Worth a read.
From The Sunday Times
December 30, 2007
Deeds to the title the road ahead
The New Year sees the big four in a league of their own, and Manchester United look set to triumph
The other day Tony Adams was asked who would win the Premier League. Arsenal, he said, without a second thought. It was a view offered after the Gunners’ goalless draw at Portsmouth and at the moment of Manchester United’s ascension to the top of the league. That’s what you loved about it – the blindness of the old Gooner’s loyalty. Because if you try to come up with reasons why Arsenal, Chelsea or Liverpool can beat Manchester United to this year’s championship, you don’t get far. Strength in depth wins in the end and for their Boxing Day trip to the Stadium of Light, United rested four of their best players and nobody, least of all Sunderland, noticed any difference.
Arsenal will soon need Philippe Senderos or Johan Djourou in Kolo Toure’s place at the heart of their defence – the thought of injury to William Gallas doesn’t bear thinking about. Not that Chelsea or Liverpool are any better off. Petr Cech, John Terry and Ricardo Carvalho are the rock on which Chelsea is built; one is seriously off form, one is seriously injured and the third recently incurred a three-game ban. Chelsea will try to buy their way out of trouble caused by injury and the African Cup of Nations but it’s not a good solution. Their squad is big enough and if they solve a temporary problem, they have a different kind in the medium term.
Rafa Benitez has known for some time that without the injured Daniel Agger, his defence isn’t quick enough. The difficulty comes as much from the perception as the reality of Sami Hyypia’s diminishing pace. Benitez will surely bring in another centre-back in January, but how quickly will the new arrival settle? The point is that while the creative players win you matches, great defenders make you invincible. Just now Rio Ferdinand and Nemanja Vidic are the best central defenders in the league. You can marvel all you wish at the goals of Cristiano Ronaldo, Carlos Tevez, Wayne Rooney and Louis Saha, but when United’s attack was averaging about a goal a game during the first quarter of the season, it was a string of one-nils that kept them in touch. When Vidic wasn’t there for a recent game against Bolton, United lost 1-0.
Yesterday’s defeat aside, there is no surprise in United being where they are, given the strength of the squad and the no-nonsense attitude Sir Alex Ferguson instills. Much of the time, the team has been no better than efficient. They won emphatically at Anfield but without doing much more than scoring a goal at an opportune moment and then defending well.
Arsenal have been the surprise of the season. For a side so young and so lacking in experience to have lost once at the halfway point borders on the miraculous. It is not a miracle but testimony to Arsène Wenger's extraordinary ability to recast his side without spending a fortune and without lowering standards. Cesc Fabregas has been a wonder but, goodness knows, it is asking a lot of a young man barely beyond boyhood to sustain for a full season the pace at which he has begun. But that is what Arsenal need.
Remarkably, the loss of Thierry Henry has not been sharply felt. Part of the reason is Emmanuel Adebayor’s stepping up to the plate. He has been excellent and it was noticeable how concentrated United’s defenders were when marking him at the Emirates last month. United were happiest when he drifted to the wings in search of space. But there is more to this than Adebayor’s form. From what we have seen from Arsenal’s younger players – Fabregas, Mathieu Flamini, Robin van Persie, Gael Clichy – it is clear they were to some degree shackled in Henry’s company. He may have been the best player but his constant demand for the ball and his expressions of disappointment when the passes didn’t arrive quickly or accurately enough did not help the confidence of callow teammates. Now every player is equal and the leadership offered by Gallas may be less charismatic than Henry’s but it is also fairer. The best leaders are those who produce when the team most needs it and Gallas has been immense in big games. It is not coincidental that he scored key goals against both United and Chelsea. Given how well Clichy has played at left-back, Arsenal did well to get Gallas and £5m for Ashley Cole.
While the top four seek strength in depth, Arsenal and especially United are stronger than Chelsea and Liverpool. For all the time they spend on the bench, Ferguson’s squad players don’t dare utter a word of discontent. There is a new professional footballer out there, happy to play whenever he is picked and to watch whenever the manager tells him.
Keeping players such as Michael Carrick, Darren Fletcher and John O’Shea happy has been an immense achievement and it is an important element in what Ferguson is trying to build. Just now, not one of the three is likely to start the bigger games and yet each would be a guaranteed starter in a second-tier Premier League side.
Why don’t they seek the move to a club where they would constantly be in the first 11? Because they are relatively happy with what they’ve got and Ferguson is a master at giving them sufficient opportunities to keep them sweet.
When it comes to acquiescence from squad members, Wenger hasn’t been as blessed as Ferguson. Flamini was unhappy last year when he wasn’t in the team, now it is the turn of Lassana Diarra to complain, and he’s not the only one. Gilberto Silva is now a regular substitute and when he does play, he gives no sense of a man desperate to prove his manager wrong. Tackles that he once relished are considered optional.
But let us return to Diarra, because his case is more interesting. Wenger was right to tell him on Friday that he needs to wise up and also correct to point out that no manager in the Premier League has been as prepared as he has to give opportunities to young players. There is a lack of realism in Diarra’s complaints. He is a young midfielder at a very big club; talented, for sure, but nevertheless inexperienced and physically not quite there. The idea that he would start most Premier League games was one that only he can have entertained. Yet to criticise him for impatience is to miss the fact that here is a young footballer who passionately wants to play.
Isn’t that something to applaud? Will not Carrick, Fletcher and O’Shea empathise and perhaps wonder if they are not being too compliant? You cannot become a first-team player unless you believe you are one. We will watch Diarra more closely now, better understanding the depth of his hunger. It will be interesting to see if performances are commensurate with self-belief.
The trick for Arsenal will be to stay in touch with United and to be close enough so that when the race goes into its last month, the champions are still looking over their shoulder. To achieve that, Arsenal must go on playing as they have been and extract even more from their younger battalion. Denilson, Theo Walcott, Nicklas Bendtner, Abou Diaby and Armand Traore would not have to improve that much to make significant contributions.
There have been other pluses for United this season, not least Anderson’s unbelievably quick assimilation into the team and into a league that has never been easy for rookies. After that you’ve got the usual suspects: Rooney, Ronaldo, Paul Scholes, Ryan Giggs and the admirable streetfighter, Tevez. If there’s an injury, you bring on Saha, who looked the best player on the pitch against Sunderland. Nobody should diminish the potential of a fit Saha because he has qualities the others lack.
My predicted champions, then, are Manchester United, with Arsenal hanging in there to the death but just behind them.
The story so far . . . and what lies ahead
THE STATS
Leading goalscorers 41 Tottenham Hotspur 37 Manchester Utd 36 Arsenal 35 Aston Villa 34 Everton
Goal-shy Derby have scored just nine in their 19 games, Middlesbrough have 18 and Sunderland 20
Most fouls 301 Portsmouth 292 Birmingham City 291 Blackburn Rovers 287 Middlesbrough 282 Bolton Wdrs
Sinned against and sinning Everton’s Mikel Arteta has been on the receiving end of 60 offending challenges. Lovable Alan Smith, with 56, has conceded more fouls than anyone.
THE STARS
Cristiano Ronaldo is the leading scorer in the Premier League this season, with 12 goals.
The Portuguese also leads the way with most shots (50) in the Premier League this season.
Cesc Fabregas leads the Premier League assists chart with nine, four short of his unbeaten 13 for 2006/7. He also has 11 goals in all competitions.
Of the 21 Premier League and Champions League matches that Fabregas has played this season, Arsenal have lost only once (3-1 in Seville, in which he came off after 56 minutes with an injury).
THE ROAD AHEAD
Clubs losing the most players to January’s African Nations Cup will be Portsmouth (5), Chelsea (4), Newcastle (4), Arsenal (3)
Games at the top to come: Man Utd v L’pool, Chelsea v Arsenal (Mar 22), Man Utd v Arsenal (Apr 12), Chelsea v Man Utd (Apr 26)
Next five for the big four
MANCHESTER UNITED v B’ham (h), v Newcastle (h) v Reading (a), v Portsmouth (h), v Tottenham (a)
ARSENAL v West Ham (h), v B’ham (h), v Fulham (a), v N’castle (h), v Man City (a)
CHELSEA v Fulham (a), v Tottenham (h), v B’ham (a), v Reading (h), v Portsmouth (a)
LIVERPOOL v Man City (a), v Wigan (h), v M’boro (a), v Aston Villa (h), v West Ham (a)
From The Sunday Times
December 30, 2007
Deeds to the title the road ahead
The New Year sees the big four in a league of their own, and Manchester United look set to triumph
The other day Tony Adams was asked who would win the Premier League. Arsenal, he said, without a second thought. It was a view offered after the Gunners’ goalless draw at Portsmouth and at the moment of Manchester United’s ascension to the top of the league. That’s what you loved about it – the blindness of the old Gooner’s loyalty. Because if you try to come up with reasons why Arsenal, Chelsea or Liverpool can beat Manchester United to this year’s championship, you don’t get far. Strength in depth wins in the end and for their Boxing Day trip to the Stadium of Light, United rested four of their best players and nobody, least of all Sunderland, noticed any difference.
Arsenal will soon need Philippe Senderos or Johan Djourou in Kolo Toure’s place at the heart of their defence – the thought of injury to William Gallas doesn’t bear thinking about. Not that Chelsea or Liverpool are any better off. Petr Cech, John Terry and Ricardo Carvalho are the rock on which Chelsea is built; one is seriously off form, one is seriously injured and the third recently incurred a three-game ban. Chelsea will try to buy their way out of trouble caused by injury and the African Cup of Nations but it’s not a good solution. Their squad is big enough and if they solve a temporary problem, they have a different kind in the medium term.
Rafa Benitez has known for some time that without the injured Daniel Agger, his defence isn’t quick enough. The difficulty comes as much from the perception as the reality of Sami Hyypia’s diminishing pace. Benitez will surely bring in another centre-back in January, but how quickly will the new arrival settle? The point is that while the creative players win you matches, great defenders make you invincible. Just now Rio Ferdinand and Nemanja Vidic are the best central defenders in the league. You can marvel all you wish at the goals of Cristiano Ronaldo, Carlos Tevez, Wayne Rooney and Louis Saha, but when United’s attack was averaging about a goal a game during the first quarter of the season, it was a string of one-nils that kept them in touch. When Vidic wasn’t there for a recent game against Bolton, United lost 1-0.
Yesterday’s defeat aside, there is no surprise in United being where they are, given the strength of the squad and the no-nonsense attitude Sir Alex Ferguson instills. Much of the time, the team has been no better than efficient. They won emphatically at Anfield but without doing much more than scoring a goal at an opportune moment and then defending well.
Arsenal have been the surprise of the season. For a side so young and so lacking in experience to have lost once at the halfway point borders on the miraculous. It is not a miracle but testimony to Arsène Wenger's extraordinary ability to recast his side without spending a fortune and without lowering standards. Cesc Fabregas has been a wonder but, goodness knows, it is asking a lot of a young man barely beyond boyhood to sustain for a full season the pace at which he has begun. But that is what Arsenal need.
Remarkably, the loss of Thierry Henry has not been sharply felt. Part of the reason is Emmanuel Adebayor’s stepping up to the plate. He has been excellent and it was noticeable how concentrated United’s defenders were when marking him at the Emirates last month. United were happiest when he drifted to the wings in search of space. But there is more to this than Adebayor’s form. From what we have seen from Arsenal’s younger players – Fabregas, Mathieu Flamini, Robin van Persie, Gael Clichy – it is clear they were to some degree shackled in Henry’s company. He may have been the best player but his constant demand for the ball and his expressions of disappointment when the passes didn’t arrive quickly or accurately enough did not help the confidence of callow teammates. Now every player is equal and the leadership offered by Gallas may be less charismatic than Henry’s but it is also fairer. The best leaders are those who produce when the team most needs it and Gallas has been immense in big games. It is not coincidental that he scored key goals against both United and Chelsea. Given how well Clichy has played at left-back, Arsenal did well to get Gallas and £5m for Ashley Cole.
While the top four seek strength in depth, Arsenal and especially United are stronger than Chelsea and Liverpool. For all the time they spend on the bench, Ferguson’s squad players don’t dare utter a word of discontent. There is a new professional footballer out there, happy to play whenever he is picked and to watch whenever the manager tells him.
Keeping players such as Michael Carrick, Darren Fletcher and John O’Shea happy has been an immense achievement and it is an important element in what Ferguson is trying to build. Just now, not one of the three is likely to start the bigger games and yet each would be a guaranteed starter in a second-tier Premier League side.
Why don’t they seek the move to a club where they would constantly be in the first 11? Because they are relatively happy with what they’ve got and Ferguson is a master at giving them sufficient opportunities to keep them sweet.
When it comes to acquiescence from squad members, Wenger hasn’t been as blessed as Ferguson. Flamini was unhappy last year when he wasn’t in the team, now it is the turn of Lassana Diarra to complain, and he’s not the only one. Gilberto Silva is now a regular substitute and when he does play, he gives no sense of a man desperate to prove his manager wrong. Tackles that he once relished are considered optional.
But let us return to Diarra, because his case is more interesting. Wenger was right to tell him on Friday that he needs to wise up and also correct to point out that no manager in the Premier League has been as prepared as he has to give opportunities to young players. There is a lack of realism in Diarra’s complaints. He is a young midfielder at a very big club; talented, for sure, but nevertheless inexperienced and physically not quite there. The idea that he would start most Premier League games was one that only he can have entertained. Yet to criticise him for impatience is to miss the fact that here is a young footballer who passionately wants to play.
Isn’t that something to applaud? Will not Carrick, Fletcher and O’Shea empathise and perhaps wonder if they are not being too compliant? You cannot become a first-team player unless you believe you are one. We will watch Diarra more closely now, better understanding the depth of his hunger. It will be interesting to see if performances are commensurate with self-belief.
The trick for Arsenal will be to stay in touch with United and to be close enough so that when the race goes into its last month, the champions are still looking over their shoulder. To achieve that, Arsenal must go on playing as they have been and extract even more from their younger battalion. Denilson, Theo Walcott, Nicklas Bendtner, Abou Diaby and Armand Traore would not have to improve that much to make significant contributions.
There have been other pluses for United this season, not least Anderson’s unbelievably quick assimilation into the team and into a league that has never been easy for rookies. After that you’ve got the usual suspects: Rooney, Ronaldo, Paul Scholes, Ryan Giggs and the admirable streetfighter, Tevez. If there’s an injury, you bring on Saha, who looked the best player on the pitch against Sunderland. Nobody should diminish the potential of a fit Saha because he has qualities the others lack.
My predicted champions, then, are Manchester United, with Arsenal hanging in there to the death but just behind them.
The story so far . . . and what lies ahead
THE STATS
Leading goalscorers 41 Tottenham Hotspur 37 Manchester Utd 36 Arsenal 35 Aston Villa 34 Everton
Goal-shy Derby have scored just nine in their 19 games, Middlesbrough have 18 and Sunderland 20
Most fouls 301 Portsmouth 292 Birmingham City 291 Blackburn Rovers 287 Middlesbrough 282 Bolton Wdrs
Sinned against and sinning Everton’s Mikel Arteta has been on the receiving end of 60 offending challenges. Lovable Alan Smith, with 56, has conceded more fouls than anyone.
THE STARS
Cristiano Ronaldo is the leading scorer in the Premier League this season, with 12 goals.
The Portuguese also leads the way with most shots (50) in the Premier League this season.
Cesc Fabregas leads the Premier League assists chart with nine, four short of his unbeaten 13 for 2006/7. He also has 11 goals in all competitions.
Of the 21 Premier League and Champions League matches that Fabregas has played this season, Arsenal have lost only once (3-1 in Seville, in which he came off after 56 minutes with an injury).
THE ROAD AHEAD
Clubs losing the most players to January’s African Nations Cup will be Portsmouth (5), Chelsea (4), Newcastle (4), Arsenal (3)
Games at the top to come: Man Utd v L’pool, Chelsea v Arsenal (Mar 22), Man Utd v Arsenal (Apr 12), Chelsea v Man Utd (Apr 26)
Next five for the big four
MANCHESTER UNITED v B’ham (h), v Newcastle (h) v Reading (a), v Portsmouth (h), v Tottenham (a)
ARSENAL v West Ham (h), v B’ham (h), v Fulham (a), v N’castle (h), v Man City (a)
CHELSEA v Fulham (a), v Tottenham (h), v B’ham (a), v Reading (h), v Portsmouth (a)
LIVERPOOL v Man City (a), v Wigan (h), v M’boro (a), v Aston Villa (h), v West Ham (a)
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