Getting in Gear: Liverpool 2 - Swansea City 1

Scott on the Capital One Cup and Not-So-Super Mario:

Well, after a dismal performance against Hull City last weekend, Liverpool looked largely lethargic in their Tuesday Capital One Cup game against Swansea. It was the Swans who looked most likely to advance, especially when they went ahead in the second half and, with only 11 min of regulation left, Brendan Rodgers replaced the ineffectual Rickie Lambert with the recently equally ineffectual Mario Balotelli. But within minutes the industrious Fabio Borini's pinpoint cross found Super Mario's lunging foot and breathed life into Liverpool's lungs. After a controversial red card, Swansea were without a key defender in injury time for a last gasp freekick, allowing Dejan Lovren to nod in after the Swansea 'keeper misjudged the cross. Lucky Liverpool seems to be a familiar refrain of late, and one that surely won't last. Get in gear Liverpool!

 

Surely the Reds have missed the injured Daniel Sturridge, his hereditary fragility apparently manifesting of late. But the squad has enough talent to compete against all but the very best teams even without their star striker. Rodgers must piece it together, become more creative in the final third and plug their defensive holes. 

 

A word on Balotelli. It seems the Italian would no doubt benefit from having a strike partner and this fan would like to see more setups with that in mind, even before Sturridge's return. And while he has not scored as often as we would like, aside from the dreadful, no-effort outing against QPR 2 weeks ago, Mario has worked decently hard and been a pretty good team player, with many of his teammates backing him to succeed. Yes, he has taken some ill-advised shots and needs to be mindful of his teammates with questioning hands in air after yet another low-percentage shot. And he has gone down very easily a few times and stayed down. But all in all, he is just a talented striker struggling to find form with a new team, shouldering nearly all the goalscoring burden, and resulting criticism.

 

Celebration: Manchester United 2 - Swansea City 0 -- Game Recap and Player Ratings

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Perhaps the beating of the team with the single worst form in the League over the past 6 games while playing at home would normally not be a cause for celebration, but it was for David Moyes yesterday, along with million of other Manchester United fans around the globe.  In a nutshell, this is what the current Red Devils' season has become: a narrow 2-0 victory at Old Trafford which prevents a four game losing streak is a huge positive.  The fact that Chelsea at Stamford Bridge looms next on the Red Devils' schedule seems not to have registered with most observers as of yet, or at the very least United supporters are putting it out of their minds just to remember what it feels like to win and celebrate again.

Yesterday's victory was the proverbial tale of two halves, with United looking flat, disjointed and painfully slow before the break, and more like their old, attacking selves after the interval.  The manager's switch of Shinji Kagawa and Adnan Januzaj's positioning had something to do with the revival, with the former moving to the middle and the latter drifting out to the left for the final 45 minutes of the contest.  Antonio Valencia and Danny Welbeck provided the goals and the defense did their best to shut down a Swans' attack that was missing several key players.

So while the immediate crisis may be over, the question of whether or not United have turned the corner is as open as ever.  Without further ado, our thoughts on the individual player performances in a victory that provided some much-needed relief:

De Gea: A most comfortable afternoon. 7.0

Rafael: More defensive focus than usual, but should have had an assist when a lung-busting run of 70 yards was spurned by Shinji Kagawa. 7.5

Smalling: Silky smooth in the center but could've easily added a third goal. 7.0

Vidic (c): Diving clearances highlighted his physical commitment. 7.5

Evra: More first half shots than anyone else, and an assist to boot. Gave his all throughout, especially in the second half. 7.5

Valencia: Didn't do much before the break but stuffed home a rebound for an early second half lead. 6.5

Carrick: Still has the eye for a pass and can block a shot when need be. One of his better recent efforts. 7.0

David Moyes in Quotes: Swansea City 2 - Manchester United 1, With Player Ratings

Rather than our usual game recap, we've decided to skip the commentary and offer up some rather insightful quotes from our fearless leader.  Although we benignly neglected to read much of the news after yet another dispiriting home loss, we'll leave you with these pearls of wisdom and witty bon mots from our present leader, Mr. Moyes:

"I can see why they were champions." -- September 1, 2013  Score: Liverpool 1 - MUFC 0

"But for a minute in Cardiff near the end you would have been saying Man United had a really good week." -- December 1, 2013  Score: Cardiff City 2 - Manchester United 2 

"I don't think I'll feel under pressure...to... [buy in January] as I'll try to do the right things.  I tend to take my time and try to assess what are the best talents to bring in." -- December 9, 2013

Moyes insisted United had “deserved to win” -- January 2, 2014 Score: Spurs 2 - MUFC 1

I think the amount of games we play...[has an impact on the injuries we've sufered] -- January 5, 2014.
We didn't deserve to lose." -- January 5, 2014 Score: Swansea City 2 - MUFC 1

Obviously, the guy is either living in an alternate universe or completely clueless as to what is going on at the club.  Rather than bash him, however, we'll let you judge him by his own words -- and so onto the individual player ratings:

Lindegaard: Not much to do other than pick the ball out of the net twice. 5.0

Smalling: Note to Mr. Moyes: Chris Smalling is not a proper right back, no matter how often you line him up there. He also showed some surprising vulnerability to the diving disease which is currently ravaging the club. 4.5

Evans: Generally, more willing to run forward than 90% of the men playing in front of him. 5.0

Ferdinand (c): Sucked in like a vacuum on Swansea's opener. 4.0

Büttner: A new set piece and corner kick taker, with some dangerous offerings. A sweet ball in for Chicharito's leveler -- perhaps Moyes should give him a shot at left wing, because it's fairly clear he's not a defender, although he did have a great, late challenge on Bony. 5.5

Valencia: If he was paid £1 for every time he received the ball in a dangerous position and mishit the cross he would be among the wealthiest players in England. In another interesting stat, if he received £1 for each time he touched the ball with his left foot, he would be among the poorest players in England. 4.0

Fletcher: Immediately took charge in the middle, but beaten badly as a right back. 5.0

Cleverley: When not passing the ball sideways and backward, he gave away multiple fouls in dangerous positions. Free kicks are apparently not his specialty, either. 3.5

Kagawa: Must be a fan of author Ralph Ellison, as his game resembles The Invisible Man™.  Appears to be playing in a different time zone than his teammates. 3.0

Player Ratings: Manchester United 4 - Swansea City 1

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A rather complete performance from the visitors, winning comfortably at the Liberty Stadium in Swansea to inaugurate the David Moyes era at Manchester United.  Some brief thoughts on the individual performances in what was a comprehensive team victory:

De Gea: Not much to do in the first half, nor much he could have done on Bony's late goal.  Solid 8.0

Evra: Caught ball watching early but looked positive going forward 7.0

Ferdinand: Positionally excellent, veteran led from the back 7.5

Vidic: Won the aerial battle, cleaned up messes well 8.0

Jones: Decent performance in not his favorite spot on the pitch. Mr. Utility 7.0

Carrick: Not his best effort by any means, but steady as she goes 7.5

Cleverley: Relatively anonymous performance in midfield 7.0

Giggs: Two early misses and multiple turnovers showed his age, but still managed to provide for the game's first goal 6.5

Valencia: Laid ball on a platter for Welbeck's goal 7.0

Welbeck: Broke his duck early and added a stunning second goal late on, but messing about in the defensive end led to an opening for the Swans 8.5

Swan Song: Manchester United 2 - Swansea City 1

Overseeing a development he had witnessed dozens of times in his illustrious managerial career, Sir Alex Ferguson saw his side notch a late winner to overcome a determined visiting side at Old Trafford, defeating Swansea City 2-1 on an 87th minute Rio Ferdinand goal.  The defender's score capped off a day filled with raucous celebrations in Manchester and all over the globe, a day marking not only the Champions' 13th Premier League title, but -- perhaps more sentimentally -- the end of the most remarkable managerial career world football has ever known.

If both the spectators and the players began the match with lumps in their throats, the players for both sides soon put their game faces on: Chicharito hit the underside of the bar to get the action underway, and with Phil Jones losing his footing at an inopportune moment, it was only lady luck that denied the Red Devils a lead within the first five minutes.

Nine minutes later and Swansea defender Chico Flores' used his body to keep Hernandez from testing the Swans' 'keeper yet again, as United continued to exert pressure on the visitors.  Paul Scholes -- as he has been so often in his career -- was once again at the center of United's movement, but by the 25 minute mark there was still no joy for the home side.

United were denied a decent penalty shout in the 32nd minute as Shinji Kagawa was felled in the box by Neil Taylor, but referee John Moss wasn't convinced -- even as Sir Alex looked on expectantly from the sideline.

It was Hernandez, though, who always looked the most likely, and he finally slotted the home side in front shortly before halftime, pouncing on a loose ball in the box as he has so often, the ball finding its way to the Mexican's feet as if by magic after a Robin van Persie free kick bounced fortuitously around in the Swansea end.

Caipirinha, Anyone?: Liverpool 5 - Swansea City 0

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Finally, a game in which Columnist Scott can revel:

o A 5-0 home win against a depleted Swansea City side last Sunday?  Ho hum.  No point in getting too excited, because the pendulum will surely swing the other way within a game or two.  Liverpool this year are nothing if not consistently inconsistent.  That they thrashed a Michael Laudrup side conserving it's energy for this weekend's League Cup Final was notable in certain respects but nothing to write home about (maybe blog about, though).

o The first 15 minutes saw neither side with too many chances as the players got their legs under themselves and we all breathed a sigh of relief that Gus Johnson was not the game's commentator.  Despite some confusion at the back for Liverpool, after 30 minutes they began to assume control of the game and, by the 40th minute, it could only be described as utter domination by the Reds.  Of course the penalty on Luis Suarez in the 34th minute (converted unflappably by Steven Gerrard) really tipped the scales and from there it was a rout in every respect, with the 5-0 final score probably being kind to the Swansea players and staff.  Wouldn't it be great to score that many against Zenit St. Petersburg at Anfield?  We'll know if that happened before this is posted.

o Jamie Carragher gives me hope that, at almost 44, I can continue my Monday night soccer "playing" for years to come.  At 35 years of age, the geriatric defender was tracking back like a pro throughout the game and always seemed to be in the right place at the right time.  I agree with Kenny Dalglish's assessment that Carragher has a few more playing years in him if he wants.

o To say that I'm disappointed that Daniel Sturridge is cup-tied for the return leg against Zenit would be quite an understatement.  Although the in-form striker put over (from 6 yards) Stuart Downing's hard cross in the 23rd minute, and was unable to chip Michel Vorm in the 40th, he was dangerous throughout and was equally unflappable when Gerrard gifted the penalty to him later (what on earth was Wayne Routledge thinking when he raised his arm like that?).  He also showed skill in the 64th minute when he took down a long through-ball in the air on his chest and volleyed on target (although Vorm, once again, made the stop).

Kicking Them When They're Down: Swansea City 0 - Chelsea 0

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Only 10 years removed from nearly dropping completely out of the Football League, Swansea City found itself in an extremely enviable position Wednesday evening against a visiting Chelsea. Still shorn of John Terry, the Blues defense featured Branislav Ivanovic at center back -- the one and same Branislav Ivanovic who was almost singlehanded responsible for his side's 2-0 deficit heading into last night's second leg of the Capital One Cup Semi-Final. Somewhat tellingly, despite trailing by two goals, the Chelsea lineup also failed to include a certain Spanish striker -- with Demba Ba sitting at the tip of the Chelsea spear rather than his club compatriot Fernando Torres.

While the traveling fans from London loudly sought to remind the hosts of their club's reigning status as Champions of Europe, it was the Swans who opened the game looking like world beaters, as Wayne Routledge and Michu both gave the Chelsea back line fits in the opening ten minutes. For their part, the most effective Chelsea goalmouth action came when the aforementioned Ba stepped into the box with the ball at his feet and attempted to "invent a foul," to borrow a traditional Uruguayan phrase. Referee Chris Foy, perhaps unaware of this customary South American gesture, looked distinctly unimpressed as he waved play on and chose to ignore the striker's protestations.

While the Swans raced around the pitch like extras in an Energizer Bunny commercial, the Blues appeared stuck in second gear for most of the match's opening half hour. As the half stretched toward its conclusion, however, there were ominous signs that the Chelsea train was finally beginning to rumble into life. All fanciful footwork and no end product to be sure, but the home crowd definitely began to sense that the game's momentum was in danger of swinging to the visitors. That lingering sense of danger, along with yet another nearly leg-snapping tackle delivered by Chelsea's resident expert, the Brazilian Ramires, left a rather indelible impression as the two teams jogged off the pitch at the break.

Designed by Santa Claus: Week 22 in the BPL

Correspondent Ed models Swansea City's 2013 Away Kit
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o Fulham looked tired, flat-footed and completely uninspired at Craven Cottage on Saturday. If Martin Jol's men can't beat a bottom of the table Wigan side while playing at home, they're a mid-table team at best this season.

o And speaking of bottom of the table, congrats to Uncle 'arry for eking out another point at home versus his old club in Saturday's early kickoff. A fancy over-the-shoulder ball flip from Shaun Wright-Phillips proved the most notable play of the game, with both the veteran midfielder and his teammates beginning to find some form. The question remains, though: will it be enough, or have Rangers saved it for too late?

o They may have been shut out on Saturday, but one of the hottest teams in the League also kept the home side off the score sheet, as Swansea City and Everton battled to a scoreless draw. The Swans have hit form again these past few weeks -- ask Chelsea and Arsenal for their thoughts on the matter -- and holding the home side to nothing at Goodison Park is a much better result than most teams have managed this season.

o We only have one question about the game, though: Who designed the Swans' away kits? Santa Claus?

o Referee Mike Dean grew his fan club this weekend, adding legions of haters from North London and new ones from Manchester to those he causes to see red. Used to being at the forefront of controversy, Dean's performance made us realize it's not just Manchester United he screws: it's United, City and Arsenal.

The Winter of Our Discontent: Five Thoughts on Manchester United 1 - Swansea City 1

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As the calendar turned to the Winter season, Manchester United traveled to Wales yesterday to see if they were able to reclaim the three points lost with Manchester City's late, dramatic win at Eastlands on Saturday.  Here are five things we saw that may have made the difference in a frustrating draw that saw the lead at the top shaved to four points:

In Tom We Trust...: It appears that young Tom Cleverley has earned the Gaffer's trust enough to nail down a semi-regular spot in an extremely unsettled United midfield. True, the likes of Anderson, Nani and Kagawa are all still out injured, and their return will complicate Sir Alex's task, but for now the young Englishman appears the Manager's choice to pair with Michael Carrick in midfield -- although he was unable to inject much dynamism into the match at the Liberty on Sunday.

For a Team that Used to Suck at Corners...: ...as recently as a season ago, United have dramatically improved their scoring capability on set plays. It could be the quality of the corners -- RVP vs. Nani, 'nuff said -- or the fact that so many United players appear capable of scoring this season -- stand up, Patrice Evra! -- or that they were playing against Swansea on Sunday -- a team that has conceded 12 times off corners to date this year -- but it should have come as no surprise that the first time the ball ruffled the back of the net came off a Manchester United corner kick.

Michu...!: Nor should anyone have been shocked when the Swansea midfielder (forward?)  leveled the score from directly in front of Big Dave's net. The Spaniard is in the form of his life this season, and was perfectly positioned to tap in the equalizer. That's where the biggest goal scorers almost always are: right time, right place....

Opportunity Knocked in the Second Half...: ...but no one was home -- likely because the game was played away from home for Manchester United.  We can't remember a game in which the visitors spurned so many one-on-one opportunities, with Wayne Rooney and Robin Van Persie equally guilty in sending the final final pass awry or taking one too many touches to sustain the offensive advantage.  A sharper United could have (should have?) had a two or three goal advantage heading into the final 30 minutes. Instead, the away fans were left slowly simmering, wondering what might have been....

Butthead: Round 17 in the BPL

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It's difficult to be too lighthearted in our remarks on the weekend's returns given the tragic events in Connecticut this past Friday, but we'll do our best to keep the focus on sports:

o For as meekly as fourth place Spurs played on Sunday, they looked positively buccaneering compared to the pale imitation of Swansea that turned up at White Hart Lane. Offering a 90 minute effort devoid of shots on goals -- their novel game plan evidently involved giving Hugo Lloris the day off -- Swansea played as if they believed their aim was mid-pitch possession, with each sideways and backward pass representing another scoring opportunity. Unfortunately for the men from Wales, the only pass that counted was Jan Vertonghen's into the back of the net, which is why Spurs find themselves occupying the fourth and final Champions League spot at week's end.

o Who said Chelsea's Fernando Torres couldn't score a last minute, big-time goal in a game with a trophy on the line, just like his predecessor Didier Drogba...? Wait.... He was offside? Never mind.

o We couldn't be bothered to watch any of QPR's victory over a flaccid Fulham side -- let's be honest, did you? -- but we did see the highlights. Two things stood out in our minds: Fulham made it 88 minutes into the game without doing a single thing -- a single thing! -- that the producers of Premier League Week in Review found noteworthy, and the most unlikely of images came in the immediate post-game aftermath, as Uncle Harry roamed the sideline looking to hug anything that moved to celebrate Rangers' first win of the season and found....Martin Jol. Naturally, the stolid Dutchman hugged back.  We guess there... is a heart in there after all....

Letting it Flow: Week Five in the Barclay's Premier League

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o Two things we learned while watching Everton tear Swansea apart limb-by-limb on Saturday: 1) The bloom may be off the rose for Manager Michael Laudrup and his boys from Wales -- the Swans' second loss in a row has seriously stalled their momentum and called into question just how strong the squad actually is; and 2) No such questions are being asked of David Moyes and Everton. Liverpool's top club looked fantastic once again this season at the Liberty Stadium, and only poor refereeing has managed to stop the Toffees from reaching 12 points after their first five games. So much for Everton's traditional slow start....

o Chelsea appear to be morphing into a La Liga side before our very eyes. Pretty to the eye -- except if you're Roman Abramovich, who appeared as if he was watching paint dry from his customary seat at Stamford Bridge -- but lacking a certain directness that is a hallmark of the English game, Chelsea step-overed and back-heeled it with best of them on Saturday but were less successful at finding goal -- only second half substitute Victor Moses seemed the least bit intent on blazing a path toward net for the Blues. On a bright note, however, along with their slim 1-nil victory over Stoke, Chelsea appear to have mastered the art of the Spanish flop, with Branislav Ivanovich and Oscar displaying perfect form in their attempts to con the referee.

o Note to future opponents: please make certain to mark Javi Garcia on set plays. I've lost count of the number of headers the City newcomer has managed to put on-target over the past three outings, and he just may be the most dangerous set piece player in the game right now.

o Like the turning of the leaves, one true sign of the nascent fall season was spotted this weekend as Le Professor broke out the sideline puffer jacket for the Gooners' game at Eastlands on Sunday. If only his counterpart Roberto Mancini had deemed the weather cool enough for his natty blue and white scarf, we could have officially declared the new season to be in full swing.

o Kudos to American Clint Dempsey for his first start in front of the home fans at Whitehart Lane on Sunday. Our view was that the midfielder looked energetic and dangerous against QPR, but may have been trying just a bit too hard to find the net. Here's some advice, Clint: relax and let it flow. The goals will come.

o While we appreciate that Hatem Ben Arfa and the rest of the boys at Newcastle were attempting to restore Papiss Cisse's confidence by letting him take a penalty at home against Norwich City on Sunday, man oh man, we wonder how far the resulting miss may have set back the Senegalese striker. While Cisse may have made the Geordies wonder if his fellow countryman Demba Ba was expendable with his form in the latter half of last season, the shoe is now firmly on the other foot. And that's the same foot that brought about a moonshot of a penalty that should be passing by the International Space Station any day now....

Thoughts on the Barclay's Premier League Season To Date

Columnist Randy Likes a Close Up View of the Action
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What with all the excitement of the famed FIFA international break, we practically had to chain ourselves to our desk (that's right, we all share one desk here at Corporate) to hammer out the following piece.  Herewith, our semi-lucid thoughts on what's happened so far in the World's Most Exciting LeagueTM:

o Yaya Toure May Be the Most Influential Player in the League: It's no longer a certain diminutive Spaniard who drives the City bus, but a rock hard Ivorian who has become the new measuring stick by which all BPL midfielders are judged.  Although he's eminently capable of just sitting back on the pitch to break up opposition play and transition the ball toward City's offensive movement, it's when Roberto Mancini allows Toure the freedom to roam forward that opponents really begin to fret.  Toure's already bagged two goals in the team's first three games, and has left the rest of the BPL asking only one question: How do you solve a problem like a Yaya...?

o Liverpool's Not as Bad as Their Record Would Indicate: We're going out on a bit of a limb here, but we don't believe the reds will finish the season in the 18th position in the League table that they currently occupy.  17th place possibly, but definitely not 18th.  In all seriousness, though, Liverpool is clearly in a transitional phase, and undergoing a rather strenuous adjustment to Coach Brendan Rodgers' new tactics and schemes.  They'll gradually get there, and we see it as a substantial postive that the new man has decided to bite off the many problems King Kenny saddled the club with in last year's transfer market -- which clearly serves to show that management has learned a bit of collective folk wisdom from the Deep South: "If you've got to eat a turd, don't nibble at it."  The bet here is that Liverpool is only a striker away from challenging for a Europa League spot, and a couple of additional players away from being back in contention for the big time.

o AVB Had Better Start Winning.  And Soon:  He's won only three of his last 15 BPL games as a Manager, and although we believe that both he and Spurs will come good eventually, there's a significant caveat to our thinking: if the Portuguese version of Inspector Gadget doesn't pick up the pace soon -- and by soon, we mean very soon -- his second visit to London may be no more pleasant than his first.  The press love a good villain, and despite his boyish good looks (according to Columnist Ed, who has a bobble-head AVB doll firmly ensconced on his desk) Villas-Boas has already been given all the rope he'll need to hang himself.  Let's hope it doesn't come to that.

Thanks for the Memory: Manchester United 2 - Swansea City 0

Having taken only four points in their last four games -- and almost certainly pissing away the title in the process -- Manchester United took the pitch today at a subdued Old Trafford needing a record setting win against the visitors to put them back in the title picture. Shorn of Danny Welbeck up front and Jonny Evans in the back, the Reds were weakened on both offense and defense entering the fray.  What follows are some thoughts on the on-pitch action, even as my mind was racing with scenarios of what might have been:

o For a team that often scores six but seldom scores ten, Sunday would have been a good day to have done the latter. Unfortunately, it didn't happen.

o The boys picked the wrong time of the season to hit a scoring slump. In retrospect, two shutouts in the team's last four games entering Sunday was no way to win a championship.

o The players' moods during the contest were summed up by Paul Scholes' non-reaction to the game's opening goal.  Acting as if he has missed the net instead of hit it for the fourth time this season, Scholes walked glumly back toward the center of the pitch after his tally at the half hour mark narrowed the goal difference with City down to nine.

o Chicharito's season was seen in a perfect microcosm during a five minute period in the first half, in which the Mexican missed scoring from a back heel and a ball off his shoulder -- both shots which would have found the net for the Little Pea last season.

o Ashley Young's issues were well summed up, too, when the United winger was scythed down inside the box in what should have been a clear cut penalty. Perhaps giving weight to the Englishman's burgeoning reputation for "embellishment," Referee Chris Foy chose to look the other way for a penalty which could have narrowed the goal difference even further.

o Young did cut the difference to eight just a few minutes later, bending the ball around and behind Dutchman Michel Vorm.  Young betrayed his emotions by his reaction to the score, just prior to the half time whistle: racing to pick the ball up and attempting to score another rather than celebrate. After all, when you're tied on points, it's all about the goals....

o Which came fewer and further between as the game drifted toward its conclusion: a Kieran Dyer and Angel Rangel block here, a missed Chicharito header and Wayne Rooney shot there, and the clock continued to tick away on the Reds' title chances -- as opportunities which really should have ended up in the back of the net failed to accommodate the home crowd's wishes.

The Winds of Change

Ed likes to take his dog "Uncle 'arry" to the beach every day, whether its windy or not
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Winds of change, or some more hot air from Ed?  You decide:


The single biggest game this weekend was Swansea v. Manchester City.  This is not because the outcome may affect the title race in the BPL, even though it may have propelled United to first place and the realistic belief that a title is possible.  Instead, the significance of the game is one of tactics and styles.

There was Manchester City, the top team in the BPL in terms of personnel, a team that absolutely pounded Manchester United head to head, and a team whose bench could easily be strong enough to anchor another midlevel BPL team.  And on the other side, there was Swansea City, a team composed of some players that were working in different fields some time ago.  This should by all accounts be a blowout. 

Of course, City did not blow out Swansea; instead, Swansea dominated possession and looked the better of the two teams in its victory.  In fact, shortly into the game, City was forced to remove Gareth Barry from midfield – the same Gareth Barry that starts for the English national team – because otherwise they could not press enough and could not get possession of the ball at all.  And even with Ya Ya Toure, a player about a foot taller than any Swansea midfielder and about twice as fast, City struggled to retain possession and get chances.

Swansea play the short passing possession game, and have been called the Welsh Barcelona.  To me, I think Swansea are serving as the ultimate control test in the question:  Is it personnel or tactics that make Barca so great?  It’s seemed that Barca are so much better than everyone else because of their system (sorry Real, but it seems whenever you play Barca your top tier lineup always seems second best in performance and result), but because Messi and Xavi and others are so good – particularly Messi – it is extremely difficult to resolve the question.   But fortunately, I think Swansea finally does it, as there is simply no question regarding their lack of top-tier talent.

Swansea has also made the lower-tier teams in the BPL look poor.  Does Wigan, for example, really have more difficult financial constraints than Swansea?  Is Swansea’s talent level that much higher?  And isn’t Wigan’s Martinez supposed to be a footballing guru who’s slowly putting in a system that will allow them to maintain their position in the BPL?  How about Blackburn?  Same theory, right?

Unlike either of these teams, Swansea has also done extremely well against the top-tier teams, beating teams like Liverpool and City, and losing in close matches to United and others.  Of course, it’s imperative to accuse Swansea and its system for lacking a cutting edge, but is that really fair? 

The Walk of Shame: BPL Round 20

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Chelsea vs Wolves was a nasty, brutish affair, long on sharp elbows and short tempers, the type of game one would expect to be populated with some of the more memorable characters from Bill Buford's defining work on British football hooliganism, Among the Thugs.  Even without Steven Fletcher and Matt Jarvis, though, Wolves gave Chelsea all they could handle on set pieces, as Chelsea' defense continued to look shakier than Correspondent Ed after the week-long Christmastime "Hill-a-day" bender.






o He may not be much of a motivator, but Andre Villas-Boas has already displayed a world class knack this season for taking his best players off the pitch right when they're needed the most. Yesterday it was Juan Mata who was handed the pink slip just minutes before Wolves managed to slip an 84th minute equalizer behind Petr Cech.   Luckily for Chelsea, AVB inexplicably forgot to pull Frank Lampard -- who saved Chelsea from going five games in a row without a win with his 89th minute side-footed winner.  The two make a pair of strange bedfellows, both clearly needing but disdaining the other at the same time.  And while many (including, apparently, AVB) have been quick to write him off, check out Lamps' stats: he's got 6 more goals this season than the £50 million bust Fernando Torres, and is in fact Chelsea's second leading scorer on the season.  Nice job, big guy.

o If Chelsea's dodgy performance vs. Wolves wasn't enough to make it obvious to even a casual observer, the full extent of the Blues' current weakness was shown when the same Aston Villa team that took them apart on Friday was manhandled at their own stadium by Swansea City on Monday. Yes, the very same Swansea City that had managed to go half the season without figuring out how to win a game away from home. This is not to say the Swans are poor -- far from it, the Swans are giving a heroic account of themselves in the League this season -- but rather that Villa is poor, and so too are the current incarnation of Roman's Blues.

Energy Conservation: Manchester United 1 - Swansea City 0

Photo by CERTs via Flickr

It was a mark of respect for the home side that Sir Alex put out a very strong lineup yesterday for United's journey to Wales to face Swansea City. The Reds grabbed an early lead via a Chicharito goal before shutting down the engines and executing an ultra-conservative gameplan to perfection, resulting in a never comfortable but ultimately effective 1-nil win for the visitors. The shutout represented the Champion's third 1-nil win in a row in the League and fifth consecutive shutout in all competitions.  So much for the shaky defense theory....

o Ryan Giggs showed a bit of what United's been missing this season early on in the game, when he calmly slotted a ball through to Chicharito for United's opening goal. The Welshman's cool-as-a-cucumber composure was on display for all to see as he intercepted a pass from Angel Rangel deep in Swansea territory before dishing it off -- simple as that -- for yet another assist in his glorious career.  Many midfielders would have panicked and hit the ball too heavily or too lightly -- think Anderson here -- but not Giggsy.  It was great to see the Welsh legend back in his homeland, and in the United starting lineup, too: Sir Alex has been resting Sir Ryan a bunch this season, in obvious hopes of keeping his aging legs fresh for the bigger late-season games to come.

o It wasn't all United, though: Swansea missed a glorious opportunity to equalize halfway through the first half, as the defense switched off momentarily. Scott Sinclair whiffed on a ball with the net begging and De Gea scrambling to get back, or the scoreline would have been level.  The Swans didn't threaten the young Spaniard in goal all that often, and they learned the lesson that United has taught many newly-promoted team before: when you have even a half a chance, you must capitalize on it.  Swansea didn't, and the result was three more points for United.