Oop the East Lancs Road
for a jaunt to the Eastlands Stadium.
Cra ppy weather in Manchester (no change
there then really), and some pretty cra ppy football from Manchester City. Everton played very well and ran out fairly
comfortable two goal winners. Howard
gets tested late, Hibbo stifles Petrov, Elano is cr ap, Benjani is AWOL in the
second half and we have a red for the petulant Bulgarian. Stiles, well some quite good and some pretty
awful.
Short trip North East ensures a
good away turnout in Manchester. The weather didn’t douse the fans’ enthusiasm
or voices. Spark is added to the match
with Everton old boys Dunne and Ball playing for City and the stadium is a
regular haven for managers and ex managers.
Taking a pew are Big Sam, Peter Reid, Roy Keane, Steve Bruce and Fabio
Capello. On the pitch it’s a European
six pointer.
Moyes changes the side that
thrashed SK Brann and opts for a familiar 4 4 1 1. Howard keeps goal, Hibbert slots in at right
back, Yobo, Jagielka and Lescott operate to his left. Carsley and Neville sit deep with Pienaar
Osman and Cahill getting licenses to attack with Yakubu as the main forward. Some might call this 4 2 3 1 or 4 5 1 or 4 2
2 1, really just ignore them.
A SCOT AND A SWEDE WATCH THE BLUE ACTION AT EASTLANDS!
Hard to change a winning team so
Sven doesn’t. The Swede selects the same
eleven that beat Manchester United. Hart
keeps goal with a back four of Onuoha, Richards, Dunne and Ball, the five man
midfield is Petrov, Ireland, Fernandes, Hamman, Vassel
with Benjani up front on his own. A
pretty standard 4 5 1, although perhaps best suited to the away side.
City starts off on the front foot
and gets nowhere. All half they had
plenty of possession and did nothing with it, Howard had to come and punch or
claim a few balls but didn’t have to save.
Everton defended thirty yards out and a narrow City just kept mindlessly
bashing up against a blue wall.
City’s best cross came just
before the interval when Fernandes whipped a ball between Howard and the
defenders, Benjani spent too much time wondering what it was and the chance
went.
The visitors threatened Hart all
the first half, crisply bringing the ball out of defence or from a ball won in
midfield and going straight at City with pace and bags of ideas.
Richards probably didn’t give
Everton it’s first penalty of the Premier League season as Stiles was blind or
just unsighted.
Hart saves well from Yakubu at
the near post.
Pienaar hits the bar.
Finally the traveling fans get
their goal. Feed the Yak and he Will
Score!
A deep throw in down the right
comes infield to Yakubu, Cahill’s running off Hamman finds the diminutive Ozzie
in space, he beats the first man and whips a cross through the legs of the
second, Yakubu had continued his run and finishes with clarity and clamness
over Hart. Great move, super finish and
a well earned 0-1.
FEED THE YAK AND HE WILL SCORE - THAT'S SIXTEEN FOR THE SEASON SO FAR!
City’s response, Petrov; stifled
all night by Hibbert; blast one wide from twenty five yards.
Carsley is feeling up for the
game and starts an attack from his own half, he is fouled by Hamman on the edge
of the area and Stiles is just poor.
Everton keep cutting through the
City midfield and back line and win a corner, it goes way too long and the
Irishman is a willing runner. Carsley
looks up and lobs a ball to wards the back post, Dunne and Hart are ball
watching as Lescott adds to his excellent tally for the season with a neatly
finished looping header back over Hart and into the far corner. Sloppy defending seals the game.
GOAL SCORER AND GOAL PROVIDER CELEBRATE THE FORMER WOLVES DEFENDER'S EIGHGTH OF THE SEASON!
Eriksson removes Hamman; well
played by Cahill; and opts for the more fluid attacking verve of the Brazilian,
Elano. Moyes keeps his side the same,
just asks them to sit a little and take the pace out of the game.
Ball’s challenge prevents Cahill
from giving Everton and early 0-3 lead after good work with Yakubu off a throw
in.
City mount some pressure but
continue to be easy to defend, they lack width, Elano and Petrov aren’t
delivering good balls into the area, Benjani is barely a threat and the
substitutions don’t really change much.
It’s only in the final ten minutes when City start to try playground
football that Howard actually has some saves to make.
Mexican Castillo gets onto a
loose ball and fires through a crowd, Howard gets down well and Jagielka
clears.
Petrov fires one straight at
Howard, meat and drink.
A cross sees Howard punch the
ball against Benjani, Jagielka clears the loose ball.
Other than one Dunne chance; off
a dodgy free kick decision that Petrov delivered well; City were pretty dire
really.
Everton continued to threaten and
defend extremely well, Jagielka being outstanding alongside Yobo.
Pienaar is replaced by Fernandes
who is in turn replaced by JJohn son, perhaps worrying Moyes in terms of
upcoming games with Carsley suspended after a fifth Yellow.
JJohn son and the Yak had half
chances but Everton’s best second half chance fell to Carsley, the midfielder
took advantage of Stiles’ play on call and walloped the ball goalwards before
City had even organized a wall, Hart was equal to the shot and parried it
over.
Petrov’s petulance lands him in
hot water at the end of the match, an odd whistle from Stiles; although play
still goes on; see Yakubu run away from the Bulgarian who aims a kick at the
Nigerian. Nothing is given for that one. Almost at the end of the game Petrov looses
out to Osman and tries to play some footsie with the back of Osman’s calf.
Stiles thinks, “EH! I CAN GET IN THE HEADLINES TOMORROW LETS GIVE HIM A
STRAIGHT RED!” and dishes out an automatic three match ban. Even I thought it a bit harsh and I support
Everton.
PETROV TAKES AN EARLY BATH!
Everton outplayed and out thought
City in every department tonight. Bloody
brilliant performance from a team full of beans (‘swagger’ as Tim Sherwood
describes it). Threatening goals all
game and solid at the back, it could have been three or four nil instead of just
two nil. Many this season have talked
about how the team is pretty ‘workmanlike’ without Arteta. No Arteta tonight and hardly workmanlike!
Beating Manchester United was a
bit flukey and it showed. City tried
exactly the same stuff that didn’t work at Goodison and got beat. Substitutions didn’t work and moving from a 4
5 1 through to something resembling a 1 1 8 in the final minutes they still
barely troubled the visitors. Pretty
poor in all areas of the pitch. What can
be done to stop this malaise at home?
Stiles, headline grabbing
arse! He can play a good advantage
sometimes! How can the man who has given
more penalties than any other Premier League referee not point to the spot at
least once tonight? Burley slaughtered
him and I pretty much agree with most of what the Scot said. Still at the end of the day even cra ppy
refereeing couldn’t deny a thoroughly enjoyable win.
Ewood Park bathed in the sun of a Saturday afternoon
as the six or eight thousand traveling fans made the atmosphere sparkle. Three decisons changed the game. Despite the interference of the referee and
his assistant the game had plenty of talking points but not goals.
The trip to Blackburn meant
plenty of Blues fans had made the trip to Ewood Park. The weather was pleasant enough and the pitch
was in pretty decent condition. Teams
with European aspirations doing battle, the sort of game against your rivals
that is more important than the games against the top three, perhaps.
Without some key players Hughes
has to make do in defence. Friedel keeps
goal behind a makeshift back four of Emerton, Ooijer, Khizanishvili and
Warnock.
A five man midfield includes the
recently called up England man Bentley alongside Reid, Derbyshire, Dunn and
Pederson, Santa Cruz occupies the lone role up front in a 451 with the emphasis
on width and defence.
TURNER IS ABOUT 5'10" or 6' SO A STANDARD SIZED COFFIN WOULD BE ABOUT RIGHT...
Moyes battered by injuries and
ACoN absentees picks a pretty standard 4 4 1 1.
Howard keeps goal, Neville drops into the defence alongside Capello
favourite, Lescott, Jagielka and Baines.
Carsley sits in front of the back four alongside Fernandes, Osman plays
on the left with Arteta on the right. Cahill
operates behind Johnson in attack.
As early of the second minute
Blackburn show that they have been watching and preparing for the visit of
Everton, Santa Cruz
easily evades his marker and gets behind Carsley at the front post but glances
his header just wide.
Two sides with one foot in the
‘clean sheet then score’ camp provide a scrappy opening; space and time are at
a premium as defence and midfield are solid and clogged respectively.
Friedel’s first real test comes
after Lescott romps upfield and plays in Neville, the cross is good but
Johnson’s run isn’t and the big American stopper comes to claim the cross.
The visitors start to dominate
possession but don’t really do much with it.
SPOT THE BALL
Dunn gets a yellow for a tackle
on Arteta.
Blackburn’s
strength on the wide positions is demonstrated with a cunning Pederson free
kick.
Everton pressure from the right
sees Arteta play some give and go with Cahill, space opens up for the Spaniard
and Friedel does well to parry the ball wide, from the corner kick an Osman
drive narrowly misses the upright.
Bentley demonstrates his intent
as Everton display their closing down and the shot goes well high.
Dunn is bamboozled by a cheeky
Neville flick so deliberately uses his hand to win the ball. Riley is only a few yards away and gives the
foul but mysteriously decides that the rules for ‘deliberate handball’ don’t
apply this afternoon and all Dunn gets is a brief chat.
More Everton pressure and another
corner kick and Jagielka’s stab is headed off the line from Dunn.
Neither manager makes half time
changes.
The first half starts with a wh!z
b@ng wh@llop.
Bentley forces a good save from
Howard as he breaks down the right channel and unleashes an unexpected low
drive. Howard clears his lines quickly
and Everton are on the counter, good work down the left see the ball arrive at
Cahill’s feet, he spots the late run of Fernandes and lays the perfect ball on
a plate for the Portuguese midfielder.
The away fans behind the goal groan as Fernandes manages to whack the
ball straight at Friedel.
The play calms down but Everton
retain the ball better and attack better, they aren’t able to really test
Friedel.
Arteta has his range on the dead
ball deliveries and a fantastic cross from the right is too good for anybody
else on the pitch and sails harmless through the six yard box at the perfect height
for the merest of glances to turn it in the net.
The game drags on and starts to
get feisty, two or three dodgy calls from Greg Turner, one classic in which
Arteta is bustled off the ball from behind his flag goes up for a Blackburn
throw in and Riley comes rumbled over from thirty odd yards away and reverses
the awful and wrong decision.
Fernandes hits the base of a much
relieved Friedel from a free kick.
Hughes makes a second change and
turns the game, Tu#### replaces Derbyshire which added to the inclusion
previously of McCarthy gives Blackburn that
boost up front and in the middle. The
game is more open now with Blackburn able to
keep the ball, build pressure and threaten Howard.
Late on Vaughn shows great desire
and beats a Blackburn defender to the ball,
Friedel comes out but Vaughn shows his mettle with a challenge against Friedel
that wins the ball, the Everton substitute is first to the loose ball and hooks
it into the path of the onside Johnson, the Everton striker rounds and
Khizanishvili and scores. Only when the
ball is in the net does Mr. Turner raise his flag for offside.
GLEN, WORLD CUP OR NOT YOU GOT IT WRONG YESTERDAY!
Tu#### has a late chance and to
end the game Santa Cruz
gets free in the area and smashes the ball just over the crossbar.
Everton played well enough
considering they fielded two players carrying knocks and a third who is not
fully match fit. They played well in
parts against a difficult opponent and created some good chances that they failed
to take. When they did take them they
were penalized. Had they played the
match against the ten men following Dunn’s handball things may have been
different.
A point away isn’t too bad a
result and we are still in fourth. The
team is missing Yakubu, Pienaar and Yobo.
Hughes played a makeshift back
four that managed to keep a clean sheet.
His substitutions made the game closer than it should have been and he
got lucky with some wrong decisions. His
team is built to be hard and tough but that hampers the goal threat. Considering a point against a top four team
is quite a good result for Sparky. His
moaned about McCarthy not getting a penalty can be ignored, he was fifty yards
away at the time.
Riley was his usual good
self. Plenty of common sense applied and
officiated with a smile and without getting flustered.
Three decisions changed the
game.
First only he knows why he
ignored the following and let Dunn continue to play.
Disciplinary sanctions
There
are circumstances when a caution for unsporting behaviour
is
required when a player deliberately handles the ball, e.g. when a
player:
•
deliberately and blatantly handles the ball to prevent an opponent
gaining
possession
Second he ran thirty or more
yards to correct a wrong call from the near touchline assistant referee, Glen
Turner.
Third he didn’t stop play when
McCarthy went down quicker than a strumpet’s knickers at Mardi Gras under the
challenge of Jagielka.
Glen Turner may have gone to Germany to
officiate at the World Cup but his wrong offside decision against Andy Johnson
was poor form. You can see it in his
mind, “these blue boys have been shouting at me all this half, and I’ll show
them”. If an assistant doesn’t actually
know how to recognize what an offside is or isn’t then he shouldn’t be on the
touchline.
JJB Stadium; a football game in a rugby town, a football game on a
rugby pitch. Perhaps that’s why the
stadium is rarely filled for football?
Both Moyes and Bruce keep improving their sides. Today though Everton were an example of a
team not playing particularly well but taking all three points. Wigan had more ball but couldn’t really use
it, Bramble has his usual howler and the pitch more than played a part in an
away win.
...and it was only after I'd finished burying him that I realized his coffin was upside down..!
Almost a local derby; but not
quite; plenty of fans made the trip to the JJB Stadium from the City Of Culture. Expectations were high from both sides. Moyes’ side continues to do well in the
Premier League and Bruce’s squad seem too good to go down. The pitch was heavy and was cutting up during
pre match practice. Kept on the heavy
side for the rugby games; it’s not a great surface to play on, for either
side.
Bruce selected a bit of pace and
guile wide but more grit and grind in the middle, height and crosses looked to
be the order of the day. Pretty orthodox
4 4 2 for the ex United defender, Kirkland
keeps goal behind a back line of Melchiot, Scharner, Bramble and Kilbane
(himself an ex Blue). The middle had new
signing Palacios on the right with Brown and Landzaat inside him and Valencia
on the left. Bent and Heskey provide
brawn up front.
Moyes goes with his familiar 4 4
1 1. Howard keeps goal, Hibbert,
Lescott, Jagielka and Valente provide the defence. Carsley sits in front of the back four
alongside Neville, Osman; returning after injury and Arteta. Cahill operates behind Johnson in attack. Johnson and Osman returning to fitness is a
boost as is the form of Jagielka. This
team provides a limited type of attack but plenty of options from
midfield.
Palacios looks bright and show
some strength on the ball but poor finishing in the early going and for the
visitors Arteta shows a good first touch and a heavy second in the Wigan area.
The opening play is patchy;
neither team is helped by the heavy pitch which makes passes harder to pick out
and saps the strength of the runners.
Wigan
is playing some neat football on the left with Palacios showing well and in the
middle they are overpowering the visitors.
Their second half chance comes on the left with Valencia
cutting inside and laying the ball into Melchiot, the ex-Chelsea player misreads
the ball and Everton clear.
Arteta picks up a stupid yellow
card, he gets a second chance to deliver a better ball in from another free
kick in a similar position and Bramble does well to hurry Carsley whose volley
sails over the bar.
It takes Everton a little over
fifteen minutes to create their first good passing move, Johnson win the ball
in the middle and plays it to Neville, the return ball finds Johnson in space
and he is able to cross under pressure from Melchiot, Arteta has time to pick
his spot but only fires straight at Kirkland who is agile enough to parry the
ball away.
Wigan
get their first corner kick a little after twenty minutes, poor Everton marking
by Neville allows Bent a free header, Howard is alert enough to palm the ball
onto the bar before it is cleared.
Everton are disjointed and
struggling, which is as much down to Wigan’s harrying
physical play than as Everton’s incohesiveness and the heavy pitch.
Wigan
is having plenty of the ball, their approach work is good but the final ball in
or the finishing touch isn’t good enough.
Everton are sitting and defending and Heskey is losing the physical
battle with Lescott.
On thirty eight minutes Wigan
come undone, Everton continue with their dogged defending and Arteta plays a
speculative ball up the right flank, Johnson chases; as he has all game;
Bramble is perfectly positioned to cut across Johnson and play the ball back to
his keeper, the defender’s touch is terrible and Johnson nips in front to pick
up the soft back pass. one-on-one with Kirkland the striker
calmly slots the ball between the keeper’s legs for the opener.
Try not to do it against Chelsea!
Wigan’s
mistake prone defender shows some mettle with a few good challenges and
clearances in the moments after the goal.
Everton; rejuvenated by the goal;
come at Wigan and force a corner, Bent’s aerial prowess clears the first ball
behind but the second corner is horribly defended, a momentary lapse of
defensive skills for Wigan as the ball bounces around in the six yard box before
Osman hooks it to the back post, Lescott scores with a smash of a volley to net
his seventh of the season.
Melchiot and Valencia combine on the right to put in a good
cross but no Wigan player is alive to the
delivery.
Neither manager makes half time changes.
Wigan
start the second half in second gear as Everton look for a third, the home side
has to be alert to clear a well delivered Arteta free kick.
Two substitutions change the
complexion of the game. Bruce brings off
Heskey and Landzaat and brings on Sibierski and Koumas. The midfielder’s first touch is priceless, a
sweetly delivered ball to the back post which Howard comes for but doesn’t
reach, an unfortunate Jagielka is unable to move aside as the ball hits him and
caroms into the net. Really poor
goalkeeping.
The goal invigorates Wigan but their best moments all come from Koumas free
kicks which Everton aren’t inclined to be generous with.
Plenty of Wigan play in front of
the visitors but a lack o####ood final ball or a final ball which isn’t picked
up is a feature of Wigan’s play.
Vaughn’s introduction for Neville
gives Wigan some defensive problems and the game opens up a touch, but poor
passing deprives Wigan of their one sniff off
goal as they break quickly and leave Everton vulnerable.
The home side keeps plugging away
but can’t prise open he obdurate Everton defence.
Everton didn’t play well today, Wigan we’re able to frustrate them for most of the game,
defensively though the visitors looked calm and collected. What surprised me most were the
substitutions. The heavy pitch will have
taken its toll and Wigan weren’t exactly
peppering Howard’s goal so earlier and more substitutions would have made
sense. Let Anichebe, Vaughn and
Fernandes come on and give, Johnson, Cahill and Osman a rest. A good away win though when not at our best. Osman’s form was bright, with some good
passing, tackling and he almost bagged a sweet goal.
..Andy, it feels so smooth!
Bruce shows what he can do
without a huge investment in the team. Wigan played well for long stretches of the game with Palacios
bright throughout. They might feel they
deserved something from the game for their efforts but the contest is about
goals and they rarely tested Howard and rarely found balls to test the Everton
defence. The substitution’s had an
immediate impact and Koumas’ free kicks were Wigan’s
main threat.
Another game where they played
well but didn’t win. That form should
stand them in good stead when playing the sides further down the table.
Probert wasn’t very good. Inconsistent.
Lenient. Authoritarian. He didn’t get anything major wrong but got a
lot of the basics wrong. I’d love to get
a read of his match report to see why he booked Arteta. I don’t think I’ve ever seen a yellow card
given in that situation before. Cahill should have got a yellow.
Super Sunday – oh how the media darlings love a headline.
The Premier league floated the
boat when they drew up the fixture list for this season. Two games involving your recent ‘Big Four’ on
the same day with no other top level games to muddy the waters. Sky, Setanta, Auntie, Fox, whoever and
however the Premier League is going to be covered this weekend it will all be
about these two games; Manchester United’s visit to Anfield and Chelsea’s visit
to the Emirates; Andy Gray might by talking about Wigan v Blackburn but you know he’s focused
on Sunday.
The top three will remain the
same after Sunday but the top four could change if Liverpool
loses and Pompey or City win.
Ferguson V the Waiter
The Scot had a good career with Aberdeen before coming to
United; there he turned the club into the domestic juggernaut and finally won
the coveted title of European Champions after his side completed a spectacular
treble in the 1998-89 season.
The Spaniard moved from success
in Spain’s second tier to a successful
stint at Valencia. A move to Liverpool
followed and the Champions League and the FA Cup soon followed. League success has so far eluded the Spaniard
in England.
Both managers are robust minded
individuals with strong footballing ideas.
They have met six times in the Premier League.
04/05 Old
Trafford – 2-1 loss / Anfield 0-1 loss
05/06 Anfield –
0-0 draw / Old Trafford 1-0 loss
06/07 Old
Trafford – 2-0 loss / Anfield – 0-1 loss
Ferguson certainly has the edge over rafa;
whether home or away.
The North London Professor V Grant
Wenger was plucked from Japan by a
lucky David Dein and the rest is now etched into Arsenal folklore, the
Frenchman emulated the success that Graham brought to the Gunners but achieved
it (and much more) in a whole new way.
Two doubles as part of four FA Cups and three League Titles are the
major successes; never won in Europe though.
The Israeli was plucked from relative
obscurity into the Chelsea
hotseat just this September. His experience
in Israel
is generally regarded as successful and he had brief stints as at Technical
Director before taking control of Abramovich’s plaything. His lack of UEFA qualifications doesn’t seem
to have hindered his good run of results, his first at Old Trafford
notwithstanding.
Wenger shares the characteristics
of the other top four Premier League managers and brought revolutionary methods
to the Gunners. Grant is a dark horse
and has hardly become the media’s darling in his short tenure.
Neither manager has met in the
Premier League.
An aside
Four of the top
four sides in England
are managed by foreigners.
Four of the top
four sides in Spain
are managed by foreigners.
Four of the top
four sides in Italy
are managed by Italians.
Injuries/Suspensions (the cards are pretty easy to decipher but the
injuries and likely returns is like reading the tea leaves)
Arsenal –
Flamini, Hleb, Fabregas (tricky one as he may be called upon)
Chelsea – Drogba,
Ballack, Carvalho and Malouda (may be back)
Essien – too
many cards!
Liverpool – Alonso (may be back), Finnan (doubtful)
Manchester United – O’Shea (doubtful),
Hargreaves (probable)
The referees (unfortunately they are graded on quantity and not
quality)
Halsey at Anfield
12 matches in
07/08 with 2 REDS and 35 YELLOWS
He sits at 11
with an average of 3.08 c/game.
He’s only booked
Arbeloa in two previous matches involving Liverpool
this season. But hasn’t given any ‘soft’
penalty decisions.
Wiley at The Emirates
13 matches in
07/08 with 1 REDS and 43 YELLOWS.
He sits at 8
with 3.38 c/game.
He’s booked
Flamini (twice), Eduardo, Clichy, Van Persie,
Eboue, Carvalho, Belletti and Essien in two Arsenal and three Chelsea games this season.
The Nitty Gritty
Arsenal – a passing and
possession team with a sometimes suspect defence and issues up front and in
goal. Injuries have hit them hard
recently.
Chelsea – good in goal, solid at the back
(mostly) with an overrated midfield that relies on it’s target man who isn’t
playing.
Liverpool
– One good forward, an inconsistent captain and midfield and a slowing and
sometimes suspect defence, good between the sticks. Tactically surprising.
Manchester United – very solid at the back
and between the sticks, better wide than centrally in midfield with some beef
up front.
Key Matchups (although who knows what the team sheets are going to be; particularly
the one written in Spanish)
Anfield
van der Saar or Reina – both
solid, nothing much to choose between the two.
Torres – fast, good first touch,
strong but still prone to the ‘nowhere’ run and the ‘dive’, seems to work
better with Kuyt than Couch. Has the
tools to cut through almost any defence and is on a good run of form.
Vidic and Ferdinand – the Premier
League’s meanest defensive pairing. One
is tough as old boots, always gives his all and will mop up anything in the
air, the other has good positional sense and a great understanding of where his
partner won’t be, rarely make mistakes when together.
It will be a tough afternoon for
Torres.
Rooney and Tevez – working well
together after a shaky start, two complimentary players, positionally they seem
to have it nailed and Rooney in particular can score from almost anywhere.
Carragher and Hyypia (or Agger) –
Neither has the pace they once had but experience counts for a lot, Agger
provides another option but coming back into a game like this might be too
much. Hyypia had a down time but has
turned things around. Susceptible to
pace.
A real test of the Rooney Tevez
partnership, they may be occupying the defenders so the midfield can come
forward.
Brown/Ronaldo – Riise/Kewell –
Harry has never been the most diligent of defenders but you have to say the
match ups on this side of the field could be anybodies. You do have to think that unless the game
gets away from one team that the fullbacks will be asked to sit back and defend
more. Ronaldo can turn a game with some
skilful runs or a girly dive but the Australian’s runs inside can cause just as
many problems for the back four.
Arbeloa/Babel – Evra/Giggs – This
one is easier, Evra has grown into his role and Giggs is still good despite a
slight loss of pace. Arbeloa and Babel will be hard pressed
to contain this side of the field if Evra decides to get forward, the centre
backs could be pulled wide and leave the space for Anderson or a deep lying
Tevez in the middle to cause problems.
Gerrard/Mascherano – not as good
as with Alonso but these two can cause problems, Gerrard is hitting some form
and if he starts deeper he will cause more problems, the Argentine will have
his hands full covering his back four; more than likely. Gerrard’s bursts upfield will be less
effective against a United back four that doesn’t get pulled wide that
often.
Anderson/Carrick/Hargreaves –
tough to decide which two will start but Anderson
is developing fast and Carrick has a neat array of passing, they will get
assistance when Tevez or Rooney drops deeper to collect the ball which may pull
Mascherano out of position.
The tackling will be ferocious
but Halsey is the man to keep things in check.
Expect a tight game, with the
defences on top. A mistake or a flash of
skill will turn the game. Both teams have
experienced and skillful divers but you hope that won’t lead to any goals.
The Emirates
Lehman or Cech – one is clearly
better than the other but the German is still pretty good, both are tough to
beat but you figure the German is a tad more flamboyant in some of his
decisions than the Czech.
Shevchenko/Kalou – The Ukrainian
hasn’t yet found his feet in the Premier league, mainly due to the system
employed at Chelsea. Kalou’s class is debatable.
Toure/Gallas – the likely pairing
is physical and quick, positionally good as well and likely to deal well with a
433 Chelsea.
Van Persie/Adebayor – very
different players without much time together recently. The Togo forward can be deadly or dour
and the speed of the Dutchman plus his good first touch can cause
problems. If they click they can cause Chelsea problems.
Terry/Alex(Carvalho) – the
Englishman is the heart of Chelsea and will be all over the back third; putting
his body in harms way and haranguing refs, Alex is less redoubtable but has
potential and is getting better. If they
can tackle well in close quarters in and around the area they should do OK,
being pulled wide (probably right) is the only problem they may face. If 100% Carvalho may start and will be more
solid than Alex.
Bridge/Ferreira – two decent
English left backs (WOW!) but Bridge is better and has been playing well
recently, Chelsea will likely go with the better defending of the Portuguese
fullback to keep things tight at the back.
Lampard/Makele/Mikel – two
holding and one going forward is a likely scenario as the away side. Lampard isn’t as good without the Ivorian up
front but Makalele is real good at just sitting and holding things up. Mikel could be the key here, he likes to push
on more and will if that’s Grant’s plan, but he may be frustrated and kick out
if he is forced to defend too much.
Clichy/Sagna – on the left he’s
as good if not better than Cole, good pace, good going back or forward and
seems OK with just staying put, I think he’ll have a license to get forward,
especially if Grant somehow decides Belletti is required. Sagna hasn’t quite found his feet but is
getting better, he does tend to get pulled out of position and require some aid
from his centre backs.
Wright-Philips/Shevchenko/Cole –
not a good triumvirate when placed together, on the right or left
Wright-Philips may get one good ball from ten into the area, Cole can’t stay
wide and Shevchenko doesn’t get the service he feasted on in Milan.
Kalou just isn’t that good either.
Walcott/Denilson/Song/Diaby(Fabregas
and Hleb as subs) – Hleb’s move infield has been a revelation this season and
he’s done wonders for the Gunners in that free role he has in the hole. Walcott will use pace as his weapon, Denilson
will sit and hold and pass the ball out well, with Song split between doing
much the same and helping build attacks, Diaby is having a good spell and will
want to come inside more than hug the touchline.
The midfield for both teams lacks
a little bit of width and it might get all congested in the middle which will
suit Chelsea
better.
This game has draw written all
over it, Chelsea will look to sit back and maybe break occasionally but lack
the cutting edge to carve open Arsenal, the Gunners will lack the guile from
the get go to break down a tough Chelsea defence and outstanding ‘keeper. A good referee for his game.
Bottom Line
You can throw the stats out of
the window for these two. Who wants it
more on the day, howlers, inspired substitutions, delicious skill, the referee
or a diver will decide the outcome of these games.
I’ll be really surprised if you
get more than three goals in both games.
The teams have settled into their midseason form and with Christmas and
New Year looming they all know that the meaty part of the season is beginning. All the teams will have one eye over their shoulder
as the teams below them aren’t that far away, Liverpool are fourth on Goal
Difference (they do have a game in hand though).
Auntie – Liverpool
v Manchester United isn’t actually a game of traditional local rivals.
Fulham put in a good first half whilst Everton were poor in parts. The Blues turn it around in the second and
Yakubu gets a hat-trick; another home win and now the Toffees are unbeaten in
ten.
Goodison Park
in filthy conditions presented a real English football experience. December in Liverpool
was wet, cold and windy, perfect for a game of football.
The conditions made the pitch
greasy and some of the players had a hard time adjusting. Plenty of fans traveled up from London but the ground was
quiet in the first half. Second half was
much better for both the home side and home fans. The managers have met previously with Preston not suffering a defeat to Wycombe in three
outings. The Moyes revolution began with
a home win against a Fulham side that shares no personnel with the side brought
to Liverpool by Sanchez today; with the
obvious exception of Mohammed Al Fayed.
PALE AND UNSMILING - JUST ONE COFFIN PLEASE!
Moyes; pale and unsmiling; went
with an attacking 4 4 1 1 formation.
Howard in goal, Yobo and Lescott in tandem in the back with Baines and
Neville as fullbacks. Carsley sat back
in the middle with Osman, Arteta, Pienaar providing the attacking options and
helping Cahill; acting as a withdrawn striker; and Yakubu up front.
Sanchez puts it on the line with
an attacking 4 4 2 formation away from home.
Niemi helped by a back four of Omozusi, Hughes, Stefanovic and Konchesky. A midfield quartet of ex-Blue Davies, Davis,
ex-Red Murphy and Kamara ; dropping back into midfield; supported a front two
of target man Kuqi and the more nimble and skilful Dempsey.
Fulham get up and at the home
side early on with some quick and smart play, they win a corner kick and Kamara
gets to the near post; a problem for Everton this season; before his marker,
his flick is wide of the far post. Yobo
gets in the right place to clear from Davies and Howard punches clear from
Dempsey. Fulham are bringing it to
Everton and the home side is rattled.
Carsley steps up to break the next Fulham attack and the home side break
quickly with a ball out to Arteta, a brilliant corner kick delivery and
Lescott; up for the set piece; gets in at the near post and forces a sharp save
from Niemi, the ball comes out to Pienaar who forces another corner, Arteta’s
dead ball delivery masterclass continues but Fulham clear, the ball bounces
around somewhat before it comes to Carsley who is shaping to shoot when Fulham
forward Kuqi steals the ball from him with a lovely piece of back
tackling.
Both teams have the right foot on
the pedal and the game is free flowing and end to end, this belies the greasy
pitch and the atrocious weather.
Pienaar shows good touch with a
flick for the overlapping run of Baines, the cross is driven in low and it
takes two to prevent Osman getting in a shot.
Kamara and Dempsey combine on the
left and get corner kick, it’s taken short and Pienaar forces the tricky Kamara
back and concedes a corner, the ball is delivered in the middle and Howard
claims well.
Kamara goes into the book for
foolishly encroaching on the Everton free kick, Arteta’s delivery is good but
Niemi is equal to this one.
You have to hand it to the commentators for this match – one of them really,
really, really doesn’t know anything about football – who in their right mind
would compare Phil Neville to Kevin Ratcliffe and Brian Labone the other ####
didn’t tell him he was totally wrong either – Setanta should stop filling the
Green Room with hallucinogens or just hire some proper commentators.
A GREAT FOOTBALLER...
ANOTHER GREAT FOOTBALLER... ...AND PHIL NEVILLE
Murphy hauls down Osman and
Arteta’s free kick takes a deflection of the wall and dips goalwards, Niemi is
sharp in turning it over his own crossbar.
Arteta delivers another peachy ball and a wide open Cahill at the near
post heads so wide it’s a throw in. A
glaring chance spurned.
THIS ONE WENT FOR A THROW IN!
Fulham comes out with a good,
quick break, Davies puts a nice crossfield ball into Konchesky and the willing
fullback’s touch lets him down and Yobo mops up.
Everton are playing a passing
game despite the conditions, their build up is patient and measured and full of
inventive running, Fulham are more direct but any ball that gets through to Kuqi
seems to cause the home side some consternation.
Konchesky plays in Dempsey on the
left, the American fluffs it and it goes for a goal kick.
Pienaar flicks a ball on for an
overlapping Baines run, again, the lively fullback races into the space and
then pulls up clutching his hamstring.
That’s not good, especially with no left fullback on the bench.
Baines comes off, Jagielka come
on, Neville goes to left back and Jagielka slots in at right back.
The change goes badly for
Everton, for the rest of the half they look slow, staid and bereft of ideas in
attack and flustered if still secure in defence. Surely a change in personnel cannot be that
demoralizing for the home team?
Fulham take advantage with some
fine and incisive play. But lack a final
ball to take advantage of the Everton malaise.
Their first attack flounders at
Dempsey’s feet, then they get a close offside decision go their way when
Everton fall back to a “hoof it long to the big front man” philosophy.
Davis’s free kick is woefully over
everyone.
Kuqi and Dempsey get their wires
crossed in a promising position. This
really ticks Murphy off, his ball in was pretty neat and ultimately
wasted.
Fulham break from an Everton
corner kick, Davis
is shaping to shoot when Osman comes back to force a corner with a good display
of tackling back.
Everton look shaky on the corner
but Murphy’s shot from outside the area goes wide.
Everton make a tactical switch
with Lescott going out to the left, Jagielka coming inside and Phil going back
to his right back spot.
This doesn’t change Everton’s
poor first half form much though.
Arteta fires one in which is easy
for Niemi.
A Davies free kick is wide, then
he is let down on the break with a poor pass for his defence splitting run, he
has to break his run and Everton have time to regroup.
Lescott gets up a gallop on the
left but the pace of Omozusi allows the Fulham fullback to clear ahead of the
Everton fullback.
Howard claims a Konchesky cross
to finish a half in which Fulham dominated after Baines went off but didn’t
have the final ball or pass to cut through the Everton defence and be bale to
beat Howard.
The Moyes half time team talk was
definitely on a par with that of Advocaat in midweek. The Everton players took the field in the
second half looking like a different team from the sorry looking figures that
trudged off after the first forty-five.
Sanchez’s bluster about winning and Wimbledon
obviously didn’t stick in the minds of the Fulham players.
Everton pressure from the whistle,
an Arteta free kick is well delivered but Lescott can only head it behind.
Yakubu is sloppy in his first
touch.
Lescott sees an effort blocked
and Fulham break then break down, Everton come out and a Yakubu ball in is met
by Cahill in the area but the Australian slips under a Stefanovic
challenge. Eventually Fulham clear but
only for a throw in, Neville shows his long one and Yobo is tugged in the
area. Fulham scramble the ball clear
only as far as Lescott, when the ball comes back in Cahill is offside but no
flag is shown, Everton don’t stop play and Pienaar lofts a beautiful ball
behind the mass of defenders on the edge of the area, Cahill volleys goalwards
and Niemi saves with his legs but Yakubu is in the right place at the right
time and finishes the scrappy; if effective; move with a tap in.
ONE WITH HIS RIGHT!
The goal elevates the crowd and
the home team but Fulham respond as well as they can. They stifle both Yakubu and Arteta on the
edge of the area and break with the ball, Kamara has his shot blocked and
Neville’s header out is poor, it comes to Murphy who from twenty yards lets rip
a lovely volley which Howard does well to get his hands to.
Everton are finding a rhythm and
Neville gets forward down the right and plays in a nice cross, Omozusi; without
a call from his ‘keeper and Pienaar lurking; heads behind. Arteta’s “How to take corner kicks – 101”
continues and Niemi does well to palm the delivery away, Yakubu puts the ball
back in and Fulham scramble the ball away.
Fulham’s more direct strategy still troubles Everton but Kuqi isn’t as
difficult to beat as he was in the first half.
Hughes does well in tackling
Arteta and in the heart of the Everton defence Yobo is displaying the art of
winning the ball without conceding a foul.
Slack marking in the middle
allows Kamara to cut in from the left and run at Everton. His neat lay off to Dempsey allows the American
to turn and fire a swirling volley at Howard, his USMNT compatriot palms the
ball down and to the side, Lescott emulates his Nigerian partner and robs the
ball from Kuqi in the area without giving away a needless penalty. Quality defending. The ex-Wolves man calmly hoofs the ball downfield
when he gets clear.
Fulham are nothing if not game
and come straight back at Everton only to be rebuffed again.
Arteta gets on the ball wide
right and cuts inside, he eschews the shot and dinks a cross to the back post
with his left, Omozusi half clears and Osman has a shot. Niemi’s save is decent but his block of
Pienaar’s follow up is brave and better.
Cahill, Arteta and Yakubu work together
down the left but Omozusi’s pace enables him to get to the ball and clear.
Arteta’s delivery is perfectly
met at the near post by Jagielka and an unmarked Yakubu leaps daintily to head
in his second.
ONE WITH HIS HEAD!
Fulham keep on plugging away but
after Kamara and Konchesky combine well on the left and force Jagielka into
clearing for a throw. When taken the
throw is a foul one, Everton have regained possession with a soft mistake.
Lescott shows his desire to join
in the Everton attack with a run along the touchline of seventy yards before he
wins a corner kick. Arteta finds Jagielka
at the near post again but the flick on goes behind.
Dempsey comes of for Sanchez’s
impact player, Healy.
Around the sixty fifth minute
Everton put on a cheeky display of possession, it takes a little over twenty
passes; all well cheered and olayed by the home fans; before Omozusi breaks it
up with a foul.
The possession is wasted and
Fulham come forward again, Neville needed to be sharp to clear Davies’s ball
in.
Pienaar; really starting to find
his feet, on both sides of the ball; plays a lovely ball across the pitch for
Arteta to run onto, the Spaniard looks favourite but the pace of the young Omozusi
wins that race.
Arteta tries a lobbed corner kick
which has Fulham scrambling to clear but isn’t really as effective as one of
his whipped in, flat, perfectly flighted balls he’s been delivering into the
teeth of some awful, North West weather all afternoon.
Yakubu gets clear on the right
and cuts inside, he doesn’t shoot and plays in ball for Arteta, the Spaniard is
grateful for the offside flag as his fluff of the easy tap in was
terrible,
Yobo clears from Davies, then
Kamara out leaps Howard to the return ball in, it falls to Everton who coolly
clear the ball out of the area.
Healy puts a cross behind as
Fulham; despite their lack of really talented players; still come at
Everton.
Seol comes on for Murphy and
Fulham seem to go to a 4 3 3.
Yakubu gets forward looking for
his third; he shoots wildly due to the lack of quick support. He gets into space on the other side moments
later but without support a corner is his only option. This is cleared and Fulham come forward,
Pienaar tracks back and wins the ball in his own half, a powerful run across
the park; right to left; pulls Fulham wide open and he cuts inside to play the
ball perfectly into Yakubu, the big Nigerian feints left as goes right and
passes into the far corner past a well beaten Niemi for his hat-trick.
THAT'S THREE!
Fulham still have the legs but
not the heart or the skill to penetrate a strong and buoyant Everton, whose
defence is occasionally a little soft but has held firm.
Johnson and McFadden come on for
Yakubu and Cahill and occupy much the same roles.
Pienaar plays in Arteta who
crosses for McFadden; the Scot goes for the near post forcing Niemi to push the
ball behind.
Healy gets into a good forward
position after some neat Fulham build up, he cuts inside and when the space
opens up chips one goalwards, Howard is off his line but fast enough over the
sodden ground to cover his goal. Pienaar
makes a run down the left and cuts the ball inside to Osman, the Englishman
find the Scot and McFadden cuts inside and tries to place one past Niemi, the
Finn is match for the shot. Johnson gets
open but his back post cross is a touch to pacy to enable McFadden to get a
touch and probably a goal.
Healy; bright and full of running
since he came on; gets a neat chip turned behind by Howard.
Everton started well then went
all pear shaped when Baines went off and they changed their players
around. They were tough enough at the
back with some superb defending from Yobo and Lescott to resist Fulham and
Howard had a good game in difficult conditions.
They got a break on the first goal, took full advantage of the bodged
call and never looked back. Wonderful
defending and slick attacking play saw them outplay the visitors. The three points are valuable as they now
have four away games on the bounce. Mikel
Arteta’s dead ball delivery was wonderful, time after time he put the ball into
a dangerous area which in the conditions was nothing short of brilliant,
Pienaar’s play is making the choice as to whether or not to make his loan
permanent easier, mostly. Lescott will
still get better.
Sanchez was good enough not to
moan too much about Cahill’s offside but his team wasn’t that good despite
plenty of possession. In a first half
where they had the ball and the attack they could do nothing with it. Then they just couldn’t match the home side
in the second half. They were at their
most dangerous from set pieces.
Bennett did well in the foul conditions
and kept his cards to a minimum, he got no help on the Cahill offside from his
assistant. Very good refereeing
performance.
Liverpool flatter to deceive,
a 4-0 win over a turgid Bolton doesn’t suggest
a League Title going anywhere near Anfield soon.
The redshiite opened well, with Kewell and Benayoun causing Bolton problems but with no end product.
Crouch had a miserable game, showing that he has no
understanding of the play of Torres and an awful first touch. How the lanky Englishman can be so inaccurate
with his headers only he knows.
The first goal was easily offside but the Anfield Assistant
decided to keep the home fans happy.
Hyypia shared his happiness, the Finn was delighted to find the back of
the opponent’s net for a change.
Anelka must have had money on a Liverpool win, his miss was
horrible and took the fight out of Bolton who after the first goal had gone
against them made Liverpool look like their
ordinary selves.
You can’t take away the goal Torres scored, he looks too
good to wear red for much longer but will be hopeful his manager gives him a
better strike partner in future games.
Peter Crouch before he gets changed for the game
Liverpool’s third was all about a ‘home’ referee and a sack
of cheating spuds called Crouch, in any other ground and for any other team the
lanky one with the dire first touch would have been carded for an atrocious
piece of acting. He gets the penalty at
Anfield.
RAFA GOES FOR A NEW LOOK!
The redshiite were on cruise control for the rest of the game
and their fourth game easily.
The commentators were Gerrardistas of the worst kind, they
love the squeaky man even though he rarely gives a toss when wearing the three
lions.
Gilet and Hiks show they understand the complications of the 'January Transfer Window"
The Setanta team in the commentary box talked about how
wonderful Liverpool is, was and will be. Manchester, Chelsea and Arsenal have
nothing to worry about on this poor form.
