Just this Sunday, the game between Chelsea FC and Manchester City. The game was played at Stanford Bridge the home of Chelsea. The game ended with Chelsea defeating Manchester City by 2 goals to nothing.
For 2 seasons now if I remember rightly, it seemed as though Manchester City was dominating Chelsea. Last season, they won Chelsea both home and away. Again this season, Manchester City were the first to win Chelsea thus ending Chelsea's unbeaten run in the league. So seemed that Chelsea now had a Manchester City complex. But all of these ended this Sunday just gone by.
When the game started, it seemed that, Manchester City were having the upper hand. But gradually, Chelsea was coming into the game. But when the second half started, it was Chelsea who had the game under control. With the introduction of Drogba and Anelka it was just a matter of minutes before David Luiz opened the scoring for Chelsea after which Ramires sealed it up scoring the second goal in the dying minutes of the game. Thus it ended Chelsea 2, Manchester City 0.
Thursday, March 24, 2011
The Champions League Draws.
Just last week Friday, the draws of the quarter-finals of the UEFA Champions League was made. These are the fixtures made.
Real Madrid vs. Tottenham Hotspur.
Chelsea vs. Man U.
Barcelona vs. Shaktar.
Inter vs. Schalke.
Looking at the fixtures, one start from the first one mentioned.
Real Madrid vs. Tottenham Hotspur.
Well this is an interesting but a very tough encounter between the 2 sides. Real Madrid are favourites but Tottenham cannot be under-estimated. Looking at both sides, Tottenham looks more coordinated right from the defence through the midfield to the attack than Real Madrid. But one must not forget that Real Madrid has an intelligent and no nonsense tactician in the person of Jose Muorinho. Therefore the game is really going to be a tough one. One must not fail to mention that also Tottenham Hotspur have Harry Redknaap who is also a good manager and tactician.
Chelsea vs. Man U.
To me, this is the toughest of all the fixtures, the one that fans of both clubs will prefer not to have at this stage of the competition if given the choice. But as it is one of them must lose and the other win. Chelsea will be on a revenge mission while Man U will want to confirm their supremacy over Chelsea at the Champion's League. But either way one of the 2 teams will their opponent easy to win. But one thing is sure, one of them will be eliminated when the other progresses.
Barcelona vs. Shakter.
Well this is another cracker of a match. But to me Barcelona may not have much problems overrunning Shaktar. Why one is saying this is because of the quality of players Barcelona has and their free flowing pattern consisting of very accurate passes that they possess. This is why even other strong teams in the world dread to meet Barcelona. Well one is not under-estimating Shaktar here, but will they be able to overcome the highly technical and skillful Barcelona? The answer will be provided after the legs of the game.
Inter vs. Schalke.
Well on paper, this tie looks too easy for Inter. But to me their qualification to this stage was not that impressive. Again we must not forget that Schalke shocked Valencia to reach this stage. So it may not be an easy game after all. None of them must underrate the other because if they do, they might be sent packing out of the competition.
Real Madrid vs. Tottenham Hotspur.
Chelsea vs. Man U.
Barcelona vs. Shaktar.
Inter vs. Schalke.
Looking at the fixtures, one start from the first one mentioned.
Real Madrid vs. Tottenham Hotspur.
Well this is an interesting but a very tough encounter between the 2 sides. Real Madrid are favourites but Tottenham cannot be under-estimated. Looking at both sides, Tottenham looks more coordinated right from the defence through the midfield to the attack than Real Madrid. But one must not forget that Real Madrid has an intelligent and no nonsense tactician in the person of Jose Muorinho. Therefore the game is really going to be a tough one. One must not fail to mention that also Tottenham Hotspur have Harry Redknaap who is also a good manager and tactician.
Chelsea vs. Man U.
To me, this is the toughest of all the fixtures, the one that fans of both clubs will prefer not to have at this stage of the competition if given the choice. But as it is one of them must lose and the other win. Chelsea will be on a revenge mission while Man U will want to confirm their supremacy over Chelsea at the Champion's League. But either way one of the 2 teams will their opponent easy to win. But one thing is sure, one of them will be eliminated when the other progresses.
Barcelona vs. Shakter.
Well this is another cracker of a match. But to me Barcelona may not have much problems overrunning Shaktar. Why one is saying this is because of the quality of players Barcelona has and their free flowing pattern consisting of very accurate passes that they possess. This is why even other strong teams in the world dread to meet Barcelona. Well one is not under-estimating Shaktar here, but will they be able to overcome the highly technical and skillful Barcelona? The answer will be provided after the legs of the game.
Inter vs. Schalke.
Well on paper, this tie looks too easy for Inter. But to me their qualification to this stage was not that impressive. Again we must not forget that Schalke shocked Valencia to reach this stage. So it may not be an easy game after all. None of them must underrate the other because if they do, they might be sent packing out of the competition.
Saturday, March 19, 2011
The Carling Cup Final
Well it has been long overdue that one ought to have written on the Carling Cup Final between Arsenal FC and Birmingham City.
Prior to this match, many soccer followers including the writer had given the game to Arsenal FC. They thought that the match will just be an easy ride for Arsenal to capture the Carling Cup Trophy but this was not to be the case. All of us who are current in knowing the latest about soccer know the scores. The match ended 2-1 in favour of Birmingham City. Therefore Arsenal is yet to break the jinx of not winning a trophy since 2005.
From the start of that game, Birmingham City did not hide their desire to win the trophy. So they stunned Arsenal by scoring the first goal of the game. They enjoyed this lead until Van Persie equalized for Arsenal some few minutes before half-time.
Then came the second half. As usual, Arsenal kept piling up the pressure on Birmingham. Credit must be given to the Birmingham City goalkeeper who prevented Arsenal from scoring more goals. Nevertheless Arsenal's pressure on Birmingham almost paid off when Nasri's shot hit the cross-bar.
But not long after this Birmingham came out of their shell and started to pester Arsenal's defense. A striker of Birmingham also saw his shot hitting the upright.
Then came the dying minutes when the unexpected happened. The manager of Birmingham brought in Obafemi Martins in place of one of the strikers. About 3 minutes to the end of the game, Obafemi Martins taking advantage of the misunderstanding between the Arsenal goalkeeper and one of the central defenders of Arsenal scored Birmingham's winning goal and that was it.
From Arsenal's point of view, the Carling Cup was a glorious chance to win a trophy which was thrown to the winds. The only competition in which they have a chance to win a trophy is the English Premier League (EPL). If they win all their remaining games in the EPL, they will be crowned champions. But to do this they must overcome 2 strong opponents which are Man U and Liverpool FC. How they can achieve this remains to be seen.
Then to every Arsenal fan, the Carling Cup was an opportunity to win a trophy which was wasted.
Prior to this match, many soccer followers including the writer had given the game to Arsenal FC. They thought that the match will just be an easy ride for Arsenal to capture the Carling Cup Trophy but this was not to be the case. All of us who are current in knowing the latest about soccer know the scores. The match ended 2-1 in favour of Birmingham City. Therefore Arsenal is yet to break the jinx of not winning a trophy since 2005.
From the start of that game, Birmingham City did not hide their desire to win the trophy. So they stunned Arsenal by scoring the first goal of the game. They enjoyed this lead until Van Persie equalized for Arsenal some few minutes before half-time.
Then came the second half. As usual, Arsenal kept piling up the pressure on Birmingham. Credit must be given to the Birmingham City goalkeeper who prevented Arsenal from scoring more goals. Nevertheless Arsenal's pressure on Birmingham almost paid off when Nasri's shot hit the cross-bar.
But not long after this Birmingham came out of their shell and started to pester Arsenal's defense. A striker of Birmingham also saw his shot hitting the upright.
Then came the dying minutes when the unexpected happened. The manager of Birmingham brought in Obafemi Martins in place of one of the strikers. About 3 minutes to the end of the game, Obafemi Martins taking advantage of the misunderstanding between the Arsenal goalkeeper and one of the central defenders of Arsenal scored Birmingham's winning goal and that was it.
From Arsenal's point of view, the Carling Cup was a glorious chance to win a trophy which was thrown to the winds. The only competition in which they have a chance to win a trophy is the English Premier League (EPL). If they win all their remaining games in the EPL, they will be crowned champions. But to do this they must overcome 2 strong opponents which are Man U and Liverpool FC. How they can achieve this remains to be seen.
Then to every Arsenal fan, the Carling Cup was an opportunity to win a trophy which was wasted.
Wednesday, March 16, 2011
Arsenal’s Trophiless Situation Continues.
Well, it was widely reported at the start of this soccer season that Arsenal’s manager Arsene Wenger made a declaration that Arsenal will end its trophiless nightmare by winning the quadruple this season. It seemed as though Arsene Wenger was making good his boast but then a few disappointments and they were languishing in the 3rd spot of the English Premier League. Later they recovered and now they are second just 3 points behind Man U and still with a game in hand. In other competitions like the Carling Cup, F.A Cup and the UEFA Champions League, their performance was impressive until you know the rest of the story.
Well the most painful part of the story was the Carling Cup. All of the strong opponents of Arsenal FC on paper were eliminated from the competition before Arsenal got to meet them. West Ham eliminated Man U in the quarter- finals; Chelsea was eliminated by Newcastle United who defeated them in front of their home fans at Stanford Bridge. Newcastle was then defeated by Arsenal. Arsenal succeeded triumphing over all their opponents until they reached the finals. They were left with just Birmingham City to beat to capture the Carling Cup. But this was not to be the case. Birmingham stunned Arsenal at Cardiff City scoring the winning goal at the dying minutes of the game. The goal was scored by the Nigerian striker Obafemi Martins after a misunderstanding between an Arsenal central defender and the Arsenal goalkeeper. It was the second goal of Birmingham City. As you know the game ended 2-1 in favor of Birmingham.
After this came the game against Barcelona. Arsenal won the first leg at home by 2 goals to 1 but under controversial circumstances lost at Camp Nou 1-3 to Barcelona. As a result of this, they were eliminated from the UEFA Champions League. To compound to their woes, they have also crashed out of the F.A Cup thanks to their 0-2 loss to Manchester United. the only trophy they are left with to win is the English Premier League (EPL). As mentioned earlier, they are currently 3 points behind Man U with a game in hand. If they win all their remaining games they will be crowned the new EPL Champions. But the question is how feasible or possible it is for Arsenal to win all their remaining games looking at the injury worries plaguing the squad. Again they strong games to play against Man U and Liverpool FC. Looking at their consistency one may be tempted to think that it is not possible for Arsenal to win all their remaining games in the EPL. But looking at the EPL this season, one cannot make any conclusion until the season is over. This is because any of the top 4 can still win the league.
Well the most painful part of the story was the Carling Cup. All of the strong opponents of Arsenal FC on paper were eliminated from the competition before Arsenal got to meet them. West Ham eliminated Man U in the quarter- finals; Chelsea was eliminated by Newcastle United who defeated them in front of their home fans at Stanford Bridge. Newcastle was then defeated by Arsenal. Arsenal succeeded triumphing over all their opponents until they reached the finals. They were left with just Birmingham City to beat to capture the Carling Cup. But this was not to be the case. Birmingham stunned Arsenal at Cardiff City scoring the winning goal at the dying minutes of the game. The goal was scored by the Nigerian striker Obafemi Martins after a misunderstanding between an Arsenal central defender and the Arsenal goalkeeper. It was the second goal of Birmingham City. As you know the game ended 2-1 in favor of Birmingham.
After this came the game against Barcelona. Arsenal won the first leg at home by 2 goals to 1 but under controversial circumstances lost at Camp Nou 1-3 to Barcelona. As a result of this, they were eliminated from the UEFA Champions League. To compound to their woes, they have also crashed out of the F.A Cup thanks to their 0-2 loss to Manchester United. the only trophy they are left with to win is the English Premier League (EPL). As mentioned earlier, they are currently 3 points behind Man U with a game in hand. If they win all their remaining games they will be crowned the new EPL Champions. But the question is how feasible or possible it is for Arsenal to win all their remaining games looking at the injury worries plaguing the squad. Again they strong games to play against Man U and Liverpool FC. Looking at their consistency one may be tempted to think that it is not possible for Arsenal to win all their remaining games in the EPL. But looking at the EPL this season, one cannot make any conclusion until the season is over. This is because any of the top 4 can still win the league.
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