Empty Cup and Baby Steps: Arsenal 2 - Liverpool 1

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It's fair to say Scott didn't send Howard Webb a card on Valentine's Day, but he's got a more realistic view than most of his compatriots:

The shame of it is that they played well enough to win at the Emirates.  The shame of it is that it wasn't quite enough.  And, yes, Howard Webb should be ashamed for not giving a clear second penalty.  But rarely is a game lost because of one no-call.  As any player will tell you, there is always a series of missed opportunities or bungled plays both before and after a referee makes a critical, incorrect decision.  On Sunday, there was an incomplete clearance and loose defending, not to mention poor finishing.

But, you know, while I really do believe everything in that first paragraph, it still doesn't feel good.  Especially when that second penalty was even more obvious than the first (which was also a penalty).  Especially when Mr. Howard Webb was in a perfect position to make the call.  And especially because you could see Mr. Webb digging in his mental heels as he sanctimoniously wagged his finger in denial.  The only possible explanation for not making that obvious call (just look at it again on youtube and you will see what an incredible mistake it was) is that the combination of Luis Suarez' outrageously theatrical tumble and a previous penalty conspired to block Mr. Webb's better judgment.

I suppose Suarez must take his rehabilitation now another step.  Having refrained from dining on the opposition for several games and recently limited his diving to bodies of water, man-made or otherwise, it makes sense for him to now tone down the Sally Field reactions when fouled.  It was nothing short of comical to see the Uruguayan perform an inverted pirouette which must have taken substantially more energy and effort than merely crumpling to the ground after being bulldozed by Oxlade-Chamberlain.  Baby steps.

2-1 Times 2: Thoughts on Liverpool's Shaky Run of Form

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Scott has some excuses thoughts on Liverpool's last two horrific losses games:

 

Top of the league at Christmas and now 5^th and 6 points from the top before New Year’s Eve.  How could this have happened?  Well, like most things in life, it is no single thing but rather a combination of factors:

1)      Liverpool squandered chances.  In the first game against Manchester City, Liverpool played at least as well as the home team and likely deserved a point for their pressing, creativity and determination.  But too many chances went begging and such opportunities must be seized when playing against the likes of Manchester City or Chelsea.  While there were not as many chances against Chelsea, failing to convert certainly played a role.

 

2)      Mignolet had a bad day against Manchester City.  I think on almost any other day, Simon does not let Negredo’s weak shot dribble in.  But dribble in it did.

 

3)      The competition was excellent.  To be fair, it wasn’t all down to Liverpool not executing.  Manchester City created scores of opportunities also, while Chelsea were relentless in their high pressing and quick strikes.  Plus, the darker blues were aggressively defensive (overly so at times) when they needed to be.

 

4)      The referees were bad in the Manchester City game.  I’m not saying Liverpool lost both games because of poor decisions, but nobody would win the argument that those decisions did not have an enormous impact on the game.  In the first game, the standout error was the blatant miscue that saw the assistant referee flag Raheem Sterling offside when he was several feet onside.  Despite Brendan Rodgers’ comments regarding Lee Mason’s proximity to Manchester (with which I disagree), the fault is clearly the assistant referee’s.  And this is not one of those “could go either way” things.  He was way onside and was through on goal with acres of space and only Joe Hart ahead.

5)      The referees were bad in the Chelsea game.  Jose Mourinho can throw all the tantrums he likes and accuse Liverpool of all manner of theatrics, but the simple fact is that Samuel Eto’o’s (hmmm, the possessive looks a little redundant there) challenge on Jordan Henderson likely would have drawn a red if it were later in the game.  It’s pretty amazing it didn’t even get a yellow.  A game against a 10-man Chelsea squad would have been a very different game indeed.  Especially given that Eto’o scored later.  And, if he had at least gotten a yellow, when he did deliberately trip Suarez later, he should have gotten a second yellow and been out.  Instead, no foul was called there either.  To be fair, that was a tough call because Suarez didn’t have the ball and Howard Webb would have had to give a penalty if he called it.  But, from the replays, there was no doubt it was a foul and that it was deliberate.  And the fact that Suarez was mugged by John Terry in the six-yard box with no call was also nearly criminal.  And all this against a Chelsea team that was the beneficiary of a phantom penalty call against West Brom.

Popping Off: Round 25 in the BPL

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o We thoroughly enjoyed it, but we wonder how Chelsea and Newcastle felt when they saw referee Howard Webb wearing his red and black home kit to officiate their game on Saturday.

o And what a game it turned out to be. The match had it all: big goals, a dramatic finish, newcomers bursting onto the scene -- Bonjour, Player of the Week Moussa Sissoko -- and a very nasty edge to a contest played in front of a raucous Geordie crowd.

o After foolishly admitting to Magpie officials that he wanted to quit and to return home to Italy to continue his career, Newcastle Captain Fabricio Coloccini attempted to repair the damage on Saturday -- this time by inserting his foot in someone else's mouth. Namely Demba Ba's. With former teammates like that, the ex-Toon striker turned new Blue menace is probably wondering who needs enemies.

o Over at Anfield, the early uproar was all about a goal scored by Daniel Sturridge while Eden Dzeko lay flopped on the ground. Dzeko was obviously milking the situation  -- he was "absolutely motionless" in the words of the commentator, but popped right up after Liverpool scored.  Apparently, the Big Bosnian was upset by Referee Anthony Taylor's decision to let play continue while he lay prostrate on the pitch.  We, on the other hand, had no problem with Taylor's decision -- as no part of Dzeko's injury involved his head.  It was only the striker's pride that ended up being hurt.

o Meanwhile, the player who looked like he sustained a head injury -- and a traumatic one at that -- was Liverpool's Pepe Reina. The Scouse 'keeper lost his head, as well as his team's hard-earned lead at Eastlands on Sunday, when he chased down a ball which was clearly better suited for the team's left back. Only Sergio Aguero's cheeky finish saved Reina from bearing the brunt of media criticism he surely deserved. Anyone want to guess at the tabloid reaction if Reina was spelled "De Gea"...?

The Magic of BPL Round 29

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Round 29 combined BPL action with the weekend's FA Cup bouts, leading to a mishmash of football, and many teams playing twice in a very short period of time:

o I've got to say I was impressed with referee Michael Oliver, who oversaw a testy match on Saturday between Wigan and West Bromwich Albion. Showing maturity well beyond his 26 years, Oliver did a masterful job of straddling the very fine line between being a disciplinarian and letting the players play the game. In the process, he certainly didn't please either team -- but the mark of a fair deal in my book is one in which both sides feel a little aggrieved. There are big things in store for this kid: mark my words.

o The scenes out of White Hart Lame on Saturday were distressing and terrifying to witness, and made me realize -- once again -- that it's just a game we're watching. Full credit to the players, fans, officials and announcers who immediately grasped the impact of what they were viewing -- you could see the shock, terror and worry etched in their every face. Howard Webb's decision to abandon the game was the proper one, and greeted with great respect by the fans, who could easily have reacted differently. Our prayers go out to Bolton's Fabrice Muamba, and we wish him only the best, and a speedy recovery.

o It was the weekend of the misfit: how else to explain the fact that Fernando Torres and Stewart Downing both found the net on Sunday...?

o I tried to watch Sunderland at Blackburn, but I have to be honest: the contest just seemed devoid of life. There were fan scattered around empty seats, and the general crowd din was so low you could practically hear individual voices. All in all, it kind of reminded me of watching a Florida (Miami?) Marlins game, and trust me -- that's not a glowing recommendation for the BPL.

o I'll say this only once this season: Without Junior Hoilet, Blackburn's season would be in the toilet. But thanks to the best Canadian export to the BPL since a certain fragile midfielder in Manchester, Rovers look as if they may indeed beat the drop.

o It was great to see Fernando Torres returning to his unassuming life as Clark Kent mid-week against City, after a quick weekend cameo as Superman against Leicester City.  Misjudging balls, displaying the touch of a deaf, dumb and blind man, and seemingly afraid to shoot -- yup, that's the Torres we've grown to know and love.

o When in doubt, resort to cantenaccio: City went with their vaunted three holding midfielder offense, featuring Nigel De Jong, Ya Ya Toure and Gareth Barry all on the pitch for the second half against Chelsea.  With Samir Nasri also playing, it made for quite a crowd in the middle of the pitch, but in the end it got a result. And wouldn't you know that the play which kept City's title hopes alive would involve the only two men on the side who haven't been played to death this season by Roberto Mancini: Samir Nasri and a certain Carlos Tevez.  And for that very play, we are awarding our Player of the Week title to Sami -- you didn't think it was going to Tevez, did you?

o Meanwhile, I thought Chelsea set up even more negatively than City, and were lucky to get even their single deflected goal.  Sticking the aforementioned 'Nando up front all by himself, and leaving him there to provide "offense," RDM's plan must have involved shutting City out at home. Either the guy is brilliant and has brass balls, or he's a complete and utter idiot -- and the manner of City's 2-1 win made Di Matteo appear rather foolish in the end.

o The Arsenal - Everton game, which began so brilliantly, eventually settled down into a rather drab and dour 1-0 affair.  People can talk all they want about what a great job David Moyes has done, but with his record of producing goals at Goodison this season, I hope he moves up into second place on the BPL's list of longest-tenured coaches after Sir Alex retires....

o Sight of the week: Spurs' fans leaving White Hart Lane with their team down 1-nil in the 85th minute. Talk about fair weather: too bad they missed Rafael Van der Vaarts's dramatic stoppage time equalizer, which kept Tottenham's Champion League hopes alive -- by a thread. With the Blues' loss on Wednesday, the game this weekend between the two London clubs is shaping up into a Champions League six pointer.

This is farlieonfootie for March 23.

The Heart of A Champion: Manchester United 3 - Chelsea 3

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Manchester United ventured into London Towne on Sunday, attempting to win a contest that kicked off the Reds' most crucial stretch of the season. Although Stamford Bridge has been a house of horrors for United over the last decade, Sir Alex could be forgiven for a tiny bit of pre-game optimism, due both to Chelsea's erratic form this season, as well as the injury and suspension crisis that hit the Blues hard. 


Chelsea Manager Andre Villas-Boas found himself having to do without Captain John Terry and midfielders Frank Lampard and Ramires due to injury, left back Ashley Cole due to suspension, and forward Didier Drogba due to his absence at the African Cup of Nations.  While United has also been hit hard by the injury bug this campaign, the Reds got a rare piece of good news with the return of Ashley Young to the starting lineup. Rio Ferdinand was also seen fit to play, pairing with Jonny Evans, Patrice Evra and Rafael on defense, while Michael Carrick, Ryan Giggs and Antonio Valencia joined Young in midfield. David De Gea returned between the pipes, while Danny Welbeck and Wayne Rooney both returned to the starting eleven, as well. 

Rooney began the action with a free kick that looked closer than it actually was, as United sought to steady their nerves with an immediate attack. For their part, Chelsea probed cautiously in the early going, generating a couple of early corners, as David De Gea nervously punched the ball out of reach.  At the other end, Young flopped in the box looking for an early penalty, but referee Howard Webb wisely looked the other way. 

The game continued at a steady tempo, as both teams clearly believed attacking to be the best form of defense.  Welbeck's pace gave Chelsea centerback Gary Cahill an immediate and repeated problem, and Red eyes looked expectantly toward Webb as the last Chelsea defender tripped the United striker on his goalward run -- an easy sending off, if ever there was one -- but  the referee was again unmoved, despite vehement protestations from the United sideline.  

Although possession bordered 50/50, the Reds looked substantially more threatening over the game's first 20 minutes, playing the ball into space and getting into dangerous positions. In particular, Chelsea seemed to have big issues dealing with the pace of both Valencia and Welbeck. Strangely, Wayne Rooney seemed somewhat subdued in the game's first half, perhaps still suffering from the after-effects of the injury that forced him out of the Stoke game. By minute 25, though, Chelsea had gained a grip on the game, and was retaining more of the ball and pinning United back in their own end. 

When Rooney unselfishly attempted to pick out Welbeck on the break, Branislav Ivanovic had just enough pace to snuff out the threat. Unable to repeatedly deal with United's raw speed on the counter, Chelsea resorted to fouling in an attempt to slow down United, not an unfamiliar tactic for the Blues.  The stops and starts of the action created a choppy feel to the game, a feeling that was rudely broken by Daniel Sturridge providing a piece of individual brilliance, dribbling around Evra and in toward goal, before banging the ball of Evans' chest for an own goal and an early Chelsea lead.

Balotelli = Bad

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Columnist Ed is still grieving -- he's clearly in the denial phase right now:

o Mario Balotelli is a terrific player and a gifted athlete. But his attack on Scott Parker – a cleat to the head – was appalling.  This was not Bolotelli’s first dirty shot this year, and as a result he has been handed a four game suspension upon postgame review.  Such a suspension isn’t nearly enough.  Had Parker been someone who fouled him consistently throughout the game, perhaps there would have been some justification.  Or as Gary Neville put it, had it been someone like Gary Neville, it would be easier to understand.  But Balotelli had no reason to be angry at Parker, which suggest some minor sociopathy.  Balotelli’s agent is now stating that England isn’t being fair to him.  Clearly for the right price you can get always get someone to agree with you. 

o Despite the Balotelli incident, City v. Spurs game was among the most exciting of the season.  Both teams began nervously before exploding to life in the second half.  Good for Spurs to come back from two goals down, and good for Jermaine Defoe for finishing that first long ball with ease – I have seen many EPL players blow easier passes than that.  But losing like they did couldn’t be more devastating, especially in light of the fact that Balotelli should not have been in the game.  Let’s take Howard Webb’s explanation at his word – he missed it.  That said, ever since a poor World Cup game Webb’s performances have been poor and sometimes poorer.  He’s getting to the point where I think he’s still a ref because he looked like he’d be a good ref.  It’s time for Webb to shape up his game, and it’s time for more video tape reviews.

o The loss by Spurs was obviously devastating.  The only fiber of silver lining that can be pulled from the contest would be that Spurs ought to finally understand that they can be a top team.  Accepting this mentally is the first step to becoming a top team, though that got a lot tougher after that loss to City.

o I thought you weren’t allowed to slow down on penalty kicks.  Isn’t that a rule?  Isn’t that what Balotelli did.

o Don’t be fooled by the United win at Arsenal.  The Gunners are in full injury mode, yet that game could’ve gone either way and in the second half the Gunners had more chances.  United are still – still – relying on Paul Scholes and Ryan Giggs in the middle.  I suspect their confidence is somewhat hollow, and wouldn’t be shocked to see them get beat up by a random second tier team sometime soon.   

An EPL Voyage of Rediscovery

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o It's good to see that Edin Dzeko has rediscovered his old form from last season. After a torrid start to this year's campaign, the hat trick plus one against Spurs seems to have been his last gasp at scoring. My prediction after Saturday's abysmal performance is that he'll start to spend a bit more time on City's "other" roster, probably slotted in right next to Carlos Tevez on the bench.

o Howard Webb has redicovered his run of crappy form that began at the 2010 World Cup.  In perhaps the most blatant incident of ignoring a clear-as-day foul, Webb stood just two or three feet away from Louis Saha as Vincent Kompany blocked the Frenchman's progress and bowled him over just outside the box. How Webb could have failed to see the obvious impediment is beyond me, but it's only the latest in a growing string of poor calls by England's "top cop."

o Chelsea's defensive signing of the year last season, the guy who was going to reinvigorate the Chelsea back line, the Portuguese wonder boy David Luiz, has rediscovered what it feels like to be on the outside looking in.  Luiz now has one of the best seats in the house to watch a lineup that's managed to keep only one clean sheet in its last ten league games.  As always, though, there's a silver lining: at the very least, Luiz' time riding pine should give him more time to consider alternative hair care prodcuts.

o Fernando Torres is back...in the doghouse. Chelsea's ladyboy can't seem to get out of his own way: last week a goal that led to the Miss Of The YearTM, and this week a goal and assist leading to a two-footed challenge and a straight red, courtesy of farlieonfootie's favorite whipping boy Mike Dean. Now that Torres has seemingly rediscovered his goal scoring form, he gets to spend the next three games watching from the stands.  Can you hear the boos, Fernando...?

This is farlieonfootie for September 26.

Another Saturday...Down the Drain

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Despite the cold, rainy weather, a large contingent of Blackburn fans endured a  pre-game march Saturday to demonstrate against Steve Keane continuing as their Manager. "We need an experienced manager," said one of the protesters. He's right, although never mind that Rovers already had a perfectly good one in Big Sam before they jettisoned him to make way for Keane.  "I don't blame [Keane] for taking the job. I'd do the same if they offered it to me," said another marcher. Good point -- So would I!  How 'bout it, Venky's?

o But while Steve Keane is feeling the heat -- perhaps temporarily relieved by his team's 4-3 home victory on Saturday over Arsenal -- how hot is the water beginning to get for Arsene Wenger?  That Arsenal lost again yesterday isn't really news at this point.  What is news, though, is just how bad the Gunners managed to look while losing.  I haven't previously been in the "Arsene Must Go" contingent, but even I'm beginning to doubt Le Professor after this most recent loss, in which the Gunners' defense most closely resembled a packet of Swiss Cheese.


o Arsenal's shape continues to be terrible. The defense, even with the addition of Andre Santos and Per Mertesacker -- or maybe because of the addition of Santos and Mertesacker -- couldn't hold a straight line if they were tied together to a ruler. They looked completely panicked and disorgnaized at the back yesterday -- "at sixes and sevens," as the Brits like to say -- and Laurent Koscielny in particular looked completely out of his depth trying to guard Chris Samba on set pieces.

o Arsenal's current form is poor -- and I mean really bad. The quality of their football has noticeably and truly dropped. It's as if the disappearance of Cesc Fabregas and Samir Nasri has turned them into a team which would struggle to stay on the good end of a relegation battle.  And yet we know that the team wasn't this bad when Fabregas and Nasri were out last season -- which they were a fair bit.  I think it's safe to say that in addition to missing their two best players the London side is struggling from a real crisis in confidence right now, and it must come from the very top.  I've long believed that any organization comes to resemble the person in charge, and if this is the case, then Arsene Wenger is not the calm, cool, professorial person he resembles on the outside, but a frightened, disorganized and incompetent man on the inside.

Full Moon

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Week 37 on the calendar, in which Correspondent Scott checks in once again from Anfield:

Anfield / Liverpool, England / May 15, 2011 / Liverpool 0 – 2 Tottenham

If recent form were lunar cycles, Liverpool has been a waxing gibbous, atop the league with 16 points out of their previous 6 games, while Tottenham’s waning crescent has only managed 6 points during that same period.   But yesterday, with Europa League hanging in the balance, astronomy gave way to a moon of another sort as Liverpool consistently showed its ass over 90 minutes at Anfield.  Even the recently-hat-ticking “Maxi Man” Rodriguez played as if he had a posterior tear in his spandex. 

Although Spurs did not see their first real effort toward goal until the 7th minute when Rafael van der Vaart shot way wide, it was only a few minutes later when his lobbing volley, with a slight deflection, found Pepe Reina flat-footed and we heard the first ripping of seams.  In the 20th minute, Luis Suarez, frustrated by Michael Dawson going down easily from a challenge, kicked the defenseman and was very lucky not to see red from referee Howard Webb.  Ironically, but perhaps not surprisingly, Suarez took a tumble of his own in the 33rd minute after receiving the ball and being challenged, but it was a good no-call by Webb.  Liverpool was lucky again in the 42nd minute when Maxi Rodriguez escaped a yellow card for an obvious dive.  Clearly, including Andy Carroll up front and dropping Dirk Kuyt back behind him and Suarez was not working.

Like a Woman Scorned

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A relatively normal weekend in the EPL is a strange occurrence in and of itself.  The top teams won, and the bottom teams lost.  What a concept:

• Roberto Martinez managed to commit professional hari kari this weekend, pulling Wigan's only two offensive threats off the pitch with almost a half an hour to play at the Bridge on Saturday. Locked in a nil-nil bore-fest, if Martinez was pinning his slim hopes in Wigan staying up on holding Chelsea to a scoreless draw, he was soon disappointed. And his team had no way back in the contest after Chelsea's lone goal, with both Hugo Rodallega and Charles N'Zogbia seething on the sidelines. Judgment like that will end up getting you fired.  And rightfully so.

• In the same game, referee Howard Webb refused to cite Fernando Torres for his interference which led directly to Chelsea's only tally, despite the fact the Spaniard was clawing at Wigan 'keeper Ali Al-Habsi's eyes like a woman scorned. Even Florent Malouda couldn't miss the rebound from point blank range, and nailed his first goal in 15 league games. Although this may be difficult to remember, the Frenchman actually led the league in scoring through the season's first few weeks, back when Chelsea was in first place.  A long time ago, indeed.

• Wolves crumbled under the relegation pressure Saturday morning, and managed to lose a game they dominated for long stretches of the early going. Everton made the most of its few opportunities, and led 3-nil at the half, despite having little of the ball or the opportunities.

Notes On Blackpool, Spurs, Howard Webb and Correspondent Ed's Twitter Account

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Correspondent Ed is back, imparting upon us his dangerous, naive and uninformed opinions.  Make of them what you will:

NOTES AND ASIDES (Blackpool)

1.   Blackpool Loses to Southamton 2 to 0 in FA Cup.  Well, Coach Hollaway says that Blackpool couldn’t win the FA Cup anyhow, so he benched his starters in favor of the youngsters and all but fell on his sword in the FA cup.  This one’s a tough one, but I have to agree in part with the Coach.  While I think they could have won the FA cup, the team doesn’t have the depth to do so while simultaneously putting forth the effort required into staying up in the EPL.  The team must out-hustle their opponents every week to win, and cutting down the number of games is not necessarily a bad thing for them.  That said, the FA cup is probably the only cup they have a shot at, so leaving early just isn’t much fun. 

2.   Interest in Charlie Adam.  Apparently both Aston Villa and Birmingham have expressed interest (2.5 million pounds of interest by the Villans, and 2MM for Birmingham) in Blackpool captain Charlie Adam, but both offers have been rejected.  Adam was purchased by Blackpool for 500K pounds, and currently has 18 months left on his contract.  When questioned, Coach Holloway has stated that while the team would not be interested in dealing him to lower level teams, he has spoken with Adam and would feel obliged to consider offers from top six teams for the right price.  It’s tempting to review the best fit for Charlie for these teams, but also a bit cynical.  While it may be true that the bottom clubs are somewhat like the junior varsity squads, sometimes it’s better not to think about it.  Let’s face it, there’s really only one league in the world that has it right when it comes to fairness and parity, and that’s the National Football League.  But its salary cap is impossible on an international level so it’s hard to even dream . . .

Shambolic

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Kenny Dalglish was spotted stifling a yawn as he exited Old Trafford this afternoon after being handed his FA Cup exit papers in the form of a 1-nil loss to Manchester United.  You can't really blame King Kenny, Liverpool's new/old manager, for feeling bored after witnessing the ineffective and uninspired display his team gave.  I was bored to tears watching them search for a way -- any way -- into a game in which they were never really in contention.

Notable mostly for Steven Gerrard's ugly two-footed challenge on Michael Carrick, and the subsequent red card which ended his day early,  the game this afternoon highlighted the vast chasm in talent that currently exists between the two sides.  Although Liverpool's squad sheet is theoretically filled with some "big" names (e.g., Torres, Kuyt, Rodriguez, Gerrard), the emphasis should be on the word "theoretical," as none of those names played as if they are worthy of the title.  Fernando Torres looked disinterested and distracted -- probably dreaming of bigger and better places to play next season; Kuyt looked ineffective; Maxi clownish while rolling on the ground in mock agony after trying to coax a card from Referee Webb's pocket; and Gerrard -- well, shambolic is the most polite word I can think of.

Spurs are Like a Box of Chocolates

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November 9 / White Hart Lane, London, England

It's Sunderland come calling at the Lane tonight, and it remains to be seen which Spurs side will show up to greet them. Will it be the world beaters who dispatched Inter Milan in the Champions League with relative ease a week ago?  Or will it be the more modest Spurs team which went down meekly to Bolton in Game Week 11 over the weekend? Love 'em or hate 'em, Spurs are rapidly becoming the English equivalent of Forest Gump's box of chocolates: you never know what you're gonna get. I decided to head over to White Hart Lane Tuesday night to check out the match and see for myself what all the fuss has been about in our farlieonfootie staff meetings.

Having been recently "re-assigned" from his regular Spurs' beat to cover matches slightly more removed from the heat of the weekly EPL top flight, I am confident that farlieonfootie correspondent Ed will have some sympathy for the referee this evening (that is, if they have tv in the locations to which we've sent Ed). Howard Webb finds himself in charge of festivities tonight, and he has to be wondering who exactly at the FA he offended to be in charge of this match only a few short days removed from overseeing both Real Madrid vs. AC Milan and Liverpool vs. Chelsea in quick succession. No disrespect intended, but to say this is the third most important match Webb has overseen all week is an understatement.