Urgency...
The game has lost it's pace. What got my attention a few years ago has steadily gone down hill. The English Game is supposed to be fast paced, hectic, and heart-stopping. The complaints at the start of the season included the fight about managers playing for the draw. I don't believe that is the case anymore yet, I still question some teams. One being Chelsea. Chelsea came out at the start of the year with a 1-Nil win over freshly promoted Wigan. They barely escaped in that game with Crespo scoring as the clock reached full time. I saw the same Chelsea on the pitch against Liverpool in the FA Cup Semifinal. "The Special One" should take some blame, he left the pace off the field to begin with - used Robben, Cole, and Duff as his three subs! Of course Chelsea have no chance of a double this year now, but there is always next year at Wembley. Liverpool is thinking other wise, taking two semifinals against Chelsea, one being the FA Cup and the other Champions League, yet in 8 other games it was Chelsea with the victory.
Benitez and Mourinho (4thegame.com)On the other hand of the spectrum was Tottenham @ Arsenal. It was a hell of a game. Many questions to be asked of both sides. Arsene should have had one of the big three in the game to start, my suggestion Fabregas. Tottenham scored on a play that should be discussed. Two Gunners ran into each other after going for a tackle against Carrick. The Spur saw the players go down and went to the touchline. After what I saw as both players moving to get up, Spurs went towards goal. Then eventually scored and the physio was sent for the injured players, one had already gotten up. So two problems with this situation, one being I hate it when an opposing player goes down to fake an injury to stop play, second being I don't think Tottenham was wrong(Arsenal Disagrees). Of course all this would have been prevented if Henry had started the game and not come on as a sub. A little bonus, if you look below you will see the two goal scorers....
5 comments:
Re The Spurs game: I also agree that the Spurs were not wrong to continue play. As the announcer noted while the game continued, because two Arsenal players collided and none of the Tottenham players was involved, the Spurs did not have to play the ball out. It could have played the ball into touch, but I don't think the "rules" of sportsmanship required it.
I also agree with your questioning the general thinking behind leaving Henry on the bench of such an important game for so long. And, of course, once he came in he completely changed the tenor of the game and did what others on the field were unable to do: finish a challenging play with a deft touch. Did you notice he scored with the outside of his right boot? Beautiful play.
Lastly, I have to think that maybe the Chelea coach (can't spell his name without looking and don't feel like stopping to check) really wasn't all that interested in doing the double. Why not play Cech? Why are Duff et al left on the bench? What's he saving them for? He needs ONE POINT to clinch the title and has three cames within which to do it. Is he concerned that maybe Chelsea will go into a swoon at the end of the season if he doesn't save his players? I don't get it!
Cudicini started because Jose had a deal with the two keepers than Cech would be the prem keeper. The second goal wasnt Cudicini's fault - poor defending, and the first went thru the wall!
Agreed, great goal by Henry, a classic and shows how impressive of a player he is.
The problem with Chelsea is that their next game is against Man U. He could have been saving one of the wingers for that game, but even so they would have had a few days to recover.
The reason why the English games aren't cool anymore is because England sucks. Wales rocks.
=D
i agree on the play continuing. Wenger is such a cry baby that it makes me sick. maybe if he even tried to have one english player on his squad...
chelses looks really bad right now and i seriously question what they are doing with Ballack. Lampard plays the same position and is a far better player. Roman A. reminds me of Steinbrenner- buy anyone you can. the only difference is that Steinbrenner wasnt laundering money.
i totally disagree with your questioning of the english game. watch any other league in the world and you don't see the pace and courage on display every week in the PRem. of course with the whiners on chelsea and arsenal (all non english byt the way- the whiners i mean- see drogba, robben, reyes, etc) who act as if they have been shot every time they are breathed on arent brought under control then we will have a problem.
The "Topic of the Week" at foxsoccer.com is "Are the top Premiership managers simply behaving childishly?" A rhetorical question if there ever was one.
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