Abou Diaby is Back in the Side

The big news coming out of the Arsenal camp is the return from injury of Abou Diaby.

What do Arsenal supporters make of the player? He's played as a left midfielder this season, after being used as a central midfielder and deep-lying forward previously. He fluctuates between an exciting player who's fantastic on the ball and pushing play forward, and a player who's anonymous. Before the season started, I thought he would be the player to displace Gilberto, and partner Cesc. He could still get that role in the future as Flamini is allegedly a target for Juventus, but would he be up for it? Flamini has been good and he's still getting better.

If I'm not mistaken, and it's probable that I am, the boss will have to choose 2 among these 3 to face Aston Villa this weekend: Diaby, Walcott, and Bendtner. Will he get it right?

I tend to be a supporter of Diaby, in part because he's French, and in part because he looks like he has the potential to be a top player. I'd like to see him play a kind of Rivaldo-type role, but his development to a player of that level has not been happening. Does that start to change against the Villans?

Fernando Torres Defeats Middlesboro Fighting Club

Fernando Torres was a one-man force at Anfield today, netting a hat-trick against a nervous Middlesboro defense. Boro played like thugs, with no less than five attacks on Liverpool players, an attempted handled goal, and a generally cynical performance. For their part, Liverpool showed none of the dominance they showed Inter midweek.

Tuncay opened scoring, springing the offside trap on a dead ball as Liverpool watched a beautiful free kick. Torres next took advantage of a lapse of concentration from Arca, who played him in beautifully for a shot on goal. The Spaniard could easily have gone down for the penalty, but fought to stay upright and cooly netted. He found his second goal two minutes later with an unstoppable blast from 25 yards out in an attack started at the back by Hyypia. Torres then scored his hat trick by chesting a long ball from Kuyt around a confused Schwartzer and Wheater, who were helpless but to watch his subsequent hooked shot bounce in.

Downing brought one back at the death with a classy goal, but the talking points will revolve around Middlesboro's violence on the pitch. Kicks and swings at Liverpool players abounded. Aliadiere let his team down by swinging at Masherano, who did, to be fair, seem to goose the Frenchman in the cheek. Pogatetz is a loose cannon, a fuse that burns too quickly. Liverpool didn't offer much going forward, but Middlesboro fans should be ashamed of their club's showing. Liverpool only had one change from the team that made Inter look ordinary, Arbeloa in for a suspended Carragher.

Reina: Culpable for the first goal? Not his best showing. 7.

Finnan: Off the pace. Unusually error prone and didn't link well. 6.

Arbeloa: Not a central defender, despite playing in the center of the defense. 6.

Hyypia: Surprisingly good performance, considering how often he's been called on. The match could have looked much worse without him. 8.

Aurelio: Eh. Can't anybody play left back? 6.

Lucas: Liability. Turned the ball over needlessly, defended poorly. Rafa has given him a run, but we have trouble seeing why. 5.

Mascherano: Did well for himself, but looked worse because of all the mistakes his co-holding midfielder Lucas made. 7.

Babel: Aurelio and he do not have an understanding. He often drove in to the middle and found wanting a right boot. 6.

Gerrard: Played in his best position, roving. He was everywhere, and showed good leadership. 8.

Kuyt: Hard work yet again, had an eye for goals, and defended some. Another good showing from the Dutchman. 7.5.

Torres: Three opportunist's goals. Took his schances. 9.

Subs:

Benayoun and Riise didn't bring much, Crouch may not have had a touch in his 90 seconds.

Next Premier League match is against Bolton at home on Sunday the 2nd, shown on Setanta. We make up our West Ham game on the following Wednesday.

Arsenal Supporters not enjoying their football as Arsenal bottle it away to Birmingham, Arsenal Player Ratings

Arsenal Supporters would do well to pursue their non-Arsenal related interests until Arsenal play again in 7 days. In addition to having Eduardo taken off early with a broken leg, Arsenal played poorly against 10-man Birmingham City, going down a goal, before going ahead, only to throw away two points in second-half stoppage time. Shocking.

Clichy - Lost out badly to set up Birmingham's late equalizer. His crossing throughout the game was poor (4).

Cesc - Playing fairly well. Not at the level he was at the start of the season, but a good midfielder (7).

Flamini - Gave away the freekick that led to Birmingham's opener. Poor decisions still find their way into his game to offset his good break-up play (6).

Adebayor - Skillful and hardworking, but had an off day. The Arsenal game plan was to send in crosses for him to head in, and it never looked threatening. When he had well-beaten the offside trap, with a chance to put Arsenal up 3-1, he went for goal instead of picking out Bendtner who was making a good run (6).

Bendtner - Ineffective. With Birmingham City down to 10 men, they were fortunate to have Bendtner come on as he was not able to make any useful contribution, and effectively canceled out the man advantage (4).

Walcott - Arsenal's hero for the day. His goals were great, especially the second one, which is the kind of football Arsenal are supposed to be playing all the time. He ran at the defense, and put them well onto the back foot, and finished himself (8).

Sagna - A steady player, good in defense and going forward, although his crossing wasn't any more effective than Clichy's (7).

Gallas - Good defending. Had a good block. Birmingham couldn't get anything through the central defense, and had to rely on errors from Flamini and Clichy to get their goals. Gallas threw a tantrum when Clichy conceded the late penalty and Arsenal threw away two points, and Arsenal Supporters shared his frustration, even if not all of them would have reacted by kicking the advertising hoardings (7).

Senderos - Sometimes looks like he's about to lose out, but has been doing just enough to deal with danger (7).

Almunia - Might have done better on McFadden's first goal. He got a hand to it. Goalkeeper is not one of Arsenal's strongest positions, and it could have an affect on their attempts to win something this season (6).

Hleb - Continues to be just about Arsenal's best player, as he has the skill and creativity on the ball to create something, but he had a chance to score and wrap up the points, and chose to pass (7).

The beautiful game this was not. Arsenal lowered their level to keep it interesting against 4th-from-bottom, 10-man Birmingham, and dropped points accordingly.

New visitors be sure to check out the player rating guide in the side bar, and share your own thoughts by leaving a comment.

Going to Birmingham

Feb 23 730AM (EST) Birmingham City vs Arsenal - Setanta
Feb 23 945AM (EST) Liverpool vs Middlesbrough - Setanta
Feb 23 1200PM (EST) Newcastle vs Manchester United - FSC

After the excitement of the CL first leg tie against AC Milan, Arsenal travel to Birmingham to play City in search of three more points. The Premier League competition remains the main focus for silverware for Arsenal this term.

The long-term injured, Rosicky and Van Persie are still out but most of the first team players are available. By this time in the season, I'm sure everyone has picked up little knocks and knacks but these should not hold players back from playing. When you're top of the table with less than a third of the season left, you want to keep the momentum going to finish top come May.

Birmingham is hovering just above the relegation zone but under McLeish, they are a well organized team that are up whenever they play us, especially in front of their home crowd. So this could be a tricky match that requires Arsenal players to be on form. Three points are imperative given that Man U. are playing Newcastle who are basically in a free fall. I can see Newcastle getting slaughtered because people may say C. Ronaldo disappears in big games but he certainly doesn't mess around with weak teams. Chelsea have the Carling Cup final this week so they will drop back a little more but pick up a game in hand. Judging from the midweek CL game, Arsenal players are playing well and they should have no lack of motivation to keep their perch at the top of the table so let's hope they can keep the league wins coming.

Up the Gunners!

Arsenal miss clear chances to score, but keep out Milan

Arsenal were easily the better side at home against AC Milan in the first leg of their Round-of-16 Champions League Tie, but missed several clear scoring opportunities.

Hleb - Outshone Kaka by several lumens. Created space and opportunities for Arsenal to score with his trickey and pace (8).

Cesc - Had some shots on target, but the keeper dealt with them fairly easily. Is slowly coming back to his best form (7).

Adebayor - In the running for Arsenal's best player until he put a would-be late winner off the bar when it looked easier to score. Created a lot of space, and held up the ball, to give Arsenal opportunities to score. He is relied upon heavily by his teammates: used as the outlet for the ball during most possessions (7).

Flamini - Also had a chance to score, but hit it tamely to the keeper. His one-touch control has really come along, and he has the energy, pace, and timing to break up opposition play. AC Milan created next to nothing with Flamini as the windshield wiper in front of the back four (8).

Eduardo - Didn't have the flair to create something from midfield, and didn't take the half-chances to score that came his way (6).

Eboue - Missed a good chance to score, but created a few, for others to miss. His dive that earned a yellow card was a case of exaggerating contact, which is preferred to inventing contact. He was only down injured once, and it only lasted a short while. Some of his runs after he missed his scoring chance were great (7).

Sagna - Played well, and did his part to keep AC Milan quiet. He's great at one-on-one defending. He also got forward (7).

Gallas - Good defending (7).

Senderos - Had to come on early when Kolo Toure limped off. Had some shaky moments (losing out after pushing up in to midfield) and some very good moments (sheparding the ball into touch to deny Pato) (7).

Clichy - Had a good game. Always had space down the left and saw a lot of the ball. Defended well too (7).

Lehmann - Didn't have a lot to do (7).

Bendtner - Came on for Eduardo in the 74th minute, and almost looked like he could help create something (7).

Walcott - Came on for Eboue in the 89th minute.

The game should be sparking a classic debate of whether the glass is half full or half empty. I'm optimistic, so I take it as a positive that Arsenal were easily the better side and were able to create a lot of chances, even though they didn't score. Any number of Arsenal Supporters, and maybe the bookies as well, will consider the tie all but lost.

Anderson: Collected Praise

I am the proud owner of a shiny red long-sleeve Champions League Anderson jersey. I make it a point to slip his name into pretty much every post I write for this blog (I was forced to valiantly defend him in the comments section upon first mention). I excitedly talk him up to anyone who will listen, and even to those who are generally uninterested, frequently citing this brilliantly titled article. I nervously anticipate every teamsheet, hoping that he will start. I make gleeful high-pitched noises when I watch him work his magic on the pitch. My mind begins to spin when I think about the sheer potential. He is my proverbial boy.

I also spend the day after United matches scouring the internet for articles, player ratings and any other tidbits on the Brazilian wunderkind. So instead of going on about how I think he is going to blossom into one of the world's finest, I'll let others do the talking. From professional pundits to pint-swilling punters, a collection of some of my favorite comments in the wake of United's mauling of Arsenal on Saturday are after the jump. And judging from the accompanying photograph, young Anderson is flattered.

Read on...

A little Chuckle

From Today's Guardian Unlimited's Fiver (the tea-timely football email newsletter):

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QUOTE OF THE DAY

"One night, we were sleeping and my wife suddenly woke me up with a
shout. She said there was this monk-like figure with a candle in his
hand. She was in bed, next to me. I didn't see him but I was s***
scared. We've spoken to neighbours, and they said this was normal.
Perhaps it's black magic, I don't know. But some weird things were
definitely going on" - Arsenal goalkeeper Manuel Almunia reveals that
he lives in a haunted house, which is apparently built on the site of
an ancient Indi ... sorry, psychiatric hospital.

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NEWS IN BRIEF

Jens Lehmann will exchange his spectral-monk-with-candlestick costume
for an Arsenal kit tomorrow night, when he gets the nod to face
Meeeeelan as Manuel Almunia continues battling a virus.

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European Champions League, club football's greatest tournament - Elimination rounds start today

Notwithstanding its strange name, the Champions League is club football's greatest tournament, and it's down to 16 teams.

Tuesday's Games
Liverpool - Inter Milan
Roma - Real Madrid
Shalke 04 - FC Porto
Olympiacos - Chelsea

Wednesday's Games
Arsenal - AC Milan
Lyon - Manchester United
Celtic - Barcelona
Fenerbahce - FC Sevilla

The return legs are two weeks later, with the controversial away-goals tie-breaker coming into play.

If Arsenal win 2-1 at home and lose 1-0 away, I'll be sick.

What kind of side will we see from Arsenal at home Wednesday against AC Milan?

Lehmann
Sagna Toure Gallas Clichy
Eboue Cesc Flamini Hleb
Adebayor Eduardo

Arsenal Supporters who never want to see Eboue in an Arsenal shirt again will be disappointed if this is the lineup, and while I can hold my own denouncing some of his performances and antics, I allow for the possibility of redemption. He has the talent to play well. He obviously has psychological challenges, but those can ebb and flow, and maybe his atrocious outing on the weekend will have shocked him into an altered consciousness that will allow him to play well.

Hoepfully Cesc will be able to play well, as he was also disappointing in the 4-0 drubbing against United.

What about some of these other matches?

Liverpool to focus on Champions League

We've left all insignificant tournaments.  Liverpool is focusing on the Champions League, with a difficult tie against Inter Milan at Anfield on Tuesday.  Fans who watched the FA Cup loss (1-2) will be all the more nervous going into Tuesday.  The match was typical of the season- dominating possession, much better on the ball, creating "schances", but not finishing.  In this case, the debutant keeper Luke Steele, on loan from Middlesboro, made himself into a club hero.  He was a brick wall, denying 19 of our 20 shots on goal.  Barnsley started fast, let up for the middle of the match, and won it in stoppage time.  Fans will struggle to find positives from Liverpool's display, which would include Kuyt finding his shooting boots and Babel's dominating the left side.  

Ryan Babel was Liverpool's top player.  He was unlucky to be removed at 70 minutes, being replaced by an above-current-average Kewell.  Babel linked with Riise to cause constant headaches for the Barnsley right back.  I expect we'll see him featured Tuesday- the boy is IN FORM.  Riise typically wasted attacks by shooting miles from the goal, but looked fit and useful.  Kewell shot well, but couldn't break through the gates of Steele.  Barnsley's first goals came from a set piece, where Foster beat Carragher and Crouch for a header (no small feat) and the second goes down to a lapse of concentration from Alonso, who received 9 staples in his forehead after a knock from his teammate Lucas (this may have been his only talking point) and was certainly off his form.

Liverpool can't feel too aggreived with the result- they were frustrated by the loanee keeper, but should have done better.  Inter is licking their lips.  I'm getting even more nervous.

Itandje:  Blameless in the goals.  We won't get to see him again this season, but a solid performance from the Frenchman.  7.

Finnan:  Average.  7.

Carragher:  Out of sorts- didn't carry the defense. 7.

Hyypia:  Nearly gifted a goal, shaky, lost out on headers. 6.

Riise: Above his average.  7.

Benayoun: Drifted inside during the second half, largely anonymous.  All of our attacks went through the left.  6.

Alonso:  Tough as nails, but ineffective. 6.

Lucas:  Put a head into his teammate, otherwise, forgettable.  6.

Babel:  Drove at defense, crossed the ball well, should have been more selfish taking it toward the goal.  8.

Kuyt:  Scored cooly.  Looked average for him.  7.

Crouch:  Absent.  6.

A game fans would rather forget.  Arsenal fans and Liverpool fans are crestfallen, while The Red Scare is growing.

Liverpool v Inter Milan on ESPN2 Tuesday from 2:30, on Deportes from 7PM.  This match will not be for the faint of heart.  ManU fans can see their club face Lyon at 4:45PM on Deportes.  If you are a DishNetwork subscriber, consider the Latino Dos package, which gives the most football dollar-for-dollar, including GolTV (Spanish), Deportes (Spanish), and FSC.  You can also see some great soap operas.  You lose out on the Deuce, but small price to pay.

Arsenal unceremoniously booted from another domestic cup competition

A little less than a month after being bounced form the League Cup, losing out 6-2 on aggregate to Tottenham, Arsenal have been booted out of the FA Cup, away to Manchester United 4-0.

The Player Rating Guide has been added to the side bar to help with ratings for this game. Normally, I rely on an abbreviated version of the guide that I've committed to memory: 7 = good game, 8 = really good game, 6 = not so good game. For this game, though, I had to bring back the full player rating guide for help with ratings on the low end.

Eboue - I'd welcome anyone who wants to flame me for being too generous, but Eboue was a liability. If Eboue is one of your favorite players, or one of your relatives, then I apologize for the hurtful comments, but he had a poor game. His tackle that drew a straight red was not smart. His performance prior to that wasn't much better. Arsenal looked a little more stable after he was sent off, not that he was so much at fault for Arsenal being 3-0 down, but you'd like to see your side line up with 11 players they can rely on, and none who so often embarrass the team and its supporters (3).

Cesc - Looked off the pace, like he might be ill (5).

Gilberto - Looked off the pace, as if he might be a step slow for games at this pace. Arsenal were overrun in midfield (5).

Hleb - Was one of very few Arsenal players who looked like he was somewhere near his normal level in the first half, but faded in the second half (6).

Bendtner - Another player who almost looked up for it in the first half, and won a series of headers, but not as good in the second half (6).

Eduardo - Was ok in the first half, and got better as the game went on. Tried to help out in midfield (6).

Traore - Wasn't quite up for it defensively. Was able to get in one dangerous cross. He doesn't look too far away from being ready at this level, and he's still a teenager (6).

Hoyte - Had one to forget. Was terrorized by Nani, who put in two assists to Fletcher, with Hoyte looking terribly ordinary (4).

Gallas and Toure - The defensive organization was a mess. Gallas lost out badly for Fletcher's first goal, and Toure looked a little off the pace (6,6).

Lehmann - Even letting in 4 goals, he was one of Arsenal's better players, coming out of his box to make clearances, and making several saves. The scoreline could have been much worse (6).

Substitutes -

Flamini - Played his normal game (7).

Adebayor - Looked like he could create a consolation goal, but his dive added to the embarrassment of the game, and he was awarded a yellow card (6).

Senderos - Wasn't involved a lot when he came on, but did ok (7).

United looked like they were playing a training match that was designed to boost the team's confidence ahead of a big game. They were troubled not at all by Arsenal. Any number of their players would qualify for the "Man among boys" designation, including Anderson, who ran riot, Nani, Rooney, Fletcher, and Evra with Carrick and Wes Brown not far behind.

Manchester United under pressure to hold off depleted Arsenal

This picture is too good not to publish in consecutive blog entries in the lead up to the to the Manchester United - Arsenal 5th Round FA Cup tie. On lesser sites, you may only find this picture once, while some sites will not have it at all, which is understandable, I guess, if the sites don't normally cover football, or vampire activity.

Normally, a team hosting a big game would welcome a flood of injuries to the visiting side, but when the visiting team is Arsenal, it can pile on the pressure. No one wants to be embarrassed by the Arsenal reserves, and normally-proud sides can sometimes find themselves in the bizzare situation of protesting the involvement of "some" of Arsenal's first-choice players.

Far be it from mighty Manchester United to cry foul if Arsenal line up first-choice defensive pairing Kolo Toure and William Gallas, but they may feel more anxiety than comfort from the possible absence of Gael Clichy, who would likely be replaced by Armand Traore.

Out
Sagna
Djourou
Van Persie
Diaby
Almunia
Denilson
Rosicky
Walcott
Song

Doubtful
Clichy
Adebayor
Senderos
Flamini

Who's left?
Lehmann
Hoyte Toure Gallas Traore
Eboue Cesc Gilberto Hleb
Bendtner Eduardo

Fabianski
Gilbert
Randall

United supporters will be terribly put out if their expensively-assembled, full-strength side can't, at the very least, earn a replay against this battered Arsenal side. How will their players cope with the weight of expectation in front of these home supporters, whose patience is already stretched with the faltering title challenge? Reading some of the wishful thinking from their supporters, you can see how much they want to win this game. Will that pressure be too much for this United side, or will they avoid an embarrassing slip-up?

If you haven't already, check out some of the You Tube links in the previous post - there are some good ones.

United Meet High-Flying Gooners

The infamous Giggs goal and ensuing celebration. Pizzagate. Keane giving Viera the hairdryer treatment in the tunnel for picking on Gary Neville. A 4-2 thriller that included a lovely chip shot goal from...John O'Shea? Keown attacking Ruud like a flying vampire after a missed penalty. United ending Arsenal's unbeaten run at an uneven 49 matches. Henry doing a ridiculous dance with Adebayor after a stoppage-time winner last January...

There has certainly been no shortage of drama when United and Arsenal have met in previous years, but will this weekend's FA cup tie hold? United are coming off the back of two disappointing results and will be looking to rebound - a victory on Saturday would be a huge psychological boost as they enter the final stretch of league fixtures five points behind the Gooners. Meanwhile, some Arsenal fans are preemptively rolling out the excuses by claiming that the FA cup isn't a priority.

Rooney and Evra should return to the United side but these days the recurring question is who to start in central midfield. To disrupt the free-flowing Gooners, the pairing of Anderson and Hargreaves is an extremely attractive option. Anderson was outstanding in the last meeting with Arsenal (he "wielded a small spanner in [Arsenal's] finely tuned works") and cannot be underestimated as a mere holding midfielder. He has vision and creativity going forward as well, and with Hargreaves providing cover, the two of them could present serious problems for the Gooners.

And if they knock Fabregas and Flamini around a bit, the classic Arsenal whinging and moaning will surely emerge. They'll grow frustrated, cry to the referee, and their brand of beautiful football will generally degrade into an ugly mess. Sagna and Clichy won't be able to fly forward in their usual carefree manner because they'll be responsible for marking Ronaldo and Giggs, who will be streaming in the opposite direction. It's also not the most ideal situation for Kolo Toure to return to - Rooney and Tevez will be buzzing and the atmosphere will be tense. United's back four have been shaky, and while Adebayor and Eduardo will certainly provide no respite, hopefully they'll turn in a solid performance. And then there's always those pesky set pieces - when supporters of the defending team can barely stand to watch, muttering obscenity-laden prayers under their breath.

It should be cagey and absorbing, even if there aren't that many chances on goal. 1-0 to United.

Arsenal Supporters enjoying their football5 clear at the top

All things are as they should be at the moment for Arsenal Supporters. Five clear at the top of the Premier League. Cup ties coming up against AC Milan and Manchester United. Hleb and Cesc. Adebayor on 19 league goals.

Hleb and Cesc looked great against Blackburn. Neither scored, but don't be misled, these two look a class apart, top footballers.

A wholly predictable whinge, I say this in a vacuum, but I'll eat my hat if I don't find at least one whinge about the "lack of width" with Hleb and Cesc as wide midfielders; but, and this is a tip: anticipate a fantastic run of games from these two, no matter where they line up; and there was a nice shape to the side with those two wide, with Gilberto and Flamini holding; at least it was creating chances against Blackburn.

Cesc is probably going to miss two of the remaining 12 league games as he's on 9 yellow cards; hopefully that will work out to keep him fresh.

Arsenal have two defenders who are equally on top of their game in Gallas and Sagna. Arsenal Supporters can claim, with no hint of hyperbole, that they wouldn't trade these two for anyone.

Cesc - Really good on the ball (8).

Hleb - Great runs. Assist for Adebayor's goal (8).

Gallas - Never looked like letting Blackburn anywhere near the Arsenal goal (8).

Sagna - Strong at the back. Strong going forward (8).

Senderos - This site recently suggested that big Phil could be chipping in the odd goal with the inordinate number of set pieces Arsenal are generating, and he did do on the night with an emphatic headed winner (8).

Lehmann - Wasn't involved a lot, but he looked composed when he was (7).

Clichy - Crossing is inconsistent - it's a curious one, but Arsenal Supporters love the player (7).

Eduardo - Might be my imagination, but his buildup play looks slightly below Arsenal quality, so he'll want to be amongst the goals to have Arsenal Supporters singing his praises (7).

Gilberto - Carried on from his captain's performance for Brazil against Ireland; looked ok (7).

Adebayor - Arsenal legend very quickly in the making. Goal-scoring machine and consistent outlet (8).

Flamini - Good at breaking up play (7).

A thin Arsenal side used no subs. Three of the outfield subs were fullbacks: Gilbert, Hoyte, and Traore. The other was Bendtner.

Still to come back into this league-leading side: Robin Van Persie, Tomas Rosicky, and Kolo Toure.

Draw specialists do what they do best: Chelsea 0 - 0 Liverpool

Chelsea continued their four-year unbeaten streak at the Bridge this weekend. As we always knew it would be, the match was a 90 minute midfield battle with few chances created for either side. Makelele and Mascherano did what they do best, breaking up every attack as it reached the final third. Alex stood out as a reliable defender- more so than I remembered. He also raises the pulse when he goes forward for set pieces. Ashley Cole looked better for England than he did for Chelsea, but is still a world-class left back. However, the Chelsea attack couldn't build momentum due to the efforts of a fantastic Skrtel and Masherano. Liverpool was a slightly better side after 90 minutes, creating better chances, holding the ball, but couldn't bulge the net.

Skrtel has been with the club for only a few weeks, but he looks to be a regular. I am anxious to see Agger fully fit, because I can't imagine what our best defense is going to be then. It looks like Skrtel has taken Agger's place, which is a huge complement. Unclear how serious the wrist/thumb injury is, but he did finish the match.

Mascherano may be the most important player in the side right now. He tracked every attack, broke up momentum, and got stuck in. This is after spending the midweek in the States playing for his country, making it back to Melwood on Thursday. Gerrard, the heartbeat of the club, didn't get into attacking positions during this match, and was largely kept quiet. Kuyt and Gerrard exchanged the right-wing roles, but Crouch was the focus of the attack. Passes were choppy and inconsistent- both sides were anxious and play didn't flow.

Riise was featured, and it looked like the rest did him well. He had some gorgeous cross-field passes and didn't waste the ball in the form of long-range shots into row-Z as he has been lately.

It seems Rafa was content to draw- a good result at the Bridge, to be fair. However, a reversal would have been a huge lift for the club and provide an excellent jumpstart into Champions League glory and a frantic finish to the season. Abbreviated player ratings follow:

Reina: Alert, good kicking. 8.
Finnan: The usual. Solid. 8.
Carragher: Didn't need to get involved much. 7.
Skrtel: Quality. 8.
Riise: Gaining form? 7.
Gerrard: Quiet game for him. 7.
Mascherano: Kept Chelsea out of it. 9.
Lucas: Quiet, had trouble getting involved. 7.
Babel: Unlucky to be subbed. Always an interesting player. The battle between he and Belletti was fascinating.
Kuyt: Hard worker as usual. No finishing. 7.
Crouch: Missed a great chance, but had a good game. 8.

Pennant: Put on for Babel on the left. Out of place, and didn't get involved. Odd choice.

FA Cup on Saturday against Barnsley at home, and then Inter Milan on Tuesday. Back to league action on Saturday 23rd hosting Boro. Go you Reds!

Arsenal's title rivals dropping points

Arsenal can extend their lead in the Premier League to 5 points with a victory at home versus Blackburn tomorrow. Title rivals Manchester United were turned over 2-1 at home by Manchester City and Chelsea drew at home against Liverpool, 0-0.

United-City was the early game, but some neutrals, who have sworn to the practice fixture-viewing moderation, limited themselves to the Chelsea-Liverpool match. It was disappointing not to see Torres. Among the Liverpool players who did well, from the vantage point of my sofa: Crouch, although he could have scored, Mascherano, Gerrard, Carragher, Skrtel, and maybe Babel. For Chelsea: Makalele. Chelsea had a spell of pressure near the end of the game, but we're mostly uninspiring.

Huge thanks to Man City who have now done a double over United. Arsenal supporters are hoping their side will be five points clear this time tomorrow, on the back of a resounding Monday-night victory.

EPL Matches in Asia, America, and Austratlia?

The English FA is proposing to add one game per season for each team in the Premier League to be played abroad. The "top 5" teams will be seeded in the draw for fixture so they can avoid playing against one another.

What do you think of this scheme? I personally think it is bollocks because it will skew the result; the top teams will gain easy points and will stay top year after year. The situation is bad enough nowadays with the "Big Four" perpetually dominating the table; this scheme will make it worse. Additionally, the added travel will pile on top of the heavy schedule that teams already have with multiple competitions, making player fatigue and burn-out even more of a problem.

I am sure there is a large income potential for teams so that management will be salivating at the thought but the negatives outweigh the positives in this case. I say let's scrap some international friendlies in the middle of the season and replace them with club friendlies abroad.

Paul Jewell on his Rams

From the post-game after drawing away to Birmingham, the manager of the team at the bottom of the table had some harsh words for his side:  "I've got more points on my license than Derby."

No commentary needed.

France 0 - 0 DR Congo - M. Flamini Injured

France was held to a 0-0 draw in an international friendly played in Marbella, Spain against Congo. Gael Clichy played the full 90 minutes in his debut senior appearance for Les Bleus. Bacary Sagna also played. Abou Diaby was on the bench. The most worrisome news, though, is that Mathieu Flamini was forced out of the match by an injury in the 17th minute. Because there is very little coverage for the match, initial reports are very confusing. L'Equipe reports that he has sustained a thigh injury; another source reports a knee problem, and yet a third claims it's a minor ankle knock.

Arsenal's next game is next Monday at home to Blackburn. Flamini's injury is a concern for the team because of the pivotal role that he plays in the team's drive towards trophies this year. I hope the injury is not serious and he can play with his typical abandon for the rest of this season.

William Gallas seems to be a definite choice in tomorrow's friendly against Spain so Arsenal's supporters will hope that he can come back to the team unscathed.

Cesc Fabregas is in the Spain squad but it is unlikely he will play a major role in the match. Senderos is likely to play the entire match for Switzerland against England tomorrow; I hope Michael Owen is not able to step on him too often as Arsenal really need him to be fit when he comes back. Gilberto might get a game when he joins Brazil's national team to play against Ireland. Let's all pray for no more injuries!

Manucho: A Timeline

Summer 2007:

United Assistant Manager Carlos Queiroz brings Angolan striker Mateus Alberto Contreiras Gonçalves, better known as Manucho, to the attention of Sir Alex Ferguson. Ferguson responds suspiciously, "Seriously, Carlos? Another Portuguese speaker?"

December 2007:

After impressing during a three-week trial at Carrington, United sign Manucho to a three-year contract.

January 2008:

Manucho is named in the Angolan side for the African Cup of Nations in Ghana, providing a world stage on which he can prove that he is United quality.

January 23, 2008:

In the opening match of the group stage against South Africa, Manucho scores on an acrobatic header; United supporters immediately begin dreaming about what an aerial menace could achieve at the head of United's already potent attack.

January 27, 2008:

The man scores two more goals, including another powerful header in 3-1 win over Senegal.

February 1, 2008:

Ferguson confirms that Manucho will be loaned out to Greek club Panathinaikos until the end of the season to gain first team experience under the watchful eye of Portuguese manager Jose Peseiro.

February 4. 2008:

In the quarterfinal against Egypt, Manucho unleashes an absolute screamer from outside the box to score what is easily the goal of the tournament so far. Egypt go on to win the match and Manucho plans to head home to Angola before reporting for duty in Athens.

February 5, 2008:

In a flash of smoke, Jose Mourinho arrives on the scene to give his "special" opinion on Manucho and African players in general, expressing doubt over whether Manucho will ever play for United.

Liverpool Persistent: Liverpool 3 - 0 Sunderland

Rafa Benitez is reading Wicked Deflection. There was no room on the bench for underperforming players (save Aurelio, who left at half-time) and we showed real heart. No longer content with mediocrity, Liverpool played with class and killed off the game in front of the Kop. Roy Keane saw his side put in a good first half, get caught on the back foot for a majority of the second half, and get hard done by at the end. That being said, Liverpool ran play for the second half and deserved to win the match by the scoreline they did.

Rob Styles- Some controversial decisions went his way, like Carragher's handling of the ball in the box. However, he mostly kept play moving and was often proven right on replay.

Reina- Clean sheet. Kept his defense in order. Didn't fall asleep. (7)

Carragher- Played from the start at right back. Looked great going forward, providing the first brilliant cross after making room for himself. Always involved, typical Carragher performance, just in a new (old) position. He'd have a higher rating if he didn't almost give away a penalty. (8)

Skrtel- He must have been secretly training with the club for the past three years. Totally seamless as a center-half. This kid is quality, and Dan Agger is wondering about his position. In fact, Agger had special boots made to aid his recovery. (7)

Hyypia- Nearly scored a few times, looked reliable, and wasn't challenged much. Stayed forward longer than usual after dead balls because he had great cover. (7)

Aurelio- Left at half time. It doesn't appear he was injured. (5)

Pennant- This kid is class. Pacey, sharp. Crossed the ball well, made space, terrorized the opposition. Defense had no choice but to foul him in the box for the penalty. (7)

Masherano- Man of the Match. Calling him a "destroyer" is too crude. He plays the Makelele role better than most, but also got forward to help in attack. Kept the forwards out of the match entirely. I hope his contract is settled soon- we need this player for a long time to come. (9)

Gerrard- Relatively quiet game for him. Scored his penalty, but turned the ball over a bit more than usual. (7)

Lucas- Played on the left side because he's too good to leave on the bench. Didn't do a great job, but exchanged well with Finnan and showed his skill. We need to play with 12 to make room for him- just not on the left. (7)

Crouchigol- Another great game from Crouch. Looked better than Kuyt has in recent weeks. Scoring is easy for him. (8)

Torres- Scored a top-shelf goal, narrowly missed another, and did his usual routine. Fantastic. He's scored at least every three games. (8)

Subs: Finnan did well on the left, just like he does on the right. Benayoun was a pest. Kuyt didn't get involved too much.

This game got Liverpool back on track. The players showed belief and dominated the game. Hopefully the international break is kind to all of our players, and we come back reasonably rested to face Chelsea on Sunday (FSC 11AM EST).

Arsenal march on, Adebayor with yet more goals

Arsenal supporters have little to complain about after the away victory over Man City today. Arsenal played their flowing football in patches, and were easily the better side, against a team that hadn't lost at home this season.

Sagna - Made the difference for the opener, getting to the goal line and cutting the ball back to Adebayor. He got forward quite a bit, Man City weren't keeping him busy at the back, but never produced a final ball to match his assist for the opener (8).

Adebayor - Was heavily involved, in addition to his double. His teammates are all feeding him the ball because he's the form player. Both of his goals came from balls that made their way to him in front of goal, and it came as no surprise when he dispatched them into the back of the net. He headed the ball to Eduardo, perhaps unintentionally, for the second goal. Whether that assist was intentional, Adebayor is a handful right now and making all kinds of good things happen (8).

Clichy - Sent in the ball that Adebayor headed to Eduardo for the second goal. Lost out terribly to set up the Man City goal, but his response was typical. He didn't try to divert attention from his mistake, make an excuse, or blame someone else. His body language said, "I really screwed that one up. It won't happen again, but let's make sure it doesn't cost us points today." He was typically solid from then on, and it didn't cost any points (6).

Eduardo - Put away his goal fantastically. He looked a little offside, but his finish was wonderful - goal of the game; chesting the ball to himself to put it in with a kind of overhead bicycle kick (8).

Cesc - Wonderful on the ball in midfield. Doesn't look like the scoring midfielder he was earlier in the season, but helped Arsenal set up the third goal. If he could find his shooting boots, Arsenal just might be able to open up a decent lead in this title race (7).

Flamini - Continues the form that kept Diarra frozen out of the side. Nothing spectacular, and he doesn't always have the sweet touch and control of Cesc and Hleb, but he has great energy, and gets stuck in (7).

Hleb - Relatively quiet game playing wide right. Helped set up the third goal just before he went off (7).

Diaby - Only looks partially motivated. Hard to know what's going on with the player, but he doesn't look like keeping a healthy Rosicky out of the side (6).

Senderos - Just about looks good enough to start in central defense for the Arsenal, but with all the corners and free kicks Arsenal had today, supporters were hoping, almost expecting, that big Phil would get himself into position and put a few of them away (7).

Gallas - If it's a captain's job to yell at players, then he's been stepping up to the task. His defending looks ok too, but, as a close observer of the player for years, watching him play for France and Chelsea, he looks like he might be a bit off his peak, at age 30. Mind you, at his peak, this writer considered him the world's best defender, full stop, so a bit off his peak should put him as a mainstay in the side that wins this season's league and Champions League double (7).

Lehmann - The return of the mad German to league action. Almunia was out injured. You want that, sometimes (in theory); you want a mad keeper in there to wind everybody up: opposition, teammates, referees; to keep things lively, to keep the back line focussed. When his madness gets the best of him, he can get distracted, but there were no episodes in today's game, thankfully (7).

With Chelsea and Manchester United finally dropping a couple points, Arsenal get the top of the table to themselves: 2 clear of Man U and 6 clear of Clesea. Liverpool are a full 17 points back, but with a game in hand.

Thin Arsenal Squad Travel to Manchester City

Man City v. Arsenal - Sat. 445AM (PST) 745AM (EST) Setanta
Tottenham v. Man. Utd. - Sat 645AM (PST) 945AM (EST) Setanta
Liverpool v. Sunderland - Sat. 900AM (PST) 1200PM (EST) FSC

Arsenal travel to Manchester City with only 14 players. The squad has been reduced due to injuries. Almunia has a thumb problem (I wonder if Jens has anything to do with that or maybe Manuel hurt it when thumbing his nose at Jens) so Lehmann will be in goal; I hope he takes this opportunity seriously and not make any mistake. A clean sheet would be very nice. Rosicky is kept out until next week. I really hope we don't pick up any more injury. February has many important games and having healthy and fresh players is crucial when you are contending on multiple fronts.

Citeh hasn't shown good form lately but they have a solid defense which may be hard to break down. If Sven learned anything from the previous meeting then he may choose to sit back and break on counters. It will take creativity to break down this City team and vigilance to avoid any surprise. This is a good game to take all three points and put a little pressure on Man. U. again seeing that they are visiting the Sp*rs. Let's see how the Woodgate-King partnership fare against the tremendous firepower of the Red Devils. Can glass contain fire? I guess it depends on whether the fire is from a tea light or a Viking stove! Hmmm, all of a sudden, it doesn't look so good for the hosts.

Enjoy your football or soccer, wherever you are!