Toughest task yet for Di Matteo’s winning Chelsea team

Posted: March 21, 2012 | Author: | Filed under: Chelsea, English Premier League, Manchester City | Tags: , , | Leave a comment

Beating Manchester City at home in the league and qualifying for the knockout stages of the Champions League were the highlights of Andre Villas-Boas’ brief stint as Chelsea manager. The club’s owner took a gamble by sacking the Portuguese when he did but that paid off in the best possible way just seven nights ago.

Roberto Di Matteo’s Chelsea have also now booked a place in the FA Cup semi-finals next month. They are currently fifth in the Premier League with ten games to go, and need to finish the season higher than that or the Champions League quarter-finalist’s only remaining route left into next season’s Champions League would be by winning it outright this year.

Roberto Mancini’s City, like Manchester United, have exited both European club competitions already this season, leaving both clubs in the two horse race for the Premier League with nothing else left to compete for. If Chelsea are to go all the way and win the FA Cup this year then two dates at Wembley Stadium stand between that becoming reality.

Similarly, two fixtures at the Etihad Stadium will determine whether City finish as English league champions this season or not. The first is this evening against Chelsea, with the potential championship decider against United at the end of April.

There wasn’t a great deal of pressure on the interim manager at the Stamford Bridge club last week. Villas-Boas was the man responsible for the defeat in the first leg. Ensuring there was to be no hiccup against Leicester City last Sunday presented Di Matteo with the opportunity to take his team into the a couple of big league fixtures in winning form, but despite City’s defeats against Sporting Lisbon and at Swansea, I cannot see their 100% record at home being troubled.

Furthermore, I would very much like to be able to look back on this game and realise that all the talk of it featuring Carlos Tevez was in fact just a clever disguise by the manager, to avoid answering distracting questions about City’s recent blip. If the Argentine is involved in anyway, regardless of his talent, then it could ultimately scupper their title challenge this season.

Can Chelsea add FA Cup to their Champions League progress?

Posted: March 18, 2012 | Author: | Filed under: Chelsea, FA Cup, Leicester City | Leave a comment

Chelsea were one of the last teams to seal their place in the quarter finals of this season’s FA Cup, but they can become the first to reach the semi-finals this afternoon.

They entertain Championship opposition at Stamford Bridge for the second consecutive round, and Leicester City will be looking to do at least as well as Birmingham City who forced a replay after a 1-1 draw last month.

The Londoners, currently in fifth place in the Premier League were in Friday’s Champions League draw after beating Napoli 4-1 after extra-time two days earlier, and should be in the hat for one of four places up for grabs to feature at Wembley on 14/15th April.

The breaking team news as I’m writing is that John Terry, Frank Lampard and Didier Drogba, who all started in midweek are excluded from Chelsea’s starting line-up today. Chelsea play the first of their final ten games of their Premier League campaign at Manchester City this Wednesday, then host Spurs next Saturday, followed by the Champions League quarter final first leg a week on Tuesday. 

Leicester, who won at Norwich City in the fifth round, are currently mid-table in the second tier of English football, eight points outside the play-off places for promotion to the top flight. They have the same busy schedule as Chelsea in the coming week or so, going to Blackpool this Wednesday, followed by Hull City at the King Power Stadium next Saturday.

Only one team will be glad form goes out the window in derbies

Posted: March 13, 2012 | Author: | Filed under: English Premier League, Everton, Liverpool | Leave a comment

Everton currently sit ninth in the Premier League table ahead of tonight’s derby at Anfield, unbeaten in their last seven league games. Any result for them against Liverpool tonight with the exception of a defeat would lift them further up the table. But rather strangely their form of late has seen them not only beat Manchester City, Chelsea and Spurs but also keep a clean sheet against each of those sides, while they have drawn 1-1 with four teams currently in the bottom six.

Liverpool’s participation in the Carling Cup final meant that this game was postponed on the same weekend Chelsea won for the first time in five league games. Liverpool’s opponents at Wembley that day, Cardiff caused them more problems than Brighton – another team with an eye on promotion to the Premier League – did at Anfield in the last round of the FA Cup.

However, the Reds’ three consecutive league defeats has been much talked about this week, and while results haven’t been going Liverpool’s way of late, Arsenal have taken maximum points since they thrashed Blackburn 7-1 at the beginning of February. That included winning at Anfield ten days ago with a last minute goal, a result which effectively wrecked Liverpool’s own aspirations for a top four place come the end of the season.

Bendtner rubs in Liverpool’s late defeat by Arsenal

Posted: March 11, 2012 | Author: | Filed under: English Premier League, Liverpool, Sunderland | Tags: , | Leave a comment

Liverpool have almost completed a tricky run of league games, a sequence in which they started off as outsiders for a top four finish, and now find themselves with only the FA Cup left to play for.

Their inconsistency in the league hadn’t been an issue as such before Arsenal’s fortunes turned around in recent games. As the business part of the campaign got underway Liverpool’s rivals for a top four finish reacted to the season thus far in different ways – Chelsea changed its manager while Arsenal established a ten point advantage over Liverpool, helped by three points at Anfield thanks to a last minute winner last weekend.

Liverpool won the Carling Cup and with it a place in next season’s Europa League, but had they got themselves into a stronger position after six months of the season then they probably could have afforded three consecutive defeats, including the one against Arsenal.

Kenny Dalglish’s comments after yesterday’s 1-0 defeat at Sunderland suggested he would have happily taken a point, when a predictable share of the spoils for them at the Stadium of Light in March, while seventh in the table, (with all respect to the Black Cats) wouldn’t have taken them very far.

“I don’t think it was much of a game and the only difference between a draw and a win was a bit of good fortune for them,” said Dalglish after Nicklas Bendtner’s second half winner consigned his team to a seventh league defeat in 14 away games.

Dreaming of Wembley gets reluctanty put on hold

Posted: March 9, 2012 | Author: | Filed under: English Premier League, Liverpool, Sunderland | Leave a comment

However unlikely, Liverpool could be as little as one point behind Chelsea in the league by next Tuesday night.

But first of all they go to Sunderland tomorrow, where if they were to come away with less than three points, you would probably expect them to rest players in the Merseyside derby in preparation for the FA Cup. Sunderland themselves might be looking ahead to Everton next weekend, but after consecutive games without a win their priority should be on trying to resolve their current mid-table standing in the league, before turning their attention to the cup quarter finals.

Since beating Wolves 3-0 at the end of January, Liverpool’s next three games were against opposition currently in the top four. A goalless draw at home to Spurs was followed by a pair of 2-1 defeats, which were the first two occasions this season that Liverpool have scored in games which they have gone on to lose – some explanation as to how their shortage of goals hasn’t held them back too much.

The critics of course can now confidently state that Liverpool’s shortage of goals is to blame for them missing out on a top four finish. So perhaps a good response would be for them to get involved in a few high scoring encounters between now and the end of the season and see how the fans respond to that after a campaign that has so far included eight 0-0 or 1-1 draws in the league at Anfield.

The Black Cats of course had their local derby last weekend, in which they narrowly missed out on taking all three points, but they will be missing two key players through suspension. They remain 10 points behind Newcastle who travel down to Arsenal on Monday, so there’s certainly a potential chance of that gap becoming slightly narrower.

Passionately fought derby ends amid late drama

Posted: March 7, 2012 | Author: | Filed under: English Premier League, Newcastle United, Sunderland | Tags: , | Leave a comment

Simon Mignolet was a few minutes away from becoming a Sunderland legend last Sunday but the goalkeeper’s penalty save could only temporarily maintain the visitors’ 1-0 lead from the first half. Voted man-of-the-match by Black Cats supporters after he had denied Demba Ba from the penalty spot, Mignolet was eventually beaten by Newcastle substitute Shola Ameobi in the final minute of the derby.

The fierce nature of the contest spilled from the pitch to the two managers on the touchline at times as Sunderland were reduced to ten players for the final half an hour following Stephane Sessegnon’s dismissal for a swung elbow at an opponent in full view of referee Mike Dean. And after the final whistle Dean showed Sunderland’s Lee Cattermole the second red card of the afternoon.

With Sessegnon and Cattermole set to miss a total of seven games between them, their manager Martin O’Neill said he felt the home side could consider themselves fortunate to come away with a full compliment of players. O’Neill praised his team’s performance without condoning the actions of either of his red carded players. He said, “The players were intent on not letting anybody down, particularly the supporters, and I think they did that admirably today.”

Situation at Chelsea could play into Birmingham’s hands

Posted: March 5, 2012 | Author: | Filed under: Birmingham City, Chelsea, FA Cup | Tags: , | Leave a comment

Roman Abramovich reacted to Chelsea falling 20 points behind leaders Manchester City in the Premier League by sacking manager Andre Villas-Boas a couple of days before their FA Cup fifth round replay at Birmingham City.

It’s the second time in three years that Chelsea have gone into the FA Cup fifth round with a different manager from their previous game – In 2009, Ray Wilkins was in charge as caretaker boss while Guus Hiddink oversaw proceedings from the stands – Tomorrow night it’s Roberto Di Matteo’s turn, as the newly appointed interim manager until the end of this season. It will be the former Chelsea player’s first game back as manager since he was sacked just over a year ago by West Brom with whom he won promotion to the Premier League.

A three point gap has emerged in the Premier League table between Chelsea and the top four with eleven games remaining, a fairly straightforward gap to overturn it can be assumed. However, while the FA Cup offers the chance to lift some silverware this season, the club’s ambition at the start of the season would have been firmly foucusd on winning either the Champions League or the Premier League (or even both). And since qualification for next season’s Champions League isn’t guaranteed yet, the FA Cup might be seen now as a distraction.

However, a defeat at the Championship club who managed a 1-1 draw at Stamford Bridge would possibly be the first of two eliminations from knock-out competitions in quick succession, which would hardly be inspiring for what’s left of their season. When Chelsea’s 2012 cup campaign got underway they were out of the title race, though only eleven points behind the leaders. But more importantly than that, seven games ago they were a point better off than Arsenal and just inside the top four.

The owner and the club’s supporters realise the importance of changing that back before the end of the campaign, and it will be the number one requirement asked of Di Matteo. So with Leicester City awaiting the winner of this tie in the sixth round, it remains to be seen how important, or not, progress in the FA Cup is now for the Premier League side.

Meanwhile, if Chris Hughton’s side, which up until Christmas had been competing in the Europa League, do take full advantage of the current goings-on in west London, they would face the prospect of further games on top of an already hectic forthcoming schedule of fixtures in the Championship.

Only pride left to play for in the north east derby

Posted: March 4, 2012 | Author: | Filed under: English Premier League, Newcastle United, Sunderland | Leave a comment

I’m prepared to make a bold statement just 15 minutes before the big north east derby kicks off: Neither Newcastle United or Sunderland will finish in the top five this season. I believe that Liverpool have also already blown their chances largely as a consequence of their last three league games.

Even if Newcastle earn three points this lunchtime to go level on points with Chelsea, the Londoners goal difference is far superior. It’s been at home that Spurs, Arsenal and Chelsea have enjoyed comfortable wins, whereas the clubs below them have sometimes struggled to. Whatever the outcome at the Sports Direct Arena today, Newcastle supporters will no doubt still be dreaming of a European place next season, while Sunderland could of course still qualify via the FA Cup.

However, I cannot see any one of the trio of London clubs messing up to such an extent that an other will be allowed to slip in front of them come the end of the season. But since there’s much more at stake than just the points today, it can hardly be billed as a meaningless fixture. It’s more one which the visitors would do rather well to win.

Wigan search for little bit of fortune in front of goal

Posted: March 3, 2012 | Author: | Filed under: English Premier League, Swansea City, Wigan Athletic | Tags: , , , | Leave a comment

If results went their way this weekend, Wigan Athletic could climb four places in the Premier League table and off the bottom for the first time since January.

Unless out-of-form Aston Villa or Wigan’s oppostion today at the DW Stadium, Swansea City are to continue their poor runs of late, then it appears the three teams who will face relegation come the end of the season will be made up of the current bottom five.

Roberto Martinez’s side have the worst goal difference and the fewest number of wins at home and overall, although it is so tight at the bottom right now, that could all change this weekend. At home they have conceded twice as many times as they have scored. But they are unbeaten in their last three games with five home games remaining after today against West Brom, Stoke, Manchester United, Newcastle, and Terry Connor’s Wolves on the final day.

Since their 3-3 draw with Blackburn in November, Wigan at home have scored one goal every other home, while striker Franco Di Santo, in his second season with the club, hasn’t scored since November 26th. With the likes of Jean Beausejour, Victor Moses and Albert Crusat around the young Argentine in the team, his goals would be crucial in helping steer Wigan towards Premier League survival for another season.

Aston Villa supporters make their dissatisfaction heard

Posted: February 26, 2012 | Author: | Filed under: Aston Villa, English Premier League, Wigan Athletic | Tags: , , , | Leave a comment

Charles N’Zogbia returned to Wigan for the first time since he left the Latics last summer for Aston Villa in a £9.5m switch.

Having been dropped by Alex McLeish for their recent home defeat to Manchester City, the manager in the build-up this week called on N’Zogbia to make a name for himself at his new club by performing more often at the level expected when they signed him. 

Villa’s previous away game had been at another of N’Zogbia’s former clubs, Newcastle United. After Villa had drawn level before the interval on that occasion, McLeish pulled Stephen Ireland off at half time, then shortly before the home side scored the game’s winner, N’Zogbia was withdrawn for Emile Heskey.

Ireland and N’Zogbia were both introduced from the bench during the final twenty minutes yesterday, but after the manager’s first change during the second half – Heskey, who had been dropped, on for Marc Albrighton, who had taken’s Heskey’s place – the travelling support turned on the man in the dugout.

The draw yesterday was Villa’s seventh and fourth goalless draw in 13 games away from Villa Park this season. The one positive to take away from the this trip to the bottom club in the league was that the result ended a run of back-to-back defeats on the road in all competitions, despite being without injured defender Richard Dunne.

Afterwards, McLeish said he understood the fan’s frustration, but is the manager any nearer to knowing his best starting eleven?

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