Transfers

Bolton and Tim Ream negotiations continue, but for some reason have not concluded. EA sources tell me that they are close to finishing the deal, but personal terms have been a stumbling block.

Amidst all of this, I must ask: am I the only one that thinks Tim Ream is garbage?

I think he is garbage. Straight-up. I think he is terrible. Positioning, Work-Rate, Anticipation – terrible, awful, garbage, respectively.

So why does Owen Coyle want him? My mind remains boggled. And why did no EPL teams look at the vastly superior Omar Gonzalez?

As always, these views are based on my personal observations, so perhaps I’m missing something big that Bolton’s scouts are missing. Perhaps I haven’t seen what it is that droves of Americans have seen to conclude that he is awesome. Considering Bolton’s scouts have had a decent track record for the last 5 years, it is possible that I am wrong, but I really cannot see anything that I consider competent in his ability as a center back.

In order to closely track the personal statements of footballers, I have started to make use of Twitter. I don’t really tweet myself, but I use it like a news feed. I follow about 30 footballers, and I get updates on their shenanigans. It’s real-time, it feels more personal than statements of a publicist, and its gives me an insight into their personality. The thing that started my use of twitter was a certain United youngster named Ravel Morrison. This schmuck uses Twitter to repeatedly deny that Sir Alex has offered a contract, and that he turned down said contract because the pay was paltry. Hm. One of them is lying, and I’m trying to figure it out. I was hoping Twitter will help me. What I have discovered so far from his tweets is that he is an idiot. Whatever the case, if this media hoodoo around him goes on, his abilities better be worth it. I’m used to humble, i-love-United footballers coming out of Carrington, whether it be Scholes, Becks, Butt, Giggs,the Nevs, Welbeck, Cleverley…so this new generation of too-cool-for-United hot shots rub me the wrong way.

The January transfer window has been really quiet, with the only notable yells being from Sir Alex and Wenger who think its stupid. Well, we did lock down Vidic in January, so maybe Sir Alex might want to cool it with that stuff. Even sites like tribalfootball are finding it difficult to write their usual 2 sentence articles.

Sunday Predictions, as I will only have time to watch two games per weekend from her on out –

(In my ideal world)
City 1-2 Tottenham
(seriously)
City 1-1 Tottenham

(In my ideal world)
Arsenal 0-2 United
(seriously)
Arsenal 1-2 United

What I would do against the Gunners
4-2-3-1

————–Rooney————–
Nani———–Park——-Valencia
———Jones——-Carrick——
Evra——–Rio—–Smalls—-Rafa
————–De Gea————–

Rooney, “Roonay Roonay Roonay Roonay Roonay”
Nani, cuz Djourou is a massive mismatch
Park, cuz its Arsenal, and we’ll need a ball controller behind Roonay Roonay Roonay
Valencia, cuz of his recent form and workrate
Jones, to battle Alexandre Song Bilong Ting Tong Ching Chong Ping Pong Ling Long
Carrick, cuz of his recent form and passing
Evra, because he eats Walcott instead of Cheerios every morning
Rio, Experience with Van Persie
Smallz, cuz of his general awesomeness and funny looking physique
Rafa, Workrate and understanding with Valencia
De Gea, he won’t be physically pressured against the Gunner’s offense. Kid needs a game now.

While Arsenal’s trident will consist of some variation of Benayoun, Van Persie and Henry/Arshavin, I am also actually hoping for a rare Park Chu-Young sighting. That guy’s continued absence for Arsenal is becoming embarassing. Even I didn’t think Wenger would under-utilize him this severely. One would think his golaso in the FA Cup would have done enough to convince Voyeur. Perhaps he should have gone to Lille where he would have played week-in, week-out. “Chu Young! You start today!” “Oh no! I’m going to the Army tomorrow!” FAIL.

United top of the table by Monday, United top of the table by Monday, pleeeeeeaaaaassssse??

EDIT: BREAKING NEWS – Rio is out. F. What does Sir Alex do now? England U-21 Centreback pairing with Jones and Smalling? Carrick at the back with Smalling to bring Scholesy/Giggsy into the mix? What’s more troubling is what we do going forward…do we finally start playing Jones at CB every game with Skinny Smallz? Or do we trust Johnny “1-mistake-per-game-is-my-guarantee” Evans. This is potentially terrible news for United, or a forced hand to finally allow Jones to develop properly at his natural position. I do hope it is the latter.

 

What I Would Do

I thought about writing yet another Clasico review. But it becomes pointless when the same game repeats itself, with largely no change in formations or level of gameplay. 4-3-3 against 4-3-3. Real Madrid goal, Real Madrid mistakes. Classless behavior. 

So how about a list? What I know is the following:

1) Pepe needs to banned for the stamp on Messi’s hand

2) Real Madrid needs to make sure never to forget the basics (such as set piece defending, or even marking 101) 

3) CR7 played well and doesn’t deserve the “he disappeared” criticism that some have voiced. 

And as a more progressive post, I would like to introduce “what I would do,” given the same availability of players. 

 

4-2-3-1

———————————–Higuain———————————–

Marcelo———————Benzema———————- Ronaldo

—————————Pepe—————Lass————————–

Coentrao——— Carvalho ———– Ramos ————Altintop

 

Ronaldo scored indeed. But he wouldn’t had it not been Pinto. Had it been Victor Valdes, no goal. It is increasingly clear at this time that Ronaldo is useless on that left wing against Barcelona because Pique knows that all he needs to do is show Ronaldo on to that left side. One on one against Dani Alves, Ronaldo can’t get past him consistently because while Dani Alves is only slower, and Ronaldo has the encumbrance of keeping the ball while running. However – I fully believe Ronaldo can beat Abidal.  So put him on the right. Make him kick the ball in front of him and make footraces with old Frenchmen. I guarantee more success there, at his original position. 

In an ideal world, the left wing would be Di Maria. I would put Di Maria on the left because he has the requisite trickery to get past Dani Alves, or any of Barca’s central defenders. Ronaldo does not really have what I call “effective trickery.” That is, trickery of the ball used to actually get past someone. Even stepovers can have a completely different effectiveness when done from one player and another. Someone like Nani will use it to move past a defender, while Ronaldo will do it for display. His acceleration allows him to cut quickly, so if the defender decides to lunge (which he really shouldn’t) Ronaldo will get past him. But if the defender does not, Ronaldo will slow down play for Real, hence the Ronaldo ineffectiveness phenomena that people often notice. Since Di Maria is out, Marcelo goes there, who is quick, has the ability to get past defenders, and can be a harassing presence at the front for some good high line pressure. 

Higuain was awful yesterday. Downright terrible. His final ball let him down so bad. So put him right up top, make him fight the battles against Pique and Puyol. He’s stronger than the Benz, and he keeps the ball better. Target man traits. Benzema is faster, and shoots harder. Perfect for a shadow striker. And, based on yesterday, he is a much better passer. So let Higuain fight the battles, and Benzema run on to the ball for a good, on-target, outside the box shot. 

The middle falls to Pepe and Lass. Ideally, for me, it would be Pepe and Sahin, who can not only defend, but pass the ball quickly and accurately. Xabi Alonso is just not fast enough for Real Madrid’s counter attack game against Barcelona. Against lesser oppositions, of course. He can bomb up through balls and watch while Ronaldo and Benzema sprint. But here, he actually needs to run up with them. And he simply cant do that due to his physicality. And as I’ve always believe, he is overrated. He was not the best passer of the ball in the EPL for me, and he is not one of the best in La Liga either. Sahin can do an equal or better job, without question. (Sahin was not available for this game).

The central partnership of Ramos and Carvalho worked yesterday. It wasn’t perfect, bur Ramos kept his head, and when he does that, he can be an effective hardman for Carvalho’s cover play. Coentrao did equally well, as Messi was anonymous until his assist for Abidal. Altintop acquitted himself fairly at right back, and there really isn’t a good replacement anyway. 

So this is what you do. High line, pressure up front, offside trap. Learn from the teams that have beaten Barcelona in La Liga. Frustrate up top, be WISE and well communicated at the back. The second goal conceded yesterday was a product of ball watching – the very same 101 marking that I mentioned at the start. Offside trap, unlike the cover defense, must be fiercely man-marked. If you follow the movement of the ball, at some point, you will miss the timing of the line. You cut off Messi’s left because you know he can’t produce that same loft ball with his right, only ground balls. You watch all the runs, and either 1) move them onto weaker sides before they pass you OR 2) stay on their ass the entire way. You watch Abidal- if he starts running, show him on to his left for Messi’s through ball. Even if the trap is broken and he gets the ball, he still has to either shoot with his left from a wide left angle (he shot with his left from a narrow angle with Casillas yesterday) OR he has to pass it off, giving time for Lass and Pepe to join the organization. 

I could go further, but it would be a 9 page post. An entire game plan is easy to think about as a day dream, but not easy to document in an easy-to-understand manner. But that’s the gist of it. I think its perfectly fine that Mourinho allows Pep to have 70% possession. Unlike the blithering idiots out there who don’t know jack shit about footy, possession in this case is largely a difference of philosophy, and not an indicator of superiority. Just ask AC Milan and Juventus who won multiple league titles and champions league while playing counter attack. They won games with 3 well taken chances per game. Its just a different school of thought. BUT if you ARE going to do that, make sure the defense doesn’t make elementary, sunday league mistakes! The reason why Catenaccio was so efficient and successful, the reason why Mourinho was so successful with Inter against Barca, was because the defenders kept their concentration for the whole 90 minutes of a game. Pepe lost his concentration against Puyol, and Altintop and Ramos lost theirs against Abidal. And so many instances like that have happened in the last 10 clasico’s. Fab’s header, Messi’s last minute qualizer…it goes on! It’s as simple as that. If you don’t think your defense is capable of being focused for 90 measly minutes, you press higher and win the ball more. Based on the goals I’ve seen from Barca against Real over the past year, Real needs to do just that. Mou’s intricate defensive style is not sustainable, because his players are fundamentally unable to carry it out to a tee. So that, more than anything, is why Mourinho needs a change in the way he approaches this fixture in the future. 

 

 

 

 

 

Ahead of Copa El Clasico

Tomorrow will mark yet another Clasico.

Casillas remarked earlier this season that El Clasico has lost some of its allure due to the frequent meeting of the sides. What was limited to 2-4 games, has since been pushed to 8-12 games a year between the two of the world’s supreme powers in football. Novelties are bound to become less interesting when they happen so frequently. I personally think San Iker is tired of meeting Barcelona, but that of course is my conjecture.

It’s going to be an interesting one because both sides have made it clear at some level that Copa Del Rey is the least of their worries. Pep is hellbent on retaining the Champions League for the first time in world history. Mou is the quintessential trophy collector. He doesn’t need the Copa Del Rey since he already has one in his drawer. So, the only thing that will possibly ignite this match is the fact that it is a Clasico. But with both managers so unusually unenthusiastic ahead of the tie, and the silence of players in both camps, I wonder whether it will even be a competitive game at all.

Having said this, I think it could potentially be a momentous game in its after effects. And the spotlight of this contention goes to none other than CR7. Sullen, bereft of morale, and unusually shy of goals these days, CR7 is not in the best of mental states. And as a result, Real is not either. Mid-table batterings have turned into 3-2, and 2-1 late comebacks in recent fixtures. Mou knows his star man has to be in the perfect frame of mind and body in order for his team to succeed at anything. The other team has to be forced to double mark the winger so that Benz and Higuain will have 1 or less defenders to get by. Without this, the La Liga thrashings cannot continue, and wins against Barca will certainly be tougher than they already are.

It is because of these circumstances, that a good performance by Ronaldo can change the tide mentally. In a time where he is considered to be in the worst mental state, if he performs to push Real Madrid to a win, his teammates will find a confidence they have never felt before against Barcelona. And that could change everything in times to come, because football is so dependent on mentality and confidence. I think a large part of the Real Madrid squad does not believe, simply because they have had it repeatedly imprinted in their heads, either via the press, or the FIFA awards, that their talisman is not good as Barcelona’s. Once they see that change, the environment of El Clasico could prove very different from now on. It is also a pivotal moment for Ronaldo himself. If he doesn’t perform, he will remain as the guy who can’t perform against the greatest. But if he does, that he will prove that he can perform in the most dire of circumstances, against the greatest opposition of our time. It could be a career-defining moment simply because of all the events that have preceded this tie that have defined his standing against his arch rival.

It also must be noted – the January transfer window blows. I feel sorry for Leon Best, whose game winning performance in the absence of Demba Ba has only led to the purchase of another Senegalese striker. Buy wisely Alan. Demba Ba had time to adjust to the premiership and cut it. Plenty of players have failed that test.

We have to worry about keeping Pogba and Morrison, a duo that has so much media interest, for so little reason. Both are clearly competent, but neither to me, have shown in their outings that they are players so divinely special. I don’t see why either get more recognition than Tunicliffe. For the future of this club, I sincerely hope that they are as good as the media say, but I cautiously reserve my judgment until I see more first team games. Having said that, City should fuck off and focus on Abdul Razak and Vlad Weiss.

 

Back on Track

Age is just a word. Class is an embodiment.

Much like how it had to be Thierry Henry to break the deadlock last weekend, it also had to be Paul Scholes. Like Sir Bobby said, its the best piece of news this club has had this season. The goal was well-taken. Just good positioning and calm finishing. Typical Scholes. Admittedly, it wasn’t a perfect performance. 7 months of non-professional football will do that to you. Out of the amount of passes that he sprayed all game, he missed 4 (I counted, with a pencil). Which is 2-3 more than a regular Paul Scholes game. But give it 2 or 3 more games, he’ll be right back to the error-less passer that he is, and our rivals had better watch out. In a season where its just been injury after injury, he is a shining ray of hope, and I believe his return marks the turning point of the season where we will now win the title. I fully believe it.

The real Man of the Match was Antonio Valencia. Holy moly. If Valencia were told to cross with his left, or die, he’s probably take the noose. However, his right was more than sufficient. Sam Ricketts, who I’ve thought of as a reliable Premiership right back, got torn a new one. Now that Rafael is back, and playing better than he ever has, I fully expect Valencia to be tearing up that side every game. It’s too bad that Nani has to go left where he is less effective, but one has to play the hot hand. The following video’s credit goes to User zUTD on Youtube.

Valencia against Bolton

While I could not have been more ecstatic about Scholes this weekend, and could talk about how awesome he is forever, there were some incredible games during the weekend. Swansea vs. Arsenal. What. A. Game. It joins Sunderland vs City as one of the great games of the season. What did I say at the start of the season? The promoted team to watch is NOT QPR or Norwich, but the much ignored Swansea. Who is ignoring them now? Not only do they play a nice looking game, but they showed some incredible determination to win against Arsenal, and that they did. When most promoted teams would sit back and defend against Arsenal, Swansea went at them, again and again, and it really paid off. Koscielny, for all his athleticism, decided that Danny Graham was not worth marking after the striker went into a tough angle, and that really turned out to be Arsenal’s downfall. Nathan Dyer has been excellent all season, and more impressive that ex-Chelsea Scott Sinclair in my mind. Everyone focuses on the young striker, but I think its his diminutive right winger teammate that deserves all the credit. People love Sinclair because he’s scored 6 times, which is fantastic, except 4 were penalties, 3 of which were won by others. On the other hand, Nathan Dyer has been consistently playing well, week after week. Of course Wenger says the penalty won by Dyer was BS, but that’s just garbage. It was fully deserved. He got clipped on his leg as he turned. I thought the Voyeur was supposed to be good watching things.

And then there was Chelsea Sunderland. How Torres didn’t score is beyond me. It is finally evident that he is getting back to it. He played very well, and Lampard getting that goal is just a damn travesty. The fact that Torres’s overhead kick hit the bar, and bounced perfectly to Lampard’s fat ass before bouncing in…I almost threw up at the injustice. But when you make a career out of goals like that, its not a coincidence, but rather world-class positioning. (And perpetually large ass from world-class volume eating). But no complaints. I’m at least glad that Fernando Torres played his best of the season, against a Sunderland side that is high in confidence.

The only game where my time was wasted was the Milan Derby. Garbage. Slow. Ibrahimovic walking slightly slower than his mid-afternoon walk. Milito getting a goal due to some horrific defending by the always fast, but incredibly dumb Ignazio Abate. But I persist with Serie A for some reason. I can’t believe I gave up my Bundesliga watching time for this shit.

Next week looks to be an AWESOME weekend. City Tottenham. United Arsenal.

EDIT: I nearly forgot. The great Ian Holloway makes some great comments about recent weekends, of which my favorite line is as follows:

“A brilliant tackle is joyous to watch. It is as good as a goal. It is an integral part of the game and we have to be careful because we don’t want football to become a non-contact sport.

As much as I like the Spanish way of playing, they need some handles on their shorts because they go down way too easily and tackling is almost illegal. We mustn’t get like that in England. Football isn’t just about being pretty. It is about winning battles and earning the right to play.”

Read the full article here: http://www.independent.co.uk/sport/football/news-and-comment/ian-holloway-i-would-take-old-timers-like-scholes-and-henry-ahead-of-tevez-any-day-6289882.html

 

The King of Highbury

I would have titled my post “Return of the King” but that’s been reserved for when Cantona returns to us at some point.

Ahhhhhh the magic of the FA Cup. Reason number 93817245 of why England houses the best football – because fans still care deeply about the domestic cup. 

It had to go down this way. There was no other way. Thierry Henry had to come back against Leeds, he had to sub in, not start, in a frustrating, goalless draw. And he had to score minutes into it, with that classic right foot curler that’s made me punch a wall in the old days. The finish was just a vintage Thierry Henry. Even when Thierry Henry is 67 years old, and with a walking stick, he will, make that finish. 

The most beautiful thing was his celebration. That delirious look in his eyes. It just said pure joy. Him beating on the Arsenal crest like an outraged gorilla. It just shows the love one man has for a club, and I think there is nothing more beautiful about that in this game. When you see that love in a player’s eyes, and how overjoyed he is to score for a club he genuinely supports, it doesn’t matter what shirt he wears. Any can fan appreciate it. I loved every minute of it. And I watched it over and over again because it was heartwarming.

Now with Scholesy and Henry back, it feels like it will be a very special month. To see the legends of this league return is going to make me so nostalgic. And while on the topic of special goals, Gio Dos Santos scored an absolute peach against Cheltenham, a game which makes you wonder what he could have been had Bale not turned into a stunning midfielder. 

And it completely unrelated news, Celtic is lucky to have Emilio Izaguirre back. And what a return it was. Something tells me Celtic will sell a couple players this window, and possibly to premiership clubs. For the first time in a long time, they are set in this season to top Rangers. Maybe it would be worth it for them to turn down that extra dollar until the season is over. 

 

 

 

“GENIUS”

Is the word Old Trafford displayed at Paul Scholes’s not-so-last game.

Sometimes people dream of things they have absolutely no control of. Like me dreaming about Scholes playing in a United shirt again after his heart-breaking, gut-wrenching, making-me-throw-up retirement last season. It took me weeks to get over the greatest midfield talent this club has ever had. Judging from my constant telling of people (people that don’t even care about soccer included) that Scholes should come back, its fair to say that I never got over it. And then the dream, out of nowhere, just came true. What do you say when your dreams come true? It was about 6:30 AM in Santa Monica, and I chose to run around my living room multiple times like a deranged person.

No, Kompany should not have been sent off. There are two camps, as usual. Lets visit both sides before I reveal my opinion. Going by the book, reckless intent to foul is cause for a yellow/red card, for which the degree of intent, and subsequent color of the card is at the full discretion of the referee. Simply stated – you do NOT need to make contact to get sent off so long as the referee decides that your actions indicated an intent to tackle unlawfully. Yes, I’ve read the FA’s Rules of the Association and Laws of the Game. And Yes, Kompany’s lunge was the most blatant example of a tackle intended to murder. He came in at full pace, with both feet, at the same time, with studs off the ground. Basically, all the items on the checklist for a red-card tackle attempt, Kompany checked with a bold, black sharpie. Had Nani not hopped over him in time, Nani would have died today. But Nani did hop, and there was no contact.

I cannot emphasize my words enough. Thus, technically speaking, if we are reffing textbook, the ref made the right decision. Big BUT. This is England. A place where real men play football, and where players really fight for the ball. What are we, La Liga?? Come on now. If Premiership players are sent off for something like that, we are no different than the delicate fairies that play in Spain. And THAT, above all, is my greatest fear for this league. In conclusion, here’s my opinion. Kompany should have been yellow carded, heavily reprimanded, and watched closely for the rest of the game. NO red card. I sympathize with Manchester City football club. Unfortunately, while I do sympathize, City are also wrong in saying that his decision was not in line with the rules, because it was. I simply lament, as City does, the strict interpretation of the rules.

Would that have changed the game? Always possible in these situations, but as always in these situations, no one knows. But we had scored, and were well in control before that incident. The ref was too strict for my taste, but the blame still goes to Kompany for giving him just cause. Massive credit to City for playing the way they did in the second half. So much grit, tremendous spirit – and I applaud that wholeheartedly. And many thumbs down for United in the second half. This team bugs the shit out of me because we haven’t been showing that United never-die mentality. Its irritating, and it bothers me much more than our league position or our non-champs league status.

Scholesy. Ahhhhhhhhhhhhh. No. 22. Subbed in, and made me tear up. I’m not even ashamed. I cried. For the first time in a long time. And proudly. He was definitely rusty out of the gates, made a terrible tap back to Evra on a throw in, put us in a terrible situation, and Lindegaard decided to butterfinger what would have been a routine save. Beyond that gaffe however, the Ginger Prince showed us the quality we’ve missed and made the frazzled midfield look like a well-oiled machine. Surprisingly quick too. And outjumped Aguero on all possible occasions, though I guess that’s not really an achievement. It’s a giant relief to see that he’s maintained his fitness. His tenure as a reserve coach and continued full-time training after retirement has preserved him well. May he continue for as long as long as humanely possible. My dream continues.

Fucking. Scousers. Again? Why not. I hope Merseyside’s chief export to Manchester (shown below) will haunt them again.

I’ve said the following phrase multiple times this season. And every damn time people have given me these: “No chance” “There is no way” “Not for at least 5 years” “Never”. And now, I am starting look like Nostradamus and Yoda combined. Yostradamus. TM. And I say it again. Real Madrid will win La Liga this year. BOOM. While Barcelona stuttered Espanyol, (another game in which Alves, YET AGAIN, shoved his ugly mug into the ref’s personal space), Real Madrid decided to show some spirit by coming back against Malaga. And they also pounded Granada two days ago. Couple observations. Puyol was outjumped. Hm. Don’t know what to make of that. Benzema has transitioned fully from lazy talent, to hard-working talent, and works well with Higuain. Mourinho deserves full credit for changing the fundamental attitude for yet another player. True, I care for neither club. I have beef against both and I don’t approve of the credit they get from being the big dogs in La Liga, a league where all but four teams are at most, as good as Villa. But I will say this. I will take tremendous pleasure in telling all those idiots who thought I was crazy when Madrid lifts the trophy this season. I’m not even saying Real will beat Barcelona in their second league fixture. Maybe they will, maybe they won’t. But Real will beat everyone else, and by more goals. Yostradamus, bitches.

Going back to the Scousers, it was a terrible experience watching them crumble to City, in a hotel room after a long day of work. I really needed them to win after Demba Ba took a giant dump on United. Which brings me to this. I get very upset when people give Pepe Reina that credit that he gets. Some have said he is the best in the premier league, and this was back when Van Der Sar and Cech were at full force. He has ALWAYS had handling issues. If people were to watch a game for once in their damn life and not hide behind online match reports, they would know this. And yet, he’s supposedly one of the most reliable. He is a top keeper in the league, no doubt. You don’t keep the clean sheets that you do, behind Agger, Skrtel and Carragher, unless you are among the top. But the best? Absolutely no chance. He has a big flaw in his handling skills. And that very flaw lost Daglish that game. That and his continued refusal to play Craig Bellamy for some insane reason. I can only think that’s because he has to justify the big money signings of Downing and Henderson. There is nothing wrong with playing the hot hand, and I do not understand their self-imposed weak squad. Ugh. At least Steven Gerrard is back. 20 minutes every game. Its nice to have old heroes of the premier league back.

A farewell to Neil Warnock, a manager who I think is good, is genuine, and isn’t afraid to speak his mind.. Its departures of people like him and Ian Holloway that I miss from the premier league. The premier league is amazing because it has character and personality. We’ve just lost another one of those. Maybe fat Rafa will take the reins and enlighten us with some new “facts.”

Its been a fantastic day.

 

The Weekend of Upsets

WOW. I don’t even know what else I can say.

I only have specific words to describe the emotions that have come from this weekend. Despair. Depression. Rage. Anxiety. Freebie?

Sunderland put in a Herculean performance to stop City. HERCULEAN. It definitely looks like a much more organized side under Martin O’Neill. Even Crazy Scattermole checked his crazy at the door to put in career defining performance. In the first half, I was certain that Sunderland was going to lose by at least three goals. Sessegnon, despite his obvious ability, was incredibly selfish and stupid. Like many technical players that know their own worth, he decided that he had the dribbling skills to navigate himself past Kompany and Lescott. False. Fortunately for him, a truly makeshift defense on Sunderland’s part somehow kept multiple attempts from Dzeko, Silva and Aguero at bay. And Simon Mignolet showed his worth with an incredible performance.

It could not have gone better. Literally a freebie. United had lost, deservedly, to Blackburn. No complaints there other than the mere fact that we lost. Rooney and Evans couldn’t play because they had decided to club before boxing day. Idiots. So I was certain that City were going to go top in 2012. It really was a matter of predicting how many goals Sunderland would lose by. A draw would have been incredible, but a win against City? Completely outrageous. Truthfully, when Ji Dong Won came on at 82′ I was furious. Ji does not have the strength to hold up the ball as well as Nicklas Bendtner, and I was howling at the TV at that substitution. Against a large, strong backline, having Ji supported by Sessegnon was like pitting hobbits against cave trolls. I have never been more glad to be put in a situation to eat my own words. Gobble Gobble.

So, at the top of the table, United and City, 14-3-2. GAME ON.

Special mention goes out to Stevie G. Liverpool and the EPL have a great excitement back. Why Bellamy does not start every game is simply beyond me. Despite the fact that Bellamy was free, he should be given every game possible considering that his best years will run out soon. I pray he starts against City.