Ok, firstly, though I have named this post "UPS and Downs, I am not going to be talking about the ups so much. Secondly, this is just a reply I gave on our daily public chatroom (Outlook ,actually), proving I have way too much time on my hands. Thirdly, I have written only about a few teams, there's a lot more that happened during this season that I couldn't fill in. Fourthly, this post comes as a dirct request by Jazzz, a die-hard ManU fan. And lastly, I don't mind discussions and arguments about my statements here, though I concede I am not at all a trained manager, nor am I an experienced veteran of the game. I shall not pretend to be a guru or a pundit.
The next few lines have been directly pasted verbatim (expletives deleted :) )from my mail, so if you are one of those who scorns at absence of formal introductions to a post, you can scoff all you want.)
Ob.
1. Real Madrid makes the first mistake by buying both Kaka and Ronaldo. You only need one string puller in each team, not two. Ronaldo supported the entire ManU framework himself, and Kaka did the same for AC Milan. Plus, Real didn’t shore up their defences.
2. ManC did the mistake of buying all strikers/offensive midfielders, while their only notable signing in defence has been Lescott from Everton. However, while the team’s attack looks magnificent on paper, the defence is average at best. Indeed, if not for the heroics of Shay Given, ManC would have been in a much tougher position.
3. Liverpool’s biggest mistake was letting Alonso go. Alonso was the only player in the team (apart from Gerrard) who, arguably, had an amazing positional sense of play. His long range passes were as good as Gerrard’s if not better. He was also a workhorse to the core. Benitez has made the mistake of playing Lucas time and again, coz, Lucas is after all the King of the Side Pass. Babel has been an overrated disaster, N’gog is just as bad (and he cheats), once Torres and Gerrard out of the equation then Liverpool looks like a team worth fourteenth/fifteenth place. Liverpool’s other weakness is their medical team. Torres’ injury is getting bad, he has to consult a specialist now. Remember what happened to Harry Kewell(or the other Australian guy – I forget his name)?
4. ManU is ob too dependant on Rooney, and I don’t care how many hardened critics are against me. 34 goals in the season (compared to Tevez’s 28, Drogba’s 32, and Messi’s 40 ), with the second highest scorer for the ManU team being own goals (13), with Berbatov and Owen again looking ordinary. I feel Macheda should have been given more time on the field. Capeelo will nt be too happy to see a half-fit Rooney turning out on the pitch for ManU.
5. Chelsea, when it bought players in 2004 at the beginning of the Russian regime, made sure it had a balanced team. Not only did Mourinho pick out African players, who till then had been overlooked, but he gelled it into an efficient unit which neither ManC nor Real have managed to do. But Chelsea’s weakness lies in age. Most of the senior players are still from the Mourinho administration, and awere comprehensively outwitted against inter Milan in the UCL. Ancelotti, at best, has had to carry a good team forward. Even while in Italy, Ancelotti (though well regarded for his European antics), was less aggressive than Mourinho. What with Terry’s and Cole’s antics off the field as well, Chelsea needs to not only buck up it’s youth ranks, but also get their focus right (which they are hopefully doing now).
6. Arsenal, is probably the most kicked about team in the League right now. With horrific injuries to Ramsey and co., no doubt Arsene feels victimized. Also, Rosicky and Eduardo came in with a bang, but have not been the same since their respective injuries. Arsenal lost 3 players in the Barca 1st leg, all 3 out till end of season. Now Gallas out for season too I think. Vermaelen created a buzz initially, but his defensive positioning is up for interrogation. Even in the box, Arsenal lack height to make their wingers any effective. Although Walcott has been quite good as a sub (he runs 100m in just over 10sec), he is just that – an impact sub. Nasri and Fabregas are extremely good, though. Arsenal also has had some difficult scheduling, playing 15 matches in 2 months over the winter.
7. Portsmouth? Well, with it’s problems with administration, not paying players’ wages on time, changing managers, they got relegated earlier this week…but then won against Tottenham yesterday to set up a FA Final date with Chelsea on May 15th! A fairytale indeed.
Chelsea is on 74 points facing Bolton on Tuesday, ManU on 72 having played a game more, Arsenal has Tottenham midweek. ManC is 4th comfortably, though Tottenham still have a chance. But Tottenham has games against ManU, ManC, Arsenal and Chelsea left. Tricky fixtures for ManU and Chelsea include Stoke, Liverpool and Tottenham. An intense 4-5 weeks coming up, gentlemen. Buckle up.
(As written on April 12th, Monday)
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