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EPL Week 13: Aston Villa Stun Arsenal 2-0, Manchester United Crush Stoke City 5-0

November 18th 2008 04:05
Arsenal – Aston Villa: 0-2
Well, last week I pointed out that Arsenal's victory over Manchester United wasn't an indication of whether they were back on track or not, and it turns out I was right. Once again, they came out with an insipid performance against Aston Villa who mercilessly exploited the Gunners' defensive woes. In fact, if it wasn't for Villa's lack of finishing, the score would have been much much worse. There is a state of panic that comes over Arsenal's defense every time the ball enters the box. It's like they don't really know what to do if the ball doesn't come straight at them. Forget the defensive midfielder, get a solid center defender to get the job done. In the middle, I'm getting the sense that Fabregas is getting tired. The guy plays every minute of every game. He should be given a rest every once in a while. You might tell me Frank Lampard does the same over at Chelsea, but there isn't a player of Mikel's caliber backing Fabregas so he still has some extra work to do. All in all, good work by Aston Villa who never let up on the pressure.



Arsenal's line-up: Manuel Almunia; Bacary Sagna (Kolo Toure, 70th), William Gallas, Mikael Silvestre, Gael Clichy; Theo Walcott, Cesc Fabregas, Denilson, Samir Nasri; Abou Diaby (Emmanuel Adebayor, 61st), Nicklas Bendtner (Carlos Vela, 67th).


Manchester United – Stoke City: 5-0
Cristiano Ronaldo came up with another double this week scoring twice on free-kicks (3rd and 88th minute) with both goals bookending a dominant performance by the Red Devils. Although United opened the scoring early, it took a while for them to find their groove as the passing was a bit off. They managed to score a second goal right before halftime – a mentally damaging blow to Stoke City who could still hope for a chance it was 1-0 at the break. The home side made it clear that they weren't let this one get away when Berbatov added a third goal a couple of minutes after the break (48th minute) thanks to horrible defending by his marker. Leading 3-0, Sir Alex Ferguson took the opportunity to introduce some youngsters to Premier League action, putting in Darron Gibson, Manucho, and Danny Welbeck. The latter scored a superb goal at the 83rd minute from way out of the box that left no chance to the goalkeeper. Welbeck and Manucho both looked good on the limited time they played, which is great news for United fans. As for Stoke, well they didn't stand a chance really. Just let the storm pass through and carry on.


Manchester United's line-up: Edwin Van der Sar; John O'Shea, Nemanja Vidic, Jonny Evans, Patrice Evra; Park Ji-Sung (Danny Welbeck, 62nd), Michael Carrick, Darren Fletcher (Darron Gibson, 62nd), Cristiano Ronaldo; Carlos Tevez (Manucho, 74th), Dimitar Berbatov.
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Posted By: Ann 2 - Category: EPL, Manchester United, 2008-2009 Season
   


EPL Week 12: Nasri Gives Victory To Arsenal, Chelsea's Anelka Scores Double Against Blackburn

November 10th 2008 20:21
Arsenal – Manchester United: 2-1
Sir Alex Ferguson has to be cursing his team's missed opportunities after Saturday's match against the struggling Gunners. Twice now Manchester United has allowed their opponents to stay in the game simply because they couldn't capitalize on their opportunities. The Red Devils got two clear scoring chances in the first twenty minutes of game including a disallowed goal on which Berbatov was ruled offside (again!), and a missed shot by Rooney who had scored on a similar play on month ago. Consequently, Arsenal were the first to score when Samir Nasri fired a rocket past Van der Sar. The Gunners still weren't safe after that goal as United repeatedly assaulted Almunia's net without any success.

Although the Red Devils ended the first half on a high, their vivacity was dampened when Nasri scored his second of the day two minutes after the break with a superb strike that left no chance to Van der Sar. One minute later, Cristiano Ronaldo had United's first goal on the side of his boot, but his tap-in went inches wide of Almunia's post. Surprisingly, it was youngster Rafael who reduced the score to 2-1 with a superbly struck volley. Despite six minutes of added time (due to Almunia's injury), the defending champions couldn't find the equalizer while Arsenal, instead of keeping the ball in the corner, naively went on looking for a third.

In the end, my only disappointment in Sir Alex's side (apart from the lack of opportunism) was the assignment of Gary Neville as the right-back starter instead of Rafael. As soon as the latter came in, you could tell that there was more life on that right-hand side. Furthermore, Nasri had no trouble dancing rings around Neville during the first half. Rafael probably would've gotten beaten too on a couple of times, but he could also have put in some well-timed tackles – something that Neville didn't do too much. So, Arsenal won but I'm still not convinced about their performance. Nasri was their best player by far. Fabregas wasn't his usual precise self, and Bendtner is simply a poor man's version of Adebayor, missing several chances in the first half. I'll wait until the Gunners put up some sort of winning streak before saying that they're going to be fine.


Arsenal's line-up: Manuel Almunia (Lukas Fabianski, 77th); Bacary Sagna, William Gallas, Mikael Silvestre, Gael Clichy; Theo Walcott (Alexandre Song, 77th), Denilson, Cesc Fabregas, Samir Nasri, Abou Diaby (Kolo Toure, 85th); Nicklas Bendtner.

Manchester United's line-up: Edwin Van der Sar; Gary Neville (Rafael, 63rd), Rio Ferdinand, Nemanja Vidic, Patrice Evra; Cristiano Ronaldo, Michael Carrick, Anderson (Ryan Giggs, 71st), Park Ji-Sung; Wayne Rooney (Carlos Tevez, 76th), Dimitar Berbatov.

Blackburn Rovers – Chelsea: 0-2
Once again, it was The Anelka Show for Chelsea's twelfth match of the season. The French striker scored two goals (38th, 67th) to provide the win to the Blues, consequently putting them back atop of the table. Blackburn often came close to scoring but Petr held down the fort with great aplomb.

Chelsea's line-up: Petr Cech; Jose Bosingwa, Alex, John Terry, Wayne Bridge; Deco (Paulo Ferreira, 91st), John Obi Mikel, Frank Lampard; Salomon Kalou (Juliano Belletti, 61st), Nicolas Anelka, Florent Malouda.
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Posted By: Ann 2 - Category: EPL, Arsenal, Chelsea, 2008-2009 Season
   


2008-2009 EPL Wrap-Up (Week 1-10)

November 7th 2008 01:05
*Warning, huge post follows*

Before the beginning of the season, many people predicted that Manchester United would easily dominate their Premiership rivals. After ten games played, here's how the teams stack up.

1. Liverpool (10-8-2-0 | 26pts)
Things have been tough for Rafael Benitez's men. They started the season with two hard-fought victories (1-0 against Sunderland, and 2-1 against Middlesbrough) where the winning goal came in the final ten minutes. Two 0-0 draws (against Aston Villa and Stoke City) bookended their best performance so far in the season where they defeated Manchester United 2-1. That performance was probably the spark they needed to get going. Indeed, after the draw against Stoke, they rolled on to a five-game winning streak, including a 1-0 victory against Chelsea which allowed them to take the lead in the standings.

Most of their early season troubles came from the arrival of Robbie Keane who disrupted the chemistry between Gerrard and Torres. Of course, Torres' sudden inability to find the net didn't help very much. Once he got going though, Liverpool followed. Still, Benitez's best move so far has been the acquisition of Spaniard Albert Riera. The left-winger has been a tremendous help to the Reds' attack thanks to his technical abilities and speed. He was particularly efficient against Manchester United where his performance eclipsed his vis-ΰ-vis.

2. Chelsea (10-7-2-1 | 23pts)
Gone are the days of Jose Mourinho and Avram Grant. Under the tutelage of Luiz Felipe Scolari, Chelsea has become a more offensive-minded squad, combining the possession style of Argentina's national team and the flying fullbacks of Brazilian football. Mostly deployed in a 4-1-4-1 formation, the Blues' play is concentrated in a powerful midfield, superbly led by newcomer Deco. Most of the time, that formation turns into a 4-3-3, giving width to Chelsea's offense which had scored 22 goals for 4 goals conceded before the 11th week.

Despite the absence of Didier Drogba in front, Scolari's men started the season in force, posting a dominating 4-0 win against Portsmouth in the first week. Perhaps victims of complacency, they managed to score only one goal against Wigan Athletic (they won 1-0) before visitors Tottenham Hotspur got a point out of a 1-1 match at Stamford Bridge. The visit of Robinho under the Manchester City shirt in the fourth week set them back to the right track as they defeated City 3-1. In the fifth week, they came back from behind to draw 1-1 against Manchester United. After that, they posted three back-to-back wins defeating both Stoke City and Aston Villa on a 2-0 score, then completely dominating Middlesbrough with a resounding 5-0 victory. One week later, they suffered their first loss at the Bridge in a long time as they couldn't find an answer to Liverpool's first half goal. Finally, they rebounded with a 3-0 win against Hull City which kept them in second place in the standings right behind Liverpool.

Portuguese players Deco and Bosingwa aren't the only one who impressed in the early season. French striker Nicolas Anelka seems to have been reborn ever since Scolari got on board. He's played well so far but failed to show up against big teams such as Liverpool and Manchester United. With Shevchenko back at Milan, Anelka has effectively become the choice striker until Drogba comes back. It might be a good news for him, but Scolari must have realized during the Liverpool game that his team clearly lacks depth in front especially since they also have to juggle with the Champions League. Youngster Franco Di Santo shouldn't have to come into a game to rescue his teammates. Still, there's no doubt Chelsea will continue their excellent form. Of course, it's easier to say that when we know they've convincingly won their 11th game where Anelka got his first hat-trick of the season.

3. Arsenal (10-6-2-2 | 20pts)
Despite Arsθne Wenger's reassuring words (until last week anyway), the Gunners have gone off to a terrible start due to a troubling lack of consistency. They started the season against promoted side West Bromwich Albion where their only one goal turned out to be winner. The second week, they fell against Fulham, another lower-tiered club. Things looked better when they posted back-to-back-to-back wins against Newcastle United (3-0), Blackburn Rovers (4-0), and Bolton Wanderers (3-1). For awhile there, it looked like they were back in the glory days, but everything came crashing down when Hull City stunned them at the Emirates with a 2-1 victory. Then, they drew 1-1 against Sunderland before finding their way back to victory with a 3-1 win against Everton, and a 2-0 win against West Ham United. But once again, they lost their focus in the 10th match, drawing 4-4 against Tottenham Hotspur after leading 4-2.

Most of Arsenal's problems come from a lack of depth. Sure, they have talent on the bench, but that talent is still raw, you can't expect youngsters to pull you out of tough situations week in week out. That in turn leads to exhausted veterans who must play almost every game. Watching Fabregas these past few weeks, I get the feeling that he either has a bad game or takes a while to really get in the flow of things as if to keep some energy for the next game. The Gunners are also still in need of a defensive midfielder. Putting Song and Denilson together with Fabregas also on the field just won't work in the long run. It not only deprives Wenger of an offensive player, but also doesn't help Denilson who will come to think that there will always be someone covering him. Furthermore, the center of the defense is still weak even with Silvestre there (but then again, Silvestre was never considered a good centreback, so I don't know what Wenger was thinking). Lastly, Arsenal only knows one way to play the game – the attractive passing and that's it. The players looked flustered when they're under intense pressure, and often look for the most complicated scenarios when trying to score. A bit more simplicity wouldn't hurt.

4. Hull City (10-6-2-2 | 20pts)
In The Tigers' first season in the Premier League, they surprised everyone by barging in the top 5 in front of Manchester United. With only two loss to their account after ten games (against Wigan Athletic and Chelsea), the question is how long will they hold on to the top 10. Their win against Arsenal at the Emirates showed that everything is possible and in Geovanni they found a star striker/midfielder who will provide a lot of thrills in the weeks to come.

5. Aston Villa (10-6-2-2 | 20pts)

6. Manchester United (9-5-3-1 | 18pts)
With an offense thoroughly plagued with injuries, Manchester United had a disappointing start to their campaing posting a 1-1 draw against Newcastle United, and a 1-0 win against Portsmouth. Both of United goals came from midfielder Darren Fletcher. Things didn't get better as they consecutively faced Liverpool (2-1 loss) and Chelsea (1-1 draw). The return of Ronaldo which coincided with Rooney's hot streak brought a couple of wins under United's belt (2-0 against Bolton and Blackburn, 4-0 against West Bromwich) before Everton managed to hold them to a 1-1 draw). The two last games were led by Ronaldo who got a double in each win (2-0 against West Ham United, 4-3 against Hull City).

Consider this. During those nine games, all of these following players were missing at some point due to injuries: Cristiano Ronaldo (returned on September 27th after ankle surgery), Wayne Rooney (missed the first game due to a virus, returned for the second despite not being 100%), Michael Carrick (two ankle injuries), Paul Scholes, Ryan Giggs (hamstring), Park Ji-Sung, Owen Hargreaves (who has played only one game so far), and Patrice Evra. Nani was also suspended for the first two games. All this to say that the Red Devils were far from being at full speed in those first nine games. Yet, there were a couple of good performances here and there. Youngster Rafael has been forcing Sir Alex's hand with superb displays at right back. The kid is fearless and loves participating in the offense. Berbatov, although not as energetic as Rooney and Tevez, has helped in some way. Now, the question is who will get the most playing time between the three.

7. Everton (10-4-2-4 | 14pts)
Their 1-1 draw against Manchester United was the only bright spot in a relatively normal start. They won the games they should've won, and lost those they should've lost.

8. Portsmouth (10-4-2-4 | 14pts)
The partnership between Defoe and Crouch has shown some positive signs here and there but nothing concrete enough to give the team a boost.

9. Middlesbrough (10-4-1-5 | 13 pts)
Like Everton against Manchester United, Boro held its own against one of the Big Four when they face Liverpool in the second week of the season. They came out with a strong showing that probably surprised the Reds. When the game was tied at 1-1, Gareth Southgate took a gamble by going for the win instead of sitting back for a draw. The result was a heartwrenching loss (Gerrard scored the winning goal at the 94th minute), but they deserve to be applauded for the effort.

10. Manchester City (10-4-1-5 | 13pts)
The takeover of Manchester City by an Emirati businessman was the big news out of the early season. The acquisition of Brazilian striker Robinho from Real Madrid right under Chelsea's nose was a major coup for the new owners who plan on making another Chelsea. Robinho had an instant impact on the team, scoring his first goal against Chelsea, and five more in the other nine games including a hat-trick against Stoke City.

11. West Ham United (10-4-0-6 | 12pts)
Ended the first ten games of the season on a four-game losing streak. The managerial change was obviously a big blow.

12. Blackburn Rovers (10-3-3-4 | 12pts)

13. Sunderland (10-3-3-4 | 12pts)

14. Fulham (10-3-2-5 | 11pts)
Despite a surprising 1-0 win against Arsenal, Fulham found themselves back in the bottom after a four-game losing streak.

15. Stoke City (10-3-1-6 | 10pts)

16. West Bromwich Albion (10-3-1-6 | 10pts)

17. Newcastle United (10-2-3-5 | 9pts)
After a promising start to their season where they got a 1-1 draw against Manchester United before defeating Bolton 1-0, the Magpies struggled in their next eight games where they were either unable to hold a lead or unable to come back from behind.

18. Wigan Athletic (10-2-2-6 | 8pts)
Things don't look good for Wigan who lost all their games in October.

19. Bolton Wanderers (10-2-2-6 | 8pts)

20. Tottenham Hotspur (10-1-3-6 | 6pts)
Despite the arrival of Dos Santos, Modric, and Pavlyuchenko, the Spurs have been struggling to win a game since the beginning of the season (they only won the ninth game). Let's hope the 4-4 draw against Arsenal will give them something to feed on.

Stay tuned for both Spanish Liga and Italian Serie A wrap-ups.
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EPL Week 11: Manchester United Barely Edge Over Hull City In 4-3 Win

November 4th 2008 03:06
For the second straight week, the defending champions were receiving one of the Premiership's weakest teams, recently-promoted Hull City. The latter were easily defeated by Chelsea the week before with a scoreline of 3-0. Conventional wisdom would say that Manchester United were going to duplicate that performance with a convincing win of their win. For awhile, it actually looked like it.

Cristiano Ronaldo opened the scoring in the second minute of play with a low shot that hit the post before crossing the line. Twenty minutes later though, Hull took advantage of a careless and unnecesserary foul by Vidic, to level the score at 1-1. Still, Manchester United were completely dominating the game as evidenced by two more goals before half-time respectively scored by Carrick and Ronaldo (his second of the day


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Posted By: Ann 2 - Category: EPL, Manchester United, 2008-2009 Season
   


EPL Week 10: Cristiano Ronaldo Scores Double As Manchester United Defeat West Ham 2-0

November 1st 2008 02:49
For the first time this season (I think), Rooney started the game as a substitute in order to give Carlos Tevez some playing time. United didn't miss a beat as their first scoring chance came at the first minute when Berbatov's shot was blocked by a defender. Cristiano Ronaldo was the only one to find the net two times in the first half, his first coming at the 13th minute when fired Nani's low cross past Green and his second at the 29th minute after a superb piece of skill by Berbatov. For once in this season, Nani had a strong game on the left flank. But maybe it was because the Hammers' had serious trouble with their marking on the right side. Both goals originated from there.

In defense, the Red Devils were solid. They had no choice, really, what with Kuszczak in goal and all. I love the new kid Rafael, I really do, but he didn't have a great defensive game on Wednesday. He was a bit too hasty in his tackles and it often led to odd men rushes on United's right-flank. Offensively, I thought he tried to go to often for the cross. Cutting inside the box for a low cross would've kept West Ham on their toes a bit more. As it was, all the visitors had to do was wait for the cross and clear it with a header


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Posted By: Ann 2 - Category: EPL, Manchester United, 2008-2009 Season
   


EPL Week 9: Man. United Can't Face The Heat, Liverpool Win At The Bridge, Adebayor Saves Arsenal

October 29th 2008 03:07
Manchester United – Everton: 1-1
When Darren Fletcher scored his third of the season at the 21st minute, it looked like the Red Devils would get an easy win. Unfortunately, their domination only lasted in the first 45 minutes. In the second half, Everton's pressure became almost unbearable for Sir Alex Ferguson's men. It didn't help that Ferdinand had a couple of brain farts that put his team and Van der Sar in serious trouble. Everton tied the game at the 62nd minute, but they could've had easily grabbed the lead if their strikers were more precise.

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EPL Week 8: Chelsea Dominate Middlesbrough, Arsenal Pull Through Against Everton, Rooney On Fire

October 20th 2008 03:56
Chelsea – Middlesbrough: 5-0
Who can stop Scolari's men? Chelsea are simply bulldozing their way through the Premiership without much opposition. Against Middlesbrough, the Blues had all the time and space in the world to dictate the pace of the game. The first half ended with the score 1-0, the goal coming from Kalou. After that though, Chelsea ran a football clinic for their visitors who were overwhelmed by the home side's superiority. To play illustrates this dominance other than Belletti's goal at the 52nd minute. The versatile player received a pass a good distance away from Boro's goal, but the time and space given to him by the opposing defenders allowed to calmly control the ball and deliver a rocket of a shot that went top-corner. Two minutes later, Kalou would score his second, putting the game beyond doubt.

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Posted By: Ann 2 - Category: EPL, Arsenal, Chelsea, 2008-2009 Season
   


EPL Week 7: Fabregas Saves Arsenal, Rooney On A Roll, Chelsea Still Undefeated

October 6th 2008 14:56
Sunderland – Arsenal: 1-1
The Gunners must be giving headaches to their fans. Although Wenger's men play an attractive kind of football (they are probably the best passing team of the Premiership), they still haven't displayed the kind of character that is required to become champions. Consistency is the key here. They completely schooled FC Porto in their Champions League encounter, yet they've had trouble finishing smaller clubs so far in the Premiership, with Sunderland being the latest to give them a run for their money.

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Posted By: Ann 2 - Category: EPL, Arsenal, Chelsea, 2008-2009 Season
   


EPL Week 6: Hull City Stun Arsenal With 2-1 Win

September 29th 2008 19:26
Complacency. It's the bane of every athlete in every sport. When you think that no matter how you play against a lower-tiered team or opponent, you'll always end up on top. If there is a side to Arsenal that's always been criticized, it's that mentality – not killing off opponents when they have the chance.

On Saturday, the Gunners had the opportunity widen the gap between them and the rest of the pack by receiving promoted club Hull City. At first, a win looked like a sure thing. Wenger's squad had most of the possession, and all Hull could do was to run after the ball. Still, their trademark fluidity was nowhere to be found as the visitors' defenders applied sustained pressure on the ball-carrier. Arsenal finally opened the scoring at the 49th minute when Fabregas slid down to push in a rebound off Adebayor. The goal was ugly at best, the kind of play where you don't exactly know what you're doing and reacting instinctively. After that, the Gunners went back to their old habits. Instead of looking for a second, they carried on carelessly. The visitors would make them pay dearly for that mistake as they came back from behind and added another with two quick strikes in the span of five minutes. Hull's first goal was a beauty of a strike that left no chance to Almunia while the second was scored on a corner-kick with striker Cousin leaping above everyone else to head it home


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Posted By: Ann 2 - Category: EPL, Arsenal, 2008-2009 Season
   


EPL Week 6: Controversial Penalty Opens The Way For Manchester United

September 29th 2008 03:13
In Cristiano Ronaldo's first start of the season (excluding the Carling Cup match mid-week), Sir Alex Ferguson's squad grabbed their second win of the season over the Bolton Wanderers.

It took a while for The Red Devils to get in the flow of things on Saturday. Sure, they got some chances in the first half, but they were mostly unable to find the final ball that could penetrate their visitors defense. In fact, it was Bolton who came close to open the score at the 34th minute when Fabrice Muamba somehow struck the ball wide despite being around six yards from the net. The home side looked a bit better at the start of the second half when Ronaldo's weak shot hit the post. Still, the game was pretty dull until the 59th minute when Manchester United were awarded a penalty. Cristiano Ronaldo had no trouble converting it, but he didn't even bother to celebrate – the call was pretty controversial even by the Portuguese winger's standards


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Posted By: Ann 2 - Category: EPL, Manchester United, 2008-2009 Season
   


Carling Cup – Round 3: Arsenal & Manchester United Young Guns Impress Gallery

September 27th 2008 00:48
Manchester United – Middlesbrough: 3-1
Although Sir Alex Ferguson put many veterans on the field for their confrontation against Boro, it was the youngsters who stole the show, mainly Possebon and Rafael Da Silva. With Giggs, Cristiano Ronaldo, Nani, and Anderson always attacking, the young Brazilian midfielder provided a much needed link between the defense and attack. His movement and passing were superb as he often eliminated opposite midfielders with just one step in the right direction. Unfortunately, his display was cut short when defender Emanuel Pogatetz made a horrible challenge as he lunged for the ball. The tackle looked nasty on the replay, and I was afraid that this would be another Eduardo incident. Thankfully, Possebon only suffered some bruising on his leg and should be fine.

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EPL Week 5: Clash of the Titans – Chelsea Versus Manchester United (1-1)

September 22nd 2008 16:08
This is going to sound blasphemous but, it looks like Sir Alex Ferguson is starting to employ Rafael Benitez's line-up rotations. After deploying a midfield that left me thinking “WTF?” against Villareal on Wednesday, Sunday's line-up – though a bit weird – made perfect sense tactically. Putting Hargreaves and Park on the wings to cancel Bosingwa and Ashley Cole was a brilliant move by SAF, but now I'm starting to wonder – since when did United become a defense-minded team?

When the only real opportunity your team gets in open-play turns out to be your only goal thanks to the opposing goalkeeper spilling the ball, and then you end up defending for the last fifteen minutes of the game - that doesn't sound too much like a team that's confident in its capacities. The defending champions still haven't found that spark that turns every match into an entertaining feast for spectators. Van der Sar, who looked a lot more confident than last week, got injured in the first half-hour. When his replacement came on, the defense did everything to prevent Chelsea from getting a shot on him. Neville is just too damn slow, and I was surprised that the Blues didn't exploit that weakness to their advantage. Watching Berbatov play feels like watching Robbie Keane with Liverpool – the guy still doesn't know how to mesh in the team's hard-working culture. When he loses the ball – and that happened often thanks to harmless shots that had no real purpose except giving the ball back to Chelsea – he just stands around, waiting for someone else to get it. I really missed Tevez in front. He would've bit at the defenders' ankle like a mad dog


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Posted By: Ann 2 - Category: EPL, Manchester United, 2008-2009 Season
   


EPL Week 5: Liverpool Stall Against Stoke City (0-0)

September 22nd 2008 15:11
After the Reds' historic victory against Manchester United last week, you could hear people whispering that this might be Rafa Benitez's year after all. Never mind the fact that United were horrible defensively, Liverpool had won, they now could take on anyone. Even recently promoted Stoke City, right? WRONG! On Saturday, Liverpool were held scoreless by Stoke who gave everything they got to preserve clean sheet.

Consistency. That seems to be the problem of Benitez's squad. Where they were focused, strong, and solid against the defending champions, they came out flat against Stoke. Riera, who was probably the best player last week, was a mess on the wing this week. Awful crosses, horrible shots, unreachable forwards - this was Liverpool this week. When they did get shots on target, Sorensen – the man of the match - was up to the task, stopping everything and encouraging his defense. Babel and Benayoun's entrance around the hour-mark didn't change anything for the Reds who couldn't break through an ironclad defense. In the end, I think Liverpool rely too much on Gerrard to be the savior. When he wasn't there against Manchester United, everyone put their shoulder to the wheel. When he is on the field, I get the feeling tht some players take this opportunity to slack off. Either that or they resent Gerrard for wanting the ball too much, I don't know. It's just a theory


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Posted By: Ann 2 - Category: EPL, Liverpool, 2008-2009 Season
   


EPL Week 5: Arsenal Easily Defeat Bolton Wanderers 3-1

September 22nd 2008 14:06
Two goals in two minutes from the Gunners erased any chance for Bolton to come back. The Trotters were first to score at the 13th minute, but Arsenal's relentless attacks showed that it was just a matter of time before the Wanderers lost their lead. The visitors were twice denied by Jasskelainen posts but never gave up. At the 25th minute, Eboue scored his first ever league goal to equalize the mark. The Ivorian midfielder was in an offside position when he received the ball, but the goal stood. One minute later, Bendtner also scored his first goal of the season by completing a superb cross from Denilson. At 2-1, Bolton was still in it. However, they couldn't run the risk of opening up their game because that's exactly what the Gunners need to be at their best.

Consequently, the second half was a lot more subdued until Walcott's entrance at the 72nd minute. Ten minutes after he entered the field, the teenager made a superb run straight into the heart of the defense. At the edge of the box, he passed the ball to Adebayor inside the right side of the 18-yard box. The striker then unselfishly crossed the ball to Denilson whose first-touch finish hit the top of the net. Down 3-1 with four minutes left to go, Bolton simply had no chance


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Posted By: Ann 2 - Category: EPL, Arsenal, 2008-2009 Season
   


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