Well well well, isn’t football, as Jimmy Greaves would say, a “funny old game?” Chelsea, Manchester United, Tottenham, Liverpool and Man City all won’t be too impressed with their weekends work. Arsenal will be delighted, Aston Villa delerious and Thomas Sorensen wondering why he can save penalties and yet can’t stop 60 yard free kicks…As usual on a Monday morning I pick through the bones of the weekend’s action and list a few things that I’ve learned from watching the action over the weekend, such as;
1. Managers are getting more creative in their excuses. Yep, from Fergie and his claims that officials should now no longer keep time on the field of play because they always choose a different amount of time to be added on compared to what Sir Alex would like, to Rafa and the news that Liverpool’s woeful season is all down to the fact he spent the summer bravely reducing the club debt by spending £17m on a midfielder who has still played about 13 minutes of football and who has a startling resemblance to a raccoon.
2. Chelsea fans really need to get a grip. Ok, I admit the defending in the game against Everton, or indeed in any of the past four games, has been far from perfect, but really… Booing the team off the field after the draw with Everton? The net result of the weekend was that you gained a point on Manchester United, so if that is worth booing you really need some perspective.
3. Tottenham are still Tottenham ; reliably unreliable as ever. It must drive Harry mad sometimes. They get themselves into a great position in the league and then they start drawing and losing games that they should win. Had they won at the weekend against Wolves and hung on against Everton last weekend, they’d be five points better off. Don’t look at the league table and imagine that Spurs fans, it’s too painful…
4. Thomas Sorensen is an enigma. How a goalkeeper can stop a penalty from 12 yards with seeming ease and yet be meekly beaten by a 60 yard free kick baffles me. I bet it baffles his manager Tony Pulis too. I just hope he didn’t nakedlt pounce upon the erratic goalkeeper as he came out of the shower as he did, allegedly, to James Beattie. No wonder Beattie wants to go home to Blackburn. The thought of an inflamed, naked Pulis in your face does that to you.
5. Carlos Tevez is proving his worth. He may have had a stop start time since joining Man City but the Argentinian is really becoming a dominant factor in the better aspects of City’s performances. His goal at the weekend was an outstanding finish and his energy and all round contribution are a real bonus to City. It’s just a pity the sky blues can’t defend to save their life at the moment.
Finally, a word about Aston Villa. Martin O’Neill is doing a fine job with his young squad and the victory at Old Trafford has been on the cards for a while. There’s a good mix of young talent at the club, fortunately a lot of it English and there is real competition there to force people to improve and stay on top of their game. Of all the teams who could take a top four spot, they to me look the most likely to make the breakthrough.
What have you learned from the weekend? Let us know below.
About the Author
