Fat Tottenham, Lazy Liverpool and Sloppy Arsenal - Saturday Review
What is with the press and Tottenham’s “weight problem”?
I think it’s a convenient target for those confused between their desire to see Tottenham break into the Big 3 and the results they see on the pitch. No doubt that Tottenham have a talented bunch of young footballers, but is it really that big a difference from Jol to Ramos?
The way they’ve portrayed it (Tottenham having lost 50 kilos and needing to lose 50 more), it’s as if Martin Jol force-fed them corn syrup and double-glazed doughnuts all day and instead of any tactical training or physical exercise, Tottenham training sessions consisted of watching TV and drinking beer. Jol wasn’t a top-four manager, but he wasn’t that bad either.
Liverpool poised at the edge of the abyss
Not literally, but it’s a sinking feeling going into a Champions League 2nd Round game with the best team in Italy and your whole season riding on those two legs. Liverpool still have to make up ground in the Premier League as well, and after tonight’s defeat at the hands of Barnsley (I’d laugh but United have made a habit of losing to lower-league opposition in recent years so I can’t really say much) Rafa Benitez will need everything he has in his locker to take Liverpool to a strong finish this season.
Last year Liverpool played Barcelona at this stage and over an enthralling 180 minutes, Barcelona self-destructed and left Liverpool with a date with PSV Eindhoven and then with Chelsea, a contest Liverpool always seem to be up for. This year, they face Internazionale and I doubt that they’ll turn over as limply as Barcelona did.
Whether Rafa can get Liverpool players to rise as they tend to do against Chelsea and Milan still remains to be seen. If he can manage it, there still might be something left in this season for Liverpool fans.
Sloppy, Sloppy Arsenal
How do you explain tonight’s performance at Old Trafford? The ref didn’t cheat them, the opposition beat them with football instead of two-footed lunges and flying kicks and they couldn’t really blame lady luck because they never got in a position to ask the questions from van der Sar. Arsenal, in a nutshell, came to Old Trafford to be beaten. By the end of the first half it looked as if the players could not comprehend what was happening to them, that they felt absolutely powerless to do anything about it.
United fans at Old Trafford (and around the world) expected a backlash in the second half, but nothing came. I understand that with the injuries and the punishing schedule that English football creates, Arsenal’s priority was the Champions League and the Premier League but here you have the league leaders going up against one of their fiercest rivals who themselves are after the same two prizes. The difference was not just in depth but also in mental strength - and Arsenal lacked it dearly.
They’ll bounce back again but it will worry Wenger that their two worst defeats so far this season have come against their two most-hated rivals. An away-day defeat like this either in the Premier League or the Champions League could derail their season completely, and Arsenal must focus from now on.
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Hmm, whilst I agree that Arsenal didn’t play particularly, your analysis of the second half does have a glaring omission - the sending off of Eboue. Arsenal played almost all of the second half with 10 men, so it’s hardly surprising that the expected backlash never materialised.
Thanks ahmed for writing the match reviews i know your the best manc at being unbiased
(even though your still slighty biased).
Rafa needs to be sacked im not speaking from frustration. Jamie Redknapp was right to say Liverpool would never win the league under Benitez and its time for him to go. He has lost his players and there are a lot of managers that would be up for the Liverpool job.
The only way Benitez can save his Liverpool career is by bringing back the CL which is very unrealistic for this Liverpool team.
The last time Inter Milan lost a match was pre season and losing to a lower league side isnt the perfect preparation for a match with probably the best team in the world (based on form). Liverpool will lose 100% but I just hope Inter dont kill us over and let us leave with a little respect.
When Benitez is sacked i shutter to think who will replace him. Maybe we could be given a decent manager. Martin O Neill seems to like Liverpool more than any other team in the league (with the exception of villa). Maybe Paul Jewell?
Ricky - fair point.
LF - I think Benitez has it in him to win the league, he needs time and backing. If he’s lost the players it’s more to do with the insane amount of expectations placed on him and his team than anything else.
Who played better, Kewell or Babel?
Babel set up the first goal and looked threatening,maybe pool could’ve won it if he stayed on .Now looking forward to Rafa putting Babel on the bench in the champions league.
But the point is that he did pretty much nothing in 75 mins, while Kewell got have got 3 if not from the brilliance of their keeper (based on reading about the match).
No he wont win the league heres 7 reasons why Liverpool fans are so upset with him now.
1. He gets a lot of financial backing (just as much as man u) but he has only bought one player over 15 million.
2. He has brought in great players like Reina, Agger, Masch, Torres, Alonso and Garcia but he has bought over 50 players in is four years i should be able to say more than that!!
3. His late substitutions drop us so many points i remember when he brought Crouch on in the CL final and crouch imediately set up a goal but it was just too late.
4. His faith in players with no impact is ruining us what has Kewell or Pennant done!!?? Get rid of them already.
5.The youth team players are unreal Liverpool not only have some of the best youngsters in england but in the world. We won the FA youth cup 2 times in a row!! why isnt he bringing anybody up? Nemeth is far better than voronin and probably better than Kuyt. We win probably loose Guthrie now to Bolton!
6. Rotation!!! The team has no chemistry at all! we showed that agaisnt man u. We didnt grind out anything our patient football is terrible.
7. He doesnt care about Liverpool. Its all about what is good for Rafael Benitez.
I don’t agree with some of your post (Though I am not a big fan or think Rafa is any good too).
I’ll tell you what I think tomorrow, after I wake up.