Week 6 Roundup: Liverpool, Chelsea Tops, Hull Shocks

Saturday






Everton 0-2 Liverpool
The first half was played as most are in this usually booking-filled derby match-up. Both squads came out and played physical, and at times sloppy football, with very few genuine chances to speak of. Liverpool had the better possession, with the Blues looking more dangerous towards the end of the half.

The second half brought on a more purposeful Liverpool attack, and Torres exploded starting in the 59th minute, with two goals and one soon after that was taken away. Liverpool dominated possession and chances, and truly deserved the two goal victory. Tim Cahill received a red card in the dying minutes for a questionable tackle on Xabi Alonso. Not really a red, although he did go in with both legs and didn't get the ball. The win at Goodison Park showed the gap in class between the two Merseyside clubs.
Liverpool- Fernando Torres (59', 62')


Manchester United 2-0 Bolton
To say that Man Utd deserved this win is a tricky thing. Yes, they had the run of play and the chances at Old Trafford, but a ridiculous penalty, given by much maligned official, Rob Styles, turned the tide of a 0-0 match.

Ronaldo was given a penalty after Jlloyd Samuel clearly won the ball from him and Cristi went down in his own natural way of losing his equilibrium was he no longer feels the ball at his feet. Ronnie scored and Gary Megson was forced to change up his formation and push for a goal. Wayne Rooney then came on to score a spectacular goal, in which Ronaldo back-heeled a ball to Wayne, who brilliantly froze the defender with a quick fake shot and then slammed a shot into the far corner, the ball tailing away from Jussi Jaaskelainen.

This game could have finished 0-0 had no penalty been called, but we have all seen enough last second heroics at Old Trafford to know that Man U would have probably pulled something off during one of the seven minutes of stoppage time that would have given.
Man Utd.- Cristiano Ronaldo (pen 60'), Wayne Rooney (77')

Fulham 1-2 West Ham
The West Ham voodoo at Craven Cottage continues, as the the Hammers stole one from Fulham on the road. Fulham have never beaten West Ham at home, and after the first half they found themselves a man down and two goals down after dominating play for the first 40 minutes of the game.

A gifted Carlton Cole goal and a beautiful Mark Noble ball followed by Matthew Ettherington racing on and coolly dinking the ball over the keeper, put the Hammers up 2-0 just before half. Then, in stoppage time, Andy Johnson received a second yellow after a needless challenge and was sent off. West Ham had no business winning this game, as they played awful football in the first half, and held on to win a man up in the second. Bobby Zamora wasted too many good chances, which hurt Fulham, especially after Johnson left.

In a side note, Fabio Capello was on hand to watch a series of awful free kicks by England hopeful, Jimmy Bullard.
Fulham- Danny Murphy (59')
West Ham- Carlton Cole (43'), Matthew Etherington (45')

Stoke 0-2 Chelsea
Chelsea came in to Britannia Stadium not wanting to suffer the same fate as Liverpool did against Stoke a week earlier. Their championship seasons were filled with games where lower half teams came out in full force, but couldn't match their class. This was one of those matches, as Stoke looked up to the challenge, but a goals by Jose Bosingwa and Nicolas Anelka did them in.
Chelsea- Jose Bosingwa (36'), Nicolas Anelka (76')

Middlesbrough 0-1 West Brom
'Boro looked determined on offense, but could not put one past keeper Scott Carson. Jonas Olsson scored a second half goal for the Baggies, as they grabbed their first Premier League victory away from home this season. 'Boro's good early season form has been negated by poor results, as the perennial bottom-dwellers have not found a way to win games yet. Southgate likes his talented squad, but has to instill a winning attitude if they are to fulfill the promise they have shown off and on this season.
West Brom- Jonas Olsson (53')

Newcastle 1-2 Blackburn Rovers
Joe Kinnear was on hand at St. James' Park to watch his new team look relegation material in the first half. The Magpies look sapped of spirit and fight, as Blackburn Rovers took it to them in the first 45, going up 2 goals, and leaving the beleaguered fans with little to cheer for.

A Michael Owen penalty strike early in the second, and some improved play from Newcastle early on in the second half, offered little hope to a team whose only comfort right now is that Tottenham are more of a disappointment than they are. The game finished 1-2 to Rovers and left a lot of work for Kinnear this week.
Newcastle- Michael Owen (pen 50')
Blackburn- Christopher Samba (31'), Roque Santa Cruz (41')


Aston Villa 2-1 Sunderland
Aston Villa is looking like the prime candidate for fifth spot early on this season. Ashley Young continued to impress with his free kick ability, bending one low over the wall and into the short side. Sunderland looked impressive through midfield, and held a lot of possession, but could not add to class 10th minute goal by hair-morphing French striker Djibril Cisse.
Sunderland- Djibril Cisse (10')
Aston Villa- Ashley Young (18'), John Carew (33')


Arsenal 1-2 Hull City
The Gunners were frustrated at the Emirates in the first half, as neither team played particularly well. Hull seemed to change their track from earlier games, not wanting to press the dangerous Arsenal team too much, creating the sloppy midfield play that is never very entertaining. When the Gunners did get a chance, they reverted to their old, 'let's see if we can walk the ball into the net', method of football.

In the second half, the Gunners got a fortunate goal after a couple of great pace changing moves and low ball into the box by Theo Walcott. Bouncing off Adebayor, Fabregas came in and pressured as it came off Hull defender Paul McShane, giving Arsenal a 1-0 lead. Both squads seemed to open up from that point, Hull became more attacking, while Arsenal continued to fail themselves on their final ball.

Two Hull goals that were basically impossible for Almunia to get of hold of, did Arsenal in. First it was Geovanni, whose brilliant strike from 30 yards out moved from left to right and danced away from the Gunners keeper, into the far side of the goal. It was a perfect highlight reel goal, and displayed the class that the Brazilian has brought to the Tiger squad. Then, just four minutes later, Daniel Cousin got on to a Andy Dawson corner, and buried the ball into the far side of the goal.

Arsene Wenger and the Gunners were left shocked at home, falling from the top spot in the league, and dropping their second match of the young season.
Arsenal- Paul McShane (og 50')
Hull- Geovanni (62'), Daniel Cousin (66')


Sunday

Portsmouth 2-0 Tottenham Hotspur
Tottenham's nightmare season continues as the ghost of Jermaine Defoe comes back to haunt Spurs and their lackluster strike-force. Defoe buried a first half penalty and Peter Crouch added a gimme header in the second half to secure the win.
Tottenham sits in last place still after falling to Pompey 2-0. Once again they dominated through midfield and had a ridiculous two-thirds possession. Defensive lapses and a lack of true finishing up front are plaguing Spurs right now, but will Juande Ramos be around long enough to fix it?
Portsmouth- Defoe (pen 34'), Crouch (68')


Wigan 2-1 Manchester City
A fantastic Antonio Valencia blast from over 30 yards out and another Amr Zaki goal vaulted the Latics over City, in this clash at the JJB. City continues their up and down season, as their potent offense failed to follow up on newcomer Vincent Kompany's first half goal.

Valencia and Zaki may be the only firepower that Wigan has, but they are both emerging as stars early on this season.
Wigan- Antonio Valencia (16'), Amr Zaki (pen 34')
Man City- Vincent Kompany (22')

Liverpool Player Reviews: Week 6- Everton

In Focus:
Fernando Torres

I had planned to focus on Robbie Keane, who was playing in his first Merseyside derby, but when about 2 minutes in to the game I saw Joseph Yobo put a shoulder into Fernando Torres, I decided that match-up was much more interesting.

Everton clearly had a plan with Torres, having seen his frustration in the last few Liverpool matches. It was a design that is all too common in sports. When your team faces off against a world class talent of an athlete, whose ability surpasses that of anyone of your squad, you take it to that player physically. This can manifest itself in two ways. One, you frustrate the hell out of the striker and his annoyance gets him off his game. Or two, the star player is angered just enough to step up his game and put your team away. The Toffees got a taste of both sides against the superstar Spanish striker.

Torres came into Saturday's match, already itching to get on the score sheet, having not scored in his last six games, and only notching one tally this season, a game winner in the opener against Sunderland. His first half played out exactly how Everton had hoped.

Yobo, Jolean Lescott, Phil Jagielka, and Tony Hibbert put the screws to El Nino, shouldering and pushing him on and off the ball. From Yobo's opening shove, to Lescott's shoulder check in the box later on in the half, Torres could not get a clear opportunity. He had a man attached each time the ball came his way, which isn't so bad for Nando, as he likes to use his body up against a defender, and make a move in tight.

But Everton had another two men right there when one wasn't enough, figuring that Torres isn't a great passer out of traffic, and three men was enough to shut him down. This was especially true when he received the ball more towards midfield. It was all clearly frustrating the Spaniard, putting him off his game.

Several times through the first half and at the start of the second, Torres could be seen shaking his head at ref Mike Riley for the treatment he was getting from Blue defenders. Fernando was finally booked in the 50th minute for a foul on Lescott, the yellow card coming out probably as much for his constant protests, as it was for his infringement. It didn't stop there, as just minutes later Torres broke free from Jagielka, creating a chance, but he was stunned when Everton was awarded the free kick.

This could have been the beginning of the end for an increasingly annoyed Torres, but a deftly placed left footed cross from Robbie Keane fell unto the unmarked striker in the box, and he made no mistake in putting the ball by Tim Howard for a Liverpool lead. Torres' right footed volley needed perfect placement between Howard and a scrambling Lescott, and the Spaniard finished with the cool nonchalance he has become known for.

Just three minutes later, another golden opportunity came along that Fernando did not waste. Liverpool was coming at the Toffees with much more purpose now, and a Keane rush was broken up, deflected off of Dirk Kuyt, and landing right in front of Torres. This time El Nino made no mistake in firing the ball into the top shelf, leaving no one any chance of stopping it. It was pure striker's finish.

Everton was obviously shaken by the two goals, as only moments later, the ball fell to the right foot of Torres once again, and he again buried the ball into the net. A cross came from left to right, sailing over the heads of the Everton defender and Kuyt, onto Torres at the far post. Fernando went back to the left post with a perfect left footed shot, for what he thought was a hat trick. However, Mike Riley quickly ruled the goal out for a phantom foul on Kuyt, who I guess had impeded the jumping Everton defender by just standing there.

It didn't matter, by this point Torres and Liverpool had reversed their fortunes and taken control of the game. Getting two goals in a huge derby game at Goodison Park will probably be the start to a goal scoring purge for Torres, who doesn't need to be playing well to score goals, but when he is, look out. His three hat tricks last season had come against teams who knew they had to game plan for him and Gerrard, but still could not stop his scoring spree.

Everton proved that poking the bear with a stick may work for a half, but eventually he will get free and attack.

Grade: A-


Player Grades: Pepe Reina- B
Reina keeps doing what has to be done for Liverpool. He doesn't get much action with the Reds defense rolling along the way it is. Mucking up the ball into the box, that Mike Riley's call on Fellaini and Jamie Carragher's recovery bailed him out on, was his only mistake.

Alvaro Arbeloa- C+
It's hard for me to keep ragging on Arbeloa when the defense looks as solid as a back four that there is in the PL right now. He is improving on defense each week, but that has as much to do with his team's possession as anything. Alvaro is still horrific in the final third, his crossing and final pass again lacking any quality.
Jamie Carragher- A
Carragher, on the defense end, has been perhaps the top center back in the PL this season. He directs the defense into a solid shape, both on set plays and coming back. He has a nack for bailing out a scrambling Reds defense, as well. Everton did not get a shot on goal in large part due to his work at the back.
Martin Skrtel- B+
It is the same story for Skrtel week after week. He starts out the match fired up and makes a few clumsy or harsh tackles. Then he settles in and works in tandem with Carra to shut the other team down. He put the clamps on Yakubu, rendering the Yak unfed throughout the match.

Andrea Dossena- B
The Italian left back did a good job in possession and getting forward, but his crossing and final ball were not on in this match. His ineptitude on that part of the pitch, is not a true indicator of his play, as I have seen him create some chances and good balls this season.
Albert Riera- C+
The summer signing did not have a particularly impressive game. He wasted a chance presented to him by Robbie Keane, and was to slow to get into the Everton defense on several instances where the Reds' had pushed forward. He shows a lot of quality in possession though, as he is hard to take off the ball with his subtle dribbling skills. Was subbed for Fabio Aurelio half way through the second half.

Xabi Alonso- B
Alonso was once again great in possession through midfield. Unless he is going for a home run pass, he rarely wastes a ball. His defensive coverage was acceptable, although no where near Mascherano's in the same role, and he did completely nubbed a left footed shot in the second half. He is the key to the Reds' holding control of the ball in midfield, and he is not failing in that role as he often did last season.

Steven Gerrard- B+
Had a couple of shots that presented danger to the Blues. Once for 25 yards out that just crept wide as it passed Tim Howard, another a free kick that inched over the bar. He did a lot getting back in midfield, making great tackles, or coming back to support the backs both in possession and coverage. Would like to see him get forward and work more give and go's with Torres.

Dirk Kuyt- B
Dirk worked hard, had some bad touches, freed up a little space for Torres and Keane. You know, all in a day's work for Liverpool enigmatic winger/striker/ midfielder guy. He tried a blast early on that missed the target. Let me know if anyone has a concrete opinion on whether he is good or bad for the Reds, because I can't make up my mind.

Robbie Keane- B
This grade is given taken into account his poor play up until this point. He didn't have a distinguished game outside of his wonderful cross on the first Torres goal, which he may or may not of known that much about. Keane got forward with possession a lot more in this one, but he was once again much to hesitant on the ball around the penalty area.


Subs: Fabio Aurelio- B
Aurelio came on for Riera and did a good job getting back and helping Dossena on the left, as well as getting forward and keeping possession and pressure through midfield.

Jermaine Pennant and Lucas Leiva- Incomplete
Came on at the end of the game and had little impact.


Man of the Match: Fernando Torres

Premier League Week 6 Predictions

Saturday
The Merseyside derby highlights the action for week 6 in the Premier League. Liverpool enters Goodison Park coming off last weekend's disappointing show against Stoke. Everton have looked like a different team than the one that grabbed fifth place last year. This match could be just the thing to light a fire under David Moyes' squad.

Elsewhere, the rest of the big four have relatively safe games they should take care of. A couple of marquee matchups are being held on Sunday, with Spurs visiting Pompey, and Man City walks into the JJB to face Wigan, fresh off being knocked out of the Carling Cup.

My predictions hit a little snag last week.
Prediction tally so far: 15 out of 29 (52%), with 4 exact.
Last week: 4 out of 10, with 0 exact.

Everton v Liverpool
Everton probably hoped for more than seven points from their first five, but after losing home games with Blackburn and Pompey, and playing all three promoted sides tight with two wins and a tie, it doesn't look all that bad for the Toffees. They have failed to look impressive in each of their matches, despite solid play from Mikel Arteta and the reappearence of Tim Cahill.

Cahill, who has two scores in two games for the Blues, will be a tough cover for the Liverpool defense. Look for Rafa to start both Alonso and Mascher to try and control the ball and keep it away from the Aussie international and Arteta.

The Reds will be looking to fire up Fernando Torres and Robbie Keane for this one. Neither player has really gotten off yet. El Nino has been hampered by injury, much like early last year, and Keano has just looked clueless. Rafa can be grateful for one thing, with no real legitimate strikers in reserve, he has no choice but to run the pair out for every game. If Keane continues to struggle into November, we may see a return to the 4-2-2-1-1 set up of last year, with Torres up top and Gerrard just behind.

For Saturday's match, I would like to see the lineup go something like this to start:

GK- Reina
RB- Skrtel CB- Carragher LB- Aurelio
LCM- Mascherano RCM- Alonso
RW- Kuyt LW- Riera
CAM- Gerrard
RS- Keane LS- Torres

Then a shot of Ryan Babel for Riera in the second half, followed by an injection of perhaps Benayoun for Kuyt late on. Babel and Benayoun rarely have 90 minutes of great football, and are better appropriated in the second half when needed for a spark.

This will be a physical game, where both squads will put it to each other. Everton always comes out and tries to out-physical the usually talent superior Reds. It is a heated rivalry and sometimes this tact can throw Liverpool off their game. David Moyes has tried to set this up by coming out saying he expects Liverpool to come hard with the physical play. He is merely setting up his own squad's gameplan.

Good mind games, I guess, a little too cheap and Sir-guson like for me though.

Everton 0-2 Liverpool

Aston Villa v Sunderland
The Villans are still looking strong heading into this match at Villa Park. Retaining Gareth Barry has provided them with a solid midfield, and allows Ashley Young to run free on the left side.

The Black Cats are usually good at the Stadium of Light, but have yet to really prove themselves away from home in the Prem. I do expect them to improve each week under Roy Keane, with a new squad and different style from last season. If not, he will start to feel the heat.
Aston Villa 2-1 Sunderland

Manchester United v Bolton
The Red Devils have yet to put together a great game. Once they do, look out. This could be the week, as Ronaldo has a few games and some fitness under his belt, and Berba, Rooney, and Tevez are getting to know each other up front. Not to mention they return to the comforts of Old Trafford.

Bolton did shock Man Utd. last season, in a 1-0 game. Expect them not to take them by surprise this time.
Man Utd 3-0 Bolton

Middlesbrough v West Brom
Gareth Southgate's squad had a rough go of it against Sunderland last week, but they are an improved team who will not take the newly promoted West Brom lightly.

West Brom look the least likely of the promoted clubs to stay up.
Middlesbrough 2-1 West Brom

Newcastle v Blackburn
Newcastle will parade out new manager Greg Kinnear on Saturday at St. James' Park. He was great in "As Good As It Gets". Really it is Joe Kinnear who gets the call, with a monthly contract. That sounds about right. Terry Venables turned down the Toon because he apparently has some dignity. Nice.

Blackburn is coming into the Toon at the right time.
Newcastle 0-1 Blackburn

Fulham v West Ham
Fulham, while not an overly impressive squad, has yet to look bad in a match this year. They may end up on the bottom half, but they will not get run over by too many teams.

West Ham has received a blow with Dean Ashton needing surgery, yet another problem for the Hammers to deal with. They have played well despite the off the field distractions.
Fulham 1-1 West Ham

Stoke City v Chelsea
Stoke escaped from Liverpool with a 0-0 draw after being outshot 30-2, and getting away with Gerrard's disallowed goal. Don't expect the same to happen against Chelsea.

The Blues whipped Pompey 4-0 for the second time this year at mid-week. They look like the strongest squad, but last year will remind them that they need to make sure they lock up 3 points when they are heavy favorites.
Stoke 0-2 Chelsea

Arsenal v Hull City
Arsenal is firing on all cylinders. There even younger reserves are even lighting things up. Top of the league means little at this point in the season, but hopefully they have learned their lesson after a poor final quarter last year.

Hull have been the surprise team of the league this year, even Craig Fagan has played well. Okay, he's been descent. Dean Windass will meet with management, to discuss his future with the club, after seeing his opportunities limited this season. His departure will only hurt Hull's depth.
Arsenal 3-1 Hull

Sunday
Portsmouth v Tottenham Hotspur
Harry Rednapp's club has been pretty inconsistent early on this year. They've suffered two 4-0 blowouts at the hands of Chelsea and one 6-0 lashing against Man City. They have also had impressive wins over 'Boro and Everton, and hung with Man Utd in a 0-1 loss. Hard to know which club will show up. Peter Crouch is still looking to get his PL campaign off the ground.

Spurs come in to Fratton Park at the bottom of the league. They will want to ride their mid week win over sorry Newcastle, where Pavlyuchenko opened his Spurs account. Getting any points at Pompey will further the momentum into there next three PL matches with promoted clubs Stoke and Hull, and bottom dwellers Bolton, a string they hope will get them nearer mid-table.
Portsmouth 2-1 Tottenham

Wigan v Manchester City
I like Wigan because they can lock it up against a powerhouse team and keep it close, or open the game up and pump in the goals. That's a good sign for a team looking to make the jump to the top half.

Man City lost at mid-week after their 6-0 throttling of Pompey last weekend. That kind of inconsistency can be expected from a squad with new faces in the lineup, not to mention that they 8 of the players from the Portsmouth match didn't play. Still no excuse for the loss. Which City will show up for this match at the JJB?
Wigan 1-2 Man City

Top 5: Newcastle Managerial Candidates

The chance of Newcastle grabbing a new manager and righting the sinking Ashley ship in time to secure any type European qualification or even a top half finish, is about the same chance Johnny Depp has of NOT being in the next Tim Burton film.

Before I list the top 5, let me go over those wise souls who have ruled out a move to the troubled club.

-Gus Poyet. He doesn't want anything to do with this job, he's got his own Spurs debacle to deal with.

-Alan Shearer. The Toon legend may want the Newcastle job at some point, but he's smart enough to realize that this position is damaged goods right now. He's not going to take home the sad looking last girl at the bar tonight, when he can come back to same place another night and pull a model with brains.

-Kenny Daiglish. Hmmmm, how can I soil my great Liverpool reputation? How can I make everyone forget my great work at Anfield and for Blackburn Rovers? I know, I'll return to Newcastle. Yeah, it was so much fun the first time round, let's give it a go. I'll take over a broken club, and lead them to mediocrity and then have their high expectation having Toon Army rip me to shreds. Perfect. He was smart to rule it out.

Here's the top five highest qualified managers left (who haven't passed on, expressed disdain for, or died before they could accept, the Newcastle job), for the Tyneside club to hire.


5) David Moyes:
Moyes is pretty disgusted with the way things have gone down this summer in Everton. His team's motivation and form, coupled with the higher ups refusing to dig for transfer change, may be enough to push him out. But why would he go to the Toon for more of the same?

4) Gerrard Houllier:
A long shot to take the job, but may be the best available. Houllier has led both Liverpool and Lyon in solid fashion, and would add some stability to a floundering franchise.

3) Frank Rijkaard:
The Dutchman is still seething from his exit at Barcelona, where he spent the last two years maligned and questioned, despite lasting longer there then anyone since Cruijff. Will likely wait for a more glamorous or profitable position to open up.

2) Dennis Wise:
Only because I would love to see the cacophony of taunts, horrible chants, and flying projectiles upon his first time gracing the bench at St. James' Park in front of the Toon Army. I don't see how Wise is such a terrible choice, he probably would have gotten Leeds promoted had he stayed, he knows the club, and he is the only person who will definitely take the job.

1) Chris Hughton:
If Ashley and Newcastle were smart, they would appoint Hughton as the official and not interim manager. Name him as the choice for the rest of the season and just ride it out. What are the chances that they hire a big name and he takes them places this season? More likely they will hire someone with a successful managing background, he will fail, and the position will be less desirable for any manager who is offered the position at year's end. Think about it, why would anyone take a job that a big name failed at? They will end up hiring someone like Hughton if a name manager fails.

My two cents on the situation. Anyway, right now, the Magpies are the team that everyone wants to play. They are like Derby County last season, only harder to feel sorry for.

Around the League: Liverpool Over Crewe

The Liverpool subs, backups, and pointless wingers (Jermaine Pennant, come on down!), were on display Tuesday night against Crewe in their 3rd Round Carling Cup match. Danish center back Daniel Agger grabbed the first goal for the Reds, and Lucas Leiva broke a 1-1 tie in the second half to secure a 2-1 win.

This victory did little to take the sting out of Saturday's performance against Stoke.

The Gerrard free kick was a goal. I've watched it maybe 100 times now, and I'm befuddled. I actually agree with Rafa about the early goal. Had it stood, the game would of been completely different. Stoke would of had to come forward after being down a goal, and Liverpool would have most likely put in another goal or four. Instead, the Potters played a fun little game of stay on your own side of the midfield line, attempting to deny the Reds of a clear chance. The result was a lot of good chances, some great goalkeeping by Sorenson, and a 0-0 draw at Anfield.

Having said that, there is no excuse for Liverpool to not have scored after out-shooting Stoke 30-2. This is what killed their title hopes last season, home draws against bottom half teams.

The draw makes Saturday's Merseyside derby all the more important. Everton has had a disappointing start to the season, and nothing will kick start their campaign better than a victory over their hated rivals at Goodison Park. Can't wait for this one.


Around the League
-Brighton and Hove Albion have ended Man City's Carling Cup bid, 5-3 in the shootout. The Abu Dhabi is reportedly regretting not having bought Brighton and Hove, saving them about $400 million. Now they must set their sights on the FA Cup, and pray to avoid Havant and Waterloo, thus dodging the curse of the double named teams.

-Sir-guson is fuming about Pogatetz's horror tackle in Tuesday's Carling win. He became even more enrage upon finding out the Pogatetz planned to bring John Terry along with him for the appeal.

-Dean Windass may be walking out on Hull. Supporters everywhere are readying their new chants.

-Frank Lampard scored two more times for Chelsea against Pompey in the Carling Cup. How does he expect me to keep telling everyone how useless he is, if he's gonna keep playing well? Shame on you Frank, who's gonna be my punching bag now? What's that, you have John Terry and Ashley Cole from your own squad. Thanks sir, don't worry, I'll be back, about 30 seconds after your next international match.

-Arsenal's young boys keep stepping up and pushing for some first team action. Carlos Vela and Jack Wilshere put on a clinic at mid-week, and Aaron Ramsey looks formidable in midfield as well. Will the constant injection of young talent finally push them over the hump to the top spot? Or are they always destined to be just a year or two away from recapturing the league?

Week 5: Ronny's Back

The headlines this week will be dominated by Chelsea-Man U at Stamford Bridge. I won't have time to review all the games, as I am concerning myself with a big move this weekend. I will make some quick predictions though.

Prediction Tally to Date: 11 out of 19 (58%) correct, with 4 exact.

Last week: 6 out of 10, with 4 exact!

Saturday

Liverpool v Stoke
It's always a fun little game, waiting to see what lineup the ridiculous little Rafa will put out on the pitch. And by fun little game, I mean a gut wrenching, anxious wade out into the lake of expectation. Benitez should have Torres and Gerrard at his disposal with improving health, and this weekend looks as good as any to get Robbie Keane going. Stoke has been more game than people expected, but look for them to take a hit this week.

Liverpool 3 – 0 Stoke

Blackburn v Fulham
Blackburn has struggled since their first game, realizing life without one of the League's top keepers is no fun. Friedal is gone, but Roque Santa Cruz should be back after being taken out with an injury last weekend. I haven't given Fulham enough respect to pick them as yet. It may come back to bite me again this week.

Blackburn 1-1 Fulham

Bolton v Arsenal
Wenger has Arsenal playing at a high level with a finishing presence in the PL this year. But, a lackluster performance at home against Dynamo in the CL may dampen some of their momentum. Bolton will have to overachieve this year to stay in these types of games.

Bolton 0 – 2 Arsenal

Sunderland v Middlesbrough
The Black Cats were a good home squad last season under Roy Keane. Keane hasn't found the right combinations with their new talent up front, so they will be looking to get right against 'Boro. Middlesbrough has looked like a top half team, and Mido is playing up to his talent, which he hasn't done often in the past couple of seasons.

Sunderland 1– 1 Middlesbrough

West Ham v Newcastle
Here we have a battle of two clubs in disarray. While the Hammers have named a permanent replacement in Zola, the Magpies have yet to settle anything outside the fact the fans are decidedly pissed off at Ashley and company. I thought Newcastle could put it behind them and go out and play balls out last weekend. I was wrong. They have off the field turmoil and a slew of injuries to deal with, including Guitierrez, who after some impressive games, is now out for at least a couple of weeks.

West Ham 2 – 0 Newcastle

Sunday

Chelsea v Manchester United
As with many Liverpool-Chelsea matches, these affairs end up being closely contested battles in which neither team want to make a mistake, and as a result, they both play very tight. Unlike Liverpool-Chelsea, let's hope it is not 90 minutes plus of sloppy, boring football (a trend those two teams reversed in the CL last year). Ronaldo will be back and fired up against the Blues. Both teams have a lot to prove in this one. Man U could be a dangerous hole with a loss at Stamford Bridge.

Chelsea 2-1 Man United

Manchester City v Portsmouth
Pompey has looked like a fifth place contender since dropping their first two against Chelsea and Man Utd. Man City is going to be a quality team, but I expect more inconsistency than anything else, early on this season.

Man City 2 – 3 Portsmouth

Tottenham v Wigan
Tottenham did get a win this week, but we will see if the PL is a different story. You've gotta like how Amr Zaki and Wigan have come out this year. They are the type of team that is easy to root for. I don't think I can go in fully for Spurs until I see them starting finishing against a Prem squad.

Tottenham 2 – 2 Wigan

Hull v Everton
Everton looked better last week, and David Moyes can only hope that is a sign of things to come. The Toffees looked like an uninspired, dreary squad from the preseason forward, but the injection of some new blood along with Aussie Tim Cahill should liven them up. Hull has been entertaining, whether it is winning in an offensive back and forth, or getting racked up by Wigan.

Hull 1 – 3 Everton

West Brom v Aston Villa
Ashley Young is more and more impressive each time he hits the pitch. I expect some big clubs to come calling this summer, making it nearly impossible for Villa to hold onto their star winger. For now, he and the Villa attack are rolling right along, and hopefully for Martin O'Neil, the loss of John Carew isn't too much of a hit. West Brom got a big win last week against a team in crisis, don't expect a repeat performance.

West Brom 0 – 2 Aston Villa

Gotta run, drop some comments on me this weekend. Aces.

Sir Alex Rants About Terry Ruling

Sir Alex Ferguson is livid about the overturning of John Terry's red card. After a successful appeal, Terry is now free to play in Sunday's match against Manchester United. Sir-guson is red-faced with anger over the decision, which he claimed, and I'm paraphrasing, never would have been done for Manchester United. Okay, so Sirgie is always red-faced, but nevertheless.

Now, is Sir-guson whining once again? Yes. Was the foul not really a red card? Yes. Neither of these issues is the point. The main issue here is that overturning the ruling on the pitch is a terrible precedent to set.

I have seen countless red cards given over the years that were much less of a foul than Terry's play. The Chelsea skipper took out a man that had gone past him. He wasn't last man back, it was a professional foul, and a yellow card should have been thrown. But come on, I have witnessed players not even making contact and receiving red cards that weren't overturned. It was a referee's judgment call. Are we going to start overturning penalties given?

Sir-guson has no credibility in his outrage because he simply sees the world through Man U red colored glasses. His argument should not have been that Man U wouldn't have been afforded the same courtesy as John Terry and Chelsea. He should have come out and said that this decision was made in opposition to so many appeals before it. That you cannot just set the precedent of overturning questionable red cards that were obvious yellows because of the stature of the player involved. Giving a red card for a foul that was at the least a very, very strong and obvious yellow, should never be overturned. It's ridiculous.

If you believe Sirgie's story, then head referee Keith Hackett stepped in and reversed the official on the pitch's call, because the official refused to do so himself. The ref was then demoted to League Two for his error and refusal. If this is the case, then the whole incident needs to be reviewed by the League.

Fergie is so blind to the fact that for every decision against him and his club, ten decisions have gone their way. I'm never sure whether he is a master manipulator, setting the table for the next time there is a call against Man U. Or just an angry, club biased, old manager. Even if he is just manipulating, he is missing the opportunity to shine a light on the appeal process and how something isn't right in this situation. His whining only gets in the way of that fact.

I believe that had this been David Wheater getting the red, and 'Boro was playing Hull City next weekend, that the card would have stood. This decision was made because it was John Terry and there was an all important Chelsea-Man U match the following week. The real tragedy is that Jose Mourinho is not around anymore to comment on the situation. Come back Jose, you could really fill up my mid-week posts.

Champions League Group Stage: Gerrard Nets Two

Marseille 1-2 Liverpool
Unfortunately, I was unable to watch this one because I was under the impression that the match was Wednesday, thank you man announcing the Liverpool-Man U match. Anyway, upon finding out that it was a two goal away win, I was happy. When I realized that Gerrard had scored both goals, I was even more excited. When I saw his first goal, wow.

After going down one goal in the first half, Fernando Torres intercepted the ball at midfield and ran down on the Marseille defense, and dished off to Dirk Kuyt. Kuyt then softly slide the ball into the path of Stevie G and, oh just watch the highlights.......



Unbelievable. Gerrard is one of the few players on Earth who can score that type of goal. His penalty tally means another roaring start to his Champions League campaign, where he will once again be amongst the goal scoring leaders.

PSV 0-3 Atletico Madrid
Atletico got out quick with a 9th minute goal, from striker Kun Aguero, and never looked back. El Kun added another, and Maniche tallied in the second half to send the Dutch champs to a surprising 3 goal loss at home. Madrid are going to be press Liverpool for the top of this group.

Chelsea 4-0 Bordeaux
Chelsea dominated Bordeaux at Stamford Bridge, giving Scolari his first Champions League win with the London club. Frank Lampard had a goal and a sweet backheel pass on a Flourent Malouda goal, but he also corked an open shot, wide left, which brought a smile to my face. My anti-Lampard sentiments will be expressed in long form soon enough.

Roma 1-2 CFR Cluj
CFR Cluj not only shocked Europe with a win against Roma, they did it from a goal down and away from home, at the Stadio Olimpico. Roma struggles early on in Serie A extended into the Champions League on Tuesday, as they fell to the inspired Romanian club.

Panathinaikos 0-2 Inter Milan
Jose Mourinho's squad gained a hard fought win over their Greek competition, winning 2-0 on the road. The match was closer than the final score, as Panathinaikos pressed Inter hard after the first goal, getting the majority of the chances.

Werder Bremen 0-0 Anorthosis Famagusta
I did not watch this game, I did not watch the highlights, I did not read the match report, I only bothered my self to read the score. So my analysis is going to assume that the game went like this; Werder Bremen had tons of chances, Pizarro, Almeida, Rosenberg, and whoever else played up front squandered opportunities against a Famagusta defense which built a fort around it's goal. I'm going to go check the report and if I'm close, I'll assume that can work off assumption for games like this one from now on. Agreed? Good.

FC Basel 1-2 Shakhtar Donetsk
I'm pretty sure I picked Shakhtar to finish second in this group. Doesn't really matter though, all three teams will be cat toys for Barcelona. How does Barca get a group like this? Shakhtar does look like a good team though, and could pull off an upset after the group stage.

Barcelona 3-1 Sporting Lisbon
Barca took care of the Portuguese at the Nou Camp, with a 3-1 victory. Xavi's late goal ended the tension after Sporting had pulled to within 2-1. Barcelona will want to get their easy draw over with early and rack up wins, in order to rest players in the final couple of matches.

Week 4 Roundup

Saturday

Liverpool 2-1 Manchester United
In the second half, Rafa finally took the role of aggressor with Man U, and it worked. Hard to tell how much this win means until we see more of both teams, but for Liverpool's early season confidence after a string of poor performances, this game may do wonders.
Liverpool- Brown (own goal, 26'), Babel (77')
Man U- Tevez (3')

Blackburn 0-4 Arsenal
The Arsenal was in full force as the Rovers let in 4 goals for a second straight week. Blackburn made a game of it in the first, getting a few chances after an early RVP goal for the Gunners. Adebayor's goal just before the half was the beginning of the end, as Arsenal dominated the second half. The Togolese striker netted two more times, putting Wenger's boys in good position after 4 games.
Arsenal- Van Persie (8'), Adebayor (45', pen 81', 90')

Newcastle 1-2 Hull City
Newcastle's turmoil off the pitch overshadowed the action on the pitch, as supporters voice their concerns with owner Mike Ashley. Hull continued their surprising start with a victory helped along by two goals from summer signing, former Watford and Wigan striker, Marlon King.
Newcastle- Xisco (81')
Hull- King (pen 34', 55')

Fulham 2-1 Bolton
Fulham's summer signing shined at Craven Cottage as they beat the Wanderers with a solid attacking performance. Zoltan Geran scored his first with Fulham and a very much in form, Bobby Zamora, notched one as well, leading them to a 2-1 victory.
Fulham- Gera (15'), Zamora (41')
Bolton- Davies (82')

Portsmouth 2-1 Middlesbrough
Two more goals from Jermaine Defoe meant a victory for Pompey, in a game in which they controlled the run of play. Peter Crouch and Defoe are starting to get on together, which could mean trouble for other 5th place hopefuls. An early goal for Mido, put a worry into Harry Rednapp, but 'Boro couldn't hold off the Portsmouth attack.
Portsmouth- Defoe (59', 86')
'Boro- Mido (24')

Wigan 1-1 Sunderland
Sunderland's new mix held Wigan's vastly improved attack until the 78th minute, when Amr Zaki continued his goal scoring purge. Despite superior possession and attacking threat, the Latics could not seem put Sunderland away. Now if only they could send Titus Bramble away.
Wigan- Zaki (78')
Sunderland- Bramble (own goal, 14')

West Brom 3-2 West Ham United
Gianfranco Zola will have his work cut out for him after watching this one at The Hawthorns. A 2-1 was taken away minutes after the Hammers second goal, and finished with a late Chris Brunt goal. West Ham's defense looked open to manipulation as they lost a game that was less about wide open, good football, than it was about both teams defending weaknesses.
West Brom- Morrison (3'), Bednar (pen 37'), Brunt (83')
West Ham- Noble (28'), Neill (35')

Man City 1-3 Chelsea
Despite the subplots and debut of the Brazilian wonder, Robinho, great football was the star of the show in this match. Open play and brilliant passing highlighted the match. Robinho's early free kick goal, frenzied the City fans, but was erased by a quick counter goal by Ricardo Carvalho. Lampard and Anelka would add to the Chelsea tally as they put apparent new big-timers, City, in their proper place.
Man City- Robinho (13')
Chelsea- Carvalho (16'), Lampard (53'), Anelka (69')


Sunday

Stoke City 2-3 Everton
Everton continues to look unimpressive in form as they nipped on from Stoke on Sunday. Up 2 goals, they relinquished the lead, the second Stoke goal coming off a Jagielka own goal. Tim Cahill showed why his health is so highly prized for the Merseysiders with a late, deciding goal.
Stoke- Olofinjana (54'), Jagielka (og 63')
Everton- Yakubu (41'), Anichebe (51'), Cahill (77')


Monday

Tottenham Hotspur 1-2 Aston Villa
Tottenham's woes continue, as they drop another home game to the Villans. Villa handled the Spurs attack, which controlled possession but failed to put significant pressure on the solid backline. Ashley Young was magnificent once again, with a goal highlighting a performance in which his pace proved too much for the Spurs defense. Spurs looked attractive in possession, but have a glut of midfielders and need Pavlyuchenko to start adding a scoring punch. Don't get me started on their defense, way too much talent back there and they can't get it together.
Tottenham- Bent (87')
Aston Villa- Reo-Coker (5'), Young (54')

Liverpool Player Reviews: Week 4- Manchester United

In Focus: Albert Riera

In Focus, for the all-important Manchester United match, is brand new Spanish pretty-boy winger, Albert Riera. Acquired from Espanyol at the trading deadline, Riera was brought on board to fill the forever unsatisfying turnstile of left wingers that have played under Rafa Benitez. Although Ryan Babel is promising, his future looks to be up front, and right now he can play on the right or left, while being used as a sub and rotation player. So it is up to Riera to apply the pressure down the left wing, and Saturday was, hopefully, a sign of good things to come.

The match started out slow for Riera, who seemed hesitant on the ball and in getting into the action. He had a quiet first quarter of the game, as most of the Reds players did. He also got into the box with the ball early on, but seemed to go to ground much to easily, something he will learn is not tolerated as much in England, especially by the opposing players. As the match wore on, Albert started to get his feet under him and prove his worth.

The Spaniard is very smooth and effortless on the ball. He controls it well and is efficient in his dribbling, seeming to slide by defenders with great control, rather than pace or an abundance of step-overs. He displayed this side of his game on Saturday. More than once he broke down Rooney or Wes Brown or both on the left, getting into the middle or down the wing with control.

His service into the box was skilled as well, was Keane wasting a ball and Patrice Evra coming back to save another. He forced a corner at the start of the second half, and was a big part of the Liverpool attack until he came off for Ryan Babel in the 72nd minute.

His control and ability to exert pressure down the left was one of the deciding factors in momentum swinging to Liverpool. He and Fabio Aurelio controlled the ball down the left, forcing Wayne Rooney to put his own attacking to side and concentrate on getting back to help Wes Brown. If Aurelio and Riera can continue to play this way, Benitez may have little choice in who occupies the left side.

We will have to see much more from Riera to form a true opinion, but it hard to go against him after a long awaited win against Sir-guson and Man U.

Grade: B


Player Grades:
Pepe Reina- B
Had no shot at stopping the Tevez blast at the start of the game, but was solid outside of that. Liverpool's solid play in front of him caused a lack of work for the Spaniard, but he was intelligent with the ball and made a nice tip over save on Giggs' shot.

Alvaro Arbeloa- C
Arbeloa was serviceable on defense, although he was tested little throughout. Had no effect going forward, and didn't factor much in the game, which probably was a good thing for Liverpool.

Jamie Carragher- A-
Maybe he could have stayed with Berbatov for the first goal, and prevented the pass, but that's nitpicking. Played rock solid the rest of the way, leading the backline and denying any opportunities for Berba, Tevez, or Rooney.

Martin Skrtel- B+
Again, the first goal, he and Arbeloa both took one man and left Tevez alone for the goal. He was frantic early, as usual, but once he settled down, he and Carragher had it on lock-down. Came forward a couple of times, firing one shot directly on to Van der Sar, forcing a save.

Fabio Aurelio- A-
Once again, the first goal, Berbatov beat him as well. But his last 70 minutes were fantastic football. He alternated runs and crosses on the left with Reira, and his ball control and pressure shut down Wayne Rooney on the right, forcing Man U's right to sit back. Justified Rafa's choice of him over Dossena.

Yossi Benayoun- C+
Did not have a great impact on the game. Had some good run ins, on and off the ball, but was never able to connect. His passing was not up with to the level of great play of the rest of the Liverpool midfield, and he was eventually subbed off for Gerrard.

Xabi Alonso- B+
Was masterful in the final two-thirds of the game. His deflected shot ended up in the net with the help of Wes Brown and Van der Sar. Along with Mascherano in the midfield, he controlled possession and the pace of the game. Liverpool's pressure started in the midfield, and rarely broke down early. Went for it and missed on a couple of shots and passes, but that just comes with Xabi's game.

Javier Mascherano- A-
Let Tevez go on the first goal, who, yes should he have been picked up by Skrtel or Arbeloa, but still the blame has to start with Mascher. However, the rest of the game, Javi was once again the best player on the pitch. Great coming forward and controlling the midfield with his passing and tackling. So much energy, running around on the pitch, and he gets a great of number of his tackles right. Made the second goal happen with a run, winning the ball and passing to Kuyt. Came off with an injury at the end......NOOOOOO! Eh, he should be fine.

Dirk Kuyt- B
Okay, Dirk the Worker did a lot, coming back and helping Liverpool put pressure on. Blue Collar Dirk did assist on the second goal, setting up Babel. Dirk the Dutch Grinder also had a couple of long shots go miss high and wide. But while he won every ball, he still doesn't belong up top with Keane, Torres, or anyone else. I begrudgingly give him his due, he was a big part of the win.

Robbie Keane- C-
Once again, hardly anything from Robbie Keane. He did occupy Vidic and Ferdinand up front. This allowed room for the midfielders, but that was it, save for one instance in which he broke free and was taken down by Vidic, perhaps warranting a red card, which did come, in the form of a yellow one, and some further stupidity by Nemanja at the end of the match. Missed a couple of chances with crosses and wasted a couple of good passes.

Subs:
Steven Gerrard- B
Coming off the injury, was good in the midfield, adding to the pressure and possession that Liverpool was getting. Not 100%, but may get the start in Marseille.

Ryan Babel- B+
Came on late and scored the game winner, with a competent strike. Really hard to understand why he wasn't subbed in the Aston Villa game and this just highlighted Rafa's mistake.

Sami Hyypia- B
Came on in the dying moments as a precaution for the backline with the Mascher injury. Man U didn't score, so hey, good job Sami.

Liverpool v Man United: Babel Wins It

Pure delight for Rafa Benitez as he gets his first victory over Man United. But oh, what a nightmare start for him and Liverpool to this early season dream match-up. Before the home squad could even get their attacking feet under them, Manchester jump-started what would surely be a long day for Pepe Reina and the Reds.

1st Half
Just over 2 minutes into the game, Sir-guson's shiny new striker, Dimitar Berbatov, burst down the right edge of the box, past a pursuing Jamie Carragher and Fabio Aurelio. He fired a right-footed pass away from the keeper into the center of the penalty area, where a grateful Carlos Tevez made no mistake firing a blast over Martin Skrtel and past Pepe Reina into the goal. 3rd minute, 0-1 to the visitors.

Rafa had to be thinking, 'here we go again'. Manchester continued to look strong afterwards too. The first 25 minutes of the game belonged to the Red Devils in both attacking threat and ball control. Dirk Kuyt did have two early chances, with a volley that ended up just high, and again after Edwin Van der Sar dreadfully mishandled a Fabio Aurelio corner, and reached out to prevent Kuyt's follow up from going in.

Van der Sar's struggles continued and put an end to any momentum that Man U had in the 26th minute. A Xabi Alonso shot from 25 yards out was deflected from right to left into the penalty area, where Van der Sar rushed forward and slapped the ball right into the oncoming Wes Brown, the ball bouncing into the goal, just ahead of an eager Albert Riera.

The rest of the first half, United never could regain the control they had displayed early on. Aurelio, Alonso, and Mascherano worked the ball up from the midfield beautifully, maintaining good control and efficient passing. The mishandled balls and lack of confidence that have plagued Rafa's men in past meetings with Sir-guson and Co., were non-existent. Only a redirection by Tevez in the box, on a great ball by Anderson, that went far over the bar, signified any danger from the Man U attack. Wayne Rooney, who had turned Aurelio inside out early on, was becoming less and less of a factor.

2nd Half
All square at 1 at the half, the second half started with a flurry from Liverpool. The pace of the game had quickened, Benitez finally willing to open his team up against Man U. Riera made a great move on the left to get free, forcing Evra to dive in and force a corner. Aurelio and Riera looked dangerous on the left, alternating runs up the field and crossing with intent.

Liverpool just seemed to be winning all the battles. Skrtel pressed ahead and fired a shot after a good work up, but Van der Sar had good position and handled it easily. Kuyt, falling back up front from Keane, was getting to every ball in the midfield. Keane was bearing the load up front, occupying Rio Ferdinand and Nemanja Vidic, and opening things up in the midfield. The introduction of a semi-fit Steven Gerrard and Ryan Babel into the game for Benayoun and Riera, only increased the Liverpool pressure.

With a firm grip on possession and Man U only looking dangerous on the counter, the home squad finally struck. Mascherano took on two men near the end line and won the ball to Kuyt on the right side o the box. Kuyt slid the ball towards the penalty spot, where super-sub, Babel, ran onto it and placed a shot up high for a 2-1 Liverpool lead.

Liverpool continued to look the better team from that point on. Moments after the goal, Vidic clearly stuck his leg out, taking out Keane, who would have been in all alone on Van der Sar. The ref, perhaps thinking Ferdinand could have made it back, spared Vidic with only a yellow card. Minutes after, Nani, who had come on for Anderson, took out Mascherano and a received a yellow, the Liverpool pressure obviously getting to a harried Man U squad.

In the 89th minute, the Red Devils hopes looked dim, as Vidic rammed into Alonso in mid air, attempting a late header. His second yellow of the day, saw him sent off. A foolish play, considering he will now miss the Chelsea clash, which could see Man U on 4 points after 4 games.

4 minutes of extra time were not enough as Liverpool won the game, 2-1.


Commentary
Nevermind my prediction of a 2-1 Liverpool win. Okay, mind it, it was pretty brilliant, or a stroke of optimistic luck, take your pick.

After the first 25 minutes, Liverpool dominated the run of play in this game. Man United did not look comfortable at all in midfield. Scholes and Carrick were outplayed in the midfield by Mascherano and Alonso. That is were the balance of the game was won. Manchester had poor transition from their backs and center midfield to their four attacking players in Berba, Tevez, Rooney, and Anderson.

While the Manchester work ups through midfield had little flow, Liverpool was smooth and controlling from end to end on the ball. Aurelio and Riera looked strong on the left, with the Spanish winger settling in after a rough start. Their attack was fueled with some great balls into the box by Aurelio, Mascherano, Alonso, and Riera. Kuyt did much of the hard work coming back, while Mascher did his usual superb job in killing attacks all over the pitch.

The result was a second half of sustained pressure, keeping Man U from getting anything consistent of offense. Man U has been on the losing end of games in the past couple of years where they outplayed the other squad and were burned on the counter. This was not one of those games. It is rare to see the Red Devils get outplayed, but today at Anfield, Liverpool were the better team.

Also, as promised, I will now think of a Ryan Babel/Rio chant, and have it ready for my player reviews tomorrow.

Week 4: Reds and Blues

Week 4 in the Premier League will be dominated by two high profile match-ups; one is all about championships, rivalry, and history, the other, a clash of billionaire owners looking to buy a little bit of each of those things.

Liverpool welcomes Manchester United to Anfield, where the Red Devils have won 5 and drawn 1 in their last 6 trips out to Merseyside. Torres and Gerrard have had miraculous recoveries and Berba the Bulgarian makes his debut for Man U. Sir-guson will hope to bully Rafa Benitez once again into playing his men tight and forcing sloppy play from end to end. During Rafa's reign at Liverpool, his teams have looked tentative and terrified of making mistakes, each time out against Man U.

Later on in the day, Chelsea will be eager to put a fork in Man City's good fortune and prove that everyone needs to slow down in dubbing them "the new Chelsea". City are coming off a huge 3 goal win at the Stadium of Light and a substantial raise in their credit limit.

Now, let's go around the league with some predictions. I finished an with a decent 5 wins and 4 losses last week, with 0 games predicted on the mark. Hoping to go out on more of a limb this week.

Saturday

Liverpool v Manchester United
Something tells me that, for once, Rafa will put the spurs to his team and open up. Man U welcomes Nani back, but will be without the services of Hargreaves and Ronaldo. If Berba and Rooney can click early, Liverpool could be in for a long day. If not, we may see Tevez after the half.
Prediction: Liverpool 2-1 Man U

Blackburn v Arsenal
Arsenal looked tremendous last week against Newcastle. Blackburn fell apart after playing West Ham tough for 80 minutes. Adebayor will be dying to get on the score sheet for the Gunners.
Prediction: Blackburn 1-2 Arsenal

Fulham v Bolton
Clash of likely bottom-dwellers excites me about as much as an A-Ha reunion show. Sure, I know there will be 5 minutes of good entertainment, but I have no idea when the Cottagers and Wanderers are going to play "Take On Me".
Prediction: Fulham 1-1 Bolton

Newcastle v Hull City
The Magpies new manager, (insert name here), will surely bring great things to Newcastle. If you thought Mike Ashley was chugging down pints two weeks ago, he should be bonging beers in the stands until he finds a direction for his beloved team. For some reason, I think this will be an open game.
Prediction: Newcastle 3-2 Hull

Portsmouth v Middlesbrough
With 'Boro's early season form, this looks to be a closer match-up then some may have suspected. Pompey would love for Peter Crouch to break through this week, and both he and Defoe will continue to try and impress Fabio Capello.
Prediction: Portsmouth 2-1 'Boro

West Brom v West Ham
New Hammers manager, Gianfranco Zola, hopes to bring his style of attractive, positive football to West Ham. Problem may lie with the fact the no one as good as Zola once was, resides on the West Ham roster. They will win, but only because West Brom is crap.
Prediction: West Brom 0-1 West Ham

Wigan v Sunderland
The Black Cats had a disappointing home loss to City two weeks ago and Roy Keane will be looking to solidify a solid XI after a summer of new signings. Amr Zaki and Antonio Valencia will lead the Wigan attack with Heskey in support. A battle of two teams looking to jump up into the top half of the league this year.
Prediction: Wigan 1-1 Sunderland

Manchester City v Chelsea
Brazilian magic boy, Robinho, will make his debut for City against the team that was vying for his services all summer long. Chelsea will look to prove they are in little need of his skills, while the Abu Dhabi Group will be eager to see what their new toy can do. How will Abramovich and Sulaiman arrive at the game? Does Manchester have more than one heli-pad near the stadium?
Prediction: Man City 0-2 Chelsea

Sunday

Stoke City v Everton
David Moyes' squad looked pretty bad at Goodison park last time out in a 0-3 loss to Pompey. The Potters will be happy to see Everton in the form they are in at this point in the season.
Prediction: Stoke 1-1 Everton

Monday

Tottenham Hotspur v Aston Villa
Villa will be relieved to see the Tottenham defense after dealing with Javier Mascherano and Liverpool's stifling five-man midfield two weeks ago. An improvement in form in a draw at Stamford Bridge won't go a long way in relieving the pressure on Juande Ramos, after another Spurs last place start to the season. He needs to get Pavlyuchenko and Corluka into the fold and working as soon as possible.
Prediction: Tottenham 1-2 Aston Villa

Pitch War: Nani vs. Ryan Babel

With the possibility of a Saturday match up between Man U and Liverpool without the presence of Gerrard, Torres, and Ronaldo, it is key for other players to step it up in attack. Beside the goal banging antics of Darren Fletcher, Manchester United may look to winger, Nani, who is set to return from his two game suspension, for his ridiculous final match day red card. And Ryan Babel, inexplicably absent for a 0-0 draw with Aston Villa, will be making his 2008/09 Premier League debut as well, after coming back from Olympic duty with the Netherlands.

Let's see how the two fleet-footed wingers stack up.

Nani

Pitch Pluses

• Skinny, 21 year-old right-footed Portuguese winger, who plays on the left, preferring to dive into the middle, creating a wonderful bouncy curls effect with his hair, and bombing on goal.
• Comes from a great tradition of Portuguese wingers. Apparently, striker-poor Portugal really values angle-y goals. Has great skill on the ball, with plenty of quickness and pace.
• Has already had some big games for Manchester United, including a brilliant goal last year against Liverpool.
• His name. One name arrogance is always a hit with me. And there is nothing wrong with a man being named after the start of a child's taunt. Nani, nani, nani, we won the Champions League.

Dives

• Has trouble finishing and passing in close around the 12 yard box. Nani is much more effective working along the top of the penalty area and along the edges.
• His crossing can be suspect at times, but he is capable of a fantastic one every so often.
• Until he has a breakout year, he will always be under the shadow of Man U's other Portuguese winger, Ronaldo.
• Refuses to release a Portuguese hip-hop album, despite a have a great freestyle rapper's name.

Ryan Babel

Pitch Pluses

• Skinny, 21 year-old right-footed Dutch winger, who plays on the left, preferring to cut back into the middle, before bombing on goal with minimal hair movement.
• Has good pace and good change of pace. Can alter his direction and speed quickly, leaving defenders flat footed.
• Doubles as a Dutch rapper under the moniker, Rio. I've never heard Dutch rap before, but I'm guessing I could enjoy it in an ironic way for hours.

Dives

• Babel's biggest problem is that he has yet to show up for the full 90 minutes for the Reds. He usually has one good half of play in him. He's better off the bench right now, which will have to change if he is going to become a star.
• Tends to overuse his change of pace techniques, and 'stop and start' more often than he should. Also has trouble going to his left. His crosses are not consistent, but he is more effective with in-swingers as he is coming away from the end line, as we saw with Kuyt's extra time winner against Standard Liege.
• Has two names. Except when he raps. He should call himself Rio on the pitch as well, then the Kop can create a chant for him around the old Duran Duran tune. In fact, if Liverpool win on Saturday, I'll make one up myself.

And the winner is.......Nani!
Damn my integrity. I don't like picking a Manchester United player over one of my Liverpool boys, but right now I'd say Nani has had the better showing in the Prem. Both players displayed flashes of brilliance last year. Nani was more consistent overall, with Babel having his best games coming on as a substitute. I do think that Babel has a greater upside though. Nani looks to be a wing player by trade, but the Dutchman could make a permanent move to striker and really have a goal scoring impact with some seasoning.

Oh, you didn't believe me about Ryan Babel, um, Rio? You might want to take a look at this.

WORLD CUP 2010 QUALIFYING: Round 2 Roundup

A quick roundup of some notable scores from round two of the qualifiers.

Finland 3-3 Germany: Miroslav Klose saves the Germans from a shock loss in Helsinki with a trio of goals. Why is it that Klose and Lukas Pololski step it up for the national team. As opposed to, I don't know, Landon "lost in the midfield" Donovan.

Russia 2-1 Wales: Time for another wonderful quote from my buddy Josh, "Gareth Bale is Welsh? I honestly didn't know that. But he looks so English.". Gold, Josh, gold. Anyway, Bale's penalty miss opened the door for a subsequent Roman Pavlyuchenko penalty strike and a 2-1 Russia win.

Lithuania 2-0 Austria: Another step forward for the Lithuanians, who move to the top of Group 7 with two surprise wins over Romania and Austria. World Cup qualification may help us remember the Lugans for something other than those god-awful tie-dye uniforms their basketball squad wore in the '92 Olympics.

Iceland 1-2 Scotland: The Scots hold on for a 2-1 victory after going up two goals. Eidar Gudjohnsen scored for Iceland. While Iceland lost the game, they are right up there with Finland for best player names. Gretar Rafn Steinsson, what a name, it sounds like a law firm in a movie set in some kind of strange metallic future.

France 2-1 Serbia: Thierry Henry and Nicolas Anelka each bagged a goal, either saving or prolonging the torture of, depending on how you look at it, their coach, Raymond Domenech.

Switzerland 1-2 Luxembourg: Tired of being known as the place where Europe goes to buy cheap cigarettes and alcohol, Luxembourg notched a late winner to shock the Swiss.

Portugal 2-3 Denmark: Goals by Nani and Deco weren't enough as the Ronaldo-less Portugese fell in a surprise home loss to Denmark.

Spain 4-0 Armenia: Striker David Villa continues his great international form with 2 goals in a rout of Armenia.

Croatia 1-4 England:
One more thing about the England game. Apparently Emile Heskey was subject to racist monkey chants during the game. I will spare you the political rant on small minds and lack of progress in society, and cut straight to the point. This type of behavior needs to be rooted out. Forcing teams to play in front of empty stadiums doesn't seem to be enough of a deterrent, and it punishes the other teams traveling fans. Point deductions from Croatia may not do it either. I think a reasonable solution is to take away the home games for Croatia, or any team's fans that engage in this type of behavior. Take away two or three matches, and with the threat of a year ban from home games with another incident.

Walcott Lights Up Croatia

When England brought Theo Walcott to Germany it was considered a mistake. That may seem funny now that Walcott could be bringing England to South Africa.

England travelled to Zagreb on Wednesday, hoping to bury the demons from last November's match at Wembley, where a 3-2 loss to Croatia knocked them out of Euro 2008. They ended up burying the Croats, 4-1, in what was a testy match. The game was played pretty even up until Walcott collected a lucky, errant bounce off a Croat defender, and confidently fired a shot along the ground to the far side of the goal, just under the outstretched arm of Stipe Pletikosa.

With so much pressure on England coming into this match, you would think they would be the prime candidates for losing their cool. But Fabio Capello had his squad composed and confident, and it was the Croats who seemed to come unravelled after the first England goal. Walcott followed his goal with another identical looking shot, but this time Pletikosa was up to the challenge, steering it wide for a corner. Minutes later Croatia received a yellow card for taking Theo down on a forward run.

The frustration of the home side was evident at the start of the second half. They look harried and they contested each whistle blown against them. In the 53rd minute, Robert Kovac earned himself a red card for a flying challenge over Joe Cole, which left the Chelsea winger bloodied.
Soon after England capitalized on 10 man Croatia, with a beautiful build up, involving Emile Heskey and Wayne Rooney. Rooney finished with a hard pass to the right, where Theo Walcott was waiting to calmly slot another ball to the far side of the goal, in what looked like a replay of his first goal.

With the extra man, England heaped on the pressure. Rooney would add his own goal on a blast from the penalty area after a fine pass from Jermaine Jenas on his left. Croat fans began to pour out of the stadium as their side's fate looked inevitable. Croatia would get one back in the 78th, as substitute, Mario Mandzukic, capitalized on some sloppy England defense with a goal from close range.

Walcott would add a fourth England goal, completing his hat trick in 82nd minute, before being taken off for David Beckham. Rooney once again led Walcott on the ball, and one on one with the goalkeeper, Theo took his time and easily slid one past.


Walcott
The best player on the pitch today was Wayne Rooney, as he a big role in every goal, collecting two assists along with his first England goal in ages. But it was Walcott who ascended up the England ranks with his performance. The young Arsenal winger had his Michael Owen moment for England on Wednesday. However, it wasn't Owen, but a former Arsenal striker that Theo reminded us of as he neatly placed three goals in Zagreb.

There was a time when Thierry Henry was a young talented winger from France who stepped into a striker's role for Arsenal and became the most prolific scorer in the world. While it is too early to predict that for Walcott, the young Englishman seemed effortless in each of his three scores. We've seen Henry do it a hundred times. He deftly slides past defenders and ends with a cool finish. For Walcott, it was this Henry-like composure that stood out in Wednesday's match.

Beckham has to wonder if there is a place in the side for him now that Walcott has emerged as the favorite on the right. I would be happy to see Beckham in a role alongside Gerrard in the midfield, acting as a distributor and midfield fulcrum. Either way, things are looking bright for Capello's boys after tonight's triumph.

(One last thought, is Capello some kind of stern robot man? He did not flinch after each of the first three England goals. And on the fourth, he looked like he wanted to celebrate, but would be violating some kind of inner protocol if he did so. Someone please confirm my suspicions.)

Liverpool Update

Liverpool heads into Saturday's match with Man U with more questions than answers. Will Torres or Gerrard or both or neither, suit up at Anfield? Who on Earth will start? What formation will Rafa use? One thing is for sure, trying to guess what the shoulder shrugging Spaniard will do is a fruitless venture. He may put out a nonsensical lineup, or he may have gained a week's worth of sanity after a week off. Who knows?

• Torres is looking better for the big game. Gerrard has all but ruled himself out of the game and is targeting Marseille. I still think any talk of either player being fit for the match is only intended to keep Sir-guson and Man U on edge.

• Finnish supermodel, Sami Hyypia, has been left of the Liverpool 25-man Champions League roster. Kind of a strange move here, considering Sami had some big games last year in the CL. I guess with the home grown player rules and his immobility, Rafa figured that he would be utilized better in the Premier League matches. Then again, Rafa also figured that Dirk Kuyt was a better pairing with Torres than Peter Crouch, so there you go.

• George Gillett and Tom Hicks have acquired "the act of sex", drinking beer, and sarcasm. No news yet on whether they plan to eventually ruin these wonderful things too.

WORLD CUP 2010 QUALIFYING: Round 2

In Europe, World Cup qualifying inevitably comes with the excitement and dread of some of the world's power clubs and superstar players being left out. There always seems to be at least one team that squeaks in at the end or misses out on the competition all together. France failed to qualify in 1990. England and France both missed out on the trip to the U.S. in '94. And The Netherlands failed to qualify as recently as 2002.

We are always excited by the prospect of one of these clubs being upset and knocked out (if it's not OUR country, of course) in qualifying, but when it comes down to Cup time, the tournament is lesser for not having all the world's great teams involved.

Round One saw some surprising results.
Austria 3-1 France- The French came into Vienna unprepared. Austria outscored and outplayed Les Bleus, who looked less than their collection of talent would suggest they are.

Romania 0-3 Lithuania- Romania was blown away by the Lithuanians at home in a shocking result. Missing Chivu, Mutu, and Rat is no excuses for the superior Romanian squad.

Spain 1-0 Bosnia-Herzegovina- Spain wasn't spectacular at home under new manager Vincente del Bosque, but that was to be expected with the negative approach taken by Bosnia, who once scored upon and unable to play for a 0-0 draw, looked no match for Spain.

Cyprus 1-2 Italy- The Italians needed a stoppage time goal from Di Natale to eek past Cyprus. Then again, Italy, not always pretty in victory, is capable of winning ten one goal games to qualify.

England and the U.S. took care of Andorra and Cuba, respectively, but neither were all that impressive in victory. The U.S. were undisciplined and uninspired in a tight match up with Cuba, a far less talented squad. England was efficient with Andorra, with two Joe Cole goals being the difference, but could of used some more convincing performances to set the squad against Croatia.

A look ahead....

Crotia vs. England
Speaking of Cole, the ever-cantakerous Fabio Capello says that he isn't a lock to start against Croatia. Capello is an interesting figure at the head of England. Presumably, he was brought in to reign in the stars and egos of the national squad. There are ways to do this without publicly reprimanding and challenging his players. That's not Capello's style. He will tell you that he is a disciplinarian and motivator, some might just say he is a miserable jerk and a conflict junkie, who wants everyone to know who is at the head of the operation. Those who didn't follow him in Italy and Spain, you cannot argue with his results, but you also cannot argue that his approach his rubbed many players the wrong way. His adversarial nature could wear on the team at some point, as it did at Juventus and Madrid.

Capello wants to stay true to his practical, conservative, defensive minded style of play, but he also wants to instill a killer instinct in the squad, an element that has previously been non-existent. When you are up 2 goals on Andorra, why not go 3 or 4 or 5 up? The team looked like they just settled in and, much to Capello's dismay, were happy with a 2-0 result.

A lot is riding on Wednesday's match with Croatia. They are a well coached team that can score and grind out victories. They put emphasis on skill, passing, and have great midfield game breaker in Modric. Make no mistake, the Slavic Elvis, Slaven Bilic, has his team going into qualification as the favorite in Group 6.

Forget that England are facing the squad that knocked them out of the Euros. The Croats will be the number one obstacle for England in getting automatic qualification. A win in Zagreb will set the tone for the rest of qualification. A loss will mean high pressure on each match up, and the longer games with Andorra and Belarus remain at 0-0, the more tension the Lions will feel.

Euro Group 7
Despite the Croatia-England match, France will have the most vital match up of any of the Euro powers on Wednesday. With the loss to Austria, the French are facing what figures to be one of their toughest opponents in Group 7, Serbia. A home loss to the Serbs could be the beginning of the end for France. With one of the world's most talented squads, it is puzzling to see their history of struggling through the qualification grind continue.

Austria and Lithuania had first game stunners that have blown this group wide open. There are now five squads with a legitimate shot at the top spot. There could be a logjam at the top that isn't decided until the final match day.

The United States
The U.S. has a home game against Trinidad and Tobago, in my neck of the woods, Bridgeview, IL. T&T will be the Americans toughest opponent in qualifying, although probably not as annoying as the feisty Guatemalan side. Our biggest concern is playing well and establishing the squad going into South Africa.