A Predictable Rant from a United Fan

I 4-1 would not like to be a Manchester United fan by now.

Sure, not the most creative wordplay ever made but it describes what most United fans feel like right after their humiliation of neighbors Manchester City at Etihad. A poor performance from back to front, they were lucky not to lose more than the 4-1 scoreline suggested.

Fig 1. United talisman Robin van Persie

United were without lead goalscorer Robin van Persie who was injured. In his place, Danny Welbeck gets a start, but he was ineffective for most parts of the game. Manchester United looked very blunt without the Dutch striker and it seems at times Wayne Rooney was driving the team forward on his own. No RvP, no party.

Enough with the background. Let us start the ranting shall we?

Let us start from the most worrying aspect of the team; the wingers. Antonio Valencia and Ashley Young. One is more right-sided than a hardcore Republican, the other confuses a swimming pool with a penalty box. I am amazed how they are still getting game time when we almost lost the league last season because of our lack-lustured wingers. Valencia reverting to his old #25 shirt did not convert to his old form, while Ashley Young has done absolutely nothing since his double against Arsenal 3 YEARS AGO in that 8-2 win at Old Trafford.

Fig 2. Antonio Valencia and Ashley Young, in their better playing days.

It is amazing how Wilfried Zaha and Adnan Januzaj, who impressed in pre-season, did not even make the bench. We still even have Nani, the least disappointing winger last season, and he didn't move from the dugout. Manager David Moyes should try and give these three players more chances then Valencia and Young. Heck, I saw the Indonesia U-19s match before this and their wingers were MORE effective then what I witnessed at Etihad.

Most United fans would argue that Shinji Kagawa needs to play too. He has shown what he could do back in his Dortmund days and glimpses of that talent came out last season when he wasn't injured that much. Marouane Fellaini sure is a physical player, but the Japanese playmaker would give the team more creativity - a thing that lacked so much in the Manchester derby. Kagawa isn't even a winger and I bet that he would have given a better performance than Young or Valencia.

Fig 3. Shinji Kagawa pleading his case to be played.

Our defense was quite terrible as well. You don't leave out criticism for the defenders if you concede 4 goals. The marking was poor, the efforts were woeful, and the organization was just as bad. Rio Ferdinand might have the experience, but his legs aren't quite what they used to be. Nemanja Vidic has always been a brick wall, but he was beaten time and time again by Sergio Aguero and Alvaro Negredo. Not to mention the declining Patrice Evra or the unlucky Chris Smalling on left-back and right-back respectively. Moyes, again, has a lot of homework to do.

During the match, after conceding a fourth, in need of goals, Moyes decides to bring on Tom Cleverley for the ineffective Ashley Young. I think Cleverley is a great player, but not a player you rely on to make or score a goal. Considering Moyes had Kagawa, Nani, and Javier Hernandez as well on the bench, he puts Cleverley. What's worse was that was the only substitution David Moyes made in the game. It reminded me when England was trailing Germany 1-4 back in 2010 at the last World Cup, when they were in search of goals, then-England Manager Fabio Capello introduced Emile Heskey. A player DEFINITELY not known for his goalscoring prowess.

Fig 4. David Moyes looking sharp as ever.

At times like these, it is easy to blame the gaffer for everything. Sure, Rome wasn't built in a day, but the people would like to see progress. I am definitely behind David Moyes and his tenure here, and I would like to give him time to impress me. But if United keep playing like this for the rest of the season, he needs to change this team from back to front.

But credit is where credit is due, Manchester City had a fine evening. The interchanging of Aguero, Negredo, Samir Nasri, and Jesus Navas were great. They have the greatest spines in England with Joe Hart in goal, Vincent Kompany at the back, Yaya Toure in the middle, and Aguero on top. They will be devastated if they don't win the league, while United will be lucky enough to finish third. Congratulations to Manchester City for taking the bragging rights in town.

My Barclays Premier League Awards 2011-2012

What an end to this season. We all thought City would finally win it at the beginning of the season, but not in the conditions we've just witnessed last night! Manchester City has won their 3rd title, and despite their exceeding spending, boy do they deserve it. It was a rare occasion as well at the Etihad, where both sides were celebrating. QPR managed to stay up despite losing, so there were 2 parties in Manchester. From the time I started following football and BPL specifically, this has been the best season ever if you count for drama.

This post is to give out mentions to people who deserved the recognition.Last year, PFA and FWA gave undeserving players the nod of "Footballer of the Year", and this year both awards went to the deserving Robin van Persie. Barclays gave their version of the award to an even more deserving Vincent Kompany. But there are other players who have stand out and also deserves recognition for their efforts this season, so here are "MY" notable mentions:

Player of the Year: Vincent Kompany (Manchester City)

Manager of the Year: Alan Pardew (Newcastle United)

Young Player of the Year: Sergio Aguero (Manchester City)

Best Transfer Signings:

5. Mikel Arteta (Everton to Arsenal) £10M

4. Sergio Aguero (Atletico Madrid to ManCity) £38M

3. Yohan Cabaye (Lille to Newcastle) £6.5M

2. Demba Ba (West Ham to Newcastle) £0

1. Papiss Cisse (Freiburg to Newcastle) £9.5M

Worst Transfer Signings:

5. Jordan Henderson (Sunderland to Liverpool) £16M

4. Romelu Lukaku (Anderlecht to Chelsea) £18M

3. Roger Johnson (Birmingham to Wolves) £7M

2. Charles N'Zogbia (Wigan to Aston Villa) £9M

1. Stewart Downing (Aston Villa to Liverpool) £20M

Best Loan Signings:

5. Ben Foster (Birmingham from West Brom)

4. Kyle Naughton (Norwich from Tottenham)

3. Gylfi Sigurdsson (Swansea from Hoffenheim)

2. Nicklas Bendtner (Sunderland from Arsenal)

1. Emmanuel Adebayor (Tottenham from ManCity)

Worst Loan Signings:

5. Federico Macheda (QPR from ManUtd)

4. Royston Drenthe (Everton from Real Madrid)

3. Jermaine Jenas (Aston Villa from Tottenham)

2. Wayne Bridge (Sunderland from ManCity)

1. Anthony Modeste (Blackburn from Bordeaux)

PFA Team of the Year:

Goalkeeper: Joe Hart (Manchester City)

Defenders: Kyle Walker (Tottenham), Vincent Kompany (Manchester City), Fabricio Coloccini (Newcastle), Leighton Baines (Everton)

Midfielders: David Silva, Yaya Toure (both Manchester City), Scott Parker, Gareth Bale (both Tottenham)

Strikers: Robin van Persie (Arsenal), Wayne Rooney (Manchester United)

My Non-PFA Team of the Year:

Goalkeeper: Tim Krul (Newcastle)

Defenders: Micah Richards (Manchester City), Jonny Evans (Manchester United), Laurent Koscielny (Arsenal), Jose Enrique (Liverpool)

Midfielders: Antonio Valencia (Manchester United), Alex Song (Arsenal), Yohan Cabaye (Newcastle), Clint Dempsey (Fulham)

Strikers: Sergio Aguero (Manchester City), Emmanuel Adebayor (Tottenham)

Top Goalscorer: Robin van Persie (Arsenal) - 30

Most Assists: David Silva (Manchester City) - 15

Champions: Manchester City

Relegated: Bolton Wanderers, Blackburn Rovers, Wolverhampton Wanderers

Champions League Qualifiers: Manchester United, Arsenal, Tottenham Hotspur

Europa League Qualifiers: Newcastle, Chelsea (FA Cup Winners), Liverpool (Carling Cup Winners)

BPL Underperformers XI 2010-2011

I would like to name the article "Worst XI" but that would be an overreaction. This article will consist of players who many thought would perform well but they actually flopped. Players who are expected to shine yet to no avail and make you wonder where was the hype in the first place.

Here would be my Underperformers XI!

Formation: 4-4-2

Goalkeeper: Manuel Almunia (Arsenal)

 From knocking Jens Lehmann's berth, being named captain, to eventually being 3rd choice behind 2 young Polish Goalkeepers in 1 season, Almunia has been through it all. Committing fatal blunders cost him his place in the Arsenal team and trust from manager Wenger. A great case of Top to Flop.

Rightback: John Pantsil (Fulham)

 After experiencing a great World Cup with Ghana, he went back to England only to score owngoal after owngoal, blunders galore, and disappointing outings. This left him to be behind Chris Baird in the pecking order. Even when Baird gets injured, centrehalf Aaron Hughes is preferred to deputize. 

Centreback: Sebastien Squillaci (Arsenal)

Gunner fans were excited of the prospect that a French International defender was to pay for Arsenal and Squillaci already made a name for himself back in Sevilla. Turns out he was more of a Boumsong rather than a Desailly as he never looked convincing with lapses of concentration even Titus Bramble would be ashamed of.

Centreback: Ian Evatt (Blackpool)

 In a season where Blackpool showed a great case of attacking play, their defence has been wobbly. Sure, Evatt wasn't the blame for the whole bad Blackpool defence, but he did have his bad moments. Particularly the standout mistake was when he almost made sure Blackpool were relegated as he scored an own goal against Manchester United, only for Michael Owen to relieve his blushes.

Leftback: Paul Konchesky (Liverpool)

 Liverpool fans were cautious over the move and they had every reason why. A player who hasn't been a standout for Fulham but consistent enough was bought by Roy Hodgson to solve their left-back case. Instead he failed to play well and eventually loaned for 6 months to Nottingham Forest. Bad luck.

Right Wing: Bebe (Manchester United)

 When the headlines read "ManUtd signs young unknown Portuguese winger for £8M", everyone expected someone like a Cristiano Ronaldo or Nani mould who has been a success in their home country. Sad thing is, Bebe was a stranger in Portugal as well, and it showed in his handful of appearances that he lacked any quality of a football player, let alone a ManUtd player.

Central Midfield: Christian Poulsen (Juventus)

It was a curious case when Liverpool signed a Juventus reject when Juve themselves had one of their worst seasons in 09/10, and during his time in Anfield he even lost a starting berth to an unknown quantity of Jay Spearing. He's lucky he cost for a relatively cheap price of £4.5M otherwise he would be an expensive flop.

Central Midfield: Aliaksandr Hleb (Birmingham)

Many thought Birmingham did a fine piece of business to lure in ex-Arsenal star Hleb on loan from Barcelona after a successful spell at Stuttgart. Gosh how everybody was wrong. He barely could break into Birmingham's starting XI and when he did he became non existant on the pitch. Pity.

Left Wing: Joe Cole (Liverpool)

Signing an England International on a free? Couldve been signing of the season if it worked out. He got sent-off on his debut, got injured a lot, and when fit he never shown his quality that made him a star back at Chelsea. Burnout I suppose.

Striker: Jermain Defoe (Tottenham)

I feel bad for putting him here on the Underperformers XI, but what can I do? only 4 goals all season? Certainly not his usual Defoe. Yeah he did get injured early on, but he never found his old form since. At least Peter Crouch has been a handful in Europe.

Striker: Fernando Torres (Chelsea)

He wasn't that bad early on with Liverpool. 9 goals when out of form wasn't a bad return. But ever since his surprising £50M big money move to Chelsea, he also became surprisingly horrible. His inability to work well with either Didier Drogba or Nicolas Anelka and only scored 1 goal in 14 appearances, he made himself a laughing stock because of his performances.

Certainly theres more underperformers than these 11 players, namely John Obi Mikel, Andrei Arshavin, Abou Diaby, Jonny Evans, Heurelho Gomes, Pablo Barrera, even Jerome Boateng. 

Agree? Disagree? This my team, don't know yours.

My Barclays Premier League Awards

Its the end of the 2010/2011 season where Manchester United won their record 19th trophy to beat Liverpool's record of 18. We also witnessed a relegation battle that went down until the last minute to determine who would go down. A great season overall where nothing could be predicted.

This post is to give out mentions to people who deserved the recognition because face it, the awards given by the PFA and the FWA were a bit lousy to give "Player of the Year" awards to sicknote Gareth Bale and relegated Scott Parker. Good thing Barclays themselves gave the award to someone who deserved it, Nemanja Vidic. Here are "MY" notable mentions:

Player of the Year: Nemanja Vidic (Manchester United)

Manager of the Year: Sir Alex Ferguson (Manchester United)

Young Player of the Year: Jack Wilshere (Arsenal)

Best Transfer Signings:

5. Asamoah Gyan (Rennes to Sunderland) £13M

4. David Silva (Valencia to Manchester City) £25M

3. Luis Suarez (Ajax to Liverpool) £27M

2. Rafael Van der Vaart (Real Madrid to Tottenham) £8M

1. Javier Hernandez (Guadalajara to Manchester United) £7M

Worst Transfer Signings:

5. Paul Konchesky (Fulham to Liverpool) £3.5M

4. Christian Poulsen (Juventus to Liverpool) £4.5M

3. Sebastian Squillaci (Sevilla to Arsenal) £5M

2. Fernando Torres (Liverpool to Chelsea) £50M

1. Bebe (Vitoria Guimaraes to Manchester United) £8M

 Best Loan Signings:

5. Nedum Onuoha (Sunderland from Manchester City)

4. Tom Cleverley (Wigan from Manchester United)

3. Danny Welbeck (Sunderland from Manchester United)

2. Ali Al-Habsi (Wigan from Bolton)

1. Daniel Sturridge (Bolton from Chelsea)

Worst Loan Signings:

5. Michael Bradley (Aston Villa from Moenchengladbach)

4. Aliaksander Hleb (Birmingham from Barcelona)

3. Wayne Bridge (West Ham from Manchester City)

2. Robbie Keane (West Ham from Tottenham)

1. Roque Santa Cruz (Blackburn from Manchester City)

PFA Team of the Year:

Goalkeeper: Edwin Van der Sar (Manchester United)

Defenders: Bacary Sagna (Arsenal), Vincent Kompany (Manchester City), Nemanja Vidic (Manchester United), Ashley Cole (Chelsea)

Midfielders: Nani (Manchester United), Jack Wilshere, Samir Nasri (both Arsenal), Gareth Bale (Tottenham)

Strikers: Carlos Tevez (Manchester City), Dimitar Berbatov (Manchester United)

My Non-PFA Team of the Year:

Goalkeeper: Joe Hart (Manchester City)

Defenders: Branislav Ivanovic (Chelsea), Gary Cahill (Bolton), Michael Dawson (Tottenham), Leighton Baines (Everton)

Midfielders: Rafael Van der Vaart (Tottenham), David Silva (Manchester City), Luka Modric (Tottenham), Florent Malouda (Chelsea)

Strikers: Javier Hernandez (Manchester United), Darren Bent (Aston Villa)

Top Goalscorer: Dimitar Berbatov (Manchester United) & Carlos Tevez (Manchester City) - 21

Most Assists: Nani (Manchester United) - 18

Champions: Manchester United

Relegated: Birmingham City, Blackpool, West Ham United

Champions League Qualifiers: Chelsea, Manchester City, Arsenal (Playoff)

Europa League Qualifiers: Tottenham Hotspur, Stoke City (FA Cup Runners-up), Birmingham City (Carling Cup Winners)

BPL title race; and why Chelsea may finish outside the Top 4.

Long time no write, eh? Here goes nothing.

Fig 1. Chelsea's attackers celebrates... but not for long.

To be honest, I am a Manchester United fan to the bone and I thought this season was going to be a bad one considering the bad start of the season and Chelsea to win it again. The first 10 games, Chelsea were the most feared team and won games by thrashing their opponents home & away. Drogba hitting form, Malouda's & Anelka's rejuvenated, and Kalou beginning to shine, I thought this would be THEIR season.

But now its 2011 with 21 matchdays played. Manchester United are surprisingly still unbeaten and top of the league while Chelsea's form has dipped lower than George W Bush's IQ level. What has been the reason of their downfall? Rotation policy failure.

Chelsea has the one of the best starting XI you will see in the world, but when 2-3 players are suddenly unavailable no one can fill in. When you look at Manchester United & Arsenal, they have players who can offer a lot from the bench when the starters are having an off-day. Then you see Manchester City & Tottenham Hotspur building their squad for a couple of seasons and see they both have great squads and will only improve with gametime.

In this article I will compare the starting XI and 7 substitutes of the top 5 teams (Manchester United, Arsenal, Manchester City, Chelsea, Tottenham Hotspur) in the BPL standings as of January 4 2011.

Manchester United
-----------------------------------------Van der Sar-------------------------------------
--Rafael-----------Ferdinand-------------------------Vidic-------------Evra-----
-----------------------Carrick------------------------Fletcher--------------------------
Nani-------------------------------------------------------------------------Park---
----------------------Rooney------------------------Berbatov-----------------------

Most frequent subs: Hernandez, Anderson, Scholes, Giggs, Smalling, Macheda, O'Shea

Fig 2. Park Ji-Sung and Dimitar Berbatov.

This team is a great one, especially when you still have players you can't mention in subs bench such as Valencia, Owen, Obertan, and Evans. This squad has depth but sadly not the consistency though. Fortunately Ferguson has that winning mentality installed in the team which brings his team unbeaten up until now.

Manchester United has the quality to win anything if they clicked more with each other and I'm not being biased. What will even be creepier is if Wayne Rooney rediscovers his old form.

End of season expectations: 1st


Arsenal
-----------------------------------------Fabianski----------------------------------------
--Sagna-----------Koscielny--------------------Squillaci--------------Clichy---
------------------------Fabregas----------------------Song---------------------------
Nasri---------------------------------Wilshere-----------------------------Arshavin
----------------------------------------Chamakh---------------------------------------


Most frequent subs: Walcott, Rosicky, Van Persie, Bendtner, Djourou, Diaby, Eboue

Fig 3. Samir Nasi hugging Cesc Fabregas.

After years in the waiting, finally Arsene Wenger's plans of breeding youngster have paid off. What's even better is they can chip-chop their squad like crazy and still form a great team. Like ManUtd, they have more players than the ones being mentioned such as the injured Vermaelen, Vela, Denilson, and Gibbs.

Based on quality, Arsenal have a great attack, nice hard-working midfield, and a competent defence. The only thing lacking in the squad maybe the Goalkeeper as Fabianski and Almunia aren't that commanding. But their weakness isn't all that "weak".

End of season expectations: a close second 2nd




Manchester City
---------------------------------------------Hart-----------------------------------------
--Boateng-----------Kompany-----------Kolo Toure-------------Zabaleta-
----------------Yaya Toure---------De Jong---------------Barry------------------
Silva-----------------------------------------------------------------------------Milner
------------------------------------------Tevez--------------------------------------

Most frequent subs: A. Johnson, Balotelli, Richards, Kolarov, Lescott, Adebayor, Vieira

Fig 4. Carlos Tevez & David Silva

I've said this before and I will say it again - Money can't buy you happiness, but we will have to see if it brings you a good football team. Manchester City and Roberto Mancini has certainly wanted to try that philosophy as City has the depth in every position. Other players such as Wright-Phillips, Bridge, and Santa Cruz could impact any team as well.

How money can change a mediocre mid-table club into a dark horse to win the title is outstanding, but Man City has sometimes never lived up to the big games which causes them to drop points to often. Unless they start playing the big games, they will only achieve Champions League qualification zone.

End of season expectations: 4th


Chelsea
----------------------------------------Cech---------------------------------------
--Ivanovic------------Terry------------------Alex---------------------Cole--
----------------------------------------Mikel--------------------------------------
---------------------Lampard----------------Essien---------------------------
Anelka----------------------------Drogba----------------------------Malouda

Most frequent subs: Kalou, Zhirkov, Ramires, Bosingwa, Ferreira, Sturridge, Benayoun

Fig 5. Didier Droga & Florent Malouda

Yes, yes. This is a strong Chelsea squad. But have you seen them play lately? When Alex, Ivanovic, Lampard & Essien went missing, this team suddenly becomes another mediocre midtable club. Ferreira & Bosingwa ain't the players they were before their big injuries while Ramires haven't excelled in Lampard's absence. Besides the players mentioned as subs, basically there are only reserve players in the squad.

Their youngsters are not bad, just inexperienced and doesn't mix that well with the seniors which forces Ancelotti to rely on first-team players or dive into the market this month. Unless they buy someone with the wealth they have, they may be disappointed come the end of the season.

End of season expectations: 5th


Tottenham Hostpur
--------------------------------------Gomes---------------------------------------
--Hutton-------------Gallas----------------Dawson---------Assou-Ekotto--
-----------------Huddlestone-----------------Modric-----------------------
Lennon----------------------Van der Vaart---------------------------Bale
--------------------------------------Defoe---------------------------------------

Most frequent subs: Crouch, Palacios, Pavlyuchenko, Kaboul, Keane, Corluka, Bentley

Fig 5. Rafael Van der Vaart and Gareth Bale screaming.

The squad Harry Redknapp has built in Spurs were down to great signings and awesome trust in his players. What's amazing also is the surprising depth in the squad which runs from the goal up to the strikers. They have the luxury of 6 above average centrebacks and 3 rightwings with international credentials.

Sure Redknapp hasn't rotated his side much, but when one gets injured/suspended, the backup players can stake a claim for Harry. What's amazing with Harry is he can trust players and bring the best out of them like what he did with Gareth Bale and Alan Hutton. With the talent in this team and consistency, they are the better of the dark horses in the league.

End of season expectations: 3rd

Conclusion: Consistency and how back-up players will deliver in games will determine the end result of the league. United, Arsenal, Spurs, Chelsea, and City will need their subs to deliver when their teams needs them the most and now this title race will be the most interesting to watch because virtually 5 teams are in it.

Meet me in May and see if I got my predictions right ;)