February 17, 2011
By Staff Reporter
Ryan Giggs played well in center midfield. Giggs did give the ball away a few times, but no damage resulted. Wayne Rooney another candidate for man of the match was very good. His sweet turns with the ball and his passing were unstoppable. He did have a bit of luck with his goal, but it was a great goal nonetheless. United ripped Chelsea apart through the middle and down the flanks. Cristiano Ronaldo began to show signs that he is back. He was a handful of trouble. Once Patrice Evra joined Ronaldo and more and more crosses began to take their toll on Chelsea’s back line.
It was an excellent team performance by United that outclassed Chelsea from start to finish. Can Man. U. challenge Liverpool for first place is not in question? That was answered. The Devils are now 5 points behind the leaders with 2 games in hand. The bigger question is can Chelsea bounce back? They looked ordinary. They looked like underachievers.
Jose Mourinho was in the director’s box scouting for his Inter Milan’s Champions League clash with United on February 24. After the game the Special One claimed, “I would have won the Champions League with Chelsea. My contract was until 2011, so I would have been there for seven years. It’s enough time.” That sounded like a little dig at the Chelsea administration that severed Jose’s service at the Bridge. Felipe Scolari said of Chelsea’s title hopes: “If we play three or four games like today we will not win it.” Alex Ferguson concluded, “After watching Liverpool draw on Saturday, we got exactly the result we needed.”
EPL, A SIGN OF THINGS TO COME
_ With the 2009 premier schedule well and truly up and running a look back at what happened over the holiday season suggests signs of things to come. Aston Villa leads us into the future after Martin O’Neil’s side stayed with the pace at the top. Villa’s persistence finally places them in 4th spot forcing Arsenal to compete for a CL qualification. Arsene Wenger’s claim of “something is missing” in the league is a reflection of Asrenal’s lack of firing power as well as opposing teams becoming more defensive. Liverpool also remained composed throughout the demands of the holiday season. They stayed up top keeping everyone else on their toes to stay in touch. However Rafael Benitez’s latest comments on Alex Ferguson regarding referees does show that the Liverpool leader is feeling the pressure from the pursuing Devils. While United were overseas winning the Club World Cup, Liverpool and Chelsea didn’t really open the gap. The team to watch out for is Everton. They have remained on course and continue to manage wins that seem to go unnoticed. Any slip in form by the Gunners or Villa will see Everton turn CL qualification into a bloodbath.
The only team from the remaining pack that has climbed out of the relegation battle is Wigan Athletic. Steve Bruce kept his team tight over the holidays. A 1-0 win over Spurs in the league after losing 3-1 in the cup spells survival for Wigan. Fulham and West Ham have held their own and chemistry continues to grow. Hull City was rocked and their next few games are crucial. There are only 5 points separating last and 10th in league standings and all these teams continue to be inconsistent, just like last year. But what a relegation battle we have in store for 2009.