Let's play a little scenario game.
Let's drop 10,000-to-1 odds on two events. Pretend it's early August and you had to pick just one.
A -- TV's Jaleel White (Urkel on 'Family Matters' for non mid-90s TGIF fans) would one day make a comeback and win an Academy Award.
B -- After nine rounds in the Barclay's Premier League Chelsea and Hull City would have the equal amount of points.
Considering English bookies like to place odds on everything and anything you might have been able to get odds on both of these. Maybe. Let's just say neither seemed to likely.
Yet as the result of Liverpool's, rousing, spirit lifting 1-0 win at Stamford Bridge Sunday morning that's exactly what's going to happen Wednesday afternoon at the KC Stadium in Hull. Ditching hyperbole, what honestly would have been those odds?
Anyway, we'll talk about that later. Let's today instead trumpet Liverpool's huge accomplishment.
As I wrote after the incident at FanHouse (sorry for the plug), think about what's gone on since Chelsea had last lost at Stamford Bridge in February, 2004. In fact, I'll just repeat myself (ssh).
The Dharma Initiative wasn't even a twinkle in Damon Lindelof's eye. Maybe that's all we need to say. Hell, one more. XBox 360 was still three months from it's launch and eventually four iterations of the 'FIFA' series were released for the system in the time between Chelsea home losses. (Surely by now you know what a geek I am.)
What makes me the happiest about the win wasn't the fact that it left egg all over Chelsea's face, or that Big Phil Scolari channeled his inner Mourinho/Wenger and whined about how it was an unfair result. No, what was so great, was as I hinted on Friday Liverpool finally showed some guts. Maybe in this day and age we shouldn't praise a team with deep pockets and massive resources. In theory, you'd like to think Liverpool would be able to compete for the Premier League every season with the talent Rafa Benetiz has at his disposal.
For whatever the reason this season, be it finally enough 'continental' players or the absence of John Arne Riise, but Liverpool seems for real. (Until the let down on Wednesday.)
Did Liverpool exactly lay down a blueprint for the other 18 Premier League teams and the rest of Europe of how to defeat Chelsea? Not really. For one, how many teams are as one the same page defensively as Liverpool? Asisde from Keane and Riera, this squad has been together for multiple seasons, especially the midfield trio of Gerrard, Mashcherano and Alonso.
Let's also take into account that Chelsea didn't have Didier Drogba -- a Liverpool killer -- or Joe Cole or Michael Ballack. (Yes, Liverpool didn't have Fernando Torres, duly noted.)
As with streaks, Chelsea -- which for all intents and purposes dug a moat around Stamford Bridge and filled it with acid-spitting aligators -- would see its run end sooner or later. The fact it went 86 matches and over four years is simply astounding and even I must tip my cap in their general direction.
From the Chelsea standpoint, even with Sunday's semi-lifeless effort (Kalou wasn't cutting the mustard), the Blues are still only going to lose maybe one or two matches the rest of the way. Arsenal or Manchester United probably hand them one and one other ends up a fluke. So Liverpool can't rest on its laurels.
Stopping a streak is one thing and a nice little footnote in the history pages -- Xabi Alonso will forever be an answer to a trivia question.
Winning the league, though, is something that lasts forever.
(Hope some of that made sense.)
Other thoughts
* If it wasn't for the above events, this bombshell would be at the top of the queue. The 'Arry Redknapp to Spurs from Pompey move is truly mind blowing. For Tottenham it's an absolutely brilliant decision. For one, this Spurs roster, though mis-mashed, is clearly better on paper than the team 'Arry inherited at Portsmouth three seasons ago during the 'Great Escape.' Redknapp knows how to win in the League, more importantly what it takes to survive and advance each round. Now if he can bring say either Peter Crouch or Jermain Defoe from the South Coast with him, now Spurs would be in business. Oh wait, they had Defoe and sold him for some magic beans that eventually sprouted into Roman Pavlychenko. Go figure.
Portsmouth, on the other hand, could be in some trouble. Credit Redknapp for winning the FA Cup and getting Pompey into the UEFA Cup, but with an out-dated, small stadium in Fratton Park and a dicey financial situation the club had obviously peaked. Unless a cash-rich foreign tycoon has an eye for that crazy Pompey fan and his many tatoos, Portsmouth will face the drop, if not this season than next. (Does he do parties?)
Oh yeah, Spurs won their first game this weekend. Hooray for Harry! It's only the end of October and Tottenham is now three points behind the drop zone. So, basically, they'll survive. Will they challenge for Europe? Probably not, but they'll endure.
* Sorry in advance, I just couldn't bring myself to watch Blackburn and Middlesbrough Saturday afternoon. One look at half-empty, rainy Ewood Park gave me a facial tic. But, no, it didn't cause me to start seeing Sinbad.
* No, I don't have ESP, but when I left to go to the gym at halftime of the Arsenal game against West Ham and it was scoreless there was no doubt when I got home and watched the DVR that the Gunners would win.
* Sorry for yet another 'FIFA' mention, but watching West Brom and Hull City go end-to-end at the Hawthornes on Saturday morning felt like watching a video game. How about Marlon King. You wonder what would have happened if he'd been healthy during Watford's short spell in the Prem?
* Clint Dempsey scored for Fulham to get a draw with Portsmouth. Guess that should be enough to keep him at the forefront of Nike's next set of USMNT hype ads.
* Slade Sohmer gets a Liverpool win and a fantasy first-place this week with 65 points via a Robinho 17-pointer. Ole!
Midweek quick-hit predictions
Tuesday
* Newcastle United v. West Brom -- (Live, FSC 3:30) Three points Newcastle has to take. ... Newcastle 1, West Brom 0
Wednesday
* Aston Villa v. Blackburn Rovers --
* Hull City v. Chelsea -- Heart says Hull, head says Chelsea, though the Tigers ought to hang tough for a while and make the Blues work. ... Hull 0, Chelsea 2
* Fulham v. Wigan Athletic --
* Liverpool v. Portsmouth -- (Live, Setanta, 4) A classic letdown for Portsmouth? Not at Anfield. .. Liverpool 1, Portsmouth 0
* Stoke City v. Sunderland -- Too many red-and-white strips for me. ... Stoke 1, Sunderland 1
* Manchester United v. West Ham United -- (Live, FSC, 3:30) Fact. Manchester United 2008-09 are the most popular and potent video game team in gaming history. ... Manchester United 2, West Ham 1
* Arsenal v. Tottenham -- In a weird way, Arsenal might not be a terrible matchup for Spurs. Harry Houdini couldn't pull another rabbit out of his hat in this short of time, could he? ... Arsenal 2, Spurs 1
* Middlesbrough v. Manchester City -- Schrute, question -- If 'Boro were relegated into the Championship, would it make a sound? ... 'Boro 1, City 1
* Bolton v. Everton -- With their draw with United on Saturday, the Toffees might just be this season's ultimate tease.
Last round: 3-7
Season: 37-52...quickly morphing into mush here, apologies.
Let's drop 10,000-to-1 odds on two events. Pretend it's early August and you had to pick just one.
A -- TV's Jaleel White (Urkel on 'Family Matters' for non mid-90s TGIF fans) would one day make a comeback and win an Academy Award.
B -- After nine rounds in the Barclay's Premier League Chelsea and Hull City would have the equal amount of points.
Considering English bookies like to place odds on everything and anything you might have been able to get odds on both of these. Maybe. Let's just say neither seemed to likely.
Yet as the result of Liverpool's, rousing, spirit lifting 1-0 win at Stamford Bridge Sunday morning that's exactly what's going to happen Wednesday afternoon at the KC Stadium in Hull. Ditching hyperbole, what honestly would have been those odds?
Anyway, we'll talk about that later. Let's today instead trumpet Liverpool's huge accomplishment.
As I wrote after the incident at FanHouse (sorry for the plug), think about what's gone on since Chelsea had last lost at Stamford Bridge in February, 2004. In fact, I'll just repeat myself (ssh).
The Dharma Initiative wasn't even a twinkle in Damon Lindelof's eye. Maybe that's all we need to say. Hell, one more. XBox 360 was still three months from it's launch and eventually four iterations of the 'FIFA' series were released for the system in the time between Chelsea home losses. (Surely by now you know what a geek I am.)
What makes me the happiest about the win wasn't the fact that it left egg all over Chelsea's face, or that Big Phil Scolari channeled his inner Mourinho/Wenger and whined about how it was an unfair result. No, what was so great, was as I hinted on Friday Liverpool finally showed some guts. Maybe in this day and age we shouldn't praise a team with deep pockets and massive resources. In theory, you'd like to think Liverpool would be able to compete for the Premier League every season with the talent Rafa Benetiz has at his disposal.
For whatever the reason this season, be it finally enough 'continental' players or the absence of John Arne Riise, but Liverpool seems for real. (Until the let down on Wednesday.)
Did Liverpool exactly lay down a blueprint for the other 18 Premier League teams and the rest of Europe of how to defeat Chelsea? Not really. For one, how many teams are as one the same page defensively as Liverpool? Asisde from Keane and Riera, this squad has been together for multiple seasons, especially the midfield trio of Gerrard, Mashcherano and Alonso.
Let's also take into account that Chelsea didn't have Didier Drogba -- a Liverpool killer -- or Joe Cole or Michael Ballack. (Yes, Liverpool didn't have Fernando Torres, duly noted.)
As with streaks, Chelsea -- which for all intents and purposes dug a moat around Stamford Bridge and filled it with acid-spitting aligators -- would see its run end sooner or later. The fact it went 86 matches and over four years is simply astounding and even I must tip my cap in their general direction.
From the Chelsea standpoint, even with Sunday's semi-lifeless effort (Kalou wasn't cutting the mustard), the Blues are still only going to lose maybe one or two matches the rest of the way. Arsenal or Manchester United probably hand them one and one other ends up a fluke. So Liverpool can't rest on its laurels.
Stopping a streak is one thing and a nice little footnote in the history pages -- Xabi Alonso will forever be an answer to a trivia question.
Winning the league, though, is something that lasts forever.
(Hope some of that made sense.)
Other thoughts
* If it wasn't for the above events, this bombshell would be at the top of the queue. The 'Arry Redknapp to Spurs from Pompey move is truly mind blowing. For Tottenham it's an absolutely brilliant decision. For one, this Spurs roster, though mis-mashed, is clearly better on paper than the team 'Arry inherited at Portsmouth three seasons ago during the 'Great Escape.' Redknapp knows how to win in the League, more importantly what it takes to survive and advance each round. Now if he can bring say either Peter Crouch or Jermain Defoe from the South Coast with him, now Spurs would be in business. Oh wait, they had Defoe and sold him for some magic beans that eventually sprouted into Roman Pavlychenko. Go figure.
Portsmouth, on the other hand, could be in some trouble. Credit Redknapp for winning the FA Cup and getting Pompey into the UEFA Cup, but with an out-dated, small stadium in Fratton Park and a dicey financial situation the club had obviously peaked. Unless a cash-rich foreign tycoon has an eye for that crazy Pompey fan and his many tatoos, Portsmouth will face the drop, if not this season than next. (Does he do parties?)
Oh yeah, Spurs won their first game this weekend. Hooray for Harry! It's only the end of October and Tottenham is now three points behind the drop zone. So, basically, they'll survive. Will they challenge for Europe? Probably not, but they'll endure.
* Sorry in advance, I just couldn't bring myself to watch Blackburn and Middlesbrough Saturday afternoon. One look at half-empty, rainy Ewood Park gave me a facial tic. But, no, it didn't cause me to start seeing Sinbad.
* No, I don't have ESP, but when I left to go to the gym at halftime of the Arsenal game against West Ham and it was scoreless there was no doubt when I got home and watched the DVR that the Gunners would win.
* Sorry for yet another 'FIFA' mention, but watching West Brom and Hull City go end-to-end at the Hawthornes on Saturday morning felt like watching a video game. How about Marlon King. You wonder what would have happened if he'd been healthy during Watford's short spell in the Prem?
* Clint Dempsey scored for Fulham to get a draw with Portsmouth. Guess that should be enough to keep him at the forefront of Nike's next set of USMNT hype ads.
* Slade Sohmer gets a Liverpool win and a fantasy first-place this week with 65 points via a Robinho 17-pointer. Ole!
Midweek quick-hit predictions
Tuesday
* Newcastle United v. West Brom -- (Live, FSC 3:30) Three points Newcastle has to take. ... Newcastle 1, West Brom 0
Wednesday
* Aston Villa v. Blackburn Rovers --
* Hull City v. Chelsea -- Heart says Hull, head says Chelsea, though the Tigers ought to hang tough for a while and make the Blues work. ... Hull 0, Chelsea 2
* Fulham v. Wigan Athletic --
* Liverpool v. Portsmouth -- (Live, Setanta, 4) A classic letdown for Portsmouth? Not at Anfield. .. Liverpool 1, Portsmouth 0
* Stoke City v. Sunderland -- Too many red-and-white strips for me. ... Stoke 1, Sunderland 1
* Manchester United v. West Ham United -- (Live, FSC, 3:30) Fact. Manchester United 2008-09 are the most popular and potent video game team in gaming history. ... Manchester United 2, West Ham 1
* Arsenal v. Tottenham -- In a weird way, Arsenal might not be a terrible matchup for Spurs. Harry Houdini couldn't pull another rabbit out of his hat in this short of time, could he? ... Arsenal 2, Spurs 1
* Middlesbrough v. Manchester City -- Schrute, question -- If 'Boro were relegated into the Championship, would it make a sound? ... 'Boro 1, City 1
* Bolton v. Everton -- With their draw with United on Saturday, the Toffees might just be this season's ultimate tease.
Last round: 3-7
Season: 37-52...quickly morphing into mush here, apologies.
Labels: Chelsea, Liverpool, Monday recaps, Premier League, Soccer
Xabi with a Lampardian goal in every respect...gotta love it.
I'm getting awfully tired of getting destroyed on Xbox Live by someone using ManYoo and using the superhuman speed of CR7 to run circles around me. Agreed, they're not bad.
Gotta give it to Pool, they deserved the win. Kalou Malouda and especially Anelka looked lost out there...Gotta get rid of Anelka and get Drogba healthy....Long season,but as much as I hate to say it, facking scousers deserved it.