After a ridiculous day of huge money splurging by the Premier League's most desperate clubs, the transfer window is finally shut. Liverpool's new owners delivered their promise and opened their wallets. £35 million for Andy Carroll and £22.9 million for Luis Suarez brought happiness back to Anfield. Fernando Torres left for Chelsea for £50 million but Liverpool fans will be glad to see the back of him because he's had the look of a man who didn't want to be there since the World Cup.
£35 million seems like a ridiculous price for Andy Carroll. There is no doubt that he's had a wonderful season, banging in 11 goals in 19 games for Newcastle. Also, he's only 22 years of age which means he has an incredible amount of potential. However, Carroll is also a player whose private life tends to spiral out of control. He was forced by a judge to live with his captain Kevin Nolan after being charged with assaulting an ex girlfriend. He's also been involved in numerous training ground bust-ups with team mates. The fact that he's basically had a good four months in the top league and only scored 17 goals in 39 Championship appearances last season does not point to this as being a great value deal for Liverpool. I think it's a huge risk for Liverpool to bring in Carroll. He has become the most expensive British player ever and that will put huge pressure on very inexperienced shoulders. £22.9 million for Luis Suarez also seems like a lot of money but is probably the better value. Suarez has an unbelievable goals to game ratio with 81 goals in 110 appearances for Ajax. However, the Dutch league is very poor. Suarez only has 17 goals in 37 European games and 16 goals in 38 appearances for Uruguay. Liverpool fans should remember Klaas-Jan Huntelaar. He scored 135 goals in 183 Dutch league appearances. He managed 15 in 45 matches for Real Madrid and AC Milan. Don't get too excited yet. I have to feel sorry for Roy Hodgson too. I'm sure he'd have loved Carroll and Suarez and that if he'd had those two players in his team he'd have guided Liverpool up the table like i'm sure Dalglish will. Dalglish though will be the one hailed as the genius when the stats are rolled out at the end of the season.
Newcastle have made a huge mistake selling Andy Carroll on deadline day. Yes, they got far too much money for him but what good is that when they couldn't bring anyone in? A desperate last second bid for Charles Nzogbia of £13 million was rejected by Wigan and Newcastle are now in desperate trouble without their top striker. To make matters worse, Carroll has told the papers that he was forced out of Newcastle which will certainly hit the morale of the players and the Toon fans. It certainly wouldn't shock me if that was the case. They have played well without him in recent games but i'm not sure if Nolan can continue to score regularly and after him with 10 goals, it's a long way back to Ameobi who has 4 goals. It will surely throw their decent season into chaos and Pardew certainly has his work cut out for him now.
Roman Abramovich also felt the need to splash the cash. Well, he really needed to with certain members of the media questioning his loyalty to the club, and with a huge battle on for a Champion’s League place. £50 million is far too much money for Fernando Torres. He is a proven goal scorer but he seems to be incredibly injury prone. I don’t blame the player for leaving Anfield. He was promised League titles and European glory with Liverpool and they haven’t delivered. Torres is too good to be playing in the Europa League and it looks as though if he had stayed he would be playing in it again next season. Also “El Nino” is hardly a kid anymore. At 26 he has spent ten years at clubs that have won no trophies, while at international level he has won the World Cup and European Cup. I think he deserves more at club level, although I’m not sure Chelsea's aging squad can provide the glory he craves. Abramovich also splashed £23.5 million on Brazilian centre back David Luiz. With Chelsea’s persistent injury problems in this area, this seems a good acquisition. It may not be enough to save their league title though with the age of the squad a genuine concern.
Out of the other clubs, I think Aston Villa bought very well. Darren Bent, John Makoun and Michael Bradley were all brought in to bolster the squad. With them, I don’t think Villa will be around the relegation places for too much longer. It was also important to get rid of Stephen Ireland (Newcastle) and Curtis Davies (Birmingham) as neither player had anything to contribute.
It was imperative that Blackpool kept Charlie Adam and they managed to do that. The fees being bandied about for him were outrageous and he’s more important to Blackpool than he would be for any other team.
Harry Redknapp admitted that Spurs offered £35 million for Villareal’s Giuseppe Rossi on deadline day. He needs to get real. 45 goals in 111 La Liga appearances is not £35 million striker material. Anyway, it’s Tottenham’s defense that will let them down this season. They’ve had no problem scoring but they leak goals at a worrying rate. They will be found out and I think they may have to settle for a Europa League place.
Robbie Keane went to West Ham and he needs to find his scoring touch quickly if he’s to keep the Hammers up. They are 2 points from safety but the gap between them and 16th is 5 points so they are beginning to be left behind.
Wednesday, February 2, 2011
Wednesday, January 26, 2011
Celebrating Goals Is Worse Than Diving
In October, I wrote about the fantastic news that the Italian FA had banned Juventus star, Milos Krasic, for 2 games for diving. Unfortunately it seems that their tough stance is not going to followed by the English FA. Earlier this month, Theo Walcott came out and apologised for diving against Leeds in an effort to win a penalty while the Championship side were leading 1-0. Phil Dowd was fooled by Walcott's theatrics and pointed to the spot but thankfully his assistant managed to change his mind and a free was given against the Arsenal player. Walcott wasn't booked. Although some applauded Walcott for admitting his dive, I felt he should have been retrospectively punished. In fact why did Phil Dowd not yellow card him when he was told by his assistant that Walcott had dived?
This weekend, Roberto Martinez accused Fabregas of diving to win a penalty which led to Gary Caldwell being dismissed. There was a slight bit of contact but it seemed that referee Kevin Friend couldn't wait to get the red card out and point to the spot. Fabregas defended himself by saying that himself and Martinez are Catalan (?) and that "he should know that i'm not the kind of guy that dives". Well he may have had some justification to go down at the weekend because there was a slight pull-back (very slight) but last night he was an embarrassment. Arsenal were 1-0 down to relegation threatened Championship side Ipswich,when Fabregas tried to con the ref. Fabregas was touched on the shoulder by Gareth McAuley in the 11th minute and Fabregas' legs went from under him like he'd been shot. Mark Halsey, the referee on this occasion, felt that Fabregas had dived. Was he booked? Of course not. I fail to understand why this seems to be the usual outcome. The rule is that diving is considered a yellow card offence and yet it is very rarely punished to the letter of the law.
Compare that to the rule that a player will be booked if they remove their shirt or run into the crowd to celebrate a goal. This rule is complete rubbish (unless you do an Adebayor and run the entire pitch to rile the opposing fans) and yet it's enforced each time. I felt terribly sorry for Freddie Piquionne at the weekend. He had just scored a goal which would have moved his team, West Ham, out of the relegation zone. He ran to his own fans to celebrate and was promptly shown a second yellow card by referee Peter Walton. With 10 men, West Ham couldn't hold on to their lead and Everton equalised leaving the Hammers still in the relegation zone. Now, i understand some people saying he deserved the card because players know they will be booked and the referee was left with no choice.
However, how come referees have no choice but to book players for celebrating goals but they have a choice when it comes to booking players for diving? It's diving that ruins games, not celebrating. Would Peter Walton, who we now know referees games to the letter of the law, have booked Fabregas last night? I seriously doubt it. In fact it was Mr Walton who failed to see Rafael's foul inside the box on Luke Varney last night which would have given Blackpool the chance to go 3-0 up.
Diving should be dealt with harshly. That means retrospective punishment as well. The laws need to be changed in relation to the celebrations too. Or at least more emphasis should be put on the rules which are there to stop blatant cheating (i hate the phrase unsporting behaviour) rather than players showing the elation of scoring, the same elation that the fans have, the reason why football means so much to us. I have no problem with a referee turning a blind eye to a player celebrating but cheating should be stamped out of the game and the only way to do that is to get tough on the cheaters.
This weekend, Roberto Martinez accused Fabregas of diving to win a penalty which led to Gary Caldwell being dismissed. There was a slight bit of contact but it seemed that referee Kevin Friend couldn't wait to get the red card out and point to the spot. Fabregas defended himself by saying that himself and Martinez are Catalan (?) and that "he should know that i'm not the kind of guy that dives". Well he may have had some justification to go down at the weekend because there was a slight pull-back (very slight) but last night he was an embarrassment. Arsenal were 1-0 down to relegation threatened Championship side Ipswich,when Fabregas tried to con the ref. Fabregas was touched on the shoulder by Gareth McAuley in the 11th minute and Fabregas' legs went from under him like he'd been shot. Mark Halsey, the referee on this occasion, felt that Fabregas had dived. Was he booked? Of course not. I fail to understand why this seems to be the usual outcome. The rule is that diving is considered a yellow card offence and yet it is very rarely punished to the letter of the law.
Compare that to the rule that a player will be booked if they remove their shirt or run into the crowd to celebrate a goal. This rule is complete rubbish (unless you do an Adebayor and run the entire pitch to rile the opposing fans) and yet it's enforced each time. I felt terribly sorry for Freddie Piquionne at the weekend. He had just scored a goal which would have moved his team, West Ham, out of the relegation zone. He ran to his own fans to celebrate and was promptly shown a second yellow card by referee Peter Walton. With 10 men, West Ham couldn't hold on to their lead and Everton equalised leaving the Hammers still in the relegation zone. Now, i understand some people saying he deserved the card because players know they will be booked and the referee was left with no choice.
However, how come referees have no choice but to book players for celebrating goals but they have a choice when it comes to booking players for diving? It's diving that ruins games, not celebrating. Would Peter Walton, who we now know referees games to the letter of the law, have booked Fabregas last night? I seriously doubt it. In fact it was Mr Walton who failed to see Rafael's foul inside the box on Luke Varney last night which would have given Blackpool the chance to go 3-0 up.
Diving should be dealt with harshly. That means retrospective punishment as well. The laws need to be changed in relation to the celebrations too. Or at least more emphasis should be put on the rules which are there to stop blatant cheating (i hate the phrase unsporting behaviour) rather than players showing the elation of scoring, the same elation that the fans have, the reason why football means so much to us. I have no problem with a referee turning a blind eye to a player celebrating but cheating should be stamped out of the game and the only way to do that is to get tough on the cheaters.
Tuesday, January 25, 2011
Transfer Madness Still Dominates
January is still the craziest time of the year in football. Managers hurling abuse at each other through the media, players handing in transfer requests, ridiculous money being spent, managers adament that their player will not be leaving only to be undermined by their board. Great times. Gerrard Houllier v Steve Bruce. Gerrard Houllier v Ian Holloway. Ian Holloway v Liverpool. Kenny Dalglish saying Babel definitely staying. Ryan Babel sold to Hoffenheim. Harry Redknapp denying Steven Pienaar is joining Spurs. Pienaar joins Spurs. Birmingham suggesting Robbie Keane's wages were too much for them. Keane saying he never spoke to Birmingham about wages. It certainly has been interesting. Throw Andy Gray and Richard Keys and their suspension in there and January has been a tabloid dream.
Without getting embroiled in the battles i'll try and wrap these events up. The Darren Bent deal was brilliant business for both Sunderland and Aston Villa. I said before Christmas that Villa might have the money to buy themselves out of trouble and that looks to be the case. Bent and Makoun are two very good buys and Bent has already won three points for Villa with his goal against Manchester City. If he gets Villa into the top half of the table then he is worth £24 million. Sunderland had ample time to get in another striker; Adebayor, John Carew, Robbie Keane, Kenny Miller, Adam Rooney, Ryan Babel, Diego Forlan were all available at some stage during the window (some still are). Bruce and Quinn need to stop moaning and start signing.
The Ryan Babel situation is strange. Dalglish stated yesterday morning that he was going no where. Yesterday evening he was in Germany having a medical with Hoffenheim. Babel should be sold. He hasn't shown any form since joining Liverpool but i think it shows that the Liverpool manager has no say in transfer dealings. Their pursuit of Charlie Adam, Blackpool's inspirational playmaker, has been nothing short of hilarious (thanks in no small part to Ian Holloway). Apparently Villa and Liverpool have offered around £4 million for Adam. That was rejected by Holloway who called the offer "derisory" before saying that he valued Adam at £46 million. Holloway is an endless source of hilarity for everyone not associated with Blackpool. His rants are priceless. Blackpool fans probably view him differently. Like a drunk dad who won't shut up at a wedding. In fairness, Adam is worth a lot more to Blackpool than he would be to either Villa or Liverpool. He has handed in a transfer request. That was rejected. I think he will leave before the end of january. 8 or 9 million pounds will probably secure him. If he goes to Liverpool, he'll sit on the bench for the rest of the season. I think he should see out the season with Blackpool.
I have no idea what Robbie Keane is doing. He should be actively looking for a club, any club, to buy him. His career has completely stalled. He needs to get out of Spurs now and if that means a move to Turkey or Russia then he should take it. He seems to be too comfortable in London to be bothered but the career of a footballer is a short lived one and his is petering out which would be a dreadful end for Ireland's top goal scorer.
Also, I put my hands up when i'm wrong. I did feel that Blackburn could be relegated with the appointment of Steve Kean as full time manager. I still feel that Kean and his agent back-stabbed Big Sam but Blackburn's acquisition of Roque Santa Cruz was a brilliant stroke and like Bent at Villa, he can fire them up the table. I don't think they'll finish as high as seventh but they might not be too far off it.
Without getting embroiled in the battles i'll try and wrap these events up. The Darren Bent deal was brilliant business for both Sunderland and Aston Villa. I said before Christmas that Villa might have the money to buy themselves out of trouble and that looks to be the case. Bent and Makoun are two very good buys and Bent has already won three points for Villa with his goal against Manchester City. If he gets Villa into the top half of the table then he is worth £24 million. Sunderland had ample time to get in another striker; Adebayor, John Carew, Robbie Keane, Kenny Miller, Adam Rooney, Ryan Babel, Diego Forlan were all available at some stage during the window (some still are). Bruce and Quinn need to stop moaning and start signing.
The Ryan Babel situation is strange. Dalglish stated yesterday morning that he was going no where. Yesterday evening he was in Germany having a medical with Hoffenheim. Babel should be sold. He hasn't shown any form since joining Liverpool but i think it shows that the Liverpool manager has no say in transfer dealings. Their pursuit of Charlie Adam, Blackpool's inspirational playmaker, has been nothing short of hilarious (thanks in no small part to Ian Holloway). Apparently Villa and Liverpool have offered around £4 million for Adam. That was rejected by Holloway who called the offer "derisory" before saying that he valued Adam at £46 million. Holloway is an endless source of hilarity for everyone not associated with Blackpool. His rants are priceless. Blackpool fans probably view him differently. Like a drunk dad who won't shut up at a wedding. In fairness, Adam is worth a lot more to Blackpool than he would be to either Villa or Liverpool. He has handed in a transfer request. That was rejected. I think he will leave before the end of january. 8 or 9 million pounds will probably secure him. If he goes to Liverpool, he'll sit on the bench for the rest of the season. I think he should see out the season with Blackpool.
I have no idea what Robbie Keane is doing. He should be actively looking for a club, any club, to buy him. His career has completely stalled. He needs to get out of Spurs now and if that means a move to Turkey or Russia then he should take it. He seems to be too comfortable in London to be bothered but the career of a footballer is a short lived one and his is petering out which would be a dreadful end for Ireland's top goal scorer.
Also, I put my hands up when i'm wrong. I did feel that Blackburn could be relegated with the appointment of Steve Kean as full time manager. I still feel that Kean and his agent back-stabbed Big Sam but Blackburn's acquisition of Roque Santa Cruz was a brilliant stroke and like Bent at Villa, he can fire them up the table. I don't think they'll finish as high as seventh but they might not be too far off it.
Monday, January 10, 2011
A lot can happen in football in a week. Since i last posted Roy Hodgson and Roy Keane are 2 high profile managerial casualties. Neither was unexpected. Kenny Dalglish taking over from Hodgson was a little unexpected. It also smacks of desperation from the Liverpool owners who are trying to shift the blame of Liverpool's awful season squarely onto the shoulders of the sacrificial lamb that is Roy Hodgson. Hodgson's record was poor. Liverpool sit 12th in the league having lost 9 games out of 20 and winning just 7. Despite the stats i don't believe that Hodgson was given a fair shot by the Anfield faithful. The fans didn't feel that he was up to the job from the moment he started and berated him for the poor results. They called for King Kenny to replace him and also pleaded for Rafa Benitez to return to the club. I have to say i am amazed at the short memory of some Liverpool fans. Rafa Benitez is the reason why Liverpool are sitting in 12th position in the league. They have criticised Hodgson's signings which i think is unfair. Christian Poulsen has 81 caps for Denmark. He won the Copa del Rey and Uefa Cup with Sevilla and played 48 times with Juventus. In reality he should be a perfect partner to Gerrard in midfield as he is a defensive player. Joe Cole excited Liverpool fans when Hodgson signed him. It now looks like Cole's best days are behind him but most managers would have felt that he was worth the gamble for free. The signing of Paul Konchesky looks a poor one now but during the Summer he was well sought after. Benitez wasted an unbelievable amount of money on dreadful players and drove Xabi Alonso out of Anfield with his pursuit of Gareth Barry. Glen Johnson, Fabio Aurelio, Maxi Rodriguez, Ryan Babel, Ngog, Insua, etc. etc. were Benitez signings. Horrendous signings. The fact that Fernando Torres no longer wants to be at the club, Stephen Gerrard looks as though he wished he had signed for Chelsea and Jamie Carragher is not the player he once was should have been addressed before sacking Hodgson. Benitez last season in charge ended with Liverpool in 7th position and with the current squad that's where they belong. The fact that they are only 5 points behind Bolton (who are in 7th) and have 2 games in hand means Hodgson was on course to achieve that. I think Kenny will lead Liverpool away from the relegation zone (which i think Hodgson would also have done) but Torres should be sold so that Liverpool have funds to re enforce the squad. The axe should also be wielded to a whole host of underachieving players in order to move forward.
I have absolutely no idea what Harry Redknapp is thinking with his pursuit of David Beckham. His Spurs team sit in 4th position in the league and are through to the knockout stages of the Champions League. Surely the signing of Beckham will cause huge unrest among a squad who have achieved so much already. The wide players like Aaron Lennon and Luka Modric would be sickened if they lost their places to a guy who threw his career away by moving to America. Beckham has scored just 9 goals in 48 appearances for L.A. Galaxy. That's a pathetic stat for a player who is the team's set piece specialist in what can only be described as a joke of a league. Beckham signed the death warrant on his own career and Redknapp should stay well away from him.
Congratulations to Lionel Messi who won the Balon d'Or. I would have loved to have seen Xavi win the award because his contribution to Barcelona is sometimes overshadowed by his brilliant team mate but it's hard to argue against Messi who scored 60 goals in 2010.
I have absolutely no idea what Harry Redknapp is thinking with his pursuit of David Beckham. His Spurs team sit in 4th position in the league and are through to the knockout stages of the Champions League. Surely the signing of Beckham will cause huge unrest among a squad who have achieved so much already. The wide players like Aaron Lennon and Luka Modric would be sickened if they lost their places to a guy who threw his career away by moving to America. Beckham has scored just 9 goals in 48 appearances for L.A. Galaxy. That's a pathetic stat for a player who is the team's set piece specialist in what can only be described as a joke of a league. Beckham signed the death warrant on his own career and Redknapp should stay well away from him.
Congratulations to Lionel Messi who won the Balon d'Or. I would have loved to have seen Xavi win the award because his contribution to Barcelona is sometimes overshadowed by his brilliant team mate but it's hard to argue against Messi who scored 60 goals in 2010.
Saturday, January 1, 2011
Xavi To Equal Barcelona Appearance Record
The player I consider the best midfielder in the world, Xavi Hernandez, will make history for Barcelona tomorrow night when he equals the 549 appearances made by Migueli in the 80's. He is a product of the Barcelona youth system and has been arguably the most influential player at the club for the last 6 years. Although Messi finishes the moves and recieves the acclaim, Xavi is happy to command the centre of the pitch, a master of passing, creating space when there appears to be none and setting up goals. He first made his debut in 1998 but it was the following season when he replaced current manager Pep Guardiola as the club's first choice centre midfielder.
He was won every team trophy in his career and he had 29 assists in Barcelona's treble winning season in 2008-2009. Last Summer he won the World Cup for Spain where yet again he was the vital playmaker for the team. In the tournament he completed 599 out of 669 passes attempted which was the competetion high. He is one of three finalists in this years Balon d'Or Trophy alongside his team mates Iniesta and Messi. He will once again be a vital cog in the Barcelona machine as they attempt to win back the Champions League trophy and defend their La Liga title. There are not many one club players around any more as money seems to be too powerful for most mortals. Xavi however, seems destined to stay at Barcelona for the rest of his career and if so he may well go down as one of the greatest players in the club's history.
He was won every team trophy in his career and he had 29 assists in Barcelona's treble winning season in 2008-2009. Last Summer he won the World Cup for Spain where yet again he was the vital playmaker for the team. In the tournament he completed 599 out of 669 passes attempted which was the competetion high. He is one of three finalists in this years Balon d'Or Trophy alongside his team mates Iniesta and Messi. He will once again be a vital cog in the Barcelona machine as they attempt to win back the Champions League trophy and defend their La Liga title. There are not many one club players around any more as money seems to be too powerful for most mortals. Xavi however, seems destined to stay at Barcelona for the rest of his career and if so he may well go down as one of the greatest players in the club's history.
Tuesday, December 28, 2010
Interesting Christmas Period
Obviously everyone is jumping on the Arsenal bandwagon after they beat Chelsea 3-1 last night. It's Chelsea's worst run in the Premiership since 1996 and Ancelotti's job must be under threat. Arsenal have fired themselves back into the title race, they now lie 2 points behind Manchester United but have played a game more. However, i am completely unconvinced about Arsenal's chances to win anything. Even the most staunch Gunners fan would have to admit that Chelsea were hopeless last night. They had Frank Lampard back in the team but decided that they only needed Cech and Drogba on the ball in the first half. I lost count of the amount of times Cech hammered the ball from a goal kick towards Drogba who even if he had won possession had no one supporting him. It was absolutely hopeless. Stoke and Blackburn get accused of playing the long ball game but at least when they do there is some method to it. Chelsea had no idea what to do when they got the ball and if those one dimensional instructions came from Ancelotti, then the Italian must go. Far from brilliant Arsenal play, the 3 goals were all the result of horrendous defending from Chelsea so i don't think we've learned a lot about Arsenal in this game other than that Theo Walcott should start and Robin Van Persie's form is very worrying.
I do think that the quality of the league has dramatically declined (Look at Chelsea's bench and Manchester United's over-reliance on Giggs and giving a new contract to Anderson) but that has made it the most competitive season i ever remember. 8 points seperates first from sixth. 7 points seperates seventh from twentieth. It's difficult to predict what will happen in the second half of the season. I'll give it a shot though.
Manchester United are unbeaten despite playing dreadfully. If Rooney starts scoring United could romp away with the title. They also generally finish very strongly. I think Chelsea will finish second although an injury to a key player could see them missing out on even the Champions League. Manchester City to finish third if they can keep their players in check. Arsenal to finish fourth as i think the european campaign will take it's toll on Spurs.
Relegation is even harder to call. Aston Villa have money to spend so that might get them to safety. I'm going to go with Wigan, West Ham and Blackburn to take the drop. Blackburn are a mess and who knows if they can keep any of their players. Wigan will find it hard to keep N'Zogbia, Rodallega or Cleverley. West Ham have been so poor it's hard to find any case for them to stay up. Carlton Cole scored twice in the last game so if he can get on a run they may battle to survival. I doubt it though.
I do think that the quality of the league has dramatically declined (Look at Chelsea's bench and Manchester United's over-reliance on Giggs and giving a new contract to Anderson) but that has made it the most competitive season i ever remember. 8 points seperates first from sixth. 7 points seperates seventh from twentieth. It's difficult to predict what will happen in the second half of the season. I'll give it a shot though.
Manchester United are unbeaten despite playing dreadfully. If Rooney starts scoring United could romp away with the title. They also generally finish very strongly. I think Chelsea will finish second although an injury to a key player could see them missing out on even the Champions League. Manchester City to finish third if they can keep their players in check. Arsenal to finish fourth as i think the european campaign will take it's toll on Spurs.
Relegation is even harder to call. Aston Villa have money to spend so that might get them to safety. I'm going to go with Wigan, West Ham and Blackburn to take the drop. Blackburn are a mess and who knows if they can keep any of their players. Wigan will find it hard to keep N'Zogbia, Rodallega or Cleverley. West Ham have been so poor it's hard to find any case for them to stay up. Carlton Cole scored twice in the last game so if he can get on a run they may battle to survival. I doubt it though.
Monday, December 20, 2010
Man City Blow Chance At History
Everton won 2-1 tonight at Eastlands to deny Manchester City the top spot in the Premiership. With a win Man City would have been top at christmas for the first time in 81 years. Things fell apart quiet early for City as Cahill punished some horrendous defending to put Everton into the lead after only 4 minutes. The second could be blamed on a number of factors. Pablo Zabaleta went off the field to get treatment to a head wound and it seemed none of the City coaches or physios bothered to tell Mancini that the injury was worse than first thought. Mancini, himself should have made a substitute when Zabaleta didn't reappear after 4 or 5 minutes. Instead Everton took advantage of Zabaleta's absence and Kolo Toure produced two moments of dreadful defending to allow Leighton Baines curl the ball past Joe Hart. I thought Toure could have cut out Anichebe's overhit pass and then he turned his back on Baines instead of sticking out a leg and blocking the shot.
Despite City's lofty league position, there are still huge problems in the team. Carlos Tevez was rewarded for demanding a transfer by starting and keeping his captain's armband. No player is bigger than the club apparently, except Tevez. He should have been dropped. Jo was rewarded for scoring against Juventus last week by starting on the bench while a player who has caused absolute turmoil at the club this week starts. Ridiculous.
Gareth Barry and James Milner were anonymous. Adam Johnson scored in the last league game and started on the bench. He's also been one of City's best players this season and yet he seems to warm the bench in the majority of games. Milner, Barry, Yaya Toure and Silva(to a certain extent) are central midfield players. Four central midfielders in a game means no width, which is exactly how City played tonight. Everton jammed the middle and City couldn't create very much. Adam Johnson came onin the second half and gave a little bit of width and at least crosses started being delivered.
I also think Kolarov is a dreadful player. He kept coming forward and having shots from 40 yards out when he had support on all sides of him. That's not what you need when your losing a match from a defender. His free kick which he blasted at the wall should have been his last involvement in the game. Instead he played til the end.
Balotelli did nothing again. In the last game against West Ham he stormed down the tunnel after being substituted. Tonight he hobbled off the pitch when he missed a one-on-one with the keeper.
I felt that City should give Mancini time when others were calling for his head. Now I believe that City need a stronger manager. Obviously buying petulent, arrogant, overpaid whingers is a recipe for disaster but rewarding them when they act that way is going to blow up in the manager's face. City have the money to drop Tevez to the reserves for a year and replace him in the first team with someone else. Maybe that's what they need to do. Even the threat that the club could stall a player's career should be enough to see a change in attitude for some of the players. Until Manchester City take the power from the players they won't win anything.
Despite City's lofty league position, there are still huge problems in the team. Carlos Tevez was rewarded for demanding a transfer by starting and keeping his captain's armband. No player is bigger than the club apparently, except Tevez. He should have been dropped. Jo was rewarded for scoring against Juventus last week by starting on the bench while a player who has caused absolute turmoil at the club this week starts. Ridiculous.
Gareth Barry and James Milner were anonymous. Adam Johnson scored in the last league game and started on the bench. He's also been one of City's best players this season and yet he seems to warm the bench in the majority of games. Milner, Barry, Yaya Toure and Silva(to a certain extent) are central midfield players. Four central midfielders in a game means no width, which is exactly how City played tonight. Everton jammed the middle and City couldn't create very much. Adam Johnson came onin the second half and gave a little bit of width and at least crosses started being delivered.
I also think Kolarov is a dreadful player. He kept coming forward and having shots from 40 yards out when he had support on all sides of him. That's not what you need when your losing a match from a defender. His free kick which he blasted at the wall should have been his last involvement in the game. Instead he played til the end.
Balotelli did nothing again. In the last game against West Ham he stormed down the tunnel after being substituted. Tonight he hobbled off the pitch when he missed a one-on-one with the keeper.
I felt that City should give Mancini time when others were calling for his head. Now I believe that City need a stronger manager. Obviously buying petulent, arrogant, overpaid whingers is a recipe for disaster but rewarding them when they act that way is going to blow up in the manager's face. City have the money to drop Tevez to the reserves for a year and replace him in the first team with someone else. Maybe that's what they need to do. Even the threat that the club could stall a player's career should be enough to see a change in attitude for some of the players. Until Manchester City take the power from the players they won't win anything.
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