City win again while Liverpool continue to stumble

Manchester City toiled to another victory over Blackpool as they inched closer to the summit of the English Premier League. The Citizens' 3-2 away victory at Blackpool moves them to second place, only 1 point shy of leaders Chelsea. It was a hard match but goals from Carlos Tevez and David Silva sealed the game for City while Marlon Harewood and Gary Taylor Fletcher scored for the Seasiders.

It was a tale of two halves as the home team completely controlled the pace throughout the first half but failed to find the first goal. DJ Campbell had the best chance of the half when he was put through but in a one on one situation with Joe Hart, the forward balked and missed his shot. After the interval, Blackpool continued to dominate but the introduction of David Silva changed the tempo of the match. Tevez scored not long after that and added a second just after Marlon Harewood had equalized for Blackpool. Silva scored City's third in the 85 minuted before Fletcher's late consolation.

Over at Goodison Park, Roy Hodgson tenure at Liverpool suffered a new low when his side was beaten in the Merseyside derby. The 2-0 loss to Everton condemned Liverpool to second from bottom, having only taken 2 points from a possible 15. Goals in each half by Tim Cahill and Mikael Arteta settled this leg of the Merseyside derby.

It was a thoroughly deserved victory for Everton as they showed more passion and determination to win the game. Liverpool's stars like Steven Gerrard, Jamie Carragher and Fernando Torres worked their socks off but was largely let down by uninspiring performances from Joe Cole, Maxi Rodriguez and Raul Meirelles. In the stands were the new owners of Liverpool who must be wondering if they have made the right decision in purchasing the club.

My pick for Upset Of The Week: Blackpool vs Manchester City

In the last outing at Anfield, Blackpool claimed the biggest scalp of their club’s history with a 2-1 victory over Liverpool.  Ian Holloway’s team, everybody’s favourite to go straight down this season, have given a good account of themselves in their first season in the Premiership. Although they were thumped 6-0 by Arsenal and 4-0 by Chelsea, they also have a 1-0 victory over Newcastle and the impressive win at Anfield to show after 7 matches. More surprisingly, Blackpool in now sitting in 8^th place in the league and the manager will be hoping for the fairytale to continue.

Luke Varney who was Man of the Match against Liverpool and scored the second goal will be looking to continue his good form against Manchester City.

For all the riches that Manchester City possesses, they have not shown the form that everybody expected them to. However, Roberto Mancini’s side seems to have turned the corner after a poor start to the season with back to back victories in the last two matches. The 1-0 victory over champions Chelsea was followed with a 2-1 win against Newcastle. The Citizens are now up to second place in the league, only three points behind Chelsea.

The injury setbacks that City suffered earlier in the season seems to have passed with players like Jerome Boateng and Joleon Lescott back in defense although Alexander Kolarov is still out. Nigel de Jong who has been at the criticized heavily for this tackle on Hatem Ben Arfa in the last match is expected to keep his place in the squad while Adam Johnson will probably start in place of James Milner after scoring the winning goal against Newcastle

This being Blackpool’s first season in the Premiership, both teams have not met each other in the first tier of English club football. It would take another mighty effort from Ian Holloway’s boys to come out with a result in this match but I wouldn’t be surprised if they do.

Match of the Week preview: Liverpool vs Everton

After a dreadful start to the season, Everton finally got their first win in this campaign with a 2-0 away defeat of Birmingham in the last match before the international break. After being at the bottom of the table earlier, Everton has climbed to 18^th spot with that victory. More importantly, they are now above their neighbors Liverpool who is in 19^th place in the league.

After seeing his team ravaged by injuries last season, David Moyes is experience a change of luck this season as most of his team is back in the squad with no major injuries to contend with. Tim Cahill and Yakubu will be on hand to take advantage of Liverpool’s fragile state and increase the pressure of Roy Hodgson's shoulders.

Turmoil in the boardroom and on the field has contributed to Liverpool’s lowly position in the league thus far. In what should have been a revival of fortunes under new manager Roy Hodgson, Liverpool now finds themselves second from bottom with only one win in the first seven matches. Their last match ended defeat, 2-0 at home to Blackpool has led the fans to call for Hodgson’s resignation and for the board to reinstate Anfield legend Kenny Daglish to the helm. 

The ownership saga which has drag on since last season and may have played a part in the team’s mentality on the field looks close to be ending as the club has accepted a bid from an American consortium. With the new ownership, Liverpool fans would be hoping for more investment in players to rejuvenate the squad which is severely lacking in quality safe for Fernando Torres and skipper Steven Gerrard. Liverpool is facing a major crisis at the front with Torres and Kuyt not available for the match. 

Liverpool did the double over their neighbors last season, winning 1-0 at home and 2-0 at Goodison Park. This year’s edition of the derby should be interesting and probably the first meeting with both sides is in the relegation places in the league. Another loss to their Mersey rivals will see Roy Hodgson’ seat even shakier and will not be a good omen for the new owners NESV, who would no doubt be watching the match closely.

Mr Bolton makes an impressive debut for England

I know how some people might see this result as an extension of the England team malaise from the World Cup. I have to disagree with that view totally. I thought the team played well and had a couple of good chances to see of the match if not for the brilliance of the Montenegro goalkeeper. Mind you, the opposition side is also unbeaten in the Group and have not conceded a goal yet in the 2012 qualifiers.

I think Capello made a good tactical move to play two speedy wingers in Ashley Cole and Adam Johnson. Johnson really impressed me in the game. He kinda reminds me of a young Ryan Giggs. How we lament in the pass about not having a left winger in Giggsy’s mould. Well, now we do. I see a bright future for this young lad. He just needs to work on his final delivery and he would be a potent weapon for England.

The other debutant that caught my eye was Mr Bolton, Kevin Davies. Earning his first cap with 20 minutes to go, he must have won more headers in those twenty minutes than Peter Crouch’s entire 70 on the field. Davies did what he always does for Bolton, wins the first ball and laid it on for the next guy to move in on goal. A couple of times he managed that and on one occasion it only took a fantastic save from the goalkeeper to keep Rooney out.

Much has been said about Rooney and his indifferent form for club and country since his personal life went to pieces. In this game, he showed glimpses of his old self and he was energetic and sharp throughout the game. His link-up play with Gerrard and Davies in the later stages of the game was beautiful to watch and is a pity it was not rewarded with a goal.

As I said, the team performed admirably and most players gave a good account of themselves. I was pretty disappointed with Crouch’s performance though. For a beanpole striker, he doesn’t seem to that commanding in the air and was beaten to the first ball by the central defender time and time again. With Kevin Davies in Capello’s radar now, he had better pull up his socks if he wants another go at prolonging his international career.

Pearce's boys through to U21 Championship

The England U21 team made it through to the 2011 European Championships with a hard earned away draw against Romania that secured their passage to Denmark next year. Stuart Pearce's boys survived a Romanian onslaught in the first half and nearly score themselves before holding on to their 2-1 first leg lead and achieving the target of European qualification.

It would not have been so nervy toward the end if Chelsea's Daniel Sturridge had taken both his opportunities to give England the precious away goal. However, the Romania forwards were equally inept in front of goal as Marius Alexe and Sabrin Sburlea both missed glorius chances to drive a nail into the English hearts.

It was a very determined display by the young English side which saw a couple of their best players like Jack Wilshere and Kieran Gibbs hijacked to the senior squad. It will be the U21's third consecutive appearance at the European Championship.

Why is Jack Wilshere playing for Capello and not Pearce?

I really can’t understand the decision to put Jack Wilshere in the senior squad when Stuart Pearce’s side is facing an important play-off qualification match against Romania. While I am great supporter of Wilshere and believe that he will definitely be a star with the national team in the near future, I think he will be more important to the U21’s than that his place on the bench against Montenegro.

I understand that it is also an important match for Capello’s side in their Euro 2012 qualifying campaign but it can’t be that senior squad cannot do without the 18 year old prodigy. Is the England team suddenly experiencing a shortage of midfielders? As far as I know, the only face missing from the usual squad is Frank Lampard. There must be countless others that Capello can call upon like James Milner, Stewart Downing or even Jamie O’Hara whereas Wilshere is one of the key players in the U21 set-up. His performance against Romania in the first leg proves that he is indispensible to the squad.

It is a testament to the good form Wilshere has shown for Arsenal that everybody is fast brandishing him as the next great hope for England. In this case however, it is definitely a really bad decision to let him play for the senior squad when the U21’s really need him in Bucharest. Leading 2-1 in the match doesn’t guarantee England an easy ride into the 2011 Finals so Stuart Pearce would be hoping he does not regret giving up the teenage prodigy to Capello for such an important match.

How are the English players doing after the World Cup ordeal - Part 2

This series looks at how the English players have fared since coming back from South Africa to the chorus of displeasure from the public. In the last post, I wrote about the goalkeepers, now let’s turn our attention to the defenders.

John Terry
John Terry was as much to blame for England’s loss to Germany as the referee because it was his error that to the first goal and ultimately affected England game plan. Since his affair with Vanessa Peroncel broke, he has not been the same player from the tail-end of last season to now, 9 games into the new season. Chelsea may be top of the table and only conceded 2 goals so far, Terry’s defensive performance falls far short of his best. It would be interesting to see how he will fare now as his regular central defensive partner is injured for the next month with more challenging games coming up for the Blues.

Rio Ferdinand
Captain of the team but injured for the World Cup and most of the early season. We have not seen much from Rio this year but glimpses of his form in the last European outing suggest that he might be also cursed with poor form through his connection with the English team.

Matthew Upson
Played really badly against the Germans and was expose for his severe lack of speed by Miroslav Klose, Upson’s form has really gone down the drain since coming back from South Africa. His team, West Ham is leaking goals left, right and centre. He has also lost his place in the England squad and will not like make it back given that his replacement Phil Jagielka has been very impressive in the Euro 2012 qualification campaign so far.

Jamie Carragher
Carragher, who was persuaded by Capello to join up with the English team at the World Cup after announcing his retirement, might be thinking if it was the most regrettable decision he ever made. A promising legacy after great performances for England in the past was all but wiped out in the first game against USA as the American strikers ran riot over Carragher in the second half. Coming back to a Liverpool team in disarray, Carragher’s gut busting displays have not been able to save Liverpool from embarrassing defeats (to Blackpool) and finds himself currently with the team lying third from bottom of the Premier League.

Glen Johnson
At least we can all see Carragher giving his best whenever his is down playing for Liverpool, the same cannot be said about Glen Johnson. The rightback has been in deplorable form at the World Cup and since coming back. A lot of the goals have come from his lack of focus during games and allowing the strikers to come in on his blind side (against Man City and Blackpool). Whereas he could always be counted an attacking force in the past, he has not shown the kind of speed or aggression down the line for Liverpool this season. A major, major contributor to the Red’s current predicament.

Ashley Cole
The only player from the entire English defensive unit to come back from South Africa with his form and reputation intact. He may be public enemy no 1 for his acrimonious split with England’s darling, Cheryl Col, but it has not affected his form this season. His play both defensive and offensive have been sterling for Chelsea since he joined them in 2005 and five years on remain the same quality player that he is.

How are the English players doing after the World Cup ordeal?

It's already been four months since the English team's acrimonious departure from the World Cup. However it seems that most of the players have yet to recover from the ordeal. In this series we will take a look at how some of the stars have fared so far this season:

David James
He had a decent World Cup as he reclaimed his no 1 after the horror show by Robert Green. Unfortunately he has not been able to keep his place in the English team or find another Premiership team to give him a contract.
Currently plying his trade with Cardiff City in the Championship, his performances show that he would probably not have another chance in the big leagues in what would probably be his last season.

Robert Green
One of the most vilified characters of the World Cup and heavily blamed for England's early exit. Unfortunately Green has not done himself any favors and continue to give up howlers this season especially in the first couple of games when his team could not buy a win for nuts. Much better in his last game out against Fulham but he is certainly capable of much more once he puts the World Cup debacle past him

Joe Hart
The best goalkeeper in the land by far. It was a pity Capello did not have the bravery to risk the young man in South Africa.  Since then, he has made the no 1 jersey his own for both club and country. For all the stars that Man City has bought in the summer, this 21 year old is the main reason City is in second spot in the Premiership now.

Good news for chasing pack as champions suffer injury crisis

Former kings of the money table in the Premiership before being blown away by the riches of Manchester City, Chelsea is currently facing an injury crisis that is threatening to stretch the limits of team.

Earlier this week, the Blues announced that defender Alex will be out for three weeks following his groin injury sustained in the home victory over Arsenal. Now it seem they will also have to contend with the loss of new signing Yossi Benayoun for most of the season as his torn muscle appeared to be more serious that initially thought. Benayoun suffered the injury in the Carling Cup defeat against Newcastle.

This must be one of the most serious injury crisis that Ancelotti has faced since he took over in the last campaign. The seriousness of the injuries is compounded by the lack of reinforcement over the summer as financial realities force the club to tighten its belt and reduce transfer and wage bills.

The club only brought in Ramirez and Benayoun in the summer while letting go Carvalho, Ballack and Cole. Although Benayoun’s absence might not trouble Chelsea that much, it would mean the current first team midfield of Mikel, Essien and Ramirez will probably have to play much of the season without any help from an experienced bench.

Missing Alex for the three weeks might be more of a bother for Ancelotti as he does not have good cover for defence. He would most likely use Ivanovic as John Terry’s partner but as proven last year, the partnership is susceptible to opposing team given that both are severely lacking in pace.

This is all good news for the chasing pack that have seen the Blues steamroll past their opponents (bar for Manchester City) since the start of the season.

Liverpool saga almost at a conclusion

The Liverpool ownership saga is closed to being ended with news that the American owners have agreed to sell their stake to New England Sports Ventures (NESV). NESV also owns other sports franchise in American including the famed Boston Red Sox.

Reds Chaiman, Martin Broughton, who was brought in specially to find a purchaser for the club said,

I am delighted that we have been able to successfully conclude the sale process w

hich has been thorough and extensive. 

The board decided to accept NESV's proposal on the basis that it best met the criteria

we set out originally for a suitable new owner. NESV's philosophy is all about winning and they have fully demonstrated that at the Red Sox. 

The news of the sale comes amidst escalating tussle in the boardroom when Mr Hicks tried to displace Broughton, chief executive Christian Purslow and commercial director Ian Ayre from the board on Tuesday. However, the move was outvoted by the board and Broughton confirmed that they are looking at the legal ramification of Tuesday events.

Whatever the case, news of the sale will come as a great relief to both management and fans who have seen Liverpool plunge from greatness to currently mired in a relegation battle after only 7 games in the new season. This is Liverpool’s worst start in the Premiership ever and is in danger of finishing outside the top 8, something which they have never done before in the club’s history.

Roy Hodgson as first management casualty of the season

It’s only been 7 games into the new season and we are already looking at the possible candidates to be first management casualty of the season. Surprisingly, the main favourite for this unwanted award seems to be Roy Hodgson of Liverpool. After a nightmarish start to his Anfield career, Hodgson and his boys were booed off the field with fans chanting the for Liverpool legend Kenny Daglish to take over as manager. Hodgson who came to Liverpool after a highly successful stint as the manager of Fulham was expected to bring about change and improve of Liverpool’s performance after finishing 7th in the league last year and missing out on a Champions League spot. However, what we have seen so far is the same old Liverpool as under Rafa Benitez. As a matter of fact, you can say that Liverpool have even gone backwards since he took over. He has failed to bring out the best in Fernando Torres, and the Spaniard is looking more less likely to stay at Anfield beyond December. The signings he had brought, Joe Cole and Paul Konchelsky have not light up the imagination of the fans as well. More important, Liverpool’s play dour as it is, is completely devoid of any passion and grit, something which the Liverpool of yesteryears were famous for. A lot of it also stems from the fact that most the time during matches, the manager just sit there and broods rather than pacing the sidelines encouraging his team. It was very evident in the last game against Blackpool when the opposing manager Ian Holloway was all over the sidelines, barking orders at his team while Hodgson remain quietly seated at his seat. I think the fans understand that Liverpool just do not have the investment or players to be as good as Manchester United or Chelsea but what they do expect is the determination to go out and make a good game out of it. With this Liverpool side, there is none of that and much is blame on the manager. It will not get any easier for Roy Hogdson as the next game will be the Merseyside derby. Lose that game and it will certainly be lights out for Roy.