How Have the Mighty Fallen

Ball Harambee By Bagga Wilks

There is the cliché that in the English Premier League any team can beat any team at anytime. On Saturday, September 28, 2013 that was a truism. The top teams who spend the most money found themselves among the vanquished. Money can’t buy love. In the past, it has bought a lot of trophies. But on Saturday, it bought more than its fair share of grief.

Real Madrid had traditionally used Atletico Madrid as a beating stick. For decades especially playing at home, the score was a foregone conclusion. But not this Saturday, maybe not this year. Atletico Madrid gave Real Madrid a rare spanking.

The Real Madrid coach, Ancelotti, down at half time, opted to bring in his new golden boy, Gareth Bale. But Bale who had a few runs at the opposition but in the end, there was no cigar.

Manchester United divested of Sir Alex Ferguson, has made the worst start in recent years. They are bunched up with teams that traditionally excel in mediocrity. David Moyes lost to a rejuvenated West Brom. Manchester United’s defense has been porous under Moyes. Their central defender, Ferdinand, now chases younger strikers like a man past his prime.

Managing is not just putting players on the field but it is what is said to individual players and the team before taking the field and at half time. The season is still in its infancy and it is only fair to give David Moyes the opportunity to put his stamp at Old Trafford. Nonetheless, one wonders if he is the man to replace Sir Alex Ferguson.

Pellegrini, the Manchester City coach who had a field day beating up Manchester United last week, got beaten this week by an Aston Villa team that barely escaped relegation last season. Manchester City scored first just before half-time but Aston Villa came out in the second half a more aggressive team and shocked the free spending Manchester City winning 3-2.

Manchester City’s defense is not as impregnable as it was in yesteryear. They coughed up three goals at Cardiff City and three more to Aston Villa. Under Mancini, there was always disorder off the field. Under Pelligrini, there seems to be disorder on the field.

Mourinho in the Chelsea game against Tottenham, trotted out the wrong team. David Luiz partnered with John Terry as the two central defenders. Mourinho’s starting mid-field of Mikel, Lampard and Oscar was run over by Tottenham’s Paulinho, Erikson and Dembele. At the end of the half, the pupil had his teacher in punishment, leading 1-0.

The “know-it-all” Mourinho went to the blackboard in the dressing room and changed his line-up. Ramires, rather than playing on the right flank, came into the middle and replaced Mikel and Juan Mata was brought in to add creativity to philistine-like Chelsea.

Mata and Ramires changed the dynamic of the game and scored shortly after being introduced but the referee ruled off side. On a deft taken free kick by Juan Mata, John Terry’s header gave Chelsea the equalizer. The pupil and the teacher ended up with a draw.

Oscar is still a young player with a great potential. He brings great energy to the park but as a playmaker, he is not as magical as Juan Mata. Hopefully, Mounrinho saw the class of Juan Mata on Saturday and will now make him a fixture in Chelsea’s starting eleven.

Daniel Sturridge Walks Alone

Ball Harambee By Bagga Wilks

Liverpool vs Manchester United is one of the great rivalries in British football. The game played at Liverpool on September 1, 2013 is by far the best game played in the English Premier League to date. The two teams played with great intensity for ninety minutes. As against Aston Villa last week Liverpool on a Daniel Sturridge goal scored in the first half. Liverpool dominated possession in the first half and that dominance frustrated the Manchester United players that three of them ended the first half with yellow cards including Van Persie.

Just as in the Aston Villa games, Liverpool wilted in the second half and Manchester United had them backing up and defending desperately. This failure to maintain the same level of intensity in the second half has to be an issue of stamina. As the season advances, Brandon Rodgers will have to do something about that lack of conditioning.

Manchester United was without Wayne Rooney who suffered a gash to his forehead in practice. Manchester United continues to rely on the old geezer, Ryan Giggs, rather than giving younger players like Anderson, to develop their true potential. The telling question at this juncture is Giggs still a great player or was he a great player and simply running on fumes and his reputation? Giggs needs to take a seat beside Scholes.

Ashley Young started and Nani was brought into the game as a substitute. Both displayed their wares as top class players. But in the end Manchester United lost and that could be the omen for the season that they will have. Van Persie was closely marked and lost his cool a number of times. He has a steep hill to climb to replicate his incredible performance last season.

Does Wenger Know Best?

Arsenal started the season rather shakily and Wenger was being blasted by the fans for not bringing in top transfer players. But Arsenal showed in their game against Tottenham that they have a nucleus that can compete with the top tier teams.

Soccer evidently is a team game where the chemistry among the players must be like clockwork. Teams like Newcastle or Sunderland which made sweeping changes fail to develop an effective esprit d’corps. Arsenal has and the players who came in last year like Cazorla, Podolski and Giroud are now fitting in with the team.

Tottenham was unafraid to spend money and they brought in a new midfield. But it takes some players a year before they find their stride in the English league. Tottenham devoid of Bale is yet to score a goal in open play. They attack with great uncertainty and one wonders if Soldado can make it in the English league. Dembele looks lost and will lose his place to players like Erikson.

AVB is supposedly an astute student of the game but his trades do not seem to have a grand design. Nonetheless the season is young and one should wait until the half-way mark before being too definitive.

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.

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.

January and the African Exodus

Ball Harambee By Bagga Wilks

Manchester City, trailing Manchester United by seven points, faced the once mighty Arsenal devoid of YaYa Toure tour de force in mid-field and Kolo Toure’s sometime presence as a substitute central defender, came along with 2-0 victory and coveted 3 points.

Arsenal is mired in a quizzical state of stagnation. In two years they have lost five world class players and replaced them with “so-so” players. Not long into the Arsenal vs Manchester City game, Koscielny was issued a red card as he prevented Dzeko from scoring with a wrestling tackle. Arsenal was condemned to play the juggernautish City with ten men.

Down 2-0, Arsenal gave a better account of themselves in the second half. Young Wilshire was his old penetrating self. The injury-prone Diaby returned and played sixty minutes without sustaining another injury. To return to form, Diaby needs time on the pitch.

Arsenal will not bring any new players in the transfer market. A player like Falcao would be a great addition but Wenger and the Arsenal management are not risk takers. All signs point to Arsenal ending this season below fourth place and losing money by not qualifying for the lucrative UEFA Championship League.

Brandon Rogers Reconstruction of Liverpool

Liverpool is in the throes of a makeover and is still far below the elite clubs. They acquired Daniel Sturridge in the January market and he did not start but came on in the second half and finished off a goal after a well struck ball by their skipper, Gerrard. Liverpool’s mid-field is quite ordinary and Garrick, Cleverly and Welbeck simply out-wizard them in the first half.

Even before the whistle blew to start the game, we knew that Skertel and Agger could not contain Van Persie who opened the scoring with a Van Persie-like finish. Evra scored the second goal from a Van Persie free kick, the 5 ft. 8 in. defender leaping above the opposition. That was his fifth goal for the season, quite a remarkable record for a left back.

Rogers lost much of Johnson’s ability by starting him at left full back. Johnson is not as effective going forward from the left side as he is from the right side. Their leading goal scorer, Suarez, was not a factor in the game. The substitutions that Rogers made to the Liverpool team did not change the game. He took off Sterling and kept Downing in the game and Downing has the distinction of playing for ninety undistinguished minutes.

QPR vs Tottenham

Harry Redknapp faced his old club and for ninety minutes for the first time this season kept Tottenham scoreless. Queens Park Rangers managed a point but remained poised for relegation. Mark Hughes was a disaster as a manager but old Harry used some old tricks to extract the best from his new team since his debut. Sean Wright-Phillips has returned to form and the team is defensively less porous. Harry has a steep hill to climb for Queens Park Rangers to avoid relegation.

What a Difference a Player Makes

Ball Harambee By Bagga Wilks

The Manchester Derby brought out the best in the English Premier League and the worst in soccer fanatics.  Manchester United came out on top and it took a momentous free kick from Van Persie to win the game in overtime.  Van Persie has made quite a difference at Manchester United and his goal-scoring will enable Manchester United to be champions of the Barclay’s E.P.L.

Manchester City fought back after being down 2-0 and it was their impact player, Yaya Toure, who brought them back. Zabaleta scored the goal that brought Manchester City level.  Interestingly, Manchester United scored when Yaya Toure had to leave the field because of an injury.

Manchester City’s manager, Mancini, thought that starting Mario Balotelli could have been his trump card in the critical game but he had to replace the volatile Balotelli with the mercurial Tevez shortly after half time.

Rooney showed the impact nature of his game by scoring the first two goals for Manchester United.  When Rooney is off, he can be dreadful but when he is in form, he plays the playmaker-striker position as superbly as any in the game.  He has matured as a player and is not that easily ruffled anymore on the pitch.

    Liverpool etched out a victory over West Ham on their home grounds.  Allerdyce’s tigers at West Ham had Liverpool, devoid of Luis Suarez, on the run.  West Ham played their pressure football and looked like winning the game.  Unfortunately for West Ham, their impact player in mid-field, Diame pulled a ham-string in the middle of the second half and with that vacuum in mid-field Brandan Rogers’ boys were able to get on top of West Ham.  It is an important win for Rogers and should give the young team confidence as they close out the first half of the season.  Their defensive mid-field player, Lucas, is back from his injury and should be an impact player going forward for the remainder of the fixtures providing he can avoid re-occurrence of his injury.

Arsenal managed a 2-0 victory over West Brom that started the season blazing but is now running at a lukewarm temperature. Wilshire seems to be coming back into his own and could turn around the fortunes of the declining Arsenal.  Arsenal lacks impact players and if Diaby can return and remain uninjured he could be the player who makes a difference.  We are a few weeks from the January transfer window and the scrooge-like Arsenal will have to start spending some money to lift its chances of being a serious competitor in the E.P.L.  The impact player that will be avidly sought is Falcao of Atletico, the Colombian, who has emerged as a coveted striker and at this juncture, one of the best in the world.  Neymar, the Brazilian, does not appear to have any desire to leave the comfort zone of his Brazilian club team, Santos, and to test the turbulent waters of playing in Europe.  If Neymar is to be considered one of the great players of the game, he will have to show his mettle in Europe, perhaps after the 2014 World Cup in Brazil.

Rains and Drought of Goals

Ball Harambee By Bagga Wilks

This week the rains pelted the ballplayers as they tried to execute passes in the last third under trying conditions. Even before the rains cometh, coaching storms have been brewing in the E.P.L. Di Matteo has made an early exit from Chelsea as Chelsea made a pre-mature exit from the Championship League. Di Matteo won the Championship League last season but Abramovich spends his millions and demands immediate gratification. Rafael Benitez will now walk the Chelsea tightrope.

Chelsea vs Manchester City

Under difficult conditions Chelsea and Manchester City played to a deserving nil all draw. Both Chelsea and Manchester City pack potent offenses but the respective defensive unites closed down the passing lanes in the last third.

Manchester City was more fluid in their passing and Yaya Toure as usual was the general in mid-field. But his strikers could not create the necessary spaces to be effective.

Soccer must be admired not just for the offensive prowess of forwards but the defensive grit of central defenders and full backs. Chelsea’s central defender, Kompany, has emerged as one of the top defenders in the E.P.L.

Swansea vs Liverpool

Brendan Rodgers is walking on thin ice at Liverpool but the management at Liverpool are not as trigger happy as Chelsea’s Abramovich. Liverpool also played to a nil all draw against Swansea. Liverpool is still a work in progress and one wonders if the Liverpool squad as presently constituted can rise to the top of the heap in the E.P.L. There is Suarez and Sterling and Gerard but Liverpool suffers from a dearth of mid-field creativity.

Liverpool created most of the chances yet Swansea possessed the ball with greater ease but lacked finesse in the last third.

Arsenal vs Aston Villa

Arsene Wenger is not in danger of being fired but there is something rotten in the state of Denmark. Villa and Arsenal played to a scoreless draw. The new acquisitions at Arsenal have not demonstrated much offensive guile. At this rate, Arsenal will fall below the top four. They failed to score against a porous Aston Villa defense, a team in the regulation zone. Arsenal’s finances are in fine shape and their financial success is a far cry from what is being accomplished by Wenger’s ammunition-less Arsenal.

Manchester United vs Queens Park Rangers

The Queens Park Rangers’ crew gave Mark Hughes a great deal of rope but he kept using it to hang himself and to trip up the team. Q.P.R. owners’ cups eventually ran over and they have put Hughes out to pasture and brought in Tottenham’s ex-boss, Harry Redknapp.

Unfortunately, Q.P.R. was up against the best finishing team in the League. Manchester United have parked Nani but they are firing on all cylinders with Van Persie, Rooney, Welbeck and Young. Their problem is what do they do with “Chicharito” Hernandez, the scoring machine. How do you not play Van Persie and Rooney?

Manchester United spanked Q.P.R. 3-1 to return to the top of the table. If they continue to score goals in bunches, then they will soon break away from their rivals in the E.P.L.

“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.

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.

Southampton Goes South in Waning Minutes

Ball Harambee By Bagga Wilks

A soccer game runs for 90 minutes. Each half can be distinct from the other and the game is not over until the referee blows the final whistle. Newly promoted Southampton were on the verge of snatching a victory from the mighty Manchester United when they wilted and Van Persie blossomed.

Van Persie, the twenty-nine year old Dutchman, had a spectacular season last year leading the EPL with 27 goals. Previously, he had been plagued with injuries and missed a number of games. Being in and out of the line-up prevented him from displaying his scoring capabilities. He kept Arsenal in the top four last year and he has continued his torrid scoring pace in his move to Manchester United. Van Persie on Sunday missed a penalty but ended superlatively with a ‘hat-trick’ and a victory for his new team.

Arsenal

Arsenal broke their ducks against Liverpool as they scored on two breakaways to leave the new Liverpool coach winless at the start of 2012-2013 season. Podolski has wasted no time fitting into the style of the Premier League. He opened the scoring and will be a formidable attacking force for Arsenal this season. The French striker, Giroud, is still feeling his way. The reconstructed and thus far durable Diaby is approaching fine form and should bolster Arsenal’s mid-field bereft of Alex Song. Rather surprisingly, the traditional porous Arsenal defense has not given up a goal. The defense is playing as a unit and not ball watching. The unit thus far looks formidable against set pieces. Despite the loss of five top players in two years, Arsenal is still showing its resilience.

Transfer Market

The EPL needs to come up with a transfer system that is less chaotic. To have a transfer system spilling over after the season has begun, makes for great drama but poor planning. One can understand the January transfer market but the August 31st deadline is much too disruptive. It takes time to integrate newly-acquired players into a system. For the players themselves, especially those with families, they must feel like slaves being sold on the auction block.

The Photo Finish

Ball Harambee By Bagga Wilks

Football is by nature exciting but the last day of drama that occurred on Sunday, May 13, 2012 will unlikely be repeated in a hundred years. Manchester City and Manchester United were tied on the last day of the season. The Manchester United players did what they had to do to keep their title hopes alive. They defeated Sunderland 1-0. It appeared that the gods were on the side of Sir Alex Ferguson. Manchester City with five minutes to go in overtime, were down 1-2 to Queens Park Rangers who were defending brilliantly, stopping wave after wave.

Manchester Blues

Ball Harambee By Bagga Wilks

As Yogi Berra was fond of saying, “It is not over until the fat lady sings”. Manchester United had the EPL title in the palm of their hands but Manchester City has snatched it away. In an epic encounter, Manchester City defeated Manchester United 1-0 in a game they had to win to keep their hopes alive to win the title. There are two more games to be played and if Manchester United win their remaining fixture and Manchester City does the same, the latter wins on goal average. But Manchester City must defeat Newcastle on their home field which will not be an easy undertaking.

Drawing Down the Final Curtain

Ball Harambee By Bagga Wilks

It’s curtain call for the Wolves. They will be relegated to England's Championship League at the end of the season. For two seasons they fought gallantly to stay afloat in the Premier League. What they lacked in talent they made up for it in tenacity. The tenacity this season waned. Wolves is a classical example of a club with limited resources up against moguls with unlimited riches willing to spend and compete in the English Premier League.

The Wolves are gone but the race to stay afloat may very well obviously come down to the remaining three games. Aston Villa, Bolton, Wigan, Blackburn and Queens Park Rangers are all fighting for their club life to stay afloat in a League where profits are more bountiful than the League below.

Shuffling the EPL Deck

Ball Harambee By Bagga Wilks

The English poet T.S. Eliot wrote in one of his poems that April is the cruelest month. In the English Premier League, March, April and May can either be cruel months or delightful months. For the teams struggling to avoid regulation - Wigan, Queens Park Rangers, Wolverhampton Wolves and Bolton Wanderers - April and May will be cruel months.

The stakes are high but different from those in the title race. Manchester United is beginning to fire on all cylinders as they approach the last eight games of the season. Rooney is in fine form, Welbeck and Young are running at defenders and Paul Scholes has been resurrected.

Ball Harambee Jan. 11

On the Goaline of Racism By Bagga Wilks

The English Football Association published the findings of the Suarez vs Evra incident that occurred in October when Liverpool and Manchester United played to a 1-1 draw at Anfield. The FA was careful in ensuring that all the parties involved received due process. There was no rush to judgment. The Regulatory Commission explored the evidence meticulously and came to the conclusion that the Liverpool striker, Luis Suarez had violated Article 3 (1) and had used racially abusive language to Patrice Evra, the Manchester United left full back. Suarez was fined 40,000 pounds and suspended for eight Premier League matches. Mr. Suarez has decided not to appeal the verdict as the evidence against him is overwhelming.

Ball Harambee Jan. 3

How Have the Mighty Fallen at the End of the Old Year By Bagga Wilks

At the beginning of the New Year 2012, the Manchester City vs Sunderland game could not have ended with greater drama. At the end of the first half, the score was scoreless. Coach Mancini made some changes to Manchester City line up in search of a victory. Micah Richards was brought in at right back for his attacking attributes. Aguero was asked to partner with Dzeko to expand the scoring potency. And the playmaker, David Silva brought in as a replacement for Nasri who was ineffectual.
Manchester City bombarded Sunderland hitting the cross bar, trying shots from inside and outside the area but no cigar. During the three minutes stoppage time, Sunderland scored on a break-away to steal three vital points and to thwart Manchester City from jumping ahead of Manchester United.

Ball Harambee Nov. 21

The Unmanageable City by Bagga Wilks

Newcastle United before clashing with Manchester City was not only an undefeated team but one that was playing above expectations. Playing against Manchester City, they lacked the fire that they had displayed from the commencement of the season. Their strength was not their talent base but their willingness to pressure the ball for ninety minutes. They did get a consolation goal but the Manchester City giants reduced Newcastle to eleven dwarfs.

We are still a few weeks from the half-way mark of the EPL, but if past is prologue, then Manchester City will march to the championship of the EPL in grand style.

Mancini has to be judged the coach of the year. Their defensive form has been solid since the season began. The mid-field with Yaya Toure has been a torrid force and with Balotelli, Aguero and playmaker David Silva, they score goals in bunches.

Arsenal vs Norwich

Arsenal creates chances in bunches but scores goals spasmodically. With the superb finishing of Van Persie, the Arsenal attack which includes Gervinho and Walcott, has demonstrated their potency. Both Gervinho and Walcott are capable of dazzling defenses. What they need going forward is to finish like their skipper, Van Persie.

Arsenal problematic is not up front but is in their mid-field. They have three competent mid-fielders in Song, Ramsey and Arteta. The question is that Arteta and Ramsey are similar players. Arsenal needs a runner in mid-field and an attacking mid-field player that is more penetrating than Ramsey or Arteta. They beat Norwich quite easily and have put together five back-to-back victories.

Chelsea vs Liverpool

Arsenal’s back four has looked better since Vermaelen’s return but Chelsea’s back four continues to look shaky. The Liverpool/Chelsea match was a game of two halves. Liverpool had Chelsea mesmerized for the first 45 minutes but only got the go-ahead goal because of a defensive error by Mikel, the defensive mid-fielder.

Villas-Boas made some changes in the second half. Mikel was taken out, Sturridge brought in and Mata moved to the center of the pitch. Malouda who has been re-discovered by the coach, had a sensational second-half and it was not long before Chelsea equalized from a Malouda run and a cross and a tap in by Sturridge.

Liverpool in the second half was playing like an electrical car that was running on low voltage. Chelsea was all over Dalglish Reds but could not get the go ahead goal. Against the run of play, Glen Johnson who is back to top form after his injury, won the game for Liverpool with a scintillating solo effort where he left the Chelsea’s defense spread-eagled and placed a shot passed the outstretched hands of Chelsea’s goalkeeper, Cere.

The Blues lost and are still searching for the right combination. This is a difficult task for a young coach with a demanding boss and a team with an abundance of mercurial personalities.

Manchester United vs Swansea

Ferguson’s problems are not dissimilar from that of Villas-Boas. Manchester United took 3 points from Swansea but it was not in the normal convincing Manchester United manner. For the match against Swansea, Sir Alex brought in Giggs and Park and had Rooney and Hernandez up front. Manchester United looks disjointed and the just promoted Swansea looked more comfortable on the ball. If Swansea had taken their chances, the score line could have been different.

The scramble below Manchester City will get even more intense among those vying to play in the UEFA league next year. There is still a lot of sorting out to be done, as the English would say.