Are Arsenal burying their "softie" rep?

Blackburn 1 - Arsenal 2

Blackpool 2 - Fulham 2

Chelsea 2 - Stoke City 0

Manchester United 3 - West Ham 0

Tottenham 0 - Wigan 1

Wolverhampton 1 - Newcastle 1

It was another Saturday without a goalless draw or even a really dull match, and (yawn!) another couple of easy wins for Manchester United and Chelsea, neither of which have really faced any testing opposition so far. But for me, the biggest event of the day was Arsenal's 2-1 away win at Blackburn. As late as last season, this was the kind of tie the Gunners would have had a problem with - an away match against a team that was known to kick more than the ball. The fact that the man in charge of Rovers was Sam Allardyce, a manager who had tormented Arsenal when at Bolton Wanderers a few years ago, only made it tougher.

However, Wenger's team seemed far more controlled this time, passing the ball around comfortably and with Walcott once again in good form, pulled out the kind of win that Wenger's Invincibles were known for not too long ago. It was not sensational or brilliant, like Arsenal's 6-0 pounding of Blackpool last week, but it was simply efficient. And it is that that fills one with hope that Arsenal will be challenging Man U and Chelsea for the title this year around. Meanwhile, Newcastle continue cobbling up points, and this delights me, because I really feel that the Premiership would be poorer without the Toons.

Oh, that it should come to this

Manchester City 3 - Liverpool 0

It has been a tough time for Liverpool fans in the new millennium. We began as one of the contenders for the title, then saw Arsenal overtake us rather thoroughly, followed by Chelsea, Spurs and now it seems Man City are the latest in line to leapfrog the team that once straddled English Football like a colossus. Now, most of us are hard pressed to remember when the Reds last won the title. Mind you, I have not even mentioned Manchester United - the Manchester Reds seem totally out of reach after having seemed fallible in the early part of the decade when Liverpool seemed to be able to beat them at will.

Whatever the reason for the decline, one cannot deny that it definitely is accelerating. A Liverpool side losing three goals to nil to any team is nothing short of disaster. That they came up short against a side that has looked generally rickety against most top class opposition, notwithstanding all its star content, is a sad commentary on the state of affairs at Anfield. One could make excuses, like Masceranho's absence and Torres' lack of accuracy or point out that Gerrard did hit the bar, but the stark fact is that for most of the ninety minutes, City made Liverpool look out of their depth.

Some will say that this is the result of not spending enough in the transfer market, but heck, a team with the likes of Reyna, Carragher, Gerrard and Torres surely has enough talent to fall back on. And did not the relatively low-spending Fulham show what sheer determination could do when they held the mighty Man U (ugh! how I hate admitting that) to a 2-2 draw at Craven Cottage?

What we saw at City last night was not an absence of stars, but an absence of clarity in the team, which seems to be playing with no clear plan in mind. And that worries me. As it should worry every Liverpool fan. 

It's raining sixes and missed penalties

Newcastle 6 - Aston Villa 0

Wigan 0 - Chelsea 6

Arsenal 6 - Blackpool 0

Everton 1 - Wolverhampton 1

West Ham 1 - Bolton 3

West Brom 1 - Sunderland 0

Stoke City 1 - Tottenham Hotspur 2

Birmingham 2 - Blackburn 1

Manchester United 2 - Fulham 2 

An EPL weekend without a goalless draw? With in fact THIRTY EIGHT GOALS in nine matches? Yep, tonight was all that. We have heard about goals raining, but the folks at Newcastle, Chelsea and Arsenal were clearly hell-bent on showing us that scores of six did not happen just at tennis. Yes, Chelsea's demolition of Wigan seemed to be workmanlike and Arsenal's drubbing of Blackpool was silky smooth, but what really took the cake was Newcastle's demolition of Aston Villa.

Not a team known for pace, the Toon side took Villa apart with Joey Barton having the kind of game that made him a City legend not too long ago. Meanwhile, Theo Walcott made England boss Fabio Capello look a bit of a fool with his hat-trick against Blackpool, even as newcomer Chamakh finally scored a goal for the Gunners. Truth be told, I am not convinced he looks the part of deadly finisher - he misses more than he scores as of now. Chelsea, meanwhile are dealing in sixes. 12 goals in two matches marks a sensational start and while we may hem and haw about the quality of opposition (West Brom and Wigan are not exactly rich in the Force!), there can be no denying that the Blues look in very fine fettle indeed.

Among those not looking in fine fettle are not just Wigan (who have conceded ten in two matches), but most players who are stepping up to miss penalties. Villa missed one before Newcastle's goal deluge and Manchester United and Rovers' misses against Fulham and Birmingham perhaps cost them a few points. One would have thought that spot-kick techniques would have improved with all these tie-breakers around but clearly, EPL forwards are suffering from a state of butterboots.

The biggest result of the weekend, however, was Fulham's shock draw against Manchester United. No, I am not saying that because I am a Liverpool fan but just because it is nice to see a lower ranked team sock it to a big spender, and well, because I am a bit of a Mark Hughes fan. And heck, it is always good to see a man who has scored an own-goal redeem himself by scoring at the other end. Take a bow, Brede Hangeland.

United look as deadly as ever

Manchester United 3 - Newcastle 0

It was a bit like seeing a child rip the wings off a butterfly. But at the end of the day, you could not complain about the result. Manchester United's brutal efficiency had seen off the enthusiasm and verve of the newly promoted Magpies. There was spirit in Newcastle's display, but even at their best, the team in black and white seemed as if they were welterweights thrown into a heavyweight ring. It was always a question of when, rather than if, Manchester Yoo would score. And score they did - three times, with clinical efficiency, none more so than Dimitar Berbatov, who I consider to be the best striker in the EPL when in full flow (eat your hearts out, Messrs. Loo...er...Rooney, Torres and co.) Poor Alan Smith ran the length and breadth of the field to little avail - he was simply up against too much.

Newcastle's best hope would have been to hold United for about an hour and then look for frustration to set into their more illustrious rivals. Alas, it did not happen. United were not exactly at their best, but they still won. Heck, they won 3-0. Now, if that is not ominous, what the devil is?

I have just seen Liverpool...and am not optimistic

Liverpool 1- 1 Arsenal

Let's make one thing ABSOLUTELY clear at the very outset of this post - I am an unabashed Liverpool supporter. I first was attracted to the red shirts, then to Kenny Dalgleish, then to Ian Rush, then to Robbie Fowler...well, I could go on. I used to love the club because right until 2001, the club was identified with a free-flowing style of football, passing the ball around and retaining possession, before breaking and scoring with a sudden burst of speed (stop grinning, Mr Wenger!).

Alas that style was consigned to the dustbin by Mr Long Ball Houllier and Mr Play in the Zones Benitez, and with it, Liverpool's domestic fortunes have plummeted. Yes, we did win the UEFA Champions League in 2005 but let's be honest, fellas, it was one of those freak things that happen once in a lifetime. Yes, I am glad it happened in MY lifetime, but I am not holding my breath for the next time we overcome Italian opposition after trailing 3-0 at half-time in a major tournament final.

There was a loony optimist in my heart that was hoping that with a new manager would come a return to the football that made the club great in the league and not just in tournaments which have two-leg matches at every stage. Well, he has packed his bags and is preparing to head somewhere distant from the TV set for the rest of the EPL season. For, what we saw from Liverpool in their opening fixture of the EPL was the same staccato, disorganised football that has plagued the side. There was far too much reliance on Gerrard for creative inputs and while the team certainly worked hard, there was nothing to suggest that this was a side that would be challenging the likes of Spurs and Arsenal, let alone the royal troika of the Two Manchesters and the single Chelsea.

If anything, the only time the team really seemed to be in some kind of command was in the period after Joe Cole's rather unfair sending off. But even then, the likes of Samir Nasri were given far too much freedom to roam around relatively unbridled. Arsenal, ironically, often shot themselves in the foot with their penchant of trying to pass the ball right into the net, but honestly looked the better team for most of the match. No, this is not a team that is going to challenge for the league - it is instead going to be content with draws against the big sides and wins against the weaker ones.

And ah, that is so unlike the Liverpool I know. Fellas, you are testing my loyalty now.

And so it begins...and it's much better than the World Cup!

Chelsea 6 - 0 West Bromwich Albion

Tottenham Hotspur 0 - 0 Manchester City

Aston Villa 3 - 0 West Ham

Blackburn Rovers 1 - 0 Everton

Bolton Wanderers 0 - 0 Fulham

Wolverhampton Wanderers 2 - 1 Stoke City

Wigan 0 - 4 Blackpool

Sunderland 2 -2 Birmingham

All right, I did end up missing the first match of the EPL between Spurs and Man City, thanks to some really bad traffic thanks to the rains in Delhi, the bits I did manage to see very enough to leave me with a grin that would have made Cheshire cats jealous. I mean, 21 goals in eight matches, including a 0-0 draw between Spurs and Man City that was better than many matches riddled with goals - one cannot ask for more. While one did expect Chelsea to hand out a bit of thrashing (not as bad as six-nothing, though) to West Brom, it was newcomers' Blackpool's four-nil drubbing of Wigan that was the first result to make mine eyebrows rise (I have worked really hard on trying to make just one rise, like Sir Sean and Spock, but alas and alack!).

This was the first time Blackpool have been in the Premiership and considering that Wigan have been playing rather well in the past couple of seasons AND were at home, the result was a bit of a shocker to many. I mean, these guys got into the Premiership by the skin of their teeth (and a Brett Ormerod goal in a play off) so they might have been expected to play it safe and maybe go for a draw or even if they did nurse hopes of an away win, well, 1-0, 2-1, maybe even 2-0 might have been okay, but 4-0? Ahhh, no! Well, the Blackpool fellas clearly had other ideas. I have got my eyes on this lot. Meanwhile, Didier Drogba did not dive and act daft, preferring to slot home the first hattrick of the season. Chelsea were pretty good value for money for their 6-0 drubbing of West Brom, but I think greater challenges, await, most notably when they take on not Just Man U, but judging by yesterday's showing, Spurs, Villa, BlackBurn and Man City too.

My favourite moment, however, came in the second half of the match between Vill and West Ham. With Villa 3-0 up, the Villa players spend about two minutes just passing the ball around. It was not the Spanish type of tic-a-tac that we saw in South Africa, but quite fluent, crisp, one-touch passing that was frankly breathtaking. Yep, the Premier League is underway. And it looks as good as ever.

Liverpool, Arsenal and Man U in action later today. I can hardly wait.

Here we go, here we go...again

It is that time of the year again. The time when you assiduously make sure that your weekends are free, praise the Lord that your mum's rather soupy serials do not come on weekends, and watch television channel schedules with a distinctly beady eye. Yep, it is EPL time. The most popular football league in the world, as almost all its supporters love to call it, is getting underway today...in fact, in a few hours from now. 'tis the time to cherish those who return (bless ye, Stevie G for staying at Anfield. Will really consider naming my offspring after ye), wave a cheery farewell to those who have left (Rafa, Rafa, could ye not have gone sooner), and of course, roll out the red carpet for the newcomers (Joe Cole, ye really look a lot better in red, ye ken).
What is also new is that this time, I am determined to follow the league as carefully as possible. It is not as if my devotion to the beautiful game has surged. Nah, if anything, it got biffed terribly during that 'ere tournament that 'em folks consider to the World Cup and which was won by those fellers from Europe who lost their first match, scored just eight goals in seven matches and seemed most comfortable just passing the ball to each other within ten yards of goal - their own goal, incidentally.
Nah, the reason for my blogging on the league this time is purely technological - I have finally got a set-top box which means that, barring something REALLY loony happening, I will be able to watch most of the league on television without the cable operator suddenly blotting out the match and switching to cricket. Oh, I love cricket too (watch out, another blog might be coming on that), but I really reached the end of my tether when the cable guy (he does seem to be a guy, notwithstanding the ear studs and extremely ornate chain that seems right out a buffalo stall) interrupted a Man U vs Liverpool (hats off, please) match to show us the joys of a Bangladesh vs England match. Yes, this is India. Sachin is God. I am an atheist. And all that sort of thing. BUT you do not interrupt a Liverpool match.
Anyway, now that I am assured some sort of Premiership coverage throughout the season, I will be trying to blog frequently on it. The Lord preserve my readers. And Liverpool. Not necessarily in that order. Of course.
And now, ref, blow that whistle!