Chelsea keeps pace. Barely.

Chelsea escaped again today 3-2 on a 94th minute match-winner today against Wigan. I don't know what to make of them of late - they are not playing up to their potential and find themselves constantly needing late goals to win or equalize. Yet, they keep getting them. Is the conclusion, there is trouble looming with their continued patchy form? Or is this mark of a champion, a team who finds ways to win when not at their best?

Mourinho finally started Robben and played Essien again at right back. This formation makes them inifintely more dangerous - their posession % was way down, but the quality chances created were way up. They scored 2 goals and might easily have had 4 in the first half. There was so much more space and they attacked more fluidly today. I won't say I (and Boris) told you so, but Robben did have 2 assists to go along with the match winner in the 94th minute.

I will say the Blues look more vulnerable in back, but that may also have to do with Terry being injured. Boularohz after the heights of shutting down Ronaldinho seems more of a red card threat than anything right now.

I have seen oddsmakers giving as high as 65 to 1 on Frank Lampard to score the most goals in the EPL. I believe he has 6 right now, which is 4 behind Drogba, who has 10. I think there is a lot of value to this bet if Mourinho maintains this formation (or even better, drops Ballack for Joe Cole when he is fit), as Lampard benefits most when Chelsea plays with Robben (and or Joe Cole).

Lampard still is not at that insane level of form he maintained for almost 2 seasons - his little touches to free himself for a shot have been just a bit off. Even today he deked 2 defenders with a great fake shot, cutting it back to his (adequate) left foot for a great look from the top of the box. But he took another touch and the chance was gone. When he does shoot, however, he looks to be regaining his compass on shots (see the stunner v Everton). With PKs, direct kicks, and increased goals from open play, I would not be shocked to see him as the leading goalscorer at seasons end.

I think Drogba picked up a knock early- he seemed to be signalling for a sub in the 1st half and laboring for much of the game. If they do lose him to injury, Chelsea will be without their 3 most crucial players- Terry, Drogba, and Cech. And they weren't really playing well when all 3 were fit. And still they are oddsmakers' faves to win both England and the Champions League. Needless to say, this is a deep, talented squad.

I had been wondering who would be first to be loaned out - Kallou or Mikel. Kallou scored and looked a little more comfortable. Mikel, to be fair, came on late, but still looks lost out there. I'm betting on Mikel.

Inane comment of the match: The pundit in the 34th minute with Wigan down 2-0. "Wigan must score the next goal." Thanks for that.

I do not think Wigan will face a relegation battle this year, despite this rough patch they have been suffering through (and rough Christmas schedule they face). They play well for Paul Jewell and the squad always seems to play for each other. They dominated 50/50 balls today and always seem to do a lot of little things well.

Emile Heskey, whom we have seen little of since early in the season, had 2 goals and a fabulous game (I hate to admit it). He was a real menace up-front and provided a great target for his teammates. He also won the free kick that led to his vital goal to pull back to 2-1 at the end of 1st half.

The Idiot Returns: A Treatise on Wingers

It has been almost 2 months since I have written a post - what can I say, I'm lazy. But I have also been bored by the EPL so far. Recently, while fighting off sleep during another drab fixture, I was theorizing to my dog, Archie, about how goal scoring is way down. Lo and behold, I just heard the prem is running behind Italy in goals per game. That says a lot to me about how uninspiring the bulk of matches have been so far.

Well this past weekend of EPL matches showed signs of life (and scoring and creation), inspiring me to write again. I know the world of soccer (and of Letters for that matter) breathes a sigh of relief. For my grand return to blogging I offer a shoddy theory on the importance of wingers:

Pundits and commentators often point to strikers and their increased or decreased production as the cause for a teams rise or fall. Goals are obviously vital to a teams success, but I think wingers and their effect on a team's fortunes are vastly underrated.

Look at 3 sides struggling to repeat their form from last year thus far: Chelsea, Blackburn, and West Ham:

It is funny to put Chelsea here, considering they have 36 pts from 16 matches, but they are not playing as well as they did last year. Sheva has taken most of the blame (and he has deserved much of that at this point), but I think they are creating far less this year. And that I put down largely to the removal of Robben from the first 11 and the injuries to Joe Cole.

Instead of playing a winger, they sacrifice width in order to play the wildly ineffective Ballack and try to attack through an over-crowded middle. (Watching in the 70th minute against Arsenal on Sat I had assumed Ballack had been substitued to start the second half - I was shocked to find out he was still on the pitch.) I don't know if there is interference from above and Mourinho is forced to play Sheva and Ballack, but it just isn't working.

Chelsea doesn't posess the clockwork passing of a Barcelona or Arsenal and have been largely toothless with this formation. Sheva has been awful with his touch and passing, but it is not like he is blowing point blank chances constantly. There are just not that many of those being created, and those that are usually come from Dorgba's speed, strength, endeavor, or flopping. Not much out of the midfield.

Blackburn's drop in form has been largely attributed to the loss of Bellamy (huge) and a rash of injuries. For me, the biggest reason is the drop in form and playing time of winger Morten Gamst Pederson . He was fantastic last year, providing goals and great crosses from dead balls and open play. He has been largely ineffective this year and Blackburn have struggled to create or score goals.

I ascribe West Ham's (and Allen Pardew's) decline to many more factors than simply Yosi Benajoun's drop in form. The loss of Dean Ashton and the unsettling Argentine disaster were big. Nigel Reo-Coker has been the worst midfilder in the league this year, edging out Michael Ballack. Apparently there is word that Arsenal came in for him and West Ham refused and he is now pulling a Chimbonda. Whatever the cause, he sucks right now. Tevez has the excuse of transisition to a new league, and though he has shown signs of life lately, he is still not scoring. Paul Konchelsky has suffered a huge drop in form this year.

With all that, I still think that Benajoun's drop in form has played a large part in the disaster thus far. Would a healthy Dean Ashton help? Absolutely, but there is not much being created for the strikers right now. Last season people (me included) loved their style of play - it was free-flowing open and attack-oriented. And much of that style's successful moves went through Benajoun. Without him in top form they seem confused about who they are and how to attack - they have no identity, can't get results, and are awful to watch.

Compare those 3 teams' struggles vs the succes of Manchester United. Think about what a "great" year Louis Saha is having - he has been really good and scored 8 league goals, but think how many golden chances he has missed as well. I think if the slumping Sheva had the same chances, he would have a bunch of goals.

Man U is creating more chances than anyone save perhaps Arsenal, who show ambivalence about scoring despite their dominant play. And no one is creating more chances than the best winger in the world right now, Christiano Ronaldo. He is nearly unstoppable and creates chance after chance for himself and teammates. Ryan Giggs has been lauded for having a superb season, and I agree he has played well. But he is no longer asked to consistently create from the left side - almost everything goes through Ronaldo and Giggs has been pinching in from the left to take advantage and score from more central positions.

Another team who started off brilliantly and has since struggled is Aston Villa. Again, much credit went to Martin O'Neill (whom I adore). But I think much of their rise in fortunes could be linked to the emergence of Gabby Agbonlahor as a real threat from the wing. During this recent Villa slide, O'Neill has been playing him more forward, often with his back to goal (O'Neill did it again v Sheffield and Gabby was totally ineffective). Agbonlahor may one day return to what I am told is his natural position of striker, but they desperately need him running at defenders down the wing. I think Villa's slump in form (and goal scoring) is directly related to his ineffectivenss of late. Btw, I was dead wrong in thinking Angel would start scoring - Lerner better get another striker in January.

Tottenham is another team to look at in this light. To start the season they were awful - if possible their play was even worse than their results. Culprits cited were the large player turnover, Berbatov not settling, and Defoe and Keane being inconsistent. But Aaron Lennon was injured during most of this barren run and Spurs were creating almost nothing for their strikers.

Now, they are really getting their shit together, and it coincides with the return of Aaron Lennon. They did get some results with him injured, but I thought they still looked horrible going forward. With him back they are a dangerous attacking side again (and tore apart Charlton 5-1 on Saturday) and they are climbing the table.

I think part of the reason wingers get short shrift is much of what they do doesn't result in a hard, easy-to-digest statistic, like a goal or assist. But wingers are so often the drivers of a team's attack.

Look at the Chelsea/Arsenal match - Chelsea was really flat (and down 1-0) until they brought on Robben, who immedeately started torching Arsenal down the left side. Granted, I might have liked to see Robben pass on those sharp-angled shots he took and his play did not directly result in a goal. But he stretched the Gunners defense who had previously been packed in tight, and Essien took advantage (from right back no less) of the newly created space on the right to smash one of the goals of the year. Chelsea created all of their best opportunities once Robben was on the pitch, just like they did when he came on down 1-0 against Man U. Robben had no goals or assists in either match, but his presence and creation from the wing completely changed the complexion of both matches and Cheslea nearly overcame 2nd half deficits in both.

A few other thoughts on what I have seen so far:

3 of the most reviled players - Djiouff, Ronaldo, and Drogba are having 3 of the best seasons in the league. Djiouff is irritating and an admitted cheater, but has been playing the best, most consistent, football of his prem career over the last year. He wins free kicks, he holds up the ball well, he draws fouls, he poaches goals, and he creates goals for others in open play. No wonder we have seen little of Stelios this year. Ronaldo and Drogba are the leading candidates for Player of the Year.

I was wrong on James Beattie - I thought he would flourish, but he has been ineffective and unable to pick up the slack during this rash of injuries for Everton. I was right to wonder about Everton's depth and they are proving an infinitely weaker side without Cahill and Arteta (and I guess Phil Neville and Osman, who had been ineffective of late). Before his injury, Arteta single-handedly won the match against Bolton (1 of only 2 wins in their last 9 Prem matches). Andy Van der Mede has shown signs of a return to form, but I think Simon Davies is way past it. I think Everton will struggle to finish in the top half as injuries and fixtures mount.

I was right on Harry on Portsmouth - his team performs no matter who he puts in - the only player, perhaps outside of Kanu and his goals, who has been irreplaceable is David James, who has been playing out of his mind. I think they will definitely finish in the top half, potentially snagging a place in Europe, though it will be difficult with Spurs and Liverpool climbing the table.

I think Man City has found some of the form they lacked when they were flirting with relegation earlier this season. They are not out of the woods yet, but the vital Joey Barton looks to be finding some form and the continued emergence of Micah Richards bodes well for avoiding the drop. I might be wrong on Samaras who has been indifferent of late.

Chelsea 1-0 Barcelona - Clash of the Titans

Overall, the match did not live up to previous encounters between these sides, but it was still exciting as always. Surprisingly, Barca did not dominate posession with Chelsea waiting to counter - it was Chelsea who largely controlled the match, particularly in the second half when Drogba scored the winner and the Blues created many more scoring chances.

Pretty great defense by Chelsea, especially in the 2nd half when they smothered Barca in the midfield. Bouhlaroz was outstanding - he just shut down Ronaldinho and reduced him to Whineldinho. You knew the Dutch defender was going to have a blinder as soon as Tommy Smyth questioned why Mourinho had played him.

Credit to 3rd string goalkeeper Hilario - nothing outstanding, but he was sure-handed when tested. Easier said than done for someone who hadn't seen first team action in some time, and was suddenly thrown in to face one of the most potent attacks in Europe.

Messi was troubling Cashley Cole down the right in the 1st half, but Rykaard had him swap sides for large parts of the second half. I think he was trying to free up Ro, but nothing seemed to work for the Brazilian today. The attack really missed Eto'o, as Gujohnsen's Barca teammates seemed reluctant to use him before he totally disappeared in the 2nd half. Also, Deco offered nothing.

Drogba was my Man o the Match (edging out a flawless Boulharoz) for providing a moment of perfection with a graceful settle, turn (to send Puyol flying the other way), and wicked finish. I thought he might not play the 2nd half after receiving a tough shot to the head - he looked woozy for a while. But he returned, scored the winner, and then (as usual) became one of Chelsea's most valuable defender/posession holders to ice the game.

Drogba is really announcing himself as one of the world's top strikers. I already thought he was maybe top 15 in the world, but many pundits felt he did not have the clinical scoring consistency to merit that rating. I thought with the all chances he created with his strength and tireless endeavor (as well as great defending, partic in own box on corner kicks) and PKs earned for Lampard's account, he was underrated. Now with the quantity and quality of his strikes this year, and a reduction in his theatrics, Drogba is quickly moving up the list of the world's best strikers and replacing Lampard to join Terry as the heart and soul of the Chelsea squad.

Further, Drgoba has picked up the slack for the officially out-of-form Shevchenko, who really had a weak match. Though he hadn't been scoring, I thought Sheva had looked decent up until today - not his best, but showing signs. Today's performance was more troubling - he couldn't even effectively hold-up or win the ball as he consistently has in the past. He looked confused about where to make his runs.

People have started to wonder if the 31 year-old is in decline. Premature perhaps, but right now it looks as if AC Milan have pulled off the deal of the century with his 50 million pound transfer fee. Even if he comes good over the next few seasons, there will be little transfer value for a 34 or 35 yr old striker, so it seems nearly impossible for him to justify the fee. Not that Chelsea cares.

With the victory, Chelsea has effectively booked their passage through to the knockout rounds - some much needed good news for a side that must recover from the loss of their top 2 goalkeepers, while Barcelona still have work to be done and could be troubled by a dangerous Werder Bremen side for the second spot from the group.

Weekend EPL Thoughts

I've watched the Hunt/Cech incident aboout 15 times and am still ambivalent about how much to blame Hunt was. It was a ball Cech had, but I couldn't tell if Hunt was slipping or purposefully dragging his knee. Either way it was frightening and Cech's career is in some doubt. Chelsea is left with Hilario in goal to face Barcelona on Wendesday in a must-see match (on ESPN2 at 2:45pm EDT). We will also see Eidur Gidjohnsen's return to Stamford Bridge with a Barcelona side now counting on him for some goals in Eto'o's absence.

I knew Angel would hit the score sheet if given time. Great header, too. Oops. Just a nightmare match for him, gifting a toothless Tottenham side a lucky draw at Villa Park. Agbonlohar did well to earn the penalty that Angel missed, and what a great goal (with the right foot) by Gareth Barry to salvage a point.

Newcastle really controlled the first half against Bolton, making up for a distinct aerial disadvatage by pressuring Bolton w their mighty mite middies - Parker, Emre, Duff, and Solano - and not letting Bolton deliver those aerial balls into the box. It worked remarkably well - I have never seen Bolton look worse than they did in the 1st half. They were down 1-0 but if Ramage hadn't blasted over an open net it could have been worse. I was thinking the story line of the match was Newcastle's tactics and Anelka not working yet (or ever). Le Sulk was invisible and ineffective in the lst half.

Then after a brief spell of continued Newcastle dominance to begin the 2nd half (and a solid save by Jaskelainen on Martens), the game totally swtiched. Anelka pounced on a missed header and set up Djiouff with an open net for the equalizer. Djiouff was drawing fouls (and jeers) and one iffy one near the midfield line turned into a Bolton special. Davies easily winning a flick header over 3 Newcastle defenders and Djiouff knowing to gamble and calmly heading home the winner.

It could have been worse from there - Anelka, now energized, started running again and just missed the far corner after a lovely move on the left. Djiouff was infuriating, and single-handedly wasted about 10 minutes with posession, fouls, and time spent on turf rolling and looking for the ref (I bet on Bolton to win, so I loved it). Sam subbed him off eventually, knowing Newcastle was doing everything they could to wind him up and bait him into a second yellow card.

I could not tell if Newcastle was just exhausted and unable to keep up the pace they created with their pressure or if Bolton just adjusted to it at halftime. I still think it is a good way to counteract Bolton, a side that every team in the Prem has had trouble with over the last 3 years. I actually thought much-malignedTitus Bramble played quite well in the back for Newcastle.

Lastly, in the Monday fixture Fulham endured a horrendous first half against struggling Charlton. Coleman played McBride and Helguson together up front w Radzinski and Routledge on the wings to provide balls for them into the box. But the two wingers couldn't create anything (and McBride offered little with his few touches).

Meanwhile, Charlton looked really bright, particularly Dennis Romedahl, who was the most influential player on the pitch. But they could not capitalize and the second half was controlled by Fulham, with Rommedahl disappearing and Fulham revitalized by sub Klaus Jensen. Jensen set-up the first goal by drawing a foul and scored the clincher on a far-too-easy move through the Charlton defense.

Tons o' controversy, Cosmos film, EPL weekend wrap

It is a little hard for me to talk about the Watford/Fulham match as I lost $90 when Watford equalized in the last minute. What I will say is I don't see Watford staying up this year (bold, I know). You have to get 3 points against teams like Charlton and Fulham at home, especially given Fulham's awful road record and the fact that Watford had a 2-0 lead in the 2nd half.

Watford then let in 3 scruffy goals that showed them to be a little suspect in the back. A team that doesn't score a lot and has a soft defense will not avoid the drop. Credit to Watford and Cole for not rolling over after ceding 3 quick goals and getting the 90th minute equalizer.

Didier Zikorra should get a suspension for that dive versus Mendes to get the PK - it was just blatant and bad for game. This is the perfect thing to use video review to issue a suspension - it would show there will be repercussions for cheating your way to a result even if you trick the match referee.

Ironically, Zikorra was a real bright spot for Tottenham, proving to be a handful when attacking from deep in the midfield. He was the only real spark to the slumbering Spurs attack.

Spurs will be thrilled with the points, but they did not play well at all. There are still major issues for Jol to sort out.

I was going to have to admit I was wrong about Jason Roberts being a steal for Blackburn, but I thought he was decent on Saturday, and got a crucial touch in before the keeper to set up Benny McCarthy with an open goal finish for the 3 points. I think we might see more of him from Mark Hughes as Roberts is a difficult mark and really disrupts opposing defenses.

Villa is a just a real threat now. They are full of confidence and seemed unsurprised to be holding mighty Chelsea to a draw. Despite Chelsea's relentless late pressure, I felt like Villa played for the win and fully believed they could get it. We'll see what Chris Sutton has left for his old gaffer.

For the Blues, I was particularly taken with Sheva in another goalless outing - he is a fine player and I look forward to a season of watching him. I have been underwhelmed by Kallou - Mourinho keeps playing him (in this game as a sub for Robben), but he does not look up to it. Over the past few seasons, Chelsea has been quite reliant on their wing attack - Duff, Robben, Cole, and even SWP. I think they really miss something in their attack without two of them, in the lineup. They especially miss Joe Cole. As I've said before, I think when Cole is fit, Mourinho should use Ballack off the bench and play with two wingers again.

Boris thought Terry fouled Sorenson on the first goal - I was less sure. It could have been given, but I always applaud calls that don't overly protect the goalkeepers.

I am glad Arsenal have found some form, and I think their presence in the title chase makes for a much better season. 2 things left me scratching my head in wonder:

1) The Lehman save was one of the greatest saves I have ever seen. Jens is an elite shot blocker who has astounding quickness/reflexes for such a big guy.

2)And of course, the Robin van Persie finish. It just seemed impossible to do - sprinting full speed to the top of the box, and then midsprint, shaping his body, and volleying a waist-high ball into the top of the net. it took obscene athleticism, judgement and technical skill. Reminds me of Holland legend Marco van Basten's famous volley in degree of difficulty.

Bolton put on their second straight clinic on defending and tackling. Last game they stifled Portsmouth, this game they really limited Liverpool. I still don't know about the Anelka buy - Big Sam has earned a lot of lattitude, but I would not be surprised to see him often reverting to Davies and one of the "rats" (Djiouff or Stelios) just behind - it ain't pretty, but it works.

Credit to Sir Alex for not having some knee-jerk reaction to the Ronaldo/Rooney World Cup controversy and shipping the Porutgese winger to Spain. I don't know where Man U would be without him. With Rooney (and Scholes) still out of form and Giggs injured, they are almost completely reliant on Ronaldo for creation.

I watched the Cosmos documentary on ESPN2. It was a fun watch and very evocative of a certain time and place in America and American Sport - I went to quite a few Cosmos matches as a kid (and my crowning athletic (and possibly, life) achievement was scoring a goal at Giants Stadium for my town team before a match against the Vancouver Whitecaps. I skinned myself sliding for it on that rock hard artificial turf, but it was worth it. )

The Chinaglia stuff is awesome - one could say he is cast in the villain role and thus may not have received fair treatment from the flimmaker. I think he is such a hateable person that what we see and hear in the film is not even a skewed version of the truth. But, man was he a great goal scorer. Baseball turned soccer coaches, who knew little about the game, would always implore us youngsters not to be like Chinaglia - that he was a ball hog who didn't pass. The guy averaged about a goal a game for the Cosmos and we were told he was shit.

Final trip down memory lane - I once went to a Cosmos/Bayern Munich friendly. Bayern won 3-0 and dominated in a steady downpour. I had never heard of Bayern and I could not believe a team could be better than the Cosmos, especially these clowns in ugly red Adidas uniforms.

To be honest, the film is not great and has some problems - I think the Giants stadium Scoreboard was shown so often I started to think of it as a character. Like, I wonder what the Scoreboard thinks of this sell-out crowd? Ah, the scoreboard thinks they are the best fans in the world. Still, definitely worth watching.

Did anyone see Brian Ching's match winner against DC United? I actually watched and enjoyed the match and the goal was outrageous.

Anyone catch Matt Jackson's video diary for EPL preview show? I thought it was hysterical. Highlights:
- Jackson comments that Rio Ferdinand's injury moves him up to England's 450th choice at centre-back, just below his mailman.
- Says he was told by gaffer that he would not be involved in upcoming match, save for an outbreak of bubonic plague.
- He and his wife are remodeling their home, and he feels the finish date will be perfectly timed for when divorce papers come through.
- Last shot was his night at home alone with a bottle of whiskey - Jackson says how well they get along.

EPL weekend thoughts

Man U 1-1 Reading

More of the same problems for Man U - the midfield was weak and dare I say lacked quality? Far too many turnovers and wayward touches. Fletcher was awful. Carrick did not do much. And Scholes is not there yet.

The color commentator for the broadcast would not say a nice word about Ronaldo (while finding cause to praise Carrick and Scholes) - yes, Christiano missed a bunch of shots, but he was the only bright light in 1st half. The guy continually complained about Ronaldo's selfishness, and didn't even give him credit for a darting run and perfect cross that Scholes missed by fractions for a tap in (he praised Scholes for making the run, and let him off by saying Ronaldo's cross bounced awkwardly.)

Then, when Ronaldo single-handedly created and drilled home the equalizer, his comment was "If you've got it, flaunt it." Though, he'd been saying exactly the opposite all game. Someone tell me who this was - I recognize the voice and he is the worst color guy in England.

Skipper Gary Neville was awful. Even besides the handball PK, he just looked weak and frustrated.

We saw the return of Gabriel Heinze- He is a very good player and I'm glad he is back, but he should have had 3 yellow cards in the 1st half. Will they ever call him on the blows he delivers to attackers heads on loose balls? These are pre-meditated assaults and the refs NEVER call them. It is ridiculous.

Reading seems to have something about them - I am not that surprised by this result. Seol was very good again and Murty was great in the back. A deserved point and a special day for the club.

Newcastle 1-1 Everton

I bet on Everton to win this game at 7/3. Not a great bet, as they looked quite different from the side who has come out of the blocks blazing. That said, Ameobe's goal was clearly offsides, so I must have a moan about that.

Everton seemed happy to play counter-attack, ceding so much posession and space to Newcastle. The announcers thought they looked great in the back, and on aerial balls they were fantastic, but, otherwise, I thought they were slow to the ball and full of gaps.

When Everton did try to launch counters, they were often way too slow and ponderous with the ball (Phil Neville wasguilty several times - the guy almost always looks first to go backwards, even when space in front). When they had the ball in the Newcastle area, there seemed to be real spacing issues attacking.

I just think the Everton midfield (who I recently praised) were sub-par. Arteta set up Cahill's goal with a pinpoint cross, but aside from that suffered through a mediocre match. Osman was pretty invisible (tho almost scored the winner late), and Carsley was helpful defending in their own box but wasn't winning much in the middle of the park. The midfield overall seemed very passive (esp for such an active unit).

For Newcastle, James Milner looked bright and lively down the right, and Emre was pulling the strings in the middle. I think they should have done more with the chances they created (I'm talking to you, Martens) but not an awful result.

Arsenal 3-0 Sheffield United

Once again, this confirms Henry's importance to Arsenal. Arsenal was not very creative today and the Blades defended well and in numbers, and yet Arsenal, struggling for goals, gets 3 of them.

Henry didn't even look that great, yet he scored 1 and created a second (unfortunate OG for Jagielka (sic)). I put much of the lack of creation on Cesc Fabergas, who looked really bad today, after a great match and decisive assist against Man U. Gilberto looked kind of weak as well. But, the Gunners get their first win at the Emirates and can turn their focus to Europe.

I want to praise Kolo Toure, even though it was a relatively quiet game for the Arsenal back 4. This guy just keeps getting better and at age 25 is now heading into his prime as a defender. Arsenal paid like 150,000 pounds for him, and I think he now deserves mention among the very best defenders in the world. What a buy, what a player.

Other thoughts/notes, and self-congratulations:

Samaras really came through for an increasingly desperate Man City - he scored 2 beauties to get them 3 points. Just as I had sort of predicted in the Reading-Man City post.

Is there a better left foot in the world than Liverpool's John Arne Riise? If you mention Roberto Carlos, we have nothing to discuss. Also, with increased support, Kuyt looks real good, as I sort of predicted in the CL post.

Lampard shoved all my comments about his wayward shooting with a nice PK and a lovely second goal from about 18 yards to earn Chelsea a late victory at Fulham. When Joe Cole returns, I would sit Ballack and not Essien. Tough decision, but thats why they pay me the big bucks (They=google, big bucks= not a penny).

The Villa revial continues, as the does the Charlton slide. Does anyone have any info/insight on the youngster Gabriel Abgonlahor? Was wondering why O'Neill was playing him every match, but he sure showed why with a lovely goal, and almost a second. On both plays, he embarassed Hermann Hreidarsson, blowing right by the Icelandic defender, who looked totally at sea.

Man U win a thriller over Celtic, EPL picks and thoughts

Man U 3 -2 Celtic

Man U will be take the result, but I think there are some ominous signs looking forward:

- They lost Giggs to injury and revealed Park will be out for several months.
- Scholes and Rooney both looked really rusty. Rooney will shake that off, but you never know with aging players like Scholes exactly what level of play they will produce. Scholes did have a pretty assist to Saha for the second goal.
- SAF is still sticking with Darren Fletcher, a player who should start for a side like Blackburn, but is not up to snuff in the midfield for an EPL title contender. With above injuries, there are still real questions in the middle, despite the addition of Carrick.
- The defense looked terrible, especially on crosses into the box. Just slack.

Positives:
- Saha was rampant and I think looks the part this year. He still squandered some great chances, but he created so much with his athleticism and work rate up front. I think a Rooney/Saha partnership with Solskjaer coming off the bench will be great. Solskjaer got the winner in typical poachers fashion, smartly hustling to clean up on another Saha break away miss to give United the 3 points.
- In the first half I thought Man U looked really soft on tackles and Celtic was repeatedly winning 50/50 balls. With the scored tied 1-1, Carrick finally got stuck in on a tackle, won the ball, fed Scholes, who fed Saha for the go-ahead goal. Thought that play changed the match.

I think Celtic will be pleased with their performance, as they certainly showed that they belong on the pitch with a top English side, and I think could have easily gotten something from this match.

Celtic goalie Arto Boruc was outrageous and my man of the match. It is rare that a keeper conceding 3 goals played so well, but he was not at fault on any goal and made an array of first class saves.

Gravesen suffered through an awful 2nd half with repeated giveaways - one leading to Man U's 3rd goal. (Graveson did almost score the equalizer in 78th, but was denied on a great save by Van der Saar.) I still think Graveson and Lennon will prove dominant in the SPL and perhaps give Celtic an outside chance for some CL success after some embarassing showings over the last few years.

Nakamura looked quite good - nice touches and composure and a gorgeous direct kick goal that left Van der Saar frozen.

Tommy Smyth was far less irritating today and I agreed with his comments re: the terrible PK call and Rooney's sub-par perfromance. The Giggs PK call was awful. Ref Lubos Michel was right on top of play as well, which made it even more shocking.

Tommy lowlight: re: Celtics' JvH: "He may have the longest name in football, 23 letters, but he knows how to put it away." Huh?

Other CL news:

Rosicky did for Arsenal what I said was missing since Pires left - someone to check in off the left and curl in a shot (or drill in Rosicky's case). The Czech provided the clinching goal for Arsenal against Hamburg in a tough opening group match.

Lyon buried Real Madrid 2-0. I am not on the bandwagon that Madrid, despite great additions, will win Spain this year or the CL for that matter. I think Madrid has a better chance in the CL as I think Barca is a special side and will not be caught in La Liga. Also, I would love to see Lyon make a deep run in the CL this year - promising signs - Juninho's devastating free kicks and Fred finishing up front.

Pipo Inzaghi was on target for AC Milan. I have never been a big fan, but I enjoyed this article and agree that AC Milan is a real contender for the CL:

http://soccernet.espn.go.com/feature?id=378931&cc=5901

For this weekend in the EPL, I like Villa to take all 3 points away to Watford. As Bobby McMahon noted, Villa is unrecognizable from last year. They looked fantastic against a tough West Ham and deserved victory.

I also like that O'Neill started Juan Pablo Angel - I think Angel needs a manager to say, "You are my guy - you are starting the next 10 matches no matter what." With Villa creating many more opportunities, I think he will deliver goals this year.

I do not like Baros - the guy has just never been a consistent scorer in the Prem, despite some sparkling form for the Czech Republic. I also think he has terrible vision and often dribbles into corners. His transfer was a colossal overpayment by O'Leary, and I think if he has some strong performances for the Czechs in qualifying, O'Neill would be wise to sell to him to another European side (there has been interest expressed in the past).

I also think Arsenal will give Man U problems this weekend. The Gunners are huge dogs, but I think they have played way under their capabilites thus far, while Man U has sparkled against some mediocre competition early. Man U has looked weak against Spurs and Celtic in their last 2 matches and have a host of injuries. Arsenal had their first solid result against Hamburg and I look for them to build on it.