Catalonia Log: The Fabregas Effect

Enough has already been written on the el classico that took place last week. We all talked about Messi's brilliance again, along with Ronaldo's flop show and Jose's failed bid to open up a massive lead at the top of the La Liga. Barcelona were supposedly looking weaker this season, and it was said Madrid were ready to finally overthrow their reign. So after the the game, Barca fans did take their chances to boast their superiority again, but puzzlingly, there have been too few discussions about the radical change in Barca's tactics this season.

People talked about Barcelona not looking as great as they have been last three seasons at the start of the campaign. But, the changes that Pep Guardiola has implemented are finally showing their fruit. People have just talked in awe about the 3-defenders system Pep utilised, but there's a lot of tactical thinking behind it.Yes, Lionel Messi continues to dazzle the world with his trickery and inhuman goal-scoring rate. But, one of the biggest factors for the La Blagurana has been the return of their prodigal son.

The Front-Three :
Even with Messi playing in the "False 9" role since Ibrahimovic's departure, Barcelona's front three have been a bit rigid. Messi would drop deep for the possession at times, but Pedro and David Villa always played from the flanks, trying to cut inside. But, with now Cesc Fabregas, naturally an attacking mid-fielder, introduced in that trio, there's suddenly a lot more flexibility. Well, or even more than that was pre-existing!

Messi roams anywhere with the ball, allowing Fabregas to make the forays forward

As you can see, with Fabregas willing to play between the lines, rather than either a conventional forward or midfielder, Messi can now roam literally anywhere on the field again. People had talked a lot about Dani Alves just not being able to defend. So, Pep decided to do the clever thing. He just relieved him of his defensive duties, offering him a much more advanced role. This allows Messi and Fabregas to keep changing their positions all the time, causing all kinds of havoc. And this has clearly been seen in both players' stats. While people have long stopped feeling any more surprised about Messi's monstrous goal-scoring record, the former Gunners captain's haul of 10 goals already, does show his immense importance to that system.

Even though Barcelona brought Cesc home more for his creative skills, you wonder Guardiola had this role planned for him all along. Of course, that doesn't mean he's stopped creating chances the way he did at Arsenal. Often he drops deep into the centre of the park, picking out his trademark through-balls, allowing Dani Alves to almost operate as an advanced winger.

Barcelona Set-up with Fabregas in deep-lying role

One of the biggest tactical master-stroke from Guardiola though, was turning Mascherano into a ball-playing defender in the absence of Pique. It was the biggest change, that allowed Barcelona to ease into this system. It took them a bit of time to get accustomed to it, the draw Bilbao and defeat to Getafe stand as proof. But it's commendable how quickly Pep's team have passed through this transition. The difference seems so much starker, when compared to the current re-building attempts at Manchester United and Chelsea.

"At the height of success, 'break' your business", said the former Motorola CEO, Ed Zander. Find any similarities? Barcelona have been on top of the footballing world now for 3 years. And yet, Pep has innovated relentlessly, always bringing out something new and even more beautiful. We often talk about the astute tactical game-plans by Fergusons and Mourinhos, indirectly assuming Barca's magical play is just because of their superstars. Yet, some of the most fantastic innovations in recent times have come from the former Barcelona Number 4. Playing Messi in the "False 9" role after the departures of Eto'o and Ibrahimovic, using David Villa on the left-flank to cut inside, and now this nearly un-'man-markable' system.

Let Real Madrid fans say they don't care about about losing to Barcelona as long as they win the league.They still lead the table despite that that classico defeat. But deep inside, they will know that, for them to succeed, the mighty Catalans must be beaten. Jose Mourinho will be desperate for that. He has beaten them with Chelsea and Inter already. But, Barcelona still stand pretty on top of the tree. He knows himself, that to end the catalan reign, he must build one of the greatest club-teams, one that can go close to the might of the legendary Real Madrid of 50s and 60s. His track record and determination suggests he might achieve that one day. But for all the current attempts from the club from the Capital, the team from Catalonia still hold the advantage.

10 Best Summer Transfers: 2011

With nearly a one-third of the season gone, one would think it's about time to see how the new summer recruits are faring at their new clubs. There have been many of them, as usual, some expensive flops, some bargain deals, and they have probably had time to settle down. Here's a look back.

10. Javier Pastore (Palermo to PSG, 43m Euros)
Even Chelsea and Manchester City balked at the price tag. But, PSG's new Qatari owners chose him as the poster-boy for their revolution. And Pastore hasn't disappointed. PSG currently sit 2nd in the French League, ahead of the likes of Lyon and Marseille, and Pastore has contributed with 6 goals and 4 assists in all competitions already.  Still only 22, the lanky Argentine can certainly develop into one of the best attacking midfielders.


9. Michel Vorm ( FC Utrecht to Swansea City, 1.5m Pounds)

Michel Vorm has been outstanding in goal for Swansea this season...
                                                           Picture Courtsey: Vincent Teeuwen

Who would've predicted that a Dutch goalkeeper joining Swansea would feature in such lists, when there were deals for the likes of Aguero, Mata, Nasri and Fabregas? But, Michel Vorm has been nothing short of sensational for the Swans this season. He has the highest number of clean sheets so far in a league, where Reina, Hart and Cech also ply their trade. Swansea are the joint lowest scorers in the league, and arguably, Vorm is the only reason they're still comfortably out of relegation places. What more you can get for 1.5 million Pounds?

8. Manuel Neuer (Schalke 04 to Bayern Munich, 22m Euros)

One of the best goalkeepers in the world, possibly the best, he still faced hostilities from a few Bayern fans for being a former Schalke player. But his performances have done more than enough to erase all that. Right at the start of his Bayern career, Neuer broke the Bayern Munich record for most competitive clean sheets in a row, having gone 1000 minutes without conceding a goal. That's pretty impressive, even for someone Bayern have chosen to succeed the legendary Oliver Kahn.


7. Arturo Vidal ( Bayer Leverkusen to Juventus, 12.5m Euros)

Not the most attractive among Juve's summer signings, but possibly the most solid one. Vidal joined the Bianconeris after an impressive season with Bayer Leverkusen in which they finished 2nd in the league, and an excellent Copa America. He has been fairly impressive so far for Juve, forging a good partnership with Pirlo and Marchisio. Essentially a defensive midfielder, the Chilean is also capable of playing in a box-to-box role, and he already looks an integral part of Antonio Conte's new look Old Lady.


6. Sergio Aguero (Atletico Madrid to Manchester City, 35m Pounds)

To be honest, I haven't been that impressed with him, although the sheer number of goals he has scored forces his inclusion here. 12 goals this season already, 10 of them in the league, but let's not forget 5 of them have come in 2 home games against Swansea and Wigan. We would have earlier expected even more from a 35-million-pounds signing. But all of us seemed to have lowered the expectations a bit, after the January deals for Torres and Carroll. While David Silva has had a lion's share in City's magnificent start to this campaign, aged only 23, Aguero has loads of time to turn into one of the most lethal forwards of the game.


5. Santi Cazorla ( Villareal to Malaga, 21m Euros)

One of the biggest coup Malaga's new owners managed. Technically sound, Cazorla is a versatile winger who can play on both flanks. With 4 goals and 2 assists, he's currently Malaga's best goal-scorer and assist-provider this season. It's pretty clear that this guy will havbe to carry Malaga's lofty ambitions on his shoulders this season, if they are to upstage Villareal and surprise-package Levante for Champions League qualification.


4. Juan Mata ( Valencia to Chelsea, 22m Pounds)

In a Chelsea team that has looked stale and clue-less at times, Mata has been the lone shining light. In fact, with most other big names under-performing, you'd have to wonder where would Chelsea be, if they hadn't secured the creative talent of Mata. The diminutive Spaniard already has 4 goals and 6 assists so far, and his instant settling-down in EPL suggests he's well on his way to turning into one of the best play-makers of the current generation.


3. Cesc Fabregas (Arsenal to Barcelona, 34m Euros)

Cesc Fabgrgas: No more a Gunner....
                                                                     Picture Courtsey: Wonker

It was one of the longest drawn transfer sagas in recent times, and it finally ended this summer. Fabregas finally got the move back to his parent club Barcelona, and if there were doubts about him not having a place in the already star-studded line-up, he has quickly removed all of them. Already having accumulated 7 goals and 6 assists this season, Cesc has quickly established himself in Barcelona's already mighty line-up. With the La Blagurana not exactly performing to their dazzling best currently, the return of theier Prodigal Son might just prove to be a vital move.


2. Phil Jones (Blackburn to Manchester United, 16.5m Pounds)

He's just 19, he's already a regular into the Manchester United starting-11, and is already being touted as the future England captain. That should tell you something about him. A brilliant defender, Jones is well capable of bullying people of the ball, and can driver forward with equal ease from the back. In fact, I'm surprised he's yet to score a goal (at the right end, that is!) for Red Devils, seeing his boundless energy on the field. If someone threatens Rio Ferdiand's place in defense at the age of 19, you just know he's destined for big things.

1. Scott Parker (West Ham United to Tottenham, 6m Pounds)

Scoring goals hasn't been an issue for Spurs under Harry Redknapp, with the abundance of attacking talent at their disposal. The problem was always the cheap goals leaked at vital times. Enter Scott Parker, and Spurs are suddenly looking a transformed unit. It's surely not a co-incidence that Spurs haven't lost a league game since his arrival, winning 7 out of the 8 games he has played. Having been named PFA Player of the Year last season, Parker has continued his majestic form in the holding-midfielder's role. Not just a great tackler, he easily controls the tempo of the game, leaving the likes of Van der Vaart and Bale to bomb forward fearlessly. And then, how many have managed to overpower Spain's magical midfield, even in a friendly?

AVB: The Fledgling Genius?

The last time Chelsea lost back-to-back home games was in 2002. Roman Abramovich hadn't yet appeared on the horizon, and many Chelsea fans would've been content to see their team 5th in the league table. But defeats against Arsenal and Liverpool now, and suddenly there appears to be a full-blown crisis at Stamford Bridge. The Blues currently lie fifth in the league table, and even the very thought of finishing outside the Champions League places is a nightmare for the Chelsea faithful.

It all appeared to be so promising at the start. A dashing new manager, who cost a world-record transfer fee. Andre Villas-Boas promised to bring the revolution that Chelsea fans have been waiting so long, ever since the Blues' infamous collapse at the Bridge versus Sunderland. So, what has suddenly gone wrong? While it's outright rubbish on some fans' part to demand AVB's sacking, what is it exactly that's ailing Chelsea right now?

The Lampard-Drogba-Malouda Conundrum:

Chelsea's Golden Generation seems to be on the way down...
Picture Courtsey: Audrey Pilato

Frank Lampard went on a scoring spree recently, and suddenly it was all about shutting the critics up. Yes, he has been sparkling at times, but why we keep forgetting that He's 33 now. Isn't it simply too much to expect him to play every single game, and still be on top of it? Just have a look at Manchester United. Ryan Giggs does have legendary status there, like Lampard has at Chelsea. But does Ferguson give him starts day-in-day-out simply because he was brilliant in one game? It's imperative for Chelsea to realise Lampard and Drogba will have to be used sparingly, even when in form. Taking the risk of stating the obvious, Drogba is a pale shadow of the monster, that could bully the World's best defenders into submission.
But for me, the biggest disappointment is Florent Malouda. The Frenchman was Chelsea's most inspirational player couple of seasons ago, when Chelsea stormed to the Double (And I say it, despite the bucket-load of goals Drogba and Lampard scored that season! ) But this season, he's simply looked...terrible. Too selfish on the ball at times, no more the clever reader of the game, add that dreadful back-pass against Arsenal, Florent Malouda should simply play no part in AVB's attempted revolution.

The Makelele Void:

Very few may have noticed it, but Chelsea have hardly been the impregnable defensive unit they once were, ever since Claude Makelele left the club. The French destroyer was not just the ever-present shield in front of Chelsea's back-line, but he also quickly released the ball to his attackers, never allowing the opposition to close down the spaces and pressurize. Essien did a commendable job at that position, but his fitness is always an issue.John Obi Mikel does try his best in that role, but so far, he hasn't simply been good enough.
If AVB wants Chelsea to play a fast-passing game, Mikel is always going to be a liability. He's a good passer of the ball, agreed.But, he's too slow to make the passes, to get the ball out of the defense and to the pacey frontmen. It was precisely this reason that Liverpool got their first goal this Sunday. Would Oriol Romeu, a player brought up in Barcelona's tiki-taka style take that much time on the ball? Never. And if he's considered too young to handle the pressure, there's always Raul Meireles who is an excellent passer of the ball.
Of course, it's not just Mikel's fault. He was more of an advanced midfielder before coming to Chelsea, having been touted as one of the most exciting young prospects in 2005 FIFA World Youth Championships.  Even now, he does produce some great long balls out of nowhere, but that's a rarity because of his deep-lying role. When he arrived at Chelsea, Claude Makelele was on the wane, and Mikel was a strong,physical guy. So, Jose Mourinho added one and one as two, and started grooming Mikel as Makelele's successor. As it's clear, it hasn't worked out. Carlo Ancelotti talked about using Mikel as a deep-lying play-maker. But, it never materialized. Sadly now, he simply doesn't fit into AVB's system any more. Chelsea need a player who can move the ball quickly from deep, otherwise the opposition can close down the spaces, put the pressure and force mistakes. We all saw a live example last Sunday.

The High-defensive Line:

The problems Chelsea's high defensive line faces: Long balls across the defense

Okay, loads of stuff has been said about this already. I won't bore you with more. It's just that, the fault doesn't lie just with the system, but also with the personnel. Chelsea could've pulled it off, if John Terry was 26 instead of 31, and he had a reliable defensive partner like Ricardo Carvalho. This Chelsea team lacks on both counts. Luiz is many things as a footballer, but reliable is not one of them. In fact, it's the spontaneity in his game, that makes him special. Ivanovic has been Chelsea's most reliable defender so far, either at Right-back or at Centre-back. The problem is, he can only play in one position at a time. John Terry is still a terrific defender, but he doesn't have the same pace to match the pacey runs off his shoulder anymore. And that's the exact reason Chelsea's high defensive-line is on a break-point, every time there's a long ball across the defence.

Same Old-Same Old Story:

There were talks about revitalising the current Chelsea squad with dazzling new talents. We all got excited as Sturridge started banging in goals, and some of the hottest young prospects were arriving at Chelsea. Three months into the season, and what's the reality? England's supposed new superstar, Josh McEachran is yet to start a league game, so are Oriol Romeu and Romelu Lukaku. Sturridge may have established himself in the team, but too much tinkering with forwards isn't helping much. Villas Boas needs to make his picks now. For all the great things he has done for Chelsea, Didier Drogba can no more carry them on his shoulders week-in week-out. Sturridge and Lukaku are the future of the team.And for all the ridicule he has received, Fernando Torres is the present of Chelsea Football Club. Chelsea need to build around him, there's no point playing him with Malouda and Anelka, and expect him to score tons of goals without any service. AVB knows it very well. But he simply has no one apart from Mata, who can play the creative role. Signing Jovetic or De Bruyne in January may not be a bad idea at all.

It has to remembered that there's massive re-building work to be done at Chelsea. There was only one great Chelsea team built in the Abramovich era, by Jose Mourinho. It was just patched up at times by different managers, but the core remained the same. Even Hiddink, if ever to be called again, would do some more patching-up to coax a bit more out of the team. But make no mistakes, unless Chelsea can somehow lure the master re-builder Sir Alex Ferguson, Andre Villas Boas is their best hope for a revolution!

Those Mundane Weekends...

What was the last time we watched a Premier League game, then? Scratch your heads, go deep in your memory, refer the history books, and we might just get a clue. There have been countless moments in-between, when I sat on a sofa, just gazing at the ceiling haplessly on a Saturday evening of all times in a week. It's been happening quite frequently these days though, thanks to these so-called international commitments. Why do they happen in first place, I wonder? Only so that the reigning World Champions can get a break form the fiercely contested domestic tournaments, and have a nice walk in the park?  That's what they did last Saturday anyways vs England! The English may bang their drums as much they want about a "Triumph over the World Champions", but really, How much did the game matter to Spain? Taking off Xavi, David Silva and Iker Casillas at half-time when the game is at 0-0, that tells you something about it.

Picture Courtsey (David Dixon) / CC BY-SA 2.0

Okay, Chelsea fans must have felt nice to see Lampard leading his team to victory over the World Champions, and the Manchester United guys will have taken their chances to boast about Jones' versatility too, not to mention Suarez's 4-goal heroics. But honestly, wouldn't we all have preferred to rather watch Tottenham versus Aston Villa a week earlier? Would have made a better sight than watching Gareth Barry captain England at the final whistle, anyways.

But like all good things in life, after a long period of never-ending suffering, the European club action resumes tonight, and there are some seriously big fights to witness. But the biggest battle is likely to be between Liverpool's ability to hit the goal-posts rather than the net, and Chelsea's allergy at keeping a clean-sheet. Of course, a Chelsea own-goal is an option that can help both teams preserve their principles this season. Branislav Ivanovic nearly did that out of humanity for Blackburn, but that of course, was ages ago, if  you are able to recall. I know I'm wandering into nowhere now, but you'll surely excuse that from someone deprived of proper football for 2 whole weeks!

While we're at it, Luis Suarez was formally charged by FA for racism against Patrice Evra. What surprised me is no one has even suggested so far about banning him from the national team, or locking him up in jail, or condemning him at least. No comments on his being guilty or not guilty, but I do recall the outcry when similar accusations were hurled at... well, you-know-who. Half the media had already branded his reputation as "tarnished forever and irreparable". So much for the thought of "Innocent till Proven Guilty"!

Anyways, let these things not dampen our spirits. It's been a long time, and these are the moments, when we feel delighted even at the pretty sight of Gervinho, simply because he's in an Arsenal shirt. So get ready for action again, but all the while, don't underestimate these mundane weekends either. They are the ones which show us, why even a Bolton vs Stoke football match is counted as  the "Beautiful Game".

Victors among the Equals...

For decades, they sulked in the shadows, as their cross-town rivals reveled in all the glory the footballing fraternity could offer. Manchester City watched with envy, as Manchester United built one of the biggest brands in the world. Infamously dubbed the "Noisy Neighbours" by the all-conquering Red Devils, City fans lived through the agony of always being the "Other club in Manchester". When Manchester United were on the top of the world, winning the Champions League in 1998-99, City were fighting to earn promotion to the Second division of the domestic league.

 More than 3 decades, the fans waited, and then came a promise of revolution. Acquired, first by a Thai billionaire, and then by multi-billionaire Sheikh, City could finally dream of things that United considered their own birth-rights. And yet, they were still considered second-best, their victories an aberration rather than regularities.And then, a fine afternoon at Old Trafford, the home of their fiercest adversaries, changed it all. Sunday, October 23, 2011, was the day Manchester City have ever dreamed of. It wasn't just about beating Manchester United, that feat had been achieved plenty of times already. It wasn't about attempting to steal the crown, they threatened last year as well. It was all about stature. Earlier, City's victories over Manchester United were thought of as David beating the Goliath. On Sunday, Manchester City were the victors in a battle of equals. No one dares considering them inferior now. No one writes off their meteoric rise, even if it was built on the never-emptying of their Abu Dhabi owners. Manchester City are no more just a force to reckon with. They are THE team to beat.

Manchester City have arrived on the Centre-stage, and it'll take a lot to give them a beating!

The 6-1 Story :
Of course, Manchester United contributed massively to their own downfall. Watching the game, it was shocking to see how badly United folded up in last 5 minutes. Yes, they were down to 10-men, yes, City were running rampant. But the fact was that, United simply seemed to give up. It was so uncharacteristic of a team, who's success was built on the foundations of grit and the devilish approach, rather than beauty. Ferguson later lamented that his team went all out in pursuit of a favourable result at 1-3, rather than going into damage-control mode. I strongly disagreed. They hardly threatened for a moment, since Darren Fletcher curled the ball in to give them a glimmer of hope. There were simply no excuses. Not a single United player seemed bothered, when Dzeko scored City's fourth from a corner. So often we have seen United getting galvanised after a sending-off, attacking with even greater menace. But no one came charging in, as first Silva and then Dzeko ran on goal, and coolly shot past the hapless David de Gea.

The Score-line said it all....

So where does this leave us? The footballing world may have felt the mighty tremors of the result on Sunday, but that doesn't mean Manchester United's stature has diminished even by a bit. Yes, they will have to cope up with the taunts by the rivals, having supplied many of their own after that 8-2 mauling of Arsenal in August. But one horrific defeat hardly makes the 19-time Champions a bad team overnight. Does that defeat mean Nani or Welbeck are bad prospects for future? Or that Wayne Rooney is suddenly a mediocre player, rather than a genius as he is considered to be? Empires just don't crumble overnight. For the outside world, Manchester United still have the charisma, still have the recognition as the biggest club in England. And then, Chelsea are always there, lurking in the shadows this time round, but always ready to pounce.

We may have witnessed a massive paradigm shift in English and European football on Sunday, but count the established ones out at your own peril. Having said that, City have again showed that spending money on logical footballing brains can indeed get you to success. For all those still scoffing, there should be no naive belief that Manchester United and Barcelona's success were built without an ounce of financial strength. Love them or hate them, the other team from Manchester are no more the Noisy push-overs, they are now the ones with the loudest roar!

Nine Proud Men...

       First of all, apologies for being away so long. I'm fully aware College exams and Journal submissions hardly count as excuses, when compared to the monumental importance football holds in our life. I know no one's life was affected, just because I didn't write a new post for a month, but I hope (or rather I dream),someone, somewhere missed my blogs. Enough of these sweet dreams though, let's get straight into serious business.


           It was a sense of deja vu for the Chelsea fans. A trend that was set on a chilly night at Anfield in May 2005, and followed on many such as that fateful one at Stamford Bridge in May'09. The fact that it was rather a fine sunny afternoon didn't seem to matter. Nor the fact that they were up against a rather measly-looking QPR, rather than the Barcelonas and Manchester Uniteds. But for all the disappointment, the vigour with which Chelsea carried the fight will not have been lost on the Blues faithful. 3 priceless points may have been lost, but there were far too many positives to gain from it.

AVB's Tactical Genius :
When your team plays with 9-men for more than a half, and still commands nearly 60 percent of the possession even against QPR, you just know they are destined for big things. As you must have already read, the 9-men system that AVB set-up was thoroughly impressive,and it nearly paid off too.

Lampard almost played a forward-role as the game wore on, even as the full-backs burst forward at every possible opportunity.

 Chelsea nearly sacrificed their entire midfield, as they chased that unlikely equaliser in the second half. Only Raul Meireles stayed in his mid-fielder's role, trying to thread the passes, as Lampard drove constantly in the penalty area, to support the lone forward Anelka. Whether there was an injury to Mata or not, Villas Boas' decision to bring on a conventional forward in Anelka for a play-maker, that too in first-half- stoppage-time was brilliant. It so reminded me of Mourinho's daring changes in an FA Cup tie vs Spurs 4 years ago., when he found his team trailing 1-3. The decision to sacrifice Sturridge for Ivanovic, although it may sound defensive, also was a much beneficial one. He, along with Ashley Cole on the other flank, worked tremendously to cover their entire sides of the pitch.

Mikel sat deep, allowing Terry and Luiz to  take turns to bomb forward.

It's also worth noting that the Chelsea defense didn't capitulate under the pressure, as most teams do even with 10-men. You require a great amount of co-ordination to play that high defensive-line with 2 players down, and they pulled it off nicely. Cech just had one good save to make in the entire second half, as his defense ran marathons to stop the onslaught. Every time John Terry made a lunge-busting run forward with Cole or Ivanovic in advanced wide positions, Luiz smartly tracked back to accompany Mikel, who sat ultra-deep to provide the shield to the defensive-four. After an exemplary deep-lying midfielder's performance by Oriol Romeu in mid-week, it was a solid performance by the Nigerian to stake his claim for a regular starting berth.

Of course, a more accomplished opponent that Queens Park Rangers could have exploited Chelsea much more. If Manchester City showed how strongly you can punish your opponent's weaknesses, QPR  miserably failed to replicate that. But then, from a team, who consider a win earned by a diving-penalty and failing to dominate a 9-player team as their best performance for 30-40 years, you can't expect too much more than mediocrity. Watching Shaun Wright-Phillips' wayward-to-say-the-least shooting, you have to admit the referee got the Bosingwa incident horribly wrong. It's simply not a goal-scoring opportunity, if Wright-Philips is through on goal.

Jokes apart, AVB did not mince his words after the game. "I was aggressive to him (the ref), but I think I have to be.Is he okay with it? I don't care",said the Portugese."It was not a bad day for us. It was a good day for us, but a bad day for the referee". He knows the importance of what was lost. But still, he refused to criticise his own players, instead applauding their determination to fight, and very rightly so. There are big games coming, and he'll charge up his troops to battle, even if it means taking on the rest of the world. There's another shade of Mourinho in there. But, Villas Boas is different, Jose would attack the opposition, taunting the "small clubs". Villas Boas made himself clear and moved on, ignoring the arrogant (AND reckless!) comments from Warnock and of course, the footballing saint, Joey Barton. There are bigger things to achieve.

The English League has never been tougher in recent times. City are running rampant at the top. United may have had the thrashing of a lifetime, but there should be no doubt they'll bounce right back. Devilishness is a virtue integrated in the Red-side of Manchester. And yet, the atmosphere is buzzing around the Stamford Bridge like never before. The chance to gain valuable ground on the Mancunian rivals may have been lost, but to use the cliche again, The Blue Flag has certainly kept flying high.
Adios!

The Theater of Nightmares...

       
         So, you all had a great weekend then? The weather was lovely, wasn't it? Many of us might've had a nice picnic. Or did you catch any new movie over the weekend? There were quite a few on TV this week, too. Watching "Just Dance" can be a great experience too, to relax. What else? Anything nice on TV? No, I have talked about that already. The weather? Nope, I've been through that as well.
   

          Okay, can't beat around the bushes any longer now. All of us saw what happened at Old Trafford this Sunday. It wasn't Chelsea's first defeat of the season that got the headlines, nor United's rolling juggernaut despite a less than commanding performance. The only thing the world media is talking about now, is THAT moment from Fernando Torres. As the commentator rightly said, you wouldn't wish that on anyone.Seriously. Not even on Emmanuel Adebayor. You can defend, saying all great players have crazy misses sometimes, but for someone who was finally finding some confidence after a marathon break, you just pray the miss doesn't prove to be catastrophic.

One didn't really want to look at Torres's face after that miss ! "Shattered" is the only word there...

                   Talking generally about the game, it was far more open than expected. With a bit better finishing from both sides, it could easily have been 6-5, or better,6-7! But, the Torres miss overshadowed rest of the game so much, that no one even talked about both of first two United goals being offside. Yes, United were the better team in the end, but can you imagine the same silence on refereeing standards, had Fergie's team been on the receiving end ? AVB knew that his team were just as much to blame though, as it was really a lesson from the Red Devils in finishing games off. Chelsea were creating dozens of chances in first half, and still United incredibly led 3-0 at half-time, with 3 shots on target. That's called ruthlessness. They aren't the 19-time Champions for nothing.

        But, what for me was one of the biggest decisions of the match, which can have a massive impact on Chelsea's season went almost unnoticed. Lampard, the legendary 20-goals-a-season-from-midfield Frank Lampard was substituted at half-time by Villas Boas for Anelka, a decision that paid dividends in just about 30 seconds! Had it been any of the former Chelsea managers still in the Blue's dugout, Torres or Sturridge would come off to make way for Anelka. AVB made his statement right there. No one is safe at Chelsea anymore without performing. And unlike most of his predecessors, he really means that. That's why Roman Abramovich took the massive gamble on this relatively inexperienced guy from Portugal. There are radical changes happening around at Stamford Bridge.In Game-play. In discipline. And most importantly, in the personnel. Earlier, no one would even dream if Resting (!) Terry and Lampard in the opening game of the Champions League. No one would start Daniel Sturridge against Manchester United in favour of Anelka or Malouda. Villas Boas is bold and fearless, there are distinct similarities with Mourinho there. The delicious  unpredictability in substitutions is back. The team that looked jaded and tired for much of last season, looks suddenly revitalised now.They are hungry, they are pacey, and they want to win. They might be 5 points off the pace already, but write Chelsea off at your own peril.

              Meanwhile, giving due credit to the devils, they were indeed magnificent. They may not have dominated the game, but when on a roll, Fergie's men are as merciless as a Genghis-khan or a Tamerlane.  Chelsea did threaten with a comeback. But even after Rooney doing his own version of the "Moscow-miss" and Berbatov showing his own prowess at missing chances-one-can't-miss, United ran out deserved, if not comfortable winners. 15 points, 21 goals, a goal difference of +17, all this from just 5 games, this United team are going to need some stopping from romping to another title.

Even with a Moscow-like miss, Rooney is far ahead of competition in this year's EPL!

                                       

         Just a word to all those Chelsea fans lashing out at Torres though, AVB is building something big here. And even if you find it hard to believe, Fernando Torres is the man much, much likely to lead his charge, rather than a Didier Drogba or a Nicolas Anelka, and at least for the time being, even Daniel Sturridge. The entire league is being sliced open like never before. Get ready for the ride with your seat-belts, for it's going to be far more bumpy and unpredictable than you can ever imagine!