalou sends a cross from the left into the area but it is cleared but only as far as Malouda who is covering the position of Ashley Cole. Running with the ball at the Birmingham defence, Malouda puts in a through ball for Frank Lampard, who subsequntly backheels it for Kalou. After still continuing his run, Malouda finds himself with a one-on-one with Birmingham keeper Doyle, after a brilliant ball from Kalou. As seen in the Community shield the French winger seems to be great in these sort of positions and hits it first time past Doyle into the net.

Birminham’s response to Malouda’s goal was to hit back after approximatly four minutes. Spotting the weakness in Chelsea’s defence in Glen Johnson, Olivier Kapo Birmingham’s aquisition from Juventus teased and tormented the right back  on the right, before skipping past him and unleashing a thunderous shot past the helpless Cech. If the score had remained as it were the Birminham players would of been satisfied in getting a great result against the former Premiership winners and FA Cup holders at the Bridge. However Chelsea’s Micheal Essien had other ideas. From a great pull back from Wright-Phillips Essien’s powerful drive managed to beat Doyle and earn the Blues three points.

The win has ensured that Mourinho’s side had set a new unbeaten league record of 64  at home.  They achieved this while playing with creativity, and class and that the win merited. The trip to Reading on Wednesday shall be intriging with Mourinho stating that he will continue to play the same way with Wright-Phillips keeping his place. But when Terry comes back and Didier Drogba returns to full fitness, will Mourinho continue on this course in order to regain the Premiership, or will he favour the cricket score?

 The rest of the matches courtesy of “A cultured left foot” (Arsenal) and “Sky Sports”.

West ham 0-2 Manchester City (Sky)

Aston Villa 1-2 Liverpool (Sky)

Bolton 1-3 Newcastle United (Sky)

Derby 2-2 Portsmouth (Sky)

Everton 2-1 Wigan (Sky)

Middlesborogh 1-2 Blackburn (Sky)

Sunderland 1-0 Tottenham (Sky)

Manchester United 0-0 Reading (Sky)

Arsenal 2-1 Fulham (A cultured left foot)

Filed under: Chelsea, birmingham, football, premiership, soccer, sports

5 players set to storm the Premiership

1 Carlos Tevez (Manchester United)

Amid  the “Tevez-gate” stories that have been circulating in the media, there is no denying the talent that this Argentine striker possesses. When he first arrived on the scene in Argentina at Boca Juniors, he was dubbed “the new Maradonna” and indeed he draws many paralells to the Argentinian legend. Born in the back streets of Bueno Aires, he was a child footballing prodigy,  and he played for and is a boyhood soccer fan of Boca Juniors, but the similarities lie in the fact that they are both extremly gifted. Though he has not reached the legendary status of the Argentinian demi-god or had the success of him on the international level; he has none the less been a success at every club he has played at, starting with the clubs he played for in South America (Boca, Corinthians), to his stint at West Ham where he practically saved the whole team from relegation. Watching him last season it is easy to see why Manchester United were so eager to add him to an already impressive squad. He has flair, great technique, pace and courage and he is always comitted. In addition to these qualities he has an important ability that even when things are not going well on the pitch, he never seems demoralised. This is what you need in your team,  if you are a manager that wants to win trophies. Manchester United’s aquisition of this “new Maradonna” has laid out their intentions for the coming season. Without Tevez they could retain their premiership trophy but with him they might just win the Campions league. Football Vid

2 Fernando Torres (Liverpool)

“El nino”,  ”The kid” or “Baby face” as he is often refered to, is a La Liga legend at only 23,  having scored 75 goals in five seasons whilst playing for Atletico Madrid. Tall and lanky, yet athletic and extremly fast he is also exceptionally good in the air as well as being adept with his feet. Arriving at Liverpool and obtaining the number 9 shirt once worn by greats Robbie Fowler and Ian Rush, he aimed to prove to the Kop faithful that he is and will be a footballing idol in the same respect as his former number 9 predessors. In truth it is fiting that he wears this shirt number because he is a classic number 9 style centre forward. Added to his physicality and his dominating height presence (6″1 ,though still not as tall as Crouch), he has great skill and he should prove a welcome addition to an already impressive Liverpool team.

3 Florent Malouda (Chelsea) 

To count the French exports that have not fared well on English land i have managed to muster up two names. (message me if you have any more). Step forward Gilles Grimandi and Pascal Cygan, whose “footballing talents” were never appreciated on this soil (although they did manage to grab premiership medals with their club). Coming from Lyon, one of the most successful clubs in France, Malouda signifies the ethos of the French club of possessing and nurturing great footballing talents. After all this is the club that also gave the premiership Michael Essien. Malouda operates on the left-wing and can also play as a second striker or behind the front two. He is pacy and can provide for his team, mazy dribbles, neat one-twos, clever link up plays as well as an impeccable work rate and is often found traking back to help out his defenders (it would be interesting to see how his partnership with Ashley Cole develops) He also likes to get inside the box

4 Eduardo Da Silva (Arsenal)

 “There is a boy…who is very special. Believe me he can do things” Slavan Bilic  Croatia under-21 coach.

 Remember when Arsenal said that all they needed was a ‘fox in the box’? That was quite a while ago now, however  they still haven’t found one. The Arsenal of Wenger’s reign, plays perhaps the best football in the premiership, but often frustrations occur when the fans just want someone to ‘have it’  and shoot in the oppositions net, instead of just trying to walk the ball into the goal (no matter how pretty it looks). There was Francis Jeffers, and last season Jean Baptista, but they failed to add that cutting edge that Arsenal needed. That poachers instinct. This though is set to change after the £7.5 million signing of Eduardo Da Silva from Dinamo Zagreb. With the loss of Thierry Henry over the summer, a man who himself could get 30 goals or so over a season, Edauardo Da Silva is by no means his replacement. But he can guarantee goals. He has scored a around 83 goals in the Croatian league and last season he managed to score an impressive 34 goals in 32 appearances. These sort of statistics are not normally found in the modern game and perhaps Da Silva is a player from another era,  comparable to a Gerd Muller or Paulo Rossi or a ‘Dixie’ Dean. Although he has yet to perform at the highest level, he has managed to help propell Croatia to the top of the Euro 2008 qualifying group of which includes the England team. He will be a welcome addition to the Arsenal team. 

see link for player stats and the like at Goal.com : http://china.goal.com/en/Articolo.aspx?ContenutoId=343313

5 Gareth Bale (Tottenham)

When you become Wales youngest ever international at 16 years and 315 days, and you have Arsenal, Liverpool, Manchester United, Chelsea and Tottenham chasing you to sign on the dotted line, you may start to believe that you are something special. Gareth Bale is  something special, and this is why Tottenham parted with £10 million to land this defender. Bale is everythink you want your fulback to be; defensively sound but also a brilliant attacker. He gets forward and overlaps well whenever he can, but is always at the back extinguishing any danger . Technically sound, his left foot is probably one of the most gifted left foots since Ryan Giggs. He also is adept at scoring brilliant free kicks one of which made him become Wales youngest ever scorer when he executed one past Slovakia in October 2006. The step up from Championship to Premiership will be a challenge for the Welsh youngster but I’m pretty sure he will cope with this well.

Football vid

Filed under: Chelsea, arsenal, football, liverpool, manchester united, premiership, soccer, sports, tottenham

The season starts here (Chelsea v Man U, Community Shield)

Chelsea 1-1 Manchester United

(Manchester win 3-0 on penalties.)

So this being the curtain raiser for the upcoming season, grudges and hurt feelings are put to one side and a fresh new start is welcomed. This was exeplified by Mourinho and Ferguson exchanging pleasantaries; handshakes laughs and banter and all before their teams met to do battle in the Community  Shield Cup. Who knows what they were laughing and joking about, but one could imagine it had something to do with the tabloid beef that has been reported extensivley between the top two managers. Maybe they were laughing about how they pulled one over the leg of the media, making us think that they are always fueding, but really they hold a very tight friendship.

If the managerial-conflict-slate had been swept clean, then the play from the last time these two teams met in the FA Cup definately had not. The match was marginally better than the FA Cup final, but it still lacked vasts amount of action. For that, the 80,00 strong Wembley crowd had to wait till the 21st minute, when Ryan Giggs effort was expertly deflected over by Ashley Cole. Cole, named man of the match by the Wembley authorities was effective but did not warrant enough of time to truly have an impact on the match.

In a Chelsea team that were missing Terry through injury, theChelsea defence did well without their pivitol leader; Ben Haim in particular proving a worthy understudy to the injured captain. In midfield Essien was immaculate as ever, proving Mourinho’s theory of Mr Flexible, that he did not want him anywhere else. If Essien is not in midfiled then Chelsea is a weaker team. The Ghanian international was everywhere mopping up any danger that was forced on his team.  Frank Lampard and Joe Cole ( and Lampard in particular) produced perhaps the poorest display for Chelsea. There were no darting runs or dribbles from either of them. More often than not there were too many back passes for these two talented attackers. But perhaps I belive that this was a consequnce of congestion in the midfield and of course they were missing the big guy Didier Drogba to win balls in the air and provide knock backs.

As the two teams were active in the transfer market this summer both set of fans were eager to see their new summer signings tested. Manchester United had none of their new signings on the first team sheet, but to be fair most of their new signings were injured or experiencing other problems. So we never saw any Hargrieves or Anderson but got a brief glipse of the youngster Nani. On the Chelsea side we got to see four new recruits; two of those purchased from other leagues. Sidwell did well in the time that was given to him as did Pizarro, who had a few neat touches. But the one who made the most impact was the Frenchman Florent Malouda and it was there for all to see why Chelsea were willing to part with £13.5 million to purchase the winger. In the 45th minute Ashley Cole sent a pass up the left wing which Malouda chased and brought the ball into the area, as the onrushing Ferdinand tried to stop him. Showing the strength to hold of Ferdinand and the athleticism to get in the box he managed to loft the ball past the impressive Van der Sar and equalise after Ryan Giggs 35th minute opener.

Wright-Phillips was effective on the right getting past his marker Patrice Evra on numerous occasions and always looking for the ball and getting into good positions so his team mates could pass to him.  Apart from new boy Malouda Wright-Phillips seemed to be the only Chelsea player shining. However with all that skill on display there was never any end product, and the crosses were poor. No one is questioning his commitment to the cause as he busted his gut working for the team; and the Chelsea fans are behind him because of this (they have less tolerance for Shevchenko), but how long will this faith last?

Someone who had the same problem as Wright-Phillips when he first joined Man United, but has effectively put this all behind him was Christiano Ronaldo. Before the game he had stated in a tabloid paper that he has not spoken to Mourinho for three months since the Portugesse manager said that he had ill manners. Ronaldo was fairly unnoticeable in this match, and his performances summed up the match as a whole-boring. There was cheers of derision from the Chelsea faithful when the Portugesse winger had tried to execute a step over and drag back to trick his opponents but only ended up tricking himself; tripping over the ball while it trailed behind him. His telling contribution, (but still an important one) was when he played a one two with Patrice Evra, and his resultant through ball set up Evra to launch a telling pass back to cut back for Ryan Giggs to clinicaly finish past Petr Cech.

United’s defence were as immaculate as Chelsea’s with Vidic and Dutch keeper Van der Saar deserving a special mention, though all they had to deal with, was Joe Cole in an unfamiliar role. Wes Brown however, who is not a natural right back, was reluctant to overlap, and here is where I think they will miss the injured Gary Neville. In midfield, Michael Carrick was superb and he hardly ever gave the ball away and showed that Owen Hargrieves will have his work cut out trying to displace him from this position. Attacking wise, Wayne Rooney seemed to be at the forefront of everything good for United even sometimes his passing had let him down. Whenever he got the ball you always sensed that something was going to happen, and it was a joy to watch his ongoing bout on the pitch with Carvalho that earned both of them bookings.

The penalty shootout gave Edwin Van Der Sar the chance for Ferguson to still put faith in him after lapses in concentration last season. The Dutch keeper threw himself to the right to deny Claudio Pizarro; he guessed the same way with Frank Lampard’s shot and finally saved Wright-Phillips left angled penalty kick. Leaving Wayne Rooney with little pressure when he stepped up to dispatch his penalty past Cech after Ferdinand and Carrick had scored theirs and thus clinching the shield for his team.

VAN DER SAR= man of the match

Filed under: Chelsea, football, manchester united, soccer, sports

David Beckham’s American dream

   

“I believe in America. America has made my fortune” a statement uttered in the classic movie the Godfather, where the undertaker Amerigo Bonasera explains to Marlon Brando’s godfather his disillusionment with the American dream. A parallel may be drawn with the superstar that is David Beckham, who has finally landed in the USA; and to be more geographically precise, in Los Angeles: the city of Angels and the zenith of this American dream, although David has already made his fortune before he entered the US. At the moment David is embracing this dream with open arms, but when will this bubble burst?

 If David Beckham’s life was a movie or a book of fiction it would be fitting that he ended up there. Local boy from the east end of Leytonstone, coming up smelling of roses and ending up in Los Angeles where everyone is a superstar and everyone looks a million dollars. The book or film will thus end at this point in his life a happy ending, where he has achieved everything he wants to achieve, walking away into the distance and the sun sets in front of him moulding his image into a beautiful black silhouette. The problem with this ideal though is that, this is not Blockbuster Hollywood movie, this is real life and this is soccer… im sorry football. 

 It is still hazy to me why Beckham had chose to go to the US, because going there to play football seems to me to be one of those things you do when you know your footballing abilities will not be appreciated anywhere else in any respectable “footballing” country, therfore you go there to play out your last days as a good footballer- or if your just rubbish a footballer (see Abel Xavier). To sum up its football suicide. But he is neither rubbish, nor does he have fading abilities, as witnessed in the role he played in helping Real Madrid to win La Liga over their rivals Barcelona, or by his return from exile to the England

national squad where he was the best English player by far.  People have said that he is going there for the money. Well lets analyse this because I doubt this for one second. David Beckham has made so much money that he can retire now and his great grand children will still be well off. With the $50 million dollars he is due to get from LA Galaxy over a period of five years, i am pretty sure he could of achieved that same amount of salary from anywhere in Europe. So this boils down to the final criteria, did David go over there for the football/soccer?  Was his journey across the Atlantic in aid to vitalise American soccer and make it popular for Americans? David Fuller who is responsible  for managing the Beckham’s careers said in an interview with the Times that:

“David has already won everything in club football in Europe. So he wins another league title. So what? I am not downplaying that as an achievement, but people need to realise what has brought him out here.

“What they don’t understand is that people like David need a challenge. Most people are scared, they lack confidence. If you have a dream, you have to have the bottle to chase it, otherwise it will haunt you for the rest of your life. And David has the passion for football and the confidence in himself to do that. “

All this coming from a person who has a background in managing pop acts. And this is where I see the problem. David Beckham is constantly trying to prove that he is more than a brand and show that he is actually a good footballer. When people talk of David Beckham as  the footballer they say that he’s good at crosses and free kicks and thats it, but there is more to him than that: he is a great passer (ideal for a midfielder), and a tireless worker. If we were to compare him to a footballer today who is reverred for his ability i would have to say Andreas Pirlo: and of course that player is quality.

What is obvious is that other people want him in L.A to generate money from his revenue-gathering-superstar-good-looks.  This is not the first time this has happenend either. Real Madrid it seemed only purchased the player as a marketing tool to boost shirt sales and expand the clubs standing in the oriental market. This is perhaps why Fabio Capello came into conflict with Beckham as he was not able diferentiate the difference between the ‘image’ and the ‘quality’ of the player. When he did realise that Beckham was actually a good player (not just crosses, free kicks and a pretty face), he became an important part of the Real Madrid team.

Speaking in his documentary on ITV1, Beckham stated that :

“Many things excite me to be honest, the challenge of making soccer big in this country , it is a huge and passionate country. It is something i would be so proud to be able to do” “I have always said that in my career and in my life i have made decisions that i never want to regret . I always made that vow to myself and i believe in this move…i believe that i could turn around football in America”

Indeed David Beckham is America’s and Major league soccer’s most high profile player yet, and that is including Pele, Cruyff, Beckenbauer, Best and the like. His expectant debut against Chelsea last month, drew in a sold out crowd in the 27,000 Home Depot capacity stadium, where Beckham played for the last 13 minutes.

see debut here.

 Some tickets on the day costing up to a total of $1, 400 (£680). His appeal can clearly draw in the true American die hard “soccer” fans out there, but to quote a word from the man himself it would be a “challenge” to convert the percentage of sports enthusiasts in America, who care more for American football, Basketball, or baseball. After all, American sports fans are used to high scoring games of double figures, so to witness a game where the score ended 4-2 would seem as a dissapointment and would be viewed as a boring game.

Though this article is trying to refrain from being anti Beckham (mainly becuse most of the media seems to be doing that anyway), I believe that he will fail his mission to import the worlds most biggest sport to the worlds most economically prosperous country. And what will that make of his England career? The 32 year old is 4 short of a century of caps. His name will most likely be included in the England squad list for Englands friendly against Germany at Wembley, provided he is fit but will we see Beckham for England in Euro 2008 and will he play any part in the remainder of the qualifying games? Only time will tell. He has already been dismissed once by McClaren and if he is this far away from Europe it may be easy for football to forget about him.

David Beckham’s American dream « Goalpost Online

Filed under: Chelsea, football, soccer, sports