The fight for the pride of England

The fight for the English Premier League title kicked off last weekend and while most of the scores were rather predictable, it also showed the intentions of the front runners who are vying for the title. 

Last season's runners up Liverpool had the pleasure of being one of the first teams to kick-off the season with their newly promoted opponents Norwich being the other. It was all systems go for the team in red as they showed the former Championship side how the Premier League has changed since they were last in it as they score 4 goals in the first half to give the Reds a healthy lead at half time. It was more of the same from Liverpool in the second but for the Norwich keeper making 3 outstanding saves to keep the scoreline decent as they also managed to claw a goal back. Reds intentions were clear then, they were still hurting from missing out on the league by finishing just 1 point behind the champions so this season they intend to remedy that and hope to go one further. It was not all smooth sailing for Jurgen Klopp as he had to substitute his star keeper Alison in the first half after picking up a calf strain, the Brazilian is said to face up to 8 weeks on the sideline. 

Manchester City saw Liverpools 4-1 winner as a challenge and set about their title challenge with a 5-0 victory over West Ham, Raheem Sterling picking up a hat-trick set his sights early on that golden boot as well. Pep Guardiola's men were ruthless in front of goal and laid down the challenge to the rest of the league. This Man City team is definitely the one to beat, and with them strengthen their squad over the summer, it's only going to make things more competitive for others. They by all means the team to beat, so every opponent they face will try to get their scalp, whether they're successful or not, is another story. 

Spurs had a bit of a scare at home in their opening fixture against Aston Villa, with the away team taking the lead and keeping Spurs at bay, it took a long range effort from Ndombele to equalize and then two quick fire goals from their talisman Harry Kane to make the scoreline look more attractive to the home team. Mauricio Pochettino has still a lot to do if he wants to get his team in the position to challenge the top two. We would have expected more purchases from the London team seeing that their new stadium is now complete but there's been little new figures walking through the Spurs doors. 

Chelsea who were hit with a transfer ban, having their best player leave as well as their manager is now under the guidance of ex star player Frank Lampard. They didn't have the easiest fixture to start with, facing last seasons sixth place team, Manchester United. With Solskjaer cracking the whip at United, and bringing in defence reinforcements with the likes of Harry Mcguire, they were out to prove a point and for most part of it, Chelsea held their own but silly mistakes cost them dearly in the end with United scoring 4 goals in the latter part of the second half, a less than flattering result for Franks men who look to have a long season ahead for them. Their London rivals, Arsenal also made tough work of Newcastle as they scraped a one goal victory at St James Park, with Steve Bruce taking over from Rafa Benitez his team showed good strength against the Arsenal but narrowly missed out on getting a point from their first game. 

It's going to be an interesting season going forward, with City still the team to beat and the depth in their squad, Jurgen Klopp and Pochettino have a lot to do if they want to keep up with City, as it is their goal difference is already sitting at +5 so the catch up game has already begun. But as they say, the league is a marathon and not a sprint. With other teams looking to prove a point as well, it hopefully should make things more open in the middle. Either way, it is bound to be an exciting season ahead. 

The Fickle Few

It's always a case of not all but a few who are the rotten ones in a bunch, but this few is growing larger and larger.  Being a supporter of a football club isn't easy, especially now in the business end of the season. Liverpool find themselves in a strong position both in the league and Champions League, with the distraction of the FA Cup not there, it gives Jurgen and the team time to concentrate and really make this final push to the end of the season one that will bare some reward. At the moment, it's City in the driving seat for the league, while we do occupy top spot, they have a game in hand and if that translates into a win for them, it would change things immediately. It's not the first time Liverpool have been in this position, it's harsh but back in April 2014, we were strong contenders for the league title and we had a home game against Chelsea that weekend, it was the same game of "the slip" and while many put that down as the deciding factor in us falling short that season, I still say it was not. I could list over ten reasons why but that will just be dwelling in what could have been while we now can chat of what could happen. 

Which is why the team, more than ever needs every ounce of support from their fans, whether you're at the ground or at home watching them play. But while we are winning games and getting results, I've found a number of fans, especially online being highly critical of players and in other words, talking a lot of shit. This needs to be cut out, if you don't know what you're saying, don't say it at all. I've seen our captain, Jordan Henderson catch a lot of flack for merely just being on the starting line up. These fickle few want other players to start every game, like they have not heard of player management and fatigue. Also if the manager deems it good enough for a player to start, you go with it, if in the case like last week against Southampton, things are not working out, the manager and his coaching staff will change things to try and gain an advantage. After Jordan and James were brought on at St Mary's, the entire team dynamic changed, Jordan was playing in his preferred forward position, made life difficult for the opposition when they had the ball. Many cheered Salah's goal that broke the tie but not many realise that it was Henderson's header, that make the break happen in the first place. 

Then his goal, to seal the deal was the icing on the cake, you could see the emotion in him after he netted, what it meant for him, what it meant for the team and more importantly what it meant for the fans. The players go out there every week and give it there all, for the fans and this is how the fans return the favour? By slagging them at every opportunity online? Facebook groups, Twitter, comments on the clubs Instagram pictures?! When I see these comments I feel embarrassed being grouped with supporters like these. Those who only have negative comments, who see Salah missing one opportunity and want him subbed, those who see Jordan pass the ball back on more than one occasion and feel he isn't good enough, those who criticize Bobby for not scoring in more than one game, it's like they just started watching football recently and haven't a clue how this game works or how our team play. It's one of my biggest fears that we get glory hunting fans that only support the team because we're winning, the type of fans became synonymous with Manchester United, Chelsea and Man City. 

We don't need that crap at our club, we want fans that devote their passion of support to the team, those give of positive energy and not negative bile at every disappointment we see. Our club have achieved a points total that would be worth of winning the league 5 seasons ago, but yet here we are with still 5 games to and the league undecided. While Liverpool have the supposed "easier run in", every game from now on will be a final for the team and judging from the past few games, nothing is going to be handed to us. This weekend, we face Chelsea again, a battered giant, a team that started the season strong but found themselves coming up short after the turn of the year but the same team that provided a massive stumble in our challenge back in 2014. Some of their star players are looking to move away in the new season so they'll be here to perform till the end of the season. We already saw Hazard steal the show on Monday night and you can bet your bottom dollar he'll be ready to go again on Sunday. 

The team say a number of times, they're here to do their job not for themselves, not for the club but for us, the fans. The least we can do is show them support and not be a bunch of fickle idiots on the internet by moaning and groaning at any chance or slating players. Lets back them, as this is the time, more than ever they need us. 

Citizens do it right

Yup, its that time of the year again, the final weekend of the Premier League. While there still may be football left this season, the end of the league still leaves a dent in the social calendars of many in the world. It's a somber moment that you can't really put into words as for the next few months, normally, many would not know what to do with themselves. Thankfully it's a world Cup year, so we have that distraction to keep us occupied for a month. This Premier league season has given us a lot to talk about though, records were broken, some amazing players have entered the league to give us some brilliant football, there were antics on and off the field and as always some shockers along the way.

In just his second season in the English league, Pep Guardiola went to prove why he is probably the best managers out there. After finding his feet last season, he made strategic signings to strengthen his team, found the ideal shape and style that suited their play and on they went, rampant from start to finish, suffering only two losses the entire campaign so far! While we can single out key players like Kevin de Bruyne who was instrumental in City's devastating attacks, the entire team pulled their weight along the way and in such helping the team achieve their 3rd English Premier League title.  The trophy was handed to them last weekend, letting the team start their celebrations a bit early as Sunday's game see's that as their last fixture for the season having being knocked out of the major cups. 

Chelsea, where do you start? After coming off as Champions the season before, one would not have expected the team to dip in form so badly. Antonio Conte seemed lost at times, as he could not fathom what was going on with his team. No matter what you say, being Champions the one season and finishing outside the top 4 the next is never ideal, especially from a team that is firmly rooted in the top 4. The fight for those spots over the years have been hotly contested though, with Tottenham, a runner up last year, having a major role in the decided spots. While Conte's team might not see this season as an entire failure with a spot in the FA Cup final booked, it certainly would worry the supporters should they not claim silverware at Wembley next weekend as Antonio's days at the Bridge could be numbered. 

Everyone loves to hate United and with the arrogant Jose Mourinho in charge, that hate grows even more but honestly, I cannot understand the criticism they've been receiving since the beginning. of the year. They are in second spot, be it 19 points behind the winners, but they also will be competing for the FA Cup next weekend, so there is a genuine chance of a trophy but still the press seem to berate Jose and his team, my question is why? They say their style of play is unattractive, but please show me a Mourinho side in the past 6 years that did play attractive football? He's a type of manager who grinds out results, keeps things tight and that's how he's being stacking his sides up over the years, why would you expect anything different now? Because he spent a shit load of money on an overrated French midfielder? No! For him, he's done his job and I'm sure the Glazers are happy so we'll be seeing more of the same next season.

Much was expected from Spurs this season, after giving Chelsea a good run for their money the season before but Mauricio Pochettino's men didn't really live up to expectations. While most of the teams did strengthen over the season, the seemed to be content with what they had. Unfortunate for them, as it saw City, United and Liverpool leapfrog them. While they are currently in 3rd spot, one down from last season, they have a tricky last game against Leicester who seem to be ending the season on a high after drubbing Arsenal 3-1 in midweek. A draw or less for Spurs could see Liverpool regain 3rd spot on the final day. 

For as long as I can remember the English League, there has always been one constant, and that was Arsene Wenger. After he announced he would be leaving the club after 22 years in charge, it was an awakening to many that we will no longer see the tall, lanky Frenchmen in the league again. In my opinion, it was 2 seasons too late. Most of the fans had turned against him, while his teams performances left much to be desired. For the second year in a row, his Arsenal team won't be qualifying in the Champions League, something which was unheard of before as he was masterful in always securing that top 4 spots. Arsenal have good players but not the type of quality required to challenge the likes of City and United, there is no indication yet of who they are going to replace him as manager but I'm sure the Arsenal faithful want someone who has a proven record. 

I'm going to end off with my beloved Liverpool, it was the second full season with Jurgen in charge, much was to be expected but he kept our ego in check from day one. He said we were not title ready yet, and whatever we achieve this season would be the best he could do. With one more game to go, and only requiring a point to secure Champions League qualification, it seems that the German has done enough to please everyone. That position could have been much higher if we didn't have a major distraction in the Champions League, but we're in the final against Madrid and you can bet your bottom dollar Jurgen will want to change his records of being the losing finalist this time round. But we have one more game left against Brighton which won't be a walk in the park but 3  points is needed to ease the nerves and to head into the final full of confidence. 

It's been a great season for the neutral, City will only grow in strength over the summer and so will the rest of the league. There will be many who will be staking claim to the title from early on but only one shall end the season on the top. I cannot wait but for now, let us enjoy the final day of the season and all the drama it will bring with it. 

Silly Season is Over

As the door slammed shut on the summer transfer window last night, it brought much relief to many clubs out there who were trying their hardest to hold onto their star players. Over the years the game has changed and the money has escalated, I mean it's quite ridiculous in some cases. This transfer season saw the record price for a player being smash, previously it was held by Paul Pogba who's transfer from Juventus to Manchester United cost the English club a cool £89 million but a year later saw PSG come in to shatter that price by triggering a release clause in Neymar's contract with Barcelona to lure the Brazilian to the French side for a whopping £198 million! With clubs prepared to fork our insane amounts as those, it just blew the costs per players out of proportion. 

Smaller clubs who had players who gained interest from bigger clubs had exorbitant price tags slapped to them, just so the club could make a great profit from the sale but what that actually did in most cases was scare the prospective buyers away, ultimately ruining chances for the players. Then in certain instances you get players who wanted a change, and tried forcing moves but were unsuccessful. One case which is close to home is of Philippe Coutinho wanting to switch to Barcelona. Understandable it was a life long dream for him and I agree with the player that he tried to be reasonable and respectable about it with the club but when Liverpool didn't budge, he played the transfer request card which didn't go down well with the club nor the fans, thereafter faking injury to make matters worse. 

While we might be livid with the player and can't understand why he would want to move away from what seems like an exciting future for the club, we can't tell what his ambitions or aspirations are. Like Stevie Gerrard said in an interview, it might have been a dream for him to play for Barca as a kid and they could have threatened him and said this would be his one and only chance to join. So you can sort of understand the predicament he was facing. It's quick for supporters to get angry at situations like this but this where football teachings come into it, there is no player bigger than the club. For me, it was a tough pill to swallow when I heard it but if he doesn't want to stay, let him go. Virgil van Dijk faces a similar fate with Southampton but yet with just 2 hours to go in the window, both Coutinho and van Dijk still remain servants to their club, whether it be loyal ones remains to be seen. 

While there was plenty of drama, there still was a lot of sales going on, so who do you reckon did the best business in the Premier League? Many say City, getting their players in before or during preseason, they spent a lot, got in some quality players, prices on some of them remain questionable but at the same time you got to see how the market reacts. Chelsea made some clever purchases but would it be enough for them to defend their title? I personally don't think so but they should still be putting pressure on whoever is. Spurs, finishing second last year and still have a squad which is probably the same as last years may find things a bit different this season, as it is they haven't had the greatest first 3 games but I feel their lack of desire in the transfer market may come back to bite them. Arsenal? The less said the better, for them it's all about holding down the gates and making sure there isn't a max exodus. So far Oxlade-Chamberlain managed to break-out and sign for Liverpool. A signing which confused me a bit seeing that we didn't really need him but who am I to judge. 

I personally think the cleverest deals were done by Jose, he's a shrewde guy and gets what he wants. Signing Lukaku and Matic proved to be the last pieces in his jigsaw puzzle that is Manchester United. They have been unbelievable since the first kick of the ball this season and really look like the United of old, with Zlatan declaring himself fit again and rejoining the Red Devils for one more season for "unfinished business", who knows what this team who looked destined for 6th place again can achieve. My only concern if I was a United fan, is what happens if players get injured, what then? We saw how sides could frustrate United last season and we saw how United could frustrate teams by not wanting to play football in fear of losing. Overall, this Silly Season has been one that certainlly riled up emotions from many and most of us are glad to see its over so we can concentrate on the real matter at hand and that is the football!