Football Orphan: Time to take things seriously in the Carling Cup?
Tonights Carling Cup ties throw up an unusual conundrum for the top teams involved. Liverpool take on Chelsea, while Manchester City will take on Arsenal. Given that it’s at the quarter-final stage do all managers in charge just go for it with a full team selection? Or do they take the conservative route and plot for greater things in the Premier League. The coach in the most difficult position must be AVB given his teams dismal recent run. In effect, if it goes badly wrong for his team tonight, it’s not beyond the realms of possibility it could be his last game at the helm.
Arsene Wenger and Kenny Dalglish are under a softer kind of pressure. Regardless of the sticky patches they encounter, they will always have the backing of the supporters. It is impossible to think of a difficult scenario emerging from either exiting the Carling Cup at this stage, even with the heartbreak suffered by the Gunners in this competition last season at the final hurdle.
Roberto Mancini faces a perplexing decision though, it is abundantly clear that the Premier League is top priority, but facing elimination from the Champions League might turn the Carling Cup into a realistic chance at a domestic double. It can also represent a clubs over ambition with the failure to claim any trophies given the quantity of games, as has happened to other teams in the past.
We must have a winner from each tie this evening, including extra time and penalties if necessary. It appears to be down to the players selected to seize the opportunity rather than the coaches selection in my opinion. If a coach waters down the team to give peripheral players a game, it can simply become a question of a player trying to catch his managers eye, or a player not caring too much on a cold winters night competing in the League Cup. I am a traditionalist, I love to see a cup game with no expectations, this is exactly what this tournament offers. In essence, if you are a betting person these games are virtually unbackable. I say, let the lottery begin…..
Football Orphan: Premier League review. Will the real Fernando Torres please stand up?
Which Torres will we see on Sunday? The unhappy Liverpool one, or the miserable Chelsea one?
The most obvious fixture of the weekend can only be the visit of Liverpool to Stamford Bridge. While Chelsea are not without their troubles, Liverpool are carrying a rather expensive Geordie at the moment. This coupled with the Luis Suarez racism case will eventually weigh down on the team very heavily, and could halt any progression in a pivotal season. While the Sky cameras are delighted to drink up the action in east london, for me the one to look out for is at the Etihad Stadium, where Manchester City take on an unbeaten Newcastle United. Now that the international football is taken care of, the honeymoon stage of the season is over. One, or both of these teams will wake up on Sunday with a slight hangover having dropped vital points, although clearly a point would suffice for Newcastle.
Arsenal face a tricky trip to Carrow Road in attempt to continue their recent good form. While Arsene Wenger has no new major injuries to concern him, this game will be far from being a pushover against a plucky Norwich team. At the other end, an early season six pointer between Wigan and Blackburn at the DW stadium should offer us some good old-fashioned Premier League drama. Unsackable Steve Kean will be his usual bulletproof self, regardless of the result. He always somehow manages to piece together a determined post match interview to paper over the cracks.
The almost forgotten Monday night slot goes to White hart Lane, as Spurs take on an unispiring Aston Villa. Spurs will hope to make another stride towards Champions league qualification, while Villa will surely be content with slipping under the radar to secure safety this season. Champions Manchester United face a straight forward trip to Swansea and West Brom host a struggling Bolton. The games likely to be squeezed in towards the end of Match of the day are Wolves trip to Everton, Stoke against QPR and Fulham’s excursion to the Stadium of Light to face an under pressure Sunderland.
Football Orphan will return on Monday to round-up the highlights of the weekends action.
Enjoy your weekend!
Football Orphan: Arsenal bore us into submission as Valencia slump in Leverkusen.
Just like the rest of us, Arsene was calling for the final whistle.
Arsenal emerged from the carnage of what was Matchday 3 with all three points from Stade Velodrome against Marseille. Unbelievably, this round of matches provided us with the most dire and uneventful ninety minutes seen at this level as far as my memory can stretch back. Only the introduction of Arron Ramsey saved us from total boredom last night as he ghosted in behind the Marseille back four to finish calmly right at the death to sicken a defensive minded Didier Deschamps. Arsene Wenger will now patch up his ever-changing make shift eleven to entertain Marseille at the Emirates on Matchday four, where they can secure their passage through to the knockout stages.
Football Orphan predicted 2-0 to Arsenal. Not too far away, in the end it was just nice to hear the shrill of the final whistle.
In the other game of consequence at the BayArena, Bayer Leverkusen came from one down to beat Valencia to strengthen their grip on qualification past the group stage. Jonas opened the scoring after 20 minutes before a second half quick fire double by Andre Schurrle, then four mins later Sidney Sam finished calmly to secure all three points for the Germans. Valencia now sit four points off qualification with two of their remaining three games at the Mestalla. Home form will be vital for the spanish side who look to clinch a top two spot in Group E, as Chelsea look almost certain to secure first place.
Football Orphan predicted 3-1 to Valencia, Wrong! Bayer Leverkusen upset the odds to heap the pressure on Valencia.
Football Orphan: “Miracle worker” Wenger does it again.
Arsenal can breathe a sigh of relief for now as they secured their place in the group stages of the Champions League last night. Arsene Wenger looked most agitated for long periods of the game, as Arsenal’s grip on the game was far from secure. With a severely weakened starting eleven, and by the looks of things only getting weaker, Arsenal managed to steer themselves past a tricky tie, and secure another campaign of Champions League football. The Gunners were far from having it all their own way though.
Udinese had enough chances overall to put the tie beyond Arsenal. A second half penalty miss from Antonio Di Natale and striking the wood work more than once, all lead to the Italians downfall. It would be fair to say that before the half time whistle Arsenal looked like a wounded boxer hanging on waiting for the bell to save them. Once that bell did indeed ring the north Londoners were given the opportunity to regroup, and then proceeded to pick off their opponent just as any experienced fighters would.
The cost of being eliminated at this stage is rumoured to be around 25 million pound. This figure could have been compounded with the Europa League tag, and the bare remnants of a once ambitious club, floundering in the last shakes of the transfer market to replace top players already departed. Arsene Wenger will continue to thread water until he stuns us with some unbelievable last-minute business, or his squad solidifies and makes a miraculous turnaround of biblical proportions.
Football Orphan : Arsenal bid an emotional “Comiat” to Cesc.
Cesc Fabregas finally made his long-awaited move back to his boyhood team yesterday. He revealed that he could barely speak through the emotion of the farewells when thanking Arsene Wenger who he see’s as a father figure. Much has been made of arguably the most important signing Barcelona have made since Johan Cruyff signed for the Catalans in 1973. No single eventuality could possibly have had a bigger feel good factor for Los Cules than Cesc’s “homecoming” this season. The hole that Fabregas leaves at Arsenal will be of little concern to La Blaugrana as they strengthen what is an already invincible and virtually flawless team.
Arsene Wenger has been accused of a variety of flaws over the course of the infamous barren years. With the mass exodus that Arsenal find themselves in the midst of currently, this is surely the Frenchman’s biggest challenge yet. Wenger has already seen the likes of Almunia, Clichy, Denilson and Fabregas depart, with Eboue, Bendtner and Nasri currently believed to be packing their bags. Arsenal have also sold Jay Emmanuel Thomas to Ipswich Town when he was once believed to be a hot prospect, and have sent Kyle Bartley out on loan to Glasgow Rangers yet again. I personally believe that a proactive approach by the north Londoners could see a galvanizing effect on the Emirates faithful. It won’t be the “be all and end all” to get talented players, it just won’t be enough. The mentality of the new recruits will be scrutinised by media and supporters as much as ever.
Why “Le Professeur” hasn’t shown more of an interest in “budget” players such as Scott Parker, Craig Bellamy and perhaps even Owen Hargreaves and Mathew Upson on free transfers given the reluctance to spend money is a mystery to me. Arsenal in my opinion need what Liverpool have recently encouraged with their own signings, is an experienced British core in their first eleven. At the risk of hanging myself out to dry just like Alan Hanson once did, but with so little title-winning experience, I just don’t share Arsene Wenger’s optimism.
The prospect of Arsenal’s most experienced and most important player now entering into an environment to complete his education and qualifying himself as the “complete package” must now show Wenger he needs to buck the trend, and rethink his philosophy if silverware is to find its way back down south to N5.
Football Orphan: Nobody remembers second place. Speculate to accumulate.
"Silent Stan" at the Emirates
Francesc Fabregas must be thinking that he will be playing a high-profile Derby match in the wrong city tonight. While Arsenal are potentially attending their own funeral at White Hart Lane, Cesc’s boyhood club Barcelona will be preparing for their Copa Del Rey final against Real Madrid.
Barcelona could put the finishing touches to the first part of another treble while Arsenal remain without a trophy in six seasons. The impatience of Fabregas is becoming more and more evident. In a recent interview with Spanish magazine Don Ballon, Fabregas stated that Wenger would have been sacked by now had he been managing at a Spanish club. He also revealed that he is fed up saying that they played well without winning and that Arsenal must choose between winning trophies or developing players.
This does not sound like a man happy in the workplace. Once a player really starts to make those kind of noises, it’s only a matter of time before he moves on. Previously Arsene Wenger had immaculate judgement when letting players move on, this time it looks as though he may have missed the boat on getting top price for a player who quite obviously has major hamstring issues.
Once the Spaniard eventually leaves Arsenal unless there is alterations in recruitment policy, the spotlight will inevitably shift on to the next high-profile player. While Wenger is exceptional at accumulating top dollar for players, he is subdued when it comes to extinguishing the speculation when it obviously is counter productive to the team.
Jack Wilshere is quite an obvious replacement while Aaron Ramsey has made fantastic progress since his unfortunate leg break. Henri Lansbury has also been incredibly impressive on loan at Norwich as they seek automatic promotion to the Premier League. This point I feel is of utmost importance. Arsenal were the first club to field an all foreign first eleven, but they have made extraordinary strides turning around that philosophy while nurturing some of the best home based talent which also includes left back Kieran Gibbs.
Wenger appears to be moving closer and closer to the emphatically successful Barcelona template of home-grown players, but will the difference of a marquee player in the transfer market remain as Arsenal’s undoing? It’s high time that “Silent Stan” (Kroenke) teaches Arsene Wenger how to speculate to accumulate.
Football Orphan: Pay no attention to the man behind the curtain.
Is Arsene Wenger the genius we all thought he was, or just the Wizard of Oz? Last Friday the Frenchman gave what was possibly his most forthright press conference to date. The Arsenal Supporters Trust have recently expressed their disappointment at not having won a trophy in the last six years.
When questioned about this Wenger became defensive, he stated that given the players he has at his disposal, the team has performed to 100% of their potential. He turned the question back on the journalists, asking what they thought constitutes as success? The response was clear. A trophy.
Wenger alluded to the fact that many of the first eleven have not quite reached their prime. It seems to be a mystery why the Arsenal manager insists on having players the wrong side of their prime. Bringing back Jens Lehman and Sol Campbell when it was obvious that neither were up to the level required was ludicrous, and is blatantly against Wenger’s transfer policy of re-signing players.
It appears to be easy to poke holes in Arsenal’s recent success, or lack of. That fact of the matter is that since the heady days of the invincibles, Arsene Wenger has greatly over achieved with many players who quite simply are sub standard. Instead of being impressed further at these achievements, we expect more. Is the expectation founded upon the history and tradition of the club? Or the unwavering faith that Wenger has in his players?
The real reason why larger amounts of money haven’t been spent in the transfer market have never really come to light. We can only speculate about why Arsenal’s short arms haven’t reached into their deep pockets to strengthen in certain positions that are screaming out to be filled. The Frenchman’s mantra has always been to judge his teams at the end of the season.
There is no doubt in my mind that Arsene Wenger has revolutionized football in England, and is one of the finest managers of all time. The displeasure that the Arsenal Supporters Trust have shown recently leads me to believe, that they feel the manager is digging himself a hole that is becoming more difficult to escape from. My message to the Supporters Trust is simple, be careful what you wish for…..
Football Orphan: Do the English media suffer from OCD?
This season it has been almost impossible to pick up a newspaper or watch the sports news without hearing about Jack Wilshere. The Arsenal midfielder made an impressive start to the season and justified Arsene Wenger‘s faith in the youngster. As his progression gathered momentum, predictably so did his media attention.
The only relief Wilshere enjoys from the relentless attention is when £35 million man Andy Carroll gets a mention. These days the English media are spoiled for choice for their own international players to heap pressure on, only to get good copy from them. Whether it’s the genius or failings of Theo Walcott, or which goalkeeper will embarrass himself next. I’m sure some of the usual suspects were delighted to get a break from the limelight for the two-week rumblings of the captaincy saga. It all comes full circle now that the under 21’s coach Stuart Pearce wants Wilshere for the Euro Championships, and the media are like a dog with bone.
When did all of the attention ever help players in this position before? The list goes on and on of players that could have thrived had they been left to mature away from the watchful eye of the media sharks. Some can handle it, others fall by the wayside, but dealing with the media pressure shouldn’t be a prerequisite to be an international player.
David Beckham is the best example of someone who revels in the spotlight using it as a catalyst to promote his own celebrity, and to a lesser degree it has been the same with Ashley Cole. There are also cases when players don’t help themselves. Wayne Rooney‘s career is a mine field of faux pas and media invitation. While it is their job to report major incident, as football fans they would see it as the pinnacle of their career to report on their very own World Cup winners.
The media tossed aside Michael Owen as injuries blighted his shining star. Paul Gascoigne is still sliding on the slippery slope of fame and stardom, and is likely to be declared bankrupt in less than two weeks. So when will the penny drop that it is counter productive to the players? The answer to this age-old conundrum lies within another question, when will the inclusion of the high-profile players in the column inches stop selling newspapers?
Football Orphan: Take a bow son; Bent transfer; Arsene Presley Vs Alex Sinatra.
Take a bow son…..
It is impossible to think of how football has changed since the introduction of the Premier League, without tipping your hat to Sky. Like them or loathe them, whoever your team is they’re getting more coverage than ever before. The juggernaut that is BskyB run a well oiled machine, presenting us with no less than five dedicated sports channels, including 24 hour sports news. They always make everything look so effortless, but never before has their efficiency been so well displayed than when cherry picking Messer’s Gray and Keys from prime time’s Monday Night Football.
Comments made by both senior personalities were indeed “inexcusable” and “regrettable” from a company that boasts equal opportunity. Like school children scolded for misdemeanours by the head teacher, both were stood down from duties immediately. More impressive still was how Sky, as per a normal news day reported continuously on the “Breaking News story” further distancing themselves from the already isolated hosts. When evidence of previous wrongdoing presented itself from footage of an earlier incident, reaction was instantaneous, resulting in instant dismissal for Andy Gray, followed by Richard Keys’ resignation days later.
We have grown so used to match day being only a centrepiece to our sport. We now follow a pre and post match press conference, transfer speculation and punditry as eagerly as the importance of the game itself. Football as we know it now is an ever evolving story, punctuated by results, trophies recruitment and dismissals. Sky, by their own standards would have to go a long way to cover a more spectacular and rapid demise. No longer will we hear the phrase coined by the disgraced pair such as “Up Top” or possibly have to endure Gray’s modern day VCR machine. While endeavouring to enhance our viewing experience and building our football vocabulary over twenty years, they then blew all credibility in an act. To this I say, “Take a bow son!”.
Bent Transfer
Football has never been short of throwing up the bizarre. It’s never far away from contradicting it’s self in some form. I personally thought news of Darren Bent’s £24 million transfer pushed all boundaries that bit further. The players talent is not in question, the fee and the nature of the transfer is what raised eyebrows. Martin O’Neill was refused what he deemed a fair cut of the transfer fee received for James Milner to strengthen what was an already thin squad. The one time European Cup winner then saw his position as untenable.
Randy Lerner then had no hesitation headhunting Gerard Houllier from the French FA. The Frenchman who experienced success at his two previous clubs, after the donkey work had been done by preceding coaches, was then selected to improve upon what O’ Neill had achieved. If the Villa owner had been correct in withholding funds, then should Houllier have struggled so badly up until the transfer window? Had O’Neill overachieved with a wafer thin, relatively inexperienced Squad?
One can only question the selection process when the brief is to employ a coach who firstly needs to extract the best from a squad, without funds and bond a disillusioned playing staff that lost their manager days from the season’s kick off. Having never been renowned for fulfilling a task similar to the challenge Villa posed, Houllier was enthusiastic to take up the position, citing it as “too good to turn down”.
An unnecessary summer of discontent ensued last year at Aston Villa regarding incoming and outgoing transfers. Why a manager who has had fantastic success blending youth with experience and has a fine record with transfer policy was brought into question, is simply mystifying. When a club steadily makes progression year upon year, players will be sold and new targets are inevitable.
This I believe should become a benchmark moment for managers and coaches, just like the Bosman ruling was for players. It is extremely rare that a player’s name is totally synonymous to a particular piece of football detail. The example of the Cryuff turn, and the Bosman transfer come immediately to mind. The threat of missing the boat and ending up with a “Bent Transfer” in my opinion could and should be used as artillery in the transfer negotiations between manager and boardroom.
Arsene Presley Vs Alex Sinatra
Rafael Benitez was reported last week in the press saying that he thinks Arsene Wenger is a better manager than Alex Ferguson. This he believes is based upon philosophy and recruitment. Now far be it for me to question the judgement of a gentleman who has won some of the top honours in football, on the contrary, he has also been relieved of his duties from two of Europe’s heavyweights within a six month period.
Both managers have a stellar record when it comes to youth policy. Granted, one trophy cabinet is fuller than the other. When it comes to leaving a legacy behind at their respective clubs, well it seems to me to be a dead heat. The obvious motive points to the ongoing feud which prompted the “Fact” speech.
To the red side of Manchester and North London the answer is abundantly obvious, but surely a perception of superiority goes far beyond loyalty? Squaring two modern-day greats together like this is reminiscent of Father Dougal Mcguire being posed the question, “Blur or Oasis?”, but I personally I prefer the comparison of Elvis or Sinatra? To me it’s impossible to choose, let us just enjoy two football legends continue to lock horns for as long as it lasts……..
Football Orphan 