Filed under: EPL Football, Fernando Torres, Geovanni, Jermaine Defoe, José Bosingwa, Scott Carson, feelgood top five | Tags: Chelsea VS Stoke City, EPL Football, Everton VS Liverpool, feelgood top five, Fernando Torres, Geovanni, Hull City VS Arsenal, Jermaine Defoe, José Bosingwa, Portsmouth VS Tottenham, Scott Carson, West Brom VS Middlesbrough
Week 6 saw Chelsea & Liverpool take back the top of standings. Liverpool beat out Everton at Goodison Park in the Merseyside derby. United took advantage of some poor decisions to get themselves back on track against Bolton. And Hull City look like the new Wigan, as they upset the Gunners to take 6th place in the Premiership.
#5 – Jermaine Defoe
Jermaine Defoe, the ex-Tottenham man, sunk his former team with a 33rd minute penalty. Jermaine Jenas was unlucky to concede the penalty as the ball accidentally hit his arm in the box. Defoe beat Heurelho Gomes with a bottom-left-corner strike to put his team up 1-0.
#4 – José Bosingwa
It was Avram Grant’s last signing, José Bosingwa, that became the difference-maker in Chelsea’s victory over Stoke City. The right-fullback, who had began the attack primarily, made great use of a chip pass by Lampard into the box. Bosingwa struck the ball with his right foot, beating both Thomas Sørensen and defender, Andy Griffin for his first goal as a Blue. It was also Bosingwa, who set-up Anelka in the end to make it 2-0.
#3 – Scott Carson
Scott Carson was the man of the match for West Brom on Saturday after a fantastic display to earn his team a 1-0 victory & a full three points. And with David James letting in ten goals in his last 3 games for Portsmouth, Carson’s eye-catching display on Saturday could earn him a starting spot for Fabio Capello’s England squad.
#2 – Fernando Torres
El Niño scored twice at Goodison Park to win the Merseyside Derby. Two unbeatable strikes in the in the 58th & 62nd minute was enough to put his team through and back at the top of the table.
#1 – Geovanni
The former Manchester City player hit a lightning strike from thirty yards out to tie the game up 1-1. But it would be his goal that turned the game around for the Tigers, as five minutes later Daniel Cousin scored the match-winner to upset the Gunners.
Filed under: Arsenal, EPL Football, UK Sun, feelgood headlines | Tags: Arsenal 1 Hull 2, Arsenal lose to Hull, Arsenal VS Hull, EPL Football, feelgood headlines, UK Sun
It is always entertaining to check up on the UK Sun for their absurd headlines. The article captioned Arsenal’s poor performance against Hull this afternoon within the first sentence: “Arsenal’s OAPs will be resting on their Zimmer frames after being given the runaround by Hull.“
More snippets from the article:
Hull boss Phil Brown said: “It’s one of my greatest results.”
Brown joked it was a day to celebrate as Hull reached 11 points.
He added: “We’ve got the same number of points as Derby (achieved in all of last season) with 32 games left, so it’s a fantastic day.”
Read the article here: http://www.thesun.co.uk/sol/homepage/sport/football/article1742445.ece
Filed under: EPL Football, feelgood fantasy | Tags: Arsenal VS Hull City, Chelsea VS Stoke City, Cristiano Ronaldo Bolton, Dirk Kuyt, EPL Football, Everton VS Liverpool, Fantasy Picks Matchday 6, Fantasy Picks Week 6, feelgood fantasy, Florent Malouda, Fulham VS West Ham, José Bosingwa, Kolo Touré, Manchester City VS Wigan Athletic, Manchester United VS Bolton, Merseyside Derby, Merseyside Derby 2008, Patrice Evra, Richard Dunne, Robbie Keane, Robert Green, Shaun Wright-Phillips, Soccer Fantasy Picks, Tim Cahill
This week we visit Goodison Park for the Merseyside Derby, where two Liverpool players have made it into our list for Week 6. Both Everton & Liverpool drew last weekend against their newly-promoted counterparts. Chelsea and Manchester United should cruise against Stoke City & Bolton respectively, while Arsenal are set to take on overachievers, Hull City.
We begin with Robert Green as our goalkeeper for this week, as West Ham United takes on Fulham. Fulham were goalless against Blackburn last weekend, as Paul Ince’s Rovers went on to record only their second victory of the season. The underrated, Green should come out as the winning keeper in the clash between the two London sides.
Richard Dunne & Kolo Touré lead the defense as the two centerhalfs. Both defenders are good choices and should come as a bargain. José Bosingwa & Patrice Evra complete are back-four.
Manchester United will face Bolton and this should be a good time to save a little money in order to afford Cristiano Ronaldo on your team. Tim Cahill is another great choice in the middle – a good player that scores under pressure. The Australian attacking midfielder has scored twice in the two games he’s played since his return from injury. Florent Malouda & Shaun Wright-Phillips complete are midfield, as both players are enjoying their rejuvenated starting roles.
As promised, two Liverpool players have been chosen for this week. Dirk Kuyt & Robbie Keane make up our strike force as they take on their old rivals. Keane is highly anticipating his first Merseyside Derby, while Kuyt looks to repeat his team’s first Merseyside encounter from last season with another goal.
Filed under: Aberdeen, Celtic, Dundee United, Heart of Midlothian F.C., Hibernian FC, Rangers, SPL Football, Uncategorized | Tags: Celtic VS Aberdeen, Dundee United VS Heart of Midlothian, Hibernian VS Rangers, SPL Football
Scottish football fans are in for a solid weekend of action as 3 key matches are expected to unfold.
Celtic v. Aberdeen
The first match-up pits 2nd place Celtic against recent underachievers, Aberdeen. Although Aberdeen are currently 6 points behind Celtic, they are notorious for upsetting the Old Firm on a consistent basis. After last year’s positive UEFA Cup run, they’ve formed a tight stubborn bunch under the leadership of prolific Scottish scorer, Lee Miller. But Celtic are fresh from a destructive performance against Kilmarnock and are looking to establish hard ground for the first time after recent reshuffling this season.
Dundee United v. Heart of Midlothian
Hearts have been the surprise team this season under electric manager, Csaba László. While momentum may be high, Hearts have notable history of dropping points against struggling opponents. Former Hearts manager, Craig Levein has a tendency of producing defensive powerhouses. His recent record against Hearts could mean the toughest test for the upstart Jambos this season. Hearts are currently 4 points behind League leaders, Rangers.
Hibernian v. Rangers
Rangers visit Easter Road, leading the League – 3 points ahead of 2nd-place, Celtic. Hibs have been Scotland’s most successful youth producers in the last decade & they should make life impossible for a Rangers squad that’s desperate to find its form. This is expected to be a classic battle of skill vs. muscle with Easter Road promising to be as intimidating as ever. Rangers and Scotland skipper, Barry Fergusson is still out with an injury, a possible reason for the team’s recent lackluster form.
Filed under: EPL Football, Manchester United | Tags: EPL Football, Manchester United, Manchester United ready to turn it up
Manchester United are set to turn it up after only accumulating 5 points in their first 4 matches of the season. They currently sit in the bottom half of the EPL table behind Wigan, but expect a climb with the champions set to face struggling teams within the next month. And the only “semi-tougher” competition that awaits them come near the end of October when United face both Everton on the 25th, then West Ham just four days later.
The only difference last season was as United struggled, so did their title rivals, Chelsea. Chelsea have done a great job by giving themselves a good lead early on and are currently 6 points ahead on United. Whether United does decide to change gears from now until at least January, the same thing could be said about Chelsea, who are becoming more and more consistent as the year goes on.
Manchester United should get their stride back this weekend as they host Bolton. The return of Cristiano Ronaldo should provide some renewed energy & strength to an ailing Red Devils side. Ryan Giggs told the UK Sun, “This team is capable of going on a run and winning 10 games on the trot. Hopefully that run has started now and we can carry it on against Bolton on Saturday.”
Filed under: EPL Football, Manchester City, Sheikh Mansour | Tags: EPL Football, Manchester City owner, Sheikh Mansour
Billionaire owner Sheikh Mansour has recently admitted his ambitions to mimic Manchester United’s League successes in the 1990s, which included an unprecedented 5 League titles, 3 FA Cups, 1 Champions League win and 1 Intercontinental Championship. Mansour is aware that it takes more than filling a team with superstars to make a championship team, therefore, the new owner will refrain from making a series of rash, expensive transfers for the sake of bringing in top names. The Manchester City owner also gave his full confidence in manager Mark Hughes, signaling that he will not interfere in club affairs unless it is absolutely necessary.
When asked for his reasons, Mansour responded that it is best to leave things in the hands of those who know. “I’m a fan (of football), but I am not an expert.“
Filed under: Aaron Ramsey, Arsenal, Arsène Wenger, Carling Cup, Carlos Vela, Cesc Fàbregas, EPL Football, Jack Wilshere, Theo Walcott | Tags: Aaron Ramsey, Arsène Wenger, Arsène Wenger philosophy, Arsenal, Arsenal 6-0, Arsenal Carling Cup, Arsenal Team of the Future, Arsenal VS Sheffield United, Arsenal young guns, Carlos Vela, Cesc Fàbregas, EPL Football, Jack Wilshere, Theo Walcott, Young Gunners
Arsenal fired in six goals to beat Sheffield United 6-0 in their Carling Cup match. Arsène Wenger named a line-up that had an average age of 19 – something that’s out of the ordinary in the EPL. Many critics will argue that Wenger is counting on a base of instability. But Wenger stands by his ideal of giving an open opportunity to his youth players and this without a doubt is a sign of good intention in itself.
Arsenal failed to finish as strong as they had began their campaign last season and they would attest this failure through the team’s inexperience. Fingers were pointed at Cesc Fàbregas, who led his team’s midfield at the age of 20. Questions were raised about whether such young, raw players could carry such a difficult task in arguably, the biggest & best league in the world.
But Arsenal have something that most EPL teams don’t and that’s open-mindedness. While most teams, like Chelsea, Liverpool & Manchester United have chosen a kind of short-term plan – Arsenal’s got something that has the potential to become really special. Wenger’s youth policy may be deemed as vulnerable because of his openness to count on such young talent. However, the future is not so far away & Arsenal has got it right to stick with a young core, rather than an aging one.
And with such a great array of young talent in the club, it’s almost expected that there’s great things to look forward to in North London. The thought of having a matured side that includes Fàbregas, Theo Walcott, Jack Wilshere, Carlos Vela & Aaron Ramsey is a vision worth waiting for. And Wenger knows patience is truly the key, as Arsenal is the team for the future.
Filed under: Arsenal, Chelsea, David Di Michele, Denílson, EPL Football, Manchester City, Michael Chopra, Richard Dunne, Salomon Kalou, Sunderland, West Ham United, feelgood top five | Tags: David Di Michele, David Di Michele VS Newcastle, Denílson, EPL Football, feelgood top five, Kalou VS Manchester United, Manchester City 6-0, Michael Chopra, Richard Dunne
Week 5 saw Arsenal take the top of the table after winning their third straight, while Liverpool, United & Chelsea all played to a draw. Manchester City showed what they were capable of doing with their new attack, beating Harry Redknapp’s side 6-0.
#5 – Denílson
The young Bazilian midfielder has had a very mature season after consistent starting roles. Denílson scored in the 86th minute to secure three points against Bolton. The 20-year-old is loving life as a starter and should make it interesting when Tomáš Rosický returns for the Gunners.
#4 – Richard Dunne
It was six in the City, as Manchester City demolished Portsmouth 6-0. Richard Dunne helped his club earn a cleansheet, while also scoring in the 19th minute to give his team a 2-0 lead.
#3 – David Di Michele
The 32-year-old Italian striker should see considerable amount of time in the pitch with newly appointed manager and fellow compatriot, Gianfranco Zola at the helm. Zola, who promised exciting football hasn’t disappointed with his team beating Newcastle 3-1. And it was the ex-Torino man, who scored a delightful double on his second game for the Hammers.
#2 – Michael Chopra
The English striker and former Newcastle player scored twice as a substitute in the dying minutes to beat Middlesbrough 2-0. His late goal antics is no surprise to the EPL, especially not with the Sunderland supporters.
#1 – Salomon Kalou
Salomon Kalou fired in his first goal of the season to secure a point against Manchester United, but most importantly – to keep Chelsea’s home unbeaten record intact. Kalou scored a header off Mikel John Obi’s free kick in the 79th minute to liven up the anxious Chelsea faithful. Kalou, who is yet to win over new manager, Luiz Felipe Scolari has definitely made a fine statement on Sunday.
