The Round Football Column 08.29.06: 64th Edition
Posted by on 08.29.2006
Man Utd doing what they used to do well, Arsenal doing the opposite, UEFA Champions League draw reaction, Ben Thatcher auditioning for Rush Hour 3, plus more. One Click Away.
A busy, busy week in the world of football. Let's get straight to it.
The beauty and the beast of Arsenal's football
After seeing Arsenal at the Emirates last Wednesday and watching them on television on Saturday, it has never been more evident that the old adage of "goals win matches" is the clearest explanation of our beautiful game.
Arsenal were torrid on Wednesday night. They couldn't spring two passes together without the third looking unlikely to be completed. Only the late arrivals of Thierry and Theeeeeeeeeeeo brought a genuine sense of enthusiasm and optimism out of a set of fans that have every right to expect the world, after last season's Champions League exploits. Having said that, they scored two scrappy goals to win the night 2-1, and most importantly, the tie 5-1 on aggregate. They had unattractively produced a win.
Fast forward to Saturday evening at Eastlands, and it's the exact opposite scenario. There was a sublime array of passing and movement that had commentators and viewers alike purring with the expectation of a mauling. However, the self-confessed "unfit" Thierry Henry stepped up to his claim and was his 1999 self in front of goal. Hleb and Rosicky were lively, and produced a lot of the distribution for the abundance of missed chances, but Fabregas was lightweight, the City captain made Thierry look borderline ordinary in his apparent 50% state of fitness and Van Persie needs a goal to kick start his season.
The newly announced "best goalkeeper in Europe" still looks on top of his game and had no chance with Barton's excellent penalty, Toure was a revelation once more, and Eboue and Djorjou are genuine rising stars in the process of professional maturity. However, my previous claims of wanting Ash Cole to take his greedy backside across London to rot have come back to haunt me, as his apparent replacement is a Leeds United player in an Arsenal shirt. Okay, so Hoyte prefers to play right back, and would probably make nearly half of the Premiership starting eleven's in that position. However, as left back he is standing out like the sorest of sore thumbs, and not in a good way. Whether in live action from the terraces, or courtesy of a television set, his mediocrity is evident for all to see. It was a clumsy challenge on the experienced Sinclair, and the resulting decision cannot be argued with.
Despite Djorjou and Eboue getting a bit of a run-around on Saturday, and Fabregas being made to look ordinary, it is obvious that the future is bright for the Arsenal, and in fact the immediate future probably won't result in anything worse than another top four finish and decent run in Europe.
However, Wenger has two weeks to sort his team out before the Boro game, and according to some, two days to sort out his season's potential. Those doubters obviously say that in relation to the transfer deadline on Thursday, and perhaps he needs to delve inside. Another weekend of rumours led to speculation surrounding Argentinean holding man, Javier Maschereno, Carlos Tevez, Robinho or Baptista being involved in the (surely) almost definite sale of Reyes, Gallas (again) and Curtis Davies (again). The French genius has brought me and other Arsenal fans a wealth of sporting joy over the past decade, so I am in no position to question the great man, but I have to admit I will be keeping my fingers crossed in the hope of seeing some significant transfer activity in the few days prior to the calendars turning to the month of September.
Back on top of the pile
A great start for Man Utd, as they start their fight to win their first Premiership crown in (what will be come May) four years. Yes, they have had three fixtures they should win…….but the difference between being champions and well, not, is actually backing up the odds. They should have beaten Fulham, Charlton and Watford, and they did. Ronaldo has had a great start, despite the hatred aimed his way at the Valley and Vicarage Road. His distribution and end product seems to be improving, and they are the main ingredients for his game to turn into world class status. Saha, also, has been a revelation, and during the ban of Rooney he really needed to step up to the plate……and he has.
Having said that, their impressive trio of wins have been merely a prelude to a crucial eight days, after the international break. They entertain Celtic in the opening group F fixture in the Champions League, and that clash is sandwiched in between two home games against Spurs and Arsenal. With Rooney eligible for the latter, the atmosphere inside Old Trafford will be electric, but if they are depleted for the visit of a Spurs side who will be fired up after a poor start, then they could go into the Arsenal game desperate for rejuvenation. But hey, that is the future. For now, they are sitting pretty on top of the Premiership mountain.
Hannibal Thatcher
I can't really explain it well enough without the footage. So, if you haven't seen it, click over to YOU TUBE and experience the horror. Just sick.
UEFA Champions League 2007/2007 – The Group Stage Draw
The tense draw was made in Monaco on Thursday, and it looks as if Ronaldinho, Eto'o, Deco and Puyol may have celebrated their awards, given for their efforts in the previous campaign, a little too hard, as Sevilla crushed them 3-0 the following night in the UEFA Super Cup. Anyway, the draw was made and it made for some exciting groups and mouth-watering ties. Groups, reaction and predictions below, with the top seeds in capital letters.
Group A – BARCELONA (Holders), Chelsea, Werder Bremen, Levski Sofia
There will be more depth in the forthcoming roundtable, but for now I will opt for the two favourites going through. Werder Bremen were my dark horses, but this is a crazy group. Chelsea will be fuming at the draw, but happy with the way the fixtures are laid out. Bremen at home first is the perfect opening fixture, as a win there will put them firmly in the driving seat for qualification. I actually think they may win the group, with a win over Barca at the bridge.
Group B – INTER, Bayern Munich, Sporting Lisbon, Spartak Moscow
Very tough group, and hard to predict. Inter's summer spending has been good, and I see them taking top spot, with Bayern edging out Spartak for second.
Group C – LIVERPOOL, PSV Eindhoven, Bordeaux, Galatasaray
Great group for the 2005 champions, although the final pick from pot four must have been a bit annoying, as no one wants to go to Galatasaray. PSV are depleted, but still have enough to get past the former Turkish super power and the weak French outfit. Liverpool to canter though.
Group D – VALENCIA, Roma, Olympiakos, Shakhtar Donetsk
Well, if Valencia were to be seeded then they deserved to get a tough team from pot two, and that's what happened. The signing of Joaquin from Betis is a great coup, and David Villa seems to be getting better and better. As for Roma, well they have kept the players that shone for them at the back end of last season, and should ease into second.
Group E – REAL MADRID, Lyon, Steaua Bucharest, Dynamo Kiev
Bucharest and Kiev are extremely tough away grounds to visit, and Capello and Houllier will be aware of that. However, the French champions and new look Madrid should canter. Seeing Diarra back at Lyon will be fascinating, and his presence alongside Emerson in the more organised Real Madrid midfield should see them take the group.
Group F – MANCHESTER UNITED, Celtic, Benfica, FC Copenhagen
FC Copenhagen will be technical and enthusiastic, whilst Benfica was a killer pick from pot three, but history aside Man Utd got the best team possible from the dangerous second pot. They should own this group, with Benfica breaking Scottish hearts come December.
Group G - ARSENAL, Porto, CSKA Moscow, Hamburg
Now, this is what every group should be like. Very even, and possibilities for everyone. It was either Bordeaux or CSKA for Arsenal in pot three, and I was rightly praying for the former. Unfortunately, Liverpool stole them and Arsenal are left with a horrible trip to the ever improving Moscow outfit. They should still win the group, but they will have to perform in every game. Hamburg are useful, and possess the dynamic Rafael Van der Vaart in their ranks, whilst Porto are still technically sound and dangerous on the counter, even without the special one. I will have a think about it before the roundtable, but for now I'll go Arsenal and CSKA.
Group H – AC MILAN, Lille, AEK Athens, Anderlecht
Wow. Milan weren't even supposed to be in this competition, and now they have got the easiest group of all the seeds. Liverpool and Chelsea proved how average Anderlecht are at this stage last season, whilst Lille join Celtic as the weakest side from pot two, despite having some useful midfielders, and AEK Athens are only good at home. Expect Milan to get sixteen or eighteen points, with Lille snatching second.
More in the staff roundtable…….coming soon to a computer screen near you.
Football rules……….but what actually happened last week?
Roy Keane was officially appointed as Sunderland's manager on Monday, and the controversial Irishman's arrival encouraged Niall Quinn to his first and last win as caretaker manager. The surprising 2-0 win over West Brom was overlooked by the new boss, before a press conference was presented to the media on Tuesday. I have no idea what to expect from Keano with a suit on, but I'm almost certain that we will be seeing some fireworks over the course of the coming season.
Boro v Chelsea on Wednesday resulted in a heroic comeback to defeat the reigning champions against all the odds. Boro v Pompey four days later results in an Arsenal reject making them look like relegation candidates. Aaah, the inconsistency.
Jimmy Bullard continues to save Fulham from lying in the sort of lowly position they will surely occupy come May. The former Wigan man, and Soccer AM favourite has been the catalyst to every good thing to come out of Craven Cottage this season, and he is a good character, so I can live with his temporary hero status. They will still struggle though.
Daniel Agger scored a stupidly good goal to help Liverpool celebrate the kop's 100th birthday in style. Zamora proved that when it's going your way, it really is going your way, with a ridiculous opener, but Agger's strike and Crouchy's cool finish helped Liverpool record their first victory of the season.
Chelsea ended their one game blip, with a good win at Ewood. The performance wasn't exceptional because of Blackburn's tough, organised tactics, but Essien organised the midfield well and along with Ballack, made Lamps look very ordinary. Great finish from Drogba too.
Martin O'Neill is king. Players like Barry, Angel and McCann are experiencing a new lease of life under the former Leicester and Celtic boss, and seven points out of nine is a fantastic return this early on.
Andy Johnson scored the first REAL striker's goal I've seen in a long time. That was like old school Rush or Lineker. Superb. Oh, and it was at the expense of Spurs who are, well, poor right now.
Top 5 Moments of the week
05 – Gudjohnsen's dramatic, last minute arrival onto the La Liga stage. Rijkaard goes crazy. The Celta Vigo fans cry a little. 04 – Kanu's second goal at the Riverside. 03 – Roy Keane's arrival into management. Whether he'll be a revelation of a trainwreck……..it will be interesting to behold. 02 – Boro's dramatic comeback against Chelsea. 01 – Daniel Agger's ridiculous strike against West Ham. Take a buuuu son.
Last week's results (bold = my prediction, italic = actual result)
UEFA Champions League – 3rd Qualifying Round, 2nd Leg
Tuesday 22nd
Maccabi Haifa v Liverpool 1-2 // 1-1
Wednesday 23rd
Arsenal v Dinamo Zagreb 2-0 // 2-1
Premiership
Tuesday 22nd
Tottenham v Sheffield United 2-0 // 2-0
Watford v West Ham 1-2 // 1-1
Wednesday 23rd
Aston Villa v Reading 2-1 // 2-1
Blackburn v Everton 0-1 // 1-1
Charlton v Man Utd 0-3 // 0-3
Fulham v Bolton 0-2 // 1-1
Man City v Portsmouth 0-1 // 0-0
Middlesborough v Chelsea 0-3 // 2-1
Saturday 26th
Charlton v Bolton 1-1 // 1-0
Fulham v Sheffield Utd 0-1 // 1-0
Liverpool v West Ham 1-1 // 2-1
Man City v Arsenal 1-2 // 1-0
Tottenham v Everton 2-1 // 0-2
Watford v Man Utd 1-3 // 1-2
Wigan v Reading 1-1 // 1-0
Sunday 27th
Aston Villa v Newcastle 2-1 // 2-0
Blackburn v Chelsea 0-2 // 0-2
Monday 28th
Middlesborough v Portsmouth 0-2 // 0-4
Read these or I can't guarantee you'll have a good week
Next week I will be reluctantly discussing the international fixtures, as well as presenting the August player and goal of the month awards. Until then………………………………
