EPL Title Chase: And then there were ... two?

First and foremost, accept my sincere apologies for not writing more entries "From the Offside Position". I had every intention of providing weekly entries, but school, life and watching football got in the way of blogging. The beauty of this block of time is how much has occurred in the past two months to talk about. I will write two entries: this one will focus on the EPL title-race; I will release another entry discussing the Champions’ League & how my predictions held up!

ARSENAL: 

Arsene Wenger - has the ultimate strategist finally run out of
pieces to play?

The entry for Arsenal will be short, since they have fallen out of the title-race since my last entry. They have received a mere 6 pts in their last 6 games – faring the worst start to a Premiership season, since the Premierships 1992 inception – demonstrating their inconsistency. Arsenal this season has been more frustrating to watch than in previous seasons – they put on two master-class performances (coming back from 4-0 down to win 7-4 vs. Reading in the FA Cup; winning 5-2 against increasingly impressive Tottenham in the league), but failed to impress in most performances. While there are patches of the lineup that are putting in good performances – namely Cazorla – the rest of the team seems to be in a state of disarray. If the form continues this season following the sale of additional big-name players, expect to see transfer requests from additional players and a more sustained plea for the removal of Wenger from the helm. Arsenal is in a position where they can still have hope of qualifying for a Champions’ League spot, so we will need to keep watching to see how they fare.

CHELSEA: 

Roman's way: Abromovich has appointed his 7th coach.
Will this policy ever allow Chelsea to be a football
hegemony?

“Chelsea always chokes” was a motto I lived by when I first started watching the EPL when I saw the perennial fourth place finishers stumble during title-challenge after title-challenge. While Chelsea have – with the help of a billion dollars – moved acres from that state, they appear to have justified this motto, as they find themselves 10 points adrift of the front-runner and entering a recognizable tail-spin. While this might not be shocking for individuals who have followed Chelsea for years, what makes it truly shocking is the incredible form they were in till mid-October. At one point they a four-point lead on the table and looked to be masterfully utilizing some of the best young talent in Europe to lead a deadly assault on multiple fronts! Where it went wrong? After Chelsea lost that dramatic (admittedly poorly officiated game) to Manchester United, Chelsea have only WON FOUR POINTS IN SIX GAMES!! This streak includes a loss to West Bromwich Albion (who have admittedly been on fire this season) and draws with Fulham, Swansea and Liverpool (who is now for all intents and purposes a terrible team that Chelsea should be thumping).

Torres: the lone man up front?
Truly a gamble. 

Of course there are two stories here: the first one is the shocking dismissal of Di Matteo by oligarch owner Roman Abromovich. Chelsea have yet to register a win under Rafael Benitez (whose selection warrants an entire blog entry on its own), the most desperate man in the business. While the October record under Di Matteo was atrocious, there is questionable logic with firing a recent Champions’ League-winning manager heading into the most busy part of the season … and replacing him with a coach WHO CAN’T COACH IN ENGLAND IF HIS LIFE DEPENDED ON IT!? Useful morons have provided the statistic that under Roman’s 8 coaches they have won 1 more trophy than United, who have remained loyal to one. This might be the case, but upon closer inspection you will see that the majority of those trophies were with coaches who stayed longer and who were installed during better occasions (RDM’s appointment and Champions’ League win being the anomaly).  While the ultimate failure of Chelsea to win the league – or possibly even qualify for Champions’ League – will justifiably fall on Benitez’s head, there remains a second bigger issue: Chelsea’s squad is actually not that good.

Chelsea spent money like a teen girl at an H&M blowout this summer … on similarly-qualified midfielders. There is no denying the quality of their midfield – Hazard, Mata and Oscar are some of the best – but there are a lot of players being forced into roles they shouldn’t have to play, such as Ramires (side note: where the hell is Marin??). Also: their defense is aging and over-reliant on the increasingly sluggish PR-nightmare that is John Terry. The biggest point: Drogba was never replaced and Torres – despite having Xavi/Iniesta spoonfeeding him the golden boot award in Poland-Ukraine – is NOT A PLAYER to base your attack around. Chelsea should have focussed less on bringing in Oscar and Marin, and more on landing Falcao or Lewandowski. 9 trophies under Abromovich is easy to blind people, but the fact remains: Chelsea is as frustratingly managed as Arsenal.

MANCHESTER CITY: 

Yaya Toure: one of the most consistent players in
the league. 

Manchester City remains in the thick of the title race, although with an unconvincing form, gaining a mere 8 points out of their last 15. If it wasn’t for Manchester United’s faltering away loss to Norwich, City would be six points out of the leader. City have demonstrated this season that they are the genuine article and can compete domestically (European competition still eludes them as they crashed out of the Champions’ League today playing Borussia Dortmund’s reserves). They are tied for the second-most goals in the league and have a GD that is currently +1 better than Manchester United. The standout players have been a resurgent Carlos Tevez, Eden Dzeko and Yaya Toure. Mancini – despite crashing out of Europe – has managed to maintain the favor of the owners, and will now have all his focus placed on the domestic title, which will make him quite lethal. Unlike Abromovich, the City owners allow considerable flexibility for Mancini and understand why switching canoes mid-stream might prove disastrous. This weekend’s game versus Manchester United will be huge; a six point gap going into the Christmas season where United usually shines could leave their Red neighbours with a runaway title win. City definitely have the player resources to mount another title challenge, although their ranks are also surprisingly thin (injury has already demonstrated its effects on them in trying to compete domestically and in Europe). Injuries to key players such as Toure, Aguero (again) or Kompany could quickly cause City to fall into the tail-spin that has overcome Chelsea and Arsenal.

MANCHESTER UNITED: 

Robin Van Persie: Converting doubters with every strike.
Cries of "overpriced and guaranteed to be injured" are being regretted. 

While I am obviously biased, I feel that Manchester United are odds-on favorites to win the title this year. Namely, they are pulling away from the herd despite not hitting top form. Going forward United have been lethal – scoring 37 goals in 15 games (9 more than their closest competition), this is with Wayne Rooney only contributing to 4 of those goals! The goal threat this seasons has largely been through the ever-improving Robin Van Persie, although goals have come from all across the park, with Chicharito putting in a few impressive performances as well (just as I was starting to for-see an imminent transfer for the young Mexican). Rooney – while not in goal-scoring form – has been quite the revelation as a play-maker behind RVP and Wellbeck/Chicharito, filling in for the injured Kagawa and has contributed greatly to their playmaking and for crucial ball-marshalling in the middle of the park. Where United suffers – STILL! – is defensively; they have allowed 21 goals between their posts, with only 7 teams letting in more. Ferdinand is looking slower and slower and Vidic’s absence looks to be increasingly long-term. Furthermore, United may have put too many eggs in the Vidic basket, because during his brief stint in good health he didn’t appear to play too well. The young guns have been pretty inconsistent, with Smalling being particularly unimpressive for me. Rafael – while great going forward – has a major gaff almost every single game. Johnny Evans – while still suffering through patches of uncertainty – is looking a bit more confident in recent games and perhaps might be the padlock that United need to lock up their stalls for the rest of the season. However, injuries to Evans and Ferdinand (quite, quite likely on any given day …) would leave United’s defense in the hands of second-rate clowns. If SAF and owners want to guarantee a twentieth title, they will use the winter transfer market to bring in an experienced, cool head (a la Vidic) to act as back-up / replacement for the vulnerable CB position.

END OF THE SEASON PREDICTION:

1. Manchester United

2. Manchester City

3. Tottenham Hotspur

4. Everton

5. Chelsea

6. Arsenal

EPL Title Chase Update: Weeks 3-5

This post will look at the big four teams (realistically) involved in a chase for the title this year; I acknowledge that other teams such as Everton and Tottenham should be included in an assessment of potential "top four" teams, but I am - for time constraints - purely interested in the race for the trophy. In the interest of a pre-amble, I should point out my suspicions that this might be one of the most open races since the mid-2000s, when you had three-four teams running down the trophy till the final weeks. 

Manchester City's Joe Hart in a familiar pose this September.

MANCHESTER CITY

Last three EPL results:

3-1 W vs. QPR

1-1 D vs. Stoke City

1-1 D vs. Arsenal

Man City have only won a single game in their last five attempts; said alternatively, they are win-less in their last four (they lost in a thriller to Real Madrid in the CL; as I start writing this they lost to Aston Villa in the Capital One league cup). Thanks to a strong start, they are only six points off of Chelsea's pace (and 3 points behind arch-rivals, United). However, Mancini and the fans of City should take a moment to notice that there are points for concern which need addressing. First and foremost, Manchester City have not had a clean-sheet since the pre-season; alarming for a team which boasted a respectable defensive record last year. What is happening? One suggestion might be that the 3-5-2 all-out attack of City is finally being broken down by it's opponents who are exposing the three across the back; that certainly might be the case (City have allowed 43 shots to be taken against them which puts them slightly above the average for the EPL). Although, I think the answer might lie in a significant stat: Joe Hart has one of the worst stop percentages in the EPL at the moment (http://www.thescore.com/epl/goalie_splits/clean_sheets). Considering some of the heroics that Hart pulls out week-in and week-out, this is certainly a jaw-dropper although statistics don't lie (in this case; only in positivist approaches to the social sciences). 

City's fans - and apologists - will no doubt point to the absence of Aguero as a potential reason for this drop in win-rate; although the previous section definitely merits examination by even their most die-hard supporters. City is leaking goals. 

What about the mid-field? In the interest of time - story of life - I will focus on two divergent players. Yaya Toure is having another great season for Manchester City and could certainly be credited with keeping them in the title-race with his play-making and (surprisingly quick) runs into the enemy's box. On the other side of the coin: Silva was a puppet-master for City last season and I just don't feel that he has recovered from being an awkwardly placed appendage in the European Cup's Spanish side. Don't get me wrong: he isn't playing poorly by any step of the imagination, but he isn't the force he was last season. 

Chelsea will want to see a lot more from new-boy Oscar in the EPL.

 CHELSEA FC

Last three EPL results:

2-0 W vs. Newcastle

0-0 D vs QPR

1-0 W vs. Stoke City

Chelsea are the league leaders and are looking to hold onto that position (although their bout with Arsenal this weekend might have major consequences for the title race). They are unbeaten this season in the English Premier League (with their only loss being vs. Athletico Madrid in the Super Cup). 

Rather than harping about their obvious pros, let me focus on a few little chinks that have made appearances throughout this early season. First and foremost, their games in Europe versus Athletico Madrid and Juventus have shown that their defense is capable of making defensive errors (with an aging John Terry and an unpredictable David Luiz predictably the culprits). The fact that these errors are showing up against stronger sides demonstrates that perhaps Chelsea will not fare as well when faced against other title challengers (their biggest challenge being a so-so Newcastle side). And therein lies the clincher: Chelsea seems to be performing very differently versus weak and strong sides and I suspect that it might have to do with Eden Hazard's unconvincing displays in important fixtures. Hazard has been one of the players of the season if you look at Chelsea's victories. However in losses (and an unfortunate draw) versus Manchester City (Community Shield), Athletico Madrid and Juventus, Hazard has often found it hard to get into the game, often appears lost in the action and gives away sloppy passes to the opposing teams. This will definitely be one of the areas of the field to watch. I am curious - as an impartial observer - how Chelsea will try to incorporate an in-form, youthful Oscar into the side, as well as Marko Marin when he returns to fitness. 

Gervinho must have sacrificed hair-growth for a third lung. 

ARSENAL

Last three EPL results:

2-0 W vs. Liverpool

6-1 W vs. Southampton

1-1 D vs. Manchester City

Most people would call an RVP-less Arsenal an outside shot for the title at best, although I would suggest that - barring injuries devastating the team -  Arsenal will keep pace with the pack for the duration of the season. 

Why? First and foremost, their defense is enviable. They have only let in two goals this season. The first one was versus Southampton and it featured Szczeny's return to play after an absence due to injury (while a bit of a howler; I think it was a reflection on match-fitness rather than current ability); the second due to a zonal defending mishap versus City (sidenote: when has zonal defending off of corners ever worked?!? Especially in the EPL. Man-marking or bust),, where Arsenal tried an unusual method of defending a corner and it didn't pay off. Sczceny's form and zonal defending blunders should be kept an eye on, but Arsenal look good defensively (even if they are letting an above average shots pepper their goal; most appear to be from a safe distance). 

Cazorla and Podolski continue to impress going forward with Podolski netting in three games on the trot; Cazorla is involved in everything and seems to be stepping into the vacant Fabregas role well. Robin Van Persie's ability to turn garbage-balls into goals (a skill he honed last season) will be missed in some of the big games, but the excellent play and work-rate of Podolski will keep the Arsenal fans pacified for the season. Additionally, in Podolski - more of a winger than a striker - they have a newfound ability to hold the ball up, rather than a traditional No. 10 to just bang the balls in (a role which RVP occasionally reverted to). A surprise revelation this season for Arsenal is Gervinho's work-rate, which is extraordinary - it is like having a new player on the field. Every play he is somehow involved in. Admittedly rough around the edges, this work-rate has been a positive force for Arsenal so far.  

The biggest discernable con for Arsenal is Giroud not fitting into the team at all; his poor touch in front of the net has only been surpassed by his terrible pass percentage. This might prove a problem for them as it will make the team unduly have to rely on the fitness and form of newboy Podolski and low-scoring (albeit doggedly hardworking) Gervinho. 

Vidic mimicks the fans' reaction over news that he's injured once again. 

MANCHESTER UNITED

Last three EPL results:

3-2 W vs. Southampton

4-0 W vs. Wigan

2-1 W vs. Liverpool

As you can see United has the best record in the last three games, being the only title-contender to put out three wins (they also sneaked out a win in the CL). However, there are a lot of asterixes that need to be addressed. Before I address the worries that Manchester United are facing, I will address the positives which have helped United achieve their results. 

Robin Van Persie and Kagawa - despite missing the Wigan game through slight injury - have been at the heart of United's good form. It's pleasant to see that my positive evaluation of their potential has held, five games in. Robin Van Persie dissuaded his doubters - who I admittedly I was until I saw him bag his first goal in a United shirt - with his heroic three-goal performance versus Southampton. Kagawa was voted the player of the month for August by United fans and rightly so - every win (outside of Wigan) has his stamp on it. His vision, fitness, ability and consistency are a testament to why Ferguson needed to have this player in his side. Other standout performances have been by Valencia (arguably the most consistent crosser of the ball in the EPL) and Carrick. The debuts by Buttner and Powell versus Wigan were sublime; with in particular Buttner displaying one of the most determined wing-back displays I've seen in the LB position in YEARS.

However, there are asterixes. Huge asterixes. The left side of the midfield is looking a little vacant; Nani cannot get off the ground this season and actually has been a larger hindrance to the team than an aid. Ryan Giggs has been moved more towards the center when he plays (where bless-his-heart he looks pretty indifferent and sloppy). I would almost advocate playing Buttner as LMF (since Fergie will no doubt insist on Evra remaining in the side) since his wing-play and ability to pop up in key attacking plays was apparent in his debut. 

The biggest asterix remains - for a second consecutive season - the defense and goalkeeper. This is for two reasons: defense and ability. United spent all their loot this summer on attacking options, but only purchased an attacking wingback for defensive cover. The arguments that people posed were that: Vidic is returning, Smalling, Jones and Evans exist as cover. First and foremost, Vidic is now going to be out for two-months after a mandatory knee surgery (propagating evidence for the theory that you can never truly regain fitness after a long absence). Secondly, Vidic HAS NOT LOOKED remotely comfortable with the defensive burden that was dropped on him since his return; he has not looked like the same player. His pace, positioning and decision-making have been off. Last season he complemented the the errors in Rio's game to make Rio still relevant; this season they are both looking uncomfortable together and allowing way too many shots against a terrified looking goalkeeper. Thirdly, Smalling, Jones and Evans have proven during their tenure at United that they have all the fitness potential of Wes Brown (meaning, that they are fit less than 50% of the time). This translates into: another patchy season where Fergie will be scrambling to put together ANY defense, much less his best one. 

On a related note: David DeGea has not won me over. I gave him the benefit of the doubt, but the fact remains that a goalkeeper between Manchester United's posts needs to have raw ability and - most importantly - good decision-making skills. DDG has amazing natural ability but quite clearly less-than-average decision-making skills (lower half of the table goalkeepers are dealing with set-pieces and crosses better than he does). Lindegaard has been the better of the two over both seasons and I hope that Fergie will continue to let the young Dane have a run out. 

In summation: the EPL is open ground for every team. The three teams who would be cited as clear favorites (MUFC, MCFC and CFC) all have emerged with defensive struggles and patchy performances in the midfield; the team written off as an outside shot at best, AFC,  has emerged with the strongest defense. GAME ON!! 

Champions' League 2012 / 2013 Pt. I

The beginning of the Champions' League is one of my favorite times of year. Hands down the best football is played in this tournament and every year there are some mouthwatering match-ups between Europe's elite clubs, plus an array of teams pushing to be known as the next season's giant-killer. I get a little sentimental whenever I hear the Champions' League anthem for the first time each season, knowing what lies around the corner: excitement, drama, exaltation, dejection. 

Some groups have more standout sagas than others. Here are my comments on what to look out for along with a few predictions. 

GROUP A (Porto, Dynamo Kyiv, PSG, Dinamo Zagreb)

Ibra: worth the pay stub?

Rest assured the headlines for Group A clashes will be of a financial nature: will PSG's millions be able to buy them advancement into the tournament? With Porto the only clear standout in this group, PSG's advancement would seem all but guaranteed, but after drawing the first of their three games in France's League 1, the PSG experiment seems to be fumbling. PSG will hope that their big summer signings of Ibrahimovic, Thiago Silva and Lavezzi start paying dividends. With a starting lineup that is increasingly looking like a FIFA 2013 fantasy lineup, PSG will be turning heads. PSG reminds me of Man City right after they had a billion dollars thrown at them: huge pay stubs, very little chemistry. Expect some headline making surprises in this group as teams with much more chemistry break down PSG. Although he had a hot-and-cold EURO, Porto's Moutinho managed to stay with his club despite suitors from the EPL and looks like being the potential stand out player in this group if his play-making form continues from the previous season. 

Prediction: I am going to let my pessimism shine through and say that: Porto and Dynamo Kyiv advance. 

GROUP B (Arsenal, Schalke 04, Olympiacos, Montpellier)

New boys celebrate against Liverpool. 

The "irony" of this group is that the most talked of player will not even feature in it: Robin Van Persie. On paper this is a very nice draw for Arsenal to feature nicely on the top of the group, but rest assured if Arsenal fail to score RVP's name will be exhausted in football columns everywhere (and face it, if they score "in spite of" losing RVP, they will write about him regardless). Arsenal is looking to have the best defense in the EPL and should be able to keep many clean sheets against three teams with limited CL pedigrees. The recent performance of Podolski and Cazorla at Liverpool demonstrate that Arsenal might be creating a strong attacking side, which can only get better as players return from injury. 

I expect the second place to go comfortably to Schalke 04 as they get another good performance from Dutchmen Huntelaar and new-loan Afellay. 

Prediction: Quite easily Arsenal and Schalke 04. 

GROUP C (AC Milan, Zenit St. Petersburg, Anderlecht, Malaga)

Will Malaga announce themselves to the world this CL season?

AC Milan - much like Arsenal - will have journalists talking about who they sold, rather than their performances. Losing two of their star players to PSG - Ibra and Thiago Silva - the team looks to be in a bit of shambles. Their 5-1 thumping to Real Madrid in a summer friendly demonstrated how thin their defense appears without Silva and conceeding three to Juventus and one to Sampdoria demonstrated that AC Milan is potentially in a spot of trouble defensively. AC Milan never really replaced either player and with Pato constantly injured and Robinho being Robinho, AC Milan might have a tricky season. 

Malaga in 2010 joined the list of clubs who have "oil"-igarch sugar daddies. While they haven't spent as debaucherously as PSG, City or Chelsea, they have tossed some coin around. The opening of their La Liga season has looked promising and they look like they can make waves with their play. However, like PSG a lot of their purchases are aging: Saviola, Demichelis, Baptista, etc. Will this team be able to contest on multiple fronts? Time will tell. 

Zenit has demonstrated in previous seasons that they can play well as a team and aren't intimidated by bigger teams. I expect them to be the surprise performers of this group with their talented array of foreign players such as Bruno Alves, Danny, Hulk and new-boy Axel Witsel combining with the Russian stars to make a good perfomance. 

Prediction: Tough one. I am going to say AC Milan simply because of pedigree and Zenit St. Petersburg. 

GROUP D (Real Madrid, Manchester City, Borussia Dortmund, Ajax)

Jesus wept. What a group! Four league winners and some of the biggest stars of world football all in one group: this is precisely why the CL is the tournament that it is. 

Lewandowski: top striker. 

Based purely on line-ups, it is very easy to say that Real Madrid and Manchester City will run away with this group. The starting XI and benches of both teams are arguably the two best in the world. However, City fumbled in their first European attempt last year. This CL campaign City's biggest enemy will be its weak defense - City has conceded in every EPL game and the community shield. Mancini's side is very much stream-lined to be a Luftwaffe lighting-attack side, but this has left them a little short at the back. This could pose a problem as Real Madrid, Borussia Dortmund and Ajax all have lethal strikers who can pounce on any opportunity given to them. However, if City rediscovers the defensive combination of last year, they will prove to be a stiff competition to all. 

For myself, the biggest talking point will be Borussia Dortmund - a team I have absolutely fallen in love with. Combining the best players from Poland (Kuba, Pisczek, Lewandowski) with some of the key young cogs in the German machine (Reus, Goetze, Hummels), they are a master-class team. Despite having significantly less finances than Bayern Munich (last year's CL finalists, lets not forget) they dismantled them on three separate occasions last year. Their performances in the CL have been luke-warm and last year they failed to convert their domestic form abroad. However, they look as lethal as ever once again, and they will itching to upset people's predictions for this group by qualifying for the next round. With both Real Madrid and City demonstrating defensive weaknesses expect Kuba-Reus-Lewandowski to take advantage with a trademark quick combination to take advantage. 

Predictions: Real Madrid for certain. Second place? Head says: City. Heart says: Borussia Dortmund. 

Week Two Wrap-Up // "This is sooo going in my blog!" - B. Stinson

I suspect that a lot of chronic football gamblers have lost a lot of money over the opening two weeks. There are bars spanning the globe teeming with weeping, teeth-gnashing men screaming: "Swansea?! Getafe?! West Brom?!? Who?!" The second week of the EPL & La Liga played testament to why football is the lovable - and infuriating - sport that it is. In addition to the games I will cover in-depth below, Swansea recorded another win (with West Ham; scoring three in the process), Tottenham made AVBs premiership misery continue with a home draw to West Brom and Everton continuing in fine form with a 3-1 win away to Aston Villa.

CHELSEA (2) v. NEWCASTLE (0)

The take away from this game? First, Chelsea are serious about challenging for the title. They clearly purchased with the intent of challenging for all four trophies and they look the business. 

Second, the picture (right) says it all: Hazard and Torres. Hazard has been the revelation of the season with an astonishing record of 4 assists, 2 penalties won and 1 goal. And that's what makes it into the stats' columns. The vision on this kid is amazing; he is constantly aware of what is going on ahead and behind him and he has the awareness and skillset to take advantage of it. Rewatch the Torres goal to see the combination-flick he does to play Torres on for a shot. Amazing. 

Torres winning the golden boot at the EUROS was exactly what the doctor ordered. His confidence is back and he is scoring goals, beautiful goals. His relationship with Hazard is still blossoming, but it looks to be one of the playmaker-striker combinations to look out for. 

Chelsea are notorious fast starters and Christmas faders, so fans of the blues will have to keep their fingers crossed that this isn't the case. With the bevy of talent they have in midfield, I don't think this shall be a problem (although their 3-2 loss to City show that there are chinks in the blue armor defensively). 

ARSENAL (0) v. STOKE CITY (0)

Look right and challenge yourself to not utilize an aged cliche about "pictures" and "thousand words". Yes, I failed too. Foremost, as a viewer, you are quite forgiven if you fell asleep for a portion of this game. 

Arsenal seemed to be brimming with un-utilized potential during their opener with Sunderland, particularly in the form of Cazorla, with some positive flickers from new boy Giroud. However, for the majority of this game, these flickers were quite faint. The surprise - and unfortunate - disappointment for me is Lukas Podolski, a personal favorite player of mine. Podolski appears to be still adhering to a different style of play, speed, mentality, etc. as he often miscommunicated with team-mates, collided with team-mates, or ran in a different direction than where the through ball was played. Anyone who has seen Podolski perform for Cologne or Germany knows what he is capable of; for the sake of Arsenal supporters, Podolski will figure out he's not playing in a German system and step into the void of Robin Van Persie (I went almost two hundred words without mentioning RVP! Record for a blogger writing about Arsenal?)

Stoke - while playing their dry brand of defensive football - once again demonstrated some of the "challenges" of the Premiership following last years performance, where they stunned many top sides.

LIVERPOOL (2) v. MANCHESTER CITY (2) 

After the attacking masterclass performance that City have demonstrated over the last two seasons (Note: I threw up a little in my mouth typing that), combined with the fact that Liverpool played worse than a Canadian High School team in their opener ... very, very few expected this to be anything but three points for the baby blues. 

However, Liverpool outplayed - let me say that again for emphasis "Liverpool outplayed" - City for much of the game and if it wasn't for Skrtl making one of the biggest gaffs he'll ever make, Liverpool would have recorded a massive win. 

Two take aways from this game? First and foremost, Liverpool is not the sinking piece of debris that everyone seems to suggest they are (well not entirely). While their manuevers in the transfer market are often dubious, expensive errors, Joe Allen deservedly received the Man of the Match accolade for his performance. Additionally positive is new kid Sterling not being blinded by the lime-light and putting in an immense performance against last year's champions. 

The second take-away? City have conceded two goals in their last three games. They are quite beatable. The trick is to withstand their 3-5-1-2 all-out-attack. On a side-note, I really cannot comprehend why Dzeko is sitting on the bench while Ballotelli plays...? Dzeko is much more mature, better at positioning and a better all around player. Alas, I don't really care .... 

GETAFE (2) vs. REAL MADRID (1)

It was an unexpected day for the top two teams in La Liga with Barca and Madrid both being involved in 2-1 scorelines with minnows. However, the difference lies in which side of the scoreline. While Messi bailed out Barcalona, Real Madrid was not able to secure any points against Getafe. Additionally, even from a position on the bench Coentrao got a straight-red for running his beak, which will leave Real Madrid without their more defense-minded CB for a couple games of suspension. 

For Real Madrid watchers, the opening game against Valencia left the suspicion that not all cylinders were firing within the team, particularly in Ronaldo, Ozil and Khedira. While the trio performed well enough versus Barca in the Spanish Super Copa, they put in another sub-par performance versus Getafe. Higuain - while scoring the one Madrid goal - was not able to sort out his feet on a lot of other close efforts. Much like Manchester United, Real Madrid looked sluggish during huge portions of their first few games ... and I strongly believe the pre-season tour in a European Cup year is to blame. 

The true talking point of the match: Mourinho's tactical gamble, by removing a defender and a defensive midfielder to put on a full array of attackers. This was at 1-1 and it left the shaky-looking Real Madrid defense even shakier. The question is: will "The Special One" (or is it "The Only One") take the lessons of the Getafe game - and his tactical blunder - to utilize a home victory in the return leg of the Super Copa? How will he be able to get the most out of clearly exhausted players who cannot be rested? Stay tuned. 

Check later in the week for my review of the Super Copa  & a column about Borussia Dortmund's start to the Bundasliga season. 

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