United Turn Up The Tempo

Photograph: Alex Livesey/Getty Images
The world is going gaga over United's crushing 7-1 defeat of Blackburn over the weekend. After a lackluster performance against 9 men Wigan in the previous Weekend, much of the disappointment was vented on a hapless Blackburn who had lost several key players to injury.

Nevertheless, I'm over-joyed for the first time this season. This is United's biggest win since AS Roma were beaten by the same score line in April 2007. Berbatov will obviously get all the attention for that stunning performance. I also think a couple of goals were handed to him on a plate by Allardyce's compliant Blackburn team but some were worth watching again and again.

For me, a large reason for United playing so well in this game was Anderson. He looked like a train on the go and didn't stop running. His box-to-box play was magnificent. And Rooney, though he didn't feature in the scorer's list, was world-class. He seemed to play the Scholes role and he really showed his touch which made Sir Alex to wax lyrics about his performance after the game. But for Berbatov, taking into account his inconsistency, the question that is left hanging in the air was "when next?"

This weekend also saw United marching to the top of the table, and staying two points clear off Chelsea and Arsenal thanks to the Chelsea's failure to beat Newcastle on Sunday. Earlier in the season I had predicted Chelsea to lose games in the middle of the season, but to my surprise they have started their losing streak much early on. But I would be a fool if I ever write them off.

A game is won or lost in the mid field. When Lampard and Essian, the twin anchors of Chelsea are not playing, there is a kind of shakiness about them that they look like a ship dangerously sailing on turbulent waters. In the first place, it is bad business from their part to have to rely on them too much. But again, having announced they are going to be back soon, probably as early as next weekend, they have a fighting chance of reclaiming the title this season because I secretly fear for United.

Despite an impressive performance this time around, I fear for their "undefeated" tag. In the past, teams who have gone undefeated for long, have gone through tough times and lost many points in a row once they lose their record. I fear the same for United. If that is to happen, and If United is to surrender the lead, I would only be lamenting about the points United lost already by drawing games, than losing games.
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New EPL Season Warm-Up

After the gloom and doom of the World Cup exit and Manchester United surrendering the title to Chelsea last season, my antenna of hope is now beginning to pick up positive signals - from Old Trafford, at least. England, who cares? I would want to duck the issue like the way Ashley Cole stumbled away from Fabio Capello’s inviting hand in the Community Shield final.

Well, many of my fellow fans were worried about the lack of new signings made by Manchester United, but after the emphatic victory over Chelsea in the Community Shield, I believe some of you might have given your frustrations a much needed break.

I still think Manchester United are strapped for cash despite Sir Alex and Gill repeatedly claiming to have funds available, and I don’t think they will sign any big names in this transfer slot. But on the other side, I reckon we have enough resources already to mount a credible title challenge this year, and possibly win it. I would want to showcase the Community Shield victory as proof.

Though it is still early days, and it is foolhardy to bet United will win the title this year, nevertheless the victory has in fact suggested our players are much sharper than when they opened their title defense same time last year.

United were caught short in their pursuit of Chelsea towards the end of last season when Wayne Rooney, Michael Owen and Federico Macheda were all injured, leaving Dimitar Berbatov as our only fit striker. Lack of options up front, as well as a chronic injury list in defense midway through the season, cost United the title. But with Rooney and Berbatov looking sharp against Chelsea, Owen and Macheda fit again, United could not be in better shape.

New signing Javier Hernandez has impressed me greatly, and his partnership with Berbatov is something I'm eagerly awaiting to see. The pair has seemed to be a match made in heaven all through the pre-season, and it would be interesting to see how they fare in the real test. Chris Smalling did not have a great start, but to his defense, Evra and Vidic also took a while to hit form with United.

This pre-season so far has been pretty uneventful for Manchester United fans, except for some happy results in friendlies in the United States and Ireland. The spot light has been mostly on neighbors and rivals City thanks to their spending spree once again. Money cannot guarantee success immediately, but I see them eventually winning the title in the near future if they continue to do reckless spending. Having said that, I don’t see any close danger to United this season from City. As Sir Alex put it, they have not got a single world class player in their squad. David Silva, Yaya Toure and Boateng are good players, but not yet world class. By looking at their current squad, which is unwisely huge - I presume Manchini will have a tough time in keeping egos at bay, I don’t see them winning anything this year.

In the United States, Sir Alex also outlined how his eventual successor at Old Trafford should be like. Martin O'Neill, a candidate touted as a future replacement for the great man, has dramatically quit Aston Villa five days before the season starts. I have always been a big fan of this guy from his days at Leicester where he did a more than decent job in transforming the club from a lowly second-division team to one that regularly feature in the top ten in the EPL. I used to love the sight of him jumping up and down the sideline at Celtic and Villa, but recent news has suggested his flaws in man-management. Some members of Villa Park staff questioned O’Neill’s loyalty to certain players, and O'Neill reportedly had a huge bust-up with Nigel Reo-Coker, he allegedly grabbed Reo-Coker's throat after the player told O'Neill to "F*** off". Okay, now off from the potential successor list, I guess.

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World Cup: The Woes of England

I was an odd man out, as a England supporter, in a land of mad mad football fans (Kerala) who painted their houses and automobiles in the colors of Argentina and Brazil. I braved the booes that flew in from the opposition factions, and continued to blow the vuvuzela for Three Lions until it all ended at Bloemfontein on 26th June, so fast as it had began. The Three Lions bowed out meekly like Three Kittens.

England has always been a much hyped team ever since their victory in 1966. Over-hyped or under-achievers, they could never get anywhere close to that dizzy heights in any cup competition after 1966. Much of the malaise has been attributed to the Premier League that leaves the players physically and mentally drained for any kind of close season competitions. Arguments are rife on installing a month-long winter break as in Germany. There are also calls to reduce the number of teams in the BPL which can help in limiting fixture congestion.

But one should understand these discussions started much before England's defeat way back at Euro 2004, and with the latest loss, it has only gained momentum, and a final solution may still be decades away.

The English have a habit of talking big, and actually not doing anything. More than anything else, it's the English football system that is more culpable for their failings. Sacking Fabio Capello or booting off some of the so called "Golden Generation" of stars could only make matters worse.

Howard Wilkinson on Monday explained how he had written a report for the FA back in 1997 which said English football needed to devote more resources to youth development, spend more time on technical skills, build a national football centre and prepare for a future when 4-4-2 will be obsolete.

As a fan I can only hope for a better future....but for now, as a true lover of football in general, I need to pick another team. C'mon Spain, c'mon....
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Why Messi is Not My Kind of Super Star


Messi may be officially the best footballer in the world, but not to me. Ronaldo?, worse off. Me, an avid fan of Manchester United do not want to put Rooney on the pedestal either.

I never rated Ronaldo, the former United winger, as someone worthy of winning all the accolades he did win. He is too much of a show pony for my liking. He never played his best against top teams, the only better performance coming against Chelsea in the 2008 champions League final.But perhaps the 80 million pounds Real paid for him would not be considered a mammoth sum considering the money the club would generate selling his shirt. But when I look at it from a pure football mind, I often cringe.

After last season's second leg clash of the El Classico, Spanish media ran a headline "Too much Messi for CR9" in their comparison with Messi. Ronaldo was lost on the pitch, he was turned into a roadrunner chasing shadows.

Rooney is the second best footballer for me at the moment. Let me say I have not counted Messi as first. Rooney is a workaholic. He has unbelievable energy. A bull of a player who runs from post to post, tackles fearlessly, and fights like a warrior. He is a genius in the making. Yes, still not there. I think it will take just one more year for him.

Messi is a magician. He certainly, plainly, clearly is a better player than Ronaldo. But why he is not my kind of super star is simply because of his less involvement in the overall play in any given game. He may have scored some unbelievable goals, may have done some weaving solo runs, but that does not impress me much (in the lines of Shania Twain). He goes missing for long periods in the game, then like one possessed spirit, he haunts the opposition goal post, makes a quick-fire goal, and goes missing again. This has added an unpredictability aspect to his play. He may produce a magic, or go lost completely. All the good things Messi has done so far have had its origin in the midfields of Barcelona, where the imperial Xavi Hernandez rules. This can be further illustrated by the fact Messi has not yet showed his true potential in the blue and white strip of Argentina.

I guess by now you should have picked hints to who I think the greatest player on the planet now. Yes, it’s Xavi Hernandez. He is the heart beat of Barcelona, not Messi. One day I set out to count how many times he would lose the ball, but the bloody guy never lost the ball even once. For many, he is already in the same bracket with Zidane. But the only flip side is he is not marketing himself like Ronaldo and Messi does. And this is a sin in today's world.
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Rafael Benítez - a failure as Kop boss

I believe, Liverpool are finally ready to see off Rafael Benítez this summer. He has already booked his tickets, it is rumored. The destination is yet to be finalized. But I think he would fly in the general direction of Italy where Inter Milan (if Jose Mourinho failed to deliver Champions League) and one certain Juventus would be waiting with the net to catch the man if he jumps off the plane in their zone.

Other rumored destination is the blue side of Manchester. Highly unlikely though, yet one cannot completely discount the idea. If Manchester City happened to wrestle the fourth spot away from Tottenham, then Benitez, I reckon will be a good choice if they want to establish themselves in Europe.

Benitez's European pedigree is undoubted. He is regarded as someone who knows a thing or two about how to make inroads in the Champions League.

But if City are also targeting domestic titles, then it is better to look away from Benitez. His record in the English Premier League, so far, has failed to impress anyone.

There are mixed reactions to his failings in transfer dealings. So far in his tenure Liverpool have acquired almost 66 new players, and have sold almost double this figure with a reported loss of over 80 million pounds. It is argued that many players were bought behind his back or without his approval. Whatever it is, I do not want to further talk about this.

But at the end of the day, jokes apart, if he did fly away from Liverpool, I would say it is his failing to develop and improve players that came to his undoing.

None of the local players have made the progression from the Academy to the first team under his management while promising youngsters such as Stephen Warnock, Danny Guthrie and Adam Hammill have been sold to smaller clubs.

No current first team player has improved to a great deal. Torres, Gerrard, Mascherano, Xabi Alonso, Kuyt and Yossi Benayoun had made a few heads turn. But given the kind of players they were before, the level of improvement made is minimal or almost nill.

Let us compare the scenario with Manchester United. In the last five years many players have shown tremendous improvement. Ronaldo went on to win World player of the year award. Rooney has become one of the top three players in the world. Vidic and Patrice Evra have been rated as one of the best in their respective positions. Darren Fletcher has had phenomenal improvement. Nani has started to exhibit his abilities. Giggs and Scholes are still firing in their grey.

If this is something to go by, Benitez's time as manager in the Mersey side, should go down largely as a failure than anything else.
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Premier League - The Fallen Angel?

Fall, decline, demise - are some of the words that flashed in the media headlines in their claim that the Premier League has lost its first place among European leagues after the defeat of Arsenal and Manchester United in the Champions League. This leaves CL with no English representation in the semi-finals for the first time since 2003. In my opinion this should only be seen as a momentary blip or a culmination of bad luck.

I do not think the standards of the Premier League have fallen over the last year. It has in fact become stronger overall. Liverpool, Chelsea and Manchester United arguably did not play up to their potential. But this wobble by the 'Big Four' has lot to do with the emergence of teams like Manchester City, Tottenham, Aston Villa and Everton. Because of this sudden sprout, the number of 'big games' have drastically increased. For example, a couple of years earlier a Manchester United game against Aston Villa would not have sounded as 'big' as it now.

The strain and tiredness that follows after every big game will have a telling effect in maintaining the fitness of the team. And this is another reason why big teams have lost more games this season than the previous years. I believe the Big Four will be shaken even harder next season.

The premier League is no longer a two horse race or a four horse race. It is race of champions, and this has truly enriched the league. With teams, this summer, planning to add depth and quality in their squad, another round of complete European dominance is not too far away.
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Let's Pat The Dust Off Our Backs, and Move On

Yes. We lost to Bayern. We lost to Chelsea. But let's stop lamenting. Let's clean away the debris and look ahead.

The last 10 days had been difficult. But these games have let us know where we stand. We have been caught out in broad day light. We squirmed like a naked girl in the middle of a crowd trying to cover one area, but inadvertently exposing other parts.

Yes we need cover. We need reinforcement in all areas. The sale of Christiano Ronaldo and Tevez have severely dented our chances - there is no shame in accepting. All these days we were trying hard to prove it the other way, but let’s not pretend any more. If it had not been for the extraordinary season of Wayne Rooney, we would not have survived this far.

The name Owen does not ring fear in anybody anymore. The legs of Ryan Giggs and Scholes have become too week for this level. Anderson is no more a favorite son of Fergie. Gary Neville has lost his sharpness.

Now what happens if Rooney is injured, Rio Ferdinand is off touch, Vedic is being haunted (by the ghost of Torres), and Fletcher is tired? The wall that is United will collapse on its feet. This is what has happened in the last 10 days.

Though, at times, we looked well off with what we have got, we need cover right from striker to goalkeeper.

I predict next season to be tougher than ever. We have one certain cross-city rival wagging their tail. Martin O'Neill is making a big noise. Wenger has promised a stronger Arsenal. The wounded Mersey siders may spring up. Tottenham has started playing football at last...I can hear war cry from all over the country. We need to face them with the stealth, venom and ferocity of a devil.
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