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Premier League Reflections: Does Anybody Want This Title?
Goal.com’s Graham Lister reflects on another weekend in the Barclays Premier League when none of the usual suspects mustered a win…
15-Dec-2008 3:55:53 PM
Hot Potato
It's beginning to look like the title no-one wants to win - or at least, that none of the contenders will win in wholly convincing fashion. For the second weekend in less than a month, none of the 'Big Four' managed to win - though this time none of them lost, either. So it was an excellent weekend for Aston Villa, who enjoyed a thumping 4-2 win over Bolton that took them above Arsenal into fourth place.
Heroes & Villans
Villa boss Martin O'Neill, though delighted with the victory, is trying to keep everyone's feet on the ground at Villa Park, insisting that they are still some way off matching Arsenal consistently. But in Ashley Young and Gabriel Agbonlahor, O'Neill has two consistent match-winners. The coveted England international forwards were once more at the top of their game against Bolton, whose boss Gary Megson became the latest to succumb to the banana-skin curse of the 'Manager of the Month' award.
Relief & Frustration
When the first game of the weekend, at The Riverside, came to an end with Middlesbrough having held Arsenal to a 1-1 draw thanks to headed equalising goal by Gunners old-boy Jeremie Aliadiere, it looked like another costly couple of points had slipped away from Arsene Wenger's side. But by the end of the end of the weekend, Wenger must have been relieved to see that the damage was minimal, as Liverpool were held at home by Hull, Manchester United away by Spurs and Chelsea at home to West Ham.
Chelsea were no doubt the most frustrated, because they played last and had a golden opportunity to reclaim top-spot by beating the Hammers. But Stamford Bridge is nothing like the fortress it was: Luiz Felipe Scolari's Blues have lost more points (14) than they've won (13) at home so far this season, prompting questions to be asked by many anxious Chelsea fans about their Brazilian coach. It is not going unnoticed by those fans that two of Scolari's sacked predecessors, Jose Mourinho and Claudio Ranieri, currently sit first and second in Serie A with Inter Milan and Juventus, respectively; nor did Avram Grant ever lose a home game for the Blues.
Not So Much Homesickness As Sickness At Home
What makes Chelsea's stumbling home form particularly striking is that on the road in the League they have a one hundred per cent record. They've won three out of nine at the Bridge and eight of eight away from it. Still, it's not just Chelsea who are more comfortable on the road this season. Everton, for example, have managed one win at Goodison Park and six on their travels. The latest of those came at Manchester City on Saturday when makeshift striker Tim Cahill headed a winner deep into stoppage-time, underlining one of football's truisms - that "these things even themselves out." A week earlier, the Toffees were undone by an Ashley Young strike at the back-end of time added on at home to Aston Villa, who won 3-2.
Everton's Merseyside rivals Liverpool are also having a better time of things away from home. They've won six times away and only five times at Anfield, where draws are becoming the order of the day. Hull City were the third visitors in a row to leave Anfield with a point, following West Ham and Fulham. Stoke had managed the feat earlier in the season, too; but Hull can count themselves the unluckiest not to have actually won. The Tigers led 2-0 before Liverpool's talismanic skipper Steven Gerrard restored parity with typical determination. However, in the build-up to both Gerrard's goals, one of his team-mates appeared to foul a Hull defender and get away with it.
Great Escapes
Someone else who got away with it on Saturday was Cristiano Ronaldo. He may be collecting personal accolades with monotonous regularity, but he was lucky not to collect a red card for a petulant flick of his boot at the shins of Tottenham's Michael Dawson during Manchester United's 0-0 draw at White Hart Lane. It was very reminiscent of David Beckham's notorious flick at Diego Simeone of Argentina in the 1998 World Cup - though with far less significant consequences.
United are now off to Japan for what many consider tone the irrelevance of the World Club Cup, and will have two games in hand on all their main rivals by the time the resume Premier League action on Boxing Day. Given his team's penchant for going on a lengthy unbeaten run in the second half of the season, Sir Alex Ferguson may be rubbing his hands in anticipation of a possible third successive title, though United will need to show more ruthless consistency than they have so far. That, of course, applies to all of the Big Four in this unpredictable season. Neutrals are welcoming a perceived levelling of the playing field and heightening of the competition in the Premier League this term, as the usual suspects struggle to convince.
United might have taken three points off Spurs on Saturday had the hitherto hapless Heurelho Gomes not produced the sort of display that gave clues as to why Juande Ramos brought him to the Lane from PSV. His new-found confidence may be testament to the recuperative powers of manager Harry Redknapp, whose team went close to breaking the deadlock themselves on a couple of occasions. But the closest to a goal in a fixture that usually yields plenty was when Ronaldo had the ball in the net only to see the effort disallowed for handball.
That was a correct call; but there were a few key moments that might have affected the outcomes of other games had they been interpreted differently by the officials. Gael Clichy appeared to trip Adam Johnson in the area at Middlesbrough; Lucas Neill did likewise on Frank Lampard; Bolton's Gary Cahill clearly handled the ball from a Villa corner; and Danny Higginbotham also used an arm to deal with a cross from Fulham's Jimmy Bullard at Stoke; all four incidents went unpunished.
Higginbotham's escape and the shoulder injury that neutralised Rory Delap's long throws would have been about the only talking points from an infinitely forgettable goalless draw at the Britannia Stadium had Fulham defender John Pantsil not treated us to a scene from the theatre of the absurd, collapsing as if shot, clutching his forehead, after Ricardo Fuller nudged his shoulder. Scandalously, he escaped censure before nearly heading Fulham in front. But then the referee was Stuart Attwell, who earned enduring notoriety earlier this season for awarding a 'ghost goal' at Watford.
Enough To Make Ince Wince
On the subject of goals, two of the cutest on Saturday were deft back-heeled flicks. In both cases they opened the scoring: Johan Elmander for Bolton, who nevertheless lost; and Emile Heskey for Wigan, who went on to win handsomely against Blackburn Rovers. Paul Ince's side are looking worryingly haunted after six straight defeats, and the manager himself, both defiant and apologetic, is becoming increasingly isolated.
Of his former Manchester United team-mates, victorious Steve Bruce was supportive, Rovers predecessor Mark Hughes has mounting problems of his own at Manchester City, and Roy Keane has already quit the firing line at Sunderland. Ironically, caretaker Ricky Sbragia has led Keano's team to an honourable, unlucky defeat at Old Trafford and a resounding 4-0 victory over a West Bromwich Albion side who appear to heading back to the Championship. As was said of the Spurs players earlier this season, why were they unwilling or unable to produce the goods for the previous manager?
Bubbly For Zola
Meanwhile, two of the happiest managers this weekend were surely Joe Kinnear and Gianfranco Zola. Kinnear, getting his teeth into the job at Newcaastle, masterminded the Magpies' first away win of the campaign with an emphatic 3-0 win at Portsmouth, where home strikers Jermain Defoe and Peter Crouch misfired, while resilient Michael Owen was again on target for the Toon; a message there for Fabio Capello?
As for Capello's compatriot Zola, the one-time Chelsea hero returned to Stamford Bridge with his West Ham team on Sunday, desperate for a result. What he got was a deserved point after a gritty performance full of character from his players; an for good measure an affectionate and sustained ovation from the Chelsea fans who, despite the heated atmosphere of a London derby, clearly haven't forgotten how the little Sardinian used to charm them.
Zola's next test is Aston Villa at home next Saturday. The following day Arsenal entertain Liverpool while on Monday Chelsea at Everton. But after this weekend's games, there are just 14 points spanning the 16 teams between Manchester United in third and Sunderland in 18th. It's getting congested in there...
Graham Lister, Goal.com
It's beginning to look like the title no-one wants to win - or at least, that none of the contenders will win in wholly convincing fashion. For the second weekend in less than a month, none of the 'Big Four' managed to win - though this time none of them lost, either. So it was an excellent weekend for Aston Villa, who enjoyed a thumping 4-2 win over Bolton that took them above Arsenal into fourth place.
Heroes & Villans
Villa boss Martin O'Neill, though delighted with the victory, is trying to keep everyone's feet on the ground at Villa Park, insisting that they are still some way off matching Arsenal consistently. But in Ashley Young and Gabriel Agbonlahor, O'Neill has two consistent match-winners. The coveted England international forwards were once more at the top of their game against Bolton, whose boss Gary Megson became the latest to succumb to the banana-skin curse of the 'Manager of the Month' award.
Relief & Frustration
When the first game of the weekend, at The Riverside, came to an end with Middlesbrough having held Arsenal to a 1-1 draw thanks to headed equalising goal by Gunners old-boy Jeremie Aliadiere, it looked like another costly couple of points had slipped away from Arsene Wenger's side. But by the end of the end of the weekend, Wenger must have been relieved to see that the damage was minimal, as Liverpool were held at home by Hull, Manchester United away by Spurs and Chelsea at home to West Ham.
Chelsea were no doubt the most frustrated, because they played last and had a golden opportunity to reclaim top-spot by beating the Hammers. But Stamford Bridge is nothing like the fortress it was: Luiz Felipe Scolari's Blues have lost more points (14) than they've won (13) at home so far this season, prompting questions to be asked by many anxious Chelsea fans about their Brazilian coach. It is not going unnoticed by those fans that two of Scolari's sacked predecessors, Jose Mourinho and Claudio Ranieri, currently sit first and second in Serie A with Inter Milan and Juventus, respectively; nor did Avram Grant ever lose a home game for the Blues.
Not So Much Homesickness As Sickness At Home
What makes Chelsea's stumbling home form particularly striking is that on the road in the League they have a one hundred per cent record. They've won three out of nine at the Bridge and eight of eight away from it. Still, it's not just Chelsea who are more comfortable on the road this season. Everton, for example, have managed one win at Goodison Park and six on their travels. The latest of those came at Manchester City on Saturday when makeshift striker Tim Cahill headed a winner deep into stoppage-time, underlining one of football's truisms - that "these things even themselves out." A week earlier, the Toffees were undone by an Ashley Young strike at the back-end of time added on at home to Aston Villa, who won 3-2.
Everton's Merseyside rivals Liverpool are also having a better time of things away from home. They've won six times away and only five times at Anfield, where draws are becoming the order of the day. Hull City were the third visitors in a row to leave Anfield with a point, following West Ham and Fulham. Stoke had managed the feat earlier in the season, too; but Hull can count themselves the unluckiest not to have actually won. The Tigers led 2-0 before Liverpool's talismanic skipper Steven Gerrard restored parity with typical determination. However, in the build-up to both Gerrard's goals, one of his team-mates appeared to foul a Hull defender and get away with it.
Great Escapes
Someone else who got away with it on Saturday was Cristiano Ronaldo. He may be collecting personal accolades with monotonous regularity, but he was lucky not to collect a red card for a petulant flick of his boot at the shins of Tottenham's Michael Dawson during Manchester United's 0-0 draw at White Hart Lane. It was very reminiscent of David Beckham's notorious flick at Diego Simeone of Argentina in the 1998 World Cup - though with far less significant consequences.
United are now off to Japan for what many consider tone the irrelevance of the World Club Cup, and will have two games in hand on all their main rivals by the time the resume Premier League action on Boxing Day. Given his team's penchant for going on a lengthy unbeaten run in the second half of the season, Sir Alex Ferguson may be rubbing his hands in anticipation of a possible third successive title, though United will need to show more ruthless consistency than they have so far. That, of course, applies to all of the Big Four in this unpredictable season. Neutrals are welcoming a perceived levelling of the playing field and heightening of the competition in the Premier League this term, as the usual suspects struggle to convince.
United might have taken three points off Spurs on Saturday had the hitherto hapless Heurelho Gomes not produced the sort of display that gave clues as to why Juande Ramos brought him to the Lane from PSV. His new-found confidence may be testament to the recuperative powers of manager Harry Redknapp, whose team went close to breaking the deadlock themselves on a couple of occasions. But the closest to a goal in a fixture that usually yields plenty was when Ronaldo had the ball in the net only to see the effort disallowed for handball.
That was a correct call; but there were a few key moments that might have affected the outcomes of other games had they been interpreted differently by the officials. Gael Clichy appeared to trip Adam Johnson in the area at Middlesbrough; Lucas Neill did likewise on Frank Lampard; Bolton's Gary Cahill clearly handled the ball from a Villa corner; and Danny Higginbotham also used an arm to deal with a cross from Fulham's Jimmy Bullard at Stoke; all four incidents went unpunished.
Higginbotham's escape and the shoulder injury that neutralised Rory Delap's long throws would have been about the only talking points from an infinitely forgettable goalless draw at the Britannia Stadium had Fulham defender John Pantsil not treated us to a scene from the theatre of the absurd, collapsing as if shot, clutching his forehead, after Ricardo Fuller nudged his shoulder. Scandalously, he escaped censure before nearly heading Fulham in front. But then the referee was Stuart Attwell, who earned enduring notoriety earlier this season for awarding a 'ghost goal' at Watford.
Enough To Make Ince Wince
On the subject of goals, two of the cutest on Saturday were deft back-heeled flicks. In both cases they opened the scoring: Johan Elmander for Bolton, who nevertheless lost; and Emile Heskey for Wigan, who went on to win handsomely against Blackburn Rovers. Paul Ince's side are looking worryingly haunted after six straight defeats, and the manager himself, both defiant and apologetic, is becoming increasingly isolated.
Of his former Manchester United team-mates, victorious Steve Bruce was supportive, Rovers predecessor Mark Hughes has mounting problems of his own at Manchester City, and Roy Keane has already quit the firing line at Sunderland. Ironically, caretaker Ricky Sbragia has led Keano's team to an honourable, unlucky defeat at Old Trafford and a resounding 4-0 victory over a West Bromwich Albion side who appear to heading back to the Championship. As was said of the Spurs players earlier this season, why were they unwilling or unable to produce the goods for the previous manager?
Bubbly For Zola
Meanwhile, two of the happiest managers this weekend were surely Joe Kinnear and Gianfranco Zola. Kinnear, getting his teeth into the job at Newcaastle, masterminded the Magpies' first away win of the campaign with an emphatic 3-0 win at Portsmouth, where home strikers Jermain Defoe and Peter Crouch misfired, while resilient Michael Owen was again on target for the Toon; a message there for Fabio Capello?
As for Capello's compatriot Zola, the one-time Chelsea hero returned to Stamford Bridge with his West Ham team on Sunday, desperate for a result. What he got was a deserved point after a gritty performance full of character from his players; an for good measure an affectionate and sustained ovation from the Chelsea fans who, despite the heated atmosphere of a London derby, clearly haven't forgotten how the little Sardinian used to charm them.
Zola's next test is Aston Villa at home next Saturday. The following day Arsenal entertain Liverpool while on Monday Chelsea at Everton. But after this weekend's games, there are just 14 points spanning the 16 teams between Manchester United in third and Sunderland in 18th. It's getting congested in there...
Graham Lister, Goal.com
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