1. Crash, bang, what a weekend.
42 goals were scored this weekend, the second highest achieved since the birth of the 20 team Premier League era. Of the 10 games played, 7 were superb, 2 were entertaining and one involved a side managed by Tony Pulis. There were deserved red cards (Alonso), there were undeserved red cards (Amorebieta) and there were really undeserved red cards (Gibbs). We saw some good goals, we some very good goals and we saw some absolute humdingers. Let’s not stretch the point, but this was a weekend which made you remember why the Premier League is the most marketable in the world. Hell, thanks to Russell Brand, even Match of the Day was watchable for a change. Although the smugness in which Shearer signed off with “I went with Chelsea at the start, I’m not changing my mind now” did make you want to vomit. All over him.
2. Are Arsenal happy being also-rans for another decade?
1000 games are up for Arsene Wenger and whilst such longevity and loyalty is to be applauded, it’s tempting to break that down into two very clear halves. Wenger spent 500 games making a case for himself to be the finest domestic manager the English League had ever seen. And 500 games since making an absolute mockery of anyone who believed that. Wenger is right to a point that Arsenal took the decision to finance the new stadium and not go into debt at a time where Chelsea and City came along from nowhere to overtake them. But he is wrong to assume that if Arsenal had access to the same limitless funds over the past decade the situation would have been different. Having won the title by going an entire season unbeaten, something changed in Arsene Wenger. With the exception of winning the Champions League, where could he go from there? The answer appeared to be winning in a style and way that hadn’t been done before. A long term admirer of Barcelona, Wenger changed his formation from a solid 4-4-1-1 to a 4-3-3, making Fabregas his midfield general at the peak of the triangle and trying to get Robin Van Persie fit enough to play up front for a full season. Over the course of the next seven years he bought 4,745 players who could operate in the attacking midfield positions; and financed £10,000,000 worth of medical bills in the belief that getting Abou Diaby on the pitch for 10 games in a row would be the difference. Arsenal haven’t lost titles because they don’t have any money. They have lost titles because they have either bottled it when the pressure was on (The William Gallas years) or failed to find anyway whatsoever to win away at the big clubs. The way they were blown away by Chelsea on Saturday was not a freak result. This is a team who have now been slaughtered away to Utd, City, Liverpool and Chelsea in the past two years. It isn’t because they are bad defenders. Arsenal have conceded 17 goals in three away games to the teams above them. They have conceded 17 goals in their other 27 league games combined. The problem is entirely mental. And it is entirely the fault of Arsene Wenger. And so, once again, the decision comes whether to offer Wenger a new contract. In which I ask the Arsenal board this. Are you happy finishing 3rd or 4th season in season out? Many teams would kill for that level of consistency, even if it meant sacrificing the odd trophy along the way, but surely Arsenal are now well set up enough that another top manager (Klopp, Simone) could come along and take them the extra mile? I don’t make the decisions. But I do know this, Arsenal might not be better off without Arsene. But they would certainly be less predictable.
42 goals were scored this weekend, the second highest achieved since the birth of the 20 team Premier League era. Of the 10 games played, 7 were superb, 2 were entertaining and one involved a side managed by Tony Pulis. There were deserved red cards (Alonso), there were undeserved red cards (Amorebieta) and there were really undeserved red cards (Gibbs). We saw some good goals, we some very good goals and we saw some absolute humdingers. Let’s not stretch the point, but this was a weekend which made you remember why the Premier League is the most marketable in the world. Hell, thanks to Russell Brand, even Match of the Day was watchable for a change. Although the smugness in which Shearer signed off with “I went with Chelsea at the start, I’m not changing my mind now” did make you want to vomit. All over him.
2. Are Arsenal happy being also-rans for another decade?
1000 games are up for Arsene Wenger and whilst such longevity and loyalty is to be applauded, it’s tempting to break that down into two very clear halves. Wenger spent 500 games making a case for himself to be the finest domestic manager the English League had ever seen. And 500 games since making an absolute mockery of anyone who believed that. Wenger is right to a point that Arsenal took the decision to finance the new stadium and not go into debt at a time where Chelsea and City came along from nowhere to overtake them. But he is wrong to assume that if Arsenal had access to the same limitless funds over the past decade the situation would have been different. Having won the title by going an entire season unbeaten, something changed in Arsene Wenger. With the exception of winning the Champions League, where could he go from there? The answer appeared to be winning in a style and way that hadn’t been done before. A long term admirer of Barcelona, Wenger changed his formation from a solid 4-4-1-1 to a 4-3-3, making Fabregas his midfield general at the peak of the triangle and trying to get Robin Van Persie fit enough to play up front for a full season. Over the course of the next seven years he bought 4,745 players who could operate in the attacking midfield positions; and financed £10,000,000 worth of medical bills in the belief that getting Abou Diaby on the pitch for 10 games in a row would be the difference. Arsenal haven’t lost titles because they don’t have any money. They have lost titles because they have either bottled it when the pressure was on (The William Gallas years) or failed to find anyway whatsoever to win away at the big clubs. The way they were blown away by Chelsea on Saturday was not a freak result. This is a team who have now been slaughtered away to Utd, City, Liverpool and Chelsea in the past two years. It isn’t because they are bad defenders. Arsenal have conceded 17 goals in three away games to the teams above them. They have conceded 17 goals in their other 27 league games combined. The problem is entirely mental. And it is entirely the fault of Arsene Wenger. And so, once again, the decision comes whether to offer Wenger a new contract. In which I ask the Arsenal board this. Are you happy finishing 3rd or 4th season in season out? Many teams would kill for that level of consistency, even if it meant sacrificing the odd trophy along the way, but surely Arsenal are now well set up enough that another top manager (Klopp, Simone) could come along and take them the extra mile? I don’t make the decisions. But I do know this, Arsenal might not be better off without Arsene. But they would certainly be less predictable.
3. Is there any way back for the bottom three?
Fulham, Cardiff and Sunderland all lost at the weekend and despite the latter having two games in hand, they are away at City and Liverpool. There remains just six points separating the next seven clubs currently drifting in a sea of mediocrity above the drop zone; but realistically are any now going to get three to six less points than Sunderland between now and the final game? It’s notable that all three of the bottom clubs have changed their manager, with Fulham going for a new record for most in a season. A complete lack of stability and woeful transfer dealings have undermined them all this year and in truth, only West Brom above them deserve to be amongst such collective incompetence. Poyet is doing all he can at Sunderland, even if they go down he can hold his head high following two great cup runs and having to work with the complete wreckage caused by Paolo Di Canio. But, put simply, they just don’t score goals. Only Palace have managed less all season and if you took out Adam Johnson they’d be rock bottom. I’ve mentioned before the ineptitude of Jozy Altidore but it’s worth highlighting again the record of a man who has scored once in 27 games. Once? In 27 games? How is that being allowed to continue from a club who have EIGHT senior strikers on their books? How? I want answers...
4. What would constitute a success for Everton fans this season?
Let’s be clear, most Everton fans would have taken 6th at the start of August with open arms. Having lost their long serving manager to Manchester Utd, Roberto Martinez very much fell into the “calculated gamble” category. But with two months of the season left it’s hard to know what would constitute a success from here. Everton started the season in fine form, moving the ball around as good as anyone and had only lost a single game (away at City) before Christmas. Since then they haven’t been as good, they have got over the line with a couple of late winners and the clean sheets have dried up as fast as Lukaku’s goals. Their achievements have been overshadowed in part by that of Brendon Rodgers’s Liverpool and having gone out of both cups, their season was in danger of drifting towards the end with people forgetting quite how good they’d been. Everton now very much have their fate in their own hands. They have 9 games left and here are two scenarios for you. One: They win in mid week and again at the weekend (away to Fulham) and have Arsenal in their next fixture. The Gunners, having been spanked by Chelsea also lose at home to City and Everton find themselves just two points behind them prior to that game kicking off. Win it, and they’re 4th with just six games left to play. Two: Everton stumble away to Newcastle and a fighting for their lives Fulham, they face an Arsenal who tend to always do enough to at least finish 4th and return just one point from their next 3 matches. With six games left, they are 7th. Well below Liverpool. Below Spurs. Below Manchester United. Given the way football is, a combination of both of these scenarios is more likely than either extreme, but it highlights the point about how delicate poised the season is as we head into the business end. Everton have been superb at times this year, but now is the time when they can either stand up and be remembered for generations. Or fade away and leave people forgetting what the fuss was about all along.
5. El Clasico? Yes. Yes it was.
Rarely do Sky Sports get the sort of football match that their ridiculous hyperbole deserves. So following on from an extremely successful Super Sunday, they were on dangerous ground by announcing this years Clasico as THE BIGGEST MATCH IN THE WORLD. For once though, the match deserved the hype. Two teams who have amassed 163 major trophies between them served up a feast for the senses in a game that had everything but a Gareth Bale heart. Seven goals, three penalties and an obligatory sending off for Sergio Ramos. The match blew wide open the Spanish title race which now sees just one point separating Atletico, Real and Barcelona. And we thought our league was tight...
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