At the start of the season I predicted a few things, some of which seem to be coming to pass, others of which look a tad silly. One of the latter might be my prediction that Chelsea would miss out on the top 4.
While I will of course admit that I was more than slightly off with that piece of foresight, I will state for the record that I don’t think Chelsea will win anything this season.
Do not be fooled by their lofty league position, their 3-0 win at the Emirates, or their huddle at the end of their most recent wretched performance.
Cast your mind back to last season, when Frank Lampard secured a late, late win for Chelsea at home to a resilient Stoke. Scenes of jubilation erupted as the team made a song and dance around Scolari. The smell of unity appeared to be in the air, and that favourite adage of Football 365 -- it is the Chelsea way to find a way -- looked never truer.
But behind the hullabaloo was a team void of a genuine collective identity, and a team void of genuine attacking talent. One man carried the show last season - Frank Lampard. This year that burden has fallen on Didier Drogba. Aside from this change, I’m not too sure what is different about this Chelsea than last season’s.
What’s that? You’re reminding me of the 3-0 win against Arsenal again? There are a couple of things I would say in response to that. First, Man City beat Arsenal 4-2, but that result had everything to do with Arsenal’s frailties and almost nothing to do with City being particularly good. Chelsea’s win told is a lot about Arsenal. It told is quite a bit about Drogba. But it told us very little about Chelsea. Their woeful displays in the subsequent games prove my point. Many put Chelsea on a pedestal after their victory over the Gunners, but it is clear that this Chelsea team are not nearly as good as the mythic Chelsea team that steamrolled Arsenal and will do so to all who stand in their way.
Those who wrote as much were simply fooling themselves into thinking that the Premier League still has a really good team, perhaps even the “best team in the world”. It doesn’t. Of course on their day, a top Premier League team can beat a Barcelona. But on their day, Stoke can beat Manchester United. Does this mean that Stoke now set the bar for others?
Chelsea are good, but they’re a long way from being great. That they sit 5 points ahead of second place only serves to tells us how much lower the standard is at the top of the league.
Jose Mourinho was watching yesterday’s game against Fulham. Based on what he saw, he will fancy his side’s chances of finally progressing beyond the last 16. Based on what I’ve seen of Chelsea over the last 4 months, I fancy Inter’s chances too.
Tuesday, December 29, 2009
Tuesday, December 8, 2009
What To Watch
In case you’re wondering what to watch in the Champions League tonight, here is a quick guide to help you sort the wheat from the chaff.
Group A
Look no further than this group for the most intriguing match of the final round. It’s quite simple really - Bayern Munich must win to go through. If they don’t, Juve go through. The game is being played in Turin so you would fancy the home club to do enough, but unlike some around these parts, I’m not about to break football’s oldest commandment and write off the Germans. Expect a tense game, where at least one managers job hinges entirely on the result.
Group B
Herein lies the battle for top spot. Wolfsburg need to not only beat Manchester United, but to beat them either 1-0, 2-1, or by two goals. A 3-2 victory, for example, won’t be good enough, because it will give United a better head-to-head record. It is within Man Utd’s interests to finish top, because should they not, then as things stand they will have to face one of Bordeaux, Real Madrid, Fiorentina, Barelona or Sevilla - that’s almost a 50-50 chance of drawing one of Spain’s big two. However, the other three teams on that list would probably prove to be quite favourable, so finishing second might just be a blessing in disguise should the draw be kind to United, which it invariably is. That said, the list of second place teams is made up almost entirely of outfits not unlike Fiorentina, Sevilla and Bordeaux, so after some back and forth, here is the conclusion: forget about what may happen in the draw for the last 16 - the best thing is the finish top and avoid the large possibility of facing one of Spain’s big two. Given the defensive crisis at Man Utd currently, this might actually be a game worth watching if you can’t source the one above.
Group C
Things are much more complicated here. Real Madrid need to beat Marseille away from home to guarantee top spot. If they draw and Milan don’t win, then they will also finish first. However, if they draw and Milan win then the Italians’ better head-to-head record will see them snatch first prize.
But -- and this is a pretty big but -- if Marseille not only beat Madrid, but beat them 3-0 (or 4-0, or 5-1 etc), then the French club go through in second place instead of the Spaniards, provided Milan also win (who will thus finish top). If Milan don’t win and Marseille triumph 3-0, then it is first place to Marseille and second place to Madrid.
The only way Milan can go out is if they fail to beat Zurich away from home and if Marseille beat Madrid by any score at all. If Milan lose and Marseille draw, the Italians still go through thanks to a superior record against the French.
Given that Milan lost to Zurich at home, and Madrid lost to a team in the Second Division B 4-0, anything is possible. Marseille--Madrid might just be worth watching if the French manage to get an early goal or two.
Group D
The big question from this group is can Atletico Madrid make the Europa League? That tells you just about everything you need to know. Avoid group D like the plague.
In sum, there are actually some good matches to be found in the final set of group games. Who’d have thought? My order of preference would be Juve v Bayern, Marseille v Madrid, and Wolfsburg v Manchester United.
Group A
Look no further than this group for the most intriguing match of the final round. It’s quite simple really - Bayern Munich must win to go through. If they don’t, Juve go through. The game is being played in Turin so you would fancy the home club to do enough, but unlike some around these parts, I’m not about to break football’s oldest commandment and write off the Germans. Expect a tense game, where at least one managers job hinges entirely on the result.
Group B
Herein lies the battle for top spot. Wolfsburg need to not only beat Manchester United, but to beat them either 1-0, 2-1, or by two goals. A 3-2 victory, for example, won’t be good enough, because it will give United a better head-to-head record. It is within Man Utd’s interests to finish top, because should they not, then as things stand they will have to face one of Bordeaux, Real Madrid, Fiorentina, Barelona or Sevilla - that’s almost a 50-50 chance of drawing one of Spain’s big two. However, the other three teams on that list would probably prove to be quite favourable, so finishing second might just be a blessing in disguise should the draw be kind to United, which it invariably is. That said, the list of second place teams is made up almost entirely of outfits not unlike Fiorentina, Sevilla and Bordeaux, so after some back and forth, here is the conclusion: forget about what may happen in the draw for the last 16 - the best thing is the finish top and avoid the large possibility of facing one of Spain’s big two. Given the defensive crisis at Man Utd currently, this might actually be a game worth watching if you can’t source the one above.
Group C
Things are much more complicated here. Real Madrid need to beat Marseille away from home to guarantee top spot. If they draw and Milan don’t win, then they will also finish first. However, if they draw and Milan win then the Italians’ better head-to-head record will see them snatch first prize.
But -- and this is a pretty big but -- if Marseille not only beat Madrid, but beat them 3-0 (or 4-0, or 5-1 etc), then the French club go through in second place instead of the Spaniards, provided Milan also win (who will thus finish top). If Milan don’t win and Marseille triumph 3-0, then it is first place to Marseille and second place to Madrid.
The only way Milan can go out is if they fail to beat Zurich away from home and if Marseille beat Madrid by any score at all. If Milan lose and Marseille draw, the Italians still go through thanks to a superior record against the French.
Given that Milan lost to Zurich at home, and Madrid lost to a team in the Second Division B 4-0, anything is possible. Marseille--Madrid might just be worth watching if the French manage to get an early goal or two.
Group D
The big question from this group is can Atletico Madrid make the Europa League? That tells you just about everything you need to know. Avoid group D like the plague.
In sum, there are actually some good matches to be found in the final set of group games. Who’d have thought? My order of preference would be Juve v Bayern, Marseille v Madrid, and Wolfsburg v Manchester United.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
