|
|
The Full English: Power Struggle
With the league’s second and third place teams battling it out, it’s definitely going to be an intriguing weekend in the English Premier League.
Jan 29, 2010 1:00:00 PM
By Shane Evans
The little hiatus is over and I’m back with vengeance. You know how it is. Let’s not dwell on all that though, as we have an excellent weekend ahead.
Atop the summit that is Mount Shane’s Consciousness is the vital clash between Arsenal and Manchester United from the Emirates. A point separates the two teams right now and first place Chelsea for that matter, so this one will certainly be interesting.
Following that we will turn to a match at the Cottage between Fulham and Aston Villa. Should be a worthwhile viewing considering it’s on ESPN2 (not at 7:45 a.m. ET for once) and because both teams are playing pretty strong footy of late.
Lastly we’ll examine a couple of bottom-feeders in Hull and Wolves. I’ve noticed a trend in my TFE’s where I’ll look at a battle at the top, middle and bottom. Keeps things fair, you know. I’m an equal opportunity masterpiece writer. Everyone gets a shot at some of my inches. Even Phil Brown and his laughable excuse for a team. Actually, his team is fine, it’s Brown that has lost the plot...but more on that later. For now, let’s get cracking.
The Bacon (as in Bringing It Home)
Arsenal vs. Manchester United (Emirates Stadium, January 31st, 11:00 a.m. ET, Fox Soccer Channel)
Well well well...what a match this should be? Making up two of the three teams that have a chance at the title this season, Arsenal and Manchester United are on a warpath for each other and will want to make an example of the other in this one.
The first thing to worry about, for both sides actually, is who will be patrolling the center of defense? With Rio suspended and Thomas Vermaelen injured, the teams are missing vital pieces in the middle. Luckily, Nemanja Vidic will be back for United and Sol Campbell will step in for Arsenal (that’s a good thing, right?)
United have the upper hand here as Vidic is obviously a more capable player than Granddad Campbell. He’ll have to do though and along with Billy Peanuts will be charged with the task of slowing the EPL’s leading goalscorer, one Wayne Rooney. No easy task if you ask me as Wazza has already matched Anelka’s total of 19 from last season and is on pace to do some serious damage to the record books. Not to jinx him or anything…
Looking at some bigger picture stuff, there are some milestones to be had in this one. Firstly, if Arsenal win, it’d be Arsene Wenger’s 300th Premier League victory, second to only one: that’s right, you guessed it, Sir Alex Ferguson and his gaudy 438. Not too shabby, Arsene. On the flip side, if United are able to deny Wenger his big day and take all three points from the Emirates, it’d be their first league win at said venue.
That stuff really doesn’t matter to me however as I like to keep my focus concentrated, though I’ll give credit where it’s due. Simply put, the two men patrolling the technical box (well, one will be anyway…) are the best in the business, without question.
The game is what matters though, not injuries, not goal totals, not match milestones, not the puffiness of Arsene’s jacket. Nope, the 90 minutes between the two sides is where it counts. Honestly, I could see it going either way. Moments of brilliance from Rooney or Cesc Fabregas could completely change the game. I think it’s going to come down to that. A close match from start to finish, it’s going to be won late on and I think it’s the home side that’ll be celebrating.
TFE Prediction: Arsenal snatch it late to pile pressure on Sir Alex and co. 2-1 Gunners.
Fulham vs. Aston Villa (Craven Cottage, January 30th, 10:00 a.m. ET, ESPN2)
Not been a great stretch for Aston Villa. After enjoying a stretch of four straight clean sheets, they’ve been clean-sheeted (?) in the preceding four. Hard to pinpoint how a team could experience such variance in their form, but Villa have done it. If memory serves, it happened around this time last season to them as well. Flying high during the early part of the season, a prolonged stumble kept them out of the running for the rest of the campaign.
This is a perfect match for Martin O’Neill to pick up the pieces and get things going in the right direction again. Fulham, while formidable, are a team that Villa should take care of, especially if they want to establish themselves among the league’s top teams. A win could potentially push them into fourth place and would keep pressure on a Spurs side who are away to Birmingham.
Fulham are no slouches however and will certainly protect the integrity of Craven Cottage, a home-field advantage that includes a league-low six goals allowed and only two losses. Arguably one of the strongest ‘friendly confines’ teams in the league, the Cottagers always put it all on the line for their home fans, and that’s the way it should be.
Form is on neither side right now as Fulham haven’t won in five, including four straight defeats, which is right on par with Aston Villa’s recent record. Something has to give in this one and I think quality will outshine determination.
Fulham may play with fire at home, but I think Villa need this more and simply cannot allow for a fifth successive loss. Like the first match, it will be close, but I’m putting my money on my Midlands brothers and Leicester legend Martin O’Neill to get things done.
TFE Prediction: Neither team like to score, so I’m going 1-0 Villa on this one with James Milner bagging the winner.
Hull City vs. Wolverhampton Wanderers (KC Stadium, January 30th, 10:00 a.m. ET)
Hey! Both these teams wear orange! That’s my favorite color! Uhh, Tigers vs. something of a Wolf, at least in the logo, anyway? Mick McCarthy has a cool accent? Man, there has to be more to this one than that stuff…
Arguably the two most dismal and unimpressive teams in the league, Hull and Wolves are separated by only a point at the bottom of the EPL table. Say what you will about Burnley, Portsmouth, West Ham and Bolton, I have seen all of those teams play impressively at points this season. These two have about 45 minutes of quality football between them.
Nothing against the players or anything, but some squads aren’t built to perform at this level, and when all is said and done, my guess is both will be back in the Championship fighting it out again next year. Sorry Phil, last year was a fluke, this year won’t be.
This game, thankfully for both, is a way to create a bit of space between the winner and those wallowing in self pity at the foot of the table. I wonder if it’ll end 0-0 or 5-4? Honestly could be either as both sides have poor defenses and strike forces.
I like Wolves in this one, and I’ll tell you why: Kevin Doyle. He’s the only thing either club have that’s close to a legit goalscorer. Yes, Stephen Hunt has knocked in an equal number of goals for Hull, but he’s rumored to be on his way out (another masterstroke from Phil Brown), with none other than Wolves trailing him! Oh the irony.
Doyle, another former Reading star, really should push the Tigers defense on Saturday and I think he’ll grab a goal to improve his tally to a whopping six. Ok, I’m done pretending to care about this match…
TFE Prediction: I’m going with a nice healthy 3-2 scoreline. Sorry, Phil.
The Toast (as in Of The EPL)
Rafa Benitez, Liverpool: Will he leave? Will he stay? Well, apparently that’s been answered as Juventus have hired a replacement for recently fired Ciro Ferrara. Former AC Milan boss Alberto Zaccheroni comes in to hold the spot until Rafa is ready to walk out on Anfield in the summer. Is it a certainty? Not really sure. I’ll say this much, if Liverpool don’t start playing better and that ownership mess isn’t cleared up soon, it’ll be lasagna and gelato all day for Rafapants.
Portsmouth, financial hell: How things could ever get so bad at a professional sports team is beyond me. Who is running this club? My guess is a bunch of genetically ‘advanced’ sloths, that or the Foot Clan are using them as a front for Shredder’s master-plans. Things are so bad at Fratton Park that their website was shut down due to no one paying the bill. Sounds about right. I feel for you Pompey fans, I really do.
Ashley Cole, Chelsea: My main man got his driver’s license revoked for four months because of his little speeding session a while back. Serves him right. Running from the paparazzi he said. I guess he could have been a little more inconspicuous though as I don’t know about you, but when I take my Lamborghini Gallardo out for a spin, it often times gets a few looks from the mere mortals of the world.
Leicester Update
I don’t really want to do this update. Not a good run at the moment. Three straight losses and no wins in four, my Foxes look lost. Utterly lost. Doesn’t get much easier as league leaders and everyone-else-killers Newcastle are coming to town for a little punch-up. Should be a fun one. At least we have Nobby Solano!
And Finally...The Black Pudding of the Week
Manchester United 'fans': Idiots. Absolute idiots. I get it, Craig Bellamy is a plonker. A real nitwit. No one likes the guy, not even his teammates or manager, but throwing things at a professional athlete while they are trying to play is disgraceful. Being from Philadelphia, I’ve heard all the stories you can hear about fan abuse, but it should never ever get to that. Old Trafford holds what? 80,000 people? Something like that. Because of 3-5 idiots who threw things at Bellamy, all the rest of those fans, City patrons excluded, are now branded as projectile throwing miscreants. I hope you’re happy, whoever you are.
Shane Evans is an Associate Editor of Goal.com. His feature, "The Full English" appears every Friday morning. Contact Shane at shane.evans@goal.com with questions, comments and concerns, follow him on Twitter at https://twitter.com/shanEvans or join the TFE/FCS Facebook fan page!
For more news on England, visit Goal.com's England section!
The little hiatus is over and I’m back with vengeance. You know how it is. Let’s not dwell on all that though, as we have an excellent weekend ahead.
Atop the summit that is Mount Shane’s Consciousness is the vital clash between Arsenal and Manchester United from the Emirates. A point separates the two teams right now and first place Chelsea for that matter, so this one will certainly be interesting.
Following that we will turn to a match at the Cottage between Fulham and Aston Villa. Should be a worthwhile viewing considering it’s on ESPN2 (not at 7:45 a.m. ET for once) and because both teams are playing pretty strong footy of late.
Lastly we’ll examine a couple of bottom-feeders in Hull and Wolves. I’ve noticed a trend in my TFE’s where I’ll look at a battle at the top, middle and bottom. Keeps things fair, you know. I’m an equal opportunity masterpiece writer. Everyone gets a shot at some of my inches. Even Phil Brown and his laughable excuse for a team. Actually, his team is fine, it’s Brown that has lost the plot...but more on that later. For now, let’s get cracking.
The Bacon (as in Bringing It Home)
Arsenal vs. Manchester United (Emirates Stadium, January 31st, 11:00 a.m. ET, Fox Soccer Channel)
Well well well...what a match this should be? Making up two of the three teams that have a chance at the title this season, Arsenal and Manchester United are on a warpath for each other and will want to make an example of the other in this one.
The first thing to worry about, for both sides actually, is who will be patrolling the center of defense? With Rio suspended and Thomas Vermaelen injured, the teams are missing vital pieces in the middle. Luckily, Nemanja Vidic will be back for United and Sol Campbell will step in for Arsenal (that’s a good thing, right?)
United have the upper hand here as Vidic is obviously a more capable player than Granddad Campbell. He’ll have to do though and along with Billy Peanuts will be charged with the task of slowing the EPL’s leading goalscorer, one Wayne Rooney. No easy task if you ask me as Wazza has already matched Anelka’s total of 19 from last season and is on pace to do some serious damage to the record books. Not to jinx him or anything…
Looking at some bigger picture stuff, there are some milestones to be had in this one. Firstly, if Arsenal win, it’d be Arsene Wenger’s 300th Premier League victory, second to only one: that’s right, you guessed it, Sir Alex Ferguson and his gaudy 438. Not too shabby, Arsene. On the flip side, if United are able to deny Wenger his big day and take all three points from the Emirates, it’d be their first league win at said venue.
That stuff really doesn’t matter to me however as I like to keep my focus concentrated, though I’ll give credit where it’s due. Simply put, the two men patrolling the technical box (well, one will be anyway…) are the best in the business, without question.
The game is what matters though, not injuries, not goal totals, not match milestones, not the puffiness of Arsene’s jacket. Nope, the 90 minutes between the two sides is where it counts. Honestly, I could see it going either way. Moments of brilliance from Rooney or Cesc Fabregas could completely change the game. I think it’s going to come down to that. A close match from start to finish, it’s going to be won late on and I think it’s the home side that’ll be celebrating.
TFE Prediction: Arsenal snatch it late to pile pressure on Sir Alex and co. 2-1 Gunners.
Fulham vs. Aston Villa (Craven Cottage, January 30th, 10:00 a.m. ET, ESPN2)
Not been a great stretch for Aston Villa. After enjoying a stretch of four straight clean sheets, they’ve been clean-sheeted (?) in the preceding four. Hard to pinpoint how a team could experience such variance in their form, but Villa have done it. If memory serves, it happened around this time last season to them as well. Flying high during the early part of the season, a prolonged stumble kept them out of the running for the rest of the campaign.
This is a perfect match for Martin O’Neill to pick up the pieces and get things going in the right direction again. Fulham, while formidable, are a team that Villa should take care of, especially if they want to establish themselves among the league’s top teams. A win could potentially push them into fourth place and would keep pressure on a Spurs side who are away to Birmingham.
Fulham are no slouches however and will certainly protect the integrity of Craven Cottage, a home-field advantage that includes a league-low six goals allowed and only two losses. Arguably one of the strongest ‘friendly confines’ teams in the league, the Cottagers always put it all on the line for their home fans, and that’s the way it should be.
Form is on neither side right now as Fulham haven’t won in five, including four straight defeats, which is right on par with Aston Villa’s recent record. Something has to give in this one and I think quality will outshine determination.
Fulham may play with fire at home, but I think Villa need this more and simply cannot allow for a fifth successive loss. Like the first match, it will be close, but I’m putting my money on my Midlands brothers and Leicester legend Martin O’Neill to get things done.
TFE Prediction: Neither team like to score, so I’m going 1-0 Villa on this one with James Milner bagging the winner.
Hull City vs. Wolverhampton Wanderers (KC Stadium, January 30th, 10:00 a.m. ET)
Hey! Both these teams wear orange! That’s my favorite color! Uhh, Tigers vs. something of a Wolf, at least in the logo, anyway? Mick McCarthy has a cool accent? Man, there has to be more to this one than that stuff…
Arguably the two most dismal and unimpressive teams in the league, Hull and Wolves are separated by only a point at the bottom of the EPL table. Say what you will about Burnley, Portsmouth, West Ham and Bolton, I have seen all of those teams play impressively at points this season. These two have about 45 minutes of quality football between them.
Nothing against the players or anything, but some squads aren’t built to perform at this level, and when all is said and done, my guess is both will be back in the Championship fighting it out again next year. Sorry Phil, last year was a fluke, this year won’t be.
This game, thankfully for both, is a way to create a bit of space between the winner and those wallowing in self pity at the foot of the table. I wonder if it’ll end 0-0 or 5-4? Honestly could be either as both sides have poor defenses and strike forces.
I like Wolves in this one, and I’ll tell you why: Kevin Doyle. He’s the only thing either club have that’s close to a legit goalscorer. Yes, Stephen Hunt has knocked in an equal number of goals for Hull, but he’s rumored to be on his way out (another masterstroke from Phil Brown), with none other than Wolves trailing him! Oh the irony.
Doyle, another former Reading star, really should push the Tigers defense on Saturday and I think he’ll grab a goal to improve his tally to a whopping six. Ok, I’m done pretending to care about this match…
TFE Prediction: I’m going with a nice healthy 3-2 scoreline. Sorry, Phil.
The Toast (as in Of The EPL)
Rafa Benitez, Liverpool: Will he leave? Will he stay? Well, apparently that’s been answered as Juventus have hired a replacement for recently fired Ciro Ferrara. Former AC Milan boss Alberto Zaccheroni comes in to hold the spot until Rafa is ready to walk out on Anfield in the summer. Is it a certainty? Not really sure. I’ll say this much, if Liverpool don’t start playing better and that ownership mess isn’t cleared up soon, it’ll be lasagna and gelato all day for Rafapants.
Portsmouth, financial hell: How things could ever get so bad at a professional sports team is beyond me. Who is running this club? My guess is a bunch of genetically ‘advanced’ sloths, that or the Foot Clan are using them as a front for Shredder’s master-plans. Things are so bad at Fratton Park that their website was shut down due to no one paying the bill. Sounds about right. I feel for you Pompey fans, I really do.
Ashley Cole, Chelsea: My main man got his driver’s license revoked for four months because of his little speeding session a while back. Serves him right. Running from the paparazzi he said. I guess he could have been a little more inconspicuous though as I don’t know about you, but when I take my Lamborghini Gallardo out for a spin, it often times gets a few looks from the mere mortals of the world.
Leicester Update
I don’t really want to do this update. Not a good run at the moment. Three straight losses and no wins in four, my Foxes look lost. Utterly lost. Doesn’t get much easier as league leaders and everyone-else-killers Newcastle are coming to town for a little punch-up. Should be a fun one. At least we have Nobby Solano!
And Finally...The Black Pudding of the Week
Manchester United 'fans': Idiots. Absolute idiots. I get it, Craig Bellamy is a plonker. A real nitwit. No one likes the guy, not even his teammates or manager, but throwing things at a professional athlete while they are trying to play is disgraceful. Being from Philadelphia, I’ve heard all the stories you can hear about fan abuse, but it should never ever get to that. Old Trafford holds what? 80,000 people? Something like that. Because of 3-5 idiots who threw things at Bellamy, all the rest of those fans, City patrons excluded, are now branded as projectile throwing miscreants. I hope you’re happy, whoever you are.
Shane Evans is an Associate Editor of Goal.com. His feature, "The Full English" appears every Friday morning. Contact Shane at shane.evans@goal.com with questions, comments and concerns, follow him on Twitter at https://twitter.com/shanEvans or join the TFE/FCS Facebook fan page!
For more news on England, visit Goal.com's England section!
Inside Goal.Com
-
EURO 2012: Cristiano Ronaldo, Xavi and Van Persie named in Goal.com's dream team XI
Goal.com put together its dream team for this summer's European Championship in Poland and Ukraine
-
RIGG: Anelka struggling against the current in Shanghai
Nicolas Anelka went against the grain when he moved to Shanghai. Now he's finding that coaching and gelling tactically is like swimming against the tide.
-
ROGERS: Bradley should command a bidding war among Serie A teams
Chievo is currently shopping the American midfielder and several Italian clubs have shown interest.
-
ISOLA: Neymar-led Brazil should be considered the 2014 WC favorite
Neymar was brilliant as Brazil easily handled the United States with early World Cup preparations officially underway.
-
LATHAM: Mexico using summer friendlies to build depth
With World Cup qualifying to begin in June, Mexico is using three U.S.-hosted friendlies to build squad depth.