Chelsea Make Europa League Final / Is It A Good Season?

Good morning.

Chelsea reached the Europa League final last night, beating FC Basel 3-1 at Stamford Bridge and 5-2 on aggregate. Their opponents in the final will be Benfica, who as good as they are, will be underdogs to Chelsea. I’m personally undecided who will win the final, as Benfica are a very dangerous team and so are Chelsea, just in a very unpredictable way. On paper at least, Chelsea should be expected to win.

So, theoretically speaking, Chelsea could end this season with a European trophy and a top four finish (which I don’t think they’ll get, but I’m talking in theory). Chelsea also progressed as far as the FA Cup semi-final and Carling Cup semi-final, but were knocked out of the Champions League in the group stages. When you take into consideration the investment made on Eden Hazard, Oscar, Marko Marin and Demba Ba, even the the most passionate, blind-sighted Chelsea supporter would have to concede this has been a regression from last season’s Champions League and FA Cup double. I’m not saying that Chelsea had to win the Champions League again for this season to match last, but they didn’t even come close to competing for the chance to defend their title. I’d have taken the quarter-finals as good for Chelsea.

For Chelsea Football Club and all they promised after Didier Drogba clinched the Champions League final with his penalty, this season has been a failure; one worth putting in the history books. Then, line a steel safe with weights, fit it with a bomb set to self-time, lock the book inside and launch the safe into the deepest, darkest depths of the ocean and never speak of it again. Then, copying the Joker from the Dark Knight film, Roman Abramovich should kill everybody involved in the destruction of the book…

… Sorry. I got a little carried away just then. It’s not been THAT bad, but it’s certainly been a season worth forgetting about for Chelsea. After reaching such highs, everybody concerned with Chelsea should have been expecting progress in regards to challenging for the title, winning another domestic trophy and at least challenging for the Premier League title.

The counter-productive period that “welcomed” Rafael Benitez really hurt Chelsea. Results were poor for three games and whilst that’s not a massive stretch to go without a win, (they won six games in a row after defeat to West Ham. Not counting the Club World Cup) it was the fan reaction to Benitez joining that hurt the club. The frustration has been that for every positive step that Chelsea take, their is a period of frustration around the corner. For certain periods, it seems as if Chelsea play in the fear of angering their own crowd. For example, if they have one bad result, it tends to manifest into two or three poor matches before they find themselves again.

For me, Chelsea’s problem this season hasn’t been a quality issue, but an atmosphere related one. I’m not saying specifically the crowd, but the atmosphere surrounding the entire club.

Funnily enough, if I were to be asked if I considered Rafael Benitez to be a success at Chelsea, then under the circumstances, I’d say yes. Benites wasn’t responsible for Chelsea for going out of the Champions League and the record books show progress to the semi-finals of both domestic competitions. Put a Europa League trophy into the mix and a potential top four finish, finish the mixture off by speaking of a turbulent time at Chelsea, then this is a period that Benitez can happily put on his CV.

Under the circumstances and if Benitez does win a trophy and finish in the top four, then there’s not much Chelsea can complain about. The overall issue lies with not buying strikers to complement a very talented midfield in the summer, amongst other things.

That’s all from me on this one. Have a good day!

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Posted on May 3, 2013 by Craig in Chelsea, England, Premiership Leave a comment

Bayern Munich Batter Barcelona… Again

Good morning.

Over the past five years or so, it hasn’t been very often that I’ve looked at the top left-hand corner of my TV screen to read that Barcelona are losing 7-0 on aggregate. Such a scoreline at the peak of Pep Guardiola’s Barcelona team was unthinkable and being merely drawn against them in the Champions League knock-out stages meant instant elimination. Barcelona wore a cloak of invincibility and the aura that surrounded a match at the Nou Camp choked many teams.

Barcelona don’t carry that same aura anymore and they lost their cloak two seasons ago; this isn’t just something that has happened because of a new manager, it’s been a gradual process that started in Pep Guardiola’s final season. A marked lowering of the standards at Barcelona in Guardiola’s final year convinced him to leave, as the former Barcelona player strongly believed that his methods were starting to lose their effect on the players. It was noted in the media that players such as Gerard Pique and Dani Alves were becoming rather casual with how they conducted themselves, as opposed to how they were earlier in Guardiola’s reign.

Poor signings such as Dmytro Chygryinskiy, Zlatan Ibrahimovic and Alexis Sanchez have done little to aid Barcelona’s squad depth and there are plenty more beyond those three names, they’re just the more high-profile transfers to have flopped. Cesc Fabregas is also quickly heading into the category of “flop” at Barcelona. Midfielders-turned-defenders, square pegs in round and holes and poor business in the transfer market has severely cost Barcelona. They’ve signed players they can’t fit in the team, players who simply aren’t good enough for their level and the regular players in the team are shattered due to over-playing.

Despite having been battered all over the pitch in Munich and again last night on their own back garden, it definitely isn’t “the end” for this Barcelona team. Clever investment into squad depth and one or two players signed for the first team and they will back to where they were. Squad depth and the ability to rotate effectively without putting midfielders at centre-back and midfielders as centre-forwards and Barcelona will improve.

That however, is only half of the problem. T’other half is “clever investment.” Is Neymar what Barcelona NEED? No, they have desperate need for him, no matter how good he may be. Barcelona may turn their nose up at the prospect of investing heavily in their defence, but they need it more than anywhere else on the pitch. Jan Vertonghen would be a fantastic signing, as would Mats Hummels and although the two would cost an extreme pile of money, the improvement would be felt almost instantly. Squad variation is also another aspect of clever investment and by that, I mean “plan B” players. I don’t wish to sound typically English, but Barcelona need somebody who can mix it up a bit! They were getting nowhere trying to break Bayern Munich down last night.

Barcelona have a beautiful way of playing, but it’s all that they know. Investment in sensible signings (Vertonghen, NOT Neymar!) and different ideas to their one way and Barcelona will be back, but they need to adjust their thinking before that happens.

Bayern Munich are the best example for smart investment and different approaches. They have diverse, quality players who can adapt to most situations. Bastian Schweinsteiger and Javi Martinez are as happy playing tippy-tappy football as they are throwing a long ball to the wings for Arjen Robben and Franck Ribery. Mario Mandzukic can hold up play, move effectively, join in with “tippy-tappy” and scores a variety of different goals.

I can’t be bothered to write a match report; one because I don’t like doing them anyway and secondly because it would be a waste of time. This tie was over before it started.

London will be swarming with Germans as Wembley plays host to the first ever all-German Champions League Final. The two best teams in Europe at this moment in time playing football on the biggest stage of all. And I can’t bloody wait!!

See you tomorrow!

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Posted on May 2, 2013 by Craig in Champions League Leave a comment

Real Madrid 2-0 Borussia Dortmund

Good morning!

As I type this, it’s half-time of the Real Madrid v Borussia Dortmund match and Roy Keane is talking about something I can’t hear because I mute the TV and listen to some music or make a brew at half-time of any football match.

So far Real Madrid have created the best chances – three excellent chances at that – and are desperately unfortunate not to have put at least one of them away. Mesut Ozil missed the best opportunity of the first half, dragging a left-footed shot wide of the near post on the right-hand side of the penalty area when he’d been put clear of the Dortmund defence when they were split by a pass from midfield. In addition to the Ozil chance, Cristiano Ronaldo volleyed straight at Roman Weidenfeller from close range and Gonzalo Higuain had a shot saved by Weidenfeller as early as the second minute.

After twenty minutes of immense pressure from Real Madrid, Borussia Dortmund begun to force a lid on the pressure, managing to keep possession for small periods in midfield and even created a few openings of their own. With Real Madrid needing three goals, they were always going to leave themselves short defensively on ocassion and the openings which Dortmund created often looked promising as they were granted space in the final third, but the killer ball was always lacking, whether it was over-hit or the wrong option was taken.

Elsewhere, Sergio Ramos was doing his best to fill the irritating shoes of Pepe by constantly fouling Robert Lewandowski with the odd, sly elbow to the face. Jose Mourinho had remarked that Lewandowski had scored four in the first leg and not one of his players had tried to foul him. By that, I think he means that his players showed far too much respect. Ramos certainly let Lewandowski know he was there last night.

Both sides entered the break at 0-0, a score which Jurgen Klopp must have been relieved to hold after a torturous opening to the match. Could Real Madrid score three in the next fourty-five minutes? Against a Borussia Dortmund side which continued to grow stronger defensively as the first half wore on, it seemed very unlikely, no matter how talented Real Madrid are.

This match report is now in the 56th minute and Robert Lewandowski has missed two extremely good chances. One ball bobbled to him on the edge of the area and unmarked, Lewandowski inexplicably nailed the ball out of the Bernabeu, when he had ample opportunity to take a touch, wrap the ball in gift paper and kick it very hard in the net. A few minutes later, Lewandowski put a huge dent on the underside of the crossbar when – I think it was Reus – gave the ball to Lewandowski who had overlapped the German international on the right wing.

Sergio Ramos just clobbered Lewandowski with another arm to the face and then pulled the Pole back when he went for a header in the penalty area. One, that’s a penalty and I’m now typing in the 65th minute and Sergio Ramos, remarkably, hasn’t been booked for any of the five thousand offences he’s committed. Seriously, you know King Joffrey from Game of Thrones? Yep, he’s far more likeable than Ramos.

… Ah, sorry, I’ve picked this back up at full-time and my oh my; what a finish to the match!! I’m going to skip about half an hour, in which Borussia Dortmund missed a couple of glorious chances (I’m looking at you, Lewandowski) and go straight to Karim Benzema, who put the ball past a seemingly invincible Weidenfeller to get the Dortmund nerves wobbling. Five minutes later, with the Real Madrid pressure gauge ramped up to maximum, Sergio Ramos turned in a pass from Benzema at a corner to make for a horribly nervous last seven minutes (inlcuding extra-time) for even the neutral.

It was unbelievable, I was sat on my settee in the complete neutrality of my Arsenal football shirt and I was desperate for Borussia Dortmund to hold out for the overall win in the two-legged tie. I’m delighted personally for Dortmund and it’s great to think that about seven years ago, the men in charge at Dortmund said, “Right, we’re doing things this way now and we’ll do it right.” A short time later, they’ve won the Bundesliga title twice in a row, winning a double in the second of those triumphs and are now in the Champions League Final. It’s a great achievement and I can’t praise them enough.

That’s all from me on this one. I’m still ill, but the adrenaline of Real Madrid v Borussia Dortmund – well, the last ten minutes – carried me through this one.

See you tomorrow! Have a good day!

Posted on May 1, 2013 by Craig in Champions League Leave a comment

Reading 0-0 QPR / Both Clubs Relegated

Reading v QPR…

Reading and Queens Park Rangers played out to a numb goalless draw on Sunday, leading to both clubs being relegated to the Championship.

The hour and a half of football that we were treated to on Sky painted to perfect picture of how poor both sides have been this season. Considering the fact that a draw would see both clubs relegated and with the points gap between themselves and safety as big as it is, I expected a match full of attacking intent. We got anything but attacking football as a lukewarm last three minutes aside, neither Reading or QPR could muster up any great chances.

At full-time, with no player having broken sweat, (Esteban Granero’s hair in particular looked as good as it did at kick-off come the final whistle) men from both sides smiled, hugged, swap shirts and Jose Bosingwa went as far as to shoot down the tunnel without even acknowledging the QPR support, grinning his face off. It’s not the attitude a supporter wants to see from a team battling relegation. Any team in any circumstance for that matter, not just relegation, should have eleven men flat on their feet come the full-time whistle. QPR and Reading needed to win to even stand a chance of avoiding relegation and most of the players couldn’t have cared less; certainly in the case of QPR.

Reading are better equipped than QPR to bounce straight back from the Championship. The bulk of Reading’s squad should stay, they have a good manager and the funds will be there in moderation to add to their current squad. Relegation, if not great, isn’t the end of the world for Reading. Reading under Nigel Adkins, with a few additions to the playing squad, will be back soon.

QPR on the other hand, have a massive job facing them. A large squad of overpaid players will be difficult to trim down. Who will buy Chris Samba on the money he earns? The same applies for Shaun Wright-Phillips, Jay Bothroyd, Armand Traore, Jose Bosingwa and basically, most of the squad. Harry Redknapp has a monumental building job on his hands and I don’t think it will be a one-season fix. I think it could be three or four years before QPR recover from this season. The rebuilding job is enormous and a smooth transition doesn’t happen overnight.

That’s all from me on this one. I could go more into why both teams were relegated, but I answered that in the first few paragraphs. Reading were never good enough from day one and 95% of the players at QPR couldn’t care less.

Posted on April 29, 2013 by Craig in England, Premiership, QPR, Reading Leave a comment

Debating The Luis Suarez Bite – What’s The Point?

Good morning.

I hate writing about football in times like these. We’ve been bathing in glory and sunshine after seeing Bayern Munich and Borussia Dortmund produce exhilarating performances to beat Spanish opponents. As quick as the sound of a whistle though, we’re back to dragging our already bleeding knuckles through the mess that Luis Suarez has made after biting Branislav Ivanovic last Sunday.

Football is about enjoyment, yet it rarely feels as if we actually enjoy any of what it promises. Praise Borussia Dortmund and impart some knowledge on them and suddenly you’re a “football hipster”. Quite what that means, I don’t know, but it’s a term created by the pretentious people of Twitter for people who seek enjoyment in teams that the pretentious people don’t know much about. That’s another thing I hate football for: Not being allowed to enjoy something before somebody argues against the validity of your enjoyment, but that’s another subject, for another article, for another day.

There are two camps in the Luis Suarez-bite debate. Both sides are extremists; one defending Suarez against all that happens to him, no matter what he’s done, and the side who want the Uruguayan sent to the gallows.

Look at the Suarez incident from the middle ground and you’ll note a few things. Here’s a list:

1) Luis Suarez bit Branislav Ivanovic on his right arm. He did it and it’s wrong.
2) There should be punishment for biting someone, as there should for all violent conduct.
3) Chester defender, Sean Hessey, was given a five-match ban in 2006 for the same offence.
4) That punishment should set the precedent for future incidents of a similar nature.
5) The FA gave Suarez a 10-match ban for biting. What makes it different to Hessey’s?
6) On that basis, the FA have punished the player, not the offence.
7) Every case should be treated as it comes. The FA’s punishment will not be focused entirely on Suarez’s bite, but past discrepancies. Having been fined for racism in the past, Suarez has been given a harsher match-ban. I’m not defending racism in the slightest, but it’s a different offence to violent conduct. If this was two cases of racism, then I understand a heavier sentence, but these are two different offences and must be treated as such.

Luis Suarez should be punished by The FA for what he did, but only by following the precedent set by Sean Hessey in 2006, meaning the sentence of a five-match ban. If he bites again, then increase the sentence.

This is a very clear case of The FA charging the player and not the offence, which sets for a very dangerous road to walk on. By charging the player, it seems to me there is no framework that The FA work from and I don’t like the idea of dishing out various fine and match-bans dependant on their mood on that particular day, or whether the player is Luis Suarez or Tony Hibbert.

I’m now horribly aware I’ve dipped my toe in the Suarez debate. I didn’t want to, as debating this sort of stuff is the complete opposite to what football is, or at least should be, about. Arguing about some guy who bit another guy isn’t enjoyment and beauty, but ugly and thoroughly unenjoyable, and who voluntarily wants to go through all of that?

So, that’s me done with the Suarez biting thing. No more words on it from me. Zilch.

Have a good Friday!

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Posted on April 26, 2013 by Craig in England, Liverpool, Premiership Leave a comment

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