Monday, 17 March 2014

Debrief: Arsenal, Liverpool and Man City dig for victory

Debrief: Arsenal, Liverpool and Man City dig for victory

Debrief: Arsenal, Liverpool and Man City dig for victory

Posted: 16 Mar 2014 01:10 PM PDT

Home discomfort gets worse for Manchester United The point was made with pained pride. As Gary Neville co-commentated on Manchester United's 3-0 Old Trafford defeat to Liverpool, he noted that the visitors had had far too much time on the ball, and that you couldn't allow such a thing to happen at home "whether you're Manchester United or Crystal Palace, near the bottom". True as that is, United have only gained one home point more than Palace. Their 21-point home total is the same as Norwich and Newcastle, and a shade over half Chelsea's of 41. Satisfied guests now include West Brom, Everton, Newcastle, Spurs, Swansea, Sunderland and – worst of all – Liverpool. The Premier League's third best away side this season (behind Arsenal and Spurs), United are one of just four teams who fare better on their travels than at home; the others are Spurs, Villa and Sunderland, who have all had fan disenchantment to deal with. Old Trafford used to terrify visitors. If it is now terrifying to its owners, that's not the fault of the fans, who have supported their team and its beleaguered boss with a passion and dedication far stronger than the "plastic glory-hunters" lie so easily thrown at them. For all that a generation of young fans reared on success are finally tasting the disappointment others frequently feel, it's a shame that United's decline is being played out so visibly in front of their most dedicated supporters. Ramires absence leaves Chelsea in a hole Next Saturday lunchtime's visit of Arsenal was already far from ideal for Chelsea: the Gunners will have a free midweek to prepare while Jose Mourinho's side conclude Champions League business with Roberto Mancini's Galatasaray. But the two sendings-off suffered in the defeat at Aston Villa makes the match all the harder. Andre Schurrle should deputise ably for Willian, ruled out by a harsh second yellow, but Ramires's richly-deserved straight red is more troublesome. The elder Brazilian is a key component of Jose Mourinho's plan: of Chelsea's 30 league games, he has started 27 (compared to Willian's 14). That means that alongside Nemanja Matic, Chelsea will have to choose from David Luiz, Frank Lampard and John Obi Mikel – none of whom have consistently excelled in the holding midfield role. Furthermore, the problem will remain for a fortnight: presuming it's a three-game ban, Ramires will also miss the trip to Palace and the visit of Stoke, two fixtures in which Mourinho would prefer as much muscular midfield mastery as possible. Coupled with the bluntness up front that left Brad Guzan with only two shots to save, Mourinho's fifth successive winless trip to Aston raises some serious questions about Chelsea. Certainly it seems their relentless, ruthless pursuit of points may not go quite as smoothly as their previous run of 10 wins in 12 undefeated league games might suggest. Liverpool, City and Arsenal dig for victory Victories can be hard-won in different ways. Chelsea's defeat at Villa gave the chasing pack chance to catch up – and all three challengers clawed back three points to tighten up the title race yet again. By the time Chelsea kicked off at Saturday teatime, Manchester City had already won the lunchtime game – the hard way. Ten minutes into the game at Hull – where Liverpool lost and Manchester United went two down – City lost their inspirational skipper Vincent Kompany to a red card. Furthermore, City's other centre-back was Martin Demichelis, to which a cynic might have said it was 12 players against nine. However, the ageing Argentine expertly marshalled his troops, including auxiliary centre-back Javi Garcia, to such an extent that Manuel Pellegrini didn't even bring on a substitute defender until the 71st minute. City dug in for a 2-0 win which says a lot about their character. Then it was Liverpool's turn – at Manchester United, where they have come a cropper far more often than not even when the Mersey Reds ruled the roost. Brendan Rodgers again tweaked his side's shape to suit the opponents: this time, with a midfield diamond with Steven Gerrard at the base and Raheem Sterling at the top, attacking full-backs nullified United's wingers while harriers Joe Allen and Jordan Henderson hassled high and hard and gave United's midfield no respite. It worked: Liverpool made 12 tackles in United's half, 47 in total, while Gerrard's penalty brace and Luis Suarez's late polisher made for a memorable 3-0 scoreline which smacks of a chaining of the guard. Having finished last season 28 points behind their bitterest rivals up the M62, Liverpool are now 14 points clear of them and in the thick of a title race United can only dream of. Finally came Arsenal, who went about things in a rather different way. Having taken a very early lead at Tottenham, they ended up fielding six defenders plus Mathieu Flamini in the sort of line-up they haven't deployed since George Graham played Alan Smith as the lone front-runner ahead of a midfield including Martin Keown. In the second half, Arsene Wenger's side – widely respected for their attacking élan – managed a total of one shot. (Meanwhile, Spurs were having 10, but only getting two on target.) Frequently looking to counter-attack with long vertical stabs forward, Arsenal completed just 248 passes – their lowest total in four years. But they won by the old-school Arsenal scoreline of 1-0, meaning that even with a game in hand they're now nine points clear of their fifth-placed neighbours and only four behind Chelsea, their next opponents. For that London derby, might Wenger try to park the bus a la Jacques Santini (Chelsea 0-0 Spurs, 2004) or employ 19th-century football a la Sam Allardyce (Chelsea 0-0 West Ham, 2014)? Stranger things have happened. Perhaps Arsene Wenger, with the scent of Brasso in his nostrils, has remembered that last time Arsenal won a trophy, it was on penalties after grinding out a 0-0 in the 2005 FA Cup final... Tottenham's glass ceiling If Arsenal are exultant, Tottenham are in tatters. A week from hell has seen their two most hated rivals beat them to nil in the league, sandwiching something of a lesson in the Europa League. For all his admirable honesty and passion, Tim Sherwood seems to be doing an increasingly accurate impersonation of The Bloke On The Terrace Who Could Do A Better Job. But it's not entirely Sherwood's fault that Tottenham are again banging their head against the glass ceiling of the top four. Andre Villas-Boas wasn't doing much better, while the running of the club led some to tote around Levy Out placards on a blistering hot day in North London. Spurs' record against the top four this season reads: played seven, W0 D1 L6, F2 A23. They still have to visit Anfield, where demonstrably better teams have been battered; it's also worth noting that Liverpool scored five at White Hart Lane. That result ended Villas-Boas's Tottenham career. Sherwood may already be a dead man walking. Norwich need three wins in four A triple substitution is a tricky thing. Not only does a manager run the risk of going short-handed if his side suffers a subsequent injury, he is also making a loud statement about the failure of the starting XI he ws paid to pick. Or, as Norwich fans sang as Chris Hughton took his treble chance shortly after Southampton's own sub Rickie Lambert had made it 2-0: "You don't know what you're doing". Angry fans aren't always right – West Ham supporters chorused "F*** off Sam Allardyce" in January, he won the Manager of the Month for February – but Hughton has been under a cloud for months, searching for the answers among a squad that was expensively extended last summer with an eye on Europe rather than relegation. At St Mary's he made five changes, dropping his goalshy record signing Ricky van Wolfswinkel and club captain Sebastian Bassong among others. It didn't work. Not much does these days for Hughton, whose side has won twice in 15 attempts since early December and has now lost five away games on the bounce. Norwich have eight games left, in two distinct phases. First, the six-pointers: against Sunderland (H), Swansea (A), West Brom (H) and Fulham (A). Then, they finish the season with the sort of glamour games that newly-promoted teams get excited about and safe-from-relegation sides see as a bonus chance to get an unexpected point: Liverpool (H), Manchester United (A), Chelsea (A) and Arsenal (H). With 29 points banked from 30 games, and survival pace still set at roughly a point per game, it looks like the Canaries need at least three wins from the next four games if they aren't to leave themselves a serious struggle to survive. Swans gliding toward trouble Since they won the League Cup 12 months ago, Swansea have been rubbish in the league: 35 points in the last 38 games. That's not all Garry Monk's fault, but it's his problem. Since Monk's opening caretaker win over Cardiff, the Swans have gathered just two points in four games. True, losing at Liverpool is no disgrace, and the 1-1 at Stoke is more than most have got. More worrying is their form at the Liberty: one point from hosting Palace and West Brom is a worrying return, especially as the latter hadn't won under Pepe Mel before dominating the Swans in the second half. Swansea are bumping along on a point-per-game average which might be enough to survive but equally might not; a club legend, Monk must make sure his players know the situation they're in. It would help if they won the odd home game, starting with next visitors Norwich, but by that time they may really need to: first they travel to Everton and Arsenal. Sunderland have to settle in To some extent Sunderland are in control of their destiny: they've played two or three games fewer than their rivals. They also have some winnable home fixtures – Cardiff, Swansea, West Brom, West Ham, the Everton side they beat at Goodison – yet to come. It's certainly preferable to their away itinerary, which includes Manchester City, Chelsea, Liverpool, Manchester United, Tottenham and, er, Norwich. Trouble is, Sunderland aren't much good at home. In fact, they're bobbins, bottom of the home-points table. Only they and Fulham average less than a point per game on their own turf. The latest guests to escape with a clean sheet and a point were Palace, tantalisingly on the other side of the dotted relegation line.If Sunderland don't want that over their heads at the end of the season, they need to start winning home games. SEE ALSO James Maw's Saturday analysis

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Moyes stunned by United no-show

Posted: 16 Mar 2014 12:18 PM PDT

Moyes watched on as Steven Gerrard scored twice from the penalty spot before Nemanja Vidic was shown a second yellow card for a foul on Daniel Sturridge inside the penalty area. Gerrard missed the ensuing spot kick before Luis Suarez made it three and ensured Liverpool of their first win at Old Trafford in seven attempts. United were subdued throughout as they slipped to a sixth home defeat in all competitions this season. And after suffering a further blow in his debut season with the champions, Moyes was surprised by his sides below-par showing. It wasnt what we expected, I felt as if the players looked in good shape and good fettle going into it but we just didnt get to the standards that were required to beat Liverpool, he said. I said all week, Ive not seen that. Ive seen confident players, well-motivated and hard-working (players). We didnt start the game as well as wed like but I actually thought we grew into the game a bit better but the (second) penalty kick changed that. Liverpool played well and we didnt play as well as we can. Well work to make that better. The defeat leaves United 12 points off fourth place with just nine games to rescue their league campaign.

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Rodgers pleased with Liverpool dominance

Posted: 16 Mar 2014 10:37 AM PDT

Rodgers saw captain Steven Gerrard score twice from the penalty spot at Old Trafford before Nemanja Vidic was shown a second yellow card late on for a foul inside the area on Daniel Sturridge. Gerrard failed to convert his third penalty, but there was still time for Luis Suarez to find the target as Liverpool completed a fine win to close within four points of Premier League leaders Chelsea, who have played a game more. Rodgers felt Liverpool could have scored more goals but was keen to reiterate that nobody at the club is getting carried away with their title challenge. Its obviously a big win over a huge rival - two of the biggest British clubs that are renowned worldwide. To dominate the game like that was very pleasing, he said. I thought we could have had more goals, I thought we were really aggressive in our game going forward and with a better final touch or final ball we might have got in a bit better and finished them off even more so. We attack with great intent and we defend as well. We will just focus on our next game. I can only look at our next game. Ive done that since I walked in the door. As he approaches the end of his second season at Liverpool, Rodgers added that he expects his charges to improve as the campaign draws to a close. This, he explained, is largely due to a change in mentality at Anfield as Liverpool eye their first league title since 1990. We were the same last season - we get better with the methods and that gives us confidence and belief. I try to not expect so much and let the players do the talking, he added. Were up there on merit so of course we have an opportunity. We expect to win. We have a mentality in the team thats been developing over the course of the 18 months Ive been here that we expect to win, home and away. The belief is in the players now and you see that in their game. I havent banned (talk of winning the title), weve just got better things to talk about. I dont lose sleep over it, (we) just talk about players improving their performance level and improving their life.

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Rooney laments one of his worst days

Posted: 16 Mar 2014 10:36 AM PDT

Steven Gerrards brace of penalties and Luis Suarezs late effort condemned United to a sixth defeat on home soil this season in all competitions, leaving them way off the pace of the Premier Leagues top four with time to make up the ground rapidly running out. Things could have been worse for United at Old Trafford with Gerrard missing a third penalty - which had seen Nemanja Vidic dismissed for a second yellow card - while right-back Rafael da Silva was lucky not to see red himself. United rarely threatened throughout the contest as their woes under David Moyes continue and Rooney expressed his dejection after the final whistle. Its one of the worst days Ive ever had in football, former Everton striker Rooney told MUTV. Its hard to take. You have to give Liverpool credit they played well but its difficult to take. Nobody wants to lose, especially in this way, in your own stadium. Its not nice. Gerrards second came in the first minute after the interval and Rooney conceded the timing of the goal rocked Uniteds confidence. To go behind by one penalty was hard to take, Rooney added. We had a game plan for the second half, which went out the window when they got the second penalty so early on. It made it an uphill battle to come back. I thought after that we had a couple of chances where I thought, if we got one, we could have gone for a second and maybe we could have done it. Obviously it didnt happen, though. Then, to concede a third penalty, even though they missed, was a big blow to us. We were then chasing the game with 10 men. That made it difficult for us and they kept the ball well to see the game out. I havent seen the penalties back again but from where I was standing on the pitch I dont think we can argue with them.

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Moyes queries referee decisions

Posted: 16 Mar 2014 09:42 AM PDT

Steven Gerrard scored twice from the spot at Old Trafford before missing the chance to complete a hat-trick when hitting the post with another penalty 12 minutes from time. United saw Nemanja Vidic sent off for the foul that led to Liverpools third penalty, and went on to concede again as Luis Suarez found the net in the 84th minute. It was a game littered with penalty kicks and decisions - some were right and some were wrong, Moyes told Sky Sports. To give away one (a penalty) 20 seconds into the second half made it an upward climb. They (Liverpool) played better than us. Some decisions went for them and on some occasions they earned it but on others they didnt. I think thats just the way things are; its best we dont talk about it. Moyes was particularly aggrieved by United being denied a penalty when Glen Johnson appeared to handle in the area. The United boss continued: I thought it hits his hand, its not a lot different from (the penalty given against) Rafael. I think Liverpool played well but in the first half there wasnt a great deal in it. Despite suffering another setback in a disappointing first season in charge at Old Trafford, Moyes has refused to concede defeat in the chase for UEFA Champions League qualification. Well fight to the end, (Champions League qualification) will be tough but well see what we can do, he added.

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Premier League: Manchester United 0 Liverpool 3

Posted: 16 Mar 2014 08:31 AM PDT

The Liverpool captain proved the man for the occasion, scoring twice from the spot and missing a third penalty to inspire his sides first win at Old Trafford in seven attempts in all competitions as Brendan Rodgers men moved ahead of Manchester City into second and within four points of leaders Chelsea with a game in hand. Nemanja Vidic was sent off for two yellow cards, receiving his second when hebrought down Daniel Sturridge for Liverpools third penalty, before Luis Suarez added further gloss to the scoreline with six minutes remaining. An under-par performance coupled with a further dent to Uniteds European aspirations piles further misery on David Moyes and the Premier League champions, as their Merseyside rivals remain firmly in the hunt for a first league title since the 1989-90 campaign. The first of Gerrards converted penalties ensured Liverpool went in ahead at the break, after Rafael used his hand to deny Suarez an opportunity on goal. While referee Mark Clattenburg chose not to show the defender a second yellow card, the hosts found themselves behind at half-time and Moyes was left to rue another costly foul early in the second half. Phil Jones brought down Joe Allen and, when Clattenburg pointed to the spot, Gerrard made no mistake. Gerrard then missed the chance for a hat-trick of penalties when Vidic felled Sturridge, the Liverpool skipper crashing his effort against the post. Suarez, though, did add a third for Liverpool six minutes from time as the visitors clinched a vital three points. Sturridge was quick to showcase his movement if not his finishing prowess early onwhen he fired wide after just two minutes before Liverpool appeals for a penalty were waved away. Suarez appeared aggrieved after feeling the clumsy tackles of Jones and then Marouane Fellaini in quick succession warranted spot-kicks, but Clattenburg had other ideas. Other than Liverpools early pressing, chances were few and far between in the opening exchanges - Robin van Persies blocked effort the best United could produce before Sturridge spurned the opportunity to test David de Gea when he failed to fashion a clean strike on goal after turning Vidic. Allen did force the Spaniard into a save shortly after, capitalising on Vidics error to get an effort away on goal, before Rafael handled inside the area to give Liverpool a penalty after Suarez cut in from the left wing. Gerrard kept his cool to send De Gea the wrong way and hand the visitors a 34th-minute lead - while Rafael will perhaps feel a touch fortunate not to have been given a second yellow card, having already been cautioned for a foul on the Liverpool skipper. United finished the half on top, Wayne Rooney first seeing a shot saved by Simon Mignolet before the follow-up was well blocked by Martin Skrtel, but the hosts made the worst possible start to the second half when Jones bundled into Allen, with Gerrard registering his10th Premier League goal of the season with another penalty. Gerrard was denied a hat-trick when he struck the post from the spot 12 minutes from time, but thevictory was complete when Suarez latched on to Sturridges through-ball to register his 25th league goal of the campaign.

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Injured Aguero a doubt for Manchester derby

Posted: 14 Mar 2014 06:41 AM PDT

Aguero was taken off at half-time in Wednesday's UEFA Champions League defeat to Barcelona with a hamstring problem, leading to fears the Argentina international could miss a large part of City's run-in. While manager Manuel Pellegrini said Aguero's injury was not "very serious", he confirmed the 25-year-old will be out for more than a week, meaning he could miss the Manchester derby on March 25. "Tomorrow, we will know the extent of Sergio Aguero's injury. We do not know exactly what is wrong," Pellegrini said on Friday. "Aguero will be out for more than one week but I don't think it is very serious. "Matija Nastasic and Stevan Jovetic are still recovering. Maybe next week they will be fit. Micah Richards also has a problem." Aguero has been hampered by a number of injuries this season, but still boasts 26 goals from 28 games in all competitions.

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