Ajax 4-1 SBV Excelsior: Show Down For Eredivisie Still On.

Lorenzo Ebecilio scored a brace to ensure that Ajax keep up with FC Twente in the mouth-watering Eredivisie title race. The game was rounded off with a superb overhead kick by Siem De Jong making it four, whilst the second came from Christian Eriksen. The Amsterdammers sit just one point behind league leaders Twente on a weekend that PSV dropped points after they were humbled in 3-1 Rotterdam by Feyenoord, finishing the game with 10 men to boot.

Ajax dominated possession but there was a nervy air around the stadium, something us Arsenal fans can relate too and when SBV Excelsior equalised out of nothing to make it 1-1.  Big defender Daan Bovenberg equalised for the away side just after half time and I wonder how many Ajax fans almost gave up the title hopes there and then.  But as the news (and video clips) of PSV’s failings filtered through the ground the Ajax faithful were galvanised yet again; huge cheers rang around the arena and the players responded with three goals and real belief.

De Jong’s final goal was a beauty, a perfectly timed overhead kick from 10 yards out in the 92^nd minute. The real beauty was that he would have had time to take a touch and bring the ball down but instead he chose to stick it to Excelsior and boot the boot in the only way Ajax know how; with flair. The third goal was largely thanks to Serbian forward Miralem Sulejmani who lifted the ball over the defence straight into the path of Ebecilio who finished off for his second of the evening. The pass was a real treat for the football connoisseur.

Sulejmani had a fantastic game in the creative forward role under the watchful eye of a former Ajax great in the same position, Tottenham man, Rafael Van der Vaart. The Serb was a constant threat for the wavering Excelsior defence, not often did they play long balls but when he did they were precise and usually consisted of involving wide players, stretching the opponents defence. In fact, so rarely was a long ball seen that even the Ajax goalkeeper insisted on playing the ball short to his full-backs rather than take a long range goal kick.

Given the crowd's chants of “Ajax kampioen!” it is safe to say that this lot are confident. If they win their next match away to Heerenveen and FC Twente don’t lose to Willem II then it will be a winner-takes-all situation at the Amsterdam Arena when Ajax and Twente face each other on the last day of the season. A draw may not be good enough for Twente because they still have PSV to worry about, despite dropping points at the weekend they can still sneak in and win the title if the win their games and other results go their way.

Wherever your loyalties lie it’s going to be one hell of a match on May 15^th in Amsterdam, cameras at the ready; it’s going to be a photo-finish.

Clasico Dos: The King's Cup

The cup final. Not many changes made: pinto for valdes, adriano for puyol arbeloa for albiol, ozil for benzema. Pepe still playing further forward.

Mourinho stuck to his guns and came out victorious. Pointed out by Johan Cryuffn in the negative, as being a manager for trophies and not football... I couldn't see any Madristas complaining.

Despite dropping the cup under the bus, there was no feeling that Madrid didn't enjoy every second of their first copa del rey for 18 years.

The momentum was with Madrid, chances were almost equal but Madrid had the edge and when players such as Affelay came on late there was no real feeling that they'd win it for the Catalans.
It says a lot that los blancos fans were applauding intently after the league game which almost terminated their title challenge from the relief of not being beaten by their biggest rivals.

It was a cup game which was intensified by the rivalry of the clubs which was intensified ten fold by the upcoming champions league games. There had to be a winner and I suppose both teams would prefer to lose on penalties. Ronaldo scored the only goal from open play in the two fixtures to secure the win for Real in extra time. Now, the pressure is (wrongly) set upon Mr. Guardiola in the media and the tide is turning in Real's favour.

Mourinho's pragmatic nature seems to be instilled in his squad and, unfortunately, I think they are the favourites for the champions league tie. Mourinho has already beaten Pep's Barca over two legs in last seasons CL when he won it with Inter Milan, can he do it again to his growth club with their rivals? I can't imagine there's anything he would enjoy more.

El Clasico Uno: Real Madrid 1-1 Barcelona; Mourinho's tactical changes.

The thing about Jose Mourinho is that he quickly learns his lesson and last night's performance against Barcelona was a good example of his tactical prowess. Beaten 5-0 at the Camp Nou, Mourinho’s biggest defeat ever as a manager must have cut him deep and it won’t be forgotten. However, despite his Catalan rivals being top of La Liga with an impressive eight-point lead the momentum has shifted seemingly at the right time for Madrid.

An impressive come back last night has giving his substantial squad a boost, especially with ten men; his ten-man strategy paid off, it seems. The first of four encounters saw a particularly defensive Madrid side take the field with Pepe playing defensive midfield along with Alonso and Khedira in the middle. This allowed Barcelona little time and space on the ball; something they enjoyed in the reverse fixture. The first half was fast paced yet lacked many real threats and, uncharacteristically, both sides’ passing was not as sharp as usual.

With the second half came both goals, both from the spot. Ronaldo and Messi respectively converted for their teams.  The pivotal point was the dismissal of Raul Albiol for his foul on David Villa in the box. Mourinho was left with a big decision to make and his substitutions rescued a point for Real. Instead of moving Pepe from his midfield position back to the centre of defence he brought on Arbeloa who went to right back, allowing Sergio Ramos to move into the middle keeping Pepe in the space between the defence and midfield. This allowed Ronaldo, Ozil and Adebayor to go forward with Khedira linking everything together.

Despite the fightback from Real, Barcelona still remain top and strong favourites for the championship. Next comes the lesser of all the clashes between the two and Real have the squad to put out a stronger team if Barcelona feel like they need to rest players. The team who lift the trophy on Wednesday will receive a massive boost of confidence for the all-important Champions League ties.

 

Madrid: Casillas, Ramos, Albiol (sent off), Carvalho, Marcelo, Alonso (Ozil), Pepe, Khedira, Di Maria (Arbeloa), Ronaldo, Benzema (Adebayor).

Barca: Valdes, Alves, Pique, Puyol (Keita), Adriano (Maxwell), Busquets, Xavi, Ineista, Pedro (Affelay), Messi, Villa.

Were the FA right to fine Wayne Rooney and uphold his two match ban?

Of course they were, the man will never learn otherwise. It was a shocking and unnecessary display from a spoiled player. I’m not offended by his language, it was the attention seeking nature of the incident and it’s not the first time. As a youngster I was taken to football matches every weekend and at a young age I was exposed to the "industrial" language that comes as part of the football watching experience, rightly or wrongly. If parents allow their children to watch football then they must face the fact that bad language will be used.

So, if bad language is part of the game then should Rooney be let off the hook somewhat and have had his two match ban reduced to one as he appealed? Well, Rooney's outburst was pre-meditated in a way. If he had addressed the away section of the fans, or even the home fans and uttered the expletives which the camera microphones had picked up involuntarily then I would say that we have no problem. It would be put down as being an unfortunate error in which much of the questioning would be directed towards the broadcasters to broach the subject of having a time delay on the audio feed for live televised matches.

However, the expletives were not picked up accidently; they were very purposefully directed at the live audience. Instead, Rooney acknowledged the thousands of viewers watching the live feed, this acknowledgement indicates a disregard for authority and for football and the FA by bringing the sport into disrepute which is not allowed. Lest we forget that Rooney actively sought out the camera on another occasion too; during the 2010 World Cup after England had taken part in a drab draw against Algeria (?) when he directed comments towards the fans. Despite no blue language being used on that occasion it should have been an indication of his potential and readiness to offend and his manager should work on his player’s worrying attitude problem.

Champions League Quarter Finals and Semi-Finals Draw.

Tuesday April 5^th:                                                              Wednesday 13^th April:

Real Madrid v Tottenham Hotspur                                    Schalke ’04 v Inter Milan

Inter Milan   v Schalke ’04                                                Tottenham v Real Madrid

Wednesday April 6^th:                                                       Tuesday 12^th April:

Chelsea v Manchester United                                         Manchester United v Chelsea

Barcelona v Shakhtar Donetsk                                        Shakhtar Donetsk v Barcelona

The winners of Barca/Shakhtar will play Real Madrid or Tottenham potentially setting up a tantalising semi-final between the two Spanish giants and seeing them face each other 4 times in 10 days with a league game and Copa Del Rey final in the diary around that time too. Talks have been started and the league and Copa games are temporarily suspended until further notice it seems if the teams both progress. However, people may be underestimating the difficulty of going to Ukraine and facing that formidable Shakhtar Donetsk atmosphere, especially going there in the second leg.

This means that there is no chance of an all-Spanish final but we could still have an all-English final if Tottenham can overcome Madrid then either Barcelona or Shakhtar.

There is always a tasty story of revenge and payback in the Champions League and none more so than the revenge Chelsea will be looking to take out on Manchester United for the 2008 final when John Terry agonizingly missed his spot kick, handing the trophy to Man United there and then.

Rafael Van der Vaart has expressed his excitement at the prospect of returning to the Bernabeu via his Twitter. Not wishing to patronise Spurs but this is definitely a glamour tie for the North London club; the most experienced team and nine time winners, Real Madrid, up against the new boys: Spurs. That’s what the competition is all about, and lest we forget – anything can happen!

What's Arsenal's problem?

Arsenal find themselves dumped out of two competitions in less than a week and suddenly the Gunners’ chances of silverware are decreased significantly and now every league game is a cup final, almost (and we know how well Arsenal do in cup finals!). Now, don’t get me wrong, the title race is far from over but do Arsenal have what it takes or is there something of a ‘mental block’ when it comes to obtaining a trophy?

Arsene Wenger may not be highly regarded as one of arsenal’s problems and rightly so but the manager must take responsibility for his teams failures at some point. When players are under-performing and being accused of lacking in effort it’s easy to blame individual players but one must question how much of this attitude is down to the managers style and motivational tactics. For example, it’s difficult to imagine a player under the likes of Ferguson or Moyes playing a full game in a lacklustre fashion without it being pointed out to him, to put it mildly.

Arsene Wenger has seen a number of players come and go over the past 5 trophy-less seasons yet, all the squads seem to have the same problem. Wenger has said before that if his team are losing or have been defeated he never uses the hairdryer method; instead they are made to sit and contemplate their mistakes. This is, no doubt, a tactful and subtle approach yet, it does seem slightly childish to me, like the naughty step or silent treatment method employed by parents.

Perhaps Arsenal would benefit from a more mouthy and brash assistant coach, someone to tell them when they’re flailing around arse over tit. Someone to provide some steel and some of the ‘English grit and determination’ that we’re so often reminded of. Could Wenger’s method be too intellectual for a football team?

Barcenal v Arselona Pt. 2, Round 2.

 Arsenal are in Barcelona followed by fans in great numbers ahead of their much anticipated Champions League tie against the Catalan giants. It wont be easy, many of the players will still be haunted by the memories of last year’s clash at the Camp Nou when Arsenal, having fought back from a 2 goal deficit at the Emirates to take a 2-2 score line to the Camp, were demolished by Lionel Messi. Arsenal even took the lead through Nicklas Bendtner and spirits were cautiously high until Messi hit four in front of the Barça faithful.

This time it’s different, Arsenal take a lead into the second leg and Wenger’s side will be looking to and find that special something in Catalonia. Many walk the streets, serenaded by the winding paths of the Barri Gotic, some search for life itself or love, romance or beauty; everything and nothing. Although Arsenal’s task is more definite in a footballing sense; a coming of age and exercising past demons the reality of beating Barcelona by playing total football is poetry in motion and it would indeed be a thing of great beauty.

Both sides are hindered with injuries/suspensions so the changes will be rung. Expect Busquets to partner Eric Abidal in the centre of defence in the absence of Puyol and Gerard Pique who is suspended. This is, no doubt, pleasing for the Arsenal team but lest we forget the attacking line up likely to be Villa, Messi, Pedro, Xavi and Iniesta. As for Arsenal, with the exception of Alex Song who is definitely set to miss out, Van Persie and Cesc Fàbregas will have late fitness tests prior to the match with, Arsenal captain, Fàbregas, “90% likely” to start. Jack Wilshere, the man who received rave reviews in the Catalan press after his performance in the first leg when he did not look out of place when up against the world’s best, has declared himself fit via his twitter (http://twitter.com/#!/jack_wilshere) account.

Walcott missing out is a bigger blow than the possible absence of Van Persie. The winger can punish teams with his pace especially a team like Barcelona who often play a high line. Arsenal will not only miss his ability, they will miss his presence; he terrifies defenders. No defender enjoys playing against pace and Walcott would really give the Barça defence a reason to be fearful.

The Arsenal defence have their work cut out for them in the shape of Leo Messi, Pedro and David Villa. Although little praise has befallen Koscielny and Djourou for their solid performance at the Emirates, the Arsenal centre-backs took control of their area and put in a sturdy performance against the tricksters. They must put in a similar performance but that wont be enough, Arsenal will need Lady Luck on their side too.

Without a doubt, it’s going to be a beautiful game and a very different one from last year’s encounter in that both teams have grown. After Mourinho’s Inter Milan beat Barcelona in the Champions League semi-final last season the Special One claimed: “You cannot play their way and win”, Arsenal will be hoping to prove him wrong tonight.