Review: England Midweek Games

Chelsea cruised to a 3-0 win over Watford - Schevchenko was singled out for praise by 'The Special One' despite not getting on the scoresheet. However the good result was tempered by a potentially season threatening injury to Ashley Cole who got stretched off, and apparently cannot walk now.

ManUtd as expected cruised to a 4-0 win over Watford. Ronaldo as usual in outstanding form. 1 win down, 11 to go - Sir Alex Fergerson had set a target of 12 wins to win the EPL

Arsenal saw off Tottenham in the Carling Cup Semi final second leg in extra time. Wenger was pleased with his young side, and has promised to field a sizeable number of them in the Final against London rivals Chelsea.

Bolton failed to make up ground on Arsenal by drawing at home with Charlton - I expected them to struggle though.

Preview: Midweek Premiership

ManUtd vs Watford - Watford are facing the wrong team at a time when they'll be looking to get some points. Easy win for ManU

Chelsea vs Blackburn - Chelsea have had some easy games in the Cups but this is a different proposition. They will look to win this, since Liverpool are hot on their heels having won yesterday at West Ham. I expect a narrow win for Chelsea though

Bolton vs Charlton - Bolton will be full of confidence having recovered from their 5-1 drubbing by Boro by drawing with Arsenal at the Emirates. Charlton have beaten them twice this season so this could be interesting. Bolton to win though.

YOUR DSTV WEEKLY LIVE FOOTBALL GUIDE

Note:All timings are CAT(Central African Time)

Soccer on SuperSport: Wednesday 31 February
Time Channel Details
21:30 - 23:45 SS7 FA Premiership:: Chelsea vs Blackburn, LIVE
21:45 - 00:00 SS5 FA Premiership:: Man Utd vs Watford, LIVE
21:45 - 00:00 SS6 FA Premiership:: Newcastle vs Aston Villa, LIVE
21:45 - 23:45 SS3A/SS3 Carling: SF 2 2nd Leg: Arsenal vs Tottenham, LIVE
21:55 - 00:00 SS8 FA Premiership:: Man Utd vs Watford, LIVE

Soccer on SuperSport: Saturday 03 February
Time Channel Details
14:15 - 16:45 SS3A/SS3/MNET FA Premiership:: Liverpool vs Everton, LIVE
14:40 - 16:45 SS8 FA Premiership:: Liverpool vs Everton, LIVE
16:45 - 19:00 SS6 FA Premiership:: Blackburn vs Sheffield United, LIVE
16:45 - 19:00 SS3A/SS3/SS8 FA Premiership:: Charlton vs Chelsea, LIVE
19:00 - 21:10 SS8 FA Premiership:: Boro vs Arsenal, LIVE
19:00 - 21:15 SS3A/SS3 FA Premiership:: Boro vs Arsenal, LIVE
21:00 - 23:00 SS7 La Liga:: Espanyol vs Zaragoza, LIVE
21:10 - 23:15 SS8 Portuguese:: FC Porto vs E Amadora, LIVE
23:00 - 01:00 SS7 La Liga:: Valencia vs Atletico Madrid, LIVE
23:15 - 01:30 SS8 Portuguese:: Sporting CP vs Nacional, LIVE

Soccer on SuperSport: Sunday 04 February
Time Channel Details
16:45 - 19:00 SSL Nigeria:: Enyimba Intl FC vs Insurance Fc, LIVE
17:30 - 20:00 SS3A/SS3 FA Premiership:: Tottenham vs Man Utd, LIVE
18:00 - 20:00 SS7 La Liga:: Sevilla vs Real Sociadad, LIVE
20:00 - 22:00 SS7/SS8 La Liga:: Real Madrid vs Levante, LIVE
22:00 - 00:15 SS8 Portuguese:: Sp. Braga vs Desp. Aves, LIVE
22:00 - 00:00 SS7 La Liga:: Osasuna vs Barcelona, LIVE

Soccer on SuperSport: Wednesday 07 February
Time Channel Details
21:15 - 23:30 SS5 : Holland vs Russia, LIVE
21:30 - 00:00 SS3/SS3A : England vs Spain, LIVE
21:30 - 00:00 SS6 : France vs Argentina, LIVE
21:45 - 23:55 SS8 : England vs Spain, LIVE

Soccer on SuperSport: Thursday 08 February
Time Channel Details
01:30 - 03:45 SS3/SS3A Copa Libertadores:: Santos vs Blooming, LIVE
01:40 - 03:45 SS8 Copa Libertadores:: Santos vs Blooming, LIVE
20:30 - 21:30 SS3 Engen Premier Soccer, LIVE

Arsenal vs Tottenham Carling Cup Semi 2nd Leg

Tottenham's Ledley King has a metatarsal injury that rules him out of this game. He was hoping to be back in contention for a place. Jenas is back to the squad too.
Arsenal's Julio Baptista aka 'The Beast' has been ruled out of today's game after a groin injury incurred in the 1-1 draw with Bolton

Should be an exciting game with both sides hoping to win it. There has to be a winner today.

I expected Arsenal to win it over the two legs and they are favourites to do so. Wenger is keeping faith in his youngsters. Adebayor is bound to start since Baptista is out. Cesc may be given a break as he has played quite a number of games, but he probably will be on the bench

Jenas presence in midfield will be crucial for Tottenham who will not want to have their back line exposed by the speedy Arsenal forwards.

Arsenal's defence will need to be focussed and not concede goals carelessly. The two goals that were conceded at White Hart Lane were as a result of defensive errors.

Review: FA Cup 4th Round

Looks like I got 3 results correct and 1 wrong, with only one perfect score

Tottenham won 3-1 against southend (I predicted 2-0)
Chelsea won 3-0 against Nott Forest as I had predicted
ManU won 2-1 against Portsmouth thanks to Rooney's double, though they had two goals disallowed (I had predicted 2-0 to ManU)
Arsenal however drew with bogey team Bolton 1-1 (I had predicted 2-0 to Arsenal)

Goal of the week needless to say :) was Rooney's second goal, an audacious chip from just inside the box.
Schevchenko got another goal to boost his confidence and ease some of the pressure on him.
Bolton worked very hard, especially in the second half of the game to earn a well deserved replay at the Reebok stadium against Arsenal where they will feel confident of qualifying for the next round.

Preview: FA Cup 4th Round

My pick of games is as follows:

Tottenham v Southend
Man Utd v Portsmouth
Chelsea v Nottm Forest
Arsenal v Bolton

I'm going for home wins for all 4 games. Tottenham should have no problem disposing of Southend, despite having some tired legs amongst their ranks while missing Berbatov
2-0 to Tottenham

This is not a good time for Portsmouth to meet ManUtd, considering that ManUtd tend to be very lethal after getting beaten. Portsmouth are a difficult team to beat though, so it could be close. 3-1 to ManUtd

Chelsea should continue their mini revival (albeit against the smaller clubs) against Nottingham Forest who'll maybe want to recapture their form of old? Schevchenko will want to score (again)

3-0 to Chelsea

Possibly the pick of all 4:
Arsenal will want to continue their excellent run of form, and on top of that exact some revenge over Bolton. Despite missing Gilberto, Robin van Persie and Hleb, as well as possibly Eboue and Aliadiere, they should be able to win this game. Thierry Henry is slowly regaining his form, and Baptista ought to get a place this time round. Bolton had a nightmare of a game last weekend at Middlesborough and will be missing Diouf, a key player for them. Kevin Nolan confesses he's tired of meeting Arsenal in the FA Cup.
2-0 to the Arsenal

The full list of games for the weekend is here (all times GMT). Am I glad that Citizen TV is broadcasting live about 5 games!

Saturday, 27 January 2007

Luton v Blackburn, 12:30
Barnet v Plymouth, 15:00
Birmingham v Reading, 15:00
Blackpool v Norwich, 15:00
Bristol City v Middlesbrough, 15:00
Crystal Palace v Preston, 15:00
Derby v Bristol Rovers, 15:00
Fulham v Stoke, 15:00
Ipswich v Swansea, 15:00
Tottenham v Southend, 15:00
West Ham v Watford, 15:00
Man Utd v Portsmouth, 17:15

Sunday, 28 January 2007
Wolverhampton v West Brom, 12:00
Chelsea v Nottm Forest, 14:00
Man City v Southampton, 15:00
Arsenal v Bolton, 16:00

Preview: Tottenham vs Arsenal 1st Leg

Arsenal are set to field a (so called) weakened side in tonight's Carling Cup Semi Final 1st Leg.
I say 'so called' because a squad that includes Julio Baptista, Theo Walcott, Djourou - all who went to the world cup surely is not exactly weak.

Tottenham Manager Martin Jol says that he cannot afford to do the same and field a weakened side. He may swap 2-3 players around but I expect him to maintain the core of the team

I think Tottenham will want to take a great advantage as possible to the Emirates Stadium, while Arsenal's 2nd String team will want to continue with their quite impressive run. I'm sure Wenger wouldn't mind sending the same time against Chelsea if they get through.

If Tottenham play anything close to how they played away in their previous FA cup game before their 4-0 replay win, they shall be made to pay dearly.
Arsenal will have to be less porous. Despite beating Liverpool 6-3 in the previous round, they conceded 3 goals.
I expect Wenger to go for containment in the first half, perhaps an early goal, and since they generally pick up pace towards the end of each half, to try and nick a goal.
Jol will go all out to win the game at White Hart Lane.

This is a bit hard to predict. It's a 180 minute game really. I expect though at the end of it that the Gunners face Chelsea in the final.


Player to watch: Julio Baptista - after his 4 goal salvo against Liverpool, he will be eager to prove to AW that he deserves to start on the first XI

antics to keep an eye: AW seems to have regained his calm composure; Martin Jol usually doesn't do the Mourinho thing so this could be quiet on the touchlines. However these are two of the most fierce rivals in England. ManU vs Arsenal may be sizzling, but Tottenham vs Arsenal can quite easily boil over.. No Eboue starting to roll over the place though.

My verdict: Tottenham 1-2 Arsenal - Possibly close, but Arsenal may decide to have some of the heavy guns on the bench.

Kick off time: 2000Hrs GMT

Chelski -Vs- Wycombe semi final 2nd leg!

The 2nd semi final in the Carling cup tournament resumes today with chelski hosting minnows Wycombe wanderers in the 2nd leg of their semi final showdown.

Much had been said and blogged about the probable anihiliation of the 2nd division strugglers when they entertained chelsea at their ground a fortnight ago.To critics' suprise, they held their nerve and showed their mettle when they battled the Russian army to a 1-1 draw.

Concerning tonite's clash, I expect Jose to field a very strong team with the likes of drogba, sheva ,essien and lampard hungry to prove a point following their weekend's humbling at anfield.

Wycombe on the other hand, will be dreaming for a parity outcome whichever the score ;1-1, 2-2, or hey even a win ;who am I to deny them that..etc .., but a 0-0 outcome will grant chelski's progress to the final due to the away goal advantage.

Jose won't accept anything but a "massive" win as any negative outcome will propell further the already - stained chelsea's publicity and you don't want to beqeuath the shameless british tabloids with an easy bait of a chelski's loss.

Player to watch: Didier Drogbah-he is yearning to increase his goal tally and earn himself the highly-coveted punditZone "Mpira" of the year award. Or so I wish..*lol

antics to keep an eye: Paul Ince and mourinho at the sidelines- They both know they are sitting on the threshold of "wonder" and "shame" respectively.

My verdict: Chelsea 4-0 wycombe - someone give me another reasonable alternatve and i will comply.

Kick off time: 1945Hrs GMT

Weekend Review: Highlights

9+ minutes Arsenal vs Manchester United Highlights

Pennant's Goal against Chelsea

Soccertainment Weekend!

The passion!

What a weekend full of drama!

I will make this article as short as possible to let the "effects" of both the losers and the winners
marinate if only for a while....No pun intended though.

The saturday's highlight was Liverpool containing chelsea to only 2 shots on targets.That is a statistic!I mean chelsea, were humbled.Jose mourinho said afterwards that his defence was to blame but please....Give Liverpool the credit they deserve, for once.Chelsea has never lost to liverpool since october 2002 and some records were broken here.Kudos to liverpool and to them fanatics,namely "sammi rafa","brayo","addie" ..dudes,this is for you. as for chelsea,hey ur still the reigning champions and wycombe will surely feel ur "revenge".

Highlight of the game:pennant's stunner!wow!

Arsenal -Man Utd, was also something.I was very "hysterical" while watching the game and Man U really showed why they are up there.Credit to Evra and rooney.they played their socks off.by the way ,where was carrick yesterday.Arsenal ,once again, played football when they were scored..they are becoming strange these guys,but to me TH , RVP,cesc,n lehmann really showed their mettle again..kudos to the goonerics!as for Man U, ur still on top and on course.

Highlight of the day:Lehman pretending he has a foot cramp at the final minute.dude you just caught the ball..*LOL*.(someone please give this guy a hollywood contract)

Spanish News: Barcelona reclaimed the top spot,purely on goal difference, at the spanish La liga yesterday after a 3-o win over a basement side Gimnastic.
In- form striker, Javier Saviola ,frenchman Ludovic Guily and spanish talent, Andres Iniesta were the scorers.

Real Madrid joined Sevilla and Barca at the top after a superbly struck free kick from Jose Antonio Reyes allowed them to sneak a barely deserved 1-0 win at struggling Real Mallorca.
All three teams are locked on 38 points
Read More..

Italian Serie A: Inter Milan marched on to their 13th straight win with a 3-1 victory over Fiorentina in the serie A to extend their lead to 11 points clear.

An inspired Del piero scored in His 500th game for Juventus to put Juve on top of serie B.

French News. Former Rangers Coach Paul Le Guen enjoyed his first victory since taking over at PSG when his side beat ligue 2 Gueugnon 1-0 ,goal courtesy of ivorian, Bonventure Kalue, In a French Cup 4th round.

All in All , It was a weekend like no other. I hope for more of these.

Weekend Review: English Premiership

Seems that my predictions were right :)

Home wins in the two big games. I had not predicted that Chelsea would concede two goals without reply. I had expected 2-1 to the Arsenal (though I didn't blog that - it was on my reminder as the score line :) ). An expensive win for Arsenal though, as RVP broke a bone. (Remember Rooney and Beckam?)

Anyway Arsenal have started the year on top gear. Liverpool have recovered from their Cup hiccups. Chelsea seem to have major defensive problems. I don't expect ManU to 'slow down' or lose games just because they lost against Arsenal. It was a close game. Chelsea on the other hand had better watch out, as Liverpool are now just 5 points behind them - Chelsea still need to visit the Emirates Stadium and play ManU too.

So the 'Big 4' table standings have not changed from this weekends games.

Arsenal Played 4 Won 3 Drawn 1 Lost 0 10 points
Chelsea Played 4 Won 1 Drawn 2 Lost 1 5 Points
Man U Played 4 Won 1 Drawn 1 Lost 2 4 Points
Liverpool Played 4 Won 1 Drawn 0 Lost 3 3 Points

I would like to see a closer title race run in


But for me, the really shocking result was: Middlesborough 5 - 1 Bolton

ARSENAL VS MAN UNITED ALWAYS THE BIG ONE

Vs
These are two teams in the premier league which no one can deny that they have the biggest following in and out side United Kingdom. Liverpool was once the darling of English football in 1970's and 80's. Though darling of many still but not as it was those days, they still have a following outside UK. Chelsea of late has gained a handful of following which is expected for a winning team.
That's bit of it but the greatest is between Arsenal and Man United. Looking back for the last 10 years since Prof took over Arsenal, Arsenal and Man United have faced each other head on 32 times with Wenger coming out victorious so far with 13 wins against Sir's 12 with the rest being draws. This is a close race between the two but the question is, will Arsene extend his run or will it be Fergie neutralizing it. It will be interesting to see how Arsene who has admitted losing this will mean we are definitely out of the championship challenge will organise his troops. On the other side Fergie will be avoiding to loose his grip on top and revenge at the same time. This brings us to another conclusion that every team will be very cautious all through and a lapse will result to a goal on either side.

Arsenal will without any doubt play 4-5-1 with Man united playing 4-4-2 with one wide player attacking almost making it 4-3-3. That is non other than skilful Ronaldo. This may work for them in getting a goal but on the other side exposing the mid-field to one of the best Mid-field architect and passer in the name of Teenager Cesc Fabregas. Man United will thus find them selves conceding more as a result than Arsenal. If Arsenal can deal with Man United's attack I see Arsenal winning comfortably at Emirates thus cutting down the deficit to 12 points thus keeping the race alive according to Arsene, myself and many Arsenal Fans.

In football, you always hope for the worst for your opponent so we will hope Man United slips further. Many Man United fans strongly believe they will win the Championship this year but its yet to be seen how they will do it inspite of being 6 points ahead of their closest opponents.

You can't afford to miss this with Arsene trying to maintain his books 100% against the big 4 and Fergie desparately wanting to revenge and win the Championship which he last won in 2003 before Chelsea came in to spoil the party.It will be a close call but I predict 3-1 in favour of Arsenal with Cesc being in the score sheet.

UEFA.COM TEAM OF 2006!

Three Premiership players have been named in the uefa.com Team of 2006.

Arsenal pair Thierry Henry and Cesc Fabregas, as well as Liverpool captain Steven Gerrard feature in the line-up following a poll in which four million votes were cast by 390,000 internauts on the uefa.com website

Read more..

The Last Laugh.

Jose Mourinho may have proclaimed to be the chosen one but Rafa Benitez has a way of sticking one up Chelsea's behind when they desperately need it. Recall, the Champions 2004/5 league semi finals and the 2005/6 FA cup quarter finals. Something about the two managers makes their rivalry unique. The last time Liverpool lost at home in the league, it was to Chelsea in the 1-4 loss last season. This may be their last meeting this season and it will be interesting to see who gets the last laugh.

Alot of questions are now being asked about Chelsea's transfer policy and the role of some players in the squad. This season, goals have been hard to come by for Chelsea and Didier Drogba has emerged as the leagues most prolific striker with 14 goals out of 66 chances. In the same squad lies one of the most ambitious forwards; Frank Lampard with 8 goals out of a whooping 105 chances. Drogba's performance on Saturday will be decisive, he has been Chelsea's rock this season netting winners in 5 out of 15 games and thrice he has been the decider in drawn games. If Jose has been dissapointed by players in his squad, this two have brought him much joy.

For Liverpool, Carragher will have his hands busy with Drogba and that leaves a major vulnerability in the Liverpool defence - pace. Save for Finnan and Carragher, the back four are terribly slow. Jose will want to give Schevchenko and Robben as many chances to exploit the right flank for launching quick attacks into the box. To cope, Riise will need the help of an extra man, forcing the Reds to either sacrifice a central midfielder or the attacking left wing. It would be ingenious if Rafa opts for Fabio Aurelio on the left hence neutralising any threat from that flank. Otherwise Hyppia will be sucked into assisting the fullbacks and leaving spaces for Lampard and Ballack to fill.

While it's easy to point out Liverpools defence as their greatest weakness, it's important to note that both teams have conceded an equal number of goals in the league so far. Liverpool's problems still remain in taking the most of their chances. With 392 shots and only 36 goals while Chelsea have scored 41 out of 367 of their chances. It is not a lack of trying, it's a lack of ideas. Once inside the box, the Liverpool forwards dont seem to have a plan of putting the ball in. While players like Lampard take the path of least resistance and bang the ball forward, the Reds' forwards tend to pass it around looking for the best positioned player. Chelsea wont be giving Liverpool space on the box and Rafa had better plan the attacks meticulously.

Keeping the pacy Chelsea forwards away from his box will be Benitez's priority unfortunately he has no holding midfielder to count on. Xabi and Gerrard will have to ensure control of the game while waching for a Chelsea break from the fast fullbacks. With Makelele out, Robben has a higher chance of starting too and that gives Chelsea a chance of moving at a faster tempo. It's one game none of the managers wants to loose and Rafa may be conservative when chasing this one. I wouldn't be shocked if he played 5 across the middle now that Zenden is back just to reduce the chance of conceding from a counter attack and to give Gerrard more dominance.

My Verdict: 0-0
Liverpool to dominate the game, Few chances for Chelsea especially in the dying minutes.

Want to bet ? watch for the corners. Liverpool to win the first corner thats going for 1.83 @Ladbrokes.

EPL: Table Stats

			Home					Away
	Team	P	W	D	L	F	A	W	D	L	F	A	GD	PTS
1	Man Utd	23	10	1	1	29	8	8	2	1	23	8	36	57
2	Chelsea	23	8	4	0	24	8	7	2	2	17	9	24	51
3	Liverpool	23	9	2	0	23	3	4	2	6	12	13	19	43
4	Arsenal	23	6	5	0	28	8	6	1	5	15	11	24	42
5	Bolton	23	7	2	3	17	10	5	2	4	10	11	6	40
6	Portsmouth	23	7	3	1	20	8	3	4	5	14	15	11	37
7	Everton	23	6	4	2	19	9	2	4	5	10	14	6	32
8	Tottenham	23	8	1	3	21	12	1	4	6	7	19	-3	32
9	Reading	23	6	1	4	18	13	3	3	6	13	18	0	31
10	Man City	23	5	4	2	10	6	3	2	7	9	19	-6	30
11	Newcastle	23	5	3	3	16	13	3	2	7	10	17	-4	29
12	Blackburn	22	5	2	5	14	15	3	2	5	10	16	-7	28
13	Fulham	23	5	3	3	9	8	1	7	4	16	27	-10	28
14	Middlesbrough	23	6	2	3	13	11	1	4	7	11	17	-4	27
15	Aston Villa	23	4	4	3	12	11	1	7	4	12	17	-4	26
16	Sheff Utd	23	3	5	4	13	15	3	1	7	5	15	-12	24
17	Wigan	22	3	2	6	12	18	3	2	6	11	18	-13	22
18	West Ham	23	5	2	5	13	14	0	2	9	2	22	-21	19
19	Charlton	23	4	3	5	11	16	0	1	10	7	27	-25	16
20	Watford	21	1	5	4	8	12	0	4	7	4	17	-17	12

Arsenal vs Manchester United

Technically, these are the two best teams in the country and hopefully from that point of view, it will be a good spectacle This is an interesting analysis

The Big 4- Fact!

i thought i just mention one more fact as the much-awaited super weekend nears...

Arsenal, the "last" of the big 4 in standings has accrued 7 points during their encounter with the pool, Man u and Chelski.It beat Man U, Liverpool and drew with Chelski.

Chelsea, the 2nd has accrued 5 points. It drew with Arsenal, Man u and beat Liverpool.

Man U , the 1st, ranks the third with 4 points.lost to the Arsenal, beat Liverpool and drew with Chelski.

Liverpool, the 3rd, is at the fourth but not the least ,an underdog, and has accrued 0 points.it got beaten in all 3 encounters encounters. But they never walk alone..ask their fans.

NB: The perking order does not necessarily reflect the writer's opinion and so to speak wish, of how the premiership should finish come may...well,unless stated otherwise.I'm guided by facts.

The Gilberto Factor

Arsenal have scored 43 goals this season in the league and seven of them have come from Gilberto Silva. The 'invisible wall' is match decider. He currently ranks third in the teams top scorer's table and has shown great character as a leader in Henry's abscence . Many will recall the 2004/5 season as probably the worst season for Arsenal when the 'invisible wall' suffered an injury just after an unbeaten 2003/4 season of consistent football. Sunday's game at the Emirates stadium may hinge on the lack of his prescence in that game too.

Despite being unbeaten at the Emirates, there have been some really close encounters and more than once the Brazilian has saved the day. Not just by ensuring the defence sticks together but also going forward to assist in attack and during Sunday's game against Manchester United, the gunners will definately miss his solidity in midfield. His abscence will leave Fabregas, Rosicky and Flamini (the probable 3 central midfielders in a 5 man midfield) with their work cut out. Despite not netting in the league this season, Fabregas has had a hand in 10 goals so far and United will single him out as the greatest threat.

United on the other hand have had not only the most successful defence, but also the most successful attack this season. This can be attributed to a strong midfield with Christiano Ronaldo contributing 13 of their 52 goals in the league so far and assisting in another 6. Ronaldo is not the only major contributor: The pairing of Michael Carrick with Paul Scholes has had some handsome results especially in protecting the back 4. Considering that Arsenal's Lehman has had to make 102 saves while conceeding 18, Van der Sar has only had a hand in 86 and conceeded 16.

On the frontline, it will be difficult for Arsenal to tell where United's goals will come from, this season, their goals are spread closely across Rooney, Ronaldo and Saha. If he has a hand, Giggs or Park Ji Sung and Henrik Larsson will also be something Arsenal will have to think about.

With Van Persie a doubt, the safest bet for Wenger will be to attack. He will avoid as many shots as possible hence keep the ball in United's half for as long as it takes. Moving the battle to midfield and prefering an attack to a siege would take United's back four by suprise and probably gift them a couple of set pieces. Vidic has collected 5 yellow cards while Scholes has had 6 between themselves they have comitted 50 of the 232 fouls so far with Rooney and Carrick comitting an equally huge share. Fabregas will be a prime target, the skillful lad has suffered 40 fouls so far. It's where and when he falls that could be decisive in this game.

My Verdict: 1-2
Arsenal to dominate the game and score from a setpiece, United to score from the box and from a counter attack.

Liverpool vs Chelsea: Watch These People

Craig Bellamy.Against Watford he was quite on fire. His injuries has kept him out when much needed, especially against Arsenal for the FA Cup loss



Didier Drogba. Each time that Chelsea have opted to leave on the bench, they have struggled to win games. He has come off the bench on several games to rescue a point or to win the game.

LAUREN MOVES TO PORTSMOUTH

http://home.skysports.com/list.aspx?hlid=442538&CPID=8&clid=47&lid=2&title=Lauren+beams+over+Pompey+move&channel=football_home&

Did Rob Styles cost us Gilberto or Gilberto Cost Us Himself

On Sunday we will have a clash which will probably be very vital to weigh Professor's sentiments about the title. No doubt it will be important to win against ManYoo at Emirates given that they have bragged so much about breaking records. ManYoo spoiled our unbeaten run on 25th October 2004 and they gave Chelski a beating after along period without a beating not long than gunners offcourse but the second best Run. We will need to be at our best to beat them but now the question is, will we miss Gilberto, and why? Did Styles *mess* us up or Gilberto Did. To me it its not necessary to blame Styles given the way Gilberto reacted and just infront of the ref. At the same time giving Savage a red card too would have been of no use because Gilberto would have gotten it before Savage anyway. Am simply saying that Gilberto *messed* up knowing how how his presence will be required in the Midfield.

The Brazillian World cup winner is generally very cool and Savage with his experience of receiving Red cards knew exactly how to provoke him. Though he pleaded with the referee as it was argued, that is not important because there is nothing you can do when the referee's left hand is in the pocket. What am there fore saying is that Gilberto should have seen it coming because no doubt he did not react as a result of pain but provocation from Savage.

If he stayed calm and remained a gentleman as always, ManYoo for sure would not have Indicated that they will be 9 points if Chelski is beaten By Pool. This might be positive though because they must be saying, "Their Mid field rock is not there" without knowing the Ruthless "Ray Palour"(Mattheu) will be out to prove a point. Wenger must be ready now though no doubt absence of Gilberto must have made him spend some sleepless nights. But as usual someone in training must be doing something extra-ordinary so we might not miss him also. I will support the manager irrigardless of who will be the Anchor man against ManYoo...If we happen to miss Gilberto, then I won't blame Rob Styles but Gilberto though as always will support a gunner.....

Lauren Etame Mayer-the mistake!!

punditmates ;beloved bloggers,anyone ....forgive me for cutting short on the topic of "THE SUPER WEEKEND:THE COUNTDOWN TO THE SHOWDOWN".I promise you i'll resume back to it in no time.

I have to mention this....

This is unbecoming on my part.a collosal error in mine eyes,an unprecedented career blunder to one, Arsene Wenger.

Gooners are yet to come to terms with the departure of heavyweights in the like of Paddy Vieira, Dennis the "magician" Bergkamp, Solman, Cashley,Pires and unbelievably Arsene wenger wants also to release Lauren with the same zeal.I wonder how they will feel later after lauren's departure.

I believe i dont share many a common sentiments with die-hard-its-wenger-or-nothing goonerics but people what's wrong with the picture here? Is it the Arsene has a repellent if not petulant ideologies of his players when they clock the famouus "three-O"read:30 yrs.

Lauren turns thirty on friday,having struggled beyond the odds to come back from a life threatening knee injury which ,understandly wenger said ;vervbatim"He(lauren) is a hard boy.His recovery and determination to regain full fitness is incredible" .A few weeks later,He says Lauren is surplus requirement in the arsenal youthful team.

Many claim Arsene is rebuilding but to me He is foolishly exposing his young backline,whose , age average is 22yrs to possibly one experienced force in Mohammed Kolo Toure in unchartered waters and this could proove catastrophic and tragic in the long run.Mr Wenger should know better.

Last season run to the CL final with barcelona wasn't all smooth sailing defensively.A makeshift leftback Matheiu Flamini was forced to play in an unsual left back position ,and did tremendously well,but if you can recal his ,"inexperienced,not-fully fit" subsitute in the 28th minute of the Villareal 2nd leg semi-final teammmate;Gael Clichy made a school boy error in gifting the "yellow submarine" a lifeline ...>>Where we can all recall Jensational heroics in denying Riquelme a place in the history books.

Long,boring ,story short>>Lauren is being sought after by Portsmouth,West Ham,Newcastle,,Bolton and now Spanish league leader Sevilla,Valencia and French champions Lyon for his invaluable signature. Could they all be wrong in signing him?I think not.DEFINITELY NOT!

Will wenger be forced to eat his own actions this time round? I hope not but..

Is this a mistake,bearing in mind there is FA cup,carling cup ,strenous league games,Champions league matches coming up with only Eboue and much inexperienced Justin Hoyte to shoulder this back right line?

Ask Mourinho or Ferguson,They bought Khalid and Vidic when they had Geremi,Ferreira.on-loan glen johnson and Wes Brown ,Silvestre respectively as ready covers in their backline in addition to carvalho,cashley,terry in chelsea and Rio,evra, gary neville,Heinze,phillip bardsley for united>.......

am i wrong? ,be the judge....

Weekend Preview: English Premiership II

Seems that Manchester United players are big fans of Emmanuel Adebayor:

Looks at this story.

Wenger says that Arsenal can cope without Gilberto. Manchester United are in sizzling form, especially Cristiano Ronaldo who's been arguably their best player.

It's will be a close one to call




Liverpool are thirsty for wins, and big wins, and will be looking to beat one of the other 3 teams at least once this season. Liverpool have not managed a win over Arsenal Chelsea or Manchester United this season.


I will be going for home wins however.

Weekend Preview: English Premiership

The English Premiership this weekend has the four bigwigs going head to head on Saturday and Sunday

Liverpool vs Chelsea at Anfield on Saturday 20th January; kickoff at 1245 GMT

Arsenal vs Manchester United at the Emirates Stadium on Sunday 21st January; kickoff at 1600 GMT

Other games are:
Saturday 20th January - 1500 GMT
Aston Villa vs Watford at Villa Park
Fulham vs Tottenham at Craven Cottage
Middlesbrough vs Bolton at The Riverside Stadium
Newcastle vs West Ham at St James' Park
Portsmouth vs Charlton at Fratton Park
Reading vs Sheff Utd at the Madejski Stadium
Man City vs Blackburn at the City of Manchester Stadium

Sunday 21st January -1330 GMT
Wigan vs Everton at The JJB Stadium

Fifa 140M fund-PART 2

..Well said my punditmate!

Kenya's Minister of sports,Hon.Maina Kamanda has always had issues with kenya football federation.

But hopefully after this "postive meeting" between the kenyan delegation that met with FIFA, I, sincerely hope that this government-KFF relationship that was fraught with political ramifications will be given a clean bill of health and our soccer players and the clubs will accrue the most ,if not , all the benefits that this grand gesture from Zurich have handed to us.

It is vital to mention here that, in the statement, Fifa renewed its encouragement to all Kenyan clubs to register with the Fifa-recognised leadership of the KFF by the January 21 deadline, so as to ensure the proper re-launch of a national league that adheres to Fifa’s internationally acknowledged principles and regulations.

hopefully we get to be re-instated back to international football and Harambee stars get to shine again...

The delgation that met the FIFA officials included;-
Mohamed Hatimy (acting KFF national chairman), Titus Kasuve (acting KFF senior vice-chairman), Abdullahi Kiptanui (KFF committee member and chairman of the federation’s South Rift Valley Branch), Erastus Amondi Okul (KFF second vice-chairman and chairman of Gor Mahia) and Gerald Chege (chairman of Thika United and representative of the Kenyan Premier League).

140M from Fifa approved for soccer development

Kenya's Soccer Problem is NOT money related.

I think we have the wrong people managing soccer. Look at the delegation that went to Zurich lately and came back with 140M FIFA fund - it's largely the same people. No new faces as such are there.

I would like to see IMPLEMENTATION of WELL THOUGHT OUT and FEASIBLE STRATEGIC STRUCTURES and PLANS that will make the private sector think seriously about advertising by sponsoring a soccer team. I'm sure 140M is a small amount compared to the kind of sponsorships, endorsement deals for individual players and marketing inflows that can be achieved if structures that work are implemented.

As in the general economy, we are not where we could realistically be as a result of the lack of STRUCTURES.

SYSTEMS and STRUCTURES

Welcome to the the punditzone!

BEFORE WE COMMENCE,...THE INTRODUCTION:.....

pun·dit / Pronunciation Key - Show Spelled Pronunciation[puhn-dit]
–noun

1.a learned person, expert, or authority.
2.a person who makes comments or judgments, esp. in an authoritative manner; critic or commentator.
3.pandit.

[Origin: 1665–75; < Hindi paṇḍit < Skt paṇḍita learned man, (adj.) learned] —Related forms
pun·dit·ic, adjective
pun·dit·i·cal·ly, adverb
—Synonyms 1. sage, guru, savant.

a man in India esteemed for his wisdom or learning: often used as a title of respect.
Also, pundit.
[Key n.
A Brahman scholar or learned man.
Used as a title of respect for a learned man in India.
: a soccer pundit. noun
someone who has been admitted to membership in a scholarly field...>>>>"aheeem soccerly field is what they were meant to say "

...YES..soccer punditry is our genetic disposition,our part-time livelihood,our LOVE!

My name is jazz;or for my arab fans ; u can call mi "jaziri"..whichever is good.and i love FOOTBALL.