Of managing expectations, the loss of Luis Suarez and the burden on Raheem Sterling at Liverpool

Brendan Rodgers talks to his players during a training session at Liverpool’s Melwood Training Ground

A common product of delving deep into clubs’ early season forms is the inference on which of them are seemingly in ‘crisis’ mode and which ones are close to one. There are certain trademarks of these ‘crisis’ clubs such as going from title contenders last season to mid-table and below at present in the current season, losing a top player to a rival and being in the Barclays Premier League more often than not.

Liverpool right now are the subject of many such inquests that are absolutely convinced that last year’s runners-up are going to squarely fall flat this season and fail to match up to their levels from 2013-14.
Tuesday night against lower league opposition Middlesbrough, Liverpool played out a hugely thrilling and tense penalty shootout that lasted an eternity and finally finished when Albert Adomah missed his kick to give the Merseyside team a 14-13 victory. That shootout win came on the back of a humbling 3-1 defeat at Upton Park against Sam Allardyce’s West Ham United, their third defeat in their first five games of the new league season.

More than their performances, Brendan Rodgers’ main task this time around is to manage expectations that have been set thanks to the team’s showing last time around.

Managing expectations

A section of Liverpool fans at Anfield before their UEFA Champions League match against FC Ludogorets last week

The truth is Liverpool are not at the level where they can be regular title-contenders yet, on par with Chelsea and Manchester City. They were very, very good last season and were rightfully amongst the top two teams in England’s top division. Brendan Rodgers has a proven record of bringing about regular improvement in his teams, but last season was just a glorious coming together of all the good work, one that we may not see again. A number of things went right for them with regards to injuries, player performances and the lack of European football, especially with regards to the comparatively thin squad they had last term.

So taking that as the base, it’s easy to feel disappointed and throw brickbats at them for their showing so far. But it’s never easy to repeat success (yes, success does not necessarily mean winning trophies), even without the kind of change that Liverpool have gone through. And there is precedence to it; just think back to their superb 2008-09 campaign where they were top of the table for 9 weeks and kept up the chase on eventual champions Manchester United right until the end.

Besides the fact that Liverpool were involved in the UEFA Champions League that season, there were many parallels between that season and the one from last year. Then too they had a lethal striker who struck up a beautiful partnership with the midfield and Steven Gerrard had a fantastic season. The very next season?

They finished 7th with one of their key players, Xabi Alonso, having left for Real Madrid in the summer. So history shows us that it’s not easy to do repeats and three-peats which is why the efforts of Chelsea, Manchester United and Arsenal in the past decade were so admirable.

However, that said their fans and fans of the league are not going to be so forgiving for the expectations have been set now and that’s an added pressure that both Rodgers and his side have to deal with. Errors that may have been let off last season may be received with much more admonishment, and we’re already seeing it.

Managing the loss of Luis Suarez

Kolo Toure seemed ever determined to get as much playing time as possible and did his best to give away a clumsy penalty in the dying minutes of regulation that pushed the aforementioned League Cup game against Middlesbrough into extra time. That pretty much sums up their defensive nightmares so far. Their defenders have more often than not been lost for position and were made to look good only by Tottenham Hotspur; that tells you something about where the London club are at the moment.

But defensive struggles aside, their attack has failed to kick into gear. Yes, that high-octane attack which scored just one goal lesser (101) than champions City last season and which could dismantle any side with ease when in rhythm. That forward line of theirs was one of the best on display amongst all 20 top flight teams and they were a thing of beauty when in full flow.

Yes, Luis Suarez has left for Barcelona and Liverpool are finding out exactly what Tottenham went through last season after Gareth Bale headed to Spain. It doesn’t matter how many quality players you bring in to replace that one big fish, they’re going to need time to settle and subsequently the team is going to go through a trough in that phase. To add, there’s the element of familiarity now with how Rodgers’ side are going to play which leaves teams better prepared from last time.

Suarez had a huge role in how well both Sturridge and Sterling played last season

One particular aspect that will be of great interest as the season progresses is how Rodgers assimilates Mario Balotelli into the first-team (if at all) along with Daniel Sturridge and youngling Raheem Sterling. Last year, Rodgers had at his disposal one of the most fluid frontlines in the league with the excellent Phillipe Coutinho behind. It was a frontline that was full of runners and players who liked swapping the role of scorer and provider regularly, especially Suarez, who in the second striker’s role amplified Sturridge.

Amongst those three, Sterling and Suarez were most of the time never hesitant to pass, while Sturridge every so often would pull the trigger unnecessarily instead of moving the ball on. It didn’t affect them too badly because two of the front three were playing to plan and plus Sturridge played the furthest up field, so he could be allowed the indiscretions.

Now with Balotelli, that makes two people not always looking to pass and that’s a worry. Also, the Italian isn’t the most hard-working forward around and needs good service; a trait that’s come through while playing for his national side and City formerly. This puts the impetus on Sterling who suddenly is the next big thing for England (lost count of how many such ‘things’ have come and gone in the last decade) and supposedly THE man at Liverpool too. I think we’re conveniently forgetting that he is just 19 years old; the guy is a serious candidate for a quick burnout at this rate.

Managing Raheem Sterling

There are increased demands now on Sterling for both England and Liverpool

And that’s the final part of what Rodgers is up against this season. Sterling may be the golden boy of Liverpool and England right now, but many such promising youngsters in the land of hype, England, have tapered spectacularly after having won selection for the Three Lions. He needs to abstain from putting all the pressure of chance creation on Sterling if things get rough and needs to stick with his philosophy. He also needs to manage the youngster’s minutes with his side likely to be involved in European competition right through to ensure that fitness concerns don’t overreach and cause a downturn in his performances on the field.

The other task he has is to keep Sterling grounded; such sudden elevation can sometimes get in the way of good young players making it great. He is a fantastic player and it is disheartening to see when players of his ilk don’t come through on their enormous potential.

Burnout and overconfidence apart, other teams will soon start sniffing around if he continues to grow at his current rate (There are rumours already about Real Madrid’s interest, no surprise!). Warding off their advances and keeping his charge focused on the here and now is going to be integral.

That’s the combination of issues that Rodgers has on his hands at the moment as he looks to right the course of the Liverpudian ship that has hit one too many icebergs already this early in the season. He is one of the best young managers around and history suggests that he will eventually get it right, but even if he does he may not be able to match that second-place finish. That’s the reality that we should be ready to contend with.

However, if he does get it right, what he will be doing is setting the club up for a more consistent run at the top of the table and a scenario where it would be tough to keep them out of the title talk at the beginning of every season. A scenario where Liverpool would be better prepped to manage expectations.

Footballing Cycles - The Sine Wave that brings about change

It is FCB again that took the trophy home!

Though not the familiar one in Barcelona but the Bavarian giants Bayern Munich, who on Saturday were crowned UEFA Champions League winners of 2013.

Bayern Munich’s victory marks a return to the centre-stage for German football and the Bundesliga after being in the wilderness for some time. Ever since Porto won the competition against all odds in 2004, the Champions League has come to be dominated by English teams and Barcelona.

En route to their conquest of Europe, Bayern pounded the dominant power in Europe, Barcelona into submission. Though nobody expected the scale of the defeat, it was construed to be the match where the baton changed hands, from the dominant force of the last half a decade to the force of the future. A situation akin to when the Germanic tribes reached the gates of Rome and brought about the end of the Roman empire.

Is this the end of Barcelona’s dominance in Europe?

Are they no longer top dogs in the continent?

Could this prove to be the death-knell for tiki taka?

All of the above were pertinent questions after Barcelona’s campaign came to a grinding halt against the Bayern machine. It is not often that you see the Catalans humbled in such a manner – Bayern didn’t just crush Barcelona, they crushed a footballing philosophy as they hit 7 unanswered goals past Lionel Messi and co.

What the future holds for Barcelona or for Bayern Munich is a debate that will go on for long into the summer, however, that is a subject for another day. Before that, a quick peek at footballing cycles.

FOOTBALLING CYCLES

The game of football, like most other sports operates in cycles – both at club and at national levels. These cycles exist because football and the various teams involved continuously strive to evolve in search of a winning formula. It is not so much a straight line time graph, but merely a carousel of footballing philosophies, playing style and coaching.

Sport rarely operates in an inertial environment such as the one in our PlayStation's and Xbox's.

Footballers are human beings , they’re performances over time become subject to the wear and tear of competition and the many bruises and niggles that they carry. The other key word in all of it is ‘familiarity’ – eventually they figure you out. That goes for a player, a system , a strategy. Those that continually work to keep adding to their game are the ones that end up being successful in extending their cycle. And in today’s day and age, where technological aids and analysts are available to every team, it makes it that much harder.

THE EUROPEAN FOOTBALL SCENE

The UEFA Champions League is a true testament to this. Shifting the scene to 5 years ago, in the summer of 2008, Barcelona under Pep Guardiola had their very own ‘changing of the guard’ match. The Blaugrana defeated Manchester United 2-0 in the final that year in Rome. United were defending champions and were looking to become the first club in the Champions League era to retain the title. That victory set Barca on their way to European dominance for the next 5 years, while also setting back the progress of English teams.

Hence, the 5-year period between 2008-2012 belonged to Barcelona – they won 2 titles while making the semi-finals every year. The previous spell of domination (2004-2007) belonged to the English clubs – Liverpool, Manchester United, Chelsea and Arsenal who together made it a habit of blocking out the semi-final spots every year capped off by a title each for Liverpool and United, and finals appearances for Arsenal and Chelsea.

Real Madrid, both pre and post Galacticos had their run in the competition before the English clubs between 2000 and 2003. We can take only the period from 1998 onward into consideration, for previously only the winners of each league made it into the competition, which meant only 1 team from each country. Madrid beat Manchester United and Bayern Munich on the way to claiming the trophy in 2000, the winners and runners-up respectively from the previous tournament.

DOCUMENTING THEIR SUCCESS

Each of these teams adopted their own set of tactics to foster success in Europe’s premier competition.

Outgoing Bayern boss Jupp Heynckes guided Real Madrid to their 7^th European Cup in 1997. Following that, Vicente Del Bosque and his Los Blancos side won it in 2000. It was just before the dawn of the Galacticos era, a team led by a young Raul, Fernando Morientes and Steve McMannaman. Zinedine Zidane, Luis Figo, Ronaldo, David Beckham and Claude Makelele joined forces with Roberto Carlos and Raul and the Galacticos era was born. That star-studded squad went on to claim another prize in 2002 with that memorable Zidane volley in Glasgow.

A simple strategy of buying the best players around that ensured instant success. Trouble was, those stars were picked up in their late 20’s and after a period of time with age their impact waned. And since Real did not have a system that they played to or stuck to religiously, there was a problem when they departed and Real could never recreate the success from earlier in the decade.

The English teams came in with good defences to fend off the attacking threats of the Spaniards. They brought in a certain level of physical effort with their powerful defenders and midfielders, who were very good in the air in defence as well as attack. The English teams’ play was very direct employing wingers to good effect to deliver crosses into the ball along with judicious use of the long ball out of defence. Technical brilliance was not the greatest, but they made up for it in effort and work rate. Hard-working units with just the right amount of attacking talent served them very well in the ensuing years.

Before Guardiola arrived at the Camp Nou, Frank Rijkaard managed to win one Champions League final against Arsenal in 2006. His was an all-attacking group, equally direct, centred around the talents of Samuel Eto’o, Ronaldinho and Deco. They got that one win, but they had a traditional Barca failing in the form of their defence and their dominance didn’t last long. They may have had superior attackers, but since their attacking styles were familiar, they proved easy to contain.

Then came the tiki-taka, the hogging of possession for long periods and accurate passing of the ball from Guardiola’s stable. Whether it was intended that way, nobody will know, but the tiki-taka hit the English teams in an area where they were vulnerable. They were superb clearing headers and defending long balls and did well to cut out the through passes. Part of the reason was their tight defensive organization. What Barca’s system did was stymie their English foes, deny them the ball to get their forward players frustrated and patiently pass the ball around, waiting until a member broke the line after which they could play in that killer final pass. Slow in their lateral movement, the system wore them down as they spent large portions of the game tracking the ball. The high pressing game, 8 passes or less in which they tried to regain possession was also classy. Creating space for their players to run was central to Barca’s success plan.

And now, Bayern have brought their own heavy duty arsenal over the past 2 seasons – a combination of high intensity pressing to peg back the opponents and fast, direct attacks. Whether this means a new era of Bayern dominance, we’ll have to wait and watch; Inter and Milan have had successful winning campaigns in the past without kicking on to extend it further. Also, there will be a change in management - Guardiola will come in for Heynckes – a completely different approach may be taken by the Spaniard; in which case the lack of continuity could hurt them. Inter won the trouble under Mourinho, before having a disappointing season the next term after the Portuguese left.

What is certain is that we have witnessed the end of one footballing cycle and the beginning of the next!

Could Suarez's bite on Ivanovic have been an act with an Ulterior motive?

The number 10 has assumed special significance around Merseyside in the last 1 week. That is precisely the number of games that Liverpool are going to have to do without Luis Suarez, their star man. If things work out a certain way, the Anfield club may very well have to do without their Uruguayan striker for the rest of the club’s future.

The moment the FA announced the 10-game ban for Luis Suarez’s attempt to bite off a sizable chunk of Branislav Ivanovic’s arm when Liverpool hosted Chelsea, reactions have been split down the middle on the duration of the ban. Personally, 10 games is harsh in my opinion, because we are not dealing with a situation that could have involved a career threatening injury. A 6 game ban would have been just about right.

Many have questioned the maturity levels of a player who has had his fair share of tribulations on the football field. An attempt to sink his teeth into a fellow professional footballer has brought about widespread condemnation from former players, his manager and football fans alike. What could potentially trigger such an act of petty violence in the mind of a 26-year old lethal striker?

How about a move away from Liverpool?

Yes, you heard that right! What if the entire episode was a planned act of insolence aimed at ensuring that Luis Suarez would no longer be at Anfield come next season?

Plenty would gawk at that theory stating that footballers and their powerful agents while definitely seeking out better contracts would never resort to such an act to get a transfer done. But, a friend of mine and me were discussing the incident and he seemed to suggest that there was more to it than meets the eye. So before you shoot it down, here are a few reasons to consider exactly why such a conspiracy theory may very well be in place:

• Liverpool are not going to be in the UEFA Champions League next season. That is a huge blow for a player of Suarez’s calibre. At 26, he is in the prime of his career and he would definitely like the chance to play against the best in the continent.
• The Uruguayan on 7th August, 2012 signed a new long-term contract with the club and as it is with long term contracts slaps a huge transfer fee on the players’ head.
• A few clubs, notably Juventus and Bayern Munich showed an interest in signing Suarez and Liverpool swiftly declined to do business. The new contract was part of the effort to keep hold of their gem.
• ‘Pere’ Guardiola. Yes, he is related to the famous Barcelona player and manager. He also happens to be one of the most powerful football agents around and a certain Luis Suarez is part of his clientele.
• As you know, ‘Pep’ will be taking over as manager of Bayern Munich from next season onwards. Mario Gomez has already seen the ‘For Sale’ sign hung around his neck; the reason is that Guardiola is not an admirer of the German forward.
• The 2 strikers who Guardiola has his eye on as replacements are – Luis Suarez and Robert Lewandowski of Borussia Dortmund.
• Punishments for such offences are generally no less than 3 games and range anywhere between 4-10 games, essentially meaning that Suarez would play no further part this season and would also sit out the initial few games of next season.
• The player in question is usually shipped out either on loan or permanently as was the case with Joey Barton because the ban is applicable only in the particular country.
• It also reduces the demands that Liverpool can make, in terms of transfer fees, with potential suitors.
• Suarez is incredibly well loved by the Anfield faithful. In spite of the many controversies surrounding him, the fans have been very supportive of the striker and even after the Ivanovic incident backed him to comeback stronger than ever.
• Former Liverpool players have come out and made a case for him to be sold at any cost in order to cut the club’s growing losses in the PR space thanks to him.
• The PR pressure forces’ Liverpool’s hand and Suarez departs on good terms with fans believing that it was the controversies that saw him leave.
• It’s a win-win for all as the player gets his desired move without so much as making a transfer request or publicly stating his desire to leave which would alienate the fans. Liverpool get the money which they can use to invest in the club.
• This has happened before. When Suarez bit into the shoulder of Otman Bakkal while playing for Ajax, he received a 7-match ban from the ban which was used to his advantage to secure a big money move to Liverpool.

What all of this does, is smoothen out the path to Suarez’s exit. It appears somewhat hard to digest that someone with a history like Suarez’s would not know the consequences of such an act. The bite was apparently in response to some ‘pushy’ treatment that he received from the Serbian. However, if one were to note, the bite does somewhat come totally out of the blue and not in retaliation. A pre-meditated look about it, it bears.

Of course, I could be totally wrong and perhaps it is just a figment of my imagination!

Only time and Luis Suarez himself can tell.

English football's failings on Europe's biggest stage

Germany and Spain each have 2 representatives in the semi-finals of the UEFA Champions League, Europe's premier club competition. For the first time in 3 years, England has none. But, a more damaging fact is that no English team even made the Quarterfinals of this year's competition.

The last time an English side did not make the Quarterfinals was way back in the 1995-96 season. However, at the time, the format was such that only the winners of each of Europe's domestic leagues featured in the tournament. Blackburn Rovers, by virtue of winning the league the previous season, were England's representatives; but a disappointing campaign saw them finish bottom of their group behind the likes of Spartak Moscow, Rosenborg and Legia Warsaw. Also, there was no Round of 16 back then as there were only 16 teams spread across 4 groups.

If we were to look for the last instance of this event under the current format, we would have to keep looking for a while; because there has simply been no precedent. Never have the Quarterfinals of the Champions League been played with zero English participation. While naysayers will say that it does not really reflect much, and that England has been the most consistent in producing semi-finalists in the last decade and that the English league is more competitive in nature, there is no denying the fact that the best of England are no longer a match for the best of Germany, Spain, Italy and a few other countries.

Manchester City and Chelsea exited at the group stage, while Manchester United and Arsenal had tough first round encounters against Real Madrid and Bayern Munich respectively. You could argue that City were in the Group of Death, but that is no justification for finishing last behind even Ajax. For a team of City's quality and resources, they were expected to make a fist of it. As good as Dortmund and Real were, City were poor and failed to mount a serious challenge against any of their opponents. Chelsea too fell at the first hurdle, in the process suffering the ignominy of being the first defending champions to go out in the group phase. After starting brightly, they were outplayed by Juventus and Shakhtar Donetsk in key games which eventually spelt the death knell for their European ambitions and then manager Roberto Di Matteo's job for the season.

The sending off of Nani in the 2nd leg encounter at Old Trafford has been mooted as a turning point which swung the tie in favor of Madrid against Man United. Truth is though, that United failed to grab a multitude of opportunities even before the incident to pocket the tie. In the 1st leg in Madrid, there were opportunities for Robin Van Persie and Ryan Giggs to have accumulated more away goals for United, but they fluffed their chances. The 2nd leg saw United once again control the game and frustrate Madrid, but they failed to put away their chances. Nobody needs reminding that football is a game of 90 minutes; 60 minutes of good work does not entitle any team success, and lest we forget even 10 minutes after the Red card United looked comfortable with a 1-0 lead and 18 minutes to go to full time. Why didn't Sir Alex Ferguson use his experience to bring on a defender for a forward and try and preserve the lead? Why did he he get carried away berating the official and jeeing up the fans instead of perhaps focusing on substitutions? Why did he wait until they were 2-1 down to make his substitutions? Sending-offs swing a game, yes, but they are a part of the game and at this level you have to be prepared for that eventuality. Instead of planning out how best to see off the game, United's manager, staff and players seemed more keen on sulking and complaining about the decision and that i believe is what cost them the game and not the Nani's dismissal in itself.

As for Arsenal, they just came up against a supremely talented and confident team in Bayern Munich. The tie was pretty much settled in the 1st leg where the Germans decimated Arsenal to register a 3-1 win aided by some dodgy team selection and tactics from Arsene Wenger. The Germans are one of the favorites to take home the trophy this year and i firmly believe that Bayern Munich will either be Champions or be beaten by the eventual winners.

The English Premier League, from top to bottom, is definitely more competitive than its European cousins. This is due to a lot of reasons, but primarily down to the more even collective bargaining agreement that sees TV revenue shared equitably. The Bundesliga is seeing a revival of sorts again with all the teams playing an attractive brand of football and with clubs being owned by the fans as opposed to conglomerates, ticket prices are very affordable and the stadia and facilities have gotten a major uplift. Borussia Dortmund, once on the verge of bankruptcy and extinction, have made the journey to becoming champions of the Bundesliga twice over with a squad that that cost not more than £20 million. But, the irrefutable fact remains that there has been a gradual decline in the English game showcased by the failings of England's top clubs at the highest level. True, Chelsea did win it last year, but they needed a healthy serving of good fortune along the way.

One primary reason that can be attributed to the relative downfall of English sides is the severe lack of quality in the midfield area. In recent seasons, there has been an over-reliance on the forward line to get the job done. En route to the title last year, Chelsea put up a workmanlike midfield which effectively snuffed out the opposition, including Barcelona, but it was Didier Drogba and his goals that almost single-handedly carried them to the title. The season before that United made it to the final, thanks mainly to a somewhat favorable draw and rightly got decimated in the final against Barca. United's triumph in the 2006/07 season was also driven by their midfield consisting of Paul Scholes and Owen Hargreaves who were fantastic in that campaign. Their ability to control the midfield allowed the likes of Cristiano Ronaldo, Wayne Rooney and Carlos Tevez to do their bit up front. Darren Fletcher's absence from the final the very next season against Barcelona proved more damaging than expected. Xavi and Iniesta turned Anderson inside out and cantered to a 2-0 victory. Liverpool's championship side that secured that magical victory in Istanbul was driven on by talismanic Steven Gerrard and Xabi Alonso in the middle. This year, United are on the way to a 20th league title, but with an over-reliance on their forwards, Van Persie in particular. Time after time, they have gotten out of jail with the help of their forwards. The reason they have been behind in games so often is again the lack of midfield.

Yaya Toure is arguably one of the best central midfielders in the league (discounting David Silva as he likes to roam and sometimes plays in a wide position). He was one of the prime pillars on which City's success last season was built. He has been a little out of form, you can blame fatigue or just lack of touch for that. And early on, his struggles corroborated a lot with City's struggles and hence they failed to get momentum going. Michael Carrick's return to form for United has been a joy to watch this season. But, he too suffers from a lack of quality sidekicks. Chelsea for all their attacking flair leave huge gaps in the central midfield and  rely on workhorses John Obi Mikel and Ramires for solidity. They lack a definitive shape and when Eden Hazard, Juan Mata and Oscar all go forward, they are left exposed at the back. Tottenham too have relied on the brilliance of Gareth Bale, but have some good options in the form of Scott Parker, Gylfi Sigurdsson and Moussa Dembele. Jack Wilshere is the true outstanding talent currently playing in the English league and when he plays, Arsenal look a totally different side. Mikel Arteta also comes into his own in the company of the young Englishman. But, for Arsenal, more than losing Van Persie, the loss of Alex Song was a big blow. He lent them that steel in midfield and he was very good with his distribution, a combo that has been tough to replace.

Now compare that with the 4 teams that have made it to the semi's. Barcelona, lest we mention have the trio of Xavi, Sergio Busquets and Andres Iniesta who boss the midfield. Bayern Munich have got Bastian Schweinsteiger, Javi Martinez and Toni Kroos who boss the midfield. Borussia Dortmund play Ilkay Gundogan, Sven Bender and Mario Gotze who do the same for the Black and Yellow. And Real Madrid have got the tireless Sami Khedira working with master passer Xabi Alonso and Mesut Ozil who pretty much impose their authority in that area of the pitch. Juventus, who were outclassed by Munich, don't fare too badly either with Andrea Pirlo, Claudio Marchisio, Paul Pogba and Arturo Vidal. The fact that they were usurped by Bayern just goes to show how well the Germans are playing and how effective their midfield unit is in nullifying that of their opponents. PSG who narrowly lost to Barcelona have 2 fine youngsters in Marco Verratti and Blaise Matuidi (not bought for huge sums of money by the way) who'd be able to gain the measure of even the best English sides. Doesn't make for healthy reading, does it?

Paul Pogba mentioned in a recent interview that the main reason for his departure from Old Trafford was Ferguson's stubborn refusal to play the youngster choosing to plump for veterans such as Ryan Giggs and Scholes instead. This when it was so blatantly clear that United needed legs and energy alongside the passing ability of Carrick. So, until this problem is solved, the well documented struggles of English sides against the best of Europe is going to continue. The Italian league is on a bit of a rebuilding phase as even the traditional big boys such as Milan and Juve struggle financially. So, the Premier League may not fall behind them, but the drop in quality overall has been obvious. A continued decadence and England could fall behind Italy and surrender that 4th Champions League spot to another nation as Italy found out when usurped by Germany.

United go 15 points clear as City slip up at Goodison

Manchester United inched a step closer to their 20th domestic league title with a 1-0 win at home to Reading  that pushed their lead over defending champions Manchester City to 15 points.

It was a lackluster performance from the league leaders in the late kick-off of the day. In spite of playing a near full strength team, the Red Devils managed just the solitary goal, Wayne Rooney's shot taking a deflection en route to goal to secure 3 points for Sir Alex Ferguson's side.

Alexander Buttner & Chris Smalling came in for regular full-backs Patrice Evra & Rafael respectively. Michael Carrick & Tom Cleverley were also given a rest as Anderson & Ryan Giggs started in the middle of the park. Robin van Persie, Rooney & Danny Welbeck all started in a full-strength forward line.

It was Rooney who got the goal on 21 minutes, but all credit should go to Rio Ferdinand who showed just why he has been recalled into the England set up with a brilliant forward run from defence that caught Reading napping. He managed to lay the ball off to his English compatriot, whose scuffed shot into the ground took a deflection and looped over Adam Federici in goal. Otherwise, it was a dull affair in which United's centre-backs Ferdinand and Nemanja Vidic starred repelling every attack from the visitors. Vidic was lucky though not to have conceded a penalty for a push on Adrian Mariappa during a corner in the 2nd half.

City fire blanks in loss to 10-man Everton

Everton rebounded superbly from their humbling exit in the FA Cup last week, to beat champions City 2-0 at home. It was an inspired performance from David Moyes' side in complete contrast to last week when they were jeered off the ground by their own fans. Leon Osman's pile-driver of a shot from 30 yards out gave the Toffees the lead.

Missing the services of captain Vincent Kompany & start striker Sergio Aguero, City were helped in their attempt to recover the situation when Steven Pienaar was sent off for a second bookable offence giving the champions a numerical advantage. However, Everton defended stoutly to snuff out the visitors before Nikica Jelavic put the result to bed late in stoppage time. City had a penalty claim in the 86th minute waived off when the ball struck Marouane Fellaini's arm inside the penalty box, but the referee deemed that it had occurred outside the D and awarded only a free-kick.

This is the fourth straight defeat for City at Goodison Park in what has become a graveyard fixture for them. It was also David Moyes' 6th victory over Roberto Mancini, the most by any opposing manager in the Premier League. Sir Alex Ferguson is second on the list with 3 wins.

Saints march towards safety

Southampton completed an impressive 3-1 win over Liverpool at St.Mary's to further their chances of surviving the drop. Liverpool were undone by a superb performance from Mauricio Pochettino's side that saw them dominate the first half. Goals from Morgan Schneiderlin and Ricky Lambert gave the hosts a much deserved 2-0 win and Southampton could very well have gone out of sight with better use of the chances that they created with the pairing of Adam Lallana & Gaston Ramirez taking Liverpool apart. Philippe Coutinho grabbed one back for Liverpool on the stroke of half-time to give them hopes of a revival.

The second half was a more even affair and Liverpool had their chances to pull level in the first 15 minutes. Southampton though got back in the game with better possession and when Jay Rodriguez scored the home side's third, it appeared to knock the stuffing out of the visitors. Southampton with the win go 7 points clear of the drop zone.

Villans emerge victorious in relegation scrap

Aston Villa won their 2nd game on the bounce, a thrilling 3-2 win over fellow relegation contenders QPR. QPR's heroes from last week, Jermaine Jenas and Andros Townsend were again on the score-sheet  but they were pipped to the post by Paul Lambert's Villa side.

Harry Redknapp had led QPR to 2 successive wins themselves coming into the game made the early running as Chris Samba went close to giving them the lead off set pieces on numerous occasions  Jenas did give them the lead on 23 minutes when he finished off a rebound off of Bobby Zamora's initial shot. Villa were toothless for much of the first half, but like last week, Gabriel Agbonhalor popped up with a goal in first half injury time to level the game.

Andreas Weimann then gave Villa the lead 14 minutes after the restart before Townsend scored for the 2nd game running to make it 2-2. The game looked to be heading for a draw when Weimann who had an impressive game, cut the ball back from the right to lay it into star striker Christian Benteke's path who made no mistake with the finish.


Arsenal boost Champions League hopes

An impressive away performance at Swansea saw Arsene Wenger's side emerge 2-0 victors from the Liberty stadium. They had lost by the exact same scoreline to the Swans in their first meeting at the Emirates. The hosts had the better of the opening exchanges, but Arsenal grew into the game as it progressed and looked much the sharper in the 2nd half. A first goal for Nacho Monreal broke the deadlock in the 75th minute before substitute Gervinho made sure of the points with an 89th minute strike. It was the second impressive away performance in a week that Wenger can take heart from after their 2-0 win at the Allianz Arena in Germany on Wednesday.

Stoke City and West Bromwich Albion played out a 0-0 draw in the other game on Saturday.

Sunday's fixtures
Sunderland vs Norwich City
Tottenham Hotspur vs Fulham
Chelsea vs West Ham United
Wigan Athletic vs Newcastle United

PREMIER LEAGUE Results: Sat, March 2nd

Manchester United 4-0 Norwich City

Shinji Kagawa's became the first Asian player to score a hat-trick in the Premier League as his well taken goals along with one for Wayne Rooney took United 15 points clear at the top of the league with Manchester City playing away at Aston Villa on Monday night. Rooney who started up top with leading scorer Robin van Persie had a stellar game providing 2 assists and rounding off proceedings with a thunderous finish. Kagawa though was the undoubted star for a classy performance filled with some sublime finishing in front of goal.

Chelsea 1-0 West Bromwich Albion

Demba Ba on his return to the Chelsea starting line-up scored the only goal of the game as his first half strike was enough to see the Blues hold on to a narrow victory at home. Playing without their lead striker Romelu Lukaku, West Brom did fashion a few chances but the Blues saw off a nervy last few minutes to take 3 points that puts them temporarily back in third place. Following manager Rafa Benitez's outburst midweek, there were banners mocking his 'Interim manager' status and seeking his exit, but the protests quietened down once the game began.

Wigan Athletic 0-4 Liverpool

Luis Suarez's hat-trick saw Liverpool rout Wigan at the DW stadium emerging victorious by 4 goals after Stewart Downing opened the scoring with a header in the 2nd minute. The win takes Liverpool 7th in the table within 3 points of city rivals Everton.  With the 3 goals, Suarez is now the leading scorer in the league with 21 goals moving 2 ahead of Van Persie.

Everton 3-1 Reading

Everton eased to a comfortable home win against relegation embattled Reading with goals from Marouane Fellaini, Steven Pienaar and Kevin Mirallas that saw them end a run of 4 league games without a win. Everton dominated the game and though Robson Kanu grabbed one back for the Royals, it was merely compensation.

Southampton 1-2 QPR

Harry Redknapp's campaign to keep QPR in the top flight received a much needed boost as Rangers came away from St.Mary's with a precious win in a relegation 6-pointer. Loic Remy returned to the starting line-up after coming off the bench in the last couple of games and gave QPR the lead. Gaston Ramirez then levelled for the Saints when Julio Cesar spilled Jay Rodriguez's shot on the stroke of half-time. Jay Bothroyd then popped up with the winner for QPR in the 74th minute tapping in a Park Ji-Sung cross. Rangers are still bottom though 3 points off Reading in 19th place. Southampton remain 16th thanks to Wigan's loss against Liverpool.

Sunderland 2-2 Fulham

Sunderland fought back from 2 goals down to grab a point as their home game against Fulham ended 2-2. Dimitar Berbatov gave Fulham the lead through a coolly taken penalty literally passing the ball into net. Fulham then doubled their lead through Sascha Riether, but Sunderland hit back immediately with a penalty of their own which Craig Gardner converted. Stephane Sessegnon, who put in a man of the match performance for the Black Cats, then scored the equalizer in the 70th minute, finishing off a move that started and ended with him.

Swansea 1-0 Newcastle United

Substitute Luke Moore's late strike gave League Cup champions Swansea City a narrow win over form team Newcastle United. The 85th minute strike gave the Swans a hard-fought win in their return to league action after their demolition of Bradford in the League Cup final last Sunday.

Stoke City 0-1 West Ham United

Substitute Jack Collison's goal in the dying minutes of the first half was enough for West Ham to hold on for a rare away win in their clash against Stoke at the Britannia stadium. Both teams had been struggling for form , West Ham with the win move level on points with Stoke on 33.

UEFA Europa League results: Round of 32

The dust having settled on the marquee match of the UEFA Champions League Round of 16 that was Real Madrid versus Manchester United, there was the small business of the Europa League getting back to business with its Round of 32 games. Some of the major results from last night’s action. 

Internazionale 2-0 CFR Cluj

Rodrigo Palacio netted both goals for Inter. The celebrations around the San Siro however were muted as star striker Diego Milito suffered a serious knee injury that forced him off and has now ended his season. Palacio came on to replace the Argentine and grab a brace for the hosts who were largely untroubled by their Romanian opponents and controlled the game from start to finish.

Zenit St. Petersburg 2-0 Liverpool

The Russian champions emerged from their Winter hibernation to beat Liverpool 2-0 in the 1st leg at home. After a first half that saw chances for both teams to go ahead, Zenit’s big money Brazilian import – Hulk – broke the deadlock with an unstoppable left footed long range drive that Pepe Reina could do nothing about. Brendan Rodger’s side began to fade as the match progressed and on 72 minutes substitute Sergei Semak doubled Zenit’s advantage with a simple tap in after some lapse defending from Liverpool. The loss compounded what has been a miserable week for the English side coming off  a 0-2 reverse at home to West Brom in the league that set back their European football aspirations for next season. 

Bayer Leverkusen 0-1 Benfica

Leverkusen were the better side on the day creating enough chances for a win, but it was the Portuguese visitors who grabbed the goal through Oscar Cardozo giving them a priceless away goal. Sidney Sam had a chance to level the tie late, but his effort was cleared off the line as Benfica went back home with a Road win.

Newcastle United 0-0 Metalist Kharkiv

The game may have ended goalless, but not for lack of attacking football by either team. Newcastle and Metalist, 2 sides known for their fluent attacking football, played out an entertaining draw at St. James’ Park. Having sold their star attacking midfielder Taison to Shakhtar in the winter break, Metalist lacked their usual menace in the final third. Instead it was their veteran keeper Olexander Goryainov who had a superb game to keep  the hosts at bay repelling efforts from Papiss Cisse and Moussa Sissoko as the game went on.  Alan Pardew while disappointed that the Magpies failed to gain an advantage from the home leg, would be happy that his side at least didn’t concede an away goal. 

Atletico Madrid 0-2 Rubin Kazan

This was the upset of the night as defending champions Atletico were beaten at home by 10 man Rubin Kazan to leave them with a mammoth task in the return leg in Russia. Both teams were unbeaten in this year’s competition coming into the game and took an early lead in the 6th minute through Gokdeniz Karadeniz after a spill from Atletico keeper Sergio Assenjo. Rubin captain Roman Sharanov was sent off for a 2nd yellow close to half-time after which Rubin closed their ranks and looked to defend their lead. Atletico couldn’t muster any breakthroughs though and in injury time, Rubin inflicted further misery on the defending champs, as they broke at pace from an Atletico corner with keeper Assenjo having gone up for the corner leaving the goal unmarked. Pablo Orbaiz coolly slotted home to send the Russian side delirious with joy. It was Atletico’s first defeat of the season and their first European home defeat since 2010.

Ajax 2-0 Steaua Bucharest

The Dutch champions took control of their Round of 32 tie with a measured performance at home. Rebounding from the disappointment of being eliminated from the Champions League, Ajax took the lead on 28 minutes through defender Toby Aldeirweirled. Shortly after half-time, Ricardo van Rhijn made it 2-0 to the hosts with a composed finish. With the win Ajax arrested a damaging run of 4 losses in their 5 previous European home games.

Anzhi Makhachkala 3-1 Hannover 96

Hannover stunned the big spending Russian side early with a Szabolcs Huszti goal. But, Samuel Eto’o pulled them back level 11 minutes before halftime after good work from new boy Willian as he burst down the right to cross it back for the Cameroon striker. Odil Ahmedov and Mbark Boussoufa added further goals in the 2nd half to give Guus Hiddink’s men a comfortable win.

Sparta Prague 0-1 Chelsea

Having suffered the ignominy of becoming the first Holders of the UEFA Champions League to be dumped out in the Group stages, Chelsea came away from Prague with a valuable away win thanks to Oscar’s goal. The Brazilian who came on as a sub scored within 33 seconds of his arrival after exchanging passes with Eden Hazard with a neat finish  and hand the advantage to the Londoners who until then had struggled to break down a compact Sparta side.

Borussia Monchengladbach 3-3 Lazio

The most entertaining game came in Germany as Lazio held Borussia Monchengladbach to a 3-3 draw scoring 3 priceless away goals in the process. Monchengladbach were the more threatening of the 2 sides and took the lead as Martin Stranzl converted the first of 3 penalties that the Germans earned during the game. Lazio missing injured striker Miroslav Klose leveled through Sergio Floccario. 5 minutes later, Borussia sitting deeper fell as Libor Kozak put Lazio ahead 2-1. The hosts were handed a 2nd penalty and a numerical advantage as Andre Dias saw Red, but Stranzl’s effort this time was saved by Federico Marchetti. Thorben Marx then made no mistake with Borussia’s 3rd penalty to make it 2-2. With 3 minutes left in regulation, Juan Arango’s marvelous free-kick from 30 metres out looked to have nailed the game, but Kozak grabbed his second and Lazio’s 3rd in the dying seconds to leave the Romans with the advantage going into the 2nd leg. 

Tottenham 2-1 Lyon

The hottest player in the Premier League, Gareth Bale, stretched his goal scoring exploits into Europe as his brace led Tottenham to a 2-1 home win over French side Lyon. The Wlelshman dispatched 2 freekicks in added time of each half into the Lyon goal to deny the visitors a share of the spoils. 19 year old left back Samuel Umtiti’s thunderous volley pulled Lyon back in the game early in the 2nd half. But Bale, had other ideas as he capped the night with a splendid free-kick to seal the deal for Tottenham.

Napoli 0-3 Viktoria Plzen

The other major upset came in Naples, where Napoli were humbled by a spirited Viktoria Plzen side. The Czechs managed to silence the big guns of Napoli while scoring 3 of their own past Morgan de Sanctis. The 3 strikes from Vladimir Darida, Frantisek Rajtoral and Stanislav Tecl mean Plzen literally have 1 foot in the next round as Napoli try and ponder how to recover from this major setback.

Here are the other results from yesterday’s games.
BATE Borisov 0-0 Fenerbahce
Levante 3-0 Olympiacos
Dynamo Kyiv 1-1 Bordeaux
Stuttgart 1-1 Genk
Basel 2-0 Dnipro Dnipropetrovsk