EPL, Premiership, English Premier League

Arsene Wenger is extremely frustrated by the string of injuries that his squad has received by Stoke to the point that he suggested they intentionally injured his players. “The only intention is to hurt you and I can show some tackles where I can prove what I say. Do you think (Rory) Delap tried to play the ball when he tackled Walcott? Or that [Ryan] Shawcross tried to play the ball when he tackled Adebayor off the pitch. All the players have been injured deliberately. Adebayor will be three weeks. Walcott could be days or weeks. It is the shoulder he had the surgery on.” This just before Arsenal’s Champions League game against Fenerbahce (tied 0-0). Not only that but Robin van Persie is serving a three match ban after earning a red card against Stoke. Luckily, Gallas and Sagna may be coming back to help bolster the squad.

Tony Pullis commented on Wengers insult:
“In Stoke-on-Trent on Saturday evening Mr Wenger talked openly about Arsenal’s encounter with Stoke, as being a ‘typical English encounter’. He commended my team’s organisation, my team’s commitment and confessed that on the day Stoke City thoroughly deserved to win the game. Very open and very honest. In London 48 hours later and 150 miles away from Stoke-on-Trent, Mr Wenger changed tack and has tried to rewrite history. His comments about my team are there for everybody to read and certainly made me smile, along with I’m sure 27,000 supporters at the game, millions of TV viewers and the massed press who interviewed him after the game. Remember there was only one red card on Saturday and the last time I watched the game it certainly was not a Stoke City player who received it. I and my Football Club have tremendous respect for Mr Wenger and Arsenal football club, but as Mr Wenger is such a learned professional and on a great day in American electoral history, I would like to remind him of Abraham Lincoln’s great quotation, ‘You can fool some of the people all of the time, and all of the people some of the time, but you can not fool all of the people all of the time’.”

Arsenal will be playing Manchester United on Saturday.

Chelsea suffered a humbling defeat to Roma in a night where little worked for Chelsea. Deco obtained two yellow cards and was sent off in the 80th minute. He obtained his 2nd after taking a free-kick before the referee had signalled he was ready. The loss is puzzling and unexpected partially because Serie A competitors Roma are struggling to remain out of the relegation zone having only obtained 7 points out of 9 games played. Its even more puzzling because Chelsea had 65% possession; they were completely unable to produce serious efforts on goal however.

Scolari commented on the loss,
“We gave too many opportunities to Roma. We made too many mistakes, made wrong passes and had bad positions. [The] first goal there was not any player covering him [Panucci] when they crossed. After this, we were anxious and gave more opportunities. It’s okay, all of the groups are difficult. We lost one game here and there are other team arriving behind us. If we draw today we are in good condition but we did not play very well and it was impossible to draw or win. We now have two chances to win against Bordeaux and Cluj. We’ll try.”

Liverpool played Atletico Madrid and somehow managed to scour a point in the 1-1 tie. Atletico deserved to win and had victory within view only 2 minutes away when Gerrard jumped high to head a ball for possession. He was in the penalty box but far from goal when he jumped for the ball, Pernia umped late to compete and only managed to bump into Gerrard’s back. Gerrard went down and was awarded a penalty; the call was a bad one which gave Liverpool a goal in the 92nd minute.

Gerrard commented on the penalty and game:

“I think we controlled the game but first half we weren’t good enough. We raised it at half-time and it finally came in injury time. I’m not sure it was a penalty. I got their first and I think if that is outside the area you get a free-kick. If it happened at the other end we would be livid. That’s football. It’s a point and we move on. It is important because we have got a point. Good teams don’t usually lose two in a row and we showed a lot of character.  I think so, watching the replay. I think it was the linesman who has given the penalty but it is better not to talk too much about the referee.”

In an extremely exciting game Tottenham tied Arsenal in their 2nd game with Redknapp in charge. “I feel like superman, I could fly home” said David Bentley. “Arsenal knocked the the ball about and they are a hard team to play against but we showed character and spirit. We showed we are a top team willing to fight for every point. I’m buzzing. You’re going to get criticized when you’re not performing and certain things have gone on but we have sorted them out and we’re going in the right direction now.”

“It was probably the best night of my career, but I felt like an emotional wreck at the end of it. We had a team meeting before the game and Clive Allen pointed out that the keeper comes off his line and sometimes right out to the edge of his box. That was still in my head early in the game. The ball sat up and I caught it perfectly. When I saw it go in, I went mad. I get so emotional and that’s why we all play football. We’ve all been criticized this season and we accept that. Against Arsenal we conceded too many easy goals. We know that and we’ll address that. But it’s nights like that, goals like that, performances like that, that make it all worthwhile. We were 4-2 down but showed character, determination, fight and kept going until the final whistle. We’ll get things right, keep progressing and keep getting better.”

Harry Redknapp also commented on the great outcome for Sours. “It’s going to be a long season, but there was a great atmosphere in that dressing room now. I thought I was David Pleat running up the touchline when we scored. I don’t usually do that. I don’t have a suit or shoes that colour, mind you. I’ve tried to make them believe in themselves. There’s ability in the squad. Bring on Liverpool. We’ll give them a good go on Saturday.”

Wenger however, was about as pissed off as he can get. And for a good reason: the young Gunner were far to lax in their end game defense. “I am angry. We have to look at ourselves and improve. The players are very down. We were two levels above Tottenham and they were there for the taking. It was damaging. On the positive side, we were really superior to Tottenham, produced the game we wanted, lots of energy in the game. The only down side is we didn’t win. That was down a little bit to a lack of maturity. I would like to keep the positives tonight because I believe we were really outstanding. We were too cautious rather than scoring number five or six. The right pass would have seen us score. The maturity problem will improve with intelligence. They will learn from their mistakes. With two minutes to go, there was no Harry Redknapp factor.”

Line-up:

Villarreal: Diego Lopez, Angel, Rodriguez, Godin, Capdevila, Cani, Eguren, Edmilson, Pires, Fernandez, Franco.
Subs: Viera, Santi Cazorla, Ibagaza, Llorente, Javi Venta, Senna, Fuentes.
Booked: Franco, Ibagaza, Diego Lopez.
Referee: Wolfgang Stark

Man Utd: Van der Sar, Neville, Ferdinand, Evans, Evra, Nani, Hargreaves, Fletcher, Park, Rooney, Tevez.
Subs: Foster, Brown, Ronaldo, Anderson, Giggs, Vidic, O’Shea.
Booked: Tevez.

Villarreal have had few opportunities so far with United producing almost all of the offense.

In the 60th minute Villarreal winger had the ball on United’s right flank with United defenders lagging about 15 yards behind. He crossed the ball low and hard into the middle of the box and Franco did a backwards flick which bounced off the back post. Villarreal seemed to be gaining some offense for the first time in the game. Only minutes later, Cristiano Ronaldo was substituted in for JS Park and made his first appearance of the season; Anderson came on for But United were determined to score with Tevez and Rooney putting in plenty of effort creating multiple chances. Tevez created multiple opportunities for the United offense as he dashed forward into the Villareal box it was obvious that Villa’s defense were unable to stop him.

In the 72nd minute Ronaldo gave Rooney a great through ball which he ran on (few players can compete with Rooney’s speed). He beat the defender of course but passed the ball through a defenders legs directly to the right of him to Tevez; however, the ball was slightly out of Tevez’s pass and when he kicked it at goal a Villa defender cleared it from the line.

Tevez has described Ronaldo’s reappearance akin to having ”an extra player” on the field. “Cristiano is a massive player for us and it is great to have him on our side. It is like having an extra player when he is there because he is such a danger to our opponents. It will be a big boost to have him back.”

Tevez was recently offered a €30 million deal to keep Tevez at United. “From the first moment I came here I would have loved to sign a long-term contract. Last year was a very happy season and it would be wonderful if the chairman put a long-term contract in front of me. If he did that I would sign it without a doubt.”

Ferguson recently stated that United’s performance against Liverpool demonstrated defense that was not worthy to be seen in the EPL. Tevez described what enabled Manchester United to win the League Title last season. “Whenever we lost a game last season we came back and showed ourselves to be stronger. That was the reason we won two titles last year. I am sure we will see a reaction from the players tonight.”

Alan Curbishley appears to be under significant pressure early in the season as West Ham struggles through every game. They recently played Macclesfield at Upton Park for the Carling Cup and barely squeezed through even though the score was 4-1. Macclesfield scored in the 5th minute and it wasn’t until the 74th minute that West Ham responded with a strike by Lee Bowyer. The impact was obvious as fans began singing ‘you’re getting sacked in the morning’ for over 60 minutes while West Ham was down. The game remained tense and in the 90th minute Izak Reid for Macclesfield earned a red card. Macclesfield manager Keith Alexander thought his team played well and were cheated by the referees 90th minute call.

You don’t get anything when you come to these places. It was scandalous, typical of the referees, a ridiculous decision. We played very well, I’m delighted with the players but they didn’t deserve the referee spoiling the game for them. People will think it is sour grapes but we didn’t get a decision all night, and Izak Reid is now distraught. I told the referee but they don’t listen any more, that is why they need half an hour after the game to get their story together. I’m not saying we would have won it but we would have had a better chance.”

In the extra 30 minutes West Ham succeeded in scoring 3 goals.

Alan Curbishley noticed the jeers and responded: “What can I do about it apart from win games and keep going? I’ve had this now for a little while, I’ll get on with it, I’m a big boy as I’ve said before. The disappointing thing is the players are the ones that have to go out and perform. The fans are brilliant when they are behind us and they have to realise the effect it has when they are not behind us. It can all change at the weekend. Football is a bit like this, you go through periods like this. It has happened to other managers and happened a bit last year.”

• West Ham recently lost to Manchester City 3-0 and will be playing Blackburn Saturday.

In an exciting match with repercussions beyong the field Sunderland succeeding in beating Tottenham 2-1. The first half showed Tottenham’s David Bentley and Sudnerland’s El-Hadji Diouf take shots from 25 yards out. Bentley’s went wide; while Diouf’s shot was on target it was also headed wide by a defender for a corner. Tottenham’s Gareth Bale dove in the 26th minute while trying to win a penalty and was instead awarded a yellow. French Steed Malbranque fired off a powerful low shot only to have it hit Tottenham’s post in the 40th minute, it rebound and was then cleared but probably rattled Tottenham’s nerves. Bale had a great opportunity to head the ball in from a Bentley cross but instead hit the ball over the goal. In the 55th minute Ledley King was unable to clear the ball; Richardson beat Jermaine and took the shot and scored from 25 yards out. Woodgate had an excellent opportunity to score after a Bentley free kick but the ball went miserably wide. 73 minutes into the game Luka Modric dashed into Sunderlands box and took a hard shot. Gordon managed to deflect it but Jenas was there and tapped the ball in. Only 9 minutes later Daryl Murphy crossed the ball into Tottenham’s box; Cisse jumped in the air and headed the ball far post to score. Cisse scored the late game winning goal for Sunderland in the 87th minute after having come on as a substitute in the 65th minute. My silly friend Stuart actually thought that Cisse was 56 years old (he was fooled by the Cisse’s silver/gray hair color). Oh, if only 56 year olds could do what Cisse did in that game…

Berbatov was not playing for Tottenham, a result of a recent spat between him and Tottenham manager Ramos. He felt that Berbatov had a bad mentality and attitude which was reflecting negatively on the rest of the team. Berbatov put in a transfer request a week ago in hopes he could move to United. [Stuart may be seen and ridiculed below]

He may face punishment from club officials as Ramos described: “That is a decision the club has to make. That is a very interesting question you should ask the club. He didn’t play because he wasn’t in the right condition, this is what he told me before the game when I spoke to him. So he did not play. We’ll have to wait and see, tomorrow we’ll speak to the player and then we’ll make a decision. It’s a situation that is very personal, there are players able to play under these circumstances and others whose head is not right. Berbatov is in the latter category. We’ll have a meeting with the player and clarify a few points and see if there is a decision to be made. We’ll meet primarily to know if he is in any state to play in the next match or we have to find another solution. He hasn’t got any power, if he is no condition to play the game he in not going to play, that is the same as any other player.”

Roy Keane (Sunderland’s manager) never let the win go to his head or the rest of his team. “We won’t be dancing in the streets in Sunderland for beating Tottenham away from home, we’ll have a cup of tea and sandwich as normal. We fancy our chances and we’re happy with the progress we’re making. Players showed the other side to them. The character of the players is there for everyone to see. We have that and you can criticise in other areas but not character. When you’ve won the game you say Berbatov’s a talented boy but (Darren) Bent is also a good player.”

As for Cisse’s performance Keane said, “Someone told me he scored on his debut for Liverpool but I couldn’t care less what he did in the past. It’s a good start. Djibril only trained with us yesterday and he was always going to be on the bench, he gives us good options if things aren’t going our way.”

Torres began the season with an excellent start by scoring his first goal of the season in a 1-0 win over Sunderland. Defender Hyypia described the goal:
“It was a good finish from Fernando. I was just behind the shot and I could see exactly where it was going. It was a great strike and it gave the keeper no chance.”

After last seasons’ performance Torres can bask in confidence and a great chance to become the highest scoring player in the EPL. Especially since Ronaldo is injured and missing out on opportunities to score. Last season Torres scored 24 goals in EPL games and 6 in Champions League.

“None of us were surprised that Fernando scored in that way because we have seen him do it before in games and he also does it in training” said Hyypia. “It is great for us that we have that kind of player in our team, and he is right back in the groove.”

“Hopefully it won’t be my last opportunity but of course every year we have high hopes that we’ll be closer to the top. This year is the same. We have strengthened the team with good quality players in the summer and hopefully we will be stronger this season.”

Newcastle recently obtained Argentinian Coloccini (Check: Newcastle signs Argentinian Coloccini) as a central defender. He played in the first game of the season for Newcastle against Manchester United. Though United was wanting offensively with Ronaldo and Tevez out, it was sure to be a difficult game for Newcastle. Newcastle tied United 1-1 and proved that a solid defense could well repel the United attacks while they have a limited offense. “Yesterday [Sunday] was the first time they have played together and there are signs today that it could be quite a good partnership which may get even better” said Keegan (Newcastle manager).

“That could be our central defensive partnership for the next five years. They are both signed for that length of time, so now it is up to them. I have told Steven to watch and learn. I am sure he will because he has such a great attitude. He got a bad knock when we scored that would have seen a lot of players come off, but not Steven. If he does what we ask, he will make another step up and go from the Under-21s to where Coloccini is. The key is he wants to learn because some young players don’t.”

“I’m happy because my team play very well. To win the first game 4-0 is important but more important for me is my team looked well in the field and I think the Chelsea fans are the same. We still need more patience and to touch the ball more. We expect more goals but at 3-0 we need to change to keep the ball more.”

Scolari started the season off well with a 4-0 victory over Portsmouth. Goals were from Joe Cole (12), Nocolas Anelka (26), Frank Lampard (pen, 45) and Deco (89). Chelsea owned 70% of the possession throughout the game. Scolari was brought in to bring a different, more exciting, style of play to Stamford Bridge. Full backs Ashley Cole and Jose Bosingwa were used more actively in bringing the ball forward. As a result, the 5 midfielders were able to effectively dominate the midfield creating goal opportunities. Anelka, Ballack and Cole worked togeteher to score the first goal.Soon threrafter Lampard and Anelka threatened but James was able to save. But Anelka would not be denied the next opportunity which was set up by Bosingwa cross which Anelka headed in. He probably should have scored soon thereafter but the shot went wide. Cech was forced into a double save which prevented Portmouth from scoring when Kranjcar and Crouch threatened took consequtive shots. Unfortunately, right before half time Cole crossed the ball and Distin handed the ball inthe box, Lampard took and scored the penalty. Deco took a shot from 30 yards out in the 89th minute, it swerved into the top corner and concluded the match.

Lampard commented on the match saying, “We can build on that. The first half was as good as we can play. Having not won anything last year we go in (to this season) with a real determination and I think we showed that.” He also praised Deco’s abilities: “It was a brilliant start. It’s not easy to come to a different country and settle in as quickly as he has. His touch is fantastic and he’s obviously going to be a great signing for us.”

Deco seemed pretty pleased with the performance also: “I feel good, it was a great game. To start with a win is the important thing.”

Redknapp seemed convinced that once again no new teams would break through the Top Four to earn a spot in the Champions League. “You’re not going to break into the top four. No-one is this year. Spurs have got a squad and can’t even win at Middlesbrough, so you start forgetting about them. The top four are on another level. We’ve improved the standard of the squad in the last three or four years but, today, you step up into a different level.”
While any manager not in the Top Four is probably frustrated, Redknapp seemed to take the task with humor. He’s been linked with a possible move to West Ham. “I’ve had opportunities before and didn’t take them. I’m happy where I am. It’s not a case of the grass being greener. We’ll do better than that, for sure. We’ve got an easy game next Monday against Manchester United.”

After the end of the English Premier League season Manchester City went to Asia to play games with Club teams there. Their first game was against the Thailand-Premier All Stars. Unfortunately for City, they lost 3-1 to them as the former Primer Minister of Thailand and current owner of City Thaksin Shinawatra watched. Sven-Goran Eriksson is still managing City and is digging himself into a hole. The last game of the season City lost 8-1 against Middlesbrough. Then to top off the voyage to Asia, City played South China XI and again lost 3-1. All these losses help justify Shinawatra’s decision to sack Eriksson which we can expect to happen soon.