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Winners
Manchester United
Their seventh consecutive league win since their return from Japan - with four of those wins achieved by a scoreline of 1-0.
Michael Carrick
The closest Manchester United have been to making a mistake in two
months occurred on Saturday night when Sir Alex offered "all credit to
Edwin" after a 12th successive shut-out set a new record in English
football for clean sheets. Truth is, Van der Sar has been as much a
bystander as a critical contributor to the record, required to make
just a handful of saves - not one of which could be described as
memorable - since November 8. As has generally been recognised, the
peerless Nemanja Vidic ought to be considered the pivotal protagonist
in United's run.
Yet there is another aspect to the shut-out that should be remarked
upon: it has been achieved without the deployment of the defensive
midfielder who became ubiquitous in the Premier League a couple of
years ago. With Owen Hargreaves in plaster, there has been no Makelele
figure at Old Trafford and defensive perfection has been achieved
without any sort of defensive intention or outlook.
Ferguson's remarks included the observation that his defence has
been in a state of flux but that claim is overdone. Vidic has been an
ever-present and partnered in each game by either Rio Ferdinand or
Jonny Evans. In comparison, and by choice, United's midfield has been
in ever-altering flux with Ferguson refusing - or unable - to identify
a first-choice pairing. If United weren't winning, the old man of
English football would be cast as the new tinkerman.
This month's Champions League engagement with Inter Milan should
reveal Ferguson's preference and on current form it should centre on
Darren Fletcher and Michael Carrick. The latter, in particular, was a
class apart against Everton. It was noticeable, too, that his
man-of-the-match performance was delivered from a more upfield position
than is normally his wont. On Saturday's evidence, a permanent
placement there would be his all-round making - and, sooner rather than
later, give Fabio Capello quite a selection headache as well.
Cristiano Ronaldo
Nine of his goals since last August have been from the penalty spot.
Liverpool
Given the sense of self-inflicted crisis enveloping at Anfield in
recent times, it mattered not how victory was achieved. All that
mattered was victory.
Whether it would have been achieved without the intervention of
Mike Riley is dubious. The build-up to Torres' opener took place in a
section that Lampard would have patrolled had he still been on the
pitch and whilst the match stats spoke of dominance - Liverpool
produced 15 on-target shots to Chelsea's
one - they rarely threatened in a match littered with fouls and misplaced passes.
Liverpool deserved victory in so much that Chelsea deserved nothing, yet Manchester United would have seen nothing to fear.
West Ham
The Hammers have now drawn at Chelsea, Liverpool and Arsenal, and
lost just one since the nadir that was their 2-0 home defeat to Spurs
in early December. Credit for the turnaround must go to Gianfranco Zola
and also to his assistant, Steve Clarke, whose fingerprints were all
over the defensive organisation that blunted Arsenal this weekend.
Apart from Andrei Arshavin's representatives, nobody else could have
taken greater satisfaction in Saturday's soporific proceedings.
Stoke City
How else to explain the disparity between Stoke's home form -
played 12, won six - and their woes on the road - played 12, won none -
without crediting their fans as being a decisive influence. Even with a
numerical advantage on the pitch, City's band of millionaires were no
match for the 27,000 twelfth men in the crowd.
Fulham
Holders of the third-best home record in the league.
Blackburn Rovers
It's not been pretty but Sam Allardyce - undefeated in his six
matches as Rovers boss to date - is doing the job he was appointed to
do.
Hull City
A draw that at least halted a run of six consecutive defeats. The
bad news is that they are now just five points above the relegation
zone and in the bottom-half of the league table for the first time
since August.
Losers
Chelsea
At least Luiz Felipe Scolari did not blame defeat squarely on
Riley's incompetence. Without Scolari's admission that his side were
second-best even before Lampard's dismissal then Chelsea's day would
have been entirely bereft of credit. If there was any justice meted out
at Anfield then it was that Chelsea departed Merseyside with nothing.
Defeat surely ends their title ambitions but that should be the
least of their worries. Coming so soon after a near-identical tame
capitulation at Old Trafford, this was a non-performance that spoke of
a longer, larger decline. In a single age, the Roman Empire is poised
to rise and fall.
If it does crumble, it will do so because of a failure to build
solid foundations before Roman Abramovich's chequebook closed. Chelsea
are now crippled by their own short-termism, stuck with a side that is
both too old and devoid of any sell-on value. Even recently, that
short-termism has been allowed to persist with terrible consequences.
As Scolari only signed a two-year contract in the summer, Chelsea are
thus likely to have five different managers during a time when Arsenal,
Liverpool and Manchester United will have just one. In turn, Scolari's
decision to make a 31-year-old his principal purchase was an appalling
misjudgment and not just because Deco has flopped.
John Terry has provided continuity but October marked the ten-year
anniversary of his Chelsea debut and since then not a single player has
emerged from their academy despite Frank Arnesen being lured from
Tottenham, at a cost of £8m, to take charge of youth development.
If it is a big call to write their obituary as a force, it is a
bigger one still to argue that they still possess the staying-power to
remain at the summit of English and European football.
Mike Riley
Just owning up to a mistake isn't sufficient. Denied a fair contest in a match of such significance, we are entitled to know why the mistake was made.
If, for instance, Riley claims that he did not have a good view of
the incident then it needs to be asked why he then still felt entitled
to instantly make such a substantial decision - one that he must have
known would have a massive bearing on the result of a top-of-the-table
encounter. Why did he not consult his linesman who was square-on to the
incident and thus should have been able to see Lampard make contact
with ball rather than man?
Mistakes happen, of course. But the bottom line is that far too many of these type of mistakes are occurring.
Tony Adams
The rumour is that Adams is on the brink at Pompey. If so, given
that Pompey have deserved better in their last couple of matches and he
has been terribly undermined by £50m-worth of sales, it can only be
because they regard him as an unlucky manager.
And to describe any sportsman as unlucky is to damn him with the worst-possible insult.
Everton
Losers but losers with honour. The easy thing for David Moyes to do
with a Merseyside derby on the horizon was to use Tim Cahill's injury
on Wednesday as an excuse to give his talisman a rest. We should never
have doubted them. Everton are a club that have to lurk in the shadow
cast large from the other side of Stanley Park but their honesty is
absolute.
Arsenal
It is an odd measuring gauge to employ, but Arsenal's relegation
to the final slot on Match of the Day is a telling illustration of
their descent towards irrelevancy and insipidness. Arsenal have lost
their colour and Saturday's grey at the Emirates has become a regular
occurrence. Deprived of their creative sparks...' - Winners & Losers, January 11.
And so it goes on, which is unsurprising given that those creative
sparks remain on the sidelines and Arsene Wenger felt compelled to
bench Robin van Persie this weekend. His description of Andrei Arshavin
on Friday as a player who could "make the difference in the final third
against teams who have ten players behind the ball" gained extra
resonance 24 hours later as West Ham's packed rearguard kept the
Gunners at bay with relative comfort.
The argument is closed: a creative forward is the player Arsenal
need most and unless one is acquired before Monday's deadline their
season is heading into a goal-shy cul-de-sac.
The issue has become a matter of urgency in a second respect:
Unnoticed by the MoTD cameras, both Emmanuel Eboue and Abou Diaby were
carried off on Saturday and both have already been ruled out of next
weekend's north London derby as well as Tuesday's FA Cup replay with
Cardiff. Wenger is thus out of options for the right flank - unless,
that is, Nicklas Bendtner, Kolo Toure or the teenage Jack Wilshere can
be regarded as viable options for the vacant position.
Aston Villa
It's not just F365 that regards Villa as one-dimensional. In the
sort of critique that Villa ought to consider as proof-positive that
they are being taken seriously, The Telegraph on Sunday found them
lacking craft this weekend and devoid of a 'Plan B worthy of the
description'.
The problem for Villa is that so long as they are being taken
seriously, that shortcoming threatens to become regularly apparent.
Wigan will not be the last team arriving at Villa Park intent on
stifling and with a draw the summit of their ambition. As Saturday
marked the fifth goalless draw Villa have endured in front of their own
supporters this season, it is a ploy that they are evidently
ill-equipped to overcome.
Manchester City
How odd that having been granted an audience with Mark Hughes after
Manchester City's defeat at Stoke that, instead of enquiring for an
explanation why his side didn't manage a shot on target until the 93rd
minute against a Stoke side down to ten men, Match of the Day preferred
to hear his agreement that Rory Delap deserved to be dismissed - a
decision that even Tony Pulis endorsed.
Whether Hughes could have produced an adequate explanation for such
a lame performance is doubtful but City fans were at least entitled to
at an attempt. While they deserved better, their side deserved nothing.
Referee Alan Wiley was entitled to wave away late calls for a penalty
simply on account of City's wretchedness.
Newcastle United
The ignominy of a derby defeat might have been avoided thanks to
Steven Taylor's thespian qualities but a draw did little to improve
Newcastle's standing in the league. Their winless run now stands at six
and a long struggle lies ahead.
"I want to get 16 or 17 points as quickly as possible and then
forget about this season," said Joe Kinnear, but his hope for a speedy
resolution is likely to be forlorn: Newcastle have required 15 matches
to acquire their last 18 points.
Harry Redknapp
Take out the win over the travel-sick Stoke City and Spurs have
only garnered one more point in their last eight games than they did at
the start of the season before Juande Ramos was sacked.
Tottenham
The wrong north London club has been identified as having the
Reebok as its bogey ground: since Bolton's promotion to the
Premiership, Spurs have taken just two points from their eight trips
there.
David Bentley
Bentley is considered to be one of the most
technically-accomplished English players in the Premier League. What an
indictment, therefore, that he almost twisted his own blood on the
goalline at Bolton in a panic when required to make what should have
been a straightforward clearance with his weaker left foot. For
'weaker' should not be 'redundant'. It has long been a disconcerting
mystery why so many footballers are unable to use their weaker foot
when a mere five minutes' extra work after training on a daily basis
would soon provide remedy.
Middlesbrough
It's not the argument that Middlesbrough have had their time in the
Premier League and don't deserve to keep their place that condemns them
but that their retort is so muted. Just 24,303 turned up to watch the
goalless draw with Blackburn - a stalemate that kept Boro second-bottom
in the league and rock-bottom in the Goals For chart.
Finally we're a winner, they usually take jibs at out even when we win.
Manchester United
Their seventh consecutive league win since their return from Japan - with four of those wins achieved by a scoreline of 1-0.
Michael Carrick
The closest Manchester United have been to making a mistake in two
months occurred on Saturday night when Sir Alex offered "all credit to
Edwin" after a 12th successive shut-out set a new record in English
football for clean sheets. Truth is, Van der Sar has been as much a
bystander as a critical contributor to the record, required to make
just a handful of saves - not one of which could be described as
memorable - since November 8. As has generally been recognised, the
peerless Nemanja Vidic ought to be considered the pivotal protagonist
in United's run.
Yet there is another aspect to the shut-out that should be remarked
upon: it has been achieved without the deployment of the defensive
midfielder who became ubiquitous in the Premier League a couple of
years ago. With Owen Hargreaves in plaster, there has been no Makelele
figure at Old Trafford and defensive perfection has been achieved
without any sort of defensive intention or outlook.
Ferguson's remarks included the observation that his defence has
been in a state of flux but that claim is overdone. Vidic has been an
ever-present and partnered in each game by either Rio Ferdinand or
Jonny Evans. In comparison, and by choice, United's midfield has been
in ever-altering flux with Ferguson refusing - or unable - to identify
a first-choice pairing. If United weren't winning, the old man of
English football would be cast as the new tinkerman.
This month's Champions League engagement with Inter Milan should
reveal Ferguson's preference and on current form it should centre on
Darren Fletcher and Michael Carrick. The latter, in particular, was a
class apart against Everton. It was noticeable, too, that his
man-of-the-match performance was delivered from a more upfield position
than is normally his wont. On Saturday's evidence, a permanent
placement there would be his all-round making - and, sooner rather than
later, give Fabio Capello quite a selection headache as well.
Cristiano Ronaldo
Nine of his goals since last August have been from the penalty spot.
Liverpool
Given the sense of self-inflicted crisis enveloping at Anfield in
recent times, it mattered not how victory was achieved. All that
mattered was victory.
Whether it would have been achieved without the intervention of
Mike Riley is dubious. The build-up to Torres' opener took place in a
section that Lampard would have patrolled had he still been on the
pitch and whilst the match stats spoke of dominance - Liverpool
produced 15 on-target shots to Chelsea's
one - they rarely threatened in a match littered with fouls and misplaced passes. Liverpool deserved victory in so much that Chelsea deserved nothing, yet Manchester United would have seen nothing to fear.
West Ham
The Hammers have now drawn at Chelsea, Liverpool and Arsenal, and
lost just one since the nadir that was their 2-0 home defeat to Spurs
in early December. Credit for the turnaround must go to Gianfranco Zola
and also to his assistant, Steve Clarke, whose fingerprints were all
over the defensive organisation that blunted Arsenal this weekend.
Apart from Andrei Arshavin's representatives, nobody else could have
taken greater satisfaction in Saturday's soporific proceedings.
Stoke City
How else to explain the disparity between Stoke's home form -
played 12, won six - and their woes on the road - played 12, won none -
without crediting their fans as being a decisive influence. Even with a
numerical advantage on the pitch, City's band of millionaires were no
match for the 27,000 twelfth men in the crowd.
Fulham
Holders of the third-best home record in the league.
Blackburn Rovers
It's not been pretty but Sam Allardyce - undefeated in his six
matches as Rovers boss to date - is doing the job he was appointed to
do.
Hull City
A draw that at least halted a run of six consecutive defeats. The
bad news is that they are now just five points above the relegation
zone and in the bottom-half of the league table for the first time
since August.
Losers
Chelsea
At least Luiz Felipe Scolari did not blame defeat squarely on
Riley's incompetence. Without Scolari's admission that his side were
second-best even before Lampard's dismissal then Chelsea's day would
have been entirely bereft of credit. If there was any justice meted out
at Anfield then it was that Chelsea departed Merseyside with nothing.
Defeat surely ends their title ambitions but that should be the
least of their worries. Coming so soon after a near-identical tame
capitulation at Old Trafford, this was a non-performance that spoke of
a longer, larger decline. In a single age, the Roman Empire is poised
to rise and fall.
If it does crumble, it will do so because of a failure to build
solid foundations before Roman Abramovich's chequebook closed. Chelsea
are now crippled by their own short-termism, stuck with a side that is
both too old and devoid of any sell-on value. Even recently, that
short-termism has been allowed to persist with terrible consequences.
As Scolari only signed a two-year contract in the summer, Chelsea are
thus likely to have five different managers during a time when Arsenal,
Liverpool and Manchester United will have just one. In turn, Scolari's
decision to make a 31-year-old his principal purchase was an appalling
misjudgment and not just because Deco has flopped.
John Terry has provided continuity but October marked the ten-year
anniversary of his Chelsea debut and since then not a single player has
emerged from their academy despite Frank Arnesen being lured from
Tottenham, at a cost of £8m, to take charge of youth development.
If it is a big call to write their obituary as a force, it is a
bigger one still to argue that they still possess the staying-power to
remain at the summit of English and European football.
Mike Riley
Just owning up to a mistake isn't sufficient. Denied a fair contest in a match of such significance, we are entitled to know why the mistake was made.
If, for instance, Riley claims that he did not have a good view of
the incident then it needs to be asked why he then still felt entitled
to instantly make such a substantial decision - one that he must have
known would have a massive bearing on the result of a top-of-the-table
encounter. Why did he not consult his linesman who was square-on to the
incident and thus should have been able to see Lampard make contact
with ball rather than man?
Mistakes happen, of course. But the bottom line is that far too many of these type of mistakes are occurring.
Tony Adams
The rumour is that Adams is on the brink at Pompey. If so, given
that Pompey have deserved better in their last couple of matches and he
has been terribly undermined by £50m-worth of sales, it can only be
because they regard him as an unlucky manager.
And to describe any sportsman as unlucky is to damn him with the worst-possible insult.
Everton
Losers but losers with honour. The easy thing for David Moyes to do
with a Merseyside derby on the horizon was to use Tim Cahill's injury
on Wednesday as an excuse to give his talisman a rest. We should never
have doubted them. Everton are a club that have to lurk in the shadow
cast large from the other side of Stanley Park but their honesty is
absolute.
Arsenal
It is an odd measuring gauge to employ, but Arsenal's relegation
to the final slot on Match of the Day is a telling illustration of
their descent towards irrelevancy and insipidness. Arsenal have lost
their colour and Saturday's grey at the Emirates has become a regular
occurrence. Deprived of their creative sparks...' - Winners & Losers, January 11.
And so it goes on, which is unsurprising given that those creative
sparks remain on the sidelines and Arsene Wenger felt compelled to
bench Robin van Persie this weekend. His description of Andrei Arshavin
on Friday as a player who could "make the difference in the final third
against teams who have ten players behind the ball" gained extra
resonance 24 hours later as West Ham's packed rearguard kept the
Gunners at bay with relative comfort.
The argument is closed: a creative forward is the player Arsenal
need most and unless one is acquired before Monday's deadline their
season is heading into a goal-shy cul-de-sac.
The issue has become a matter of urgency in a second respect:
Unnoticed by the MoTD cameras, both Emmanuel Eboue and Abou Diaby were
carried off on Saturday and both have already been ruled out of next
weekend's north London derby as well as Tuesday's FA Cup replay with
Cardiff. Wenger is thus out of options for the right flank - unless,
that is, Nicklas Bendtner, Kolo Toure or the teenage Jack Wilshere can
be regarded as viable options for the vacant position.
Aston Villa
It's not just F365 that regards Villa as one-dimensional. In the
sort of critique that Villa ought to consider as proof-positive that
they are being taken seriously, The Telegraph on Sunday found them
lacking craft this weekend and devoid of a 'Plan B worthy of the
description'.
The problem for Villa is that so long as they are being taken
seriously, that shortcoming threatens to become regularly apparent.
Wigan will not be the last team arriving at Villa Park intent on
stifling and with a draw the summit of their ambition. As Saturday
marked the fifth goalless draw Villa have endured in front of their own
supporters this season, it is a ploy that they are evidently
ill-equipped to overcome.
Manchester City
How odd that having been granted an audience with Mark Hughes after
Manchester City's defeat at Stoke that, instead of enquiring for an
explanation why his side didn't manage a shot on target until the 93rd
minute against a Stoke side down to ten men, Match of the Day preferred
to hear his agreement that Rory Delap deserved to be dismissed - a
decision that even Tony Pulis endorsed.
Whether Hughes could have produced an adequate explanation for such
a lame performance is doubtful but City fans were at least entitled to
at an attempt. While they deserved better, their side deserved nothing.
Referee Alan Wiley was entitled to wave away late calls for a penalty
simply on account of City's wretchedness.
Newcastle United
The ignominy of a derby defeat might have been avoided thanks to
Steven Taylor's thespian qualities but a draw did little to improve
Newcastle's standing in the league. Their winless run now stands at six
and a long struggle lies ahead.
"I want to get 16 or 17 points as quickly as possible and then
forget about this season," said Joe Kinnear, but his hope for a speedy
resolution is likely to be forlorn: Newcastle have required 15 matches
to acquire their last 18 points.
Harry Redknapp
Take out the win over the travel-sick Stoke City and Spurs have
only garnered one more point in their last eight games than they did at
the start of the season before Juande Ramos was sacked.
Tottenham
The wrong north London club has been identified as having the
Reebok as its bogey ground: since Bolton's promotion to the
Premiership, Spurs have taken just two points from their eight trips
there.
David Bentley
Bentley is considered to be one of the most
technically-accomplished English players in the Premier League. What an
indictment, therefore, that he almost twisted his own blood on the
goalline at Bolton in a panic when required to make what should have
been a straightforward clearance with his weaker left foot. For
'weaker' should not be 'redundant'. It has long been a disconcerting
mystery why so many footballers are unable to use their weaker foot
when a mere five minutes' extra work after training on a daily basis
would soon provide remedy.
Middlesbrough
It's not the argument that Middlesbrough have had their time in the
Premier League and don't deserve to keep their place that condemns them
but that their retort is so muted. Just 24,303 turned up to watch the
goalless draw with Blackburn - a stalemate that kept Boro second-bottom
in the league and rock-bottom in the Goals For chart.
Finally we're a winner, they usually take jibs at out even when we win.
