Tiny-Weary Derby
No one will mistake the Newcastle-Sunderland clash for quality football but it was compelling. As has become habit for this fixture, Defoe scored late in the first half to give the Black Cats a 1-0, with Newcastle looking like they had no clue how they might score a goal. The Magpies were better in the second half, generating more chances but in truth, none were that threatening. The best attacking football had come from Andros Townsend and there was second guessing at 6911 when Benitez took him off late for Papiss Cisse. What do I know? Shortly thereafter Mitrovic headed a cross from Wijnaldum to level the match in the 83rd minute. The picture below gives you can an idea of how precise Mitro had to be from that angle to get the ball in. After the goal, there was some thought that Newcastle might even get a winner but when Mitrovic went down with a head injury, the Magpies had to play the last minutes a man down. So Newcastle dodge a bullet and sides like Norwich and Crystal Palace were probably more than happy with the result.
Benitez appears to be making wholesale changes in the Newcastle approach to everything from organization of the training ground to the style of play on the pitch. We can't know for sure but right now he is not acting like a manager who's leaving if we go down to the Championship.
We're Not Dead Yet and other Tales from the Top of the Table
In the first game of the weekend, Arsenal served notice that they are not planning to go quietly into the night. Fresh off of FA Cup and Champions League exits and facing a rejuvenated Everton side, I had expected difficulties for the Gunners at Goodison Park. Uh, not so much. Welbeck started the scoring in the 7th minute and Iwobi added a second right before halftime. Arsenal was so controlling and Everton so off form in this 2-0 win that you could hear the grumbling around Goodison Park. Tottenham had no difficulty disposing of Bournemouth (3-0) while Leicester chalked up their third straight 1-0 win over mediocre opposition (Crystal Palace this time) so the top three kept their relative standings.
United's 1-0 win over City in the Manchester derby tightened things for the 4th Champions League spot. West Ham could have moved into that coveted position but were foiled by a (marginal) PK call in the 89th minute against Ruben
Probably marvelous viewing and a match with implications for Europe was Southampton's comeback 3-2 win over Liverpool; the Saints sit in 7th, just four points out of 4th. And in other news, Norwich took down West Brom 1-0; grumble, grumble, that was three unexpected points for the Canaries that are going to make life difficult for Newcastle.
We're not dead yet also applies at the bottom of the table, but with a slightly different meaning. After losing yet again, 1-0 to Swansea, Villa find themselves 13 points from safety with only 21 points left to possibly earn. They looked better this week than most, mustering a whole bunch of quarter chances (we're working our way towards half-chances) and maintaining decent possession. But the thing US fans will want to know most ahead of the international break is that Guzan looked shaky once more and was directly responsible for the only goal. He chose to come off his line on a weak free kick from 40+ yards away and missed his punch, allowing a ricochet into the empty net behind him. He has not had a good few months - the gum spitting incident, being benched, and generally poor play - and I would watch him carefully if he is indeed in net this week for the Americans.
90s DIY Music Moment
Speaking of Aleksandar Mitrovic, he is becoming a fan favorite and has a special chant. For context, listen to Gala's "Freed From Desire" here. Then check out some of the Toon Army with their chant for Mitro here (you have to scroll down a bit to get the video). Mitro's on fire, your defense is terrified. Jason Sudeikis was right - raving lunatics.
Hospital Ball (not a fund raiser)
Philip S was the first to explain to me the concept of a hospital ball, a pass that is so weak or ill-conceived that it subjects the intended recipient to a heavy challenge and possibly injury. This weekend saw a textbook example in Demichelis' careless and soft pass back to his keeper Joe Hart. Couldn't find a great clip but here's the video; Hart being carried off on a stretcher tells you how bad it was.
BFS Predictor Model
Model is probably too generous. All I did was take every remaining EPL match and put down win-lose-draw. Based on those predictions, we get projected final standings. FWIW, I get Leicester winning by a point over Tottenham (79-78) with Arsenal just behind with 75 points. Down at the bottom, I get Newcastle scraping by with 31 points to Sunderland's 30 and Norwich's 29. A model based on me guessing the results of 80 or so matches? Sounds foolproof to me. I'd take the results as gospel.
Who Are These Guys?
Jeff H and I headed out to the recently renamed Talen Energy Stadium. Didn't look all that different from PPL Park. Wait, that's not true. The home team didn't remind me of the side we've grown accustomed to. Attacking football, lots of scoring chances, didn't cough up a lead. A relatively easy 3-0 win over New England. We are not used to this. In fact, at about 40 minutes with the Union up 2-0 and up a man, Jeff and I had the same thought - let's just get try to get into the locker room with the two goal intact. Wouldn't you know it, a minute later a Revolution shot hit both posts before bouncing safely into the arms of Andre Blake.
So maybe there was some luck here. Sapong's shots didn't seem all that dangerous but they snuck through. The foul? Live I thought there was a chance of a red card because of the high boot and the locked knee; others who saw replays weren't so sure it involved excessive force. But Shuttleworth guessed right and saved two PKs and the Union barely missed some other chances. The defense was pretty tight too. I'm not saying they're great but it is a more interesting team to watch.
NJ Red Bulls also broke through with a win.
International Break
Pretty much everybody is shut down this weekend for the international break. A lot of friendlies but some serious business too, none more so than the US-Guatemala home and home on Friday and Tuesday. Six points would put the USMNT into the Hexagonal, or final round of qualifying. History says six points are possible but this team has been out of sorts since 2014 so they shouldn't be taking anything for granted.
This might be the weekend to get the grass seed and fertilizer down...
Very entertaining game from Red Bull, good win for Union.
ReplyDeleteTerrible game for USA. JK just makes me so indifferent to the team. Players I don't feel any connection to combined with consistently baffling lineup selections just make me frustrated and difficult to care. So many things I want to see changed, I can't even begin to type them all.
Also, I did try to respond to your e-mail, not certain if you received it or not.