Roy Keane scored another goal for Manchester United against Portsmouth over the weekend. Keano came off the bench to make it very clear he is still the middleman at Old Trafford. He ran the show in a 15-minute spell that saw the Red Devils finish 3-0 winners. Manager Alex Ferguson is now showing he can use old timers as well as younger potential.
Keane unleashed a left-footed drive into the far post, securing United’s three points. Despite the midfielder’s annoyance at not playing in the last two games, Keane will know his boss Ferguson is doing the right thing. The Scottish maestro now shows he is just as effective dealing with the old as he is with the young. Keane looks like his old self as he covers ground and gets into the opponents’ half. Critics have been held at bay with Keane’s latest form.
The firing squad is lined up and waiting to unload on one of the most controversial footballers in the world. He is one of the most consistent players ever to play the game, but is, of course, behind the greats such as Pele and Beckenbauer, It can only be left to the imagination of what Keane might have done on the World Cup stage for Ireland. What is left for this son of Cork to achieve is a Champions League title. And another ambition, though a tall order, would be for Keane to be the MVP of the tournament. Nevertheless, he will go down in history as one of the greats ever to play in the English league. His only international opportunity to silence his critics, namely many a punter in Ireland, is the CL.
Another Irish player who’s also been on the bench is Damien Duff. He replaced Chelsea’s Adrian Mutu in the 77th minute. Mutu scored the winning goal over Everton. Joe Cole gets the call over Duff at Stamford Bridge. It has happened already this season and Duff made his unhappiness public. But this time around the Irish winger knows he has to fight his way back into the blue jersey. Duff should also remember resting would do him the world of good, as he has been known to pick up injuries. He’s still licking his wounds after Ireland’s exit from Euro 2004. It is a loss for football fans in general not to see one of the most promising left-sided players play in the international competition. However, fans anticipate his coming of age in the CL as Chelsea top their group. Duff has already proven a loss at Blackburn Rovers. After a 2-0 defeat to Leicester over the weekend Rovers are now second last in the table.
In last place is Leeds United. Beaten 4-1 by Arsenal, Leeds look in desperate trouble. Ian Harte is finding it difficult to break into the side, while Gary Kelly’s position is now under threat. Leeds have let in too many goals and the defense needs some surgery.
The call made in last week’s “Soccer Scene” for Matt Holland to get into the opponents’ box more often was answered when he popped up to score two twice. Charlton can also thank Irish goalkeeper Dean Kiely for the 2-1 win over Birmingham.
Celtic has opened a 5-point gap on Rangers in the SPL. Chris Sutton scored a hat trick as the bhoys thrashed Kilmarnock 5-0 making Celtic five goals better than the Gers. But the Old Firm has a lot of work to do to remain in the Champions League. It looks like they are getting closer and closer to a must-win situation. A situation that gets countered on very rapidly against world-class teams.
Real Madrid is second in La Liga behind Valencia. The multimillion outfit is beginning to find consistency at this early stage in the season and that spells danger for other CL contenders. Ronaldo has stated he is determined to win the CL, the only major trophy he does not possess. “We will give it our best shot,” said the humble Brazilian. Even the best in the world knows that “working hard” has Real playing some good soccer to date.
In fifth place is Barcelona, 7 points behind the pace. It is essential for Barca to get CL qualification but La Liga gets better each year. No Barca in the Champions League is unacceptable in Spain and that’s the case this year. The pressure at the club is at an all-time high and it could go against them in the run-in to the league. However, they should not be as tired.
Italian giants AC Milan and Juventus are Serie A table toppers on 20 points apiece. Juve are 3 out of 3 in the CL and continue to get results across the board. They are underestimated as they continue to rebuild the side after Zidane’s departure to Real. However, AC Milan has been brought down to earth by Ajax and Club Brugge in the CL. Milan is in third place and results are now a must for the defending champions.
In the German Bundesliga, Bayern Munich and Borussia Dortmund have been pegged back to fourth and fifth places by VfB Stuttgart, Bayer Leverkusen and Werder Bremen. Stuttgart is not only shocking the Bundes with their overall resilience but they also lead Manchester United and Rangers in the CL. In the Dutch Eridivisie, Ajax lead by two points. After a shaky start to the CL the Dutch legends are on top of their group. A very good side that plays with efficiency and flair.