Fearful forecasts

FA Cup Final: Chelsea will win it.
Champion's League: Barca will win it.
EPL: Man Utd. will win it.

These are my fearful forecasts.

More to follow...

I just finished watching Arsenal v. Hull. Yes, the better team won, but the decisive Gallas goal was offsides. It makes me wonder, how much longer will we put up with this at the highest level? Some sort of quick goal review process needs to be instituted. It is simply ridiculous that such huge errors decide games. Some will say these things even themselves out, however, I doubt the Hull supporters (given a rare shot at Wembley) will feel this way.

Other thoughts from the match, I have not exactly been getting on the Bentner-hating bandwagon-- but I have to say, he was garbage today. His style is direct and brainless, he just doesn't fit in with the rest of the way the Arsenal team move the ball around the pitch. On the other side of the pitch, I still think Geovanni is a gem of a player. He has slumped lately, but he and Bentner should be switching teams.

And as for the last week and weekend. I don't know where this new Liverpool came from-- an incredible team, brimming with confidence has risen from the usual inconsistent, constantly changing Liverpool side. Yes, Manchester United were poor, however, Liverpool played the same way they played against Real Madrid. Their performances, show a side capable of defeating any team in the world. So we shall see if they can win the Champion's League again. If anything their stunning victory at Old Trafford, opens the door for Chelsea to re-enter the title race. Things are getting interesting...

FA CUP!

I must say that the FA Cup is shaping up quite nicely this year. What a terrific semi-final Manchester United v. Everton could be. Both teams have long histories, and particularly long histories in the competition. Both teams also have several players that have played for the opposing squad (Rooney, Phil Neville and Saha are the notables).

On the other side, if Arsenal can get past Hull, they will have a tantalizing semi-final against Chelsea. Nearly any way you slice the final pairings an exciting final is likely to ensue. I love the idea that any team can make the FA Cup final, but certainly a match-up between any of Arsenal, Chelsea, Everton or Manchester United could provide for a potentially epic final.

There was only on Premiership game on the docket this past weekend, with Sunderland and Tottenham tying 1-1. The midweek will be filled to the brim with Champion's League excitement. I can hardly wait.

Mid-Week Action

This week I tuned in to Portsmouth v. Chelsea and Newcastle v. Man United. I have to say that the former was a snoozer, and the latter was pulsating. After watching for a while, I figured that the Chelsea game would end in a tepid 0-0 draw. I suppose that would have been an appropriate result, but in the end Chelsea nipped it, just like the top teams do. Elsewhere on Tuesday, Arsenal and Liverpool cruised to expected wins.

Today, Manchester United got a shock as Van Der Saar coughed up a soft early goal. It did not take long for the Red Devils to get back in it, with Rooney scoring after a nifty turn at the top of the box. In the end another soft goal decided the game, as Berbatov poached a simple goal after the hard-charging Park picked off an errant Newcastle back pass. In other EPL action, Aston Villa continued to slump, losing 0-2 away to Manchester City. Hull and Stoke snatched vital wins, and Spurs smashed a poor Middlesbrough side. The relegation battle is getting more and more interesting. Currently, things look a lot more captivating at the bottom of the table than at the top.

Ribery to Replace Ronaldo, What?

I just had a good laugh when I saw the soccernet headline indicating that Manchester United were on the hunt to sign Franck Ribery. Then I almost choked on my coffee when I saw the secondary headline: "Man Utd lining up Ribery to replace Ronaldo?" At least there was a question mark on the end. Seriously though, Ribery is a good player. I'll give you that, and he had a fantastic game against Sporting, but lets not get carried away.

Carling Cup Final

Today was the Carling Cup final, and luckily for me, it was on ESPN360. Why they don't just play it on ESPN on television, I really don't know. The game was a decent match, considering it finished 0-0. Ronaldo came close to grabbing a stunning winner when he smashed a left footed rocket of the post with what was pretty much the last kick of regulation. Lennon also had an invaluable chance to score midway through the second half, but hit the ball much to close to Ben Foster, who sprawled to make a strong save. Once extra time began, the match looked destined for penalties, and that is where it went. Foster proved the hero, saving Jamie O'Hara's first kick, and killing any confidence Spurs might have had. First trophy, now can they win four?

In league matches over the weekend, Liverpool suffered a serious Champion's League hangover, losing to Middlesbrough. So they can win at the Bernabeu, but not at the Riverside, curious. Elsewhere, Aston Villa threw away three points by giving up two late goals to struggling Stoke and Everton continued their resurgence, easily winning 2-0 against West Brom. This week there are mid-week games, making for an exciting and busy next 10 days, as there will be two Premiership rounds as well as Champion's League.

EPL Predictions

I went to great trouble last summer putting together my prediction for every single match of the EPL season. Here's how the points shook out, some of this is obviously way off, but keep in mind, I composed this list at the beginning of August.

1. Manchester United 88pts.
2. Chelsea 86pts.
3. Liverpool 74pts.
4. Arsenal 71 pts.
5. Aston Villa 64pts.
6. Middlesbrough 64pts.
7. Tottenham 60pts.
8. Wigan 53pts.
9. Sunderland 50pts.
10. Blackburn 45pts.
11. Portsmouth 45pts.
12. Everton 43pts.
13. West Brom 43pts.
14. Fulham 40pts.
15. Newcastle 40pts.
16. Manchester City 37pts.
17. West Ham 35pts.
18. Bolton 28pts.
19. Hull 28pts.
20. Stoke 16pts.

Hmmm, a few of these are notably way off, oh well.