Happy fifth night of Hanukkah!
I treated myself to a bountiful day of soccer on Sunday, starting bright and early with a Manchester clash that lived up to its billing. Rooney got a bit lucky on the first, but would have wrong-footed Hart anyways, and made the second look easy. With both Rooney's first goal and Van Persie's match-winner (also helped in by a Man City deflection), I tend to give benefit of the doubt to the players.
Great to see Man City climb back in the game. I think the second-half proved that Tevez should be an even more integral part of the City attack, ahead of Aguero, in my humble opinion. Tevez has that Suarez-like ability to make something out of nothing. I personally liked the decision to start Balotelli - recently scored and he stepped up in this game last year with a goal. Just didn't have it, who knows the reason...weirdo. Dzeko was a necessary sub later in the game, and I thought Silva, Torre and Zabaleta all had positive second-halfs. Nasri remains a big mystery - wouldn't have minded to sub him out sooner.
Big win for United, but I still feel like they're susceptible on a weekly basis. They've been sick (as in good) at capitalizing on chances this year, but when Reading can put three first-half goals on the board, you still worry about the defense. Curious what type of impact Nani could have had on that game...Valencia didn't have an ounce of impact. Amazing that Man United has three guys like Nani, Welbeck, and Chicharito they can deploy from the bench in a game like that.
Arsenal v. West Brom
Themes: Maybe Gervinho is as hopeless as people say. I've wanted to give him an extra chance, since he can do some positive things going forward, but his ability to finish is essentially awful right now. He's having issues getting basic attempts on target, let alone past a goal-keeper. Hopefully Cazorla gets fined for that dive in the box. While you never like to see a 2-0 game from PKs, Arsenal was the better, more dangerous side and deserved the win. Giroud could have been better for me, but give credit to Wilshere and the defensive combo. With that win they could finish the weekend in 6th or 7th...much more tolerable than 10th pre-match. Bottom line: Big win at an important time, which should make for a much calmer week. I still think this team has a big opportunity with guys like Giroud, Podolski, Walcott, Oxlade-Chamberlain, and Cazorla all playing up to their potential.
For West Brom, disappointing. Shane Long got himself involved, but struck me as the only one making an impact going forward. When West Brom have looked legit this year, its because Odemwingie is also a threat to finish, and he was sub-par the entire 60 minutes he was in. Very little to comment on here, because it was such an uninspiring, uneventful afternoon for their side. At their best, a top 8 club, but a small margin for error to drop down to 12th or 13th. Norwich is a club at 12th who look much better than West Brom has the last couple of games.
Swansea v. Nowich
The Norwich v. Swansea game was an example of a tasty match-up that ended up being even better than advertised. After jumping ahead 3-0 at the half, I wasn't sure Swansea would claw back in, but give them credit for making it interesting. Michu is all over the field (although I could do without the subtle dives from him as well...the only shitty thing about Spanish futbol is most of the great players are soft. David Silva, Torres, Iniesta, Cazorla. Xavi may be the exception), and they looked somewhat dangerous most of the game. Graham up top was OK.
Really like the feel of Norwich at the moment. Huge win, lots of capable players on the field, and they played one of the more open, free brands of futbol I've ever seen from them. They will never be a Swansea in terms of style, but if they can get two goals on the board each game with guys like Holt, combined with the consistently-stellar defense, they're a top 10 club.
Liverpool v. West Ham
Really good game here. While West Ham doesn't play a very creative style of football (very American National Team-esque, prior to Klinsmann, if you will), its effective and they have a knack for creating real chances out of scums and 50/50 balls in the box. They will literally put a free-kick from midfield into the box and see what happens. Pretentious, no sir. Liverpool definitely came to play, doing as they pleased during the first 15 minutes.
Impressions going into the match: No Suarez, Shelby up-top instead, could be a 1-goal game, max, for the Reds. I'm a fan of Johnson, and Sterling was once-again pretty damn impressive. He bringgs a ton of activity, not afraid to mix it up, gets forward really quickly, and I think is about three months out from finishing lots more chances. The kid just turned 18 for cryin' out loud! He'll settle down a bit in front of goal and start to convert. Johnson's first goal was BOMB.com - absolutely nothing the keeper could do.
Both goals against Liverpool were tough breaks, and they probably felt cursed going into halftime. Nothing Allen could have done about that hand-ball (really tough call), and an own-goal by Gerrard made in 2-1 at the break.
Moment of the match was Joe Cole's top-class finish to tie things up at 2-2. Say what you will about his age, athleticism, and skill, but that goal looked like 'Joe-Cole-of-old pure soccer instinct' taking over for a few seconds. He made that look really easy, when in actuality, there are probably 20 people who will finish that in the EPL. While Shelby didn't knock-in that game-winner, he still had a huge affect on the goal, and I think a well-deserved 3-2 win.
Big result without Suarez, and the hint-of-good-fortune which had eluded this team throughout the season was finally on their side. Said it before: Like Rodgers, like the skill and talent on this team, like the system - I think they'll be fine. But seriously Luis, stay healthy...seriously.
Fox Soccer Channel just lost some serious points with me for not having the Tottenham/Everton match available. WTF. As a side-note, for those who don't watch FSC (so basically all of you), Eric Wynalda is the best sports analyst and on-camera sports personality that nobody knows about. I don't know how he pulls it off, but he kinda seems disinterested, or like he has something better to be doing the entire time he's on-camera. That, combined with a touch of arrogant sonofabitch, make him an awesome soccer analyst, it turns out.
Fulham v. Newcastle
Hallelujah! A Newcastle game which was aesthetically pleasing. Usually its Ba and Cisse chasing down balls over the top, but Ben Arfa added an element of fluidity and creativity which was invaluable. I thought he was the second-best player on the field...I'll talk about the top guy in a moment. The goal he scored was dirrrrrrty, even though the goalie kinda biffed. He was a problem on the left and right side for Fulham's defense all game. A shame he had to leave after 70 minutes having just returned from injury.
I thought the difference was clear: Dimitar Berbatov. I say this even though the guy missed a couple of chances he usually converts. After the 50th minute, his influence became progressively greater, and he was the reason Fulham could maintain any sort of possession equality down the stretch. The difference between players like him and to a lesser extent, Ben Arfa, is that they play the game at a different speed than everyone else. There's a split second of time they seem to buy themselves because of heightened instinct, talent, anticipation, whatever. The point being, its a beautiful thing to watch. A couple of times he took the his own goalie's free-kick about 60 yards downfield and controlled it like a freakin' throw-in from the sideline. I'm pretty sure he starts as a forward, but seeing him settle into the semi-midfield and put his stamp on the game there, rather than in front of goal, was impressive as shit. All of the commentary has been about what a monumental signing he is for that club, and I've been somewhat skeptical up until this match.
I won't be doing game-by-game break-downs each week, I promise. Lets just say, I went out HAAARRDDD on Thursday and Friday night of last week, and wasn't feeling very ambitious on Saturday morning. Because of that, I dominated a few more matches than usual.
Top 10: 12/12
Man U
Man City
Chelsea
Everton
Arsenal
Tottenham
Liverpool
Swansea
Norwich
Fulham
Santa-Con this weekend baby! SF is going to be like the Christmas-themed Where's Waldo...mainly because of all the Santa's. I don't know if a guy will be dressed up like Waldo somewhere. That's a decent idea.
Saturday, December 8, 2012
Tuesday, December 4, 2012
Prem-time! With Matt.
What up.
I've been following the Premier League very closely for a second season, and thought I'd put some of my opinions down on paper each week. While many of my compatriots would not agree with me, I feel like the Premier League & Champions League is the best show in sports right now. My goal (pun) is to recap the weekly action, highlights, 'fixtures and results' of significance, and overall trends that are affecting the league.
With the season almost halfway through, I think its clear we have a two-team race, once again. Man U and Man City are slowly starting to separate themselves from Chelsea, which initially looked like a championship contender. They started the season in great form under di Matteo with a refreshingly potent style of play (as opposed to their effective, yet agonizingly cautious defensive approach last year) led by their trio of creative midfielders - Mata, Edgar, and Hazard. Torres was even showing a glimpse or two of his Liverpool days, but after a poor run of play in England and Europe, culminating in di Matteo's canning, they are starting to look just as fragile as they were early last year. Rafa Benitez has stepped into a almost impossible situation, and I can't see them being a threat to either Manchester side when its all said and done.
Torres hasn't scored in his last 7 or 8 matches, and in my opinion, still looks quite uncomfortable on the field, especially when trying to create something for himself. When he isn't consistently finishing opportunities created by the midfield, he's a liability. Outside of Torres, Sturridge has looked promising at times, but still inconsistent and now, injured. Watching their matches, the reliable ones have been Mickel (althought a goal every year or so would help...), Ivanovic, Hazard, and most of all, Mata, who is quickly becoming a more dangerous version of his Spanish countryman, David Silva. Lack of depth, along with the day to day turmoil will keep these guys anywhere from 3-6th in the table. Too many good players to completely fall out of the picture for the Champions League next year.
What to follow after the first 15 matches or so...
Can Everton keep up their good run of play? Fellaini is the Premier League's "Most Improved Player", Baines is rock-solid, Tim Howard is American (enough said), and a lot of strong supporting players. If Jelavic can start scoring near the rate he was at the end of last season, they'll be in good shape. They've had a mediocre run over the last 5-6 matches, piling up draws, but have looked consistently dangerous in the process, although the scorelines may not show it. In most of their recent matches, they have squandered a late goal which ends up costing them, so they do need to work on putting teams away. That being said, their threatening style of play is a welcomed change from last year, when Fellaini was underperforming and Tim Cahill continued to be the most overrated, ineffective EPL center forward in recent memory. He was caught offsides more than Luis Suarez can ever hope to be.
What's going to happen with Tottenham? I was surprised by the AVB hiring this off-season, and I'm in no way sold that he's a great manager in the EPL, but maybe he was destined to fail at Chelsea? They're in fourth at the moment, which seems fortunate based on the inconsistency of their play, but not a bad spot - possibly better than last season. Bale is starting to pick it up, and when he's at his best he's every bit as valuable as a Van Persie, Rooney, Toure, Suarez, etc. Defense always seems to be the question here. Question for myself...what happened to Scott Parker? In the matches I watched last year, he seemed like the guy who took them from good to "cracking."
Pretenders or contenders? What will happen with West Brom, Swansea, West Ham, and possibly squads like Norwich? West Brom looks the most complete team out of this sampling, but Swansea has looked strong and West Ham just had a second-half for the ages with their 3-1 defeat of Chelsea. I suppose you could include Everton in this bunch, but they strike me as a more well-rounded team than these others. First-half-of-the-season shout-outs, WHAT WHAT!, go to Shane Long (West Brom), Miguel Michu (Swansea), and Mohamed Diame (West Ham). And gotta dig players like Grant Holt, who just find a way to score goals no matter who the competition might be.
What will become of Liverpool and Arsenal? Forgetting about Newcastle (nice win v. Wigan) and Fulham for a moment, I still am bullish on these two squads. With Liverpool this is how I see it. If Luis Suarez stays healthy, they will be a top 8 team, and potentially could rise to around 6....for realzz. I've watched most of their games, and Brendan Rogers style looks like it should be effective. They have shown glimpses of what it can be (see Norwich), but just don't have anyone besides Suarez who is finishing or creating in the final quarter of the field. Sterling has overachieved, especially as a 17 year-old, Gerard is better-than-average, and I've always liked Glen Johnson and their defense. Somewhat worried about their midfield. Joe Allen hasn't looked great for me, luke-warm on Shelby, and Jose Enrique seems effective until he gets near the goal (good defender tho). I think they'll fall around 7 or 8 in the table, and supporters will end the season with a good taste in their mouths regarding Rogers. Maybe some noise in the FA Cup?
With Arsenal, I think there's a lot to like. A work in progress, yes, but tons of talent and a coach I consistently like in Arsene Wenger. Something I need to come clean about - I thought the dude was German until about 3 months ago...OK, more like 3 weeks ago. Yikes (he's French). Anyways, it seems like they always take two steps forward and 1 back. Or maybe more like 1.5 steps forward and 1 step back. They're doing OK in Europe, have an attack force in Giroud, Podolski, and Walcott which, in theory, should always produce some decent chances, and a strong midfield with Cazorla and the consistently under-appreciated Arteta (who kinda looks like he puts on a small base layer of makeup and plucks his eyebrows before games...seriously, he looks like a manikin/wax statue). Oxlade Chamberlain should continue to get better, and I see glimpses with Gervinho. I've also seen some really shaky moments in front of goal...we'll see. At any rate, I think a top 4 finish is still within their grasp. Their cast of characters, which is on par with Chelsea's, only rivals Man U and Man City in quality (love using that term: If you are a football, basketball, or baseball fan exclusively, ask the nearest futbol aficionado what it means, you're not alone) and will continue to mesh and play better.
More on Manchester United and Man City after their match this upcoming Sunday - plenty to chat about there.
Waggles Top 10 (not necessarily by their current standing...how they'll end up):
Man U
Man City
Arsenal
Everton
Tottenham
Chelsea
Liverpool
Swansea
West Brom
Fulham
Thoughts? Reactions? Is there anything I wrote which seems stupid to you? Dig the feedback.
Ultimate goal here is to get a group of knowledgeable futbol fans together, talk some shop over the interweb, and hopefully find some times to get out at 7:30am on a Saturday or Sunday to watch matches like ManU/ManCity this weekend while throwing back a Newcastle or 5. Maybe while watching Newcastle?
I've been following the Premier League very closely for a second season, and thought I'd put some of my opinions down on paper each week. While many of my compatriots would not agree with me, I feel like the Premier League & Champions League is the best show in sports right now. My goal (pun) is to recap the weekly action, highlights, 'fixtures and results' of significance, and overall trends that are affecting the league.
With the season almost halfway through, I think its clear we have a two-team race, once again. Man U and Man City are slowly starting to separate themselves from Chelsea, which initially looked like a championship contender. They started the season in great form under di Matteo with a refreshingly potent style of play (as opposed to their effective, yet agonizingly cautious defensive approach last year) led by their trio of creative midfielders - Mata, Edgar, and Hazard. Torres was even showing a glimpse or two of his Liverpool days, but after a poor run of play in England and Europe, culminating in di Matteo's canning, they are starting to look just as fragile as they were early last year. Rafa Benitez has stepped into a almost impossible situation, and I can't see them being a threat to either Manchester side when its all said and done.
Torres hasn't scored in his last 7 or 8 matches, and in my opinion, still looks quite uncomfortable on the field, especially when trying to create something for himself. When he isn't consistently finishing opportunities created by the midfield, he's a liability. Outside of Torres, Sturridge has looked promising at times, but still inconsistent and now, injured. Watching their matches, the reliable ones have been Mickel (althought a goal every year or so would help...), Ivanovic, Hazard, and most of all, Mata, who is quickly becoming a more dangerous version of his Spanish countryman, David Silva. Lack of depth, along with the day to day turmoil will keep these guys anywhere from 3-6th in the table. Too many good players to completely fall out of the picture for the Champions League next year.
What to follow after the first 15 matches or so...
Can Everton keep up their good run of play? Fellaini is the Premier League's "Most Improved Player", Baines is rock-solid, Tim Howard is American (enough said), and a lot of strong supporting players. If Jelavic can start scoring near the rate he was at the end of last season, they'll be in good shape. They've had a mediocre run over the last 5-6 matches, piling up draws, but have looked consistently dangerous in the process, although the scorelines may not show it. In most of their recent matches, they have squandered a late goal which ends up costing them, so they do need to work on putting teams away. That being said, their threatening style of play is a welcomed change from last year, when Fellaini was underperforming and Tim Cahill continued to be the most overrated, ineffective EPL center forward in recent memory. He was caught offsides more than Luis Suarez can ever hope to be.
What's going to happen with Tottenham? I was surprised by the AVB hiring this off-season, and I'm in no way sold that he's a great manager in the EPL, but maybe he was destined to fail at Chelsea? They're in fourth at the moment, which seems fortunate based on the inconsistency of their play, but not a bad spot - possibly better than last season. Bale is starting to pick it up, and when he's at his best he's every bit as valuable as a Van Persie, Rooney, Toure, Suarez, etc. Defense always seems to be the question here. Question for myself...what happened to Scott Parker? In the matches I watched last year, he seemed like the guy who took them from good to "cracking."
Pretenders or contenders? What will happen with West Brom, Swansea, West Ham, and possibly squads like Norwich? West Brom looks the most complete team out of this sampling, but Swansea has looked strong and West Ham just had a second-half for the ages with their 3-1 defeat of Chelsea. I suppose you could include Everton in this bunch, but they strike me as a more well-rounded team than these others. First-half-of-the-season shout-outs, WHAT WHAT!, go to Shane Long (West Brom), Miguel Michu (Swansea), and Mohamed Diame (West Ham). And gotta dig players like Grant Holt, who just find a way to score goals no matter who the competition might be.
What will become of Liverpool and Arsenal? Forgetting about Newcastle (nice win v. Wigan) and Fulham for a moment, I still am bullish on these two squads. With Liverpool this is how I see it. If Luis Suarez stays healthy, they will be a top 8 team, and potentially could rise to around 6....for realzz. I've watched most of their games, and Brendan Rogers style looks like it should be effective. They have shown glimpses of what it can be (see Norwich), but just don't have anyone besides Suarez who is finishing or creating in the final quarter of the field. Sterling has overachieved, especially as a 17 year-old, Gerard is better-than-average, and I've always liked Glen Johnson and their defense. Somewhat worried about their midfield. Joe Allen hasn't looked great for me, luke-warm on Shelby, and Jose Enrique seems effective until he gets near the goal (good defender tho). I think they'll fall around 7 or 8 in the table, and supporters will end the season with a good taste in their mouths regarding Rogers. Maybe some noise in the FA Cup?
With Arsenal, I think there's a lot to like. A work in progress, yes, but tons of talent and a coach I consistently like in Arsene Wenger. Something I need to come clean about - I thought the dude was German until about 3 months ago...OK, more like 3 weeks ago. Yikes (he's French). Anyways, it seems like they always take two steps forward and 1 back. Or maybe more like 1.5 steps forward and 1 step back. They're doing OK in Europe, have an attack force in Giroud, Podolski, and Walcott which, in theory, should always produce some decent chances, and a strong midfield with Cazorla and the consistently under-appreciated Arteta (who kinda looks like he puts on a small base layer of makeup and plucks his eyebrows before games...seriously, he looks like a manikin/wax statue). Oxlade Chamberlain should continue to get better, and I see glimpses with Gervinho. I've also seen some really shaky moments in front of goal...we'll see. At any rate, I think a top 4 finish is still within their grasp. Their cast of characters, which is on par with Chelsea's, only rivals Man U and Man City in quality (love using that term: If you are a football, basketball, or baseball fan exclusively, ask the nearest futbol aficionado what it means, you're not alone) and will continue to mesh and play better.
More on Manchester United and Man City after their match this upcoming Sunday - plenty to chat about there.
Waggles Top 10 (not necessarily by their current standing...how they'll end up):
Man U
Man City
Arsenal
Everton
Tottenham
Chelsea
Liverpool
Swansea
West Brom
Fulham
Thoughts? Reactions? Is there anything I wrote which seems stupid to you? Dig the feedback.
Ultimate goal here is to get a group of knowledgeable futbol fans together, talk some shop over the interweb, and hopefully find some times to get out at 7:30am on a Saturday or Sunday to watch matches like ManU/ManCity this weekend while throwing back a Newcastle or 5. Maybe while watching Newcastle?
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