Last weekend (25th & 26th February) saw some very significant results in the Barclays Premier League. Manchester United remained on course for a twentieth league crown with a victory over Norwich City at Carrow Road. It took an injury time goal from Ryan Giggs to deny Norwich a draw against the champions and had it not been for a great display from United goalkeeper David De Gea they may well have stolen all three points from this game. Paul Scholes second goal since his return gave United and early lead and at that stage it looked as though they might just have a comfortable afternoon but it proved to a far from simple task. Norwich piled on the pressure and played some very nice football as they continued their pursuit of a second season in England's elite league. Grant Holt's goal in the 83rd minute looked to have salvaged the draw and it has to be said it would not have been undeserved. After the equaliser United pushed forward and put the Canaries under extreme pressure. It looked like they wouldn't get the crucial winner but when Ashley Young's cross went in Ryan Giggs direction there was only ever one outcome. It was a day made for Giggs and on his 900th appearance in a United shirt he scored what could be one of his most important goals. If they hadn't got the winner and fell four points behind neighbours City then they would face an uphill task in retrieving the deficit. As it stands the champions are now just two points behind and it just takes one slip up from City to allow them take the reigns at the top. With a number of key players returning from injury it seems United may be about to peak at the right time. However, City are also regaining players with the return of the Toure brothers and possibly Carlos Tevez and that could see them return to the form they had at the beginning of the season. The title race looks certain to now come down to the Manchester derby at Eastlands on the second last day of the season which would certainly provide a thrilling end to a great season. The other factor which could come into play is which squad can cope with their struggle to balance both the Europa League on Thursday nights and the Premier League weekends. It is certainly going to be interesting to watch the season unfold before our eyes. When the year ends we could very well look back on Sunday as the turning point in the title race where the crucial last minute winner has a bigger part to play in the race than we may think now. In the bottom end of the table Norwich may look back at the point dropped as a turning point in their relegation survival quest.
Mid way through the first half at the Emirates on Sunday Arsene Wenger may well have been staring at an exit from the Arsenal hot seat. 2-0 down to bitter rivals Tottenham Hotspur and seeing their 4th place chances fading and fading. Then his fortunes turned. His players showed character and fight as they clawed their way back from the brink and by half time were level after Bacary Sagna and Robin Van Persie had pulled them back into the game. Then they came out after the break and carried on where they left off. Rosicky looked top class in the middle of the field. Their defence for once looked solid. They passed with flair, they looked a threat on every attack and for the first time in years they finished the chances when it really mattered against a big team on the big stage. Theo Walcott scored two second half goals and Rosicky capped a fine display with a goal. Walcott has always come under stick for not living up to the expectations but the team spirit was evident when Robin Van Persie stood up for his team mate in his post match interview. This show of spirit from the Gunners could be the start of something at the Emirates. If they can continue playing to their true standards then they may well finish in the top four and have Champions League football again next year. Firstly they need to redeem themselves against AC Milan and try to regain their pride. With Chelsea struggling and Liverpool inconsistent and Newcastle unproven at this level they have a great chance to make the top four. The key in the Summer for them is to firstly keep their top stars and then Wenger needs to break the bank and buy players that will help them to compete for the title again.
Andre Villas Boas' Chelsea eased the tension at Stamford Bridge ever so slightly with a 3-0 win over Bolton at the weekend. They finally got the rewards for their perserverance and got a much need win. AVB had been under increasing pressure and after defeat to Napoli in the Champions League it looked as though the end may be near. Roman Abromavich has made it clear the Champions League is his priority and if AVB can't turn around the result against Napoli then the situation could change. Unfortunately for Chelsea I don't think they have turned the corner and I think they will struggle for the remainder of the season. In my opinion I think it's crucial they stick with AVB though. He is a young manager and has some great philosophies on football. If they stick with him then they will have another year at least of transition before we see the real benefits of his policies. A summer of restructure is what they need but if they get rid of AVB then another manager comes in and changes everything again and that will just provide a short term solution. If they want long term success then Villas-Boas is certainly the man to stick with.
Next weekend sees Arsenal face Liverpool while United travelling to White Hart Lane to face Spurs and Man City haveing a comfortable home tie with Bolton. Chelsea have a tough game away to West Brom. Everton travel to QPR. Stoke City host Norwich, Wigan entertain Swansea while Blackburn host Aston Villa. It's derby day at Newcastle as they are at home to Sunderland and finally Fulham are at home to Wolves. An entertaining weekend is in store and we can expect plenty of changes in the league table by the end of the action. Next Monday ill be back here to review the weekend results and discuss the developments in the title race as United look to close the gap, Wigan and Blackburn look to relieve the pressure on themselves in the relegation battle while AVB looks to ease pressure on his job. Arsenal, Spurs, Newcastle, Chelsea and Liverpool fight for the remaining Champions League spot.
No comments:
Post a Comment