Premier League Top 4: What's Next in Store?

After all of the excitement, drama, and collapses in this year's Premier League season, Sir Alex Ferguson's Manchester United have once again become Champions of England. Was it really that surprising? To be quite honest, not at all. Despite having huge hope for the Gunners, once again, the season ended dismally, with the single highlight being the victory against the eventual champions. Now, I'll look over the best 6 teams in the Premier League, and make my views clear on what they should do to succeed next year.

Manchester United (10/11: 1st Place, 80 Points): No matter how much I hated seeing them take the trophy again, I have to admit that the Red Devils have been stellar. Despite, in most people's views, having a weaker squad then their rivals; they're able to achieve the success that other teams can only dream of. A midfield of Carrick, Giggs, Anderson, and Fletcher doesn't even begin to send shivers down the spines of most teams, so it seems like that's the one area that Sir Alex needs to purchase players for. One area that doesn't need purchases is the attack, with Hernandez, Rooney, Nani, and Berbatov providing proper cover. Watching Rooney recover from his scandal, I was amazed when he dropped back behind Hernandez and played numerous passes for the little Mexican, "Chicharito" to easily finish off.  In fact, that's what Hernandez has shown he's best at, poaching. Always at the right place at the right time, usually being able to tap the ball into an open net. Those two, along with Nani, will be troubling many defenses for the next few years in both Europe and England. For the 2012 season, I view Manchester United as the favorites to retain the title. The only real signings they need to make are one or two midfielders, especially a creative midfielder, with Paul Scholes recently retiring. With that, they can continue to grind out results, no matter how hard it seems.

Arsenal (10/11: 4th Place, 68 Points): Oh boy, where do I start with my favorite team? At the beginning of the season, nearly everything was perfect. Samir Nasri was just sublime, Marouane Chamakh was providing wonderful cover for the injured Robin Van Persie, and Jack Wilshere was showing the potential to become one of the best midfielders in the world. They were on top of the world in January and February, beating Barcelona in the Champions' League, and strongly contesting the four tournaments they took part in. Then, on February 27th, it all collapsed. Everything. Losing the Carling Cup final to Birmingham City, knocked out of the Champions' League on aggregate by Barcelona, and knocked out of the FA Cup by Man United. They still had the league right? Nope. A late collapse saw them drop from title contenders to fourth place. So what are they missing? Not to be biased, but Arsenal's attack is formidable, one of the best in the league. Robin Van Persie, Samir Nasri, Cesc Fabregas, Jack Wilshere, and Theo Walcott lead a front-line that can terrify even the strongest defenses. But the defense is a completely different story. As much as Johann Djourou and Laurent Koscielny tried, they couldn't contest battles in the air. More than 50% of the goals Arsenal have conceded have been from set pieces. MORE THAN 50%. For a team regularly contesting the title, that's ridiculous. So it's pretty obvious what's needed. Someone big, strong, even a leader to show a path when times are tough. Christopher Samba has been highly linked, and he ticks all of the needed boxes. So what's gonna happen next year for them? I honestly don't know. It depends on what happens in this transfer market. These next few months will be absolutely crucial for a successful 2011/2012 Premier League season for the Gunners.

Chelsea (10/11: 2nd Place, 71 Points): 2010's Champions went into this season being strong favorites to clinch the title. Sadly, for them atleast, a mid-season collapse in form saw them struggling and falling into third place behind Arsenal. Trying to fix that dip in form, Roman Abramovich reached into his pockets, took out 50 million pounds, and bough Fernando Torres. Now, despite the hilarious outrage of Liverpool fans on the internet, the Reds were happy thanks to their new purchases of Luis Suarez and Andy Caroll. Meanwhile, over at Stamford Bridge, Torres was failing to make an impact. Despite this, Chelsea's form improved hugely, and made a late run for the title, but still missed out. This year has been quite peculiar for the Blues. No trophies? Strange for them. What's been the problem? My guess is that their once world class stars are beginning to show the signs of their age, and there aren't any young replacements. Ashley Cole, Frank Lampard, John Terry, Didier Drogba, Nicolas Anelka, and Paulo Ferreira are all 30 or older. Granted, they do have Torres, McEachran, Ramires, and David Luiz, but that really isn't enough. Most of the aging players still have a few years in them, but for Chelsea, it's time to start looking for replacements. They can't rely on the players they purchased 5 years ago for the next few seasons. This summer, my bet is on Roman Abramovich, oil magnate and Chelsea owner, will go on a huge spending spree before the Financial Fair Play rules kick in.

Manchester City (10/11: 3rd Place, 71 Points): Like Chelsea, the Sky Blues are another team who basically bought their success. 12 years ago, they were dwelling in the third tier of British football, but now thanks the a Sheik Mansour they're one of the best teams in England. I honestly don't know what to think of it. On one hand, I like how their success finally managed to throw off United, whom they beat in the FA Cup semi-final. On the other hand, they finished above Arsenal in the table thanks to their 400 million pounds of spending. Me no likey. Let me outline their most likely plan on how to improve the squad in the summer: LET'S SPEND SOME MOOLAH. They also better hope that Mario Balotelli and Edin Dzeko finally step up and fill their potential, because they will also most likely have to fill Carlos Tevez's boots. It seems as if he could be moving away from the Mancs, especially since he was told by Sheik Mansour himself that he is allowed to leave. Recently, the team's squad has really been clicking, and towards the end of the season they were, I hate to admit it, playing some great footy. The midfield trio of Yaya Toure, David Silva, and Nigel De Jong can only improve next season, and can soon look like a formidable squad that any team in Europe would be scared to face, if they aren't already. So what can they do to improve? Other than what was stated above, not much really. Maybe a few big name signings could come in, and knowing City, I'm ready for some crazy transfer news.


Now, time for some predictions. It'll be tough to call a winner for next season's Premier League. Honestly, I believe that Arsene Wenger will make the best transfers for his squad, and will end up winning the Premier League title. As for the other challengers, I wouldn't be surprised if they win other silverware in England and abroad. We'll just have to wait and see.

My Predictions for 11/12:
Premier League Winner: Arsenal
2nd Place: Manchester United
3rd Place: Manchester City
4th Place: Chelsea/Liverpool
FA Cup Winner: Manchester United
Champions' League Winner: FC Barcelona
Premier League Top Scorer: Robin Van Persie
Carling Cup Winners: Liverpool
 Player of the Season: I honestly don't know, probably someone British.
Young Player of the Season: Henri Lansbury

Blackpool, Birmingham City, and West Ham Relegated

Ok, so we all new that West Ham was relegated a week ago, but the way that it happened was just stunning. Leading fellow relegation strugglers Wigan 2-0 at the DW Stadium, the Hammers collapsed in the second half to allow 3 goals, and eventually lost the game 3-2. Soon after, literally hours later, it was confirmed that Avram Grant was sacked. Now, it looks like some of West Ham's stand-out players, including Demba Ba and Scott Parker, will definitely be sold to bigger clubs. Scott Parker has constantly been linked to Arsenal (I hope it's true).

Today; however, there were still 2 open relegation spots, and 5 teams could have possibly filled those spots. Those teams included Blackpool, Birmingham, Wolverhampton, Wigan, and Blackburn. In the most exciting game, Blackpool visited Manchester United at Old Trafford, looking to cause a major upset with a "Cinderella story". For the first 60 minutes, things seemed to really be going the Tangerine's way, when they were holding a 2-1 lead. Sadly, goals from Anderson, Owen, and an own-goal from Evatt gave the Red Devils victory, and Blackpool were relegated. They were really the one team I wanted to stay up. They played great football, and their manager Ian Holloway always provided some kind of entertainment. 

In another David vs. (Kinda) Goliath match, Birmingham City visited White Hart Lane to play Tottenham Hotspur. With goals from Roman Pavlyuchenko and Craig Gardner, the game was level at stoppage time, and Birmingham City looked to be staying up. Pavlyuchenko had other ideas though. He scored in stoppage time, and both relegated Birmingham and secured 5th place and a Europa League spot for the Spurs. As for Birmingham, I could care less that they're relegated. They're a bunch of w*nkers. Yeah, I might be holding a grudge for them beating Arsenal in the Carling Cup, so what? But, they'll be playing in the Europe League. Pretty weird, a second-division team in Europe. Hmph.

Now, I want to talk about the Wolves v. Blackburn match, the only one where to relegation threatened teams actually played each other. Basically, Blackburn knew they were going to survive with their 3-0 lead at half-time. Wolverhampton looked to be down and out, but had a revival in the second half. Jamie O'Hara and Stephen Hunt got goals back for the Wolves, and secured their spot in the Premier League only on goal difference, quite the comeback. After the game, I've never seen fans be so happy with a loss. Really funny actually. 

 

In other news, Arsenal continued their dismal form with a 2-2 draw at Fulham, and finished fourth in the league. There better be some spending for the Gunners in the winter, or I'm seriously going to be angry. Like the Arsenal fans chanted during the match, "Spend some f**king money!" On Merseyside, Everton defeated Chelsea 1-0. What consequences will that have? You'll see soon.

Manchester City Win the FA Cup: Will It be a Catalyst?

So, after 34 years of trophy-less football, Manchester City have finally won something, and that something being the 2011 FA Cup. It was quite a thrilling victory, with them dominating over Stoke in the final, despite the score only being 1-0. Also, they turned Manchester sky blue when they defeated their arch rivals, Manchester United, in the semis. It looks like that 300 million pounds of spending has finally payed off for Roberto Mancini and his men.

Will this be a catalyst for more wonderful victories from the Sky Blue Boys from Manchester? This has been quite the season for them, also having secured Champions' League football from the grasp of Tottenham Hotspur. In fact, today, after once again beating Stoke soundly with a score of 3-0, they stole third place in the Premier League table from Arsenal, who amazingly lost to Aston Villa at home on Sunday. We saw a similar thing with Chelsea when they won the Double in 2005, and later they went on to become one of the most dominant teams in Europe and England.

Can Manchester City replicate what the Blues did? They've definitely got the talent to do it. Carlos Tevez, David Silva, Mario Balotelli, Kolo and Yaya Toure, and Vincent Kompany are up there in terms of talent, so honestly I don't see why they wouldn't be able to pull off a Champions' League or Premier League surprise. In my opinion, they could be the dark horses for the 2011-2012 Premier League season. 

While I do admire and respect the Mancs for winning such a trophy, it also saddens me a bit. Now, it shows that teams who are financially backed by billionaires will be able to succeed in the world, despite not having any young talent in their academies. That means that teams who actually play their young players, like Arsenal, Manchester United, and Liverpool, are now screwed. But then again, Arsenal is sponsored by the Emirates, but it's been their stubborn manager Arsene Wenger who hasn't bought. Did I just diss my favorite team....

Now, thanks to the recent rises of Tottenham and Manchester City, it looks like the Premier League will have the "Big Six": Manchester United, Chelsea, Arsenal, Liverpool, Manchester City, and Tottenham. Added to that, smaller teams like Aston Villa, Bolton, and Everton aren't far behind in the quality of their squads, so it looks like the 2011-2012 Premier League season will be quite exciting. Me gusta. 

Number Nineteen

Six points. That's now the gap between Manchester United and Chelsea after the Red Devils beat the Blues 2-1. And there's only two games left. Now, it looks like Manchester United have grabbed their 19th Premier League title to overtake Liverpool. Mathematically they haven't won it, but do you really see them losing to Blackburn or Blackpool? Even if they get as much as a point, they've go it.  During this crazy season, both Arsenal and Chelsea have had utter collapses in form to hand the Red Devils the title. They have been totally consistent, to the point where even I can say they deserved it. I wish it was Arsenal up there. Oh well, congrats to Manchester United. Oh, and Manchester City beat Tottenham 1-0 today. Ha.

Arsenal Make Things Exciting

So, without Cesc Fabregas, Arsenal finally defeat Manchester United, for the first time in the season. But, it was a hollow victory, atleast for the Arsenal fans. A few weeks ago, it looked like this match would be a title decider. Instead, it's a stumbling block for the Red Devils. But, it has opened the title race wide open. Chelsea, who in the winter looked completely out of the race, now has a wonderful chance to retain the league title next week, with the Blues visiting Old Trafford in a Clash of the Giants.  But then again, a lot has happened, so.... can Arsenal still win the title? Let's see.

Well, let's start with Chelsea. About 4 months ago, they were down and out. They were defeated at the Emirates by Arsenal, who at the time were arguably the strongest team in England, and people counted them out only half way through the season. Now, thanks to Arsenal's terrible recent form, they're in second, and only 3 points behind the Red Devils. But on Saturday, they were lucky to get their crucial three points against Tottenham, with the first goal never fully crossing the line, and the second being scored by Kalou from an offside position. I hate to say it (as an Arsenal fan), but I feel sympathy for the Spurs. They could have been a major changing force in the title race, but thanks to terrible refereeing, they're now behind Liverpool, who jumped up to 5th place. 

 

 

Now, on to Arsenal. Oh, the Gunners. How sad of a collapse. Despite all of their draws, they were still fully in the race until their loss to Bolton. Let me say that again, BOLTON. But with this win, can they be the dark horse in the race? In a word, yes. They don't play up to their full potential when under pressure, but now that people don't take them seriously in the race, they play freely. And the Gunners showed what they could do with that freedom, defeating Man United despite being robbed of a penalty. Chelsea and Manchester United play next weekend, and if Manchester loses while Arsenal beat Stoke City, the table will read Chelsea-73, Man Utd -73, Arsenal-70. Yes, I am being very optimistic. But why not? The 2010-2011 Premier League season has been absolutely insane, meaning anything can happen. Anything.

Torres FINALLY Scores for Chelsea!!!

 

Chelsea's recent 50-million pound purchase, Fernando Torres, hasn't scored for his new club and country in over 901 minutes. That's 10 whole games, well, until today it was. He finally put the ball in the back of the net for the Blues in their 3-0 win over West Ham. After coming on for Didier Drogba in the 76th, Torres found the back of the net after only 8 minutes on the pitch. According to "El Nino" himself, he believes that there's less pressure on him to score; "There's less pressure for me now, now I can enjoy it." Well, congrats to him. It's unusual to post about a player scoring a goal, but this seems like a fitting occasion.

Premier League Title Race: Oh, It's ON!

Well, the last few days have been quite eventful in terms of the Premier League title race. On Saturday, Chelsea comfortably defeated West Brom with a score of 1-3, and in doing so, made the gap to Arsenal only 2 points. But, the Gunners, instead of being inspired by Chelsea's closeness in the table, only managed a home draw against Liverpool on Sunday. Arsenal's attack was slow, sluggish, and was actually very predictable. The wingers, Theo Walcott and Samir Nasri, couldn't even create many chances because they couldn't get past Liverpool's fullbacks, who were both from the reserves. Then, the magical moment. Arsenal got a penalty, and Robin Van Persie coolly put it in the bottom corner, thinking that he secured the 3 points. But, at the other end, Eboue had other ideas. He fouled Lucas, who wasn't even threatening Arsenal's goal, and gave the Reds a penalty. Dirk Kuyt put it away, and also basically put Arsenal's title hopes away for another season. 

So, it looked like today, Manchester United would finish off any chance for Arsenal to come back and cause a huge upset in the title race. But, Tim Krul, the Magpies' number one, had other ideas. Putting in a Man of the Match performance, he kept the Red Devils at bay and earned Newcastle a 0-0 draw. Because of Man United's naive performance, the gap is now 7 points, but Arsenal have a game in hand. Will this be an impetus for the Gunners? Will they now play the wonderful, attacking, and clinical football that they showed earlier in the season? Time will only tell. I think that players like Jack Wilshere and Robin Van Persie will play their heart out during Wednesday's game against the Spurs. It won't be easy, with Gareth Bale and Rafael Van Der Vaart constantly threatening to score. 

With 5 rounds to go, Manchester United still has to play Arsenal at the Emirates and both Everton and Chelsea at home. Compare this to Arsenal's fixture list, with tomorrow's game against Tottenham and the game against the Red Devils being the matches where Arsenal could truly lose points. But who knows? There can be many, many surprises to come until the last match of the season. Both teams could potentially drop points, and of course, no one should truly rule out Chelsea.

Haha. Just kidding. Those chavs are out of it.

Looking Forward to the Weekend, Weekend

This weekend, there will be a few matches in both La Liga and the Premier League that are sure to entertain. Now, I don't normally cover La Liga, but El Clasico is certainly a great occasion to do so. Let's preview some of these matches, shall we?

Real Madrid v. Barcelona (La Liga): The clash of the Spanish titans. Last time Los Galacticos met the Blaugrana at the Camp Nou, Barcelona completed dominated Jose Mourinho's side with their tiki-taka style of play. However, with this match being at the Bernabeu, things could be a little different. With Barca being 8 points ahead of Real, this could be a pivotal match in the title-race. A win for Barcelona, and they have basically won the league. Unless of course, they have a terrible slump in form. But c'mon, it's Barca. But, a win for Real, and they're only 5 points behind. If that happens, all it takes is a Barca draw or two for Real to be firmly back in it. This will be the first of four matches that these two will play in a matter of 18 days, with the other matches being the Copa Del Rey final and the Champions' League semi-finals. My prediction? A 3-3 draw. I don't think Barca will be able to overcome the atmosphere of the Bernabeu. Heck, they let Arsenal come back at the Emirates. And yes, I did just take that as an opportunity to brag. This game will kick-off at 3 p.m. Central US time on Saturday.

Manchester City v. Manchester United (FA Cup Semi-Final): Anyone remember the gem of a goal above? Of course you do. It's most likely going to be the Premier League goal of the year. And, it was also the winner for the Red Devils the last time they met the Citizens. Did I also mention that Rooney isn't going to be playing. That's right, his ban will keep him out of this match. But, it isn't all bad news for United. City's main man, captain, and goalscorer Carlos Tevez will be out with a hamstring injury. That leaves either Mario Balotelli to start or Edin Dzeko. Balotelli's a little baby and Dzeko's still adjusting to the British style of play. So it looks like a tough choice for Mancini. I just hope that Roberto Mancini doesn't put a defensive-minded squad onto the field, which would ruin what I'm anticipating to be a fantastic match. Hopefully, Mancini will play around with his squad and play both of his center forwards. They'll be looking for a positive result, following their 3-0 defeat at the hands of the rejuvenated Liverpool, who will be facing Arsenal on Sunday. I honestly can't make a prediction for this one. After all, anything can happen in cup matches. This match will kick-off at 11:15 Central US time.

Arsenal v. Liverpool (Premier League): Finally, the third, and final of this weekend's "Clashes of the Giants". With both teams slightly ravaged with injuries, this could be closer than most expect it to be. The players out for Arsenal: defenders Bacary Sagna, Johann Djourou (most likely). But, with Emanuel Eboue having a fantastic match against Blackpool, his presence will be welcomed. What I'm fearing is a Squillaci-Koscielny backline for Arsenal. "Squicielny" as they're affectionately known by the Gooner faithful aren't exactly the best back line in the League. In fact, together, they're pretty terrible. This could be a huge disadvantage for Arsenal, with Luis Suarez and Andy Carroll firing on all cylinders for the Reds. It's kind of a scary situation. But, Liverpool's midfield, atleast in my opinion, pales in comparison to Arsenal's. With Steven Gerrard being out, Lucas, Jay Spearing, and Raul Meireles pitted against the likes of Samir Nasri, Cesc Fabregas, and Jack Wilshere. However, under "King" Kenny Dalglish, the Reds have beaten both Manchester sides by the score of 3-0. But then again, those were home games. Arsenal have looked a bit weak at home lately, but this will be an amazingly crucial game for the Gunners. If they win, they're back in the title race, being only 3 points behind Manchester United. I predict a 3-1 win for Arsenal. I think that the squad will realize that this is the pivotal point of the season, and they'll play their hearts out.

Mourinho Wants Back In The Premier League

One of the most controversial managers currently in-office, Jose "The Special One" Mourinho has confirmed that he wants to come back to the Premier League after his contract with Real Madrid ends, saying ""I miss England and my next job will be in England." In my opinion, this is a great thing. The fact that one of the best managers in the world would love to come back to the Premier League shows just how great it really is. Despite being one of the best clubs in the world Real Madrid is described by the Special One as "...the most difficult club in the world." Where would he go in England? Obviously one of the big five clubs: Arsenal, Man United, Chelsea, Man City, or Tottenham, but which one? The Arsenal fans have been jeering for Wenger to resign, Carlo Ancelloti's been in many firing rumors, Sir Ferguson's going to retire soon, and Mancini's not doing an up-to-par job. So, it remains to be seen. He could go to any one of them. I honestly think that it will be Man City, as they are in a similar situation to that of Chelsea when Mourinho was hired.

Premier League Injury Update

Steven Gerrard has been bothered by a recurring groin problem for a month and a half now, and reports say that he possibly could need surgery to help recovery. If he does require surgery, he could be out for the rest of the season. Kenny Dalglish had this to say; "For Steven and us it's a niggling problem to which we have to find a solution." It seems to be only a slight problem, with Gerrard being rested until fully fit.

During Everton's Wednesday draw with Birmingham City, Arteta was subbed off in the 10th minute because of a hamstring injury. After assessing the injury, Everton's manager David Moyes said, "It's too early to say, I'm not sure but I'm guessing he will be out for a few weeks." This is another important player injured for Everton, with Phil Neville also falling to a hamstring injury.

During their Champions' League loss to Barcelona, Arsenal's young keeper Wojciech Szczesny had dislocated his finger after stopping a free kick. Arsene Wenger wasn't able to determine how long Szczesny will be out; "He is out for a while, for how long? I couldn’t tell you." This is the second keeper injured for the Gunners, with Lukasz Fabianski out with a shoulder injury. Wenger will look to sign a player on loan to cover for new number-one keeper, Manuel Almunia.

Also during Arsenal's match with Barca, Cesc Fabregas again injured his hamstring, being subbed off late in the game. He should be out for the next two games, according to Wenger; "[Fabregas], no. He had a recurrence of his hamstring problem and he will be out for the next game. Maybe for the next two games." This means he will miss Arsenal's crucial FA Cup tie with Manchester United at Old Trafford.

Premier League Weekend Roundup: Gameweek 29

Wolverhampton 3-3 Tottenham: After a long spell of posession for the Wolves, Kevin Doyle flicked in a header a Milijas header to put Wolves up 1-0. However, 10 minutes later, Jermaine Defoe fired a thundering shot from 25 yards out to equalize for the Spurs. 5 minutes later, Jermaine Defoe scored another off a deflection off of Ward to put Tottenham up 2-1. Continuing to trouble the Spurs' defense, Nenad Milijas was pulled down in the area by Alan Hutton, and Kevin Doyle slotted the penalty into the back of the net for his second. Two minutes into the second half, Roman Pavlyuchenko of Tottenham put the ball into the back of the net to give the Spurs the lead, and scoring his 11th of the season. Tottenham held onto the lead until the 87th minute, when Steven Fletcher equalized the match with a header from Jarvis' cross. Because of this draw, Tottenham wasn't able to hop above Chelsea in the table.

Blackpool  1-3 Chelsea: Despite the one-sided scoreline, this match wasn't as close as it seemed. Having many chances early in the match, Blackpool wasn't able to capitalize on those shots. Taking advantage of the Tangerine's poor finishing, John Terry put a corner into the back of the net in the 20th minute. After Blackpool almost gaining an equalizer, the half ended with Chelsea showing poor form. Soon after coming on, Slomon Kalou won a penalty for Chelsea, and Frank Lampard put it away to double the Blues' lead. 4 minutes later, Lampard scored another and put the game away for Chelsea. Blackpool got a consolation goal when Puncheon scored in the 86th minute, but that did nothing to change the outcome. Chelsea now move above Tottenham in the table. 

Premier League Saturday Roundup: Gameweek 29

Bolton Wanderers 3-2 Aston Villa: Ivan Klasnic scored a late winner in the 86^th minute to give Bolton the late win at home and clinch the crucial 3 points needed for Bolton to continue a fight for a spot in Europe. During the match, Ashley Young of Aston Villa had his penalty saved, which would've put the Villains ahead 3-1. Capitalizing on that mistake, the Wanderers scored 2 goals in the last 15 minutes to seal the 3 points.

 

Birmingham City 1-3 West Bromwich Albion: In a fairly even game, West Brom outplayed Birmingham, whose players were looking to continue their celebrations after winning the Carling Cup. Both teams are in a relegation battle, and now WBA sits 2 points ahead of Birmingham. It was the first victory for the new West Bromwich manager Roy Hodgson, and it's quite an important victory. All goals came in an excitement-filled second half. This win lifts West Brom out of the drop zone, 5 points ahead of last-placed Wigan.

Fulham 3-2 Blackburn Rovers: With Damien Duff scoring his first double since 1998, the score of this match was 2-2 until the 89^th minute. Then, Aaron Hughes was fouled in the penalty area by Grant Harley, and Bobby Zamora took full advantage of the opportunity and scored the late winner for Fulham. Thanks to this victory, Fulham sit even on points with Blackburn, but are ahead on goal difference.

 

Newcastle United 1-2 Everton: In an intense first half, Leon Best gave Newcastle the lead after 23 minutes. Eight minutes later, Leon Osman equalized and put Everton back into this game. Capitalizing on the chance, Phil Jagielka guided Leighton Baines' free kick into the back of the net in the 36^th minute, giving Everton the comeback lead which they would hold until full time. With that win, Everton closed the gap between them and Newcastle to 3 points, and the Toffees still have a game in hand.

West Ham United 3-0 Stoke City: Coming off of a hugely important victory against Liverpool, West Ham were looking to make it back to back wins for more the first time in 3 years. They did so, and quite comfortably, out-shooting Stoke 22 to 9. Demba Ba, who's on loan from Cologne in Germany, made it 1-0 in the 21^st, scoring his 4^th goal in 5 games. 8 minutes later, Manuel Da Costa gave the Hammers a 2-0 lead. 7 minutes from full-time, Hitzelsperger sealed the 3-0 vicory for West Ham. This win lifts them out of the relegation zone.

Manchester City 1-0 Wigan Athletic: Playing without their star defender, Manchester City was looking to close the gap on their title rivals Arsenal and Manchester United with a win over last-placed Wigan. During both halves, you couldn't tell that the value of the Citizens' squad was most likely worth 5 times more than that of Wigans'.  In the 38th minute, Wigan keeper Ali Al Habsi quite literally handed David Silva a goal, not being able to contain a very tame strike. In the 2nd half, Wigan created a number of chances, striking the post, and substitute Conor Sammon failing to score Wigan's best chance in the stoppage time.

Arsenal 0-0 Sunderland: Without their stars Cesc Fabregas and Robin Van Persie, the Gunners were looking to close the gap to Manchester United to only 1 point. In the first half, the Latics' keeper Simon Mignolet only had 1 shot to save, tipping Bendtner's strike over the bar. In the 2nd half, Arsenal came to life. Attack after attack, Simon Mignolet continued to thwart the Gunners' plans. Chamakh put the ball onto the bar from a header, and Mignolet made a fantastic save to keep Samir Nasri's free kick out of the net. Then, it seemed as if Andrei Arshavin was going one-v-one with the keeper, but as he pulled to strike, was pushed by Titus Bramble, yet no penalty was given. Then, later in the match, another decision against Arsenal. Receiving a through ball, Arshavin broke free to once again go one on one with the keeper, but was called offside. Replays showed that clearly he was onside, and it's safe to say that the referee caused Arsenal to drop 2 points.

Nicknames for Premier League Teams

Hey guys, these are the common nicknames for Premier League teams that I'll be using on this blog (most of the time). 

Arsenal- Gunners
Chelsea- Blues
Everton- Toffees
Birmingham City- Blues
Manchester City- Citizens
Manchester United- Red Devils
Tottenham- Spurs
West Ham- Hammers
Fulham- Cottagers
Wigan Athletic- Latics
Newcastle- Magpies/Toon
Stoke City- Potters
Liverpool- Reds
Blackpool- Seasiders/Tangerines
Wolverhampton- Wolves
Bolton Wanderers- Wanderers
Sunderland- Black Cats

Thanks!

Sir Alex, Quit Your Yappin'

After Manchester United's 2-1 loss to Chelsea, Sir Alex Ferguson, manager of Man Utd, criticized the referee, believing that Chelsea's David Luiz, should've been sent off; "You want a fair referee, or a strong referee anyway - and we didn't get that." From a neutral perspective, David Luiz, who was already booked with a yellow, should have gotten a second yellow and been sent off. Here is the foul in question:

Wayne Rooney had already passed the ball, and wanted to continue to run, but tripped over David Luiz, who wasn't quick enough to get out of the way. Despite the arguing of the Manchester players, the referee took no action against Luiz. Alex Ferguson would be completely correct in this situation normally, but in Manchester's previous match against Wigan, Rooney did this:

Following the match, Fergie reacted to the incident; "There is nothing in it." There's nothing in it? Rooney running by a player, far from the ball, and elbowing him in the face is "nothing". The ref seemed to agree, letting Wayne off with just a warning. Before you complain about refs Ferguson, remember, you're lucky that Rooney was lucky to even be playing at Stamford Bridge. Ferguson simply got a taste of his own medicine, and now, because he complained, is facing a 2 match touchline ban, meaning he's going to be sitting in the stands.