In light of the penalty row in the United Fulham game, I found that this fun fact found on Gary Nev’s twitter would be well worth the repeat.
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Amidst all the whining we get from supporters of other big teams, it turns out we are awarded the least penalty calls! How about that ya clowns? Maybe everyone else needs to take a cold, hard look at how their team performed before blaming referees for United’s trophy cabinet?
Speaking of penalties however, the one un-called in our favor at Old Trafford was indeed a bad call. Fulham deserved a penalty. Soft? More than a baby’s bottom. But definite contact by Carrick. As someone said, these calls tend to even themselves out over the course of the season. Sometimes you get calls, sometimes you don’t, but at the end of the day, all teams get the same amount of calls. That’s why as far as the league games are concerned, its moot point to argue against penalty calls anymore. At some point, you know you are gonna get one in your favor.
Milan – Barcelona. What a game. It is surprising how scoreless draws can be more exciting than high scoring games. As soon as I saw that Seedorf and Nesta were playing, I knew Milan were on to something. Despite’s Italy’s decline in league quality, one thing that will always stay with them is being the pioneers of a catenaccio. From defenders like Nesta, to a rigid defensive structure will full concentration for 90 minutes, the Milan defense held like Helm’s deep against the Uruk-Hai. The usually unspectacular Luca Antonini did his job wonderfully time and time and again, as well as Bonera who I thought was harshly done by in last week’s derby d’italia. The greatest praise however, must go to Alessandro Nesta, who is someone that clearly shows that age and form have temporary effects, but class is indeed forever. He was stunning, and just a sheer joy to watch. I feel like I was in a daze. I can’t remember how many rewinds I did. There are some parts in this world, where artistry in defense still exists. Pristine tackles, precisely-timed, strong, and decisive. It was like watching a well-drilled orchestra. His awareness of where to position himself, to close which players off to their weaker sides, the countless interceptions that drove Xavi and Iniesta’s passing completion down…and most importantly, his 100% shackling of Messi. This feat is remarkable given the Messiah’s recent rampaging form, and it still gives me hope that even the likes of Messi can be rendered useless by a quality defender. It just goes how much more defense is than speed and muscle. As for the penalty discussions, yes, Barca should have been awarded a penalty. How the last linesman chose not to call that one was beyond comprehension. Then again, a lot of decisions in that match were beyond comprehension. I think all in all, bad decisions flew in both directions. And I’m not sure if one side can complain more than the other. I’d like to write a letter to Ibrahimovic and Robinho. “Please do not miss any 1 on 1 chances against the goalkeeper in Barcelona.” How many do they need? Honestly? If you are going to paint yourselves as the best in the world, then maybe a first step to actually proving that is to sink a shot that resembles a training ground drill. Honestly. Milan could have won 3-1. Robinho who decided to sky a shot 2 yards from the goal, unmarked. Zlatan who had a one on one against Valdes, at which he decided inexplicably to go near post with his weaker foot. And then finally Urby Emanuelson, who having been put clean through against Valdes, decided to trap it so that the ball would fly out to the right. Complete idiots.
Benfica – Chelsea. THE EPL LIVES! I have one wish to Sir Alex. Don’t buy Gaitan. We don’t need Gaitan. We have so many wingers that we are having to stick the older ones in center midfield. So don’t buy some Portuguese winger that was owned by Ashley Cole. Let’s just look to Young, Nani, and Valencia, and use Larnell and Lingard when backup is needed. For the longest time, I have maintained my belief that Evra is the best left back in the world. Defensively, he was on par with Ashley Cole. Offensively, he was better. This season, the ratio has skewed a little bit. He has suffered on the defensive end, while his offensive abilities have maintained their potency. Now, it just may be that Ashley Cole is the better left back as his defensive abilities are as strong as ever. it’s clear to me that going forward, Patrice Evra is still the best fullback in the world, but at the end of the day, fullbacks were made to defend. He has a lot of work to do to get himself back on that pedestal over Ashley Cole. What a good rivalry that is. Tangent aside, credit to Di Matteo to pulling out an away win. Like everyone else, I was also baffled by the team selection. I didn’t know that Paulo Ferreira was alive. But there he was, standing next to the ghost of Salomon Kalou. The game wasn’t the smoothest as far as Chelsea going forward, but Benfica struggled more. They couldn’t get their front three to work, while Torres made himself livelier than in any other game this season. It makes me wonder what would have happened if he had stayed on against City. What a great, unselfish assist to Kalou, and what a willingness he showed to help his team when he celebrated so emphatically after Kalou scored. Well played Torres. On all fronts.
This weekend will be yet another great one. With Peter Crouch’s spectacular volley last week, we have been put in a better position against City. And this week, hopefully Sunderland can use some of that belief they have against a team they have already beaten. City’s lack of width is really a good platform that the likes of Mclean and Larssen can use. While Kompany is missing, they really need to throw every inch of Bentdner’s height against that City backline. Newcastle and Liverpool will fight for that 6th spot, while Tottenham needs to gain ground against Arsenal by deciding who plays the best football in the Premiership against Swansea City.
The Beautiful Game 