Odds and Sods

The scene after the match at Old Trafford looked quite familiar for Arsenal.  Their legs spent.  Their effort admirable.  The run of play theirs’.  The scoreline favoring the opposition.

The Gunners have won just two of their last thirteen matches in all competitions.  The only wins coming from a late brace against a gassed AC Milan and an improbable comeback from two-nil down against Bolton.  It’s been a two-month run that saw them eliminated from contention in the Premier League, the Champions League and the FA Cup.

Perhaps, we were wrong to expect so much from the squad.  They are young and inexperienced.  The already thin squad faced soul-sapping injuries.  With some better luck, they may still have been alive.  With the squad as constituted, they gave it a good effort.  We should be happy with their over-achievement.

The problem is that there is no compelling reason for the squad to have been so thin and so inexperienced.  Arsenal are one of the top five wealthiest clubs in Europe.  Even with the expenses from the new stadium, the club is raking in the profits.  The board have repeatedly stressed that whatever resources Arsene wants will be made available.

There is no justification for not having enough defenders, for having no natural wide players and for not having enough cover at striker.

Arsenal’s healthy first eleven can play with anyone in Europe, but they needed that first eleven on the field to win.  If you take Fabregas, Hleb, Flamini, Adebayor, Toure, Gallas, Rosicky or Clichy out of the eleven, Arsenal struggle and collapse.  

Forcing your key players to play every match takes its toll.  The difference against United today was not in quality, but in fitness and depth.  Arsenal held the advantage in the first half, but faltered when their legs were shot midway through the second half.  The fresher Man U squad reloaded, bringing in Tevez, Anderson and Giggs.  Arsenal subbed two teenagers and a reserve squad defender.

No one is suggesting Arsene spend 60mGBP, but a few more players of decent quality would allow them to rest regulars without taking a titannic dip in ability.  If the money is available, there is no reason not to do so.

The only rational justification has been to feed Arsene Wenger’s ego by accomplishing more with less, but, as I said before, the league is won by points, not points per pound spent.  I spent more money on Arsenal merchandise this season than they spent in the transfer window.  There is something wrong with that.

Why pass on outbidding an extra few million pounds for players on principle, when winning the title or the Champions League would more than account for it monetarily?  Was principle worth having Eboue on the right wing instead of say, Ribery or Cristiano Ronaldo?

Arsenal’s youngsters may well lead the club to trophies down the road, but they will still need to compete with Manchester United’s who are of similar age and winning right now.

How many years does Wenger withstand on ego and propriety alone?  And is it worth it?

Arsenal beat Bolton 3-2 at the Reebok, keeping mathematical title hopes alive. The Gunners, with 10 men on the pitch, scored three goals to reverse a 2-0 deficit. Diaby deserved his red card for raised studs. Poor fortune averaged itself through an unmarked corner, a penalty and a deflection.

Cristiano Ronaldo is the best in the world right now. He scored one, set up three and could have had two more as Manchester United beat Aston Villa 4-0 to retain a five point clearance. Rooney should have had four goals, only managed a brace. Had Maloney made use of his attempts, it could have been closer, but Villa got played off the pitch.

Newcastle are charging toward the top half, with a 4-1 defeat of Tottenham at White Hart Lane. Both teams forsook caution with 4-3-3 formations, but it was Newcastle that capitalized on their chances. Obafemi Martins looked light and rejuvenated.

It was another muck of Merseyside Derby, as a fortunate Torres gift gave Liverpool the 1-0 victory over Everton. The Champions League six pointer pushed Liverpool ahead by five points.

No tan from standing

in the English rain, many

bald spots exposed though

Manchester United 2 – Bolton 0 Cristiano Ronaldo may be masking United’s problems, but he’s doing a damn good job of it. His record-breaking brace bumped the Red Devils into sole possession of first – one they are not likely relinquish. He now has something else in common with George Best, besides his number, his good looks and his whoring.

Chelsea 4 – Tottenham 4 It was an advertisement for Premier League football, but not necessarily a positive one. A few spectacular goals, but simple man-marking would have muffled many of them. That said, it was the most exciting match of this season. After blowing 3-1 and 4-3 leads in the second half – scuppering their title chances – Chelsea manager/death warden Avram Grant’s seat is now hotter than Kathleen Turner’s husky voice for men in their forties.

Fulham FC sprang back to life on Sunday, with a startling 1-0 victory over European-bound Everton.

The win, Fulham’s fourth of the season, places gives them 23 pts – an effective four points away from safety.

However, Odds and Sods will now make a bold prediction.  Fulham will not be relegated.

The club has momentum.

Fulham finally has started to mesh in this latter part of the season, spurred by the return of Jimmy Bullard and Brian McBride.  They have also had an impressive run, earning four points from two grueling fixtures against top half opposition in Everton and Blackburn.

The club was unlucky at the onset, bafflingly blowing a few first-half leads, followed by a morbid holiday respite – lasting through Februrary.  Fulham are a decent side with extraordinarily bad luck.  They are due for some good football.

Fulham also have an easier schedule.

They do face a problem.  They have only three home matches remaining and have not won away all season.  However, two winnable relegation six-pointers come in the next two away matches at Newcastle (Mar. 22) and at Derby (Mar 29.).  They also have additional six-pointers with Sunderland and Birmingham at home and Reading away.  Should Fulham climb the table it will come at the direct expense of their fellow bottom dwellers.

The only top four side that Fulham play is Liverpool at home (Apr. 19) – who may be conserving players for a Champions League run.

If Fulham finagles four points, from the next two matches.  That leaves them with 27 pts with six matches remaining.  If they again get four from Sunderland and Birmingham at home, that is 31 pts.  It’s not unreasonable they get four pts from the other four matches amassing the total 35 pts.  That may be enough to keep them up, particularly with some help.

That estimate also assumes merely a reasonable level of competence, not an impressive run.

Bolton have a much tougher road.  They still must travel to Man Utd., Chelsea, Aston Villa and Tottenham.  They also host Arsenal and Man City.  They have only one relegation six-pointer at home to Sunderland (May 3.).  Relegation seems a certainty at this point.

Birmingham have a slightly less arduous schedule, but still must host Liverpool, Man City, Blackburn and Everton.

Sunderland still have to host Man City and Arsenal and travel to Aston Villa.

Any fixture poses a problem for the soccer circus at this point.  But Newcastle face away matches with Tottenham, West Ham, Portsmouth and Everton.  They also host Chelsea in the penultimate match.

It’s not impossible that one or two teams from this group take a tumble, opening a door for Fulham.

They do have the fewest points, but they have the edge in talent and the easiest schedule.  If Fulham can denounce their doldrums and play at close to their potential, there is no reason they can’t avoid the drop.

The English Premier League was on top of the world, or at least Europe, on Wednesday. Arsenal became the first English club to defeat defending champion A.C. Milan at home. Manchester United outfoxed French side Lyon. Chelsea throttled Olympiacos 3-0. Liverpool looks likely to go through with a 2-0 advantage over Inter.

Assuming that Liverpool held their lead to Inter, that would mean all four English clubs would have made the quarterfinals of the Champions League. With only two out of the seven Spanish and Italian clubs making it that far, it seemed a strong statement that the Premier League was the best league in Europe.

However, this sentiment was short lived.

Vicariously buoyed by their brethren, the overconfident English cubs received reality on Thursday.

Tottenham’s Carling-caused hangover continued as Jefferson Farfan stole a 1-0 lead for PSV, after the first leg at White Hart Lane, muddling Ramos’ stated mission to win two cups this season.

Fiorentina shocked high-flying Everton at home, taking a 2-0 advantage into the second leg. The loss would have been even worse had Tim Howard not put in a man-of-the-match performance.

Bolton as well got an unfortunate result, drawing Sporting Lisbon 1-1 at home. Desperately needing to exit the competition and focus on the relegation battle, they now stand a reasonable chance of advancing.

English success in the Champions League may supplement Sky’s hype material, but, as the UEFA Cup shows, Premier League quality is not quite so disparate.