As a kid growing up in the 90s my image of a football coach or a manager was an elder gentleman
with grayed or balding hair, a little round in the middle and having a semi permanent scowl on his face either barking orders in a British winter or standing quietly on a warm Mediterranean night with smoke choking the air surveying the scene. The likes of Sir Alex Ferguson, Gerard Houllier, Vincente Del Bosque, Sven Goran-Eriksson, Sir Bobby Robson, Marcelo Lippi, Giovanni Trapattoni and Jupp Heynckes are frankly what I was use to. All of these gentlemen have lifetimes upon lifetimes of games managed between them. As I’ve aged, these men who were already for lack of a better word “old,” even when I was a kid started to fade away from the touchlines. Del Bosque and Eriksson the only two from the bunch that are still currently actively mentoring. A natural turn of events and as their ilk expired the likes of Jose Mourinho, Roberto Mancini, Didier Deschamps and Pep Guardiola finessed their way into the managerial wing. Bringing with them a tidy, clean and stylized look to the pitch. Well groomed, sharp eyed and ushering a zest and zeal to the sidelines. Maybe I can’t articulate it as much as the real students of the game but they made an ancient sport more streamline. Pep Guardiola certainly had a solid playing career but I have to be honest I can’t remember seeing him ever playing. The more decorated Didier Deschamps I certainly recall stroking the ball around for those powerful France sides of the past. Roberto Mancini as a player I only go by what people said of his career and as Jose Mourinho, he was nothing more than a lower leaguer in his playing days. My relationship with these men are recent, simply because coaching for them is all I know of them. They are the successors to the Fegusons and Robsons and now they've started a trend and their brand seems to be the one in vogue.
Arsenal’s Arsene Wenger and for now England’s Roy Hodgson’s are true relics of the game. The parental, father-like coach is being phased out either naturally due to retirement or being pushed aside by these younger minds. Sounds a little outlandish but I ask. Why haven’t we seen the likes of Alan Curbishley or Harry Redknapp doing anything significant in the last few years? If we start to research maybe that claim doesn't seem so far fetched. As the popular adage goes “time waits for no man,” coaches like players retire too...they simply can not carry on forever and as for them being forced out...well you be the judge! It is hard to say from my end. Yes, the hot new thing is to have a new kid on the block coach but elder statesman like Carlo Ancelotti and Fabio Capello are still among the best managers still in circulation so a few holes can be poked in that theory.
One could argue that the older manager maybe more pricy than his younger counterpart, which is a fair assessment with the better young guns like Guardiola and Klopp the two that buck the trend. I find that most clubs in these new financial times play the guessing game. Banking that a bright new young savior will rescue them which is odd from a traditional business standpoint. Elder coaches tend to demand a higher wage so financially offering a greener guy new to the role of coaching a smaller fee can only have an upside most teams hope. It has worked some of the time, prime example coming in the form of Atletico Madrid’s appointment of Argentine Diego Simeone a few years ago. His salary has no doubt increased due to the bevy of titles he has already delivered to capital club. On the other end of the spectrum the rookie coach can lead an already established side into wilderness of relegation and financial irresponsibility. Former Aston Villa and Tottenham Hotspur manager Tim Sherwood can attest to that. Being deployed at Tottenham was a blessing in disguise as the London club were too stable to really suffer from the newbie’s teachings. However you place him at Aston Villa and what you got was a sacked manager and a historically strong club on it’s sick bed ready to slip into relegation. Villa are one of the founding clubs of the old English 1st Division a team never to be relegated. Through financial mismanagement on the part of ownership by either not investing in on field talent and Tim Sherwood’s hiring...which I also cite as financial mismanagement this an old pillar of English will fall. A young inexperienced manager who didn’t have the know it all at the time has ultimately led to the destruction of a club’s honored status. Aston Villa will be relegated this season of 2015-16 and Sherwood would had had a huge part to play in that. Aston Villa wasn’t in most recent times a side a-washed with money but what little change they did have they could had gone out and get a manager who had the a little gray hair and proven track record. If they did maybe Villa would not be smarting. Simeone and Sherwood are just different sides of the coin when it comes to the youthful managerial debate.
The new wave of coaches coming through sit a little odd for me at the age of 27. Currently Sampdoria’s Vincenzo Montella, Bordeaux’s Willy Sagnol, Real Madrid’s Zinadine Zidane and my personal favorite Deportivo la Courna’s Victor Sanchez are all players who saturate my childhood memories. How many times have seen Victor deliver a cross to Walter Pandiani or Diego Tristan in the Champions League that led to goal sending the Depor fans at the Riazor into pandemonium? Montella saving Roma from defeat with a last grasp equalizer in the Serie A for me is still vivid image in my mind. Willy Sagnol hustling up flank for Bayern Munich and France to go snatch a the ball from some other worldly striker that thought is so fresh for me. As for Zidane! Pick a game and I will tell you about it...I am getting older, this is true but seeing these guys running the show at their respective clubs is surreal for me because I still see them as when I was a little boy. Victor was my hero and so many good feelings for me personally involve him kicking a ball. Now he is the one telling people to kick a ball and the child in me wants him to do just as well. Maybe this article is a little pointless in that I’m not just highlighting new coaches coming into the frame and older ones panning out of view but rather showing me a glimpse of my life and how I saw the game then and what I see now.
The 90s were, well for me at least a pretty good deal. I may have been a fairly young kid back then but
I knew when something was good. Many of my fondest memories were forged in that time and everything seem pretty sweet. Rap was amazing, the Super Nintendo was brightening lives and my West Indies cricket team weren't awful...well they were pretty bad but they were better than what they are now. All and all it was just a merry and care free period of my life. The Generation 90 series showcases young players of today and I have to admit is one of my more favorite pieces simply because this is my generation. It's one thing for me to talk about older players like Pirlo and Zidane and going either further back the likes of Socrates and I do like my seasoned pros but these are my grandfathers footballers, their not mine. The admiration is still there but it's something about seeing a guy who is your age playing the game and sometimes I tell myself if I had just stuck with game as a player and kept my vices at bay maybe I could be that 24-year old gracing fine football pitches the world over. All I can do is sit here and write about these young men and women and do them justice or try to. With that here is the second edition of Generation 90.
Squad
(Goalkeepers)
Bernd Leno (GER), Jack Butland (ENG), Abdul Hamid (USA)
(Defenders)
Kyle Walker (ENG), Raphael Varane (FRA), Matija Nastasic (SRB), David Alaba (AUT), Steven Caulker (ENG), Ricardo Rodriguez (SUI), Rafael Da Silva (BRA)
(Midfielders)
Paul Pogba (FRA), Granit Xhaka (SUI), Isco (ESP), Iker Munain (ESP), Viktor Fischer (DEN), Lucas Moura (BRA), Thomas Ince (ENG), Oscar (BRA)
(Forwards)
Christian Benteke (BEL), Stephan El Shaarawy (ITA), Teemu Pukki (FIN), Nelson Oliveira (POR)
Formation
4-3-3
They are some very potent wingers and attacking midfielders in this current crop of youngsters so I have decided to pick a formation to show up their talents. The current trend in football is to play with the solo striker so I will bend to modern day ways.
Starting XI
Goalkeeper- Bernd Leno (GER)
Right Back- Kyle Walker (ENG)
Center Back- Raphael Varane (FRA)
Center Back- Matija Nastasic (SRB)
Left Back- David Alaba (AUT)
Central Midfielder- Paul Pogba (FRA)
Central Midfielder- Granit Xhaka (SUI)
Central Attacking Midfielder- Isco (ESP)
Right Winger- Iker Munain (ESP) (captain)
Striker- Christian Benteke (BEL)
Left Winger- Viktor Fischer (DEN)
WHY?
Bernd Leno- With the great and the good of the football world declaring Germany as the next superpower in the sport due to Bayern Munich and Borussia Dortmund killing everyone of late, I figure I might as well jump on the bandwagon as well and kneel before the Germans. Bernd Leno I'm hoping will have a few more fans after this little article. This post won't be the reason people will come to love the German shot stopper but rather his stellar performances between the pipes. If Bayer Leverkusen happen to reach the Champions League in the 2012-2013 season Mr. Leno would have played an integral part. Leno has played a fair bit games already at senior level, before tending net for Bayer he was a regular at Vfb Stuttgart where he was very impressive. Let's be real here, Germany are not short on good goalkeepers the likes of Manuel Neuer, Marc-Andre ter Stegen and even at his age Roman Weidenfeller still looks the part so Leno's national team prospects do not look too healthy. What I like about him is that he is very brave. He stops shots with his legs, chest, shoulders and face and if he isn't stopping shots he is screaming and everybody knows you can't be a good goalie if your not screaming.
Kyle Walker- Though England may not have much quality options at the left fullback position with Ashley Cole entering the twilight of his career and Leighton Baines starting to peak, the same can not be said about the opposite flank. With Glen Johnson, Micah Richards and auxiliary options like Phil Jones and Chris Smalling all around means England has no need to worry. No denying that Johnson is the premier option for the "Three Lions," at right back and most likely it his position until he retires or if serious injury occurs. Jones and Smalling are capable but they aren't honest fullbacks. So the only contenders to challenge Johnson are Richards and Kyle Walker. England's PFA Young Player of the Year in 2012 Walker is a modern day fullback. He has good movement going forward, tracks back well and has tremendous powers of recovery. The England right back has good pace, decent crossing and a belts the ball when he takes shot. What impresses me about him is tackling and his temperament. Walker isn't a dirty player and when he goes in for the tackle it is usually a clean. Overall, a very very solid fullback with excellent ball skills.
Raphael Varane- I like to think I follow football pretty closely but this guy came out of nowhere and even evaded me. Very few outside of France knew who Raphael Varane was. Jose Mourinho and the Real Madrid just waltzed up to the French club Lens inquired about him, told Zidane to take a look and Varane became a "Meringue." Let's just look at some facts here, Varane in the bulk of his debut season in the white of Real Madrid has kept out the Portuguese duo of Pepe and Ricardo Carvalho out of the starting XI. Ricardo Carvalho isn't a young buck anymore but I'm sure he can still cut it. As for Pepe, a lot of people may get on his back and bash him but on a good Pepe can be very effective. Varane under the Mourinho era at Real has made both basically null and void. The young Frenchman knows what he is doing. I have never seen Sergio Ramos babying him and holding his hand through the course of games. Madrid have a good player in their ranks but my fear is the revolving door that is Real Madrid may chew him up.
Matija Nastasic- Serbia has a lot of very very very good defenders. Let's call names shall we: Nemanja Vidic, Branislav Ivanovic, Neven Subotic, Aleksandar Kolarov, Slobodan Rajkovic and Anotnio Rukavina. So they aren't short on talent but another name we can sneak into to that stellar list is Matija Nasatic. When Roberto Manicini signed Stefan Savic the young Montenegrin center half he brought in a player who looked liked he was still learning the game. A ball of nerves was Savic. Sketchy back passes and the ones that were heading in the other way weren't that great either. So when the Italian signed Matija Nastasic for the 2012-13 EPL campaign I was like here is another goofball eastern European kid who dallies on the ball in the back. As with most things I was proven wrong. Nastasic by popular consensus seems to be a very "cool," customer. I have heard it from fans of Man. City, pundits, commentators and players, even a Manchester United fan I know once called him a "boss." It is clear that the Serbian has a fairly big fan club but it really is well deserved. I tend to keep a close eye on City games and he is what they say and more. Yes, he is cool with his decision making but I think he is a tough guy too and you can't bully him and did I mention he has kept England international Joleon Lescott on the bench of late?
David Alaba- Hands down the best Austrian player of this generation. David Alaba will look to prop up a flagging Austria over the next few years. Remember you heard it here first. I think Alaba is and probably will go down the path that Gareth Bale is heading down right now. Bale started his career as a left back same as the Austrian, over time the Welshman advanced up the park. Alaba learned his craft alongside Philipp Lahm, so he knows what a proper full back looks like but the Austrian does have extremely useful attacking traits. He has a wonderful shot, great control and an impressive long ball all sitting on a goal scoring touch. Alaba can go far and being the main for his country will only make him mature even faster.
Paul Pogba- Manchester United let this guy just walk away and now Juventus is benefitting. Paul Pogba is one of the most physically impressive players to running up and down a pitch nowadays. Nice and tall so he wins balls in the air and he is a long player as well. His long legs eats up the pitch. His game is robust, he is not afraid of a tackle or to give one. Short passes, long passes, crosses, dinks and chips Monsieur Pogba has it all. Accompanying all of this is his pile-driving long shots. With the physical comes the mental and the young Frenchman excels at that as well. He reads the game well from his often deep lying position. Being a former captain for France at youth level just shows that he has qualities of leadership and maturity, traits that will only lend to his development.
Granit Xhaka- I absolutely love his first name...Granit like the rock, it might be missing an "e," but it is a fantastic name either way. I fancy myself as an expert on unique names having one of my own. Names aside Granit Xhaka it has to be said is a dynamo of a player. Exciting to watch and full of running. The Swiss is seen as a luxury player and blessed with trickery and a golden touch. Every time I've seen him play whether it may be for his national side or club he is always doing something. I don't know what they are doing over there in Switzerland but Xhaka and likes of Xherdan Shaqiri and Nassim Ben Khalifa are reaping rewards form it. There is too much good to say about Xhaka and this paragraph is already slightly lengthy.
Isco- Francisco Roman Alarcon Suarez or Isco to the rest of us is a virtuouso Spanish midfielder running things at the moment for La Liga outfit Malaga. A task that I don't think he will be doing for too long because the bigger sides of the world are lining up for him as they should. Unless Malaga's finances sort themselves out immediately he will go! I personally tend to throw words like fantastic, wonderful and awesome around but Isco just is. My favorite player of all time is Juan Carlos Valeron because in his day his he simply had an aura about him and Isco has that. The now Malaga man is so refreshing to see in a game that seems to be all about passing and team play, he brings back individualism to the sport. He isn't selfish, Isco is a assist shark but he is always willing to take on a defender with controlled dribbling... his balance is phenomenal, simply the guy is divine.
Iker Munain- Spain does not do wingers. Sure, they have had their wingers, the likes Albert Luque and the evergreen Joaquin come to mind but they haven't given the world pristine sidemen like their Iberian cousins the Portuguese, who have been cranking out wide men since Luis Figo. Jesus Navas heads up the new generation of Spanish flankers followed by Juan Bernat and this guy, Iker Munain. The man from Pamplona is one of the most graceful things running at the moment in football. He is so elegant I really mean that I don't know if it is his slight frame and gait but he looks like moves on air. Munain who plies his trade with Athletic Bilbao at the moment shared a great relationship with target man Fernando Llorente and had a good chunk of success with the club but so often is with the case with Spanish clubs not named Barcelona, Real Madrid and Valencia they hit a snag and at this time they might be in a bit of lull. Munain if he stays will fighting on an uneven battlefield because teams like Bilbao simply don't have the money to compete with the "big two." The local youth systems can only produce so much and when they find a gem the youngsters are ferried away and I won't be surprise if Iker is on a ferry himself very soon.
Christian Benteke- First of all I love the picture below and it sums up what the player is all about. So many times I've Christian Benteke just celebrating a goal. In his first season in the Premier League he has done more than some players who have spent their whole careers in England. Signed for Aston Villa for the 2012-13 campaign and already there is talk of bigger clubs coming in for him. Personally I like him at Villa. The Birmingham side is a much larger club people give them credit for. His movement is good, he is a strong player and has a very nice touch and most importantly he scores a lot of goals and in a variety of different ways. He never scores the same goal and is always on the prowl I like that and he got me a lot of points in my Fantasy Football League that's always a plus.
Viktor Fischer- A lot of attention is focused on Denmark's Christian Eriksen and it is well deserved but there is another young Dane looking just as excellent. Viktor Fischer is an in your face winger who absolutely blitzes down sidelines with his hare like pace. Fischer plays alongside Eriksen at the moment at Ajax Amsterdam and his doing well for the Dutch club who will no doubt if he stays a little longer instill some other assets to his game but already he is a handy player. He has a nice goal tally as well, that always a winger look more valuable.
Substitutes
(GK) Jack Butland- Carrying on with the England's great goalkeeping tradition, Jack Butland is touted to be one of the greats. Butland has always impressed for England's youth sides and his spell in the Championship was littered with fine moments. I'm looking forward to the rivalry he and Joe Hart will share for the "The Three Lions," No.1 jersey in the future.
(GK) Abdul Hamid- For those who don't watch Major league Soccer I won't grudge for not knowing who Bill Hamid is but what I will say to you is to just take some time out to check the young man's game. Bill as he is known seems like he has been in the league forever, he is staple and consistent. Above all Hamid has really great reflexes and I always have him down for a sick save or two per game. Tim Howard and Brad Guzan are headed of him in the national team but he isn't a bad replacement if the injury bug hits.
(CB) Steven Caulker- I'm old fashion. I make no qualms about that so when Steven Caulker hit the scene I was automatically infatuated. I like my center halves tall, strong and mean and Caulker is certainly all that. The Englishman first came to my attention while he was on loan at Swansea City and he looked genuinely good. There a lot of giant defenders out there but I just like Caulker's aggressiveness.
(LB) Ricardo Rodriguez- Switzerland has a bunch of young talents coming through in almost every position, up top there is the likes of Nassim Ben Khalifa and Admir Memhedi, in midfield sees Granit Xhaka and Xherdan Shaqiri and Yann Sommer is a nice goalkeeper. The Swiss defense though is starting to get on in years so it's good thing Ricardo Rodriguez has showed up when he did. The left back is very mobile and when his team(s) are dominating the game he practically lives in the opposition's half.
(RB) Rafael da Silva- This probably going to be the shortest explanation ever. Everybody knows Rafael, he plays for Brazil and Manchester United. He's quick, a good defender, has nice leap for a short guy and aggressive. He's a good fullback but you already knew that.
(CAM) Lucas Moura- I have to come clean haven't seen much of Lucas. Where I live at we don't get much Campeonato Brasiliero and get very few Copa Libertadores and Copa Sudamericana on the tele. International matches with Brazil are also a rare treat for me. So my Lucas experiences are limited to glitzy YouTube clips and highlights. Now he is with Paris Saint Germain so I do get my fix of him at least once a week and I tell you he is inspiring. I constantly heard the hype about him and Neymar but never bought into it but Lucas quickly changed my mind I just love how he glides across the pitch and the typical Brazilian trickery.
(LW/RW/CAM) Thomas Ince- England with another swift winger. SWP, Aaron Lennon, Theo Walcott, Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain and Raheem Sterling and now there is Tom Ince. The son of English hero Paul Ince. Tom who adorably plays under his father at the moment at Blackpool certainly has an intriguing future ahead of him. The names on that list are very impressive and there are ton of options for England so it is up to Ince to make a name for himself. For some reason I think he would make a good Manchester United player.
(CAM) Oscar- Oscar dos Santos Emboaba Junior was one of the first of this batch of Brazilian stars to tackle Europe. I won't say Oscar has really been amazing but given his limited role at Chelsea so far but what he has done is be effective. What we do know about the little Brazilian is that he can score cool and vital goals and there is no doubt if he wasn't at Chelsea he would be an automatic starter in most teams.
(ST) Stephan El Shaarawy- It's amazing how a need can make a hero out of someone. El Shaarawy definitely filled the void left my departed Milanese. You don't replace Zlatan Ibrahimovic but El Shaarawy has certainly done the best he can to make AC Milan fans forget about the Swede. Giampaolo Pazzini hasn't really done the job, Bojan Krkic is on loan at the moment and Mario Balotelli is great but he can greatly cost you so El Shaarawy needs to be the man now, the responsible one and he can be, he has already proven it.
(ST) Teemu Pukki- The Fins in recent times have always had a striker they can depend on Mikael Forssell, Jonatan Johansson and Jari Litmanen were old favorites. Now it is the turn of Teemu Pukki. Learning form the Klaus Jan Huntelaar at Schalke Pukki has the ability to become a top player. Rifle of a shot and quick, the Fin will be hot property in the future. Believe me.
(ST) Nelson Oliveira- What the Portuguese should have done is build a time machine to take a fighting fit Nelson Oliveira to the exact point when Pedro Pauleta retired so Portugal wouldn't have to suffer through the lack of quality strikers. Hugo Almeida, Nuno Gomes and Helder Postiga really over the years contributed little to the Portuguese national team. Before Oliveira hit the scene Portugal have been lobbing Cristiano Ronaldo up top into the center forward position, mind you he can do it but Ronnie as I like to call him is a winger first, striker second. Thank goodness Oliveira a genuine goal scorer has arrived I was getting tired of watching Hugo Almeida try.
Let's hope these guys make it and make me look like I actually know what I'm talking about.
I have been in deep thought of late, well to be honest I do think alot. I often scare myself and on the brief occasion amuse myself. Anyway as I said I have been on my Sigmund Freud slash Herodotus tip both men worth a google and there is this one question that really reverberate in the canyon which is my skull, that is how can I change the world? I know I am not the first man who have asked this question and similar versions of it but I did dwell on it. What can I do that will change the world. Firstly does the world need changing and if so will I change it for better or worse?What tools to I have to bring about change. Well personally I really have no outstanding skills. I am not athletic, I don't consider myself very smart and as for extreme monk like discipline goes you again have the wrong man. Now hearing what I can't do you would think I do not have alot to offer. You would be right to a point. I am what you call a dreamer, someone who hopes against hope. I do think I am good at one thing though and that is this writing thing. Well the jury is still out on that but these lot are great with out question. In my ramblings I forgot to properly set up the EPL team of the week. Or was it a set up in itself? Think about it, insert comic laugh here.
Match Day 4
Formation: A lone farrow shall be ploughed by the striker this week. He will me up top all on his own. We are going with a 4-2-3-1 line up.Why? To be honest this weekend only this one forward really jumping up and down in my Flintstones underwear. Plus the two in the line that you see were Titanic had to structure the whole formation around them.
Team Of The Week
Goalkeeper- Petr Cech (Chelsea)
Left Back- Ashley Cole (Chelsea)
Center Back-John Terry (Chelsea)
Center Back- Richard Stearman (Wolverhampton Wanderers)
Right Back- Glen Johnson (Liverpool) (captain)
Central Defensive Midfielder- Michael Ballack (Chelsea)
Central Defensive Midfielder- Darren Fletcher (Manchester United)
Left Winger- Andrei Arshavin (Arsenal)
Right Winger- Aaron Lennon (Tottenham Hotspurs)
Central Attacking Midfielder- Steven Gerrard (Liverpool)
Striker- Peter Crouch (Tottenham Hotspurs)
Why?
Petr Cech- It was only a matter of time before he was in the team. I went with the safe approach this week. No keeper shone this week. Cech in all honesty had a pretty boring game for Chelsea and as a former goalkeeper myself I know boring is beautiful. Clean sheet nice one from the Czech.
Ashley Cole- A very swashbuckling performance from the England left back. If you don't know, Cole tends to have a go f**k yourself mantra but who can blame him if he is this good. Wonder goal on the weekend the lad picks himself.
John Terry- They say the most important part of a sword is its blade but it is the hilt of a sword its handle where the true power comes from, the back of the sword. John Terry is the hilt of his team solid assured and this week and for many years he has been that fulcrum. JT the legend.
Richard Stearman- Finally a man that is not in Chelsea blue. Stearman battled hard this weekend for Wolves and the lad did steer the ball into the back into the net for his side's only goal that earned them a point. Was that a pun. Yes albeit poor one. Well done Stearman.
Glen Johnson- You guys must be wondering if I am sweet for this guy and you would not be very far of if you were inquiring. I do like Glen and he has cemented in my mind what a right back should be, so for this he is this week's captain. He made the team 3 weeks in a row he deserves it.P.S they are other right backs but the boy is amazing.
Michael Ballack- The former Bavarian baller is one half of the equation that prompted me to choose this unique formation. His defensive play and offensive punch was a sight. So this makes him the fourth Chelsea player in the team. No mind though the German was easily distinguishable from his compatriots for his power and placement.
Darren Fletcher- The other half of that equation I spoke of. O how far Ye have come Darren Fletcher. From bit part to United's heart. He has come a long way. His performance for Manchester United was empowering. He never complains just runs and tackles, the way it should be.
Andrei Arshavin- It is so very ironic that Arsenal manager Arsene Wegner said before he signed the Russian that he is not in the Arsenal mold and is to weak for the English game. Now he is an integral member of his squad. He lost on the weekend but he was lively and did score a beauty and his play had United very worried.
Aaron Lennon- The hottest Hotspur at the moment this is not his first time on the team,the England man can do no wrong another goal this week and the game winner to boot.
Steven Gerrard- Dumb over used title number one. Steven Gerrard.....the King of the Kop. Number two. The Lord of Liverpool. Number three the Red Baron. All that and more is valiant midfielder. Inspired his team to victory over a pugnacious Bolton. The fighting fighter.
Peter Crouch- Did not start the game. This will tell you what miracles he performed to be on this team. He was marvelous I liken it to the return of Napoleon from the isle of Elba. He really upped the moral of his side. 
All of the "Big Four," in England has a bloke in this side and I must say this by far the strongest side to be fielded on the blog to date. Teams beware. This week's video would have been the Chelsea game but that has been posted on the Round Up so we toss it over to the big game of the week.
The weeks keep rolling on and so with them so we shall roll. The English Premier League is now taking shape and now we see who will have what kind of season but let it be known fortunes can turn by the back hair of a Moldovan prostitute. A side note though the Spanish Primera has begun over this weekend and I'm very stoked about that now I can do a Euro Round Up so that I get all of the top footy to you the masses. There is something special about the English game, there is something about, I dear say it has an heir of magic to it. I mean football is a pretty special game and I am very jealous with anyone with an ounce of skill. It is a blessing to do anything well and I see myself as one of the unfortunates who have not been blessed with raw talent but what I have to a point is graft and grit. It may not seem like alot and in truth it is not but with it you can make great strides. You may not because life is more complicated than that but a combination of natural ability and determination is what you see when you ever see any successful person let alone athlete. Such breed of man can be found in the Premiership. The real reason why I feel in love with the English League is that grit. Its not like other leagues where you have to play like you have been possessed by an arch angel. All you need is heart and the right attitude and a willingness to run until the salt bursts from your veins.
Match Day 4 FixturesChelsea 3 Burnley 0
Venue- Stamford Bridge
Goals- N.Anleka (45mins), M.Ballack (47mins), A.Cole (51mins) (Chelsea)
Review- Everyone on Chelsea earned their over inflated wages on the day. If you wanted to expose football to someone who never saw it show them how Chelsea played on the day. Burnley to be fair tried their damnedest but were in the end received their just pasting.
A goal for Ashley Cole. It rhymed, it was in sync. Can't say that about the defending!
Blackburn Rovers 0 West Ham United 0
Venue- Ewood Park
Review- I must say the pitch at Blackburn was immaculate. That was the highlight of the game. It was worse than a Greek tragedy. You remember when I just said how Chelsea in their game was the perfect example how the game should be played. Well this is the complete opposite.
Bolton Wanderers 2 Liverpool 3
Venue- Reebok Stadium
Goals- S.Davies (33mins), T.Cohen (46mins) (Bolton), G.Johnson (40mins), F.Torres (56mins), S.Gerrard (82mins) (pen) (Liverpool)
Review- Really starting to fear for Bolton they do not have a point about four weeks into the season now. They are trying but you don't get those for that. Liverpool great fightback but this is still not championship form. The goals are being leaked to much.
Stoke City 1 Sunderland 0
Venue- Britannia Stadium
Goals- D.Kitson (42mins) (Stoke)
Review- What can be said Stoke are the set piece kings, yet another goal scored from a dead ball situation. Sunderland were unlucky deserved more from the game.
Tottenham Hotspurs 2 Birmingham City 1
Venue- White Hart Lane
Goals- P.Crouch (71mins), A.Lennon (90mins) (Spurs), L.Bowyer (75mins)
Review- Tottenham had to fight hard for that win but their apocalyptic offensive eventually doomed Birmingham. Who to their credit gave them good but they need to be more ruthless.
Wolverhampton Wanderers 1 Hull City 1
Venue- Molineux
Goals- R.Stearman (46mins) (Wolves), Geovanni (2mins) (Hull)
Review- Very even game. Really no deserved winner. They both are the epitome of average.
Manchester United 2 Arsenal 1
Venue- Old Trafford
Goals- W.Rooney (58mins) (pen) (M.United), A.Diaby (63mins O.G), A.Arshavin (40mins) (Arsenal)
Review- How did United win this game is beyond me but maybe the question I should ask is how did Arsenal lose the game. They were the better team but in the end they beat themselves, a penalty conceded and a wretched own goal says it all. Count yourself lucky United.
Portsmouth 0 Manchester City 1
Venue- Fratton Park
Goals- E.Adebayor (30mins)
Review- City with the slow and steady approach to the season three wins out of three. The Manchester outfit did well to weather the south coast storm which is Pommey, who bombarded their goal. Despite such a fight Portsmouth are going to go down if they keep this folly up.
Everton 2 Wigan Athletic 1
Venue- Goodison Park
Goals- L.Saha (62mins), L.Baines (90mins) (pen) (Everton), P.Scharner (56mins) (Wigan)
Review- Everton made very heavy work of this game but now its back to back wins for David Moyes side so some parity is being resorted. As for Wigan they have certainly on the snide allowing a ton of goals. It will not be easy this season for them.
Aston Villa 2 Fulham 0
Venue- Villa Park
Goals- J.Pantsil (30mins O.G) (Fulham), G.Agbonlahor (59mins) (A.Villa)
Review- Text book win for Villa. I have to ask is this the same Fulham that dazzled last year, two back to back losses means they have hit a rough patch. They soon will turn it around though.
Chelsea nickname is the "Pensioners," but Burnley played like they were on a pension.LOL
"What is today but yesterday's tomorrow." Very profound is it from some Athenian aristocrat may be it came from the great halls of Thebes or could it come from the tales of the Orient and no I don't mean Leyton. Inside football joke. No it came from the most unlikely of places. Nickelodeon and their marquee cartoon Spongebob. The words echoed from the frame of my favourite character Mr.Krabbs. What I guess he is getting at is that time is really irrelevant I can go a step further and say that time is only relevant when it is in use. Well I am on the time power trip because I am a tad late on my updates which I can't apologize enough for but better late than never and I will have to side with that dumb cliche this time.The football is flying and I am loving it she is gathering steam and soon we all shall be steamrolled. Their have been some guys really making the headlines with their style of play and that all important effort. This is where I come in, team of the week looks at those high rollers lets make a move.
Match Day 3
Formation: Well we are going this week with my favourite formation. I use it all the time on FIFA (the video game). It is the 4-1-2-1-2 aslo known as the diamond. Let put these fools in their place shall we.
The Team Of The WeekGoalkeeper- Thomas SorensonLeft Back- Patrice EvraCenter Back- Franck Queudrue
Center Back- William Gallas
Right Back- Glen JohnsonCentral Defensive Midfielder- Abou DiabyLeft Midfielder- Luis NaniRight Midfielder- Aaron Lennon
Central Attacking Midfielder- Kamel Ghilas
Striker- Wayne Rooney (captain)
Striker- Jermaine DefoeWhy?
Thomas Sorensen- A very unheralded figure for years now. The Dane certainly played his part in their 0-0 draw with Birmingham City. Brilliant saves and the lack of any tremendous goalkeeping this week sees him take the spot.
Patrice Evra- One of the great fullbacks in the game it was only a matter of time before the Frenchman infiltrated this team. Excellent mix of offensive and defensive play against Wigan over the weekend.
Franck Queudrue- Continuing with the French theme sees Franck make the team at the coveted center back role. Franck must be said is not a steady competitor but he did enough this week to make this role his. Consistency Franck, consistency.
William Gallas- Willaim Gallas so far this season has more goals this season than his Arsenal team mate Nicklaus Bendtner who by the way is a striker. The lad is in a goal scoring run maybe he does deserve the No. 10 on his back.
Glen Johnson- Second week in a row he has made the team and for a second time he has battled and his teammates have failed him. His side loss again but yet a again Johnson was the sole beacon of light.
Abou Diaby- Cracking goals over the weekend, silky play overall. Nuff said.
Luis Nani- You know what this young man is starting to convert me to Nanism. He is starting to prove me wrong. He was absolutely amazing, who needs Ronaldo when we have Nanito.
Aaron Lennon- The young Englishman is part of a red hot side at the moment and in this premature season has found the goal on more than one occasion. He's quicker than Hermes, you should probably google that.
Kamel Ghilas- He was born in France but plays for Algeria. Don't know much about him but for one he is exciting. Doesn't hit the target alot but has nice link up play. Hull has a real gem there.
Wayne Rooney- Look I know people say that he does not score as much goals as he should but give the guy a chance. Although I am anti- Man U I know he is great and the way he inspired his team to victory recently earns him the armband on this team. Wayne is the quintessential Englishman. Loyal and a fighter.
Jermaine Defoe- The second Spur in the line up and he deserves to be. Jermaine is playing his way into the England starting line up, the league top goalscorer, he is a problem.
Five Frenchman, four Englishman a Cape Verdean disguised as a Portuguese, I see you Nani and a Dane. The cosmopolitan that is the EPL. Since we have so many men from Gaul, lets all watch them in action. Arsenal might as well be France.
GUN HOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
