So...is that it?
Did Craig Bellamy's deflected goal off of Martin Skrtel effectively end any drama that was left in the 2008-09 Premier League season?
Manchester United is now No. 1 with a bullet -- seven clear of Liverpool and 10 in front of Chelsea. Take that back, it's not a bullet, it's more like those ginormous bullet's that take aim at Super Mario in the Mushroom Kingdom.
Need proof?
Wayne Rooney scored for the second time in as many games since returning from injury and looked his ever dangerous. He almost scored a goal that might have moved that wonder-volley against Newcastle a few years back to No. 2 on his goal list, when he made a run from midfield and curled a strike just over the top corner.
Oh right, Cristiano Ronaldo scored another sublime freekick which would make Sir Isaac Newtown roll over in his grave.
So in that regard, would it even matter if Liverpool found a way back from Bellamy's early second half goal Sunday at Anfield? If anything, it would have just prolonged Merseyside agony.
Witness Manchester United's remaining schedule.
March 4 at Newcastle
March 14 v. Liverpool
March 21 at Fulham
April 4 v. Aston Villa
April 11 at Sunderland
April 18 at Wigan
April 25 v. Tottenham
May 2 at Middlesbrough
May 9 v. Man City
May 16 v. Arsenal
May 24 at Hull
May 31 v. Portsmouth
How many from the possible 36 points are Sir Alex Ferguson's men going to drop? It's not a cakewalk, but unless Liverpool goes to Old Trafford and takes three points the race might be over by May.
And what's the point of heaping on Liverpool Nation this morning? In a way it's a miracle the team has kept up the fight so long, with injuries to Fernando Torres and Steven Gerrard.
Perhaps the question today, is if the club is ready to finally admit that it's not going to win the league with Rafa Benitez as manager.
Saying noting of the long-since tedious stories of his contract renewal, does the club's board have the vision or wherewithal to find a new manager?
Moreover, do the supporters trust Hicks, Gillett & Co. to hire a new man to guide the fortunes of the team. At least with 'Raffer' you know what you'll get -- inconsistency in the league and a nice run in Europe, with a heaping dose of maddening lineup changes and transfer requests. Considering the club's debt and possible stadium move, maybe in this market there's no sense tinkering with a formula -- that while broken -- won't cost you the abyss of relegation. (Hey, it could conceivably happen.)
Just think, if not for the tireless work of Dirk Kuyt, where would the club be? Possibly right in the middle of the relegation scrum (more on that later). And it's no stretch to think, either, that if Gerrard doesn't play the half of a lifetime in Istanbul a few years ago, Benitez might be long gone anyway.
As I've said before there is one man out there that can guide Liverpool to its first title in the Premier League era, and he's no muppet, err puppet.
Liverpool really ought to do all it can to hire Jose Mourinho when he inevitably walks away from Inter Milan in June. Yes, the club will have to fight Chelsea for his signature.
Think how that would galvanize the club and shake up the league. Mourinho, for better or worse, is a presence that is feared in England and would instill a never-die spirit in the club that can't seem to get out of its own way at home.
Is there any correlation to the Anfield PA playing Whitesnake's "Here I Go Again" at halftime and Mourinho? No, but I'll make one anyway. Couldn't you imagine the Special One cruising, wind in his hair, Member's Only jacket banded collar flapping in the breeze, cranking out this tune?
Yeah, he's got the balls.
Winning favors the bold.
Chelsea/Aston Villa thoughts -- Sorry about the song theme, but does anyone in Inter-nets Land understand why they played Jimmy Eat World's "The Middle" after its 1-0 home loss to Chelsea? ... Very high level match. Tense throughout. ... Game changed in the second half when Guus Hiddink brought on Deco as it settled Chelsea's midfield. ... Still don't understand why Jon Obi Mikel continues to get major run. ... Chelsea made, let's say, two professional fouls when both Michael Ballack and John Terry mugged Villa playing on the break late in the game. ... Only in soccer would a team flat out say it'd rather lose, in Villa's case it's UEFA Cup match with CSKA, so it can focus on the league. Goes to show what the UEFA Cup means, eh? ... Martin O'Neill brought on John Carew as a late sub, pairing with Emile Heskey. I'd give this some more looks, because which teams could match this level of burliness? ... If James Milner isn't on England's 2010 World Cup team in some capacity that I don't know anything. ... Villa kept the ball a bit more in the second half, but Chelsea always flooded the ball on the counterattack. ... Hiddink's true worth comes this week against Juventus.
Arsenal, again and again -- (Crickets) Well, at least we got to see Andrei Arshavin who was sharp throughout...until Arsene Wenger subbed him off with 30 minutese left. Great move to rest his legs, except he's cup-tied for the Champions League. In short, Arsenal could have put pressure on Aston Villa for fourth place, but it didn't. Arsene, teams have figured you out. Time to change.
Relegation goners -- Six teams may be within seven points of the relegation zone, but I'll say with certainty that West Brom and Middlesbrough are done. D-O-N-E. In 'Boro's case, maybe it'll serve them for the best. They can play the kids from its academy and give the supporters a look at some new teams, since they're clearly not filling up the Riverside now.
One thing to consider, Hull City hasn't won a game since Dec. 6 (against 'Boro, no less) and is still six points clear pending today's match with Tottenham. All it's going to take is one good run for these teams to survive. Easier said than done, however.
Great saves -- Ton, an absolute ton of great saves over the weekend. Brad Friedel made a fine effort to stop Jose Bosignwa. Petr Cech matched him, with great stops to deny levelers from Gareth Barry and Milner. ... Manuel Alumunia continues an unheralded season with a couple good stops when pressed into action against Sunderland. Martin Fulop, however, was better and all over the place keeping Arsenal off the score sheet again. ... Shay Given was positioned great and punched away a sure-fire goal from Yossi Benayoun for City late against Liverpool.
Stat redux -- Thanks for the feedback regarding stats in soccer. After the weekend I still don't know if there's a quantitative way to rate players. There's just not enough scoring to complete a win-share type equation. What other stats can you even track? One thing I think would be good is shots from over 25 yards on target.
Of course, how to you quantify Ronaldo's freekick? Can you rate that goal higher than others? Again this reinforces the idea not to overpay unless you're getting superstar talent.
If anything, clubs ought to be a lot more prudent with their money and consider building from within. Or think of different ways to build a successful club.
Let's continue this talk, though.
Miscellany -- I weep for Everton. Can the Toffees survive a knee injury to Mikel Arteta? Newcastle apparently had more horror tackles Sunday than every other team combined, with Kevin Nolan getting sent off for a tibia-breaker with Victor Anichebe. ... Stoke 2, Portsmouth 2? Fun while it lasts. ... We need a study why Fulham is great at home and terrible away. Not to use a cliche, but is it the Craven Cottage water The discrepancy is too much to believe.
Fantasy team o' the week -- J. Dunn's 92% Pure Oxygen! takes top honors with 66 points thanks to Ronaldo, Lampard and ... Craig Beattie. Well played.
Did Craig Bellamy's deflected goal off of Martin Skrtel effectively end any drama that was left in the 2008-09 Premier League season?
Manchester United is now No. 1 with a bullet -- seven clear of Liverpool and 10 in front of Chelsea. Take that back, it's not a bullet, it's more like those ginormous bullet's that take aim at Super Mario in the Mushroom Kingdom.
Need proof?
Wayne Rooney scored for the second time in as many games since returning from injury and looked his ever dangerous. He almost scored a goal that might have moved that wonder-volley against Newcastle a few years back to No. 2 on his goal list, when he made a run from midfield and curled a strike just over the top corner.
Oh right, Cristiano Ronaldo scored another sublime freekick which would make Sir Isaac Newtown roll over in his grave.
So in that regard, would it even matter if Liverpool found a way back from Bellamy's early second half goal Sunday at Anfield? If anything, it would have just prolonged Merseyside agony.
Witness Manchester United's remaining schedule.
March 4 at Newcastle
March 14 v. Liverpool
March 21 at Fulham
April 4 v. Aston Villa
April 11 at Sunderland
April 18 at Wigan
April 25 v. Tottenham
May 2 at Middlesbrough
May 9 v. Man City
May 16 v. Arsenal
May 24 at Hull
May 31 v. Portsmouth
How many from the possible 36 points are Sir Alex Ferguson's men going to drop? It's not a cakewalk, but unless Liverpool goes to Old Trafford and takes three points the race might be over by May.
And what's the point of heaping on Liverpool Nation this morning? In a way it's a miracle the team has kept up the fight so long, with injuries to Fernando Torres and Steven Gerrard.
Perhaps the question today, is if the club is ready to finally admit that it's not going to win the league with Rafa Benitez as manager.
Saying noting of the long-since tedious stories of his contract renewal, does the club's board have the vision or wherewithal to find a new manager?
Moreover, do the supporters trust Hicks, Gillett & Co. to hire a new man to guide the fortunes of the team. At least with 'Raffer' you know what you'll get -- inconsistency in the league and a nice run in Europe, with a heaping dose of maddening lineup changes and transfer requests. Considering the club's debt and possible stadium move, maybe in this market there's no sense tinkering with a formula -- that while broken -- won't cost you the abyss of relegation. (Hey, it could conceivably happen.)
Just think, if not for the tireless work of Dirk Kuyt, where would the club be? Possibly right in the middle of the relegation scrum (more on that later). And it's no stretch to think, either, that if Gerrard doesn't play the half of a lifetime in Istanbul a few years ago, Benitez might be long gone anyway.
As I've said before there is one man out there that can guide Liverpool to its first title in the Premier League era, and he's no muppet, err puppet.
Liverpool really ought to do all it can to hire Jose Mourinho when he inevitably walks away from Inter Milan in June. Yes, the club will have to fight Chelsea for his signature.
Think how that would galvanize the club and shake up the league. Mourinho, for better or worse, is a presence that is feared in England and would instill a never-die spirit in the club that can't seem to get out of its own way at home.
Is there any correlation to the Anfield PA playing Whitesnake's "Here I Go Again" at halftime and Mourinho? No, but I'll make one anyway. Couldn't you imagine the Special One cruising, wind in his hair, Member's Only jacket banded collar flapping in the breeze, cranking out this tune?
Yeah, he's got the balls.
Winning favors the bold.
Chelsea/Aston Villa thoughts -- Sorry about the song theme, but does anyone in Inter-nets Land understand why they played Jimmy Eat World's "The Middle" after its 1-0 home loss to Chelsea? ... Very high level match. Tense throughout. ... Game changed in the second half when Guus Hiddink brought on Deco as it settled Chelsea's midfield. ... Still don't understand why Jon Obi Mikel continues to get major run. ... Chelsea made, let's say, two professional fouls when both Michael Ballack and John Terry mugged Villa playing on the break late in the game. ... Only in soccer would a team flat out say it'd rather lose, in Villa's case it's UEFA Cup match with CSKA, so it can focus on the league. Goes to show what the UEFA Cup means, eh? ... Martin O'Neill brought on John Carew as a late sub, pairing with Emile Heskey. I'd give this some more looks, because which teams could match this level of burliness? ... If James Milner isn't on England's 2010 World Cup team in some capacity that I don't know anything. ... Villa kept the ball a bit more in the second half, but Chelsea always flooded the ball on the counterattack. ... Hiddink's true worth comes this week against Juventus.
Arsenal, again and again -- (Crickets) Well, at least we got to see Andrei Arshavin who was sharp throughout...until Arsene Wenger subbed him off with 30 minutese left. Great move to rest his legs, except he's cup-tied for the Champions League. In short, Arsenal could have put pressure on Aston Villa for fourth place, but it didn't. Arsene, teams have figured you out. Time to change.
Relegation goners -- Six teams may be within seven points of the relegation zone, but I'll say with certainty that West Brom and Middlesbrough are done. D-O-N-E. In 'Boro's case, maybe it'll serve them for the best. They can play the kids from its academy and give the supporters a look at some new teams, since they're clearly not filling up the Riverside now.
One thing to consider, Hull City hasn't won a game since Dec. 6 (against 'Boro, no less) and is still six points clear pending today's match with Tottenham. All it's going to take is one good run for these teams to survive. Easier said than done, however.
Great saves -- Ton, an absolute ton of great saves over the weekend. Brad Friedel made a fine effort to stop Jose Bosignwa. Petr Cech matched him, with great stops to deny levelers from Gareth Barry and Milner. ... Manuel Alumunia continues an unheralded season with a couple good stops when pressed into action against Sunderland. Martin Fulop, however, was better and all over the place keeping Arsenal off the score sheet again. ... Shay Given was positioned great and punched away a sure-fire goal from Yossi Benayoun for City late against Liverpool.
Stat redux -- Thanks for the feedback regarding stats in soccer. After the weekend I still don't know if there's a quantitative way to rate players. There's just not enough scoring to complete a win-share type equation. What other stats can you even track? One thing I think would be good is shots from over 25 yards on target.
Of course, how to you quantify Ronaldo's freekick? Can you rate that goal higher than others? Again this reinforces the idea not to overpay unless you're getting superstar talent.
If anything, clubs ought to be a lot more prudent with their money and consider building from within. Or think of different ways to build a successful club.
Let's continue this talk, though.
Miscellany -- I weep for Everton. Can the Toffees survive a knee injury to Mikel Arteta? Newcastle apparently had more horror tackles Sunday than every other team combined, with Kevin Nolan getting sent off for a tibia-breaker with Victor Anichebe. ... Stoke 2, Portsmouth 2? Fun while it lasts. ... We need a study why Fulham is great at home and terrible away. Not to use a cliche, but is it the Craven Cottage water The discrepancy is too much to believe.
Fantasy team o' the week -- J. Dunn's 92% Pure Oxygen! takes top honors with 66 points thanks to Ronaldo, Lampard and ... Craig Beattie. Well played.
Labels: Liverpool, manchester United, Premier League, Soccer
Great post, as per usual.
Yes, the Premiership IS over. I do not put the 'blame' for Liverpool's lack of win on the team selections (or crazy speeches) made by Rafa B. Nor would Mourinho on the Anfield sidelines close the gap very much. Liverpool does not have enough good players to compete with United over the course of a season. Period.
Martin Samuel broke it down in the Daily Mail , and while I think he is giving the Scouse team more props than it deserves (Carragher?!?) he makes a valid point. Go through the rosters of the teams and the success of Man United seems less about Fergie's mind games and more about the inevitable triumph of superior talent. Especially when you remember that EVERY team gets injuries, suspension and fatigue, and quality teams don't live in denial - the depth United carries is decisive. You could blame (in part) Rafa or Arsene for not having better/more players on their rosters - but based on which names they can write on the line-up sheet it is clear why Ferguson will win again.
Fulham DOES look great at home, especially against the cellar dwellers. I am taking comfort that it won't take a final day win to keep them up this year.
The Arteta play was clean.
Have you seen this in the NYT last fall about homefield advantage?
http://www.nytimes.com/2008/10/12/sports/soccer/12score.html?_r=1&scp=2&sq=home%20field%20advantage&st=cse