So much going on these days it's nearly impossible to catch you're breath -- and that's just for fans watching from the stands or the comfort of their sofas.
There were two matches in the midweek that were massive in shaping the rest of the 2009-10 Premier League season.
Monday Chelsea, thanks to a couple fortunate breaks, stopped its immediate skid and retained its spot atop the table. (What is it with sports? How did the ball find that poor Smalling kid, making his first start in the Premier Leauge, setting up a brutal own-goal?)
That, however, was nothing compared to what happened to Liverpool, as it might, stress, might have saved its season with a 93rd minute miracle through the boots of Fernando Torres at Ice Station Impossible, err, Villa Park.
To call it improbable might not do the match's result justice.
First off, this match was played in a driving slush-storm. You'd half expect Torres, Pepe Reina and the rest of Liverpool's continental army to have played the match in David Puddy-approved fur coats. This was, in the flesh, that nasty, fabled English winter.
After a pretty even first half, Aston Villa began to pick up steam in the second. John Carew had a wide open -- think a car on an isolated road in Montana -- header from a corner, and missed it, allowing Reina to scoop it up after a bobble. A little later Gabriel Agbonlahor ran past the defense and fired a shot that Reina sprawled out to save.
As the game ticked toward its end, Villa besieged the Liverpool goal, but couldn't crack it.
Then, out of nowhere, Carlos Cuellar had a bad touch, Richard Dunne stumbled for a split second to try to clean it up but couldn't get to it before Torres. The ball went back into the middle and a scrum of players and squirted out to Torres -- unmarked -- at the right edge of the area.
You can guess how it ends.
Torres curled it to the far post past Brad Friedel and the three points went to Liverpool.
So, roughly 90 seconds after from six points out of fourth place -- with three teams between them -- Liverpool is now just four back of fourth-place Tottenham and two behind Villa.
What does this all mean? Is it the start of another second-half swoon for Villa? Is Liverpool for real?
How about answering the second part first. As long as Torres stays healthy, Liverpool has a pulse. I was talking with longtime Reds fan Ace Cowboy this week about the theory of Torres shutting it down so he'd be healthy for the World Cup. Obviously the English would go insane if this happened, regardless of any extenuating circumstances. Had Liverpool drifted further and further away from fourth, it would have made sense (hell, selling Torres while he's still retained his value would be the first, albeit painful, way for Liverpool to start rebuilding itself). Now, with fourth place and the Champions League money in reach, Torres is probably going to push it. Can El Nino, though, make it through the season? It could be possible, so long as Rafa resists playing him in the Europa Leauge games.
Does one win cure all the ills of Liverpool? Absolutely not. The team simply needs to get the the point where every single match week-in, week-out isn't a life or death struggle, both on the field and in the hearts and minds of its fans.
To play a more cynical role, games like this might do more long-term hurt to the club, since it releases a temporary euphoria and makes you ignore the other issues at the club. As stated on Deltron 3030, "Crisis precipitates change."
Counting on Torres and Gerrard to save the day every match isn't a sound strategy. Nor is counting on Dunne to lose his footing on a soggy pitch.
As for Villa? That is a true stomach punch to the solar plexus. Does Martin O'Neill's team have the fortitude to fight back and avoid a slide like last season, when Arsenal blew past it?
I say yes.
Villa is a good team, assuming its current first XI can stay healthy and on the field. O'Neill has bolstered the squad with guys like Stewart Downing, James Collins and a few young players like Marc Albrighton and Fabian Delph, the team does have a couple options, though adding a proven Premier League player, or two, in January would be wise.
Arsenal did smoke Villa 3-0 on Sunday, making Tuesday's loss all the more tough to deal with. Villa, though, won't need to worry about Arsenal. It's contending with Tottenham, Liverpool and Manchester City for fourth, and that's a fairer fight, a fight it can win.
Scoring just once in its last three matches, too, is cause for concern.
Villa also have another trump card up its sleeve -- the 2010 World Cup. The core of the team -- Agbonlahor, Ashley Young, James Milner -- and to a lesser extent Downing, Stephen Warnock and even Luke Young (if he decides to un-retire from internationals) all want to impress Fabio Capello and earn a plane ticket to South Africa. This can only be a good thing.
It is the tendency to overreact to a result like this, especially in light of the 38-game season. Yet, this isn't one of those times. This was a clear fork-in-the-road for both clubs, one that saved its season (at least until the next match) and another that will enter 2010 with a renewed sense of soul-searching.
_________
As you know I'm not a huge fan of your standard lists, end of the year stuff, etc.
Since I did have some time while watching matches the last three days, I compiled my best XI, plus bench, for the first half of the season. Feel free to disagree, that's what lists like this are for.
T.O.P. Prem Best XI (First half edition)
Goalkeeper -- Before I make a pick, ask yourself this: Is their a "bad" keeper in the Premier League? Seriously. Even Gomes has cleaned up his act. I really don't think there's all that much to differentiate between the best and the worst keepers in the league.
Call it a cop-out, but I'll just pick my old friend Brad Friedel, though guys like Joe Hart, Pepe Reina, Thomas Sørensen, Brian Jensen and even Shay Given have all had their moments.
Defense -- A word on the defenses. Even the top squad of the "Big Four" have let in goals. Chelsea and Manchester United are Nos. 1 and 2 in goals allowed, but each have looked shaky at times. In fact, United is tied for second with Birmingham and Aston Villa with 18 allowed, just one behind Fulham.
So here is my foursome -- Patrice Evra, Richard Dunne, Roger Johnson and Ashley Cole. Evra has probably been United most consistent player and is in fact its only reliable defender from a health standpoint. Dunne, slip against Liverpool Tuesday notwithstanding, has been excellent and is playing with an inspired fire since being dumped by Manchester City. Johnson has formed an excellent no-name central alliance with Scott Dann. The fact Johnson has moved into the Premier League seamlessly after a long spell at Cardiff City is all the more remarkable. And Cole? For all his warts is a consistent two-way performer for Chelsea. And he's married to Cheryl Tweedy, which is a plus in my book.
Midfield -- Here's my foursome. I think you could win a lot of games with seven scrubs around this quartet, I think. Maybe.
Straight four across -- Aaron Lennon, Cesc Fabregas, Frank Lampard and James Milner.
Not too much explanation here. Lennon, on his game, is the best outside player in the league and only getting better. How Capello even keeps David Beckham in the mix for England with Lennon, not to mention Shaun Wright-Phillips, is asinine. Fabregas? The clear best footballer in the league right now. Nothing he can't do. Lampard? Not a vintage season, but still getting it done for the Blues. And Milner? I think the sky is the limit for him. Wonder which position he settles into.
Forwards -- Six players are in double-digits in goal tally so far, with overall 20 guys with at least six. It's a tough call, but I like my two picks. Didier Drogba is, when he wants, the unstoppable object. When we look back at things, he'll be the prototype of the 21st century forward.
My other selection? A little harder, but based on the first half of the season it has to be Jermain Defoe. He's jointly tied with Drogba on 14 goals, one ahead of Wayne Rooney and Darren Bent. The nod goes to Defoe on consistency and Spurs place in the table is almost directly related to his prowess in front of goal. I could penalize him for a five-goal outburst by Wigan, but it was damn impressive even if it inflated his overall goal haul.
Substitutes bench -- Is it more than the seven allowed by Premier League rules? Yes. But here are the other guys to impress so far.
Lee Bowyer (who knew?); Ryan Giggs (United's most importantly player, amazingly); Ashley Young, Louis Saha (10 goals, no small feat for the well-traveled Frenchman); Darren Bent (blows a little too hot or cold); Tomas Sorensen (three penalty kick saves); Clint Dempsey; Dirk Kuyt (the only ever-present for Liverpool); Thomas Vermaelen; Carlos Tevez (going to have a huge 2010); Ricardo Carvalho (still playing the role of 'The Wolf' at Chelsea).
A couple bonus list-y things:
Best transfer -- Dunne to Aston Villa (Gareth who?); Lorik Cana to Sunderland (given Steve Bruce's team an identity and midfield grit); Damien Duff to Fulham (Calamity at Newcastle, a really useful player at Craven Cottage)
Worst transfers -- Alberto Aquilani to Liverpool (I know Xabi Alonso and you're no Xabi Alonso); Jolean Lescott to Manchester City (not a disaster, but was poor enough along with Kolo Toure to cost Mark Hughes his job.)
Best manager -- Roy Hodgson, Fulham. To quote the them of "The Wire" Season Five, "He does more with less." Fulham is still ninth in the table with a roster that isn't all that much better than the 11 clubs behind him. If Breda Hangeland is injured for any amount of time, though, Hodgson might lose this accolade in May.
Biggest surprise -- Birmingham City. The Blues have lost since Mid-October. If you saw that coming, well, your last name is either McFly or Tannen. Organized defensively and getting better offensively. Watch out if Carson Yeung opens the pursestrings to bring in another quality striker.
Best development -- Modified parity. It's two days before 2010 and we don't know a) who'll win the title b) who'll make the Champions League and c) who'll be relegated. It's like Vince Offer took a Slap Chop to the league, instead of a boringtuna league, we've got pure excitement at both ends and in the middle. Runner up -- The Prem on ESPN. Mmmm. HD.
Things to watch in 2010 -- 1. A Mancini revolution at City? 2. Does Hiddink come back to Chelsea? 3. What happens if Liverpool finishes fifth or worse? 4. Which Premier League star gets injured ahead of the World Cup. 5. Does Arsene Wenger's master plan finally come to fruition? 6. Does Landon Donovan make an impression at Everton?
_________
Lastly, if you're into Social Media/Networking, my friend set up a That's On Point Facebook page. If anything it's a good way to find out when there's a new post. Aside from that, who knows.
Also, I've finally set up a Twitter account -- @thatsonpoint -- as you'll notice, I haven't tweeted anything just yet. Might be a fun way to get some discussion going on the weekends during games, but I'm not making any promises. If you're on there, I will follow you, should you alert me to your feed.
Eventually, if I can figure it up, I'll try to add some widgets to the main page to make it easier to figure this stuff out.
Well, my hand is seriously cramping up. If I don't post between now and Friday, thanks to stopping by all year and best of luck heading into 2010. Should be a good one.
There were two matches in the midweek that were massive in shaping the rest of the 2009-10 Premier League season.
Monday Chelsea, thanks to a couple fortunate breaks, stopped its immediate skid and retained its spot atop the table. (What is it with sports? How did the ball find that poor Smalling kid, making his first start in the Premier Leauge, setting up a brutal own-goal?)
That, however, was nothing compared to what happened to Liverpool, as it might, stress, might have saved its season with a 93rd minute miracle through the boots of Fernando Torres at Ice Station Impossible, err, Villa Park.
To call it improbable might not do the match's result justice.
First off, this match was played in a driving slush-storm. You'd half expect Torres, Pepe Reina and the rest of Liverpool's continental army to have played the match in David Puddy-approved fur coats. This was, in the flesh, that nasty, fabled English winter.
After a pretty even first half, Aston Villa began to pick up steam in the second. John Carew had a wide open -- think a car on an isolated road in Montana -- header from a corner, and missed it, allowing Reina to scoop it up after a bobble. A little later Gabriel Agbonlahor ran past the defense and fired a shot that Reina sprawled out to save.
As the game ticked toward its end, Villa besieged the Liverpool goal, but couldn't crack it.
Then, out of nowhere, Carlos Cuellar had a bad touch, Richard Dunne stumbled for a split second to try to clean it up but couldn't get to it before Torres. The ball went back into the middle and a scrum of players and squirted out to Torres -- unmarked -- at the right edge of the area.
You can guess how it ends.
Torres curled it to the far post past Brad Friedel and the three points went to Liverpool.
So, roughly 90 seconds after from six points out of fourth place -- with three teams between them -- Liverpool is now just four back of fourth-place Tottenham and two behind Villa.
What does this all mean? Is it the start of another second-half swoon for Villa? Is Liverpool for real?
How about answering the second part first. As long as Torres stays healthy, Liverpool has a pulse. I was talking with longtime Reds fan Ace Cowboy this week about the theory of Torres shutting it down so he'd be healthy for the World Cup. Obviously the English would go insane if this happened, regardless of any extenuating circumstances. Had Liverpool drifted further and further away from fourth, it would have made sense (hell, selling Torres while he's still retained his value would be the first, albeit painful, way for Liverpool to start rebuilding itself). Now, with fourth place and the Champions League money in reach, Torres is probably going to push it. Can El Nino, though, make it through the season? It could be possible, so long as Rafa resists playing him in the Europa Leauge games.
Does one win cure all the ills of Liverpool? Absolutely not. The team simply needs to get the the point where every single match week-in, week-out isn't a life or death struggle, both on the field and in the hearts and minds of its fans.
To play a more cynical role, games like this might do more long-term hurt to the club, since it releases a temporary euphoria and makes you ignore the other issues at the club. As stated on Deltron 3030, "Crisis precipitates change."
Counting on Torres and Gerrard to save the day every match isn't a sound strategy. Nor is counting on Dunne to lose his footing on a soggy pitch.
As for Villa? That is a true stomach punch to the solar plexus. Does Martin O'Neill's team have the fortitude to fight back and avoid a slide like last season, when Arsenal blew past it?
I say yes.
Villa is a good team, assuming its current first XI can stay healthy and on the field. O'Neill has bolstered the squad with guys like Stewart Downing, James Collins and a few young players like Marc Albrighton and Fabian Delph, the team does have a couple options, though adding a proven Premier League player, or two, in January would be wise.
Arsenal did smoke Villa 3-0 on Sunday, making Tuesday's loss all the more tough to deal with. Villa, though, won't need to worry about Arsenal. It's contending with Tottenham, Liverpool and Manchester City for fourth, and that's a fairer fight, a fight it can win.
Scoring just once in its last three matches, too, is cause for concern.
Villa also have another trump card up its sleeve -- the 2010 World Cup. The core of the team -- Agbonlahor, Ashley Young, James Milner -- and to a lesser extent Downing, Stephen Warnock and even Luke Young (if he decides to un-retire from internationals) all want to impress Fabio Capello and earn a plane ticket to South Africa. This can only be a good thing.
It is the tendency to overreact to a result like this, especially in light of the 38-game season. Yet, this isn't one of those times. This was a clear fork-in-the-road for both clubs, one that saved its season (at least until the next match) and another that will enter 2010 with a renewed sense of soul-searching.
As you know I'm not a huge fan of your standard lists, end of the year stuff, etc.
Since I did have some time while watching matches the last three days, I compiled my best XI, plus bench, for the first half of the season. Feel free to disagree, that's what lists like this are for.
T.O.P. Prem Best XI (First half edition)
Goalkeeper -- Before I make a pick, ask yourself this: Is their a "bad" keeper in the Premier League? Seriously. Even Gomes has cleaned up his act. I really don't think there's all that much to differentiate between the best and the worst keepers in the league.
Call it a cop-out, but I'll just pick my old friend Brad Friedel, though guys like Joe Hart, Pepe Reina, Thomas Sørensen, Brian Jensen and even Shay Given have all had their moments.
Defense -- A word on the defenses. Even the top squad of the "Big Four" have let in goals. Chelsea and Manchester United are Nos. 1 and 2 in goals allowed, but each have looked shaky at times. In fact, United is tied for second with Birmingham and Aston Villa with 18 allowed, just one behind Fulham.
So here is my foursome -- Patrice Evra, Richard Dunne, Roger Johnson and Ashley Cole. Evra has probably been United most consistent player and is in fact its only reliable defender from a health standpoint. Dunne, slip against Liverpool Tuesday notwithstanding, has been excellent and is playing with an inspired fire since being dumped by Manchester City. Johnson has formed an excellent no-name central alliance with Scott Dann. The fact Johnson has moved into the Premier League seamlessly after a long spell at Cardiff City is all the more remarkable. And Cole? For all his warts is a consistent two-way performer for Chelsea. And he's married to Cheryl Tweedy, which is a plus in my book.
Midfield -- Here's my foursome. I think you could win a lot of games with seven scrubs around this quartet, I think. Maybe.
Straight four across -- Aaron Lennon, Cesc Fabregas, Frank Lampard and James Milner.
Not too much explanation here. Lennon, on his game, is the best outside player in the league and only getting better. How Capello even keeps David Beckham in the mix for England with Lennon, not to mention Shaun Wright-Phillips, is asinine. Fabregas? The clear best footballer in the league right now. Nothing he can't do. Lampard? Not a vintage season, but still getting it done for the Blues. And Milner? I think the sky is the limit for him. Wonder which position he settles into.
Forwards -- Six players are in double-digits in goal tally so far, with overall 20 guys with at least six. It's a tough call, but I like my two picks. Didier Drogba is, when he wants, the unstoppable object. When we look back at things, he'll be the prototype of the 21st century forward.
My other selection? A little harder, but based on the first half of the season it has to be Jermain Defoe. He's jointly tied with Drogba on 14 goals, one ahead of Wayne Rooney and Darren Bent. The nod goes to Defoe on consistency and Spurs place in the table is almost directly related to his prowess in front of goal. I could penalize him for a five-goal outburst by Wigan, but it was damn impressive even if it inflated his overall goal haul.
Substitutes bench -- Is it more than the seven allowed by Premier League rules? Yes. But here are the other guys to impress so far.
Lee Bowyer (who knew?); Ryan Giggs (United's most importantly player, amazingly); Ashley Young, Louis Saha (10 goals, no small feat for the well-traveled Frenchman); Darren Bent (blows a little too hot or cold); Tomas Sorensen (three penalty kick saves); Clint Dempsey; Dirk Kuyt (the only ever-present for Liverpool); Thomas Vermaelen; Carlos Tevez (going to have a huge 2010); Ricardo Carvalho (still playing the role of 'The Wolf' at Chelsea).
A couple bonus list-y things:
Best transfer -- Dunne to Aston Villa (Gareth who?); Lorik Cana to Sunderland (given Steve Bruce's team an identity and midfield grit); Damien Duff to Fulham (Calamity at Newcastle, a really useful player at Craven Cottage)
Worst transfers -- Alberto Aquilani to Liverpool (I know Xabi Alonso and you're no Xabi Alonso); Jolean Lescott to Manchester City (not a disaster, but was poor enough along with Kolo Toure to cost Mark Hughes his job.)
Best manager -- Roy Hodgson, Fulham. To quote the them of "The Wire" Season Five, "He does more with less." Fulham is still ninth in the table with a roster that isn't all that much better than the 11 clubs behind him. If Breda Hangeland is injured for any amount of time, though, Hodgson might lose this accolade in May.
Biggest surprise -- Birmingham City. The Blues have lost since Mid-October. If you saw that coming, well, your last name is either McFly or Tannen. Organized defensively and getting better offensively. Watch out if Carson Yeung opens the pursestrings to bring in another quality striker.
Best development -- Modified parity. It's two days before 2010 and we don't know a) who'll win the title b) who'll make the Champions League and c) who'll be relegated. It's like Vince Offer took a Slap Chop to the league, instead of a boring
Things to watch in 2010 -- 1. A Mancini revolution at City? 2. Does Hiddink come back to Chelsea? 3. What happens if Liverpool finishes fifth or worse? 4. Which Premier League star gets injured ahead of the World Cup. 5. Does Arsene Wenger's master plan finally come to fruition? 6. Does Landon Donovan make an impression at Everton?
Lastly, if you're into Social Media/Networking, my friend set up a That's On Point Facebook page. If anything it's a good way to find out when there's a new post. Aside from that, who knows.
Also, I've finally set up a Twitter account -- @thatsonpoint -- as you'll notice, I haven't tweeted anything just yet. Might be a fun way to get some discussion going on the weekends during games, but I'm not making any promises. If you're on there, I will follow you, should you alert me to your feed.
Eventually, if I can figure it up, I'll try to add some widgets to the main page to make it easier to figure this stuff out.
Well, my hand is seriously cramping up. If I don't post between now and Friday, thanks to stopping by all year and best of luck heading into 2010. Should be a good one.
Labels: aston villa, English Premier League, Liverpool, Premier League, Soccer
Don't Spurs have the same "trump card" as Villa, with Lennon, Huddlestone, Dawson, King and Gomes also trying to earn spots on their NTs? For that matter, doesn't every club competing for the top 4? Tevez surely has to earn his striking spot for Argentina, hell, even Torres hasn't secured a spot up front for the Spanish.
In the "things to watch" column, how about: 7. FSC in HD sometime in the new year
As a 'Merikun, maybe I just don't *get it* with the FA Cup. Perhaps if I had been awake to see the Leeds-Man U match, I might have been more intrigued, but since it started at 5am Pacific - I was still snoring. As long as we are in such an early round of the FA cup that the biggish teams are still playing the ultra young guys they are considering putting out on loan during the transfer window - consider me uninterested.
The first commercial on ABC after the end of the Rose Bowl was a shiny and very 'big' feeling spot for the upcoming World Cup. It sure looks like ABC/ESPN are gonna commit the resources and air-time, which is truly exciting. A World Cup without onion bags - it's like a dream. Sigh.