City Still Fighting

            In another Premier League match, Manchester City took on West Ham United at home. City were coming in to the game in need of a boost in confidence following a slump of sorts for the past few games. The final score of 2-0 should serve to that purpose quite well, especially considering the means by which it came. For City’s first goal against West Ham, the visitors even went so far as to score for them, bringing energy to the team. The second goal came from a successful counter attack and put the game far enough out of West Ham’s reach to ruin any hope of a comeback.

            The game also held some controversial playing and calling by both the players and the officials. To start, Silva was booked for his arm brushing up against West Ham’s Winston Reid who was quick to dramatically fall to the ground holding his nose. Then, David Silva had to be treated on the field for a face injury caused by, you guessed it, Winston Reid. Not only was this the same offense (except actually real) committed opposite earlier, but it led to a lengthy treatment that added 7 minutes of stoppage time to the already stretched out game. The 7 minutes gave no more hope to West Ham as the game was already way beyond reach.

            Now for some player overviews throughout the game, the center back position held some hope and confidence for one player but inactivity for another. Martin Demichelis started the game well, but fell into a slump later in the game, losing concentration (and the ball) during important times and even becoming injured due to silly errors later in the game. However, Eliaquim Mangala took the game a different direction; playing confidently and efficiently, he took care of things in the center back position and proved himself well. As for City’s attacking end, play was quite efficient for the most part and players took care of business. Aguero took to excelling as usual, and was able to be involved in the buildup and even scored the second goal. Frank Lampard was involved, but not majorly, and just did things as he needed to: nothing outstanding but was not lacking in any way. Jesus Navas was one City player that stood out among the team, and for good reason. The entire game, Navas was all over the place in the midfield, taking advantage of West Ham’s lazy defending. He was involved in both goals, and was able to make passes when he needed to.

            The main goal for Manchester City from this game was obviously to get themselves back into the title race. With Chelsea far above the pack and the season coming to an end, City needs to do all they can to stay in the race. A 2-0 win against West Ham should get the job done, and it hopefully serves as a good confidence boost for the team.

Changes for Borussia

            Bignews for Borussia Dortmund followers and soccer fans in general came about this week, as it was announced that current manager Jurgen Klopp would not return next season. Instead, Thomas Tuchel will take the reins starting July 1 with a three year contract. That is all that is known now, and it will be interesting to see how things pan out. At Borussia currently, Klopp is truly the team’s leader in all aspects, emotionally and also tactically minded. Klopp acts as a sort of father figure to the squad, and this would definitely be a hard role for Tuchel to fill.

            However, I do not believe that this is the role that Borussia brought Tuchel in to fill. Dortmund’s off the pitch side may be taken care of by Klopp’s leadership and support of the team, but their issues on the field are evident. Too many mistakes have been made this season by Borussia, and especially against smaller sides that should be easily beaten by Dortmund’s dominance. I believe that Tuchel will bring in fresh ideas and tactics that should give the team the edge that they have been missing as of late. At Tuchel’s previous clubs, like Mainz, he has been known to lead tough, demanding practices that should help to improve a stagnant team like Borussia. He focuses on the details and is a supporter of coaching styles brought about by the likes of Pep Guardiola. I think that he will be strict enough to make a change at Dortmund, and hopefully it is for the better, as things have not been the best this season, especially for a team of their caliber.

            As for the way that the club is going about this process, I don’t think that they could have done it any better way. First, it is important that they let fans, players, etc. to know that this is going on, which they did very openly. Also, they gave the most basic, yet important details to help people make the best decisions, such as who is coming in to replace and when. Also, I really admire their decision to hold any further discussion of the situation until the end of the season. I feel that this is the best way for them to let the team focus on this season still, but have enough information to know what lies ahead for the club and to stay out of the dark.

Title Race Over?

            Looking again at the very top of the Premier League table, Chelsea faced Manchester United most recently, and this league really has been all about Chelsea this season. Comfortably sitting atop the entire table currently, they are 10 points ahead of the pack. Against United, they definitely looked like a team that knew how far ahead they were and how little they could really lose. For the most part, Chelsea just sat back and held off Manchester United relatively easily, not trying anything too daring. Aside from the one goal by Eden Hazard, Chelsea did not look for any great number of attacks, but rather contained United and controlled the game. They showed their qualities, capitalizing on a counter attack, and really just proved their elite status. Now, Chelsea only needs two more victories to take home the league title, and it would be hard to argue that they won’t.

            On the Manchester United side, this game marked the end of their seven game winning streak. A recent number of injuries hurt Louis Van Gaal’s  options, and rearranging of the United squad hurt their chances from the start. Herrera moved to Carrick’s (injured) position, leaving Rooney to move to the right midfield position. Rooney attempted to attack from the side, but it was not enough to compete against Chelsea, and his role as a forward was missed from United’s attack. United had a few attempts overall, but they were easily dealt with by Chelsea, and if United can’t give Chelsea a fight, than I don’t know if anyone in the league can.

            The match also seemed to serve to seal a few players positions as finished: Radamel Falcao and Didier Drogba. As Robin Van Persie stayed out for the game due to coming off of an injury, Falcao was given a chance to prove his worth. He definitely played excitedly, and the effort was there, but he failed to work with the team and be successful. It was his loss of the ball that ended up with Hazard scoring against United. Drogba, on the other hand, showed his age. His speed and attacking capabilities were obviously diminished, and one chance he had on goal was easily dealt with by defenders. This game was to be a chance to earn himself a new contract, but he hardly showed anything deserving of such a deal. Still, he was slightly more active on the field than Falcao, but neither gave anything in terms of attacking or goals.

A Look at the Premier League

            Most of the time, I, and most other people, talk about what’s going on with the best teams in the world, and that’s what people care about, right? Well, these teams do have the most supporters and almost everyone knows of them, but there are so many more teams in every league that still have strong followings. Hopefully this post will give a good idea of how things are going further down in the Premier League.

            Starting near the bottom, we have Leicester City. Sitting in or near last place throughout the season, they have been looking for a comeback of sorts, or at least out of the relegation zone. Now, they have won all three of their last three games, making their way into a safer position in the table. While they are only safe by goal differential, they are looking much better now than they have all season. In their most recent game, they were able to beat Swansea City 2-0, a team much higher in the league than they are. Things are looking hopeful at least for the Foxes, and I would really like the team to continue their time in the Premier League for much longer.

            In the middle of the table, West Brom took on Crystal Palace. Recently, Crystal Palace has been doing well and is coming off of a good run. However, West Brom did not seem to care about Palace’s recent form, and they went ahead early and took control of the game. West Brom was able to keep themselves towards the middle of the table, beating Palace 2-0.

            Now, a little higher in the table, Southampton and Stoke City fought to gain position higher in the league. Southampton took the early lead, capitalizing on a corner. However, Stoke came out of halftime fighting, and brought the game to a draw just two minutes after the break. It took until the very end to find a winner, and Stoke took home the win after Charlie Adam put away a scramble in the box. While these teams may not be as talked about as teams like Manchester United or Chelsea, they are very much in the fighting for the same position. Southampton was looking to overtake Liverpool for fifth place with this game, but they remain in sixth. Stoke now sits in ninth place, which is definitely not bad for one of the most competitive leagues.                  

Real Madrid Show Form

            As most would know, today Real Madrid were coming off of a loss against Barcelona, a questionable form of Ronaldo, and an ever-slimming chance at the league title. Today against Granada, the team seemed to prove quite the opposite. A 9-1 absolute mockery of Granada should be enough to put Real back into gear, especially with 5 goals coming from Ronaldo. Coming into the game under top form and being scrutinized over, Ronaldo seemed to shake it all off and disprove any claims that he was on the downhill. There can be no doubt of his unrivaled finishing ability.

            As for Real Madrid’s updated standing, this game shouldn’t bring any false hope to fans, even though it definitely will. Real struggled to get started early in the game and weren’t really doing much to separate themselves from their opponents. Granada, on the other hand, have much more important games approaching, ones they know they have a chance at winning, and obviously came into the game not really expecting much. Fans will undoubtedly allow this to fuel their desire for a Real comeback to beat Barcelona out for the title, but it was a game that they should have easily won, and they didn’t really prove much besides that they are playing at a fair level and still have a chance. Again, this by no means gives much support for a major comeback by Real Madrid, just that they are still in it.

            Something that should be exciting for all Real Madrid fans is that Gareth Bale seems to be returning to his top level. Lacking in confidence and goal-scoring potential earlier this season, Bale seems to be getting his act together recently. He has been able to score 5 goals in his last 4 games despite struggling to score at all in just a few weeks earlier. Bale looked to be beyond any criticism that has been coming his way, taking shots when he needed to and supporting other players also at the right time. Hopefully he is able to continue this trend, as it would be helpful to Real Madrid when they need it most.

iven. Rogers stated his reasons for Sterling’s place at the club, saying that it is good playing time for him in the Premier League. Also, he felt that the team’s improvement over the season has been good, saying "This summer was very difficult. Losing Luis Suarez, Daniel Sturridge being injured, the integration of so many new players. It was like starting again. It was like my first six months. The reaction after losing 3-1 at Crystal Palace was positive. The reaction and commitment of the players has been first class since then." (ESPN). Providing no answers for going forward, the placement of some players (including Sterling) may be questioned soon. 

Liverpool Falls Short

            In a Champions League game today, Liverpool took on Arsenal looking to keep their tournament chance alive. Unfortunately, it has become obvious that their hopes have been lost, and even manager Rogers has admitted that their focus has switched towards the FA Cup. Despite rising back up through the Premier League table recently, two defeats to big teams have put them back in their place and effectively ruined their Champions League hopes. Against Arsenal, Liverpool lost 4-1. Opponents have easily seen weaknesses in their defensive side, and any pressure by Arsenal today led to mistakes in the back for Liverpool. They left themselves vulnerable and Arsenal made them pay, and against such a great opponent, Liverpool could not have expected to succeed the way that they were playing.

            It didn’t help the Reds that they had off-field problems that were equally (if not more) detrimental to their play on Saturday. Just prior to the game, Liverpool’s Raheem Sterling was found talking to the press about his refusal to sign a new contract with the team and how they didn’t provide the ambition that he displays as a player. While Sterling can have his reasons to sign or not sign a contract and that is just fine, it is not the sort of thing that he should be focused on and bringing attention to before such a game. Going against Arsenal shortly after, Sterling definitely brought conflict to the team and set himself and the team up to be disorganized. Then, after the game, Liverpool’s manager Brenden Rogers dismissed any blame on Sterling. He instead went so far as to call him Liverpool’s best player and to shift any blame for the lost onto the rest of the team, protecting Sterling. While Sterling was not the worst in the game, he certainly wasn’t playing well by any means. He missed a chance early in the game and didn’t help (or hurt) much in the following minutes. A player shouldn’t be praised for not being as bad as the rest.

            As for Brenden Rogers and the future and reflection of Liverpool, there were no real answers given. Rogers stated his reasons for Sterling’s place at the club, saying that it is good playing time for him in the Premier League. Also, he felt that the team’s improvement over the season has been good, saying "This summer was very difficult. Losing Luis Suarez, Daniel Sturridge being injured, the integration of so many new players. It was like starting again. It was like my first six months. The reaction after losing 3-1 at Crystal Palace was positive. The reaction and commitment of the players has been first class since then." (ESPN). Providing no answers for going forward, the placement of some players (including Sterling) may be questioned soon. 

Chelsea Stays Strong

            Today, another Premier League matchup entertained many, and gives insight to the title race. It was Chelsea against Stoke City, and despite Chelsea sitting comfortably at the top of the table and Stoke much further below, the game was by no means a blowout. Chelsea opened up the game and was moving steadily against their opponents, taking the lead towards halftime. Then, just before the break, an amazing 59 meter strike by Charlie Adam put Stoke back in the game. The hope didn’t last, however, and Chelsea was able to put another one away at 60 minutes, and the game was pretty well over. Although the final score was fairly close, Chelsea were in no way at their best, and really only matched Stoke to secure the win. They played the way they needed to, which seemed to work out for the team in the end. A large part of Chelsea’s success is due to Eden Hazard who took part in both goals for the team. Hazard was a game changer for Chelsea and will no doubt play a large role in their title run. On the negative side, an injury for Diego Costa is news that no Chelsea fan wants to hear. Coming on the field for 10 minutes before being forced off, Costa looks to be out of club play for a little while to come. Costa was brought on the team to increase the creativity in the attacking third that they lacked, and it will continue to be a problem with him sitting out. With this being such a crucial time in the season, Costa’s injury may prove to be vital (or detrimental, rather) to Chelsea’s season end.

            On the Stoke side, things were much different, but not necessarily bad. For one, they were able to hold the leaders of the league to a 2-1 loss. Also, Adam’s goal goes to show for their perseverance when the game looks bad. Chelsea had just scored and were at full speed, and Adam had the vision to see Courtois off his line and to drop one in at such a distance. While they weren’t able to defeat Chelsea, they put up a fight and held them off from scoring more. Even though Chelsea were not at their finest, Stoke was able to make a good game out of it. While Stoke City is never near the top of the Premier League, they return year after year and remain fairly successful, and this game was a good showing of that ability.