Sunday December 13, 2009
Liverpool 1-2 Arsenal
This was a game with enormous ramifications for both teams. According to Rafa Benitez, Liverpool’s season starts with this game and for the first half of the game his team really looked like they had a change of season. The Gunners on the other hand were aware of the other top four teams result from Saturday and the fact that they had the opportunity to make things a little bit more interesting at the top of the table.
It was a very disappointing first half for Arsenal and was very happy to be only 1-0 down at half time. Cesc Fabregas revealed during the post match interview of Arsene Wenger’s fury yelling at the players letting them know how unfit they were of wearing the Arsenal shirt with their first half performance. (I’ve always wondered how he handled his half time team talk). This must have worked because the players came out with a bit more urgency with the players and a little break with a Glen Johnson unfortunate own goal swings the game Arsenal’s way.
Andrey Arshavin comes up with a stunner beating Johnson to the ball for the second goal which left Reina watching the birds.
Not the most impressive Arsenal performance as a whole but the win is a much needed boost for confidence in the pursuit for the Premiership league title.
Saturday December 12, 2009
Birmingham 1-0 West Ham
I really liked Gianfranco Zola as a player and was really happy when he was appointed as the West Ham manager along side Steve Clark but seriously his amiable nature won’t really save him from the threat of being sacked. West Ham is like a start and stop team. One minute they look like a team challenging the top spot with free flowing football and very nice classy goals, the very next second, they look like relegation strugglers bound to a free flowing free wheeley down the slope. Strange happenings going on in the off-pitch affairs of the club with a partnership looking to buy the team, I just wonder if it’s the uncertainty off the pitch that translates to the on-pitch performance?
Bolton 3-3 Man City
WHAT A GAME! A game Bolton really should have won to save Gary Megson from another rumor filled week of his potential sack. But in all honesty, this match was saved for the Man. City by the bull himself, Carlos Tevez. His singular moments of brilliance brought the visitors back into the match. For us neutrals, it was a delight to watch with some good expected goals. I say expected because the game seemed to have bags of goals in it’s armoury at every area around 18 on both sides of the field. I guess it must have been nerve racking for both Megson and Hughes as both sides witnessed how badly their teams potentially defend.
I thought Bolton played well closing down the Manchester City players in every area of the pitch until their defensive collapse. Craig Bellamy was wrongly sent off for a second yellow card on the count of a seeming dive after a challenge by Paul Robinson. For once I think, Craig Bellamy was misunderstood in his justifiable rant this time by referree Clattenburg.
Chelsea 3-3 Everton
Only one name dominated this entire game in my opinion and that name is Luis Saha. He was involved in four out of the six goals in the entire match on both sides of the board. Petr Cech is being blamed for two of the three goals conceded by the Blues from set pieces but frankly Chelsea is just another top four club who’s major flaws as evident this season is defensive blunders from set pieces. They’ve conceded 7 goals from set pieces so far in their last few games. Chelsea and Cech can rest easy knowing their London rivals – Arsenal have conceded similar goals this season. Good result for David Moyes and Everton and even though it’s only a point it’s one point away from the drop zone.
Man Utd 0-1 Aston Villa
First league win against Manchested United in 26 years and lost points for the Champions make this result by the Villans one to savor for us Arsenal fans. What scares me about this Aston Villa performance is the fact that they are playing Arsenal in their next two games and potentially if they play the same way they played against the Red Devils, it will be a tough battle that the Gunners might lose. Especially since the fact that Villa in recent times have proved difficult for the ‘young’ Gunner’s team to contain.
Stoke 2-2 Wigan
Mainor Figueroa steals the headlines for this game with his spectacular strike. I’ve heard some pundits say that players are paid to do exactly what he did, shoot the ball into the net. I just beg to disagree. It’s one thing to play the ball from the half way line without anyone in goal but it’s completely a different skill to beat the goalkeeper who really wasn’t off his line. Absolutely fabulous goal. Stoke gave a good exciting and resilient performance on the day which made the game fun to watch.
Tottenham 0-1 Wolverhampton
Spurs are becoming another contender with Wigan as princes of Inconsistency. After their 9-1 drubbing of Wigan Athletic, Spurs have been really uncertain in their results. They’ve got the players but I think they lack the character and experience to know what to do when they find themselves in an unfamiliar position in the league standing.
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