1. Juan Mata’s most
for Chelsea.
Chelsea continued their slightly random form this weekend by tearing apart Stoke City with more than a little help from John Walters. With two own goals and a missed penalty, it’s hard to think of a more terrible afternoons work in Premier League history. Aside from Walters, Chelsea’s best player was once again the imperious Juan Mata. Dictating the play from a free role, Mata’s passing and movement is the main cog in the Chelsea machine. His stats this season are frightening. In 34 games he has scored or assisted 33 goals. A record better than Iniesta, Fabregas, Ronaldo, Robben, Bale, Van Persie, Suarez… infact better than anyone in top flight European football apart from Lionel Messi. It’s not just the numbers though; Mata is one of those players who seem to think two seconds quicker than anyone else on the pitch. He sees moves before they happen and his range of passing – short, long, dead ball or one touch – is just extraordinary. What is perhaps even more incredible is that this man can get nowhere near the Spanish national team. Sure he has 20 caps and will probably get to 50 or 60, but most of them will be against lesser teams or in games that don’t matter. That’s not to say that Mata necessarily should be ahead of Iniesta, Fabregas or Silva in Spain’s thinking, but a player of his ability should probably consider himself slightly unlucky that arguably the only people better in his role in the world… are the same nationally as him.
Chelsea continued their slightly random form this weekend by tearing apart Stoke City with more than a little help from John Walters. With two own goals and a missed penalty, it’s hard to think of a more terrible afternoons work in Premier League history. Aside from Walters, Chelsea’s best player was once again the imperious Juan Mata. Dictating the play from a free role, Mata’s passing and movement is the main cog in the Chelsea machine. His stats this season are frightening. In 34 games he has scored or assisted 33 goals. A record better than Iniesta, Fabregas, Ronaldo, Robben, Bale, Van Persie, Suarez… infact better than anyone in top flight European football apart from Lionel Messi. It’s not just the numbers though; Mata is one of those players who seem to think two seconds quicker than anyone else on the pitch. He sees moves before they happen and his range of passing – short, long, dead ball or one touch – is just extraordinary. What is perhaps even more incredible is that this man can get nowhere near the Spanish national team. Sure he has 20 caps and will probably get to 50 or 60, but most of them will be against lesser teams or in games that don’t matter. That’s not to say that Mata necessarily should be ahead of Iniesta, Fabregas or Silva in Spain’s thinking, but a player of his ability should probably consider himself slightly unlucky that arguably the only people better in his role in the world… are the same nationally as him.
2. Lambert scores
from the spot but misses the mark.
Rickie Lambert has scored 31 penalties from 31 attempts for Southampton. A record that is every bit as implausible as his comments after the match against Aston Villa on Saturday when he called the decision to award his team a spot kick “stone wall.” The call was anything but that, it was a clear dive and I am getting tired of people defending players by saying “they expected contact.” Unless somebody swipes so high and wide the player would have to move two yards out of the way, there is simply no excuse for anyone falling in the box when there is zero contact. Like with Santi Cazorla earlier in the season, there was no doubting that the player in question made an air kick, but in both cases the player could just have carried on running unimpeded. Instead, Jay Rodriguez was the latest footballer to go down when there were several inches between him and anyone’s boot. The decision was a travesty; it was a clear dive and should be retrospectively punished. There is no debate, if there is no contact, unless it’s obstruction it’s a dive. Every time. I don’t care how fucking fast Simian Bale runs, if he “expects” contact and there isn’t any he’s a cheat if he goes down. Which, let’s be fair, we all know he is.*
Rickie Lambert has scored 31 penalties from 31 attempts for Southampton. A record that is every bit as implausible as his comments after the match against Aston Villa on Saturday when he called the decision to award his team a spot kick “stone wall.” The call was anything but that, it was a clear dive and I am getting tired of people defending players by saying “they expected contact.” Unless somebody swipes so high and wide the player would have to move two yards out of the way, there is simply no excuse for anyone falling in the box when there is zero contact. Like with Santi Cazorla earlier in the season, there was no doubting that the player in question made an air kick, but in both cases the player could just have carried on running unimpeded. Instead, Jay Rodriguez was the latest footballer to go down when there were several inches between him and anyone’s boot. The decision was a travesty; it was a clear dive and should be retrospectively punished. There is no debate, if there is no contact, unless it’s obstruction it’s a dive. Every time. I don’t care how fucking fast Simian Bale runs, if he “expects” contact and there isn’t any he’s a cheat if he goes down. Which, let’s be fair, we all know he is.*
(* this blogger accepts this is an unrelated and possibly
needless swipe at Simian Bale, but is still bitter that the wise folk at
Fantasy Football decided to give him three bonus points this week for no
earthly reason imaginable)
3. Everton still lack
the killer instinct.
If Arsenal win their game in hand (a big if, but they are home to West Ham) there will be 3 points separating them, Spurs and Everton for the final and vital Champions League spot. With the greatest respect to West Brom, and absolutely no respect at all to Liverpool, it is between those clubs. What must be frustrating for Everton fans is that they are consistently playing the better football of those teams but are failing to turn draws into wins time after time again. Having not kept a clean sheet in 14 league matches, Saturday’s shut out would have been barely celebrated as for the first time this season they failed to score at the other end. Thus far the Toffees have drawn with Newcastle, Swansea, Fulham, Norwich, Arsenal and Stoke in games that they should have all won with room to spare. If they had done, they’d be 12 points better off and lie in second. As it is, they lack the ability that the bigger guns do to kill a game off when they’re dominating. So good have the performances been of the likes of Osman, Pienaar, Baines and Fellaini that it has barely been mentioned that ahead of them Nikica Jelavic is firing blanks. The Croatian has 6 goals granted, but he has missed a hatful of chances and having played virtually every game, he is averaging a goal every 300 minutes. If Everton want to play Champions League football next year and take their place in the Emerald City, they need to find their way back to the Jelavic road again first.
If Arsenal win their game in hand (a big if, but they are home to West Ham) there will be 3 points separating them, Spurs and Everton for the final and vital Champions League spot. With the greatest respect to West Brom, and absolutely no respect at all to Liverpool, it is between those clubs. What must be frustrating for Everton fans is that they are consistently playing the better football of those teams but are failing to turn draws into wins time after time again. Having not kept a clean sheet in 14 league matches, Saturday’s shut out would have been barely celebrated as for the first time this season they failed to score at the other end. Thus far the Toffees have drawn with Newcastle, Swansea, Fulham, Norwich, Arsenal and Stoke in games that they should have all won with room to spare. If they had done, they’d be 12 points better off and lie in second. As it is, they lack the ability that the bigger guns do to kill a game off when they’re dominating. So good have the performances been of the likes of Osman, Pienaar, Baines and Fellaini that it has barely been mentioned that ahead of them Nikica Jelavic is firing blanks. The Croatian has 6 goals granted, but he has missed a hatful of chances and having played virtually every game, he is averaging a goal every 300 minutes. If Everton want to play Champions League football next year and take their place in the Emerald City, they need to find their way back to the Jelavic road again first.
4. Nonsense still
rules common sense when it comes to the laws.
There was a certain irony in Sky celebrating the 150th anniversary of the laws of football this weekend, before witnessing yet another game be ruined by perhaps it’s worst ever amendment. The professional foul rule continues to offer almost no plausible benefit to football matches. It was brought in to stop cynical fouls being committed as the last man, but nine times out of ten it is applied to genuine but mistimed attempts to win the ball. Laurent Koscielny clearly conceded a foul yesterday and a penalty call was correct, but it left Mike Dean with no option to dismiss the Arsenal defender and as such, even though the penalty was missed, it ruined the game. City could have been out of sight at any point in this match had they been bothered to get out of 3rd gear and despite a dramatic last 15 minutes thanks to another red card (also undeserved, given Kompany led with one foot and it wasn’t especially dangerous) – the game was essentially over as a contest before it had begun. This law has to be changed. A penalty is punishment enough and if the professional foul occurs outside the box then a penalty should be awarded just the same. Football has come a long way since 1863, but in areas like this it continues to take steps back when it should be striding forwards.
There was a certain irony in Sky celebrating the 150th anniversary of the laws of football this weekend, before witnessing yet another game be ruined by perhaps it’s worst ever amendment. The professional foul rule continues to offer almost no plausible benefit to football matches. It was brought in to stop cynical fouls being committed as the last man, but nine times out of ten it is applied to genuine but mistimed attempts to win the ball. Laurent Koscielny clearly conceded a foul yesterday and a penalty call was correct, but it left Mike Dean with no option to dismiss the Arsenal defender and as such, even though the penalty was missed, it ruined the game. City could have been out of sight at any point in this match had they been bothered to get out of 3rd gear and despite a dramatic last 15 minutes thanks to another red card (also undeserved, given Kompany led with one foot and it wasn’t especially dangerous) – the game was essentially over as a contest before it had begun. This law has to be changed. A penalty is punishment enough and if the professional foul occurs outside the box then a penalty should be awarded just the same. Football has come a long way since 1863, but in areas like this it continues to take steps back when it should be striding forwards.
5. Danny Welbeck
could do worse than follow Daniel Sturridge.
Danny Welbeck somewhat generously picked up the man of the match award against Liverpool this weekend, and whilst that probably should have gone to Vidic or the excellent Tom Cleverly, it was a statement more about his work ethic and tireless energy than anything else. The same could of have been said of Daniel Sturridge, who changed the game following his goal and added thrust and impotence to an otherwise static Liverpool attacking line. Both players have been on the fringes of clubs for too long and their errant finishing points to badly needing consistent game time. They have played their best football when they have played regularly. Sturridge at Bolton and then under AVB at Chelsea; and Welbeck first at Sunderland, and then at Utd when Hernandez was injured and Van Persie not on the books. They are 22 and 23 respectively and represent the future of English attacking football. Sturridge however, has now made the move to a club where you think he will be first choice. Welbeck on the other hand, whilst playing for a better team, is 4th choice on the team sheet with the world’s best all round striker, best poacher and the best player in the National team ahead of him. In short, he needs to leave. He has scored more for England in the past year than he has for Utd and cannot continue to be part of Hodgson’s plans if he gets such little game time. There is something a little perverse about the squads of the bigger clubs that allows people like Welbeck, Jones, Richards, Lescott, Milner, Chamberlain and Sturridge to sit on the bench for over 50% of matches when they would walk into 15 of the 20 teams in the league. It is to England’s loss and to nobody’s gain. What the solution is remains unclear, but if Sturridge plays regularly for Liverpool and plays well, it’s likely that Welbeck could see himself be 4th choice for his country soon too.
https://twitter.com/HinduMonkey
Danny Welbeck somewhat generously picked up the man of the match award against Liverpool this weekend, and whilst that probably should have gone to Vidic or the excellent Tom Cleverly, it was a statement more about his work ethic and tireless energy than anything else. The same could of have been said of Daniel Sturridge, who changed the game following his goal and added thrust and impotence to an otherwise static Liverpool attacking line. Both players have been on the fringes of clubs for too long and their errant finishing points to badly needing consistent game time. They have played their best football when they have played regularly. Sturridge at Bolton and then under AVB at Chelsea; and Welbeck first at Sunderland, and then at Utd when Hernandez was injured and Van Persie not on the books. They are 22 and 23 respectively and represent the future of English attacking football. Sturridge however, has now made the move to a club where you think he will be first choice. Welbeck on the other hand, whilst playing for a better team, is 4th choice on the team sheet with the world’s best all round striker, best poacher and the best player in the National team ahead of him. In short, he needs to leave. He has scored more for England in the past year than he has for Utd and cannot continue to be part of Hodgson’s plans if he gets such little game time. There is something a little perverse about the squads of the bigger clubs that allows people like Welbeck, Jones, Richards, Lescott, Milner, Chamberlain and Sturridge to sit on the bench for over 50% of matches when they would walk into 15 of the 20 teams in the league. It is to England’s loss and to nobody’s gain. What the solution is remains unclear, but if Sturridge plays regularly for Liverpool and plays well, it’s likely that Welbeck could see himself be 4th choice for his country soon too.
https://twitter.com/HinduMonkey
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