Dav Whatmore, the Bangladesh coach, is dreaming of a golden future for his young side who edged out India for a place in the World Cup Super Eights. Bangladesh have made the second round for the first time and will face Australia, Whatmore’s own country, in their next match at Antigua on Saturday.”It’s terrific,” said Whatmore of his team whose average age is just 22. “We’ve got a couple of more experienced players, but the vast majority of them are under 25, which is absolutely perfect for an emerging team like us.”They now have an absolutely wonderful opportunity to play against seven of the world’s best sides and they will grow enormously because of that experience. I understand that we are still ranked number nine in the world and have a long way to go before we are consistently challenging the big boys.”But we’ve got the resources and talent to really progress and we will be going to the Super Eights to really enjoy ourselves. And from a personal point of view it’s great to be in a position where your team is playing well and your methods are being validated.”Whatmore is no stranger to World Cup sensations, having been at the helm when Sri Lanka won the title in 1996. Bangladesh made the second round with a win over India and a seven-wicket victory over Bermuda in the semi-gloom at Trinidad on Sunday.”I thought the game [against Bermuda] was an extremely difficult one and the boys did brilliantly to keep their focus,” said Whatmore. “I know we were only chasing a small total [96], but the ball was doing all sorts of things out there in the first ten overs, and it took a very brave batting performance from the middle order to get us through.”They’ve never really been in that situation before, with so much on the line and with so much to lose. This is very significant for us. It’s something we always believed we could do if we played to the best of our ability and had a little bit of luck.”We were the first team to arrive in the Caribbean and had a couple of extra matches in the conditions against Canada and Bermuda. We’ve only had one training session called off because of bad weather and in general our preparation has been as thorough and as focused as it possibly could be. People might think we’ve caused upsets’ but we knew deep down that we were capable of beating the best teams on our day.”
Shane Warne’s five wickets sparked a Victorian recovery as he and Matthew Hayden completed ideal warm-ups for the South Africa Test series. Queensland, who will seal a spot in the Pura Cup final if they win outright, were in perfect shape with a 153-run opening partnership between Hayden and Jimmy Maher before Warne upended the top order and they wobbled to 7 for 286.Warne added Maher (67), Martin Love (11) and Clinton Perren (7) in 28 balls before tea – each batsman was caught at slip by Cameron White – and he collected Hayden lbw after the break for 89. Hayden had scored only 38 at lunch, but he moved freely in the second session, hitting Warne for six to mid-on and finishing with 11 fours, and will head to South Africa next week in good touch for the opening Test at Cape Town on March 16.Hayden’s dismissal was immediately followed by the departure of James Hopes, who was caught and bowled by White, leaving Queensland flapping at 5 for 182. The second-placed Victoria, who want a victory to overtake their rivals at the top of the table, struck again with the wickets of Brendan Nash (25) and Chris Hartley (40) before stumps to conclude an impressive second half of the day. Warne was strong through 27 overs and was rewarded with 5 for 71, his first major haul for the Bushrangers in five years.
Sachin Tendulkar Contrary to what people think, I hadn’t really planned to bat that way. I was pumped up for the match all right, but when we went out to bat, the idea was to stay in for the first few overs and see off the new ball. When you’re chasing 275, you don’t want to lose three or four quick wickets. Obviously, you can’t afford to fall too much behind the run-rate either, but we knew that if we played out the first 10 overs, we had enough batsmen to play strokes later. So there was no question of targeting Shoaib or anybody else.It just worked out differently. I got a couple of balls to hit, they went nicely off the bat, and things started happening. Shoaib bowled short and wide. It was there to be hit, and I hit it well. It went for a six. I thought, this is working well so why not carry on? Cricket is about making plans and executing them, but you have to be prepared to change your plans if things change out there in middle. It was one of those days.Shoaib Akhtar Sachin is the greatest batsman in the game, and if he comes out with something like that, it’s no surprise. I was the one who got him out first ball when I was a nobody [in the Asian Test Championship, 1999]. And if he smashes me it doesn’t mean Shoaib Akhtar is finished. Yes, we make strategies, and I make a strategy for the whole team rather than only for Sachin. Obviously, he is a key player and it’s always an advantage to get him out fast. I had a strategy at Centurion too, but I was unfit. I had a problem with my knees and went into the game after having taken six injections. My entire right leg was numb and I was only about 40 per cent fit. It was just a bad day for us. It was bad being hit for sixes. It was just bad to lose in that way. They asked me to play, and they made me play, and I had to play for the sake of my country.
Think of a man with these following qualities: grit, the will to win, mental strength, and tons of experience. This might have been Steve Waugh’s last Test, but the third day at the SCG was dominated by a man with a near-identical mental make-up – Anil Kumble. Australia had motored to 147 for no loss, in response to India’s 705 for 7 declared, when Kumble struck. Bowling with intelligence and discipline, varying his pace and his turn, Kumble scythed through Australia’s top order, taking 4 for 103 as they finished the day on 342 for 6. It would have been a respectable score in any other context, but chasing 705, with two days still left, it was inadequate. Irfan Pathan, with the late wickets of Waugh and Adam Gilchrist, and Justin Langer, with a manic century, had their moments – but it was Kumble’s day.Halfway through the day, a run-fest seemed on the cards, and the match appeared destined to be drawn. Langer and Matthew Hayden had counterattacked the Indian bowlers from the start, and were cruising along at five an over. Ajit Agarkar and Pathan had been ineffectual with the new ball, and Murali Kartik had been mauled out of the attack, with Hayden smashing him for six fours in two overs just after lunch – four of them being typically powerful sweeps. Only Kumble looked likely to make a breakthrough.Repeatedly, Kumble beat Hayden with his googlies; repeatedly, Hayden swept his legbreaks. Hayden cut him, cover-drove him and smashed him over his head, but when he wasn’t hitting boundaries, he was playing uncertainly, and it was no surprise when he mishit Kumble to Sourav Ganguly at mid-off (147 for 1). Hayden was out for 67; would the tempo slow down now?No. Langer went berserk after Hayden was out, dominating a partnership of 67 with Ponting, which came in just over 12 overs. He charged Kartik and hit him to long-on for a four and a six when he was brought back into the attack, and reached his 17th Test century with a reverse-sweep for four off Kartik’s next over. He swept Kartik for another four the ball after that, and Kartik went on to finish that spell with overall figures of 0 for 62 in seven overs. Welcome back to Test cricket.
But Kumble didn’t give up. His variations in pace were magnificent, and the batsmen were struggling to read his wrong `un. He eventually snared Langer, holding one back just a wee bit as Langer tried his umpteenth sweep and got a top-edge. The ball looped into no-man’s land at midwicket, and Parthiv Patel sprinted as if after a school bus on the day of his final exam, and took a superb tumbling catch (214 for 2). Langer had made 117.The Kumble masterclass continued. He set Ponting up with four legbreaks in a row around the 85 kmph mark, then slipped in a straighter, flatter one which rushed through at 100 kph and caught Ponting plumb in front, stuck on the crease. Ponting was out for 25. Australia were 229 for 3.Waugh walked in to a rapturous reception – even the Indian team lined up to applaud him. Then they got back to the job at hand, as Agarkar came back into the attack and tested Waugh with some short bowling. He was struck on the arm off one such ball, in a similar manner to which he had injured his elbow in the last Test, but he soldiered on.Martyn played a circumspect innings of 7 off 45 balls, which came to an end when he was deceived by the lack of pace on a Kumble ball, and hit it straight back to the bowler (261 for 4). Simon Katich was ill at ease to begin with, as Kartik came back into the attack and there were spinners at both ends. But he began to use his feet well when he settled down, stepping out and driving with confidence, and rocking back and cutting anything even slightly wide and short.Waugh had constructed a typically combative innings of 40 when the spotlight suddenly shifted a generation, to the most inexperienced player in this Test. Pathan came back into the attack, generated some late swing, and induced a prod and an edge from Waugh, which Patel held on to comfortably (311 for 5). The crowd went silent. Then, remarkably, swathes of people began to leave the ground – with Adam Gilchrist walking in to bat.They should have stayed – to watch Pathan dismiss Gilchrist, in the penultimate over of the day, with a ball that Wasim Akram would have been proud of: a yorker that swung in viciously and hit the middle stump, with both bails going up in the air in a smooth synchronised movement. Pathan danced up a little less balletically, and with good reason – it was an unplayable delivery that would have got rid of any lefthander in the world. The tail was in, with Australia still needing 164 runs, at the close, to avoid the follow-on. The last time Australia had followed on was in 1988-89, against Pakistan. This was not the kind of nostalgia Waugh would have expected to encounter.Earlier in the morning, as expected, India had batted on, blazing away in an effort to put on quick runs. Patel hit some crisp boundaries off Brett Lee before being out for an impressive 62, and though Agarkar was out early, Pathan played a positive innings of 13, off 14 balls.Tendulkar, meanwhile, motored on to 241 not out, the highest score by an Indian in Tests overseas, and the second highest, after VVS Laxman’s 281, in all Tests. Ganguly did not, interestingly, declare after India had reached 700, their highest Test score, but after Tendulkar had passed Sunil Gavaskar’s 236 not out, which was, until the 21st century, the highest score by an Indian in Tests. It had been a mythical benchmark that Indian batsmen of Tendulkar and Ganguly’s generation must have aspired to, and it was good to leave history behind, while forging a bright new future.Amit Varma is managing editor of Wisden Cricinfo in India.
Dave Tiller, Portsmouth’s leading wicket-taker for eight of the past nine seasons, is returning to his old roots to play Hampshire League cricket with Southsea this coming season.An economical right-arm fast-medium pace bowler Tiller, 28, captained Portsmouth only three seasons ago but missed the second half of last summer after breaking his collar bone in a fielding accident.His part company with Portsmouth after a verbal outburst at club policy in the local newspaper. He played little subsequent part in Portsmouth’s Premier Division 2 title success.Tiller’s return to Southsea, where he began his club career as a lanky, raw teenager, is looked upon a significant boost for the St James’s club, who are anxious to feature among the County Division 1 promotion contenders during the coming season.
Western Australia has today defeated West Indies by a margin of seven wickets in the teams’ first-class match at the WACA ground in Perth. The triumph, which came half an hour into the post-lunch session, was clinched when Test hopefuls Damien Martyn (25*) and Simon Katich (18*) added an unbroken stand of thirty-six runs following a shaky start to their team’s second innings.The locals’ final day effort put the seal on a game upon which they had held a strong grip from the time that they consigned the tourists to the paltry total of 132 on a good wicket for batting on the opening day. Nonetheless, the closing stages of the contest still featured more of the spirit and defiance that the West Indians had shown yesterday in their own second innings with the bat.After they were finally dismissed for a total of 293, the tourists this time showed renewed resolve with the ball. In the hour before lunch, pacemen Mervyn Dillon (2/37) and Marlon Black (1/17) struck three times, reducing their opponents to a mark of 3/34 at one point as they set out after the modest target of sixty-eight for victory.Having apparently taken a lead from opening batsman Sherwin Campbell’s gritty century yesterday, the two pacemen produced an inspired display burst before the interval, removing quality batsmen Adam Gilchrist (6), Justin Langer (5) and Mike Hussey (11) in quick succession.Gilchrist made his fatal error when he drove a Dillon delivery to short cover; Langer, having been comprehensively beaten by the previous ball as well, departed after outside-edging when Black slanted one across him; and Hussey, following several nice drives down the ground, succumbed after chasing a wide ball from Dillon. It was all enough to give the West Indians a look of real enthusiasm and spirit in the field, a mood that could have been buoyed even further if Jimmy Adams had been able to grasp a half-volleyed chance at third slip to help remove Martyn for a pair.Earlier, the Western Australians had been able to mop up the remains of the West Indian second innings relatively efficiently. Once Tom Moody (4/14) had found the outside edge of the bat of the stubborn Adams (44) to send a low, brilliantly taken chance to Martyn at slip, the end came speedily. Ramnaresh Sarwan (12) fell when playing across the line at the rampant Moody, and Colin Stuart (6) lost his wicket when he scooped up a dipping Brendon Julian (2/58) full toss to square leg.The visitors now move on to Alice Springs for a one-day match against a Northern Territory Invitational XI on Wednesday, and then to Melbourne for their last first-class match prior to the opening Test on this Australian visit. For the Western Australians, their opening first-class victory of the summer should serve as an excellent spur for two upcoming matches later in the week against Tasmania in Hobart.
Leeds United are ‘confident’ that they will be able to strike a deal with the representatives of right-back Luke Ayling regarding an extension of the 30-year-old’s contract, which is set to expire in 2023.
What’s the story?
According to a source speaking to Football Insider, the Yorkshire club are ‘confident’ of extending the Englishman’s deal at Elland Road by at least one year with his current deal due to expire next summer.
Ayling is currently in his sixth season as a Leeds player having signed from Bristol City for around £200k in August 2016 and has worked his way up to cult hero status amongst Whites supporters.
After what’s been a tricky campaign for the Yorkshire outfit, the right-back produced his best moment of the season on Friday night by scoring the decisive goal to complete a vital 3-2 comeback victory against Wolves at Molineux.
Jesse Marsch’s side are now seven points clear of the relegation zone, but the likes of Everton, Burnley (three), Watford and Brentford (one) all have games in hand.
Supporters will be over the moon
Whilst being a Leeds player, Ayling has certainly seen highs and lows with managerial changes, near misses with promotion before finally securing a long-awaited return to the top-flight in 2020.
The right-back has impressively improved his standard to ensure of a place in the Premier League for Leeds and certainly deserves a new deal.
However, despite the Englishman’s popularity at Elland Road, his age does have to come into question regarding a contract extension, with the 30-year-old set to be two months shy of his 32nd birthday when his current deal expires.
The Yorkshire club will certainly be keen to progress, particularly under Marsch with the American manager signing a three-and-a-half-year contract at Elland Road when replacing Marcelo Bielsa earlier this month.
Therefore, regularly relying on a right-back who is likely to decline won’t be a long-term solution. It is, though, deserved and something that will go down well with supporters given his popularity.
When available, Ayling has played this term, making 21 appearances thus far in the top-flight this season either side of a knee injury that ruled the Englishman out for two months between September and November.
In the league, the right-back has averaged 77 touches per game this season as well as a 79% passing accuracy. Moreover, his contribution defensively is particularly impressive, producing 2.6 tackles, 1.1 interceptions and 1.8 clearances per game.
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However, as is expected with the sometimes kamikaze defending of Leeds, the 30-year-old hasn’t yet kept a clean sheet this term.
The right-back position is certainly Ayling’s with Stuart Dallas the only other player recognised as a fully capable fit on that side of the defence, with the Northern Ireland international regularly playing at either left-back or in midfield.
Although Leeds may look elsewhere for a new first-choice right-back in the coming seasons, having a figure as popular as Ayling in the squad will certainly be shrewd and, for his services to the club, the Englishman certainly deserves a contract extension.
In other news: Phil Hay relays 3-word Thorp Arch update that will have Leeds supporters buzzing
One accusation that has been floating around for a number of seasons and has become much more talked about this season is the question of if certain players escape sanctions because of their reputation off the field and vice versa.
I have to say, on recent viewing I have to agree with this – in the last few weeks alone there have been players who have escaped any kind of sanction for tackles which should have been straight red cards, and others who have been sent off for offences that are dubious to say the least.
Take Frank Lampard – a player who is not known for being malicious or dangerous on the field, and off it has a pretty good reputation to boot – he escaped a red card for a horror tackle in the match against Wolves when Kompany saw red for a challenge that made no contact with Nani some games later. Lampard’s challenge was a certain red card, yet this was not the case in the eyes of the officials.
Likewise this of course works the other way – players such as Joey Barton or Mario Balotelli get such attention off the field – albeit entirely deserved, and this can then influence the decision of the officials when a borderline decision has to be made. Take the Balotelli sending off against Liverpool – would this have happened had the player been say Fernando Torres? Most likely not, then again it would probably punish Chelsea more to leave their misfit on the field than to send him off.
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Rooney is a similar type of character and again is well known for his loss of control at times and outbursts, and again it is not a shock to see him pick up a card for something another player – for example Gerrard who seems to be Teflon in officials eyes – would get away with easily.
This is much the same with players winning free kicks and penalties. Certain players have a reputation for diving and thus officials are reluctant to give away a penalty just in case they are being conned. Nani is one of the players well known for his diving practice on the field and you can’t really blame a referee for failing to give him a free kick every time he goes to ground.
Of course I am not saying this is right – players should be judged on the incident that has occurred, not what has preceded it or how they are viewed in the tabloids – yet it is a fact of life that the referee will have an opinion of his own and this may become clouded by what his personal feelings towards the player are – entirely wrong yes, but not an impossible scenario to envisage. Like the accusation that top clubs get favoured by officials, and that Fergie time exists, the worry that some players are treated differently to others is, in my opinion an entirely accurate one. Don’t get me wrong – I do not agree with it or like it, but it is certainly a valid argument to make.
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A single point. Saturday, lunch time kick-off, the time earmarked as the moment Manchester United would go out to Ewood Park and do the job required of them in sealing a record 19th League title and surpass Liverpool’s tally of 18.
Yet, it was very nearly not to be. A strong side having been named, Sir Alex Ferguson made sure he showed his opponents respect in not wanting to show any complacency in his squad selection, recognising that until it was mathematically true, United were in no way guaranteed to be champions.
The only major change being Tomasz Kuszscak taking position between the posts in place of Edwin Van Der Sar proved to be a decision that may well have been a regret in wanting to rest the retiring Dutch ‘keeper, keeping him fresh for his final most important moments of the season and indeed his career. His Polish stand in having a torrid day, looking nervy and leading to a dominant United side being deflated after going one goal down after 20 minutes.
There on in United looked restless, shaky and frustrated against a resilient Blackburn, and it looked as though it might not be their day until with under 20 minutes left, Javier Hernandez broke through Blackburn’s back four, beating the offside trap and just about latching on to a sublime pass from Ryan Giggs, and although the ball looked beyond him, the young Mexican was able to take a touch away from Paul Robinson who dived out, taking Hernandez with him, conceding a penalty and providing Wayne Rooney with the opportunity to take his team within minutes of being crowned champions.
In front of United’s travelling support, Rooney stepped up to emphatically drive home his spot kick, leading Ferguson’s men to see out the match, with Blackburn not looking to challenge from there on, until the final whistle was blown, and Manchester United were once again crowned Premier League Champions. With that, here are five things that may be taken from the game.
1) Tomasz Kuszscak – Weakest Link
On such a momentous day, I will try and limit the negative statements. However, as is this also an analysis of the match itself, I would not be doing what was expected of me if there was not some sort of critique of certain performances, and the one that is certain to be considered a let down unanimously is that of Van Der Sar’s understudy. If, as expected, Kuszscak is leaving Old Trafford this Summer, he will not have left fans with a pleasant leaving moment.
A nervy performance throughout, his own lack of assurance in United’s goal seemed to filter through to the rest of the defence, looking an indecisive unit at a time when Van Der Sar would have allowed for far more control. It started badly when he failed to make up his mind as to whether or not to pick up a ball that may well have been judged a back pass, early in the first half and from there was never able to regain any confidence, looking out of sorts when coming for crosses and could have dealt with matters better in the build up to the opening goal of the game, looking to chase the ball after it had been crossed and finding himself out of position.
Perhaps a lack of match practise had been to blame, perhaps nerves had played a part knowing his contribution was of importance in helping seal the title, but whatever may have been affecting him, it does not excuse what was a below-par showing at a time when Ferguson will have wanted to keep Van Der Sar fresh in not having to play him when a reliable option is available. For a goalkeeper who has had positive contributions at times in his United career, his performance on Saturday afternoon emphasised the importance in picking an adequate replacement for next season as United’s first choice goalkeeper.
2) Paul Scholes appearance helped to regain control
With a defence that looked short on confidence for various reasons, after conceding an avoidable goal, United came under pressure from Blackburn. Despite having more possession, in terms of attempts, Blackburn were more than a match for Ferguson’s team, with his side failing to make much of the possession they had, even coming close to conceding a second when early in the second half When Olsson rose above Valencia to powerfully head the ball against the post.
However, United held on, refusing to lay low, and when Scholes was brought on for Fabio, it helped to regain a dominance in midfield, bringing a personality that had been there before, knowing what was required for the big occasion, and although still stifled by Blackburn’s resistance, the display began to look more self assured, showing threatening signs until Giggs played a superb pass to Hernandez leading to being awarded a penalty that would seal the title.
3) Ryan Giggs continues to astound
On what might otherwise be described as a day of frustration for Manchester United, fans will no doubt feel reassured that no matter what, there is always a big game personality, who might produce something that may just be enough to see their side through. On many occasions this season, that man has been Ryan Giggs, and once again provided yet more evidence for this on Saturday afternoon, helping orchestrate the moments that led to the all important title-winning goal.
However, this was not his only contribution, in a game that saw the seasoned veteran out run players over 10 years his junior, tracking back to win the ball and providing top quality tackles in fighting for every ball. Saturday, 14th May 2011 marked the day Ryan Giggs won his 12th League title, adding yet more gloss to an already glistening career, there was not a single player in the squad that deserved such praise as he. A great role model on the pitch, and no doubt a superb advertisement for yoga as well.
4) The critics have been answered
The game at Ewood Park certainly seemed to sum up United’s season away from home, often looking indifferent, their consistency at Old Trafford has truly made the difference in what has been an unusual but refreshing season for the Barclays Premier League. Teams have been more competitive than ever, the neutral will have been extremely entertained when teams have been so closely competing. The fact that nothing had been decided so late on was testament to the strength of competition within the league.
Matches found themselves to be far less predictable, with no one game allowed to be taken for granted. With a lack of dominance at the top of the table, some took on this fact to criticise United, despite being top for much of the season it was felt that the squad that had been assembled was far from vintage, and as such were considered lacklustre and poor. However, some will argue that it was simply a case that other sides had also improved, with the likes of Tottenham, Manchester City and later, Liverpool emerging as stronger sides.
Indeed, United had suffered with the loss of Ronaldo, as well as being hampered by injuries to important players like Ferdinand and Valencia as well as the retirement of Gary Neville. But regardless of the opinions on Ferguson’s men, what cannot be denied is their desire to win, the hard working attitude and the fact that a game was never lost in their minds, refusing to give in with this belief often rescuing matches. An example is when United travelled to Blackpool. It had looked to be one of those days, a nightmare when Blackpool went 2 goals up early on. However, in the second half a resurgent squad worked their way back into the match, exploiting Blackpool’s weaknesses to pull away with a victory.
Throughout the season this attitude has been evident and for all the faults of the team, some quality football has also been played, hitting form with the return of key players, emphasised most by Antonio Valencia, returning from such a long lay-off to become an ever present threat on the right wing, and providing a new attacking edge to United’s play.
Of course, the emergence of Javier Hernandez is also not to be forgotten, scoring 20 goals in all competitions so far, he has been regarded by many as the signing of the season, especially given the relatively modest sum that was paid for him, in light of other grotesquely more expensive signings, such as that made by Chelsea in January for a certain Spanish striker.
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5) 19 Times. All eyes on Barcelona.
Naturally, Sir Alex Ferguson will not take the final game of the season against Blackpool lightly. The fact the title has already been won, he will no doubt want to end the season with a victory on which to receive the trophy officially, setting up a wild celebration amongst the United faithful.
The fact the title has been sealed will now mean all the focus will be on the Champion’s League final at Wembley, and with the game against Blackpool as well as Gary Neville’s testimonial still to come, these games will provide opportunity for Ferguson to analyse which of his squad will be starting at Wembley on 28th May, as well as keeping his players fresh with some game time before the big occasion.
As is Sir Alex Ferguson’s way, he will be looking on to the next one. For now though, his players will be allowed to revel in their achievement, bask in their glory for what they have done. To overhaul Liverpool’s tally of 18 titles is something that many will never have foreseen. A remarkable feat, but as is Ferguson’s way, he will soon be looking on to the next opportunity, and soon will be looking to the next season, it what will provide a new challenge. But for now fans will enjoy such glorious times of happiness and celebrate the victory of a side that has been written off throughout. 19 times. Well and truly deserved.
Men of the match: Phil Jones for Blackburn. Ryan Giggs for Manchester United.
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Chelsea 2-0 Marseille – As respected pundit and famous dancing leather robot Bruce Forsyth used to say; Points make prizes. What do point’s make? – Prizes! And Chelsea are inclined to agree, as they eased themselves closer to the round of 16 with a competent if not exhilarating performance against a decent Marseille side. The away team actually had the better of it in the second half, and with a heavy smattering of former Premiership players (oh, *cough* sorry, I meant “Barclays Premier League” players) never looked intimidated or second best, except when it came to doing something effective in that little boxy thingy with the net in. As Ruud Gullit mentioned post match, inbetween the fawning man-crush attentions of Jamie Redknapp (Literally!), this is likely the last chance for the house that Jose built to win this coveted trophy. The creaking legs of Lamps, Big Man, Cashley et all will soon need to give way to the re-building process if Chelsea want to stay on their perch in future seasons. So it was fitting in a way (and for the purposes of making randomly pretentious allusions for editorial continuity) that the two players who’s penalty misses defined their closest assault on the prize, were the ones who ensured them the points.
Big Men on Campus – Any fears of Chelsea collapsing again when faced with a team of any substance were eased within seven minutes when they took the lead courtesy of Englands Brave Lion (TM), who flicked a short (and possibly bad) corner with the outside of his boot into the near post past the commendable efforts of the player on the line, who was valiantly trying to remember if he’d locked the patio doors or not. This was Big Man’s first goal of the season, and his first in the Champions League since everyone found out what a terrible and despicable person he was. Once the catalyst of France’s massive World Cup brain fart, Nicolas Anelka, had endeared himself further to his compatriots with a cheeky penalty, the game was all but over competitively. Yet despite all Marseille’s offensive enthusiasm, the home side still really should’ve won by three or four, with both Alex and Essien striking the woodwork. But they didn’t. And 2-0 was about fair in the end.
Le Freak, C’est Chic – Marseille is cool. The birthplace of both Zinedine Zidane and Eric Cantona can’t not be cool. It couldn’t not be cool even if wore corduroy trousers with rainbow braces and stuck two pieces of blu-tac up it’s nose. So if you’re going to start fighting in an English football stadium – something which hasn’t been cool since the mid 80s, no matter how many hobbits get into it – you might as well do it shirtless with your cap on backwards and a Gauloises hanging from your mouth. I say fighting, but of couse being French it looked far more like seriously profound gesticulating, but whatever the manner of troubles that seemed to erupt pre-match, it didn’t stop the Marseillais raucously out-singing the Bridge at kick off and mostly throughout, fittingly for the city that spawned La Marseillaise.
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The Future’s Bright, The Future’s…erm..Blue? – Despite all the talk of Manchester City ruining the English game with their money splashing mercenary ways, it can’t have escaped notice that an awful lot of promising young players have somehow wound up in the England team via way of Eastlands. Now it seems the original money splashing mercenaries (Well, after Blackburn) are in on the act too. Not only has Ancelotti given a reassuring amount of playing time to former City boy Daniel Sturridge (who missed practically an open goal last night incidentally) but he also gave his third run out in a week to the most talked about player I’d never heard of and apparent future of club and country, Josh McEachran. I failed to ascertain from his three touches whether or not he was the new Fabregas, but it’s interesting, if not downright startling that as United nurture their Italian prodigy and Liverpool’s children lose to Northampton, the future of the English National team seems to lie in the hands of the blues. Shirted and blooded. Ruining the game indeed.
FK Partizan 1-3 Arsenal – In a game that nearly didn’t happen due to faulty electrics and insufficient floodlighting, Arsenal rolled out their usual routine of looking both inspiring and underwhelming at the same time before eventually winning comfortably in a hostile but at least flatteringly lit atmosphere in Belgrade. The Gunners rode their luck a bit early on, showing the same kind of galic nonchalance in defence that let West Brom boing them at the weekend, but once Andrei Arshavin had given them the lead, they settled into their more natural passing game, with only a slight hint of dodgy decision making and unnecessary over elaboration. Amazingly, they also seemed to have someone vaguely competent between the sticks for once, and even more amazingly, it was Łukasz Fabiański.
Where there’s a Wilshere, there’s a way – Little Jack Wilshere seems to have returned from Bolton a boy anew, like a small child sent away to fat camp who comes back 6ft 2 and built like a boxer, providing that boxer isn’t Ricky Hatton. Except not 6ft 2 obviously, or particularly built, and not alarmingly fat to begin with of course, but you get my point, hopefully, which is basically just that he’s really something special now. Young Jack seems to have been involved in almost everything good Arsenal have done this season, and he was the lynch pin for the breakthrough again here, jinxing his way into the box before side rolling and pulling the ball back in one motion to set up Arshavin for a simple finish. Lovely stuff. An England call up can’t be far away. But it probably will be knowing England.
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The Pen is Mightier than the Sword – From then on the Gunners upped the tempo and could have grabbed three or four but for wasteful finishing and acrobatic clearances. That was until Denilson handled the ball in his own box, giving Partizan striker Cleo the chance to level from the spot, which he duly accepted. Soon after the interval Arsenal were awarded a penalty themselves after Chamakh was very really brought down by last man Jovanovic about half a millimeter inside the area, but still decided that a comical exaggerated dive 2 seconds after the infringement was the way to go. The Partizan man was sent on his way and justice for the Moroccan Amateur Dramatics society, if not football, was done when Arshavin blasted the kick straight at Stojkovic’s legs. After Arsenal had eventually restored their lead through Chamakh (who I still seem to be the only person in football punditry/journalism/blogging to have realised is s**t) and extended it though Squillaci, Partizan were awarded another penalty, this time after Kieran Gibbs had clumsily fouled and then fallen on someone, which apparently wasn’t a cast iron nailed on penalty in the impartial eyes of hugely unbiased co-commentator Alan Smith. Cleo missed this one, and Arsenal go marching on with six points from six.
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Absolutely Fabulous – The decision of who to field in goal for the big Super Sunday 3D HD Armageddon showdown with Chelsea just got a little harder for Arsene after a great penalty saving performance from stand in keeper Łukasz “Well I didn’t realise they’d taken it!” Fabiański. His heroics also included a couple of smart one on ones late in the game and with Manuel Almunia doing his best to remind everyone he’s still available and worthy of playing for England at the weekend by making several calamitous errors, Wenger could do worse than going on form.
In Other News – Jose and The Decepticons continued their unwavering march to rule the world by boring them into submission by beating Auxerre with a late Angel Di Maria goal. Things are so dire down Galactico way that Jose even seems to have lost his style, sitting glumly in the dugout in a shiny pimp suit whilst Serio Ramos – who’s looking more like Val Kilmer than the fat Val Kilmer lookalike that passes for the actual Val Kilmer these days – handled the ball in the build up. Speaking of handling, elsewhere the most evil man that ever lived ever, Luis Suarez, showed a delightful bit of skill to set up the opener in the clash of the not quite Titans anymore between Ajax and Milan, before Zlatan made sure the spoils were shared by executing a bicycle kick half a yard from goal. Also Cluj should be a rude word, but isn’t. Unless we make it one use it enough. This is something I feel almost forcibly compelled to do.
….And Finally – The gimpy pointless flagless officials behind the goal line finally had something to do in the Spartak -Zilina game as Ari’s header was cleared away from inside the netting. Thankfully, due to the brilliant human eyesight of these much needed and hardworking bastions of the game, they were able to clearly see that the ball was a good 3 yards behind the line and allow the ref to award the goal. Thank God we have them.
You can follow Oscar on Twitter here; http://twitter.com/oscarpyejeary Where you can join his campaign to make sure every reference to anything that ever happens in football is prefixed by the word “Barclays” just in case anyone ever forgets.