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Food For Thought: Fifth Defeat For Arsenal, Egypt's Hat-trick & UAE Test For Churchill
The Gunners cannot afford too many slip ups now..
01-Feb-2010 11:10:00 PM
By Amoy Ghoshal
Another Home Defeat For The Gunners
Arsenal suffered their fifth league defeat of the season on Sunday and it was also their second loss at home. In the last eight months, they have now lost four times at the Emirates in all competitions, twice each against Chelsea and Man United. The manner of all those four defeats have been quite similar as the Blues and Red Devils ripped Arsenal apart with some exquisite counter attacking football. The Gunners did have more possession in those games but were not clinical enough in front of goal while at the back they committed a few unforced errors and were of course undone by the pace and power of Chelsea and Man United.
This season the Gunners have picked up just three points in four games against traditional ‘Big Four’ rivals. Gooners will be hoping that such a statistic is a blessing in disguise because Arsenal have done well in ‘Big Four’ games in the last three seasons but have failed to win the title. Last season Man United got just five points from six ‘Big Four’ clashes but still emerged as champions. Arsene Wenger’s side will be hoping to achieve something similar by getting maximum points against the rest. Their next two matches however are against Chelsea (away) and Liverpool (home) and going by the league table the Gunners probably need at least four points from them. The title is no longer in Arsenal’s hands as their fate now depends on the results of Chelsea and Man United. But at the same time the three time Premier League champions can’t afford to drop too many points in their remaining games. The Gunners need a near perfect season from now until May to stand any chance of winning their first league title since 2004.
Three In A Row For Egypt
Egypt became the first nation to win the prestigious African Cup of Nations for the third consecutive edition after a hard fought 1-0 victory over Ghana in the final. ‘The Pharaohs’ have now been the best in their continent for a record seven times but surprisingly they have only played in the FIFA World Cup twice. They won’t be featuring in the 2010 edition also after losing a highly dramatic playoff match against neighbours Algeria. Going by their consistency in recent years and the impressive performance in Angola, Egypt certainly would have been one of Africa's best bets for a good showing h in the World Cup.
Egypt played some fantastic football in the AFCON and were without a doubt the best team in the tournament. They defeated as many as four World Cup participants (Nigeria, Cameroon, Algeria and Ghana) in the tournament thus signaling their superiority in the region. Their performance in last year’s FIFA Confederations Cup suggests that the North African nation can be a handful for any side in the world as they only lost 3-4 against Brazil and defeated world champions Italy by a solitary goal. Their display in that tournament impressed the South African public also therefore the Egyptians will be definitely missed in this summer's biggest sporting event.
Churchill In AFC Competition
Churchill Brothers are a win away from the group stages of the prestigious AFC Champions League. No Indian club has ever reached that stage so Churchill will create history if they win their playoff tie. But just like their fellow Goan club Dempo, who lost their playoff last season against Al Sharjah, Churchill’s task is also daunting as they have to beat UAE’s Al Wahda in Abu Dhabi. Unlike in most other continental club competitions of the world, the qualifying playoff of the AFC Champions League is a one match affair and unfortunately for Churchill they were drawn as the away side.
The Indian champions did get a bye in the semis of the play-offs but couldn’t have wished for a tougher opponent in the final. Al Wahda are former UAE champions and have reached this stage by winning away at Syria’s Al Karamah. Churchill will go into the game as underdogs and are worryingly not in good form of late. The narrow win over Salgaocar on Monday was their first victory in six matches. The Goan giants will play in the group stage of the AFC Cup if they lose the playoff so they are assured to play in an AFC competition this seaason. Odafa Okolie and company will get their first taste of an Asian tournament so they will definitely relish the occasion even if Churchill fail to make it to the AFC Champions League.
Arsenal suffered their fifth league defeat of the season on Sunday and it was also their second loss at home. In the last eight months, they have now lost four times at the Emirates in all competitions, twice each against Chelsea and Man United. The manner of all those four defeats have been quite similar as the Blues and Red Devils ripped Arsenal apart with some exquisite counter attacking football. The Gunners did have more possession in those games but were not clinical enough in front of goal while at the back they committed a few unforced errors and were of course undone by the pace and power of Chelsea and Man United.
This season the Gunners have picked up just three points in four games against traditional ‘Big Four’ rivals. Gooners will be hoping that such a statistic is a blessing in disguise because Arsenal have done well in ‘Big Four’ games in the last three seasons but have failed to win the title. Last season Man United got just five points from six ‘Big Four’ clashes but still emerged as champions. Arsene Wenger’s side will be hoping to achieve something similar by getting maximum points against the rest. Their next two matches however are against Chelsea (away) and Liverpool (home) and going by the league table the Gunners probably need at least four points from them. The title is no longer in Arsenal’s hands as their fate now depends on the results of Chelsea and Man United. But at the same time the three time Premier League champions can’t afford to drop too many points in their remaining games. The Gunners need a near perfect season from now until May to stand any chance of winning their first league title since 2004.
Three In A Row For Egypt
Egypt became the first nation to win the prestigious African Cup of Nations for the third consecutive edition after a hard fought 1-0 victory over Ghana in the final. ‘The Pharaohs’ have now been the best in their continent for a record seven times but surprisingly they have only played in the FIFA World Cup twice. They won’t be featuring in the 2010 edition also after losing a highly dramatic playoff match against neighbours Algeria. Going by their consistency in recent years and the impressive performance in Angola, Egypt certainly would have been one of Africa's best bets for a good showing h in the World Cup.
Egypt played some fantastic football in the AFCON and were without a doubt the best team in the tournament. They defeated as many as four World Cup participants (Nigeria, Cameroon, Algeria and Ghana) in the tournament thus signaling their superiority in the region. Their performance in last year’s FIFA Confederations Cup suggests that the North African nation can be a handful for any side in the world as they only lost 3-4 against Brazil and defeated world champions Italy by a solitary goal. Their display in that tournament impressed the South African public also therefore the Egyptians will be definitely missed in this summer's biggest sporting event.
Churchill In AFC Competition
Churchill Brothers are a win away from the group stages of the prestigious AFC Champions League. No Indian club has ever reached that stage so Churchill will create history if they win their playoff tie. But just like their fellow Goan club Dempo, who lost their playoff last season against Al Sharjah, Churchill’s task is also daunting as they have to beat UAE’s Al Wahda in Abu Dhabi. Unlike in most other continental club competitions of the world, the qualifying playoff of the AFC Champions League is a one match affair and unfortunately for Churchill they were drawn as the away side.
The Indian champions did get a bye in the semis of the play-offs but couldn’t have wished for a tougher opponent in the final. Al Wahda are former UAE champions and have reached this stage by winning away at Syria’s Al Karamah. Churchill will go into the game as underdogs and are worryingly not in good form of late. The narrow win over Salgaocar on Monday was their first victory in six matches. The Goan giants will play in the group stage of the AFC Cup if they lose the playoff so they are assured to play in an AFC competition this seaason. Odafa Okolie and company will get their first taste of an Asian tournament so they will definitely relish the occasion even if Churchill fail to make it to the AFC Champions League.
Make Your Prediction
Guinea - Egypt
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Egypt
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Guinea 1-0 Egypt
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