Wijnaldum Header Beats City

Sports - Football - Premier League - LFC 1:0 MCFC

Liverpool recorded their fourth consecutive league win, beating Manchester City 1-0 at Anfield, a rare clean sheet which keeps them in second place, six points behind league leaders Chelsea.

It was a rare defensive and more conservative display by the Reds, creating just five shots and holding less possession (43%), very unlike Jürgen Klopp and his usual attacking football mentality.

The only shot on target for the hosts came just eight minutes into the game, man of the match Georginio Wijnaldum heading in off Adam Lallana's cross, and it ended up being the winner.

It took Liverpool's annual total of league goals to 87, their most in a calendar year since 1985.

It was an intense affair, but lacked true quality making it less competitive, more edgy and frustrating.

The Sky Blues looked laboured throughout, but didn't give keeper Simon Mignolet much to do, the Reds happy to stay back and even wasting time at the end.

Big man Sergio Agüero had returned after serving his four-match ban, but was left starving for service and deserted.

Usually dangerous and productive Kevin de Bruyne was also made redundant, pushed aside by the hosts' intense pressing.

David Silva and Yaya Touré tried but failed to call the shots and create any real threats from the middle as well.

This defeat doubled Pep Guardiola's total of losses he suffered in the entire 2015-16 Bundesliga campaign with Bayern Munich (2) and opened up a ten-point gap to the top spot.

Klopp meanwhile made it 5-4 taking the lead in the head-to-head between the two top managers, dismissing any criticism of his side's defence.

It was the fourth consecutive league win for Liverpool against Manchester City for the first time since 1981.

Both sides have less than 48 hours rest, the Reds having to travel to Sunderland, whilst City head back home to host Burnley, both afternoon 3pm kick-offs.

Liverpool Goals: Wijnaldum 8'.

Liverpool Team: 22 Mignolet; 2 Clyne, 6 Lovren, 17 Klavan (booked 7'), 7 Milner; 14 Henderson (c) (27 Origi 64'), 5 Wijnaldum, 23 Can (booked 75'); 11 Firmino, 19 Mané (21 Lucas 89'), 20 Lallana. 4-3-3
Subs not used: 1 Karius, 15 Sturridge, 18 Moreno, 53 Ejaria, 66 Alex-Arnold.

Manchester City Team: 1 Bravo; 24 Stones, 5 Zabaleta (c) (15 Navas 86'), 30 Otamendi (booked 93'), 11 Kolarov; 17 De Bruyne, 21 Silva; 25 Fernandinho, 7 Sterling, 32 Yaya Touré (72 Iheanacho 89'); 10 Agüero. 4-2-3-1
Subs not used: 3 Sagna, 6 Fernando, 13 Caballero, 22 Clichy, 75 Garcia Serrano.

Match Stats: Liverpool-Man City
Possession: 43%-57%
Attempts: 5-9
On target: 1-2
Corners: 4-6
Fouls: 12-12
Bookings: 2-1

Referee: Craig Pawson
Ground: Anfield
Attendance: 53,120

Pictures and stats taken from BBC match report.

Click here for my previous LFC match report.

City lift the Capital One Cup

Sports - Football - Capital One Cup - Liverpool 1:1 Man City AET (1:3 on penalties)

Manchester City lifted the League Cup for the fourth time (1970, 1976, 2014 and 2016) thanks to second-choice goalkeeper Willy Caballero's heroic performance with three penalty saves which saw his side record a 3-1 shoot-out victory over Liverpool after the sides drew 1-1 in extra time at Wembley.

The 34-year old denied Lucas Leiva, Philippe Coutinho and Adam Lallana from the spot, rewarding his boss Manuel Pellegrini for choosing him ahead of first choice Joe Hart. The Argentinian stopper also kept out Divock Origi's header spectacularly earlier on in the match.

At the other end, Reds keeper Simon Mignolet had a very mixed afternoon. The Belgian let Fernandinho's shot slip through under his body to concede the opener shortly after the break. His side had dominated possession in the first half, but were unable to take advantage.

Daniel Sturridge gave away the ball on numerous occasions, unable to produce anything of note, caught offside most of the time, undoing his team mates' hard work, especially Lucas and James Milner.

After Mignolet's leak, City took over and looked to build on their lead through Sergio Aguero on a few occasions. But the red number 22 redeemed himself with a couple of breathtaking saves.

It was a game to forget for Raheem Sterling against his former side. Similar to Sturridge, he kept giving away the ball, missing chances, wasting sitters, looking just not there. 

Coutinho got the Red spirit back up and going late on, in the 83rd minute, seeing in the ball to level the score after Lallana had hit the post at the far end.

It finally got the competition back running and steaming through to extra time with both keeper's kept busy and teams sweating.

But penalties it was in the end. And after Fernandinho had hit the post with City's first kick, it looked like Jürgen Klopp's men were going to steel the show.

However, it was not to be. With Caballero's star performance and Jesus Navas and Aguero's conversions, it was Yaya Toure who sealed the deal, converting the winning penalty, giving Pellegrini his third major trophy in as many seasons and condemning Liverpool to their fourth League Cup final defeat (1978, 1987, 2005 and 2016).

It was the Red's fourth penalty shootout defeat in the competition, making it four defeats in 18 shootouts. Klopp has reached a cup final in each of his last five seasons as a manager, but has lost four. Tough luck?

The Merseysiders can seek revenge as the two sides will meet again midweek, in the Premier League, at Anfield, where the Kop will want to see Blue blood.

Liverpool Goal: 10 Coutinho 83'.

Man City Goal: 25 Fernandinho 49'.

Liverpool Team: 22 Mignolet; 18 Moreno (booked 65', 20 Lallana 72' (booked 118')), 17 Sakho (4 K Toure 25'), 21 Lucas, 2 Clyne (booked 53'); 10 Coutinho (booked 84'), 23 Can (booked 85'), 14 Henderson (c), 7 Milner; 11 Firmino (27 Origi 80'); 15 Sturridge. 4-4-1-1
Subs not used: 9 Benteke, 24 Allen, 34 Bogdan and 38 Flanagan.

Man City Team: 13 Caballero; 22 Clichy, 30 Otamendi (booked 109'), 4 Kompany (c) (booked 87'), 3 Sagna (5 Zabaleta 90'); 6 Fernando (booked 76', 15 Navas 90'), 42 Y Toure (booked 118'); 7 Sterling, 21 Silva (14 Bony 110'), 25 Fernandinho (booked 118'); 10 Aguero. 4-2-3-1
Subs not used: 1 Hart, 11 Kolarov, 26 Demichelis and 72 Iheanacho.

More stats and facts, reactions and views:

Sky Sport Opta Match Stats: Liverpool-Man City
Possession: 61.4%-38.6%
Shots: 16-20
On target: 4-7
Off target: 9-11
Blocked: 3-2
Passes: 553/703 (78.7%) - 302/431(70.1%)
Attacking third: 161/233 (69.1%) - 115/178 (64.6%)
Key passes: 10-14
Clear-cut chances: 1-1
Crosses: 8/21 (38.1%) - 9/26 (34.6%)
Dribbles: 20/29 (69%) - 18/27 (66.7%)
Offsides: 8-0
Recoveries: 75-69
Tackles: 23/29 (79.3%) - 18/27 (66.7%)
Interceptions: 24-29
Blocks: 1-3
Clearances: 14-27
Headed clearances: 8-17
Aerial duels: 14/46 (30.4%) - 32/46 (69.6%)
Blocked crosses: 2-4
Saves: 6-3
Keeper's catches: 2/2 (100%) - 2/2 (100%)
Fouls committed:  18-15
Fouls won: 15-18
Yellow cards: 5-5
Red cards: 0-0

Referee: Michael Oliver
Man of the match: Vincent Kompany

Manager reaction:

Jürgen Klopp: "We feel down but now we have to stand up. Only silly idiots stay on the floor and wait for the next defeat.
"We will strike back. We have felt how it is to lose. It is not the best moment but on Monday morning maybe we can change everything.
"We will go on and we will get better. We have to work really hard, carry on and there is light at the end of the tunnel. This is important."

Manuel Pellegrini: "I was concerned about the amount of chances we missed. After that we played better in extra time.
"It's a very important moment, and it's always very special to win a title at Wembley."

My views and questions:

Klopp sounded very much like Gerry and the Pacemakers... At the end of the storm... Is a golden sky...

The stats say it all! The Reds tried hard, with more of the ball (more possession), but did less with it (less chances on and off target).

Sturridge frustrated me most, so many offsides and wastes (8-0)!!! Will Christian Benteke get a chance in the next clash against City?! I doubt it and don't like it!
Both cases of Sturridge and Sterling show, stars cannot and do not shine the same on their own.

After this frustration, we need more variation, change. The summer cannot come quick enough for Klopp. Let's hope there will be more changes then, than there were in January, disappointingly and surprisingly.

I keep thinking of the following German song that fits my (and probably Klopp's) football mood and thoughts: Was soll das?! Womit hab ich das verdient?! (Translation: What's the point?! What have I done to deserve this?!) Here is the full version: https://youtu.be/6tFoIu9nhYQ 

Liverpool end season victorius at Anfield

Sports - Football - Premier League - Liverpool 2:1 Newcastle

Liverpool came back from behind to end the season on a winning note, beating 9-man Newcastle 2-1 at Anfield, but with Manchester City's comfortable 2-0 win against West Ham at the Etihad, it meant the title went to the blue side of Manchester for the second time in three seasons.

The Reds started the game a shadow of their usual fiery selves, shaky, wasteful and unable to keep the ball long enough to create a threat.

Star man Luis Suarez did have the ball in the back of the net on 18 minutes, the Uruguayan catching Tim Krul off his line with a quickly taken free kick, but too quickly for referee Phil Dowd's liking, who disallowed the goal as the ball was still rolling.

Seconds later, Anfield was stunned to silence when the Magpies took the lead after Martin Skrtel shinned Youan Gouffran's cross from the left into the back of his own net.

The Slovakian defender now holds the unwanted record of his fourth own goal of the season, taking Liverpool's total conceded to 50 goals in a 38-game top-flight season for the first time since 1914-15.

Gouffran and Shola Ameobi kept working well together for the visitors, pulling a couple of nice stops out of Simon Mignolet, whilst at the other end Suarez and co looked more and more frustrated, not challenging Krul much.

Brendan Rodgers replaced Jon Flanagan with Aly Cissokho after the break, but the frustrating trend of slips and giveaways continued, Glen Johnson being one of the main culprits, and Ameobi not happy with Skrtel's hugs and shirt-rips either.

After the Reds' second change, just before the hour mark, Philippe Coutinho replacing Joe Allen, the game picked up for the home side, and just four minutes later, they were level thanks to Daniel Agger putting in skipper Steven Gerrard's free kick.

That certainly changed the mood at Anfield, and within three minutes, they were ahead after Daniel Sturridge netted another Gerrard free kick.

And things went from bad to worse for Alan Pardew's men when Ameobi was booked and then sent off within quick succession for his protests before the restart. The Nigerian striker went straight down the tunnel after being punished for all his stick and discussions with Dowd.

Newcastle rang in the changes after the dismissal, whilst Liverpool accepted the inevitable, winning here, but with City leading 2-0, the Reds had to concede the title to the Sky Blues.

Raheem Sterling saw his goal disallowed for an obvious offside, before the visitors were reduced to nine men, substitute Paul Dummett seeing red for a stupid lunge on Suarez, the Magpies' fifth dismissal in their last four meetings with Liverpool.

The Reds just ran down the clock after that, ending the game on top 2-1, and the season second on 84 points, five places and 23 points better than last season, their highest finish in five years, and qualified automatically back into the Champions League next season after four seasons away.

Anfield applauded their side and manager, but neither could hide their disappointment after having all their hopes of a first league title in 24 years dashed as Manchester City beat West Ham to be crowned champions. 

Rodgers will have to build around Stevie G. and the SAS/SSS*, especially the back line has to be strengthened after seeing Liverpool be the first team since Tottenham in 1962-63 to score more than 100 league goals and concede 50 goals in the same season.

Mignolet has had a great first season in goal, but the defence has been too shaky and leaked too much and many through. The likes of Skrtel, Johnson, Flanagan, Kolo Toure, and Mamadou Sakho have just not been good enough.

No discrediting the Reds' improvement through, and hopes and chances to challenge at the top again next season, domestically and in Europe. Thanks to BR, SAS/SSS* and Stevie G.! YNWA XxXxX

*SAS/SSS:
*9 - The joint-highest Goal/Assist combinations in the 2013--14 season were Suarez/Sturridge and Suarez/Sterling. (OptaJoe)
*31 - Luis Suarez's goal haul equalled a Premier League record for 38-game season, shared with Alan Shearer and Cristiano Ronaldo.

Liverpool 2-1 Newcastle

Liverpool Goals: 1.: 63' Daniel Agger (5), 2.: 65' Daniel Sturridge (15).

Newcastle Goals: 1.: 20' Martin Skrtel (37) OG.

Liverpool Team: 22 Mignolet; 38 Flanagan (20 Cissokho 46'), 5 Agger, 37 Skrtel, 2 Johnson; 14 Henderson, 8 Gerrard, 24 Allen (10 Coutinho 59'); 15 Sturridge (21 Lucas 80', booked 89'), 7 Suarez, 31 Sterling. 4-3-3 Subs not used: 1 Jones, 4 Toure, 9 Aspas, 17 Sakho.

Newcastle Team: 1 Krul; 19 Haidera, 27 Taylor (18 de Jong 73'), 2 Coloccini, 6 Williamson, 26 Debuchy (booked 35'); 11 Gouffran (booked 65') (28 Ameobi 78'), 24 Tiote (36 Dummett 82', sent off 87'), 8 Anita (booked 63'), 7 Sissoko; 23 Ameobi (booked 66', sent off 66'). 5-4-1 Subs not used: 3 Santon, 13 Yonga-Mbiwa, 21 Elliot, 37 Satka.

Opta Match Stats: Liverpool-Newcastle

(Attack)
Attempts: 13-8
On target: 5-2
Blocked: 5-3
From outside the box: 7-3
From inside the box: 6-5
Shot Accuracy: 62.5%-40%

(General Play)
Possession: 66.2%-33.8%
Duels won: 52.6%-47.4%
Aerials won: 56.6%-43.5%
Interceptions: 11-16
Offsides: 3-2
Corners: 6-2

(Distribution)
Total Passes: 673-333
Long Passes: 79%-15.6%
Passing Accuracy: 89.9%-78.4%
Pass. Acc. Opp. half: 83.9%-63.6%
Total Crosses: 22-12
Successful: 22.7%-25%

(Defence & Discipline)
Tackles: 15-19
Won: 80%-94.7%
Clearances: 25-26
Fouls conceded: 8-16
Yellow Cards: 1-3
Red Cards: 0-2

Referee: Phil Dowd
Attendance: 44,724
Man of the match: Raheem Sterling

Week 7: Premier League Action Summary

Sports - Football - Premier League - Action Summary - Week 7

The seventh week of action saw 10 games, 26 goals, 1 own goal, 12 in the first half, 14 in the second half, 0 in injury time; 196 attempts, 89 on target and 105 corners; 195 fouls, 36 bookings, 0 red cards, 1 penalty scored, 1 penalty missed.

Most scored: At the Etihad (4), by Manchester City (3), and at Anfield (4), by Liverpool (3). Top creators: Newcastle at the Cardiff City Stadium (15 shots, 10 on target).

Main offenders: At the Etihad (25 fouls, 9 bookings, 1 penalty), Manchester City (15 fouls, 5 bookings).

Click here to read more: The action summary of all ten matches of the seventh week of the Premier League 2013-14 season: http://thefootballgene.com/2013/10/premier-league-action-summary-match-week-7/

Stats & Facts Sources: BBC website & MOTD

Week 5: Premier League Action Summary

Sports - Football - Premier League - Action Summary - Week 5

The fifth week of action saw 10 games, 29 goals, 12 in the first half, 17 in the second half, 3 in injury time; 253 attempts, 83 on target and 119 corners; 202 fouls, 23 bookings, 1 red card, 1 penalty scored, 1 penalty saved.

Most scored: Manchester City at the Etihad Stadium with 4 goals.

Top creators: Tottenham at the Cardiff City Stadium with 21 attempts, 12 on target, 12 corners and 63.7% possession.

Main offenders: West Ham at Upton Park with 17 fouls, 2 yellow cards and 1 sending off.

Norwich 0-1 Aston Villa:

Aston Villa recorded their first clean sheet in 27 league games as they beat Norwich 0-1 at Carrow Road. An action-packed first half started off with the home side on top winning a penalty after just six minutes when Cieran Clark handled the ball. But Brad Guzan made a fine save diving to his left and denying Robert Snodgrass from the spot. The Canaries saw Andreas Weimann's shot for Villa come off he post before sub Libor Kozak who replaced injured Christian Benteke scored 90 seconds after coming on just before the half-hour mark. Having missed a one-on-one chance against Norwich keeper John Ruddy, the ball came back to Gabriel Agbonlahor who was unselfish enough to cut it back to Kozak who netted it gratefully. After an entertaining end-to-end encounter, Paul Lambert can thank Guzan for some fine saves and helping his side to victory against his former employers. Norwich have only lost two of their last 12 league games at Carrow Road - both against Aston Villa.

Liverpool 0-1 Southampton:

Liverpool were denied their best ever start to a Premier League season by a defiant Southampton after losing 0-1 at Anfield despite a heroic performance by Simon Mignolet. The Belgian goalkeeper made save after save including a breath-taking triple-save denying Steven Davis. Adam Lallana and Dejan Lovren were also denied by the stopper before the latter held off Daniel Agger to head in the winner for Mauricio Pochettino's men. Saints keeper Artur Boruc denied Steven Gerrard and Daniel Sturridge with some impressive saves of his own but all in all the home side struggled to create chances and break through a stubborn back line. This was the second home defeat of 2013 for Brendan Rodgers men, both against Southampton.

Newcastle 2-3 Hull City:

A Loic Remy double was not enough for Newcastle as they fell to a stunning Sone Aluko strike losing 2-3 against Hull City at St James Park. Remy had given the hosts the lead heading in Papiss Cisse's miscued shot. Robbie Brady equalised with a low volley before Remy netted his second off Yohan Cabaye's attempt. Ahmed Elmohamady glanced in Brady's free kick to make it 2-2 after the break before Aluko smacked in the winner from 18 yards. Alan Pardew's men came into the match on the back of two wins on the trot over Fulham and Aston Villa. After an entertaining encounter Steve Bruce was delighted with his side's display, the Tigers putting an end to the home side's run picking up seven points from their opening five games in their first season back in the Premier League after three years in the Championship.

West Brom 3-0 Sunderland:

West Brom condemned Sunderland to their fourth Premier League defeat of the season thrashing them 3-0 at the Hawthorns. Debutant Stephane Sessegnon scored against his former side netting an easy rebound after Keiren Westwood initially denied Scott Sinclair. Liam Ridgewell doubled the score with a one-touch bang of a shot before the Black Cats were forced to play the last 15 minutes reduced to 10 men after manager Paulo Di Canio had already made all three available substitutions and then lost Steven Fletcher to injury. Morgan Amalfitano completed the Italian's miserable afternoon and run by making it 3-0 with an angled shot in injury time and making it three defeats on the trot with just one point out of five games for the visitors. The traveling fans showed their frustration at the bottom club's manager when he went to applaud them which turned out to be a peculiar encounter in front of the cameras. The bigger the worry and despair got for Di Canio, the greater the relief and celebration was for Steve Clarke after his side finally recorded their first win to see them climb out of the relegation zone and up to 15th.

West Ham 2-3 Everton:

Everton produced a perfect turnaround as they twice came from behind to beat 10-man West Ham at Upton Park. Roberto Martinez's men thereby remain the last unbeaten side in the Premier League this season in sixth place on nine points out of five games. Ravel Morrison's deflected shot from the edge of the box got the scoreboard rolling and the hosts ahead before Leighton Baines levelled the score with a spectacular free kick bending and swerving the ball across and past a helpless Jussi Jaaskelainen. The Hammers restored their lead against the run of play thanks to Mark Noble's penalty conversion after skipper Kevin Nolan drew a foul from James McCarthy after a fine build-up in the box. But the game took a decisive twist when Noble was given a second booking for a tackle from behind on Toffee midfielder Ross Barkley. Baines struck again netting another stunning free-kick in the opposite corner. Substitute Romelu Lukaku completed the perfect turnaround heading in the winner for the visitors and condemning Sam Allardyce's men to their second defeat of the season and down to 14th.

Chelsea 2-0 Fulham:

Chelsea put their worst start to a league season in 10 years behind them after beating Fulham 2-0 at Stamford Bridge going top of the table for 24 hours at least. Jose Mourinho laughed off all fears and critics in the post-match interview after watching Oscar and John Mikel Obi score two second-half goals to settle the bout and bag three points for the Blues. After a less entertaining, more hard-working first half where Darren Bent's shot at home keeper Petr Cech was the closest either team got, Oscar settled Chelsea's nerves with a fine finish from close range. Mikel doubled the score with his first league goal in 185 games to end a four-game winless run for Roman Abramovich's men. The result took Chelsea above Liverpool at the top of the table before Arsenal, Tottenham and Manchester City leapfrogged them with their wins on Sunday (see summaries below).

Arsenal 3-1 Stoke City:

Arsenal recorded their seventh win on the trot after beating Stoke convincingly 3-1 at the Emirates to send them top of the table ahead of bitter London rivals Tottenham on goal difference. Aaron Ramsey opened the scoring after just five minutes netting his seventh goal in eight games for the Gunners by tapping in the rebound after Asmir Begovic had pushed Mesut Ozil's free kick straight at him. The Potters were level 20 minutes later after Geoff Cameron netted Marko Arnautovic's shot that came off the post. But Per Mertesacker put the home side back ahead and in command before the break heading in Ozil's corner with keeper Begovic all over the place again. Bacary Sagna made it three goals and three points for Arsene Wenger's men later on in the second half, heading in Ozil's free kick with a nice leap into the left corner leaving the keeper stranded yet again. Ozil had a hand in all three Arsenal goals on his home debut for the club, showing how pivotal the German has already become for the club, especially with the long injury list they still have.

Crystal Palace 0-2 Swansea:

Swansea bossed the game from start to finish brushing aside a poor Crystal Palace side 2-0 at Selhurst Park. Striker Miguel Michu fired the ball under Palace keeper Julian Speroni to open the scoring after just 80 seconds, producing a banging start for the Swans. Nathan Dyer doubled the home side's lead soon after the break hammering a rebound high into the net after some great work by Michu in the build-up again setting up Alvaro Vazquez whose shot was saved by Speroni. Michu had the ball in the back of the net again before the final whistle, connecting to Jonathan de Guzman's long through-ball, but the goal was disallowed for offside. It was almost like a training match for Michael Laudrup's men, dominating in possession, territory and chances, Ian Holloway admitting post-match how awful his side were.

Cardiff 0-1 Tottenham:

Welsh hearts were broken in stoppage time as Paulinho scored a stoppage-time winner for Tottenham in a tense encounter at the Cardiff City stadium. Malky Mackay's men were out to frustrate and stun Spurs as they did in their 3-2 home win against Manchester City with keeper David Marshall starring, producing one brilliant save after another. The London side dominated possession and produced plenty of chances keeping Marshall more than busy. But Cardiff's defence was finally breached in the dying seconds when Brazilian Paulinho connected onto Erik Lamela's cross with a cheeky back-heeler netting three crucial points for Andre Villas-Boas men putting them level on points with rivals Arsenal at the top of the table before their big derby clash against Chelsea next weekend.

Manchester City 4-1 Manchester United:

Manchester City thrashed bitter rivals Manchester United 4-1 in a gob-smacking derby at the Etihad Stadium. It was the first derby for both David Moyes and Manuel Pellegrini, the first time two new managers took over the derby since 1947. The energy levels were high from kick-off with end-to-end stuff before Sergio Aguero opened the scoring for the home side with a marvellous finish off a fine link between Samir Nasri and Aleksandar Kolerov. Yaya Toure doubled the lead just before the interval tapping in a deflected corner finding himself in plenty of space with the United defence totally zoned out. Whatever Moyes' team talk was at half time, it did not show much effect as seconds after the break, United were carved open again, Alvaro Negredo's clip-in finding Aguero free, completing the move with a simple left-footed finish to make it 3-0. And five minutes later City tore United apart again, Vincent Kompany running in on the right finding Nasri whose right-footed smacker made it 4-0. It was a wonderful carve-finish, from one end to the other and stunned United, leaving everyone wonder how much worse the thrash score line could get. In the end, it stayed four for City but Wayne Rooney did pull one back for United, curling a free kick into the top right corner past Joe Hart's glove, a superb jump beaten by a superb goal. It was merely a consolation goal though, as City recorded an emphatic win against the Red Devils, leaving Moyes wondering whether he can ever win a derby as he was unable to beat Liverpool in his 11 years as Everton boss.

Premier League 2013-14 Season Preview

Sports - Football - Premier League - 2013-14 Season Preview

 

With the new season just a week away, here is a look at the 20 teams that will fight it out in the Premier League. Sir Alex Ferguson's retirement, the return of the Special One, big spenders and will-he-stay-or-will-he-go transfer dramas of you-know-who promise more unpredictable twists and turns at the top, whilst newly promoted Cardiff City, Crystal Palace and Hull City will be making sure to mix up the rest:

 

Part One: Summary, facts, stats and transfers of Arsenal, Aston Villa, Cardiff City, Chelsea and Crystal Palace =>  http://thefootballgene.com/2013/08/premier-league-preview-part-1/

 

Part Two: Summary, facts, stats and transfers of Everton, Fulham, Hull City, Liverpool and Manchester City => http://thefootballgene.com/2013/08/premier-league-preview-part-2/

 

Part Three: Summary, facts, stats and transfers of Manchester United, Newcastle, Norwich, Southampton and Stoke City => http://thefootballgene.com/2013/08/premier-league-preview-part-3/

 

Part Four: Summary,  facts,  stats and transfers of Sunderland, Swansea, Tottenham, West Brom and West Ham => http://thefootballgene.com/2013/08/premier-league-preview-part-4/

 

Sources: Sky Sports website (for transfers), BBC Football & Wikipedia websites & FourFourTwo Season Preview magazine (for stats & facts).

Yank Drama - Is the ownership fiasco over?

Sports - Football - Premier League - Liverpool

I would like to think it's over, but don't want to believe it quite yet. There are still the doubts - the bad experience of the past three weeks/months/years, the insecurity, scepticism, inconsistencies, obscurity, hypocrisy, lack of professionalism, lies, deceit, scam, broken promises, ... There is always that thought in the back of the head wishing "please, not the same all over again!".


I remember the day George Gillett and Tom Hicks took over, I had tears in one eye and an expecting, hopeful, glowing stare in the other. Like I wrote in my blog nearly two years ago, it seemed like the priorities and powers had and have shifted, away from the game and the fans to a couple of business men who have nothing to do and no knowledge and concept of the sport apart from money money money.

It's turned the sport into a drama saga, a soap opera. When you turn your telly onto Sky Sports News in the morning, it is not what happens on the pitch that dominates but what goes on behind the scenes, on the board. You wonder who will have it off with whom next, what big shake- and takeover, fight/bust-up/backstabbing will be next in the headlines, who with whom, who against whom, what, why, how, ... Like the big duff-duff at the end of each EastEnders episode you are left wondering how they will follow up on that big bang and what will happen next.

Chelsea

Chelsea and Roman Abramovich started off the new money-talks trend in June 2003 setting a shiny, high-flying example of how to splash the cash and live it out big style - a bit like Dallas or Days of our Lives, the mommies of all American soap operas. It seemed and seems all too perfect, you just wonder if and when the botox-ridden faces are going to crack, the perfect mirror frame will shatter to pieces and burst the bubble.

Manchester United

Malcolm Glazer bought out and gained control at Manchester United in June 2005 and in contrast to Chelsea and their beloved Russian billionaire, the American business man and the Red Devils never saw eye to eye. A bit like The Jerry Springer Show, the fans kicked off with chairs flying and temperaments burning (amongst other stuff). The water has grown still for the moment, on the surface, but it's just a question of time when the troubles will erupt again. A club-record loss of £83.6m announced in their annual financial results this month doesn't help the cause exactly and certainly won't help to keep the calm either.

Manchester City

In contrast to their city rivals, Manchester City have done a better job of trying to emulate the rise and shine of big spenders Chelsea after former Thailand prime minister Thaksin Shinawatra's company was bought out by Abu Dhabi-based Abu Dhabi United Group Investment and Development Limited in September 2008. New owner Sheikh Mansour bin Zayed Al Nahyan excelled in big-spending, outdoing Chelsea and Manchester United, easy. Overspending and overachieving, City finished last season in 5th position and evolved to serious holy-top-4-Champions League-slot-contenders this season. Even more as with Chelsea though, it is only a matter of time when (not if) the bubble will burst. We will see how far they can grow before they have to fall...

Arsenal

Last but definitely not least of all the ownership drama sagas, Arsenal make the most moderate, sane and rational teams of the lot. The Gunners are the third most valuable football team in the world after Real Madrid and Manchester United according to an evaluation by business magazine Forbes in April 2010, valuing the club at $1.181bn (£768m), excluding debt. The largest shareholder on the board is American sports tycoon Stan Kroenke who has tried to break the peace and has made a couple of attempts and bids to take over the club. He hasn't succeeded - yet. We will see what happens in the next episode...

Back to basics, back to Anfield?

That brings me back to my club Liverpool and their next episode. I hope all the promises and expectations are met this time round - clearing the debts, strengthening the team, finding the way to a new ground (which brings me to a whole new issue and topic, I am for keeping, refurbishing and expanding Anfield and all its history) - only time will tell.

In the meantime, I send a big thanks to New England Sports Ventures (NESV) and their head John W. Henry, our chairman Martin Broughton, Managing Director Christian Purslow and Commercial Director Ian Ayre for holding through, sorting out and taking over the mess Hicks and Gillett left them with.

But I also dare to warn them, we will not just sit back and watch, we will make our voice heard as we have done all the way. I am with Spirit of Shankly (SOS), soon to be Spirit of Shankly-ShareLiverpoolFC (SOS-SL), have joined, spoken and listened to them and hope they will do the same. Take this as a warming as well as a warning welcome:
You WILL NEVER walk alone!

Reds scrape through against Trabzonspor

Sports - Football - Europa League - Trabzonspor 1:2 Liverpool

It was clear beforehand that it was never going to be easy travelling to Turkey with only one goal advantage - and it only took a couple of minutes into the game for it to substantiate. With only three minutes on the clock, Liverpool were cut open, to see Gustavo Colman's shot slotted in by Teofilo Gutierrez and their first leg lead quashed.

The first half continued as frustrating, Liverpool not able to coordinate an attack - showing a clumsy and lacklustre display similar to their absent performance against Manchester City in the Premier League match last Monday.



In the second half Liverpool came back looking much better, the Reds picking up on steel and determination. David Ngog missed a couple of sitters in the mean time though, putting one wide from only six yards out, seemingly taking the "You're alone here!" banner of the typically hostile Turkish crowd to heart.

The Reds left it late, for Giray Kacar to put a Glen Johnson cross from the right into his own net on 84 and Dirk Kuyt to slot in the rebound of Daniel Pacheco's shot on 88 and take the game to 3-1 on aggregate and beyond the Turks.

Liverpool seemed asleep for the most of the match - first half especially, losing the ball and all sence of the game. They got a grip in the second half and got it all together in the last 5-10 minutes, cruel on Trabzonspor who did their best and well to disable and frustrate their opponents which the results of both legs don't reflect.

I know they always say results count most, but if Liverpool continue in this fashion against stronger opposition, they won't last long, that's for sure!

1st half Stats
Trabzonspor-Liverpool
Attempts: 4-3
On target: 2-2
Offsides: 1-1
Corners 2-3
Free kicks: 3-2

2nd halfs stats
Trabzonspor-Liverpool
Attempts: 1-5
On target: 0-2
Offsides: 1-0
Corners: 0-1
Free kicks: 4-4

Trabzonspor: Kivrak; Cale (Jaja 86.), Gulselam (booked 39., Atas 65.), Korkmaz (booked 72.), Kacar, Inan, Yilmaz (booked 41.), Balci, Teofilo Gutierrez, Colman, Ibrahima Yattara (Alaozinho 46.)Subs not used: Zengin, Baytar, Badur, Oztorun.

Liverpool: Reina; Johnson, Aurelio (Pacheco 77.), Kyrgiakos, Carragher, Kelly, Cole, Lucas, Poulsen (Skrtel 91.), Kuyt, Ngog (Babel 86.).Subs not used: Gulacsi, Spearing, Shelvey, Eccleston.

Referee: Ivan Bebek (CRO)
Man of the match: Daniel Pacheco

Shocking Reds hand City three goals & points

Sports - Football - Premier League - Man City 3:0 Liverpool

Liverpool disappointed and were a disgrace to watch - even school boys can play better and create more pressure than what they showed at Eastlands!

From the offset, Liverpool were on their back foot, Martin Skrtel conceding a clumsy free kick against Adam Johnson on the right side outside the box and getting booked early on in the fourth minute.

Things went from bad to worse when James Milner broke on the right side and cutting it back to Gareth Barry in the the centre with all the space in the world to slash it into the left corner.
The first half ended with Liverpool finally pressing on a bit more, but not creating a real threat.
Not long into the second half and it was apparent that the trend hadn't changed. Liverpool were cut open again, this time Carlos Tevez claimed his 50th PL goal, but as the replays showed, Micah Richards' header from near the penalty spot didn't look like it touched the Argentinian before it went through Pepe Reina's legs and over the line.
Then, when it just looked like Liverpool were going to make a comeback after Steven Gerrard hit the bar and Joe Hart had to make a slick double save, stopping rebound shots of David Ngog and sub Fernando Torres, clumsy Skrtel again, gave away a penalty with an unnecessary tackle on Johnson again, making it too obvious that he wasn't able to deal with the City winger.
Tevez comfortably converted the spot kick putting it into the bottom left corner whilst sending Reina the wrong way to make it 3 - an impossible hill to climb for the scrambling, clumsy looking Reds, who showed no determination, coordination or awareness. City had an easy ride to three goals and points, shocking to watch!
Roy Hodgson refused to panic despite the embarrassing defeat at Eastlands insisting it was too early to be concerned.
Hodgson said: "We are only two matches into the season. We had Arsenal in the first game which we had to playe with 10 and then a strong Man City side.
"It's a bit premature to start discussing just how big the match is. Hopefully the next 36 games we can take some points. We were a bit unlucky to get beaten so heavily.
"We stuck at it and were unlucky not to get back when Hart made an incredible double save. We lacked the cutting edge and the organisation I would like" - just a bit!!!

Unlucky?! More like undeserved! Underachieving!

Quotes taken from Sky Text page 251 on Monday, 23rd August 2010, 11.00pm

1st half Stats
Man City-Liverpool
Attempts: 5-4
On target: 1-2
Offsides: 1-1
Corners: 2-0
Free kicks: 5-5
Possession: 60%-40% (24.)
2nd half Stats:
Man City-Liverpool
Attempts: 2-8
On target: 2-3
Offsides: 0-1
Corners: 3-4
Free kicks: 6-7
Possession: 46%-54% (64.)

Sky Stats:
Man City-Liverpool
Passing Success: 82.5%-80.8%
Tackles/Success: 29/89.7%-18/77.8%
Territorial Advantage: 51.6%-48.4%

Man City: Hart; Richards (booked 58.), Toure, Kompany, Lescott; De Jong, Toure (Zabaletta 85.) Yaya, Barry, Milner, Adam Johnson; Tevez (Jo 85.). 4-5-1
Subs not used: Given, W-P, Adebayor, Silva, Viera.

Lpool: Reina; Glen Johnson, Skrtel (booked 4.), Carragher, Agger; Jovanovic (Pacheco 86.), Gerrard, Lucas, Kuyt; Torres (Babel 78.), Ngog. 4-4-2
Subs not used: Jones, Aurelio, Kyrgiakos, Maxi, Poulsen.

Referee: Phil Dowd
Man of the match: Garreth Barry

New Season, New Tops and Flops...

Sports - Football - Premier League - Picks of the Weekend

TOPS:

Game: The White Hart Lane crowd saw no goals between Tottenham and Manchester City, but that gives no indication of the level of action, entertainment, thrills and spills they enjoyed to watch. Spurs could have and should have had six or seven goals! City pressed on a bit late on in the match, but all in all, no real contest though, Spurs were on top from start to finish, proving their true quality.

Team: Blackpool are on my dad's and my relegation-prediction list, see below, but looked everything else but that at the opening weekend. They stole the show against Wigan, without a doubt. It was not a good start for Wigan though, they will struggle if they continue in this kind of fashion, dire, broken and hollow; Blackpool certainly won't! If...

Man: Caretaker manager Kevin MacDonald has done a great job so far after Martin O'Neill's sudden departure from Villa Park. To take over so confidently and make the team look and win so confidently and comfortably, beating West Ham 3-0 at homee, I give him ten out of ten for that! That's what I call team spirit!

Goal: David Jones' free kick from just outside the box to make it 1-0 for Wolves against Stoke was a perfect example how to do it. Like every boy tries it in the park, flick up and shoot, mostly making a mess of it, wasting and missing it, he got it spot on, volleyed it in giving his team the deserved lead, a delight to watch again and again.

FLOPS:

Game: Chelsea v West Brom was just a mismatch. Despite all the goals, the game looked like a strawl in the park for the Blues, they will certainly not have it this easy again! West Brom be warned! Play like this and they won't get a single point or goal in the Premier League this season!

Team: The bottom three, West Ham, Wigan and West Brom, make a miserable trio at the top of the relegation likelies list. For all their big spending and oooos and aaaas, City looked out of Tottenham's league. It's only thanks to their keeper Joe Hart and his countless number of top notch saves that they knicked a point and did not have to join the Misery Club of the opening week.

Man: Stephen Carr and Joe Cole will both want to forget their starts to the season, that's for sure! The Birmingham skipper was unlucky conceding an own goal and a penalty against Sunderland whilst the Liverpool debutant just had one of those idiotic moments with an act of unnecessary stupidity, a dangerous tackle, seeing red for it just before half time, letting his team down and making their job everything else but easier.

Goal: Poor Pepe Reina! 90th minute, just at the end of a strong, hard-fought contest, looking like it was going to be a close win for his side... He is the only Liverpool player to play in every match, with solid display after solid display, one of the best goalies in Europe... He nearly completed a clean opener to the season, and his first clean sheat against the Gunners, when he shot himself in the face with a cruel own goal! OUCH! It happens, always when and to whom you least expect it!

My dad's and my predictions...

Relegation:
My dad: Blackpool, West Brom, West Ham
Moi: Blackpool, West Brom, Wolves

Champions (dark horses):
My dad: Arsenal (Chelsea)
Moi: Chelsea (Spurs)

First week of predictions:
My Dad 9:3 Me (:-/)

Top Blues lose - Pompey get consolation win

Sports - Football - Premier League - Picks of the Weekend

Champs: Arsenal showed showed team strength and attitude, unity and stamina - so too did Manchester City and Portsmouth. All three of them were put into a situation where other teams would have given up and crumbled but they fought on and got what they deserved - victory.

Hero: Tottenham's goalkeeper Heurelho Gomes made a couple of spectacular saves. Everton will feel unlucky having got nothing out of the match. Liverpool's win against Blackburn summarized their season and problem of how much they have to rely on Steven Gerrard and Fernando Torres to hit the net and net the points for them.

You Beauty! Martin Paterson's equalizer for Burnley against Portsmouth was a sleek showpiece. It was one of those elegant, back-foot flicks, that you will find in any selection of best goals. Tottenham's second against Everton was a fine combination of their Croatian trio.

Has-Beens: Where were Chelsea? They seemed to have forgotten where they and their heads stood. Manchester City cut them open and they could not recover. From the non-existent handshake, some (Henrique) Hilario(s) bloopers, to some red cards and heads - just nothing went their way.

Zero: I think both Wayne Bridge and John Terry should get a grip! The prior's actions I found childish (the non-existent handshake mentioned above), the latter's battered dog-face and fragile display I saw as crude. Both should be more mature and professional and get on with it.

Ouch! I need not mention the most painful incident of the weekend. I just cannot believe it is strike three for Arsenal. After Vassiriki Abou Diaby and Eduardo, now it hit Aaron Ramsey. In all three incidences, you cannot say the fowls were committed with malice, but nonetheless, they are career-threatening tackles and thereby require hard penalties as a consequence.

My Predictions - Actual Results

Birmingham 2:1 Wigan - 1:0

Bolton 1:0 Wolves - 1:0

Burnley 2:0 Portsmouth - 1:2

Chelsea 3:2 Man City - 2:4

Stoke City 1:1 Arsenal - 1:3

Liverpool 2:0 Blackburn - 2:1

Sunderland 1:1 Fulham - 0:0

Tottenham 2:0 Evert0n - 2:1

Premier League Tops and Flops

Sports - Football - Premier League - Picks of the Week

Top game: Tottenham's win against City was a juicy encounter and entertaining to watch. Focusing on the question who is worth and can make it into the top four, this match had it all, with Spurs ending up on top.

Top team: Spurs gets my vote again. They were much better than the previous game when they experienced a sorry defeat against Wolves. They showed determination and formed a destructive combination.

Top player: Niko Kranjcar, Jermain Defoe and Aaron Lennon formed a deadly trio for Tottenham, a top combination that damned City to defeat. Fernando Torres showed top mentality, crucial for the match and win for Liverpool. His team mates should follow his example if Liverpool want to finally get a good run together.

Top goal: Kranjcar's second for Tottenham was of stubbornly strong top quality. Off a Lennon corner, it looked like he had spilled and wasted the chance, but he stayed up and going and put it in. Cheeky but good.

Flop game: United's win against Wolves was no competition. Manager Mick McCarthy has been questioned about the ten changes he made to the side that beat Tottenham last week. I know the schedule is tight, a lot of fixtures squeezed into a couple of weeks, but that is no excuse for changing a winning side completely.

Flop team: I have to pick Wolves again for making it too easy for Manchester United. You never want to see that as a football fan. It is supposed to be and stay a competition, not a concession.

Flop goal: Portsmouth's equaliser against Chelsea prooved and underlined the Blues' weakness with set pieces once again. It was a cheeky goal that snuck in after coming off two defenders, that should not have happened if Chelsea's back line would have stayed and kept solid. But no discrediting Portsmouth, they have improved a lot since Avram Grant has taken over and just lost out to a last-minute penalty. Unlucky.

My Predictions - Actual Results

Birmingham 1:0 Blackburn - 2:1

Bolton 3:2 West Ham - 3:1

Man Utd 4:1 Wolves - 3:0

Sunderland 2:1 Aston Villa - 0:2

Burnley 1:2 Arsenal - 1:1

Chelsea 2:0 Portsmouth - 2:1

Liverpool 3:1 Wigan - 2:1

Tottenham 4:2 Man City - 3:1