Miguel Perez Cuesta, Michu to his friends, scored his 9th and 10th
goals of the season this weekend to become only the third Spanish player in history
to net 10 goals in a Premier League campaign. To have done that by December, in
his first campaign, is a feat only matched by a certain £50m man. Michu cost
1/25th of that total and is making that fee look laughable. Swansea
play controlling, passing football but the Spaniard has added a clinical edge
to their play. Against Arsenal they had defended stoutly and looked to be
heading for a worthy draw, but a moment of brilliance from Michu won the game
before a typical Arsenal error allowed him to add gloss to his earlier effort.
Michu wasn’t exactly a complete nobody, he did play in La Liga last season and
despite being at low mid table club Rayo Vallecano, managed 17 goals from
midfield. 9th in the scoring charts overall and the highest of any
player from a midfield role, outscoring the likes of Di Maria, Ozil, Inesita
& Santi. Why then, after just one year with the club was he allowed to
leave for such a farcically low fee? And secondly, why on earth was he on
nobody else’s Radar but Michael Laudrup’s? Michu has since moved into a
striker’s role, the victim of partly his own success but also a Ronaldo esque
unwillingness to return past his own half way line. That trait can be forgiven
though whilst he continues to win games for his new club. Even if Swansea can’t
hold on to him past the summer, they’ll turn a handsome profit… and probably go
and buy someone just as good for a third of the price.
Rio
Ferdinand will not be missed next year
With his contract running out in the summer there has been talk of Rio Ferdinand moving east for a final and lucrative paycheque. Fergie claimed this week though; that he thought Rio could play for Utd for another “2 or 3 years,” and implied he was keen to use him in a similar manner to Scholes & Giggs once they moved deep into their 30’s. That comment looks, at best, optimistic and at worsts the demented ramblings of a senile pensioner. Ferdinand is way, way past his best and shorn of his pace, lacks the organisational ability of other defenders who can play into their 30’s with a degree of elegant grace. He was static on Saturday evening as Reading became the first team to ever score 3 goals against Utd during the opening half hour of a top flight fixture. The trouble for Utd is that statistics like this keep getting broken every month or so. The team that kept 14 clean sheets in a row three years ago looks like a distant and implausible memory. In fairness to Rio, he has deteriorated at nowhere near the pace that Patrice Evra has. Arguably one of the best left backs in the world 3 seasons ago, the Frenchman is now the worst full back in the league. His passing is errant, his discipline pathetic and his positional sense almost comical. Utd have promising young defenders coming through the ranks and there’s a strong argument to start playing them now. If either Ferdinand or Evra are lining up for Utd next August, the club will be weaker.
With his contract running out in the summer there has been talk of Rio Ferdinand moving east for a final and lucrative paycheque. Fergie claimed this week though; that he thought Rio could play for Utd for another “2 or 3 years,” and implied he was keen to use him in a similar manner to Scholes & Giggs once they moved deep into their 30’s. That comment looks, at best, optimistic and at worsts the demented ramblings of a senile pensioner. Ferdinand is way, way past his best and shorn of his pace, lacks the organisational ability of other defenders who can play into their 30’s with a degree of elegant grace. He was static on Saturday evening as Reading became the first team to ever score 3 goals against Utd during the opening half hour of a top flight fixture. The trouble for Utd is that statistics like this keep getting broken every month or so. The team that kept 14 clean sheets in a row three years ago looks like a distant and implausible memory. In fairness to Rio, he has deteriorated at nowhere near the pace that Patrice Evra has. Arguably one of the best left backs in the world 3 seasons ago, the Frenchman is now the worst full back in the league. His passing is errant, his discipline pathetic and his positional sense almost comical. Utd have promising young defenders coming through the ranks and there’s a strong argument to start playing them now. If either Ferdinand or Evra are lining up for Utd next August, the club will be weaker.
Does
Gareth Bale need to leave Spurs?
It will be interesting to see how Spurs cope without their inspirational Simian following his ham-string injury this weekend. Bale has been in scintillating form this season, picking up the mantle left behind by Luca Modric and making it his own. Bale had already proved himself loyal, having been courted by bigger clubs for two years, but this summer is probably the time for him to move to pastures new. Bale is not yet the complete player; he goes missing for long periods and struggles when the space around him is closed down. Give him the ball with the pitch to run into though and he’s lethal. His pace and dribbling are well spoken about, but his delivery is unerring for one so young. Bale is currently Spurs best player by a distance, despite the arrival of the impressive Dembele, and it would be fascinating to see if a move to the likes of Real or Munich would improve him still further. People like to knock Bale, myself included, after all he is a shameless diver, has the worst celebration in history and often follows up an amazing match winning performance with touching the ball twice in the next one. But he is just 23 and arguably has everything in his locker that a certain C.Ronaldo did at this stage of his career. A move might just take him to that next level and liberate Spurs from their over reliance on their talisman. They certainly didn’t miss him when he came off on Saturday, pouring forward to win at a canter. The next few weeks will tell us a lot though, both about Bale and the club he currently plays for.
It will be interesting to see how Spurs cope without their inspirational Simian following his ham-string injury this weekend. Bale has been in scintillating form this season, picking up the mantle left behind by Luca Modric and making it his own. Bale had already proved himself loyal, having been courted by bigger clubs for two years, but this summer is probably the time for him to move to pastures new. Bale is not yet the complete player; he goes missing for long periods and struggles when the space around him is closed down. Give him the ball with the pitch to run into though and he’s lethal. His pace and dribbling are well spoken about, but his delivery is unerring for one so young. Bale is currently Spurs best player by a distance, despite the arrival of the impressive Dembele, and it would be fascinating to see if a move to the likes of Real or Munich would improve him still further. People like to knock Bale, myself included, after all he is a shameless diver, has the worst celebration in history and often follows up an amazing match winning performance with touching the ball twice in the next one. But he is just 23 and arguably has everything in his locker that a certain C.Ronaldo did at this stage of his career. A move might just take him to that next level and liberate Spurs from their over reliance on their talisman. They certainly didn’t miss him when he came off on Saturday, pouring forward to win at a canter. The next few weeks will tell us a lot though, both about Bale and the club he currently plays for.
Derby
day looms for lumbering giants.
Both Manchester clubs have flattered to deceive this season, but they have been carried to the top of the league by a mixture of prolific strikers… and other prolific strikers. The two clubs have 65 goals between them so far, the same number as Newcastle, Wigan, QPR, Villa & Sunderland combined. RVP is the league’s top scorer, Hernandez the league’s best sub and Rooney added a brace this weekend to take him to 5 so far. City have shared them around a bit more, but Tevez, Aguero & Dseko have all been match winners on a regular basis and it would be a shock if the game on Sunday wasn’t decided by one of those six figures. With Chelsea caught up in their own personal crisis, the league is looking like a two horse race at a worryingly early stage. It would be good then, if unlike the recent games at the Etihad Stadium, we were treated to a proper match. The fear is both managers will resort to their defensive approaches for the game, more frightened of losing than anything else. But with neither team convincing at the back so far, especially Utd, it would be great to see the two best teams in the land, with the greatest collection of strikers in the land, really go for each other’s throats. You never know, Christmas might come early after all.
Both Manchester clubs have flattered to deceive this season, but they have been carried to the top of the league by a mixture of prolific strikers… and other prolific strikers. The two clubs have 65 goals between them so far, the same number as Newcastle, Wigan, QPR, Villa & Sunderland combined. RVP is the league’s top scorer, Hernandez the league’s best sub and Rooney added a brace this weekend to take him to 5 so far. City have shared them around a bit more, but Tevez, Aguero & Dseko have all been match winners on a regular basis and it would be a shock if the game on Sunday wasn’t decided by one of those six figures. With Chelsea caught up in their own personal crisis, the league is looking like a two horse race at a worryingly early stage. It would be good then, if unlike the recent games at the Etihad Stadium, we were treated to a proper match. The fear is both managers will resort to their defensive approaches for the game, more frightened of losing than anything else. But with neither team convincing at the back so far, especially Utd, it would be great to see the two best teams in the land, with the greatest collection of strikers in the land, really go for each other’s throats. You never know, Christmas might come early after all.
Wenger
out.
I’m getting so bored of saying it I cannot even summon the energy to write this point. Arsenal are an embarrassment and a severing of ties between Wenger & the club is the only way forward. Look at it as a mercy killing. I now refuse to write to about Arsenal until this happens… or they improve at such a dramatic rate I’m forced to eat a piece of humble pie so large I’d choke on it.
I’m getting so bored of saying it I cannot even summon the energy to write this point. Arsenal are an embarrassment and a severing of ties between Wenger & the club is the only way forward. Look at it as a mercy killing. I now refuse to write to about Arsenal until this happens… or they improve at such a dramatic rate I’m forced to eat a piece of humble pie so large I’d choke on it.
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