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Destiny entwined
Two hundred thousand a week
Major malfunction 
 
Liverpool beat Derby 2-1 on a late winner by Steven Gerrard. It was another unfortunate result for Derby who should have earned at least a draw for dominating Liverpool in the second half.
The Reds were once again plagued by their inconsistency, with only the individual brilliance of Torres and Gerrard salvaging what was a woeful performance. Whether it is tactics, rotation, or the wrong combination of vitamins in their drinks, at least part of the blame has to reside with Rafa Benitez.
Half-way through the season, the squad still displays about as much natural chemistry as Spencer and Heidi on the Hills. With the manager and potentially the ownership situation in flux, Liverpool looks more likely to be fighting to stay in the Champions League in April than winning it.
Chelsea drew Aston Villa 4-4 in a candidate for match of the season. With eight goals, two penalties, and three red cards, one can hardly complain.
Andiry Shevchenko scored a brace and had, perhaps, his best performance in a Chelsea shirt. He got a big hug from fellow 100,000 pound a week bete noire Michael Ballack, though the other players seemed reticent.
Ballack also contributed a goal from a free kick. But his contribution is mitigated by the fact that he still roams the midfield with the pace and fluidity of a wounded hippopotamus, covering his 20 square feet of the midfield with aplomb.
Starting Cech in goal was a mistake, as his blunders lead to eat least two of Aston Villa’s goals. A defender of midfielder can pull himself through the match on adrenaline and grit, a goalkeeper relies on fitness and reaction time. A great keeper won’t win a match for you, but an injured keeper can certainly lose one.
Chelsea’s title hopes also appear to be fading fast, as their stars are literally out of alignment. Drogba will be fit again approximately when he and Michael Essien begin their sabbaticals in Africa. Their defense will be in trouble for the next few weeks with John Terry injured and Master of the Dark Arts Ricardo Carvalho facing a three match ban after an atrocious two-footed tackle. At 7 pts off the pace, it’s hard to see them making this a three-horse race.
Arsenal drew Portsmouth 0-0. It is a damaging result in the mind, as Man U have taken a crucial one pt lead at the midway point in the season. But, in reality, a draw in a tricky away match is not the most terrible result in the world.
The Gunners still haven’t recovered fully from their injury spell. The midfield combo of Hleb, Flamini and Fabregas, so crucial to their early success, remains a bit off the pace. Fabregas, in particular, had a woeful performance on Wednesday.
The early season criticisms about their dearth of wide players is coming to fruition. Rosicky is a fine player, but far more effective in the interior than on the wing. Eboue is an adept attacking full-back, but as a winger his crossing and shooting leave much to be desired.
The tactic of playing Adebayor as the lone-striker in a 4-5-1 should also be re-examined. Far too often, he dips back into the midfield to get the ball rather than holding his position and drawing the attention of defenders. Dropping into the Henry position is fine, with a second striker. But, when Adebayor drops back on his own it converts Arsenal to a 4-6-0 and forces them to pick the lock to provide a player with a decent scoring opportunity. With a disciplined defensive effort like Pompey’s, this proves an arduous task.
It’s far too early to be composing Arsenal’s epitaph, but there are certainly questions that must be answered if they are to win the title.

Boxing Day Odds and Sods - World Soccer Talk

Boxing Day Odds and Sods

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Robbie Keane bitches
He whines he wanks he whinges
Bottles when it counts
Arsenal squeaked out a 2-1 win over Tottenham in the North London Derby. They were not very convincing, but, unlike last season, it was an unconvincing win.
The match began rather creepily with a friendly handshake between Ramos and Wenger. Gunners fans will miss the murderous glares and terse interactions between Arsene and Fat Tony.
Adebayor scored a brilliant goal from Fabregas’ back-heel. Bendtner had a brilliant one as well. The Gunners are developing what Tottenham thought they were paying big money for, a dynamic and versatile strike-force. The scariest part is that they are only going to get better, with the elder-statesman, Robin Van Persie, a mere twenty-four years old.
The penalty on Toure was a bit harsh. He did appear to have hit the ball before Berbatov’s leg. Berbatov was teetering around like a drunken college girl after a few too many glasses of jungle juice, waiting to go down. Imagine how good Berbatov would be if he could actually move.
“Keane does not miss.”
Manchester United also achieved a rather tenuous victory 2-1 over Everton. Ronaldo’s magnificent finish for the first goal prominently displayed why he may be the preeminent talent in international football. His second goal displayed why he gets overrated, his goal tallies are paded by penalties.
Everton certainly did enough to get a result in the match, and were only foiled by a stupid penalty. For the Toffees to break into the top four, however, they need to turn their gritty performances against the top sides into results. Close only counts in horseshoes and hand grenades.
Liverpool crushed Pompey 4-1. This was a rather unexpected result, as Liverpool have been sup-par at Anfield this season and Portsmouth have been stellar away from Fratton Park. Though the pool are the better’s bane, as you never know which side will show up. Benitez chose a positive starting XI and they lit up the scoreboard for four goals. They would have had a few more if Dirk Kuyt could actually play football. Distin’s own goal would have been a Torres goal if Kuyt hadn’t played the ball two yards behind him.
Portsmouth’s performance spoke for itself. The defense was terrible. Sol Campbell’s mind was obviously too concerned with human rights violations to concentrate. A full beard is a quite fetching look, unfortunately for David James, his comes in patchy. Arry Redknapp’s jowels have their own jowels.
Chelsea beat Blackburn 1-0, continuing the Avram Revolution of flowing, attacking football.
Merry Christmas!

Christmas Eve Odds and Sods - World Soccer Talk

Christmas Eve Odds and Sods

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