Signs of a Long Season

Ball Harambee By Bagga Wilks

Last season, 2012-13, Manchester United ran away with the League like Usain Bolt and left the “also ran” far behind. This year the opening games signify that we are in for a long, competitive season and the struggle for the top four will be particularly grueling.

Arsenal vs Fulham

In inclement weather, Arsenal easily defeated the revamped Fulham. Arsenal is yet to make any formidable trades yet the miserly Wenger can point to improvement of particular players in yesteryear squad. Mertesaker who in his first year looked clumsy and ineffective has become the key man in defense. If Kieran Gibbs can remain healthy, he will be an attacking threat to opposing teams.

The Arsenal surprise thus far is Ramsey who seems to have recovered his old confidence. Wilshire is developing into a first class midfield player and Walcott on his day has become an unstoppable force.

The yesteryear trades have come of age. Cazorla is more at ease this season and Podolski just had a hell of a game against Fulham. And Giroud doesn’t have the technique of Van Persie but he has his own method of scoring.

Tottenham vs Swansea

Despite the team improvement, it will be a great struggle for Arsenal to qualify to play in the Champion’s League at the end of the season. Other clubs have bolstered their ranks with new acquisitions. In Tottenham’s case, Bale is expected to sign with Real Madrid and although the club’s coffers will be more than replenished, it may be too late to purchase an impact player to replace the departing Bale.

Tottenham has played two games in the EPL and yet to score from open play. Their two 1-0 victories have come from the penalty spot.

Liverpool vs Aston Villa

Liverpool played a strange game against Aston Villa. They eked out a 1-0 victory from a terrific goal from Sturridge. They were impressive in the first half and, like a flower, wilted in the second half.

Aston Villa who were mesmerized in the first half, outplayed Liverpool in the second half. They failed to score but deserved to have gotten at least a draw. Aston Villa against Chelsea and Liverpool has served notice that they are no longer just a team of immature cubs but a team of young lions with a fierce will to be contenders.

Manchester City vs Cardiff

Manchester City who looked invincible in their first game looked vulnerable against the newly promoted Cardiff soccer club. With Kompany out with a groin pull and Kolo Toure at Liverpool, the normally deep Manchester City has no replacement for their fallen skipper. Before the trading deadline closes, they had better procure a reputable center back. So early in the season, they have fallen among the vanquished. Kompany’s injury shows that durability is an important factor in ensuring a top four place.

Manchester United vs Chelsea

Moyes debut at Old Trafford ended in a scoreless draw. Manchester United looked fluid and Rooney was at his best but Terry kept Van Persie in his pocket.

Mourinho started the game with his specialist strikers on the bench. Ba and Mata have been invisible men in the second coming of Mourinho to Chelsea. Mata was missed as last year he was the straw that stirred the drink. Chelsea had half chances but were in desperate need of a playmaker.

The Mourinho experiment will continue and David Moyes will fight to step out of Sir Alex Ferguson’s shadow.

The Climate Change in the EPL

Ball Harambee By Bagga Wilks

New coaches, new players, new teams, newness galore has brightened the veteran English Premier League in 2013.

There have been changes in broadcasting. Rupert Murdoch’s Fox Sports has been pushed aside and replaced by the new glitzy NBC Sports. Bein, the interloper coming in from the Middle East, has broadcasting rights for the English Champions’ League, LaLiga and Serie A.

The EPL has started with a bang with last year’s champions Manchester United beating up on Swansea. Once again, it was the Van Persie show as his performance demonstrated the valuable nature of his acquisition to Manchester United.

The fate of Wayne Rooney is still to be decided. Rooney came on as a substitute in the second half but it is clear that he would like to relocate to a team where he will again be the “supreme striker”.

Chelsea under the second coming of Jose Mourinho, looked dazzling in the first half and were up by 2-0. They took their foot off the pedal in the second half.

The fortunes of players change depending on the whim and the philosophy of the manager. Under the Mourinho regime, Lampard and Terry are back as starting stalwarts. David Luiz is supposedly hurt and did not play and the rumors persist about his move to Barcelona.

Juan Mata and Demba Ba did not feature and the new Chelsea is overstocked in midfield. This will make it difficult for players like Mikel and Victor Moses to see much time. Some of Chelsea’s excessive baggage will be off loaded before the transfer window closes.

Hull lost 2-0 to Chelsea on their Premier League debut but particularly in the second half, they gave a decent account of themselves. When Liverpool and Huddleston entered the game in the second half, the Hull City squad looked less of a second rate team. The acquisition of the two former Tottenham players should strengthen the Hull squad.

Tottenham without Bale squeezed out a victory against Crystal Palace. The sole goal came in the form of a penalty. Tottenham has a rejuvenated squad with Soldado as the new striker and Paulinho, et al, in midfield. It is apparent that Bale is on his way to Real Madrid and the Bale-less Tottenham will struggle to score goals.

Most of the top tier teams have looked to bolster their roster with new acquisitions except Arsenal. Arsenal lost to Aston Villa 3-1 as they took the lead in the early start of the game and thereafter everything fell apart. The left full back, Gibbs, was hurt and had to leave the field. They gave up two penalties and Koscielny received a second yellow and the unchanged aggregation of yesteryear had to finish the game with ten men.

Arsenal as a club lacks imagination. When one looks at the new talent that Chelsea , Manchester City, Liverpool and Tottenham have brought in, it becomes clear that Arsenal scouting of players is too limited and lack the outreach of the top tier clubs.

Brandon Rodgers’ Liverpool is a classical example of astute acquisitions. Last season, he went out and acquired Sturridge and Coutinho. Suarez’s future is still up for grabs but he also brought in Kolo Toure to strengthen his back four. When Liverpool plays, it is clear the kind of soccer philosophy that is on display and the players with the dexterity to play that brand of ball. Liverpool also won on their 2013 debut with Sturridge’s goal. Arsenal seems condemned to the wilderness as in recent years they have lost the cream and replaced them with players who are quite mediocre. Wenger is a sad anachronism

Demba Ba’s Moment of Magic

Ball Harambee By Bagga Wilks

Demba Ba’s moment of magic eased Chelsea into the semi-final of the FA Cup. This season Chelsea failed to challenge Manchester United down the stretch for the EPL title. The defending champions for the UEFA Champion League were knocked out quite early and to salvage what’s left of the season, Chelsea can win the FA cup and are still competing in the Europa Cup, not to mention finishing in the top four to play Championship soccer in 2013 to 2014.

Sir Alex Ferguson pulled out all stops to get an equalizer once Manchester found themselves down a goal from early in the second half. He inserted Van Persie for Cleverly, Giggs for Nani and subsequently Young for Welbeck. But those astute substitutions precipitated chances but no end product. Van Persie has been off-stride as the season comes to a close and Giggs who can still produce magical moments, was unmagical against Chelsea on April Fool’s Day.

Chelsea were beaten by Southampton over the weekend in a League game as Rafael Benitez, the besieged Chelsea manager, rested most of his starters and against the lowly regarded Southampton looked second best. With the starters somewhat rested, Chelsea played like the talented team that they are. Hazard, Mata and Oscar looked dangerous at times but Smalling and Ferdinand held them at bay.

In his Chelsea career, Demba Ba started at full throttle but the injury to his nose slowed his progress. Against Manchester United in a big game, the former Newcastle striker showed his class by scoring a glorious goal from an adroit pass from Juan Mata.

Chelsea’s dilemma is what do you do with a $50 million striker whose value has dropped as precipitously as the stock market in 2008? Muddying the waters is Lukaku, a Chelsea striker on loan to West Brom who has made great strides in his development as a big league striker.

Roman Abramovic has some important decisions to make at the end of the season. Rumors are that Jose Mourinho, presently the manager at Real Madrid, is destined to return to Stanford Bridge. Abramovic will also have to seek new acquisitions as Ashley Cole does not seem to be his energetic old self and Bertrand, the understudy, is not really a threat going forward. Nonetheless, Chelsea has a surplus of diamonds in the rough and should bounce back as a rival for the EPL title in the 2013-2014 season.

Rafael Benitez’s Redemption Song

Ball Harambee by Bagga Wilks



Raphael Benitez has no chance of being appointed anything but Chelsea’s interim manager. Nonetheless, if the Chelsea team continues to click, then Rafael will be able to end the season in a bit of glory. He would have silenced the hooligans who have been harassing him shamelessly since the billionaire owner appointed him to replace Di Matteo.

Under Benitez’s tutelage Chelsea played initially unimpressively. No one questioned the abundance of talent but there was no chemistry or leadership and Chelsea lost games that under different circumstances, they should have won.

With eight matches to play and other cup games, Chelsea is in fine form and even the most critical Chelsea fans are now gratified by the team’s recent success. One of the issues that plagued Chelsea at the beginning of the season was who should play where and what should be the starting eleven. Chelsea was and is a strange blend of the old and the new and for the first half of the season, the chemistry remained elusive.

Benitez seemed to have gotten it together and has settled on a starting eleven. The experiment of playing David Luiz in mid-field has been abandoned and he and Cahill have become the two starting central defenders. John Terry, the former England skipper, has been relegated to the bench.



There has been much indecision regarding Frank Lampard. The aging Lampard has returned to being a main stay in mid-field and as is typical throughout his illustrious career, Lampard keeps popping up in the right places.

This weekend against West Ham, he scored his 200th goal in the EPL. The team now starts without a defensive mid-fielder and Ramirez is the box to box mid-fielder. Mikel is brought in during the closing minutes of the game to seal the victory.

Chelsea’s offensive players have begun to play like a symphony. Ba has replaced Torres as the sole striker and behind him is a trio that may be the most creative in English football. Hazard, Mata and Oscar constitute an ever present danger to full backs and central defenders. Against West Ham this weekend, Hazard and Mata were spectacular. They break down defenses with ease and grace. And all three kick with uncanny accuracy.



Unfortunately, Rafael will not be around next season to enjoy the three ring circus but based on the job he has done at Chelsea, he will have no difficulty obtaining work at a top tier club and wherever he turns up in his post-Chelsea career, the new fans will appreciate his knowledge of the game.

Chelsea vs Manchester United

Ball Harambee By Bagga Wilks

In the quarter-final of the F.A. Cup at Old Trafford, Manchester United and Chelsea gave soccer fans a special rendition of what Pele calls, the beautiful game. Prior to the Manchester United/Chelsea game, the other F.A. quarter-final game, we witnessed an example of how ugly the game can be played when Milwall and Blackburn played to a nasty nil all draw.

The Manchester United vs Chelsea game started with great tempo. For the first forty-five minutes, Manchester United played like the league leaders on their way to another EPL championship.

Garrick, Cleverly, Rooney and Kagawa controlled mid-field and before Chelsea could blink, Chicharito was on the scoreboard and Rooney from a free kick had Cech retrieving the ball from the back of the net.

For the first half, Chelsea was outplayed and outnumbered in mid-field. Nani, Rooney and Hernandez seemed unstoppable as they kept Chelsea on the back foot.

But the game is not for the swift but for those who can endure it to the end. In the second half, Manchester United lost their dominance. Their mid-field faded. The much maligned Chelsea manager, Rafael Benitez made a deft change in the second half. He brought in Hazard for the ineffective Victor Moses. The aging Lampard was replaced by Mikel and that allowed Ramires to push forward.

The Chelsea mid-field took control of the game and the substitute Hazard wreaked havoc on the Manchester backline. It was Hazard who opened the Chelsea score with a curling beauty that beat DeGea. Later the rampaging Brazilian, Ramires, teamed up with playmaker Juan Mata and Chelsea was level. In the waning minutes of the game Juan Mata should have scored but De Gea made a game saving stop with his outstretched legs.

The ninety minutes of soccer was simply scintillating. Ferdinand and Evans, Manchester’s two central defenders, were outstanding. David Luiz was heroic and indefatigable as Chelsea’s central defender Hazard coming on in the second half changed the game. He showed incredible guile and at the age of twenty-two has a great future in the world of soccer.

Milwall and Blackburn will go at it again as will Manchester United and Chelsea in the span of ten days.

In the other F.A. match up, Manchester City ran rough-shod over Barnsley. Wigan shocked Everton, scoring three goals in the first half in the space of three minutes. Wigan and Manchester City wait in the wings.

The semi-final and final at Wembley will provide us with more renditions of the beautiful game.

Arsenal & Chelsea: Searching for the Right Fix

Ball Harambee By Bagga Wilks



From the opening whistle to the final whistle, Mancini’s Manchester City outplayed Benitez’s Chelsea. Benitez didn’t come with a match plan and Manchester City dominated mid-field for the first twenty minutes. The Chelsea manager failed to make an adjustment.

Last season, Yaya Toure came back from the African Cup somewhat fatigued. This year before going, he looked like a spent force. This year, Toure returned from the African Cup rejuvenated. In the match up against Chelsea, the Ivorian gave his best performance for the season. He scored in the second half after Frank Lampard had missed a penalty.



Yaya Toure is a well paid mid-fielder and demonstrated on Sunday why he is regarded as one of the better mid-field players in the world. When he and David Silva are clicking, City becomes a formidable offensive force. Aguero was not at his best in this most crucial of games. When Tevez joined the fray in the second half, he showed his worth as his strike put City up 2-0. That was match and game.

What ails Chelsea? They performed like players who are not well paid and nothing is at stake. Juan Mata, their playmaker, was missing. Lampard was outplayed in mid-field. Chelsea in big games lack chemistry. On the field, they appear leaderless.



Manchester City ran all over them. Ramires did not play well. And when Benitez made a change and brought in Victor Moses and Oscar, both failed to have an impact on the game. Chelsea has an abundance of talent and a wealth of resources but their season is a reflection of their purchase of Torres for $50 million. Money has been squandered and the owner will have to recognize that greatness is not achieved overnight but through steadfastness and sticking with a coach who, over the years, hopefully sooner not later, will be able to synchronize the abundance of talent.

Arsenal and Chelsea are sailing in similar boats. The boats are experiencing choppy waters. In the case of Arsenal, the boat is not yet sinking but it is taking in water.

Arsenal was trashed Bayern Munich at home in the first leg of the UEFA Champion’s League 3-1. They barely pulled out an eleventh hour victory against Aston Villa this past weekend.



The newly acquired playmaker, Cazorla, came alive in this game and netted a pair of goals. Arsenal has slipped from the days of Henry, Viera and Berkamp. The players acquired over the summer are still adjusting to the rigors of the EPL. As in yesteryear, Arsenal’s defense is porous. With the departure of Alex Song, there is no specialist defensive mid-fielder and the only creativity in mid- field is Wilshire.

Arsenal’s acquisitions have panned out to be duds. And the young players on the farm are still struggling with their development. Whither Wenger? He is a coach who has lost his luster. He achieved greatness many moons ago. He should exit graciously. Wenger is now ready for Arsenal’s wax museum.

Up and Down the Aging Staircase

Ball Harambee By Bagga Wilks

Chelsea disposed Brentford in the F.A. Cup and will go on to the quarterfinals. Brentford gave it their all and held Chelsea to a scoreless draw in the first forty-five minutes. In the second half, Juan Mata opened the scoring and then came the floodgates. Chelsea triumphed 4-0 and since they are out of the league title and the Champion’s League, the F.A. Cup might be their sole opportunity at silverware for the 2012-2013 season.

Chelsea has had a puzzling year. They began the season like gangbusters, and looked poised to be a serious contender for the title race. Then under Di Matteo, Chelsea went into a slump that caused the firing of Di Matteo.

His replacement, Rafael Benitez, who will, unlikely, be the permanent manager, if there is such a thing at Chelsea, has been struggling to find the right mix, the right chemistry on the field. Chelsea has a challenging mix of the old and the new. John Terry, their central defender, Ashley Cole and Frank Lampard have entered their third decade and that is a precarious age for ball players. Their star striker for the previous year, Didier Drogba turned 34 and had to seek his soccer fortunes elsewhere, initially in China and now at Galatasaray, Turkey. Ashley Cole, still a starter at left back for England, was only given a one year extension on his contract. John Terry’s future at Chelsea is still undetermined and it appeared that Frank Lampard was definitely on his way to sign with Los Angeles team in the MLS in the United States.

The Lampard situation is exceedingly curious. Lampard is still a starting member of the English team who scored the decisive goal against Brazil at Wembley a few weeks ago in a friendly. For Chelsea, his work rate is not what it used to be but he has scored decisive goals for the club since his return from an injury. Does the club treat Lampard like a wounded thoroughbred and simply put him out of his misery by sending him to the MLS? Chelsea must find a better way to blend the old with the new.

One of the reasons for the optimism at the beginning of the season was Chelsea’s richness of youth. Juan Mata, Ramires, David Luiz, Demba Ba and Mikel are all players in their prime. Victor Moses, Hazard and Oscar are playing with great potential and if that talent is realized in the near future, then Chelsea should be a powerhouse in the E.P.L. and in UEFA in the years to come. One can see the development of Oscar in his first season playing in the EPL. He will finish the last third of the season very strong. Hazard is hazardous to defenders and his improvement throughout the season is readily discernable. Moses has just returned from the Africa Cup triumphantly as his team, Nigeria, defeated Farkina Faso in the final.

It will be interesting to see how Chelsea performs for the remainder of the season. All three tiers of the team have to blend, the aging, those at peak age and those in the making. The Chelsea owner is busy searching for a new manager. Obviously, Rafael Benitez is a mere interim manager but the new manager will have to blend the assortment of talents. Failure for the owner, Abramovic is not an option but whoever is chosen will have an uphill task synchronizing the abundance of talent that has been assembled at Chelsea.

The Transfer Boomerang

Ball Harambee by Bagga Wilks

The transfer market in 2013 was fairly tepid. The movement of players was quite cautious as it has become clear that the transfer from one club to the other might not produce any dividends to a club and can be detrimental to a player’s career.

Young talented players do not benefit when they move to overstocked elite clubs and are denied playing time essential to their development. Daniel Sturridge is a classical case in point. At Chelsea, he was behind Demba Ba, Fernando Torres and Victor Moses. The transfer to Liverpool thus far has been beneficial to Sturridge and has strengthened Brandon Rodgers’ rebuilding of the once mighty Liverpool.

The partnership with Suarez adds great punch to Liverpool’s attack. The return to form of Gerrard and having the recovered Lucas back from injury, has made Liverpool a team where all the pieces are neatly falling into place, perhaps with the exception of the goalkeeper. Liverpool was poised to defeat the defending champions, Manchester City, on the latter’s home turf were it not for some idiotic action of goalkeeper,Reina. Fantastic strikes from Sturridge and Gerrard gave them the lead but Reina ventured recklessly out of his goal to provide the wily Aguero the opportunity to tie the score.

Manchester City, rather than closing the gap, has fallen further behind League leaders Manchester United who defeated Fulham 1-0. Manchester City has sent the troubled Balotelli to A.C. Milan. Only time will determine whether the move to Serie A will lead to Balotelli playing regularly and developing his full potential as a ball player. Warming City’s bench has not been beneficial to City or to Balotelli.

Sinclair distinguished himself as an attacking player at Swansea and under Mancini his playing time at Manchester City has been limited. Again another example of a young player who benefitted financially from a transfer but his career as a footballer could be stifled.

Arsenal has the record for transferring fiascoes, both going and coming. Arshavin lost his way after a promising start. Chamakh is trying his wares at West Ham after failing to produce at Arsenal. And Andre Santos since re-emerging from an injury has been dreadful. Hopefully the January acquisition of Monreal at left full back will be a productive addition to the Arsenal squad. Despite the unproductive transfer activity, Arsenal managed a victory over Stoke City and are still in the mix to finish with a fourth place if recent transfers like Podolski, Cazorla and Giroud can finish strong in the last third of the season.

There isn’t much coming and going at Manchester United neither in the management realm nor the players’ realm. When moves are made, they are quite judicious. The acquisition of Van Persie has been a coup d’etat for Manchester United and is a prime reason why they will be League champions for 2013.

The EPL Heats Up Under Wintry Conditions

Ball Harambee By Bagga Wilks

Another battle of the giants in the EPL occurred in wintry conditions. The snow in London showed no signs of letting up but even under these brutal conditions, Manchester United and Tottenham rose to the occasion. The game ended with a 1-1 tie as Clint Dempsey, the American, scored in the closing minutes to rob Manchester United of a coveted victory. The incredible Van Persie opened the scoring in the twenty-fifth minute.

Tottenham fought back in the second half. The ex-Fulham acquisition, Dembele, and Dempsey played important roles for ninety minutes. Lennon had an outstanding game and kept beating Evra with his speed and guile. Manchester United’s lead has been cut to five and Manchester City is breathing down their necks. A loss by Manchester United would easily change the dynamic of the race if Manchester City can keep winning.

Rafael Emerges Triumphant

Chelsea mesmerized Arsenal in the first half as Mata, Oscar, Hazard and Ramires played like Jack Rabbits, running, interchanging and making rings around Arsenal’s back four.

In the second half, Chelsea, up by 2-0, the Jack Rabbits went back into their holes and Arsenal had Chelsea pinned in their own half, particularly in the latter part of the second half. Walcott boosted Arsenal’s chances with a magnificent goal. Walcott is much more effective playing in the striker’s role than Giroud who, like Gervinho, has a penchant for missing the target. Arsenal hustled and huffed and puffed but they failed to come up with the equalizer.

Ramires again “bossed” midfield, breaking up plays and making dangerous runs in the box. From one of his runs, Szczesny brought him down and with the penalty awarded, the departing Lampard made no mistake. Ramires is emerging as one of the top mid-fielders in the game. But Chelsea will have to stiffen its spine and recognize that a football match runs for ninety-minutes, not for forty- five minutes.

The Race to the Bottom

All signs point to a mad scramble at the end of the season to determine who will stay and who will go. Queens Park Rangers almost stole three points from West Ham. That game produced not only two teams battling to stay up, but individual players struggling to save their professional careers.

Chamakh, who failed miserably at Arsenal, started for West Ham, put out a lot but never was able to clinically put the ball in the back of the net. He was replaced by Carlton Cole who is always overlooked but was instrumental in West Ham drawing level as he stretched Julio Ceasar with a superb header that the resurrected Joe Cole placed in the back of the net. Joe Cole, having returned to West Ham, is trying to re-establish himself as a premier player in the English Premier League.

Aston Villa vs West Brom

The Aston Villa experiment is not going well. They have not learned to close out a game. They led West Brom 1-0 at half time and West Brom came back to knock them out of three points with a 2-1 victory.

Lukaku, the Chelsea youngster on loan to West Brom, is developing into being a big league striker. That will mean Chelsea will have an excess of strikers and questions the future of Torres at the club as the Spaniard is not in the same class as Demba Ba.

Liverpool vs Norwich

Unlike the experiment at Aston Villa, the Liverpool experiment is falling into place. The Sturridge acquisition gives them more potency up front and the combined play of Sturridge and Suarez is an investment that is paying immediate dividends. Gerrard is back contributing in mid-field and Wisdom at right full back and Sterling in the wings or in mid-field augurs well for the future.

Rodgers has gone about his building program most astutely. They are still missing vital pieces at the central defender position but Liverpool has demonstrated how to reconstruct a team without tycoon spending.

A Battle of Contrasts

Stoke City has beaten the odds in avoiding regulation. They almost never win on the road. They play ugly, old time English football but they have an excellent record playing at home. On Saturday, they traveled to Wales and were drilled in the art of modern soccer by Swansea. It wasn’t much of a contest as Swansea has mastered the art of the beautiful game. They have made their mark in the EPL and with the right influx of cash could easily become one of the elite teams. At home, they easily dismissed Stoke City 3-0.

The Goal Jamboree

Ball Harambee By Bagga Wilks

Arsenal

Over the festive season, goals came like presents under a rich couple’s Christmas tree with a multitude of children grateful for the generosity of Santa Clause. Arsenal against Newcastle produced ten goals. At one point, it appeared that Arsenal’s defensive four were incapable of defending against a Newcastle cross into the box. Theo Walcott, Arsenal’s unsigned striker opened the scoring with a beauty but Newcastle led by Demba Ba kept coming back.

Newcastle is going through an horrendous spell and they find themselves not too far from the relegation zone, plagued with injuries to starters who would make a difference. Arsenal scored seven goals against a wobbly Newcastle defense. Walcott was at his best, with nabbing a hat-trick, Giroud coming on as a late substitute scored two, Chamberlain netted and Podolski also scored.

Wenger must have been pleased with the result but if they are to challenge for one of the top four positions they will have to tighten their defensive posture.

Tottenham

The Tottenham speed merchants, Bale and Lennon are not easy to contain. Bale in the open field is unstoppable. Adebayor is off to a slow start this season but Defoe is back to his old opportunistic self. Sandro is an improved player in midfield and should have a long and productive career at Tottenham. Dembele, the new acquisition from Fulham, is still struggling to fit in to Tottenham’s pace. Dempsey, also a new acquisition from Fulham, whenever he plays, shows his uncanny sense of where his teammates are situate on the field.

Tottenham showed they were in a different weight class from Sunderland and kept rolling with three more points, securing a position in the top four.

Manchester City

Manchester City began against Norwich as if they had come to demolish them at home. Not long after the referee’s whistle, Manchester City was up by two goals from striker, Dzeko. But Norwich is a team of eleven tenacious players and they fought their way back into the game. Nasri’s petulance earned him a red card and Mancini’s men were down to ten men. Every time Manchester City would score, Norwich found a way to fight back. Manchester City managed to stay in front at the final whistle, keeping close to Manchester United with a 4-3 victory.

Chelsea

Everton this season has been the over-achievers in the E.P.L. thus far for this year. No team had beaten Everton at home since March of this year and in the 63 seconds of the first half Everton put Chelsea on the back foot.

It was a hard-fought game like two heavyweights pounding at each other for ninety minutes. The aging Frank Lampard showed that he is not yet a toothless lion as he scored both goals to give Chelsea a grinding 2-1 victory.

Chelsea has performed well with Rafael Benitez at the helm. The experiment with David Luiz in mid-field has produced mixed results. Against Everton, Luiz was inaccurate with his passing and was involved with senseless infractions. He has not played that well to impress the new Brazilian coach, Scolari.

Chelsea is still struggling up front. Fernando Torres has shown some of his old magic but not sufficient to prevent Chelsea from plunging into the January market for a striker like Demba Ba or Falcao. There is still more sorting out to do with the Chelsea team. Hazard is immensely tricky but the wear and tear of the E.P.L seems to be taking a toll on him. He starts over Oscar but Oscar’s work rate is much higher and is more in the rough and tumble of the English game.

Chelsea is now perched in third place, behind the two Manchesters. The January hunt should produce some fresh meat.

“Uglyfyng” the Beautiful Game

Ball Harambee By Bagga Wilks

Pele is fond of referring to soccer as the beautiful game. On Sunday afternoon, October 28, 2012, we were witnessing a beautiful game as Chelsea, the league leaders, were up against the formidable Manchester United.

The first half was simply scintillating. In the first twenty minutes of the first half, Manchester United demonstrated their offensive prowess as they swarmed Chelsea with slick passing in and around the penalty area. Rooney, Young and Van Persie were on fire. In a flash, Manchester United had belittled the mighty Chelsea with two goals in the back of the net.

The Class of Chelsea

Ball Harambee by Bagga Wilson

Both Tottenham and Chelsea made big moves to improve their squad for the current season. Tottenham fired Harry Redknapp, acquired Adebayor for good, and enticed Dembele and Dempsey to seek their fortunes at Tottenham. They resuscitated Andres Villas-Boas who had failed miserably at Chelsea as the coach.

The EPL: The Beginning of the Sorting Out

Ball Harambee By Bagga Wilks



Most of the teams in the EPL have played six matches and as the winners and losers are sorting out themselves, there are, hitherto, some surprising results. Chelsea is at the top of the tables with 16 points after beating Arsenal 2-1 on Arsenal’s home ground. To everyone’s surprise, Everton is riding high in second place with 13 points. Manchester United who lost to Tottenham at home is in third place with 12 points. Defending champions, Manchester City are in fourth place with 12 points. Tottenham is beginning to look as if they are for real and they are in fifth place with 11 points. Again surprisingly West Brom is in sixth place, ahead of Arsenal, with 10 points. Vanquished by Chelsea over the weekend is the inconsistent Arsenal with 9 points.

Newcastle, who finished with a flourish last season and had a chance to play in the Euro Championship League, is off to a slow start in 2012. They are in ninth place and drew this weekend top against Reading. Liverpool has had an un- Liverpool start and are in fourteenth place. But Liverpool won this week spearheaded by a Suarez hat-trick and a handsome and sorely needed 5-2 victory against Norwich City.

The three teams in the regulation zone are Norwich, Reading and Queens Park Rangers. QPR, who barely escaped relegation last season, has not reaped much dividend on all the money spent in the off-season.

Arsenal vs Chelsea: A Battle of Coaching Wits

Di Matteo seems to have settled on Chelsea’s starting eleven. Lampard will have difficulty breaking into the starting eleven. Oscar’s play on both sides of the ball has forced Di Matteo to include the Brazilian who has also forced his way into the starting Brazilian National Team.

Rather than playing Ramires on the right wing where he played most of last season, Di Matteo has brought Ramires into the center of the mid-field, playing in front of Mikel, Chelsea’s defensive mid-fielder.


Chelsea’s mid-field is formidable, both offensively and defensively. Mata, Oscar, Ramires and Mikel constitute a hard running and creative force, with Hazard behind the improving Fernando Torres. The back four has become somewhat impregnable with the charismatic David Luiz making less mistakes in the back and ably supported by John Terry, Ivanovic and Cole.

Arsenal had their chances. Unfortunately, Abou Diaby, who was hurt while performing for France, had to be removed in the 20th minute.

Arsenal failed to live up to expectations. Poor defending on set pieces gave Chelsea the match. And Arsenal’s strike force with the exception of Gervinho did not look sharp. Cazorla did not have any impact on the game. Podolski was equally innocuous. Giroud came on as a substitute but late in the game missed a crucial scoring opportunity which would have changed the outcome.

Wenger keeps trying with Ramsey but the Welsh captain has not been a positive factor. The find for the season has been Kieran Gibbs and Jenkinson in replace of Sagna has played well.

Arsenal’s dilemma is the 4-3-3 formation. Their style of football means that they have to maintain possession and cannot be outplayed in mid-field. The Chelsea four outplayed them in mid-field yet Arsenal’s wing play with Chamberlin and Walcott presented Chelsea with problems. Throughout the game, Chelsea controlled the middle and Arsenal controlled the flanks.

Di Matteo has settled on his starting eleven. Wenger is still sorting out his starting eleven. Arsenal’s fortunes for 2012 will depend heavily on avoiding defensive lapses like what occurred against Chelsea and the durability of the resurrected Abou Diaby.

Separating the Sheep from the Goats

Ball Harambee By Bagga Wilks

Teams playing in the Championship European League were forced to do double duty this week. There is a lot of money generated in Championship League football but the grind of playing two games in a couple of days must take a toll on players in terms of injuries, fatigue and mental exhaustion. But in today’s world, professional sports is all about money.

Manchester United vs Liverpool

Liverpool remains in the relegation zone. They lost 2-1 to Manchester United. Before mid-field player, Shelvey was sent off for a dangerous tackle involving Johnny Evans, Liverpool was in control of the game. They were playing Rodger’s style of football but did not count on the referee issuing a red card in the 40th minute and a penalty, which broke a tie game in the second half. The officiating spoiled the exciting encounter and gave Sir Alex’s team three points they did not deserve.

Chelsea vs Stokes

Stokes, despite playing away from home, showed true grit against their rich counterparts. They battled with Chelsea until Ashley Cole broke the impasse late in the second half.

Di Matteo made some changes to his team. Oscar started and both Mata and Hazard were included. Although the two playmakers were side by side, Chelsea experienced difficulty breaking down the stolid Stoke defense. Hazard was not himself and had to be substituted. One wonders if the rigor of playing in two leagues will not affect the play of a gifted playmaker like Hazard. The season is still young and some of the players coming over from Europe have had problems with fatigue.

Arsenal vs Manchester City

Manchester City lost a heart-breaker earlier in the week to Real Madrid. In this game, Arsenal had also defeated Montpellier earlier that week.

The Manchester City vs Arsenal was a good game. David Silva, the Manchester City’s attacking architect has not been himself. Silva played for Spain in Euro 12 and looks far from the player he was last season. Despite all the firepower up front, Manchester City is dependent on Yaya Toure’s penetrating runs and Silva’s silky moves.

Arsenal will be a contender in the EPL. Gervinho is a deft dribbler yet an inept finisher. If he can improve his kicking, that will add to the potency of the Arsenal attack. Giroud is yet to display his goal scoring prowess but Podolski and Cazorla are up to the task of the EPL and gave Arsenal a dimension that they lacked in recent years. These are forwards who are willing to kick from outside the penalty box.

The two teams played to a draw. That was a just score and even though in the past there had been red cards galore, the game was played in the proper spirit and the officiating, unlike what occurred in the Liverpool vs Manchester United, was highly professional.

Arsenal’s Dazzling Start

Ball Harambee
By Bagga Wilks


How does a team lose five of its top players at the beginning of 2010-2011 and now at the commencement of 2012-2013 season? One can argue that Arsenal was fortuitous to finish in the top four and qualify for the European Champions League.

Last season Arsenal started the dreadfully and the team remained vulnerable against set pieces. Van Persie and Alex Song were the rescue workers and now Song has moved on to Barcelona and Van Persie has shifted his goal scoring prowess to Manchester United.

What is truly remarkable is that the made over Arsenal in the few games played thus far, looks like a better team than last year. The defense is more solid. Arsenal as per usual retains possession of the ball. Possession is an essential part of the game but great teams do not give up silly goals and are capable of putting the ball in the back of the net when they are in the attacking thud.

Arsenal was scoreless when they played their first game of the season. Without Van Persie would they be able to score goals, win matches and remain a formidable force in English football? That question has been answered. The movement off the ball this week against Southampton was impressive. The movement of Cazorla, Podolski and Gervinho was sensational. If that kind of chemistry in the attacking thud continues, Arsenal will be contenders for the League title.


With the departure of Cesc Fabregas, Arsenal lacked a first rate playmaker. Cazorla has filled that void. By relegating Ramsey to the bench, the mid-field of Diaby, Arteta and Cazorla packs the arsenal necessary to keep opposing teams on the back foot. Also surprising is the improved play of Kieran Gibbs on both sides of the ball.

Wenger’s trades in the off season and his forging of the new players into the Arsenal style of football is testimony to his genius as a manager.

Chelsea Blues


It appears that Chelsea got off to a rollicking start but the club’s draw against Queens Park Rangers revealed that Chelsea is still a work in progress. Fernando Torres is no Drogba. Hazard will be an invaluable playmaker but the 4-3-3 formation allows teams to outplay Chelsea in mid-field. The aging Lampard neither has the zip nor the work rate to manage a mid-field of three. Mikel seems to be blossoming under Di Matteo but Ramires is more productive in the middle where his indefatigable presence makes Chelsea more competitive. And Di Matteo will sooner moreso than later, find a place for Oscar. Right now Chelsea would be better off playing Sturridge at the top, Hazard behind him and a mid-field of Ramires, Oscar, Lampard and Mikel. Cole and Ivanovic already play as attacking full backs. Di Matteo has to learn what is the personnel needed and the formation required for the Blues to be most potent.

O Mano


Mano Menezes, the Brazilian coach cannot continue with his experimentation until the date of the 2014 World Cup to be played in Brazil. He seemed to have abandoned the aging stalwarts, Kaka, Ronaldinho and Robinho. In recent games Mano has trotted out the young lions like Oscar and Lucas and has re-summoned the workhorse, Ramires. The defensive mid-fielder is still up in the air and Luca Leiva would be the favorite if he can return to full recovery from his injuries. Sandro has gotten his opportunities but appears likely to be in the squad but coming off the bench.


Menezes must be gratified with the discovery of Dede, another central defender who can partner with David Luiz or Thiago Silva. Up front Hulk is more energetic and more dangerous than Damiao. Neymar needs to be more involved as a playmaker and most become more mobile.

Things have been slow in forging a starting eleven. Under Mano Menezes, Brazil has been playing friendly after friendly and thus far it has been a grab bag as to who starts. There is now some signs of solidifying a team. Nonetheless, Brazil did not look like Brazil against South Africa even though they won 1-0. Against China, the Selecao scored eight goals but China could not have been more abysmal and that trouncing of China is not a reflection as to where the Brazilian national team is in relationship to its preparation for World Cup 2014.

Mano is running out of time but it appears that he is settling down with a nucleus but there are still gaping holes to be filled if Mano is not to have an ungracious exit.