Liverpool’s Title Hopes

Liverpool have just raised their title credentials after recording an astounding 5-1 victory over the Magpies. Liverpool fans have been reminiscing for the past 18 years about the 80′s and the fact that they are the most succesful English team ever. The way that Liverpool are playing these days, they seem to have some kind of hope and determination about them. With Steven Gerrard having reached his peak and players like Dirk Kuyt and Albert Riera performing brilliantly week in, week out, Liverpool have finally started an actual push for the title. This may actually be the year for the Kopites.

However, the only thing that is possibly standing between them and the crowning glory of England is the number of draws to smaller teams. They should have easily strolled past teams like Stoke, Hull, West Ham and Fulham. However, they only managed to salvage a point and with Chelsea inching ever so closer, the Scousers might be shatterd again.

Post-International Break

Ah, back to club football. After international duties at their respective nations, the players finally put on their club colours and play their football at different parts of the world.

In case you people forgot about different situations at different clubs, lets look back at the different ‘fate’ of different clubs at this moment.

Arsenal vs Everton – Ah, not that I’m biased towards Arsenal. The fluctuating performances have frustuated both pundits and fans alike, so this tricky fixture against Everton could prove vital as all of you know, every points count in this long race. But the equally disappointing Everton is also not a team to count on in terms of consistency. Interesting match this.

Chelsea vs Middlesbrough – Are Chelsea still unbeaten? They are downright lucky to survive the injury crisis, don’t you people agree? Of course, if your a Chelsea fan, you wouldn’t. Lets see the morale at the Riverside! They finally won their first away game and morale should be higher now. I certainly hope their top goalscorer, Eygptian Mido, and Brazilian maestro Afonso Alves can cast their magic and break the unbeaten run of Chelsea this season. Their work would be halved should key players such as Ashley Cole and John Terry fails to turn up for the match.

Liverpool vs Wigan – Wigan… Actually, they have one lucky charm. Amir Zaki have lightened up the BPL with his scoring rate and he may as well be the signing of the season. But at the back, Titus Bramble, always known for his ‘scrambling’ antics, have worked as a cancelling-out charm as his mistakes led to some comical goals. Liverpool, huh? They might be flying high at the top half of the table, but i have a bad feeling that their run will end with a thud. Reason? I’m not sure. But if the Gerrard-Torres-Kuyt-Keane partnership gels in time, my bad feeling might go away. And Pepe Reina MUST stay away from silly mistakes.(Just go bakc to the Merseyside derby last year)

Man Utd vs West Brom – The Big Gun against the newly-promoted side. Interesting? It hadn’t been a great start for the defending champion, although the lanky Bulgarian looks like he is starting to adapt to live with the big egoes at the Old Trafford. But in my eyes, I don’t see any reasons to splash the cash on someone who sulks whenever something doesn’t goes his way. I’m sorry, Sir Alex, but I will go against his idea. I would rather buy a couple more Tevez with the money! Okay, now to West Brom. Not bad a start for a side that is trying to adapt to life at the top tier of English football, huh? They have made a couple of good signings and I would not be surprised should they put in a goal of two when they meet.

Newcastle Utd vs Man City – A clash of sides with different fates this season? Newcastle United is facing backroom staff problems, fans turning against them, Chairman looking desperately to cash in on the club, even dropping the valuation of the club by millions in a bid to sell the club away. This club is in a crisis. On the other hand, Manchester City have found a new source of energy – the trillionaires of Dubai and their stream-like source of money. Accompanied with the samba magic of Jo, Elano, Robinho, and the resurging Shaun Wright-Phillips, many people have speculated about the possibilities of them taking over their arch rival in Manchester, the Red Devils, as the most successful club in England and arguably in the world. But hey, can money really buy everything in this world? Not until you prove yourself against the top guns of the world should any top-class players(who are not money-minded) join your oil-powered club. But for now, back the never-ending money to cruise pass the crisis-hit club. Should any surprise rise up, look at Michael Owen. He, together with Shay Given, are Newcastle’s only hope.

Hull City vs West Ham United – I’ll skip the rest of the matches for this. Remember about Zola? Ah, this match against morale-boosted high flyer Hull City, whose performance is remarkable considering that this is their first stint at the top flight in their 107-year-old history. Kudos to the Lions. West Ham? Maybe if they solve their problem at their defence? But the most prominent tackle on their morale is the leakage of goals. But the Icelandic turmoil, which captainbrain pointed out. Tackle this problem first, chairman?

Okay i shall stop here, and let the football do the talking!

What on earth, Gooners?

 

 

Can they inspire?

As a die-hard Arsenal fan, i must and only can say that every single match that the Gunners have played gives me the heart attack. And FYI, I’m still young. Reason? The consistency of this youthful side is like the recent global economy, fluctuating like no body’s business.

Professor of the North London academy, Arsene Wenger, will and must address to the issue should they still harbour any hopes for that much expected Premier League trophy. It have been absent from the North London side since the famous Invincibles of 2004 won it without losing a single match. That, was the proudest year of my life, as the club i supported all the time went on winning or drawing match after match.

But since then, whatever happened to them, have caused them to lose confidence and also most importantly, matches. To be fair to Arsene Wenger, he have been able to work with tight budgets and he can only afford for an occasional luxury of signing a couple of better known players. Most of the time, he can only uncover gems that nobody could discover. Pity or congratulate? You decide.

But a couple of transfer market moves still puzzles me. Mathieu Flamini? If anyone comes out to argue with me that he is not a world class player, i cannot rebut. But in recent season and especially in the course of Gilberto Silva’s absence last term, he has really impressed scouts from different parts of the world with his strong tackles. Aliaksandr Hleb? He is an essential part of the squad and his departure would sure have confused many. Enough of the ‘go’, what do we have for the replacements? Aaron Ramsey, Samir Nasri. Spending millions on unproven yet exciting youngsters? Your bet might pay off but time may be running out, Prof. Sorry for extending this thought of mine, but i still do not trust Emmanuel Eboue on the right attacking flank. i always have a bad feeling about the game whenever he plays there. Anybody with me?

I love it whenever the Gunners attack. Vela who finally got his work permit, Bendtner who is recovering his confidence, Van Persie who is discovering his blistering form, Adebayor with his red-hot striking form, Walcott who is repaying faith shown in him, Fabregas with his fabulous display, and occasional Nasri with his magic. When they play, the football is beautiful. But i also look forward to the return of Tomas Rosicky, whom i almost forgot how he looked like! The defence of Arsenal? The bad feelings gets even worse whenever they concede a set piece. Especially corners, where the captain in Gallas does not show up, leaving Toure and Co. lost on the green pasture. But i must applaud for Almunia, whom went through criticism and doubts of his ability to replace Lehmann, but he took it to his stride and still performed to his best. Kudos.

But the main problem? C’mon Gunners, you can win anything if you are consistent! One moment brilliant in Europe, another losing to minors in the Premier League. What on earth?

El Nino is angry!

Torres in Atletico colours and captaincy.

The pity goes to Liverpool hero Fernando Torres. Born and brought up in Madrid, He went through the whole youth system to finally become Atletico Madrid’s captain. Then, in 2007, he made a big move to Benitez’s Liverpool. Having been in England for a long time, Fernando wanted to go home. But UEFA said no.

He described UEFA’s decision to hold the match at a neutral venue the worst possible news. He was looking forward to going back to the Vicente Calderon but accepted that the reasons were right.

Against Marseille on Children’s Day, the Atletico fans shouted racist comments at the Marseille players, most of whom are Black Afro-French. Therefore, UEFA gave Atletico a ban from playing at the Vicente Calderon. The switching of the venue of the game which was supposed to be held next Tuesday was criticized heavily by Liverpool chief executive Rick Parry.

“After so much time waiting, it is the worst and most unexpected news that I could have heard this morning,” Torres told the Spanish newspaper Marca. “I’m eager to go back. I don’t know if it is definitive, I hope that a solution can be found. It is a shame that these incidents have forced the stadium to be closed, but if this is what happens then we have to accept it.”

However, the move received positive responses from anti-racism campaigners. This kind of thing was why FIFA launched the well-known ‘Let’s Kick Racism Out Of Football’ campaign. It is good that it is being implemented even by UEFA.

Have you forgot about the once-famous Zola?

Zola unveiled

Speaking about Kinnear. Have anybody forgot about Italian ‘magician’ Gianfranco Zola?

The present raving problems of Newcastle United and their backroom staff have effectively blocked away vision of many football fans, and divert their attention away from what is going on at Upton Park.

The ex-Chelsea player, was signed to replace the once-under pressure Alan Curbishley. Rumours of different managers being tempted to make the move down North London was overwheming, with a host of well-known managers reported to be interested in the job. But all those were subsequently proven as false news as they themselves came out to clarify matters. And it was all left to a relatively unproven manager in Zola to take up the West Ham hot seat.

Five games into his realm, and his side have already leaked in a significant amount of nine goals, keeping no clean sheets. Much-maligned English goalkeeper Robert Green, who was voted by fans as Hammer of the Year in 2008, have also came out to promise to put back the disappointing dip in form and help the North London side in the Premiere League race. But if you kept track of West Ham’s progress since Zola took over, their defence is also a cause for concern for the attack-minded Zola.

Zola loves nourishing young talents and the proud youth academy of Upton Park will definitely appease the Italian. But can he keep the West Ham faithfuls happy and let the club’s football worth every cent paid for the tickets?

Time will tell, but time is running out. The next game against high-flying Hull City will definitely be a tricky game. The 105-years-old club have exceeded all the expectations of them and it will be on them to really impress in their first season in the top tier of English football. Watch out for dancing feets of Geovanni who could prove to be the difference! Well, this have become a match review, haven’t it?

England 5-1 Kazakhstan: Report

The cross falls to the unmarked Ferdinand's head, goal ensues.

This was a sure-win game for the Three Lions after a compelling victory against the Croatians. But, through years of watching England, I concluded that England usually don’t deserve their victories against smaller teams.

England fielded a fairly strong side which included surprise pick Emile Heskey for Capello’s first game in Wembley, whereas the Kazakhs used their youthful squad which had been successful in recent games.

The first chance of the day fell to ‘golden oldie’ Emile Heskey when Walcott flew past his marker and whipped in a screamer of a cross to Heskey’s feet. After a bit of bumbling, the ball hit Emile’s hand and a free kick was awarded to Kazakhstan. England continued to pressure the centre-halves of Kazakhstan until about the 10th minute, when an error by Chelsea left-back Ashley Cole gave the Eastern Europeans the first view of the goal. However, striker Tanat Nusserbayev dragged the ball wide. Seconds later, another mishap by Matthew Upson gave them a half chance but it was squandered.

The undisputed hero of the Croatia game, Theo Walcott, put in another solid show in the first half, including a curler that missed the top corner by inches. Despite intense pressure, England failed to break down the Kazakhs and the score remained 0-0. That was until the 52nd minute when Manchester United defender Rio Ferdinand powered home a trademark header after a corner by skipper Steven Gerrard. An own goal by Kuchma from a Lampard free-kick and a super header by starlet Wayne Rooney soon followed and made sure of England’s three points Even though Kukeyev pulled one back through a horrific back pass by Ashley Cole.

Jermain Defoe taps the ball past the keeper to seal the result.

With 10 minutes left, Beckham came in for Walcott and immediately, Rooney poked in his second, with 5 minutes left, Portsmouth striker Jermain Defoe tapped the ball past the goalkeeper to seal the result.

Even though the action was great, England will look to improve for the next game. The Man Of The Match award went to Wayne Rooney who could have had a hat-trick if he was a little bit taller. Arguably the worst player was Ashley Cole who made 2 terrible back-passes and put in a very lackluster performance. If Capello was smart, he would have Ashley on the bench and look to bring in either Everton talent Joleon Lescott or the ever-ready Wayne Bridge.

International Round-Up: Bye bye Domenech?

Romania loses Raymond's job?

Doran Goian may have received a yellow card just a minute after headed home a brilliant cross by Petre (who scored the first), but it spelled much worse punishment for Raymond Domenech, the French boss.

He was given something of an ultimatum from the French board, demanding him to earn no less than 6 points from his first three games. A 3-1 shock-loss to Austria smelled of the axe, but Domenech gave his job and the country a breather by comfortable 2-1 win over Serbia. They had to win their next match against Romania in order to get the last 3 points to the 3 already accumulated.

The line up was void of Anelka and Nasri. The score line showed the result. France only had two lucky break outs, which consisted of a Franck Ribery drive and a Yoann Gourcuff outside-box smash. 2 shots throughout the game, two goals. Taking out the fact that France had taken all their chances successfully, 2 shots in 90 minutes is nothing more than pathetic for France. Domenech will have to please his bosses at the next match in Lichtenstein’s Zalgiris Stadium. Their World Cup 2010 campaign looks more risky than the financial crisis.

Miss of the Year, probably.

Scotland and Norway were made to rue their missed chances as both teams had great build ups and plays but close, but no cigar – a match full of misses and almosts – which included what is likely to be voted the Miss of the Year (should there be one), Chris Iwelumo’s stunning 1 yard miss to an open goal.

Great play on the left by the Scots as the winger passed it up through a mess of Norwegian players (including their goalkeeper Jon Knudsen) into the space of the goal where Iwelumo stood. In a panicky manner, he made the ball jab into his left thigh and let it fly out of the goal mouth.

Being Iwelumo’s debut start as a substitute, it is unlikely whether he will ever play again for his club, at the age of 30.

Other results:

Hungary 2 – 0 Albania, Denmark 3 – 0 Malta, Sweden 0 – 0 Portugal, Switzerland 2 – 1 Latvia, Greece 3 – 0 Moldova, Luxemborg 1 – 3 Israel, Poland 2 – 1 Czech Republic, San Marino 1 – 3 Slovakia, Slovenia 2 – 0 Northern Ireland, Finland 1 – 0 Azerbaijan, Wales 2 – 0 Liechtenstein, Germany 2 – 1 Russia, Turkey 2 – 1 Bosnia-Herzegovina, Belgium 2 – 0 Armenia, Estonia 0 – 3 Spain, England 5 – 1 Kazakhstan, Ukraine 0 – 0 Croatia, Faroe Islands 1 – 1 Austria, Serbia 3 – 0 Lithuania, Romania 2 – 2 France, Georgia 1 – 1 Cyprus, Bulgaria 0 – 0 Italy, Scotland 0 – 0 Norway, Holland 2 – 0 Iceland, Bolivia 3 – 0 Peru, Argentina 2 – 1 Uruguay, Colombia 0 – 1 Paraguay, USA 6 – 1 Cuba, Guatemala 0 – 0 Trinidad & Tobago, Jamaica 1 – 0 Mexico, Honduras 3 – 1 Canada, Suriname 1 – 4 Costa Rica, Haiti 0 – 0 El Salvador

Joke in ‘ere

Damien Duff, 46

There’s been many reports about Joe Kinnear’s press conference, which had no less than 50 expletives.

Not going to dabble much into it, it must show how pressured Joe Kinnear has been over the past few days. As the interim manager of Newcastle United, a shock move like his was unexpected and unwelcome by most fans, and the critics themselves.

But on his second match as the Newcastle gaffer (also his first match getting to select the team), he managed to equalize the 2-goal advantage of Everton to make it 2-2 on Goodison grounds. Joe Kinnear was busy up and down the stairs telling his assistants what had to be done to change tactics about as he had been banned from the sidelines. One goal a minute before half time, and the second goal a minute after.

“Kinnear effect at work?“, the Soccernet.com report asks. While it is to be said that Everton had been unlucky in the efforts they had at the match and Newcastle were fortunate enough to score at the half time mark to break Evertonian hearts, Joe Kinnear has put some determination into his players’ spirits, and like milk and honey, directness and determination mix like mellow gold.

The match showed Newcastle with something they lacked under Keegan. And given the 50-worded conference he had a few days before, the critics must be silent and awkward all over now.

Kinnear Who?

At Nottingham Forest.

If anyone could recall, Joe Kinnear was Nottingham Forest’s gaffer in 2004. Before that was a controversial stint in Luton Town in which a heavy protest was carried out when Kinnear and his assistant manager was dismissed. (This led to the chairman and vice-chairman resigned as a result.) He was Wimbledon FC’s boss from 1992-1999, when they were in the Premier League.

What was in common with his three past posts was that, when the going got tough, he left the club. (Wimbledon saw him suffering from a heart attack.) Wimbledon were on the verge of their worst league position, Nott’m Forest down at the bottom of the table, Luton 9th and many star players were sold off.

Now with his managing team Newcastle United in a tough position at the start of his management, is he going to stabilize the impending relegation blues in the Toon Side? It is also worth noting the deadweight situation in the board room of the club.

Firstly, Kinnear is an experienced figure in the Premier League, boasting more than 7 years in it, and would definitely have his share of knowledge about English football. The successes he had in Luton Town, though short-lived, was mainly due to his excellent buys of Steve Howard and Chris Coyne, along with the then captain Kevin Nicholls. He is also known for his directness in the game, and Newcastle being a tactically bleak side, he should fit in well. A crafty old man he is too. He got his stint in Luton Town when he was the director of football in it. He sacked the then manager Lil Fuccillo and made himself the boss.

Not that he has enough time to carry out all the processes mentioned above, though. He has only until the end of October to impress Mike Ashley -or the new Nigerian bosses should the deal go through- for a permanent place as the Toon Army manager. He also hasn’t stated his full-time ambitions for Newcastle too. He knows he’s going to fall through soon enough, as the new Nigerian bosses and Mike Ashley both want Keegan back for the post.

With all these factors, it will definitely be an interesting ride observing Newcastle, at least until the end of fall. His first challenge is just a day after his signing on, and the caretaker Hughton’s going to help him choose the team.

“I am very excited about the challenge in front of me at Newcastle United. It is a big challenge, but one I am really looking forward to.”

Check out Myfootmyball as we unravel what is the most interesting story to hit the EPL yet – The Kinnear Era.