Thanks to Eduardo, diving has once again risen to the summit of football’s trendy topic list.

Whatever the rights or wrongs of the UEFA charge and its subsequent overturning on appeal, the majority view was Eduardo purposely exaggerated the challenge and the ensuing penalty was harsh on Celtic (even Arsene Wenger admitted as such). Interesting then, that the two match ban was eventually overturned after Arsenal proved contact was made between goalkeeper and striker. Contact made with the player in the box without playing the ball. I’d bet that if the FA held a quiz on the art of refereeing, the correct response to this hypothetical scenario would be to award a penalty. Despite this, the consensus in the Eduardo case proved to the contrary. He cheated; it was a refereeing error. Case closed.

On the surface this seems a reasonable view; cheats should never prosper. However, it overlooks the deeper question. Is it correct that a penalty should not be awarded when a player over exaggerates the extent of the challenge; even when contact has been made and by definition a foul committed. Taking this theory to its conclusion would result in at least a 50% reduction in the number of penalties awarded per season.

Ricardo Fuller’s yellow card in Stoke’s game at Bolton perfectly illustrates the point. Attempting to cut inside from the by-line, he flung himself theatrically to the ground under a challenge from Gavin McCann. Penalty claims were waived away as referee Mark Clattenburg booked him for simulation. A blatant dive? Absolutely. That is, until viewing the replay, which clearly shows McCann’s boot making contact with the player’s foot; not the ball. Committed in the box, this is a foul and should result in a penalty. Should it matter that after the contact, Fuller proceeded to indulge in the sort of gross theatrics that have no place in football?

And this is where the argument gets interesting. There is no right and wrong answer; only a moral and theoretical one. Morally it follows that the player attempted to in some way ‘con’ the referee, therefore the crime of exaggeration outweighs that of the foul itself and we are able to overlook the initial transgression. Theoretically, rules are rules. A foul has still been committed and a penalty must be given.

Both schools of thought have merit, unfortunately neither have official endorsement. The FA and even UEFA appear to have no official stance on the issue and so each wait for the decisions of referees to be dissected by the vagaries of the media. The absence a universal position leads inevitably to inconsistencies.

Has there ever been a situation where a penalty has been awarded and a player booked for diving simultaneously? I am unsure of the answer, but suffice to say such incidents are rare in the extreme. Regardless, could this be the way forward? Give the penalty, book the player; everyone wins (or loses) and justice is served. If only it was that simple…

From Soccerlens.com - Football News

In a season which has already produced its fair share of talking points, the Premier League once more exploded into life after the two week recess, with a flurry of goals and a controversy set to dominate the back pages long after the match reports have faded.

On the up:

Manchester City

Let us forget for a moment the behaviour of Emmanuel Adebayor (more on which to follow) and focus upon an otherwise scintillating display of counter attacking football from Mark Hughes’ team. In the space of fifteen devastating 2nd half minutes, the light blues ripped apart the Gunners with exactly the brand of fast, incisive, hit them on the break football which has been a hallmark of Arsene Wenger’s team in recent times. Arsenal simply had no answer for the pace and movement of the City attack and despite once again playing beautiful football and dominating the bulk of possession, they lacked the necessary cutting edge and competitive bite in midfield.

Wayne Rooney

His pace, movement off the ball and boundless energy proved far too much for Tottenham. Rooney has started the season on fire and ominously looks to be getting better. He will never fill Ronaldo’s shoes as they are completely different players. However, on the evidence of the season thus far, he looks more than capable assuming the mantle as the catalyst for another United title charge. If he can control the hot tempered lack of judgement which has at times blighted his career to date (and that remains a big if), this could be a very special season.

Manchester United

Games vs Spurs are starting to feel like a sort of Groundhog Day. Fall behind and then bounce back to comprehensively outplay and easily defeat your opponent. It’s as if these matches follow a preset formula. More importantly for United, having produced far less than their best in a fortunate victory over Arsenal, they were back on cruise control here. Even with ten men following Scholes’ justified dismissal, they never looked in danger.

Robin Van Persie

Despite the result going against his team, ‘RVP’ can take a lot away from his performance and conduct at Eastlands. His importance to the Arsenal side cannot be underestimated and Wenger must have been a relieved man indeed when the Dutchman finally signed his long term contract extension in the summer. On Saturday, he led the line with aplomb, produced a fine moment of individual skill for the equaliser and conducted himself with dignity, both on pitch and in the post match press conference following ‘that’ challenge.

Chelsea

Champions find a way to win. To the eye an under-par display, yet three points nonetheless and five straight wins for Ancelotti’s men. Chelsea have a long way to go to prove they are title material, yet is difficult to envisage all of their main rivals taking maximum points from the Britannia, and in that context it is an excellent result. It is also somewhat ironic that Stoke were finally undone deep into injury time by none other than a long throw into the box; with Malouda pouncing on the ensuing knockdown. Although in the final analysis substitute goalkeeper Simonsen may well feel he should have done better.

Liverpool

Liverpool needed to produce a clinical display against Burnley to calm the nerves after a less than convincing start to the season. Mission accomplished; though in truth we learnt very little from this performance. The gulf in class between the teams was obvious and although Burnley may provide an altogether sterner test on home soil at Turf Moor, they offered precious little here and it proved to be a stroll in the park for the red half of Merseyside.

Sliding down:

Emmanuel Adebayor

Perhaps it is the measure of the man that his actions on Saturday will serve to completely overshadow the otherwise fabulous beginning to his Man City career. The celebration was bad enough but a lengthy ban will surely follow for an act which can only be described as verging on common assault upon Robin Van Persie.

In fairness to the referee, it is difficult to pin-point intent when viewing the replay at game speed, let alone in a match situation without the benefit of a 2nd look. However, the slow motion paints an extremely harsh and unflattering picture. Already saddled with the tag of mercenary, I suspect far less pleasant adjectives will be forthcoming from fans and media alike. His post game apology for the goal celebration also seemed somewhat hollow. Heat of the moment? I doubt it; he knew what he was doing.

The saddest aspect is that, on most occasions such a celebration usually just riles the crowd and makes the player involved look like an egotistical childish twit. Unfortunately, Adebayor’s ill-judged actions also resulted in the wounding and hospitalisation of a match steward; struck by an object thrown from the away end. This in itself was an inexcusable act and if caught the culprit should rightly be prosecuted and banned for life. That said, we need not look far for the catalyst. In the long run, his goal in the game will mean little. His ‘other’ contributions may resonate a lot longer.

Portsmouth

Paul Hart will doubtless be spending a large portion of training this week working on the art of finishing. Bolton never deserved three points from the fixture, a fact readily admitted by Gary Megson after the game, and while fans may point (rightly so) to the harsh penalty decision awarded against Tal Ben Haim for a clean tackle, this would have been a mere sidebar if not for the home side’s incredible profligacy in front of goal. Having headed the equaliser, Younes Kaboul was then guilty of an appalling miss with a free header, while Frédéric Piquionne time and gain carved space for himself before spoiling promising moves with some truly atrocious finishing. Pompey do not have the quality to break down many teams this season and throwing away precious points against a struggling side such as Bolton looks ominous indeed.

Hull’s defence

What can one say other than oh dear. At times in the 2nd half, Hull’s defence would have been the laughing stock of the local park pitch. Looking across the line, there were often yards separating the full backs from centre halves, making Sunderland’s task of springing the offside trap something akin to taking candy from a baby. Kamil Zayette may have popped up with the first half equaliser but frankly he is picked and paid first and foremost as a defender and in that aspect his performance was truly shambolic. That Michael Turner scored and briefly ran toward the Hull supporters before turning behind the goal to embrace his new fans will only rub salt into raw wounds.

Manuel Almunia

He is good, but part of the problem for Arsenal is that he’s just not that good. Almunia simply does not belong at a top four club. Great header though it was from Micah Richards, I suspect a Given or Reina may well have kept it out and it’s such differences which may be telling in the final analysis of the season. Mostly he looks solid and he is certainly not out of place in the Premier League per se. However, Arsenal really need a truly commanding presence behind a back four which can be defensively uncertain at times, and I’m not convinced Almunia inspires the necessary level of confidence.

From Soccerlens.com - Football News

Every club has one. That vital cog that keeps the team wheels turning. With the season in its infancy, supporters up and down the land are still harbouring dreams of glory (or at the very least over achievement, given that short of a billionaire Sheikh turning up on your doorstep, thoughts of the title are confined to a privileged few these days).

Dreaming of what could be is the lifeblood of every football fan, but there are few things more likely to bring even the most optimistic notions crashing down than a season ending injury to your clubs most vital player; a scenario all the more worrying now that that transfer window has slammed firmly shut on the prospect of further re-enforcements until January.

There is a tendency to judge a players worth to their team using such obvious barometers as transfer value or goal scoring ability. In some instances this can be useful; however, the analogy can also be misleading. Teams are about balance and it is no good extolling the virtues of your 15 goal a season striker when losing the goalkeeper is the difference between ten clean sheets and two. Sure, you will miss those 15 goals, but football is after all a team game and it is often what you don’t see that you end up missing the most.

With this in mind let’s take a look at one player from each Premier League club that Managers would loath to be without in the remainder of the season:

Aston Villa: Brad Friedel

A strong case could also be made for the wing wizardry of Ashley Young, but ultimately Villa can create from other sources. James Milner is an excellent crosser of the ball and Agbonlahor can play anywhere across the front line. In Friedel, Villa possess one of the division’s finest and most consistent performers in recent memory. With only the relatively untested Brad Guzan and way past it Andy Marshall behind him, Friedel’s loss could spell disaster for the claret half of Birmingham.

Arsenal: Thomas Vermaelen

Perhaps a bit of a left field choice here but I’m going for the tall, dependable and most importantly no-nonsense Belgian recruited over the summer to shore up Arsenal’s worryingly leaky defence. Any team would miss the skills of Fabregas, but on the evidence of last season, the Gunners deficiencies are not in attacking areas, where they have more than enough personnel to compensate. That they failed to challenge last season is due mostly to the defence and the breaking up of a promising partnership with a freshly rejuvenated Gallas could once again give rise to uncertainty.

Birmingham City: Joe Hart

If they had a proven goal scorer, he would almost certainly win the vote. However, if the Blue’s are to survive this season I sense it will be more down to collective will than the efforts of any one player. Despite that, the player likely to be the busiest this season is loan signing Joe Hart. It is important to build from the back, especially for the newly promoted teams and in Hart, Birmingham have signed a proven commodity. His absence would be sorely missed.

Blackburn Rovers: Chris Samba

Let’s face it. Rovers style under Sam Allardyce this season is unlikely to be pretty. A colossus of a man, Samba is a threat at both ends of the pitch, giving opposition defenders and attackers alike more than their fair share of bumps and bruises. He’ll never win bonus points for style but he is undeniably effective.

Bolton Wanderers: Kevin Davies

The one man battering ram is an expression often applied to Kevin Davies; and with good reason. He may not score many but his hold up play and knock downs are essential for Bolton. Take out Davies and the team has no centrepiece. In an already struggling side, would you want to see Johan Elmander gamefully leading the line on his own for the rest of the season?

Burnley: Wade Elliot

More so than perhaps any other Premier League team, Burnley’s is a squad without an obvious star name. They embody the true essence of a team rather than a collection of individuals. That said, goals from midfield are highly prized in any team and in Wade Elliot, they have a player more than capable of producing the odd blockbuster (witness last season’s play-off final), as well as chipping in with his fair share of assists.

Chelsea: Frank Lampard

The obvious pick. How many games has Mr. Consistency missed in the past few seasons? Precious few is the answer and I very much doubt Chelsea would care to find out how well the midfield would fare in his absence. Yes, theirs is a squad brim full of stars, but Lampard is the heartbeat of the team. Replacing his energy let alone his goals would be a near impossible task for any manager.

Everton: Leighton Baines

There is a strong case that their most influential players in Phil Jagielka and Mikel Arteta are already on the treatment table. However, at the present time Everton look to have problems all over the pitch and none more so than in defence. One bright spark here has been the emergence of Leighton Baines. After an inauspicious start to life on Merseyside, Baines is finally justifying his price tag. Lethal from set pieces and a rampaging force on the left hand side, Everton can scarcely afford to lose his blend of attacking and defensive input.

Fulham: Danny Murphy

Despite looking the best part of forty for most of the past twenty years, Danny Murphy still seems to capture the fountain of youth on the football field. His game has never been about pace and quietly last season his precision passing and calmness in possession were the driving force behind Fulham’s impressive league finish. Quality ball players are at a premium and clubs like Fulham will find replacing a player of Murphy’s technical ability a particularly daunting prospect.

Hull City: Jozy Altidore

In many ways a crazy choice given that he has played less than sixty minutes of Premier League football thus far, but bare with me. To survive this season Hull need goals; plain and simple. They will concede, of that there is no doubt. Altidore arrives on loan from Villarreal with a burgeoning reputation as one of North America’s hottest young striking prospects and given the dearth of viable options in Hull’s attack (Cousin, Folan et al), there could be an enormous burden upon his shoulders as the season wears on. Early signs also look good with a lively display and valuable assist in the win against Bolton.

Liverpool: Fernando Torres

A close call this between the big two of Torres and Gerrard. Although, on closer inspection of the paucity of options in the final third (come on, does anyone really believe Voronin is a footballer?), the edge has to go to the diminutive Spaniard. Torres at his best is possibly the most instinctive natural finisher currently playing the game and so to expect a like for like replacement is absurd. Liverpool’s biggest problem lies in the fact that they don’t seem to have even a serviceable alternative. An injury to Torres and the drop off in quality will be immense.

Manchester City: Shay Given

I very nearly went for Stephen Ireland here, who brings similar levels of energy and passion to the city midfield as Frank Lampard at Chelsea, but the nod has to go to Shay Given. I was the first to question the need to sign Given last season with such a promising keeper as Hart on the books, but my word has Mark Hughes been proven right on this one. In my view Given stands head and shoulders as the best keeper in the Premier league at present and his classy performances week in week out bring a whole new level of confidence to the players in front of him.

Manchester United: Wayne Rooney

Probably the most predictable and yet obvious choice of any Premier League team. Without Ronaldo, an injury to Rooney would be unthinkable for United’s title chances. He has become their talisman and the majority of the attacking play moves through him. Less for his goal scoring than his lung bursting energy, commitment and all around movement off the ball will he missed if a long term injury setback strikes.

Portsmouth: Frédéric Piquionne

Despite a catalogue of signings in recent days the Pompey squad looks horribly threadbare. Solid but most definitely unspectacular sums up Portsmouth and as of now it is difficult to see where goals are going to come from or how they will stopped at the other end. Goals will have to come from somewhere though and loan signing Piquionne has at least shown some promise and plenty of willing so far; and with so little to back him up, needs to stay fit to give his team even a fighting chance.

Stoke City: Ryan Shawcross

Stoke will surprise no-one this season and yet they will surely beat many. They are what they are. Big and physical, with plenty of high balls into the box and crunching challenges. Plenty of teams will leave the Britannia this season with more bruises than points to show for their efforts. Ryan Shawcross has come a long way since his days as a Manchester United reserve and offers Stoke not only a towering presence in defence but also a handy option in attack, where he has already chipped in with vital goals.

Sunderland: Lee Cattermole

Much has been made of the front two of Darren Bent and Kenwyne Jones and with good reason. However, both are capable of leading the line and so an injury to one or the other becomes slightly less important. Sunderland’s promising start has been built as much upon their new midfield engine room, dominated by Cattermole and Cana. Win the important battles first and then score the goals. Cattermole may not be pretty but he is effective.

Tottenham Hotspur: Wilson Palacios

After Wayne Rooney, to my mind this is the safest pick. Palacios has turned Tottenham from a collection of talented individuals into a team with his box to box energy and whole hearted tackling. He is so much more than simply a holding midfield player, but this is his most important virtue to the Spurs team. His steely contribution allows the flair players to perform. Take him out of the line up and watch the difference.

West Ham United: Carlton Cole

Carlton Cole has transformed a career in reverse to one in which he’s dreaming of a place in next year’s World Cup squad. The Hammers are not exactly blessed with attacking options (though the Diamanti signing should help). Cole’s goals would be missed but it is his link up play which means most to West Ham. Cole has developed into a true top class players in this regard.

Wigan Athletic: Paul Scharner

Wigan have already lost a host of key players this summer and must be relieved that the transfer window has finally closed without further departures. One big player staying put is Paul Scharner. Scharner has been a steady and commanding influence for Wigan and, always a threat in the opposition box, he has been prone to popping up with the odd valuable goal. Wigan need some constants in a season of change and keeping Scharner fit and interested is a must for them.

Wolverhampton Wanderers: Michael Mancienne

One thing Wolves cannot afford to do is ship a hatful of goals this season as they are unlikely to out-score too many teams in a shoot out. They do have perhaps the best attacking options of the promoted teams with the likes of Ebanks-Blake (once fit) and Doyle, however, as Stoke proved last season, a solid defence should be the starting point. In this regard the re-signing on loan of the highly promising Mancienne appears a master stroke. Mancienne brings pace and assurance to an on–paper seemingly fragile defence.

From Soccerlens.com - Football News

While it is far too early to make any sort of valid title predictions based on the limited premier league action served up thus far, it is fair to say that of the so called title contenders (I’ll include Man City in the equation), I am somewhat surprised at the start made by Chelsea. 

It is not so much their 100% record, which means little at this stage, but the manner of their performances which have caught the eye.   Drogba and Anelka are dovetailing superbly upfront and look to be on the brink of forming a formidable partnership.  The midfield diamond/christmas tree/inverted trapezium (or whatever you care to call it!) is functioning well regardless of the interchange in personnel. 

Although for me, the most impressive factor of Chelsea’s performances to date has been not on the pitch but the touchline.   Many, myself included, expressed reservations at the appointment of Carlo Ancelotti.  Certainly a force to be reckoned with in the Champions League, but with only a basic command of English, just one Italian title to his name and a reputation for somewhat inflexible tactics.  Would this fit the cosmopolitan, entertaining and above all winning mentality demanded by Abramovich? 

Well, it’s early days of course and come season’s end he may yet prove to be more Avram Grant than Jose Mourinho, but credit where credit is due; he’s off to a good start.

So what of the other usual suspects?  Well prior to the game at Old Trafford, I would certainly have said that this has been Arsenal’s season thus far and in all honesty, despite the result, I have seen little to dissuade me from that opinion.  Given the same chances and balance of play, Arsenal would win that game eight times out of ten. However, ultimately they only had themselves to blame for two costly and decisive errors. 

There was no need whatsoever for Almunia to make the challenge on Rooney as by simply covering his near post the angle would have been decidedly against the striker.  Similarly, Diaby had no cause to head the ball, although Almunia should clearly have called for it and taken command of the situation and so must share equal blame. 

Still, Arsenal have every reason to be proud of their performance and the flowing football they have produced in their opening matches.   True, United was their early acid test and they emerged without a point, but if they play to the same standard for the remainder of the season they will win more games than not, including against big five opposition.  I wouldn’t be at all surprised to see them bounce back with three points against Manchester City after the international break.

Manchester United are a different kettle of fish entirely.  They will undoubtedly be buoyed by a massive three points against a leading contender but their performances so far, including the 90 minutes against Arsenal have for large parts been insipid, devoid of creativity and over reliant on the energy and battling qualities of Wayne Rooney.  Even though they eventually ran up a cricket score against Wigan they were frustrated for long periods and looked shorn of ideas until the flood gates opened. 

It is far too easy and obvious to blame all of this on the departure of the ‘big ego’ but suffice to say those remaining need to stand up and be counted.  I also believe United will need even more from the full backs this season, pushing forward to provide more support in wide areas, which puts an even greater emphasis on Evra, an already excellent player to deliver the goods.  Valencia and Nani may yet emerge as real stars at United, but their time has not yet arrived.

As for Liverpool, were it not for a disgraceful decision by referee Alan Wiley in sending off Sean Davis for an entirely non-descript challenge, they may have been staring an absolutely calamitous start to the season in the face.  There is no arguing with the quality of Gerrard’s winner but with eleven against eleven it may just have been a different story. 

I read little into the home defeat against Villa in which Liverpool actually played well but made basic errors and found Friedel in inspired form.  What does concern me is their obvious lack of depth, particularly in central defence where new signing Kyrgiakos looked less than certain.   As it is, with a home game against Burnley on the horizon they now have the chance to re-group and re-establish their title credentials.    Liverpool’s season starts now.

Other than Chelsea, Manchester City are the only other ‘big 5′ team to have made an unblemished start.  Unlike Chelsea their results have been impressive more for the way in which they have ground them out.   Four goals scored and none conceded make for solid workmanlike statistics but let’s also face facts; the opposition have hardly been of the highest calibre. 

Mark Hughes team will face far sterner tests in the coming weeks and despite the defence having yet to be breached this has been as much down to the profligate finishing of the opposition as the form of their own back four.  Against both Wolves and Portsmouth they have looked in complete control only to cede ascendency to their opponents and end the game grateful to preserve 3 points.  So all in all, a solid start but I remain to be convinced.  The game against Arsenal will be the true test for them.

An honourable mention must also go to Tottenham for an impressive start to the campaign.  I look forward to watching the table really begin to take shape in the coming weeks.

From Soccerlens.com - Football News