The Round Football Column 04.17.07: 91st Edition
Posted by on 04.17.2007
Michael Ballack and Wayne Rooney help make Chelsea v Manchester United the first F.A Cup final to be played at the new Wembley Stadium, plus more. One Click Away.
The F.A Cup semi finals are in the history books, and the stage is set for the glossy new Wembley stadium.
Let's get to it:
F.A Cup Semi Finals go to form as Chelsea v United at the new Wembley is setup
So then, the first big fixture at the spanking new Wembley stadium is all arranged. Chelsea versus Manchester United in the 2007 F.A Cup final. Their paths to the final were complete over the weekend.
Watford 1 Manchester United 4
Watford really can't be relegated soon enough. They have hunger, excellent work-rate and passionate support, but they are not a Premiership-quality team just yet. Over the years we have seen worse twentieth placed teams in England's top flight, but still, no Premiership on Premiership match should feel as David versus Goliath-esque as the battle at Villa Park did on Saturday. Goal scorer, Bouazza, along with Smith and Francis has qualities, but it's still not quite enough. As he proved last season, Boothroyd is a promising young manager, but up against nineteen sides with better players, there is only so much you can do from the touchline. There is this fascinating statistic doing the rounds about the theory that Watford would be sixteenth in the Premiership IF all their matches finished on minute ninety. That lack of composure once stoppage time hits is not a coincidence. They are just not quite good enough yet. Having said that, this team, with this manager, will probably have a great chance of bouncing straight back up next term.
As for the game, well United were dominant. Watford had a good spell and scored a decent goal, but as noted, there was such a drastic gulf in class that it seemed like the biggest deal in the world for them to temporarily equalise. Just as Elton John and co. were hoping their "Rocket Men" would "Sacrifice" a defensive approach……and sorry, this is so lame. I would apologise, but what can I say? Sorry seems to be the hardest word, I guess.
Anyway, surreal lameness aside, United were dominant with Rooney and Ronaldo having a field day against a defence that simply couldn't handle them. However, Watford or not, Rooney's first was sheer class.
Blackburn 1 Chelsea 2 (after extra time)
Fantastic game. It had a lot to live up to, after Wigan and Spurs' quality Premiership match before it, but it was even better, and ended up being one of the best games of 2007 thus far. After Lampard's sublime finish put Chelsea one-up, everyone thought the writing was on the wall. The F.A Cup's trophy engraver probably thought he was going to be writing either Chelsea or Man Utd. Blackburn weren't even in the mix. But no. This is a Mark Hughes side.
This is an improved Premiership outfit, who are managed by a former player who has a glorious relationship with the F.A Cup. After triumphs with the side he was hoping to have been playing next month at Wembley, including the second most memorable semi final goal of all-time (vs. Oldham), his passion for the match was evident and his tactical awareness exploited Chelsea's weakness down the left, with Morten Gamst Pedersen seeing a lot of the ball. Chelsea's midfield trio were seeing a lot of the ball in attack, and were always dangerous, but with the dirty stuff in the middle of the park, the Blackburn midfielders were getting a lot of joy as the match progressed. Ashley Cole, Terry, Carvalho, Makalele, and especially the exceptional, Petr Cech, did well to counter the threat for the most part, but eventually Jason Roberts bagged a deserved equaliser.
Post hits, near own goals, and big misses later, and Blackburn had ultimately thrown away their best chance of a trip to Wembley. Ballack scored a trademark "right place at the right time" goal to secure a Chelsea – Man Utd final that may be great, may be awful, but will definitely be insane, edge of your seat stuff from start to finish.
The battle to stay in the Premiership continues
After becoming the first side to win at the Emirates, who else thought West Ham would complete a remarkable run of wins to cement their Premiership survival? Well, I'm putting my hand up. Saturday's result at Brammal Lane was shocking in some aspects, but a couple of things worth noting. Despite the hammers improvement in results, its not as if they have performed exceptionally or anything. Plus, the goals conceded on Saturday were impressive, and West Ham missed some big chances themselves. Still, 0-3. Damn! Luckily they haven't got Chelsea next! Wait……
Elsewhere, Wigan threw away a lead three times against Spurs, Lawrie Sanchez' first game in charge of Fulham resulted in a harsh 1-0 defeat to Reading, and Charlton suffered 92nd minute heartbreak at Goodison. Gutting. It's starting to heat up now, though. It's tight enough for Fulham and Wigan to still suffer a shock relegation. Anything can happen.
Football rules………….but what actually happened last week?
The main story this week has been Cristiano Ronaldo putting pen to paper on a new five year deal with Manchester United. To be honest, as big a story has been the media and Sir Alex Ferguson saying that the Portuguese winger can be revered as much as Pele and Maradona.
So many people just watch the Champions League and/or Premiership. These are the same people who fancied Spurs over Sevilla, and even the UK bookies made Liverpool 28/1 as soon as they were playing Barca. Spurs were never going to beat Sevilla over two legs, and Barca were in their worst form for three years when they faced Liverpool. The people and media outlets who have slated Ronaldinho obviously don't know his stats in La Liga this season, let alone the fact that in the group stage of the CL he scored two of the best goals in the entire competition. Henry was off form and injured, and he still got ten in sixteen in the Prem, scored a great goal versus Porto and had a perfectly good one ruled out in Moscow. All this in his worst ever Premiership season. Henry's record in both goals and assists throughout the entire decade has been phenomenal, and once all is said and done he's likely to be recognised as the league's greatest ever player. So that's two players still better than Cristiano Ronaldo, and that's before we get on to the likes of Kaka, Gerrard and Eto'o, who still have a more consistent back catalogue. Ronaldo's form has been exceptional, but to say he's the worlds best player after eight months of top form is a bit rash. He hasn't been that much better than Gerrard, Essien and Drogba this season, and although you can't doubt his impact, improvement and influence, the Roma games were his only big game performances all season. Tuesday was his first ever Champions League goal. To say these claims of superstardom are premature is an understatement to say the least.
Having said that, he is probably ahead of Messi and Fabregas as the best young footballer in the world, and this is a great signature for United to attain. He certainly does have the potential, and I stress potential, to be one of the top ten all-time Premiership players.
Speaking of Cristiano Ronaldo, he was in the spotlight again on Monday as the PFA Player and Young Player of the year award nominations were announced. He looks set to become the first player to win both awards since Andy Gray, although the young player gong really should be left to players under twenty-one. Either way, it should be a double win for the Portuguese starlet, and I guess it would be hard to argue. The nominations in full:
PFA PLAYER OF THE YEAR
Didier Drogba (Chelsea)
Paul Scholes (Man Utd)
Ryan Giggs (Man Utd)
Cristiano Ronaldo (Man Utd)
Steven Gerrard (Liverpool)
Cesc Fabregas (Arsenal)
Swap Essien for Giggs and that's probably a fair list.
PFA YOUNG PLAYER OF THE YEAR
Kevin Doyle (Reading)
Cesc Fabregas (Arsenal)
Cristiano Ronaldo (Man Utd)
Wayne Rooney (Man Utd)
Micah Richards (Man City)
Aaron Lennon (Tottenham)
I would have liked to have seen a nod for Villa's speedy, Agbonlooifihekhfehweihgr, and if twenty-three is the cut off age, Van Persie probably warranted a nod, but it's not a horrible list or anything.
Spurs went out to Sevilla in a fantastic UEFA Cup quarter final, second leg at White Hart Lane. Steed Malbranque's stupidity and Fredi Kanoute's classy improvisation gave Sevilla a two-goal lead on the night, and Spurs needed four goals in the remaining eighty minutes of the tie. After two quick fire goals with half hour remaining, the pressure was on the rising Spanish side, but they held on to attain a deserved semi final spot. As he proved again on Sunday with a sublime finish, Berbatov is a class act, but not even he could save the day. However, the signs are there for Spurs. On their day, they are definitely England's fifth best side, and their best available eleven makes for great reading. As for Sevilla, well the first half was a pure lesson in the art of football. Just beautiful stuff, with the second goal in particular showcasing their grace, pace and ultimately, class. Alves showed everyone that doesn't watch La Liga why all of Europe's big guns are after him, whilst Puerta was exceptional down the left and never shy to make diagonal runs into the centre, where he constantly outwitted the hapless Dawson. Poulson was everywhere and the front two were as classy as ever. They could genuinely do something in next season's Champions League.
Elsewhere, Osasuna did a Liverpool and made the most of a first leg away win, by holding strong in the second. Werder Bremen destroyed Holland's second placed side, thanks to superb performances from Klose and Diego. Get them over to England already! However, the real drama was seen at the Stadio Luz in Lisbon. Only requiring one goal to go through on the away goals rule, Benfica attacked Espanyol's goal for ninety minutes again and again, but the woodwork and an inspired Gorka Iraizoz somehow kept the Portuguese side at bay.
Man City and Liverpool bored the hell out of everyone with a bore draw at Eastlands. A big day for Joey Barton, though. After a beautiful pre-game gesture to the Liverpool fans in relation to the Hillsborough anniversary, he then decided to piss those same fans off by nearly ending their best player's season.
Arsenal finally won a game, and it was an extremely significant one in the race for Champions League qualification. The passing and movement was genuinely sensational at times, but once again, the Arsenal oh so nearly let another game slip despite utterly dominating. Bolton are strong and effective, sure, but aesthetically poor. Nolan, their kingpin, apparently - just awful and outclassed in the middle. The incident at the end with Diaby and Beast was just surreal. Utterly surreal. The Fabregas goal was a special, special moment. The Emirates erupted, which is a red carpet moment in itself. For someone like him, he needs to improve his goals tally and perhaps this will boost his confidence. His goal celebration was nuts. You could see how much it meant to him, and rightly so with his head-scratching goal drought. Again no goal, but Adebayor's hold-up play was superb. A great attribute to have for a forward, and he holds that ball up and distributes it brilliantly. Clichy continued being AWESOME.....but Eboue is having a shocker since returning from injury. The weak link for Arsenal on Saturday, by a mile. The late penalty-shout-related incident aside, he was just too rash and not composed at all. He has the potential to be the best right back in the world if he concentrates, but at the moment he is simply not fulfilling his blatant ability. As for Bolton, well it's not over until it's over, but as Allardyce noted, he would have grabbed a UEFA Cup spot at the start of the season and they should hold on to that at least, especially with United and Chelsea's F.A Cup semi final wins meaning seventh place is now rewarded with a spot in the said competition. Their match with Reading, on Saturday, is monumental now though.
Pompey beat the Geordie boys, to keep their UEFA Cup hopes alive. Matty Taylor scored yet another stunner. It's got to the stage with him where you just have to sit back and say well done. He's not an amazing footballer, and for that reason all the cries for an England call-up will rightly fall on deaf ears......but he's effective in his own right. David James still can't break David Seaman's Premiership clean sheet record though (no pun intended) and his visible frustration is great to watch.
As for Newcastle, well they are still poor. Still inconsistent. However, Obefami Martins has improved so much. He was so dangerous at Fratton Park. A partnership with a fit and hungry Owen could be dangerous and effective next season.
Villa made themselves pretty much safe, with an impressive win at the Riverside. Agbonlsdjlkdsjlfdljdljr continued his electric run, but it was the reappearance of Petrov's form that would have brought the biggest smile to Marty O'Neill's face. His influence was evident on all three goals, including a fantastic finish for the third. The Bulgarian has the potential to make a significant impact on the league next season, whilst cementing himself as Villa's best player.
Sunderland scraped past QPR to put themselves in pole position for a shock win of the Championship trophy. Birmingham got back on track thanks to a classy Bendtner finish, but after taking the lead, Derby totally capitulated at Portman Road, and now face a fight to gain the automatic promotion they seemed to be on course for.
Inter nearly lost a football match………but thanks to Cruz and Adriano…….well, they didn't.
Ronaldo continued his rejuvenation at Meeeeeelan with another league goal, as the Champions League semi finalists continued their charge for a Champions League qualifying spot that they may not require.
Frank Rijkaard and everyone associated with F.C Barcelona loves Mallorca defender, Fernando Navarro. Well, you would to, if you are drawing 0-0 at home in a hugely important league match, and a chap gives you a soft own goal for a laugh.........in the 90th minute!
Valencia recovered from their dramatic Champions League heartbreak to record a vital 2-0 win over Sevilla at the Mestalla. A brace from David Villa secured the points, and enabled Barca to cement a four-point lead over second placed, Sevilla.
Diego Maradona is back in hospital. Such a shame, because he's the most gifted player to ever grace a football pitch. Hopefully he starts looking after himself.
Oh, and Mickey Owen is going to reward Newcastle for their loyalty and wages whilst being injured……..by joining Manchester United as soon as he is fit, apparently.
Top 5 Moments of the week
05 – Kanoute vs. Spurs 04 – Diaby shoving the Beast out of the way to shoot…….only to miss 03 – Baines vs. Spurs. 02 – McFadden vs. Charlton. 01 – Iraizoz' point blank save against Benfica. One of the best saves I've seen in a long time.
The Adventures of Laurence Hobbs
Hobbsy gave me a tip for the Grand National and said he was so sure it would win that he would wear a Man City shirt to the game at the Emirates on Tuesday if it didn't come in. His horse fell at the first fence……..but apparently we didn't shake on the bet.
Last Week's Match Predictions (bold = prediction, italics = actual results)
UEFA Cup – Quarter Final, Second Legs
Thursday 12th
Benfica v Espanyol 1-1 // 0-0
Osasuna v Bayer Leverkusen 1-0 // 1-0
Tottenham v Sevilla 2-2 // 2-2
Werder Bremen v AZ 2-1 // 4-1
F.A Cup Semi Finals
Saturday 14th
Watford v Man Utd 0-4 // 1-4
Sunday 15th
Blackburn v Chelsea 2-1 // 1-2 (a.e.t.)
Premiership
Saturday 14th
Arsenal v Bolton 1-1 // 2-1
Man City v Liverpool 1-0 // 0-0
Middlesbrough v Aston Villa 1-1 // 1-3
Portsmouth v Newcastle 2-1 // 2-1
Reading v Fulham 0-0 // 1-0
Sheff Utd v West Ham 1-2 // 3-0
Sunday 15th
Everton v Charlton 3-1 // 2-1
Wigan v Tottenham 2-1 // 3-3
Next Week's Match Predictions
Premiership
Tuesday April 17th
Arsenal v Man City 3-1
Man Utd v Sheff Utd 4-1
Wednesday 18th
Blackburn v Watford 0-0
Liverpool v Middlesbrough 2-0
West Ham v Chelsea 1-2
Saturday 21st
Bolton v Reading 1-1
Charlton v Sheff Utd 1-0
Fulham v Blackburn 2-0
Liverpool v Wigan 1-0
Man Utd v Middlesbrough 3-1
Tottenham v Arsenal 1-1
Watford v Man City 1-2
West Ham v Everton 1-2
Sunday 22nd
Aston Villa v Portsmouth 3-2
Newcastle v Chelsea 0-1
Read these or I can't guarantee you'll have a good week
TAAREQ gets excited about United's win over Roma. Join him.
