Just when you thought that the Special One couldn’t get any more petulant,
Only the Blues failed among English sides to make top seed in its group. Full details here.
Paul Canniff
The acquisition of Shevchenko aside, many Chelsea supporters were confused by the Special One’s fixation with building up what was already an embarrassment of riches in the midfield and back. The past two weeks have shown that perhaps Mourinho was on to the problem but he has vastly further to go.
While today’s defeat at the hands of Boro was in no small part due to the fighting spirit of Southgate’s lads, there were gobsmacking gaps in the Blues otherwise iron defence. When Terry’s back line was off, it was glaringly so. Part of it could have been poor communication with Cudicini, judging by some instances of lazy marking in the box.
One may argue that their lacklustre performance against the MLS All-Stars in Chicago and the loss to the Scouse in the Community Shield are but signs of a newly reconstituted side trying to come together. Well, there’s little time for this theory to be put to the test. If Mourinho is not going to pursue barnstorming strike tactics like the Gooners, then there is little slack available in the back. Then again, having Cech back between the sticks may make some difference.
Paul Canniff
It was an interesting Opening Day of the EPL’s 2006-07 campaign.
Hulse’s header was a real cracker to open the season, and Liverpool will be disappointed with their day at Bramhall Lane. The penalty was a crap call, not that Liverpool didn’t deserve to share the points on the day. The Blades really hustled, though, and started their season off well. The announcers commented later in the game that Arne Riise’s ankle injury may not have been that bad ~ surprising to me given the way it looked.
Reading certainly hold “comeback of the season” honours, thus far. Kitson, Sidwell and Kita notched the goals to wipe out Boro’s 2 goal lead. I believe Sidwell was Four Four Two’s ‘best player outside the Prem’ last season, so he’s definitely one ot watch this year.
At Goodison Park, the guy Everton acquired to score the goals actually scored the opener 14 minutes in. (How odd!) Mikel Arteta added a penalty and Everton edged out Watford for their first opening day win in five years. [Later: it seems both Merseyside clubs were beneficiaries of bad penalty calls on Saturday, Everton’s being the more egregious, apparently. Oh well, what can you do?]
So, it was win, draw, loss for the three promoted teams.
Perhaps the biggest surprise of the day for me was Pompey trashing Blackburn Rovers. They had a 2 goal cushion before Neil went off, and Todd’s sending off happened in the 91st minute (so, I don’t think saying that it was a victory “over nine-man Blackburn” quite tells the tale). Could this big win by ‘arry’s boys have been the biggest statement of the young season?
We’ll let Damian report on the solid start by Roeder’s Magpies.
You gotta think Chelsea and Manchester United are more than pleased with the points left on the field by Liverpool, Arsenal and Spurs (though I write in the 82nd minute of that game).
Mike C
Peter Crouch isn’t keen to play a CL qualifier round later this month in Tel Aviv.
Between being the tallest target in the area and his dubious deflecting ability, he may have a point.
Paul CanniffÂ
Update: Bolton claims their bid for Hamann is off, with Man City now a potential suitor.
Paul Canniff
Paul Canniff
Despite finding themselves among the Top 20 Richest Clubs (perhaps a fleeting position thanks to the Rooney sale and last year’s Europe qualification?), who knows what Everton will come up with for the rest of the season and beyond. They could finish 7th this season, or, more likely, more or less remain where they are, or, even, find themselves finishing in 13th or 14th spot. Moyes had a least a few busts from his acquisitions from last summer — Digger Davies hasn’t panned out, and Per Kroldrup was a huge waste of money. Big Dunc’s career is winding down fast, and Marcus Bent has left for The Valley without being replaced; surely (surely) another striker or two will be arriving this summer. Moyes has been very hit-and-miss with his acquisitions (but, I suppose, so are most managers) - he can find the Tim Cahills and the Mikel Artetas, but to what end? A season or two of development and a taste of success?
The Rumour Mill over at ToffeeWeb.com contains tales of Joseph Yobo possibly heading off to Arsenal and Tim Cahill going to Manchester United this summer. There was also the much-denied rumour that Mikel Arteta was missing from the Merseyside Derby not because of a back injury but because a move to Liverpool was in the works. But’s he’s said that he’d never go red (yeah, yeah, we’ve all seen Wayne Rooney in his Born To Be Blue shirt). Add in Thomas Gravesen’s departure for Real Madrid, and you come up with some pretty heavy damage done to the Everton roster by the good old G-14. Hopefully, the rumours are just rumours.
Hasn’t Stelios Gianakopoulas said recently that he wants to move to a bigger club like Liverpool? A sad realization that he can’t win the silverware where he is? Is this the lot of the Evertons and Boltons of the EPL and other top leagues, merely to be farm teams for the G-14?!
But there is some market logic, even in the oligopoly-esque superclub reality of Europe. The big clubs end up paying big money to the ‘farm teams’ in order to acquire those players; likely much more money than they’re probably worth. This gives the middle clubs funds to go out and acquire and develop more players. Could there come a day when the big guys just spend too much money in their acquisitions and leave their ‘middle’ competition in the ascendancy? Could the out-of-sight spending contribute to some eventual balancing of the situation? That would be sweet, but we won’t hold our breath, will we?
Yeah, I’m talking bout you too Chelsea! [I’m a Hearts fan too, mind — I don’t mind big eastern-European money when it is invested in a noble cause like busting up The Old Firm!]
8-)
Mike Campbell
Today BBC Sportsweek interviewed Man U chief exec David Gill. Other guests were Rick Parry of Liverpool and Keith Wyness of Everton.
Listen for yourself, of course, but let me venture two observations from the interviews:
Paul Canniff
Well, it was another hard-fought Merseyside derby today, with ref Phil Dowd handing out 12 cards, including a second yellow for Stephen Gerrard and a red to Everton’s Andy van der Meyde for dangerous play. A disappointing day for Everton, playing up a man for almost an hour, but they never got anything going. The day started with disappointment (and a growing sense of doom) for me when I heard Mikel Arteta would not play due to injury.
Everton would have been happy with the first half, but then Phil Neville opened the scoring for Liverpool in first half injury time. Defending a corner at the near post, Neville started moving out to challenge but then moved back toward goal to follow the flight of the ball, trying to prevent it going past the front of goal. Unfortunately for Everton, his header went right in the net.
Everton started the second half with more weak defending - Gary Naysmith playing way too wide and allowing Luis Garcia lots of space; keeper Richard Wright came out to challenge when he should have stayed home and Garcia lobbed it in.
Tim Cahill made it interesting with his patented late-arrival header in the 61st minute, but Everton couldn’t find anything else.
Weak defending featured in Liverpool’s third goal, with Tony Hibbert giving Harry Kewell lots of space and time to blast another one by Wright.
The sad fact is that an Arteta-less Everton side look like they’re playing a man down already.
Crouch had, I think, a bit of a touch on one of Liverpool’s goals, but he didn’t look very special out there today. When he had any possession, he looked awful. Putting aside some James Beattie bias, I think I’d be taking Dean Ashton to Germany over Crouchie.
Mike Campbell
So the Beeb tells us the blunt facts:
But give credit to the Telly to show us what it all really means in the bigger picture.
Paul Canniff
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