The verdict on Ancelotti’s first game for Chelsea

Chelsea started the new season yesterday with an uncomfortable 2-1 win at home to Hull. With this match being many people’s home banker for the weekend, it will have surprised many to see that Chelsea won with a 90th minute Drogba goal.

The scoreline, however, was not a real reflection of the match. Chelsea totally dominated proceedings and with 26 shots on goal were unfortunate to only score twice. If Chelsea had not won it would have been a travesty.

So to assessing the result and Ancelotti’s first competitive match in charge. The problem with Chelsea for many parts of last season was their inability to win at home and create lots of clear-cut chances. For some reason Scolari’s men could not break down the teams who came to defend, draws against the likes of Hull, Tottenham, West Ham and Newcastle prove this.

However, this was not the case yesterday. Chelsea created chance after chance and but for some rustiness in front of goal could have scored a bag full. Drogba showed glimpses of his world class talent his Ronaldo-like free kick at the end of the first half was incredible. The link up play between the wing-backs, the midfielders and the forwards was breath-taking.

Chelsea’s shape was fantastic and even when Ancelotti made changes to the team, in the second half, the team remained as a unit and everyone played their part well. Ancelotti has perhaps incorporated a good team spirit that has been sadly lacking from Stamford Bridge in the past couple of seasons and this may have begun to change many people’s thoughts that Chelsea need a couple more world class signings to compete with the ‘big boys’.

A reality check is needed however as it was only Hull who Chelsea were facing, many people have written off Hull as certainties to go down, but in truth Hull played very well. Hull were very solid defensively and even looked a threat on the rare occasions they went forward. Boo boy Stephen Hunt was in great form on his debut and even scored to put ‘the Tigers’ into an unlikely lead.

The impressive thing for Chelsea fans was that despite Hull playing very well defensively and taking the lead, Chelsea had no problems breaking them down easily finding the gaps to create chances. If this was last season there is no way Chelsea would have won this game and it is a very positive sight to see Chelsea winning games against teams who are very difficult to play through. If you are to win the league then this ability is of paramount importance, just take Liverpool for example last season, they only lost two games compared to Manchester United who lost four yet Liverpool did not win the title.

Chelsea’s finishing was certainly rusty but that is to be expected at the start of the season, Ancelotti is sure to have the lads working on their shooting practice in training before Tuesday’s away date at Sunderland.

Obviously, it is very early days to judge teams yet. The title is certainly not won during the first game of the season and despite the positives the 2-1 scoreline is still a little disappointing. Ancelotti has passed his first test and of course the most important thing is to get the three points, which he did. Chelsea’s real test this season will be to see how they fare against the other sides in the top four. Last year Chelsea faltered against United, Arsenal and Liverpool only picking up one point from their three home games against them. If Chelsea can beat the lowly teams like today and perform well in the big matches then they have every chance of winning the league this year. However, nobody will be counting their chickens yet and it looks to be a very exciting season all around.

Premier League Preview: Fulham-ManCity

Fulham

Roy Hodgson was one of the managers of the season last year. Getting Fulham into Europe is no easy task, en route Fulham beat Manchester United again no easy task. With a limited transfer budget it is tough to see Fulham matching their exploits of last season but with such a solid squad atmosphere and very proffesional players who knows?

Having signed Bjorn Helge Riise for 1.5 million and Stephen Kelly for an undisclosed fee and no key departures this summer it it is not easy to make a case for Fulham improving as a side. However, continuity would be more than enough for Hodgson this season.

Prediction 9th

Hull City

Wow, what a season Hull had last year. Their first season in the Premier League was less a roller coaster and more a large mountain. After a wonderful start, winning at Arsenal in the process there was even talk of European qualification for the ‘Tigers’, however, after a mauling by Manchester City and that infamous half time team talk on the pitch Hull fell dramatically perhaps a little fortunate to stay up on the last day of the season.

Having signed Steven Mouyokolo and more importantly Stoke’s Seyl Olofinjana, Hull will hope they have enough to survive again. The reality, though, is that if they do not significantly strengthen further they can only go one way…down. Manager Phil Brown has complained that players do not seem to want to sign for Hull and this could ultimately be their downfall.

They have kept the nucleaus of their squad but this does not seem enough to rectify the fact that during the last half of the season Hull were the worst team in the division.

Prediciton 19th

Liverpool

This is a massive season for Liverpool. If they fail to capitalise on last season and do not improve to take the league title then you have to wonder how long Torres and Gerrard will put up with it. The two stars seem to be carrying the team and with the loss of Xavi Alonso a huge blow, Alberto Aquilani will have to be one hell of a replacement to help improve the side.

The signing of Glen Johnson should provide a boost to the attacking elements of Liverpool, however, he is yet to convince defensively and at £17 million he could prove another costly mistake a la Craig Bellamy and Jermaine Pennant.

With apparent financial worries this may be the last year Liverpool can hold their players together and you have to think that if the season does not go to plan players will leave in the summer. Also Benitez may buckle under the pressure and decide to move on should a top job in Spain beckon.

Keeping Gerrard and Torres fit will be the key, if they do this they could make a real title challenge, if not they will most likely be well off the pace.

Prediction 3rd

Manchester City

A year on from the Dubai big money take over, it is still a shock to many to see Mark Hughes as manager. Hardly known for his elegant teams Hughes has somehow kept his job despite a disappointing first season in charge. He will have to deliver the goods this season to keep his job and if he fails to do this transfer budgets cannot be the excuse.

The talk of the off-season (bar Real Madrid), Manchester City have spent big and have got everyone talking. Not least by their signing of former Manchester United player Carlos Tevez, it is strange to see City have the financial advantage over their fierce rivals but they fought off apparent interest from Chelsea and Liverpool also to secure Tevez’s signature.

Arsenal also seem to have given in to City selling two of their best players in Kolo Toure and Emmanuel Adebayor. City will now feel they have a chance of taking the ‘Gunners’ expected last Champions League place.

Another coup is the signing of Gareth Barry who last season said he would only leave Aston Villa for Champions League football, however, it turns out that money is more of a factor and after rejecting Liverpool last year. £12 million could look a bargain come the end of the season.

The most expected transfer of the summer also happened as Roque Santa Cruz’s sulking finally won through and Blackburn let him go for a cool £18 million.

With so many forwards it is hard to see where they will all fit in. Tevez and Adebayor are unlikely to accept anything other than starting roles and Robinho and Santa Cruz won’t be expecting to miss out either.

Reinforcements at the back are still needed and should City sign Lescott then they could possibly challenge for Europe. However, missing out on John Terry, Samuel Eto’o and Kaka could prove their undoing as most of their signings will not be majorly feared by the top clubs. Adebayor, Toure and Santa Cruz had poor seasons last year and Tevez was mainly a substitute at United.

Prediction: 6th

Madrid the Real deal?

Real Madrid ‘the galacticos’ have had a bit of a renaissance this summer. After a few years out in the cold with little European success or extravagant spending, re-instated president Florentino Perez has spent a cool £220 million on players in the last few weeks.

The club that do not tolerate any failure appear to have lost all sense of sanity in a desperate attempt to dominate world football again. Having smashed the world transfer record in signing Cristiano Ronaldo for £80 million, they have once again helped create a frenzied transfer market whereby the world’s top players are no longer affordable to most of the big clubs. Real have also paid around £60 million for Kaka, £40 million for Karim Benzema and £30 million for Xavi Alonso.

The only other club capable of this kind of spending at the moment are Manchester City but even their £32 million British transfer record signing of Robinho now looks like pocket money. So in spending big Real have alienated the world’s top clubs and hence not many big name signings have happened elsewhere this summer.

Usually frequent spenders Manchester United and Chelsea have been relatively quiet in the transfer market and have not made any big name signings whatsoever. Content to keep the core of their squads for this season Europe’s best appear to be relying on Madrid’s plan of world domination falling flat on it’s face.

So will it? Well the apparent second coming of ‘the galacticos’ again sees the worlds top players all forced into one team and expected to instantly perform. However, this is no easy task and the first group of ‘galacticos’ failed in setting the world alight. With players such as Figo, Zidane, Ronaldo, Casillas, Raul and Roberto Carlos playing in their prime Real Madrid only won the European Cup once and the league title twice. Hardly awe inspiring stuff but admittedly better than most of clubs would settle for.

One of the problems with a team full of world class ‘stars’ is that they all want to be the stand out player. Rather than having eleven players gelling together to play the greatest football ever seen, there were eleven individuals on the pitch playing for themselves and not the team. Hence, free flowing football can not exist because the understanding and communication between players is not high enough.

So why will it be different this time around? It seems that ‘the galacticos’ did not work and may prove to be a failure again. Although important, money is not everything in football, more important factors such as a great manager and a great team of hard working players who love the club need to exist for a club to prosper.

Manager Manuel Pellegrini did well at Villareal. Pellegrini revitalized the team after acouple of poor seasons and has worked well on a limited budget to get Villareal into the Champions League year after year. The step up to Real Madrid though is huge. At Real the pressure will be immense and the need for instant results is always a hard burden to bare. Pellegrini has little experience of dealing with the primadonna types that he will have to control day in day out at Madrid. However, he has built up good teams who play for each other and if he can implement this at Real then he can be a huge success.

So to the players and to analyze where they might improve from the last bunch.

Cristiano Ronaldo is the biggest signing of the summer and probably of history. The only saving grace being that the deal was tied up very quickly in early summer and so did not drag on in the usual hysteria the surrounds such deals. Ronaldo is very much an individual, he likes to score and create out of nothing, rarely will he pass the ball if a shooting opportunity arises. Very much a primaddona type, however, it seems to work for him and this did not negatively effect his form for Manchester United or the teams results. If Real get to the level that Manchester United have been these past three years with Ronaldo then they will be more than satisfied.

Another world footballer of the year Kaka has also signed for Madrid as part of Perez’s revolution. A well respected man, Kaka attributes all of his success in life to God and this humble way of life means that he is far from the primaddona type his peers so easily become. Kaka is an ideal signing for a side looking to gel well and play together as a team.

Lesser key signing Benzema is probably the most unknown player who Real have paid big money for this summer. Benzema is a world class forward who is expected to be the next Henry in France. However, he is yet to prove his talent at the highest level and this will prove a massive step up from the recently tame French league. Whilst goals against Manchester United in the Champions League have helped secure his fame on the world stage, it is yet to be seen how he will perform for Real Madrid.

Finally, Xavi Alonso who made the long awaited move from Liverpool may well be the last piece in the jig-saw. Again, very much a team player who is not greedy, Alonso may adapt well to the team in the same way that he had an instant impact when he moved to Liverpool.

So, maybe the new ‘galacticos’ have a better chance of success then the old ones did. However, I don’t think the rest of Europe will be quaking in their boots yet. Real will need to prove themselves on the pitch rather than in the transfer market to gain the kind of respect they so desperately crave and with the standard of Europe’s other clubs at the moment success is certainly no guarantee.

Champions League or English Premier League?

Kings of Europe or Kings of England?

It sounds like a straightforward question. Surely to be the champions of Europe is a greater achievement than being the best in England, just because of the sheer number of extra teams in the whole of Europe compared with England.

So basic statistics suggests that it is a far bigger honour to be the Kings of Europe. But as most people in sociology will tell you, statistics are not everything.

Is it really tougher to win the Champions League? Perhaps, one of the best arguments for the Premier League being tougher to win is that in 2005 Liverpool won the Champions League, in the same season they finished a lowly fifth in the Premier League, even below their main rivals Everton.

If the Champions League is so tough to win then how on earth did the fifth best side in England win it? Maybe, another point to add to this one is that in two-legged cup competitions it is far more likely that a ‘weaker’ team can beat a ‘better’ club. The nature of cups is so that a fortunate goal here or there could end up winning you the competition. Something that is unlikely in a League where over the 38 games of a season luck pretty much evens itself out.

It is very rare to hear anybody say that a team who wins a league did not deserve it. Even the most biased of fans have to admit that when a team wins a league it is a great achievement which is unlikely to be ‘lucky’.

Is the Champions League competition tougher in terms of teams than in the Premier League? In some ways ‘yes’ and in some ways ‘no’.

Yes, it is tougher in the way that all of Europe’s elite are competing to win the trophy. The likes of Barcelona, Bayern Munich and Inter Milan are far better than the average Premier League side. But on the flip side of this teams such as Anorthosis, CFR Cluj, Bate Borisov and Aalborg are arguably far weaker than the average Premier League opposition.

Would fans prefer to win the English Premier League or the Champions League? This is a difficult question to answer, one that was perhaps far easier to answer four or five years ago. Back then, English Premier League teams did not dominate Europe’s top club competition in the way that they do now. It seems that if the league is weaker then it is more of an achievement to win in Europe.

However, this has all changed over the past few seasons and was proven by last season when English teams were only knocked out of the Champions League by other English teams. After an all English final and another season where so far all four English clubs have made the quarter-finals it is hard to deny that the EPL is Europe’s toughest to win league. As a result because it is played over 38 games it seems a much fairer way of assessing which English team is the best. If your team wins the EPL there are more reasons to brag than if your team wins the Champions League.

All in all it is very hard to assess which competition is the greater to win in terms of achievement and prestige. People such as Roman Abramovich and Massimo Moratti would far sooner see their teams Chelsea and Inter Milan win the Champions League than their own Leagues. However, the die hard fans of such clubs especially in England probably would rather see their side lift the league trophy, knowing what a great achievement this really is.

Yes, the Champions League is very tough to win but there is a greater luck factor involved, would Porto really have won the EPL the league they won the Champions League? Of course it is nice to beat teams such as Barcelona and Real Madrid rather than hammering Wigan or Fulham but until a season long league is created between Europe’s elite it is difficult to conclude that the Champions League is harder to win than the EPL.

The Problem With Manchester City

So you are a club who lose your last game of the season 8-1 against Middlesborough. Your manager has just been fired despite getting the club into Europe for the first time in five years. The club’s owner, who may be arrested for corruption, has expressed a desire to sell your club and your captain has voiced huge discontent at the whole situation.

This was Manchester City seven months ago. The club was in disarray and the future looked bleak for their fans.

When highly regaurded young manager Mark Hughes was hired the mood was lifted slightly. But there were still rumblings from skeptical fans who thought Hughes would not encourage his players to play good football. Hughes is a manager who was focused on physical aggression and assertiveness from his players during his time at Blackburn.

There was some light at the end of the tunnel though when Abu Dhabi United Group Investment and Development Limited completed a takeover of Manchester City. This instantly made the club the richest in the world. Sadly, the deal was made on the transfer deadline day and the club only managed to sign one player Robinho who was previously on the verge of signing for Chelsea. This was a huge coup for the club and broke the British transfer record costing £32.5 million.

So, with a renewed confidence around the club the new season started but Man City have not set the league alight. They are currently hovering just two points above the relegation zone with nearly half the season gone.

With the transfer window opening again at the start of next month the press and the fans are already buzzing with transfer rumours. Sky Sports News reported yesterday that Man City had offered £128 million for Real Madrid’s goalkeeper Iker Casillas. A ludicrous amount perhaps but it is certainly money that the owners can afford to spend in abundance.

The problem is that Man City do not have the pulling power of the big four. They will struggle to attract the huge names they have been linked with such as Kaka and Messi because of the lower prestige of the club. Okay, they did sign Robinho from under Chelsea’s nose but the fact remains that money is not everything in football. Yes, it counts for a lot but Casillas has apparently rejected Man City and many of the big players will follow suit. The club is still considered to be a smaller club than the Premier League’s famous ‘big four’ of Chelsea, Manchester United, Liverpool and Arsenal. It is unlikely that players will reject the chance to play in the Champions League to play in the UEFA Cup for City.

It is hard to see how they can break into and establish themselves in the top four with such a high standard of football being set by the ‘big four’. The Man City revolution is not likely to have a big impact for a few seasons yet.

So maybe City should set their sights lower down. The huge European clubs will not sell their best players. Perhaps the likes of Lazio’s Pandev and Weder Bremen’s Diego should be main and realistic targets. It seems a waste of time chasing after players at the top clubs such as Barcelona and AC Milan but there are still great players with huge potential playing for smaller European Clubs.

Who knows if the owners are willing to be patient. Maybe they will get fed up without Champions League football and will sell the club on again. Only time will tell, but City fans should be a bit cautious in their glee. The future may not be as bright as the fans hope, they may not be challenging for the title even with the huge cash injection.

Premier League Weekend Afterthought

The story of the weekend has to be Arsenal’s surprising win at Stamford Bridge. Chelsea who had gone over four years without a Premier League home defeat lost their second home game in recent weeks under dramatic circumstances. Arsenal, however, started the match very shakily and did not look comfortable as Chelsea seemingly dominated the possession and dictated the pace of the match. This was compounded by Djorou who put into his own net to give Chelsea a 1-0 half time lead.

Chelsea deserved their lead and looked good for it until a terrible referreeing decision allowed Arsenal to level midway through the second half. Denilson’s flick fell to Van Persie, who was visably a yard or two offside, no flag was raised and Van Persie slotted home.

A shell shocked Chelsea were outraged by the assistant referees mistake and were further made to pay when a sluggish Chelsea defence failed to clear allowing for Van Persie to turn on the ball and fire home the winner past a helpless Petr Cech a couple of minutes later. Chelsea never looked like scoring and again failed to come from a goal behind against strong opposition.

The Blues can look back on the match as an unlucky defeat but in truth Chelsea did not have enough spark at the Bridge to deserve anything from the match.

Scolari was surprisingly critical of the refereeing after the game. The Brazilian’s cool, calm and colleted reputation is quickly disappearing. The pressure may be getting to Big Phil, Chelsea are not looking they force they did at the start of the season. As the injury list grows and following the annoucement that Chelsea will not be buying players in January it is difficult to see how the home forn will be turned around.

As for Arsenal this result may have saved their season. They now are within 8 points of the top of the league and although it will be an uphill struggle the league title can still be theirs. Arsenal still lack a clear cutting edge but this result is sure to boost their confidence. Hopefully they will spend in January as the board have made it clear they have the funds to. Chelsea have now played all of the other three so called ‘big four’ at home this season and have only taken one point from those games not exactly title winning form.

Perhaps the fiercest derby in English Football went the way of Manchester United this weekend. United dominated the match and were good value for their win. Manchester City could not find the magic of last season to oust their rivals. Rooney scored a rebound tap in to seal the win for the Red Devils.

All did not end well for United, Cristiano Ronaldo was sent off for a needless handball late in the second half. The win has meant United have closed the gap significantly at the top and are starting to look like the team of last season again. City are now hovering dangerously close to the relegation zone. People at City will be starting to wonder how much longer their ridiculously rich owners will stand for the poor league position.

Liverpool claimed top spot despite failing to capitalise on Chelsea’s loss and could only draw in a drab match at home to West Ham. The Reds were booed off at full time and the Anfield crowd were less than impressed with another goaless home draw against weaker opposition.

It was the same result at Villa Park as a gutsy Fulham earned a good point. Villa missed out on the chance to consolidate their position in the top four and have now fallen to fifth. The league has tightened even more this week and no one at the top is taking control over their rivals.

Towards the foot of the table things are so close that a win can take some teams up six or seven places.

West Brom lost again despite leading away to Wigan and look like the real certainties to go down at the moment.

The other team on a downward spiral are Sunderland, hammered at home 4-1 by Bolton of all teams. An embarressing result and it looks as though Roy Keane has become disillusioned with life in the North-East. He will not sign a new contract and has admitted he may leave the club which is hardly reassuring to the players and fans. It is difficult to see how they can turn their fortunes around under such a fickle manager. Maybe Keane should just leave now so that the club can appoint a new manager and raise the spirits on the club before it is too late.

There were also good wins for Everton away at Spurs and Portsmouth at home to Blackburn. Stoke and Hull managed a draw as did Middlesborough and Newcastle.

1	Liverpool	15	13	34
2	Chelsea	15	27	33
3	Man Utd	14	16	28
4	Arsenal	15	8	26
5	Aston Villa	15	6	25
6	Hull	15	-2	23
7	Everton	15	-2	22
8	Portsmouth	15	-4	22
9	Bolton	15	1	20
10	Fulham	14	1	19
11	Wigan	15	-1	19
12	Middlesbrough	15	-6	19
13	West Ham	15	-5	18
14	Stoke	15	-10	18
15	Man City	15	6	17
16	Tottenham	15	-4	15
17	Newcastle	15	-5	15
18	Sunderland	15	-11	15
19	Blackburn	15	-12	13
20	West Brom	15	-16	11