Ryder Cup Distracts while Magpie’s start anything but ‘Black and White’
If, like me, any of you spent Sunday night watching the emotional rollercoaster that was the closing stages of the 2012 Ryder Cup, you may have forgotten that any football actually took place this weekend.
As I sat there peering through the gaps in my fingers at Martin Kaymer standing over the decisive putt, for once the Premier League had been lodged deep in the back of my mind. However, as the drama has subsided and the European team are waking to the bleary-eyed hangovers that they so deserve lets try to remember just what the weekend revealed.
Lets start with Southampton. No one can criticise the Saints for their attacking impetus and the determination with which they tear at defences. Their enthusiasm has seen them come so close to a couple of early upsets and any other team in the League would tremble at the prospect of a trip to Goodsion Park at the moment. However, Nigel Adkins needs to solidify the base of the team’s attacking ability by getting his defence in order. A more resolute back four would only help his side’s attacking potential. If Southampton are to survive this season then they need to think about diving into the January window and investing (despite being the 7th highest spenders in Europe this summer!)
As Newcastle took to the pitch on Saturday afternoon wearing a feminine plum number they had hoped to kick-start a thus far lacklustre campaign. But despite their best intentions they only succeeded in further confusing their loyal ‘Toon Army’ regarding the where-abouts of the team they saw last season. The absence of their Talismanic centre back, A.K.A ‘The Puyol of The North’ (Coloccinni) and an injury to Tim Krul, the man who was the reasons for so much of last season’s success, clearly continued to impede Pardew’s side. On the upside for Magpie’s, Demba Ba seems to have re-discovered the goal-scoring form that catapulted him into the limelight last season. However his partner in crime seems to have gone south for the winter a little early this year, but while one of them is scoring the Geordies will be ‘reet propa chuffed’.
The next talking point from the weekend comes to us from West London where the reigning champions showed some signs ominous for their title rivals. Their season, like Newcastle’s, has been disrupted so far due to some injuries to key players, and the absence of the key cog in their title-winning machine. David Silva’s majestic form of last season had evaded him until their trip to Craven Cottage where the little Spanish magician put Martin Jol’s side to the sword. They seemed to find the gear they have been lacking, albeit rather late in the game, reminiscent of the last campaign, which enabled them to inundate the Fulham defence. The league may have been led by the Blue and Red areas of London so far City have sent a warning to the pretenders to their throne.
Paul Lambert hasn’t won himself many admirers in the midlands during his limited time with Aston Villa and after Sunday’s game I fear that the Scotsman may have lost himself another. Having chosen to rotate his squad early in the season (by opening up the number one keeper position to challenger Brad Guzan) in a move many have questioned he has shown he is not afraid of big names or egos. Shay Given was the first victim of Lambert’s philosophy. The Irish keeper, who has been held in the highest regard since he began competing to be first choice keeper back at Newcastle in 1997, voiced his unhappiness with his gaffer’s decision to seat him on the bench. This weekend it was the turn of Darren Bent to warm the bench. Bent’s opinion of his new manager’s choice was made quite clear by his post game comments and his body language whilst he warmed up on the sidelines. Although he came on to grab his team an equaliser against rivals West Brom, it was apparent that Bent wasn’t best pleased at his omission from the starting team.
Finally, having returned from injury and worked his way back into City’s first team, Sergio Aguero spoke out about how English players are more favourably treated by Premier League referees than foreign players. If you look at the weekend’s action the Argentine may have a point as his colleagues; Zabaleta and Tevez and Liverpool’s Luis Suarez were all denied arguable penalties. Aguero was asked if he felt that foreign players were subject to tougher treatment from the English referees and the City striker said he thought they were. He went on to say that it was something that happened across the world and that players who come from the country in which the league is based always receive slight privilege.
Is Aguero onto something with his statement? Or is it just that the much-documented increase in diving in the modern game (that leaves the Soccer Saturday purist frothing at the mouth) has left referees with the little option but to guess whether a player has been taken down or that he just enjoys Swan Lake?
ottojnr
Bacon, Eggs & Football 