The Run In

We've been hearing the pundits talk about the "run in," as in Team X is getting key players back just in time for the run in or Team Y's recent form has been terrible as we approach the run in.  Okay, we get the basic concept; the run in is the final stretch of matches heading to the end of the season.  But Michael B and I keep asking when exactly does it start?  Lacking information to the contrary, we have made the executive decision that the run in starts with the games beginning after this international break (i.e. this weekend).  How is your side positioned as they head into the run in?


Mission Accomplished?

Christian Pulisic - The face of US soccer for years to come?

 Based on expectations for the USMNT heading into the two WC qualifiers we have to say yes.  So why is there this nagging feeling that we came up a bit short?  Certainly the Honduras match couldn't have gone better.  Aside from three points, the 6-0 wiped out a poor goal differential which could matter down the road.  Certainly that was the best attacking football we've seen from the US in a while.  Great to see the backs making deep runs, signalling the clear intention to step up the attack.  Maybe not a great match to watch from a dramatic perspective, as the result wasn't in doubt but satisfying nonetheless given its importance in the WC qualifying process.

Panama on the road was always going to be tougher.  What a hack fest!  Maybe the ref could have called a few more fouls on Panama but I thought he was basically consistent in letting the players mug each other play.  That to me was a slight advantage to Panama, who's defense is already difficult to break down.  So when Dempsey scored in the 39th minute (check out Pulisic's work in the box to set up that goal, this week's YouTubeAbleMoment) my hopes soared that we would take all three points.  Panama would have to open up, the game would be more about attacking, which would favor the US.  Off course, all that went out the window when the US allowed a soft goal on a throw-in less than five minutes later.  In the end, you have to say the result was a fair one but those extra two points seemed tantalizing close.

The Soccer Power Index says the US chance of qualifying after the Panama draw is now 69%.  I forget what it was before entering the break but it's certainly improved.  Still doesn't allow for any more big mistakes, like say, draws at home versus Panama or Trinidad and Tobago.


CONMEBOL Qualifying

All the South American teams played two matches during the break.  Colombia was probably the biggest winner.  The six points from victories over Bolivia and Ecuador catapulted them from a completely out of the money 6th place to a strong 2nd.  Brazil also got six points and are just about home and dry.  Biggest losers were Ecuador and Argentina.  Ecuador got no points and fell from 3rd to 6th.  Argentina got the important win against Chile (disappointing match to watch for me as a neutral) but lost 0-2 to Bolivia as Messi began the first of a four match ban for his verbal abuse against an assistant referee.  So after briefly rising to third, Argentina are now back in 5th, which would require a play-in series against Oceania's first place side.  Uruguay also got zero points but only fell to 3rd in the table.  Four matches to go in the qualifying so it should be interesting as at least one pretty decent side will be out entirely and another will be forced into a play-in situation.

There is a veritable s***storm about the Messi suspension.  Start with the fact that there was no on-field action by the referee.  Abusive language (and gestures for that matter) are grounds for sending off.  If it was so bad, why wasn't Messi sent off?  The length of the suspension is drawing some attention too.  I don't mean to defend Messi but I'm curious as to what additional information convinced FIFA to level the suspension.  Argentina is crying foul and claiming sinister politics are involved.  Politics in soccer?  I'd be shocked.  Shocked.


The View from Europe

Only got to see England-Lithuania, a relatively sleepy 2-0 win for the Lions, who have yet to concede a goal in qualifying.  Iceland got a 2-0 win over Kosovo and is clearly in the hunt for at least a spot in the playoff round.  Netherlands lost 0-2 to Bulgaria and fired their manager; their prospects aren't so great.  A pretty good weekend for Great Britain (how many countries are in this country?) what with England and Scotland and Northern Ireland winning and Wales getting a draw with Ireland.


Shades of Ted Lasso

At a press conference to introduce him as a new member of the Chicago Fire, a journalist asked Bastian Schweinsteiger if he thought he could help the Fire win the World Cup. Details here.  I wasn't aware that Chicago was even bidding to become its own country.  Good on the German to be patient with the reporter and help rephrase the question.  Yeah, we still have a ways to go.


Managerial Honeymoon

We've discussed the trend of relegation-threatened clubs sacking their managers.  This article, the outline of a chapter in a book we'll be checking out, suggests that you will see results, but only in the short term.  Their data indicate that there is typically a marked improvement over the first six or seven matches under the new manager but then results settle back, sometimes to a level even worse than they were before the change.  Good news for Leicester as they still have a few games left in the honeymoon but maybe not so much for Swansea.  


Break's Over

How about a Merseyside derby to get things rolling on Saturday at 7:30?  Arsenal-Man City at 11 on Sunday looks pretty good too.  First place Chelsea host Crystal Palace at 10 on Saturday morning so the chase pack is not likely to gain any ground this weekend.  Tottenham are away to Burnley and would do well to not get complacent going into Turf Moor.  Big relegation match on Sunday morning between Swansea and Middlesbrough (8:30 NBCSN).

There's also midweek action with matches on Tuesday and Wednesday.  I haven't seen the TV schedule for any of these contests.  Most interesting fixture looks like Chelsea-Man City at Stamford Bridge on Wednesday.  Man United-Everton on Tuesday is probably worth a look.  For those who want a little relegation flavor in their matches, Hull-Middlesbrough might fit the bill.

The Championship Division has the same deal - matches on the weekend and mid-week.  Newcastle have two home matches against Wigan and Burton Albion, 23rd and 21st in the table.  Anything less than six points here and I'm back on the ledge.  Brighton and Huddersfield also have two home matches each against mid-table sides; they'll both be favored to take all the points.

The Union return to action Saturday night at 7 against the only team in the East with fewer points, DC United.  Need to start picking up three points on occasion but this road match might not be the place; but they better get at least a draw.  Red Bulls are off to a decent start and play Houston on the road.

Let the run in begin!

One Step Up and No Steps Back

A 0-0 draw at Birmingham Saturday should have meant one point gained but two points lost for Newcastle but somehow both Huddersfield and Brighton managed to lose their matches.  Huddersfield went down 0-4 to Bristol (ouch, that will leave a mark) while Brighton fell at Leeds 0-2.  The latter is not a huge upset and Leeds should now be on the radar as Gary Monk has his squad just two points back of Huddersfield.

Perez shoots while Ritchie waits to pounce on the rebound
Photo: The Chronicle

Following on-line it seemed that the Magpies had the run of play (65% possession, 17-9 on shots, 3-1 in shots on target) but simply could not put the ball in the net.  Wait, that's not entirely accurate.  Matt Ritchie did put the ball in the net just before the halftime break but the goal was disallowed for offside.  The videos I could find were inconclusive; the supposedly neutral Sky Sports commentators thought the goal should have stood.  Whatever.  Shouldn't have been that close to begin with.  But the good news is that Newcastle are top of the table by one over Brighton and seven over Huddersfield with home matches against Wigan and Burton Albion right after the international break.  I'll stay in off the ledge for the moment.


A Corrosive Defeat

We haven't discussed the Arsene Wenger drama but the issue basically comes down to the question posed in this week's  Musical Accompaniment provided by the Clash - should he stay or should he go.  It's kind of like the Philadelphia Eagles under Andy Reid.  Is it better to always be in the hunt but never win the big one or have a usually mediocre - or worse - team that once in a blue moon picks off a championship? Arsenal have made the Champions League (top four finish) for like a hundred straight years under Wenger but other than an FA Cup or two, haven't collected much hardware.  Though the issue would be simmering even if Arsenal were in the top four, the possibility that they won't make that this year has the topic going full boil.

Which brings us to Saturday's match between West Brom and Arsenal.  With planes flying overhead alternately urging Wenger to leave or stay, Arsenal did not have a good day.  Petr Cech got hurt.  The Gunners allowed two goals off of corners.  Then there was the clusterf*** goal where Cech's replacement Ospina made two mistakes and had to watch the ball roll between the legs of James McClean (who was way offside but not affecting play) and into the goal, clearly this week's YouTubeableMoment (fast forward to match time 54:45, just under halfway through the video).  As the players exited the field after Arsenal's 1-3 defeat, announcer Jon Champion labeled the result "a corrosive defeat."  Maybe a bit of poetic license there; West Brom are no pushovers, especially not at home.  But the timing and nature of the loss couldn't have been worse.

At the top Chelsea needed a late goal to get all three points at Stoke while Tottenham did their thing, which is to get a 2-0 lead, look like they're cruising, surrender a goal, then hang on.  The much anticipated clash between Man City and Liverpool, on the whole, did not disappoint but I was expecting more scoring than the 1-1 draw we saw.  Good end-to-end action and plenty of snarl.  Referee Michael Oliver had a fun day sorting out when to call or not call a penalty.  He got a few of the no calls right, including one that could have easily been mistaken for a trip from behind by the defender.  But he probably missed two on one play by Klavan and Milner against Aguero and Sterling.  He might have missed Wijnaldum being fouled by Toure.  But then he got crap from the announcers for the one he did call against Clichy on Firmino.  Not sure what they saw, Clichy charged with a high boot; he got the ball yes then finished by clattering into Firmino.  Was it a penalty? For me, yes.  Both managers seemed okay with a a draw.  Chelsea, Tottenham and Arsenal were probably happy too.

A few more points collected at the bottom than I foresaw as Leicester and Crystal Palace both picked up their third straight wins.  Leicester are now six clear and Crystal Palace four clear of the relegation zone.  Sunderland also nicked a point from Burnley but the Black Cats remain ensconced at the bottom.  Swansea, Hull and Middlesbrough got nothing so heading into the break Swansea are three clear with Hull, Middlesbrough and Sunderland in the bottom three.  Two interesting matches right out of the break will be Swansea-Middlesbrough and Hull-Middlesbrough.


Who Are Those Guys?

Clearly not the same crew I saw at Talen Energy Stadium.  The Union looked rudderless against Orlando though at one point they seemed to be on their way to another draw.  Seemed like a lot of passes got blocked, intercepted or were simply off target.  Onyewu and Fabinho, but mostly Onyewu got badly beaten on the second goal.  To be fair, the Union stayed in it to the end and Ilsinho hit the post in stoppage time which could have salvaged a 2-2 draw.  For a more in-depth assessment of what went wrong check out this analysis from The Philly Soccer Page.  Phrases like "switched off" and "sleepy time" hint at some of the problems.


Step Away from the Statistics

I once worked with a guy who didn't understand the fuss about drunk driving.  "There are more car accidents involving sober drivers," he would rail.  After taking a deep breath, I tried to explain that's not how you assess the risk of drunk driving.  The question is whether you're more likely to get into an accident if you're impaired.  And the data show that the probability of being in an accident does in fact go up with impairment.  At a blood alcohol content (BAC) of .08% (the legal limit) the likelihood of being in an accident is almost triple.  I forget whether he changed his view.

Anyway, I raise this because I came across this article from fivethirtyeight about how the first attempt at statistical analysis of soccer set England down the wrong path for years.  This guy, Charles Repp, meticulously collected data on his home side Swindon Town.  After poring over the information, he noticed that most goals came after plays involving three or fewer passes.  That became the mantra - get the ball down the field and shoot - don't focus on possession or passing.  And a lot of English managers, all the way up to the national team, bought into that philosophy.  Ah but here's the problem; soccer plays that involve three or fewer passes are like sober drivers - there are way more of them.  If you look at the probability of scoring, research shows that it goes up as you string together more passes.  What's the legal BAC for working with statistics?


The International Break

Sitting at the bottom of the hex with no points after two matches, the upcoming World Cup qualifiers at home vs Honduras (Friday kickoff at 10:50 pm on FS1. Really? 10:50?) and away to Panama (Tuesday kickoff at 10 pm on beInSports. Really? 10pm?) are probably more critical than anybody would prefer.  As many have pointed out, the ten game process does allow for some slip-ups but the US may have used all of its allotment.  The consensus seems to be that we need four points from these two matches.  Clearly the less nerve wracking approach would be to beat Honduras in San Jose on Friday and get a draw in Panama.

A recent rash of injuries means that Arena won't necessarily have his first choices out there.  But there is more depth to the squad so it's not necessarily a disaster.  I'd rather have Bobby Wood up top than Jozy Altidore, Fabian Johnson at right back over Orozco, and DeAndre Yedlin over Villafana at left back but these are capable players.  Both Clint Dempsey and Tim Howard are expected to start.  I wouldn't mind seeing Stoke City's Geoff Cameron get some time on the back line.  As with Newcastle, let's not head out to ledge until it's absolutely necessary.

World Cup qualifying also continues in Europe (March 24-26) and South America (March 23 and 28).  You'll be able so sample some of these matches on TV as indicated by these TV listings.  I'll probably check in on Uruguay-Brazil (Thursday at 7 pm on BeInSports) though the more interesting match that night is Argentina-Chile (7:30 if you get beIn Sports en Espanol).  Brazil and Uruguay are looking good for qualifying at 1-2 in the standings whereas Chile holds a one point lead over Argentina for the last automatic qualifier.  Other matches that might get a look are a Rooney-less England vs Lithuania at noon on Sunday (FS2) and Ecuador-Colombia at 5 pm on Tuesday (BIS).

Back on the Ledge

Despite Newcastle's recent run of good results, it took less than hour of awful football on Saturday against Fulham for me to open the window and climb back out on the ledge again.  The final was 1-3 but the score flatters the Magpies.  The match was not televised but the accounts from the Chronicle Live indicated that absolutely nothing was working, Some hint that the squad was mentally tired after three tough road games.  The 51,000+ at St. James' Park were mostly supportive. The pundits are counseling patience, that this was not a disaster.  From across the sea it felt that way but they do have a point.  Even after the fiasco Newcastle are level with Brighton (but have a better goal differential) and lead Huddersfield by six.  Treat it as a wake up call and be ready for Birmingham.


Midnight for Cinderellas

Reality hit hard for the non-Premier League sides in the FA Cup Quarterfinals, as Lincoln City was easily handled by Arsenal 0-5 and Millwall went down to Tottenham 0-6.  Still a great run for both teams that will have added some funds to the clubs' coffers.  Man City put a 2-0 loss on Middlesbrough, which did little to bolster manager Aitor Karanka's standing (more on that below).

Antonio Conte advances on Jose Mourinho to complain about a foul
 CREDIT: MATTHEW IMPEY/REX/SHUTTERSTOCK

The only interesting match of the quarterfinals - and probably for the wrong reasons - was Chelsea's narrow 1-0 win over Manchester United.  My summary for the first the first 30+ minutes was that Chelsea were pretty much dominating and Man United's marching orders were clearly to foul the crap out of Eden Hazard.  Finally, at about 35 minutes, in response to another foul on Hazard, referee Michael Oliver calls MUN captain Chris Smalling over and points to Hazard and basically says the next guy who fouls him is going to get a yellow for persistent infringement.  [Note that this is specifically addressed in the Laws of the Game; persistent infringement can be for multiple fouls by one person or a pattern of fouling an individual on the other team.]  I thought Oliver showed some leniency in waiting as long as he did to issue the warning.  Not sure a second had run off the clock after the restart when Ander Herrera fouls, wait for it, Eden Hazard.  Yeah, it was a soft foul but this was just stupid on Herrera's part.  Herrara already had a yellow so he was sent off.  The Special One just smirked but Oliver got it right.  Things got even more tense minutes later when Alonso was fouled, prompting Conte to advance on Mourinho.

Wait, what about the game?   I had expected Chelsea to run over Man United after going a man up and to some extent they did.  Except the Blues could only manage one goal and the match remained tense until the final whistle.  Indeed, Man United had some decent chances of their own.  But the one goal was enough.  So the semis at Wembley will be Tottenham-Chelsea and Arsenal-Man City.  The magic part of the FA Cup is over and giants will fight for the trophy.


Meanwhile...

The abbreviated EPL schedule didn't offer a whole lot to take in.  Hull got a big win over Swansea to move into 18th place but more importantly, kept the Swans from putting more distance between themselves and the relegation zone.  Liverpool got an important win over Burnley to solidify their position in the top four.  Everton have quietly done a nice job recently and their 3-0 win over West Brom has put them in the gap between upper mid-table and lower top table.  Probably too late for a top four challenge but they are possibly in the Europa League mix.

A word of warning.  Not all clubs have played the same number of matches at this point so you need to take that into account when viewing the table.  Exhibit A is Arsenal, who are five points out of 4th but have two games in hand compared to Liverpool and one compared to Man City and Tottenham.  Same thing at the bottom of the table.


Another One Bites the Dust

Middlesbrough fired manager Aitor Karanka on Thursday.  We noted last week that Boro had slipped into the relegation zone and some of Karanka's woes are chronicled here.  The Board might have been swayed by the quick turnaround by Swansea and Leicester after changing managers.  Of course, if everybody in the relegation zone employs this strategy (as five of the six bottom clubs have already done), some will necessarily fail as three clubs will still go down.  And the only club that hasn't sacked its manager - Sunderland - are at the bottom of the table yet it appears likely that David Moyes will make it through the whole season.  Moyes would be the first Sunderland manager to do that since 2011.


The Away Goal's the Thing

Celebrating his appointment as permanent manager (at least until the end of the season) Craig Shakespeare and his Leicester side clearly benefited from the use of away goals as the tiebreaker for Champions League matchups.  Down 1-2 after the trip to Sevilla, the Foxes away goal set them up nicely for the home match; a 1-0 win would be enough to send them through.  Captain Morgan (not the pirate) provided that goal in the 27th minute.  A second goal by Albrighton provided a little cushion but even at 2-0, a goal by Sevilla would have sent the match into extra time.  But Leicester held on and are going to the quarterfinals.  Sorry about that Bob K.

Despite a two goal lead (5-3) over Monaco, Manchester City, with their defensive woes, were at risk by dint of the three away goals surrendered.  Monaco like to attack and got the required two goals to advance in less than 30 minutes.  A 71st minute tally by Sane briefly put the Citizens back on top but six minutes later Bakayoko put Monaco level on aggregate.  The 3-1 final meant a 6-6 aggregate score so Monaco advance on the basis of more away goals.  Actually a great series to watch for the neutral.

Arsenal had already departed last week with a 2-10 loss to Bayern Munchen; away goals were not a factor there, as the Gunners were well-beaten at home and on the road.  So the EPL is left with Leicester as the lone representative in the quarterfinals.  We note that Atletico also advance with a 4-2 aggregate win over Bayer Leverkusen.  The last sentence was added in hopes that Michael B will comment on something other than us not writing about La Liga sides.


Who Are These Guys?

Herbers leaves Vazquez in the dust:Philly Soccer Page

Walking to Talen Energy Stadium from the car, Jeff H and I were debating whether we had sufficient clothing to deal with the 30 degree temperature and agreeing that a draw against Toronto FC would be a good result for the Union.  And then we saw our guys play.  What a difference from last week. Every aspect of the game was better.  The midfield play was particularly improved.  The Union were on the front foot the entire first half.  Bedoya was an integral part of the attack, Derrick Jones continued to show good judgment on holding and distributing the ball, and newcomer Med made some killer passes.  On the defensive side Onyewu had another solid game, intercepting passes by being in the right place, adding a level of physicality we've not typically seen from the Union and providing a calming influence on the squad.

The work paid off with Simpson's first Union goal at 11 minutes, unfortunately at the cost of a rib injury.  The lead should have been 2-0 after Herbers (who also had a good game) was pulled down in the box but Bedoya's PK attempt slammed against the cross bar.  And all the Union's hard work in the half went for naught when Mark Geiger called a soft penalty against Jones for allegedly fouling Altidore.  At the stadium we had no clue if it was a good call and the videos aren't great but they don't seem to show any actual contact by Jones.

Second half the Union weren't quite as dominate but still in the match.  They fell asleep on a Toronto free kick and found themselves down 1-2 at 71 minutes.  Note to others in my section; Morrow was not close to being offsides (check the replay or read the rules or both) so stop bitching at the AR.  Good on the Union to not give up and C.J. Sapong (who replaced the injured Simpson) made a nice move in the box to level things just two minutes later.  So another draw, but this time with lots of positives.  Walking back to the car, Jeff and I reminded ourselves that we said we'd be happy with a draw.  The only problem was that we felt like a win was within our grasp.


Chester win Premier League

Into mid-April in virtual time.  Chester were unceremoniously bounced out of the Champions League by Read Madrid but put in a great effort against Liverpool to make it to the FA Cup final.  More importantly, we clinched a second straight EPL title with four matches to play.  Defensively the Blues have been solid but the offense has been inconsistent.  Scouts are already working on our plans for the summer transfer window.


Full Slate in Advance of International Break

A somewhat indifferent set of EPL fixtures this weekend.  Two I'll be watching are Man City-Liverpool Sunday at 12:30 on NBCSN and Tottenham (who will be missing Harry Kane for at least four weeks) hosting Southampton at 10:15 Sunday also on NBCSN.  Will be interesting to see if Janssen ups his game this time or if others like Son and Dele pick up the scoring slack in Kane's absence.   Arsenal will need to be careful at West Brom (8:30 Saturday NBCSN) but Chelsea will probably be okay at Stoke (11 am Saturday NBCSN).

Could be a tough weekend at the bottom of the table though maybe there are some points to be had.  Middlesbrough will test their new manager against Man United while Hull travel to Goodison Park to face Everton - don't see results for either of those.  Better prospects might be Crystal Palace hosting Watford or Sunderland-Burnley.  Leicester are hot so maybe they can get something on the road at West Ham.  Swansea might be able to nick a point at Bournemouth.  But in general, doesn't feel like there will be big changes in the relegation race.

Moving to the Championship Division, Newcastle travel to Birmingham; the Magpies made easy work of this team in the home fixture witnessed live by Five Men From US on our soccer junket in December.  So of course, we thinking the worst here.  Huddersfield travel to Bristol City with every expectation of three points (live on BeIN Sports Friday at 3:45 if you can tear yourself away from the March Madness).  Brighton has a tricky fixture at Leeds but will probably take all three points.

The Union travel to Orlando for a match Saturday at 7:30 - check your local listings for that one.

Next week we'll be talking about perhaps the most important international break the USMNT has faced in awhile.  With matches against Honduras home next Friday and Panama away on Tuesday, their position in World Cup qualifying is at stake.

Seven of Nine

Seven of Nine from Star Trek: Voyager

No, not the Star Trek: Voyager character played by Jeri Ryan, although I've included her picture in case any Trekkies end up here because of this post's title.  I'm talking about how many points Newcastle took home from three away matches in eight days with the three top rivals for promotion.  To be honest, it's more than I would have hoped for.  And frankly, with a few unlucky breaks, the total could have been as little as two.

In the last post I described Newcastle's unlikely come-from-behind win at Brighton.  Saturday, the Magpies ceded 75% possession to Huddersfield and had just two shots on target yet came away with a 3-1 win.  How is this possible?  Well, Newcastle got what some accounts suggest was a dubious PK to take an early 1-0 lead.  At 32 minutes, Daryl Murphy added a second, though some accounts suggest he kicked the ball out the keeper's hand.  Huddersfield got one back with a possibly dubious PK of their own to ensure that the final 20 minutes would be tense.  Gayle ended the drama, assisted by this awesome gaffe by the keeper, who was scrambling to get back into position after coming forward for a late corner.  Yes, this could have easily ended 0-0.  Tuesday in Reading, the play was actually better but the Magpies could not break through.  Reading had a shot that slammed off the crossbar at 94 minutes so this one could have been a 0-1 loss.

Newcastle have seen their share of questionable calls and bad luck so some of this is just a natural evening out of things.  I only got to watch one of the three matches but it seemed like Rafa took a page out of other teams' strategy against the Magpies - that is, keep things tight at the back and take your chances when you can.  The only goals surrendered in the three games were both dubious penalty calls so the defense certainly did its job.  Newcastle enter the weekend with a three point lead over Brighton and a nine point lead over Huddersfield (who have a game in hand).  Certainly nothing is wrapped up but this is a lot better than sitting behind Brighton with Huddersfield just a point or two back.


Public Service

BFS continues to provide a valuable service to the soccer community - watching dreadful Union matches so you don't have to.  Sunday night's season opener in Vancouver was simply awful for the viewers.  One of our readers, who shall go unnamed, admitted to falling asleep during the match; we'll give him a pass because it was late Sunday night.

 Derrick Jones in action against vancouverDARRYL DYCK/CANADIAN PRESS/AP

On the positive side, a point on the road against a decent squad is just fine.  Two standouts for me were Blake (no surprise) and teenager Derrick Jones, who had played his way into the starting lineup as a defensive midfielder. Check out this analysis from the Brotherly Game on the work of Jones.  Money quote for me:

After the match, Jones’ ability to track back and provide cover for the backline in addition to controlling much of the midfield with decisive outlet passes earned him heaps of praise.

Debuts for Jay Simpson and Haris Medjunanin (who's going to need a short nickname) were more subdued.  Simpson had virtually no service so there's little to go on.  "Med" was one of the reasons Simpson had little to work with.  Just one game but hoping to see more from both of them.


Something For Everybody

Quite a collection of EPL matches this past weekend.  The featured Liverpool-Arsenal clash did not disappoint.  Some incredible attacking skills by Liverpool had them up 2-0 at the half but Danny Welbeck brought the Gunners in range with a 57th minute strike.  Great up and down stuff the rest of the way until Wijnaldum's goal in stoppage time put the finishing touches on a 3-1 win.  But Chelsea kept its lead safe with a solid 2-1 win over West Ham that wasn't really that close (Hammers goal came late in stoppage time).  Similarly, the 3-2 final makes the Tottenham-Everton match sound close but it wasn't.  A ferocious press had Spurs in control most of the way.  Man City had no trouble with Sunderland, winning 2-0.  Most interesting match that few people saw might have been the Southampton-Watford goal fest that ended with the Saints winning 4-3.

The Man United-Bournemouth game held my attention but maybe for the wrong reasons.  The Cherries were not making it easy for MUN and the score was 1-1 late in the first half.  Then, Bournemouth defender Tyrone Mings stepped on a prone Ibrahimovic's face and seconds later Ibra returned the favor with an elbow to Mings' face.  Neither was carded but Bournemouth's Andrew Surman got his second booking for dissent and was sent off.  We'll return to this later.  Against my better judgment I continued to watch.  But 10 man Bournemouth did a credible job keeping things level.  Ibra's PK at 71 minutes could have won it but he was denied by keeper Artur Boruc.  Incredibly, Bournemouth held on for precious point while Man United gave up another two points at Old Trafford to a lower table side they should be thrashing, especially up a man.

At the time, Bournemouth felt hard done by the decision that left them, not Man United, a man down. But Mings could have easily been sent off too so the likely outcome would have been a 10 v 9 second half.  That Kevin Friend did not book either gave the post-match disciplinary process the chance to play out.  The Cherries are also squawking that Mings got a five match ban while Ibra only got three.  I think the difference is that Ibra didn't request a hearing.

Some shuffling of things at the bottom of the table.  Leicester and Crystal Palace both logged their second consecutive wins while Swansea got a big win over Burnley.  Leicester, Swansea and Bournemouth are now five clear of relegation and Palace moved out of the bottom three.  Middlesborough, an 0-2 loser to Stoke fell into 18th while Hull and Sunderland bring up the rear.


Roly-poly Keeper

We wrote about Wayne Shaw's story a few weeks.  Chestnut Hill Local editor Pete Mazzacaro (who wrote about the Five Men from US and is an avid Union and Liverpool supporter) offered some additional thoughts on the story in an Op-ed piece entitled "There Are No More Heroes."  Money quote for me:

Even more difficult is the continuing reminder that we can’t really have heroes. Even the most harmless among us have the habit of imploding in the spotlight when the same media forces that work so hard to elevate us, work just as swiftly to take us down. We want so much for the Wayne Shaws of the world to succeed, but it never seems to work out that way.

There was a misdeed here - it was indeed a betting impropriety as friends of Shaw benefited from his knowledge of the odds - but it was outside of the context of the sport itself.  If he lost his job over the optics as opposed to the transgression itself, that does seem excessive.


FA Cup Quarters

Will make hash of this weekend's EPL schedule.  Still, I'll be interested in Hull-Swansea City at 10 am Saturday on CNBC; the Swans could really put some distance between themselves and the relegation zone with this one.  Liverpool-Burnley might be a good one too at noon on Sunday (NBCSN)

Fox Sports will have the FA Cup action.  Saturday is Middlesbrough-Man City (7:15 FS1) and Arsenal-Lincoln City (12:30 FS2).  Both Sunday's games are on FS1 with Tottenham hosting Millwall at 10 and Chelsea taking on Man United at Stamford Bridge.

No interruption for the Championship Division since none of the clubs remain in the competition.  The top three all have tricky matches.  Newcastle are back home (is that necessarily a good thing?) but face a decent Fulham side, who beat the Magpies at Craven Cottage earlier this year.  Hoping there is no let down after that tough string of away matches plus sometimes Newcastle can be a little shaky at home.  Brighton are home as well but face a good Derby team while Huddersfield are on the road to 12th place Brentford.   Oddsmakers have all three favored to win.

I'll be making my first trek of the year to Talen Energy Stadium to freeze my ass off take in the Union home opener against Toronto.  Though at home, this is tougher competition that Sunday's match at Vancouver.  Sebastian Giovinco and Jozy Altidore will likely keep the Union defense busy.  A draw against this squad would be a good result.

Now, where is my long underwear?

Four Points the Hard Way

Sometimes in golf I'll have a 20 foot putt that I totally mess up and make it say, half way to the hole. Then I drain the difficult 10 footer.  Okay, it was always going to be two putts but did I have to make it so hard?  Newcastle managed the football equivalent this week by stumbling to a 2-2 draw at St. James' Park against lowly Bristol then rallying for a come-from-behind 2-1 win against then first-place Brighton.  Four points was a reasonable goal for the week but damn, the Magpies had to do it the hard way, the really hard way.

Down 0-2 early to Bristol, the Magpies spent the rest of game peppering the goal with shots, for a long time with no success.  Lost track of how many times the online commentary was "He really should have scored there."  They eventually got things level and even had a few chances to win.  In the end, it was two points lost and they were lucky it wasn't worse.

Now the trip to Brighton became a tricky but must make 10 foot putt.  And of course, Newcastle fell behind early.  Though many will dispute Bobby Madley's award of a PK to Brighton, the resulting 1-0 lead was not entirely undeserved.  Watching on beIN Sports, I could feel the existential question brewing - why am I following this team?  Then they started to play better, even dominating play, but without scoring.  I lost track of how many times I said "he really should have scored there."  This is a theme to which we shall return.

Newcastle then got an amazing stroke of luck.  Christian Atsu totally scuffed a shot that spun off at a 45 degree angle towards Mo Diame, who adjusted his leg in an attempt to make any kind of contact and sent this soft lofted ball just over the Brighton keeper's reach.  Nothing lucky about the game winner.  A beautiful long ball from Ritchie which Atsu crossed (intentionally this time) into the box, which Perez fired between (through?) the legs of several defenders for a game winner.   Easily this week's YouTubeableMoment for me.

What amazes me is how Newcastle continue to get points (21 of 27 possible since loss to Blackburn) when they are really not playing all that well.  Wait, that doesn't apply to the back line.  But they can stink up the place for about twenty minutes with sloppy midfield play, then dominate without scoring.  Gayle may be back sooner than expected, which will help.  I'm not totally down on Gouffran but if Newcastle play a lone striker, I'd much prefer it be Daryl Murphy in Gayle's absence.   Even if he's not scoring, it seems like somebody is when Murphy's on the pitch.


Relegation's the Thing

Some quick observations on the abbreviated EPL fixtures last weekend.  Chelsea shrugged off a late first half goal from Swansea and stopped the Swans attempt to break away from the relegation pack with a 3-1 victory.  Harry Kane found his scoring touch and Tottenham rebounded from some recent disappointments about as well as Spurs fans could have hoped in a 4-0 win over Stoke.

Down in Relegation Land, Jamie Vardy and Leicester only added fuel to the speculation fire that a) there was a mutiny against Claudio Ranieri and b) Jamie Vardy led the mutiny.  Under caretaker manager Craig Shakespeare, Vardy scored twice (first EPL goals for him since December 10th) and the whole squad looked much more like the Foxes we saw last year.  Rumors are flying that former England manager Roy Hodgson is set to take the helm for Leicester.  And for Liverpool, this is their third loss to a side which recently sacked their manager (2-3 loss to Swansea in January, 0-2 loss to Hull in February).  The spread from 15th to 20th is five points and if Bournemouth are not careful, they'll soon find themselves tangled up in this relegation fight too.


Hardware for Mourinho and Manchester United

Ibrahimovic scores the winner for Man United

Hope you had a chance to watch this more than worthy exhibition of the beautiful game.  Man United went 2-0 in the first half despite Southampton having the run of play.  Southampton continued to dominate in the second half and drew level with two from January acquisition Manolo Gabbiadini. From there it was back and forth with neither side able to break through, leaving me to fear that a great match like this was going to be decided by kicks from the spot.  Though I would have preferred to see Southampton take home the hardware, I was happier to see the game decided without the dreaded spot kicks.  And Zlatan Ibrahimovic's header off a Herrera cross was an emphatic game winner.  Only downer for me was that Southampton likely had an early goal disallowed for an incorrect offside call.  All in all, a great watch.


Virtual Update

Real life has limited my time on the virtual pitch but Chester did manage to smash Notts 5-0 in the FA Cup 5th round replay, squeak by Birmingham 1-0 in the 6th round and beat West Ham 3-1 in league play.  We'll face Liverpool in the FA Cup semi.  Champions League not looking so good as we head into the second leg, at Real Madrid, down 1-2.  Ouch, two away goals.

From Football Manager Stole My Life, we have this excerpt from when author Iain Macintosh submitted to a real session with a therapist to determine if he had a problem.

Therapist - Is it a problem? Or is it just something you enjoy? Is it negatively impacting anything in your life?

Macintosh - Well, sometimes my wife gets offended if she's watching a Jennifer Aniston movie and I play it on my laptop on the sofa next to her.

Therapist - Well, you've got a problem.

Macintosh - I have?

Therapist - Yes, Jennifer Aniston movies are almost exclusively awful.

Macintosh - It's not just me, is it?

Therapist - Nope.

Schedule

Newcastle stress test continues with away match at Huddersfield; maybe they'll still be shellshocked after 1-5 loss midweek to Man City in the FA Cup replay.  Then the Magpies again have to turn around quickly to face Reading, again away, on Tuesday.  The chase pack will be taking on mid to bottom table sides.  Losses would not be devastating but would leave Newcastle with a bunch of 10 foot putts for the rest of the season.  Two points from these matches would be just fine, mostly by denying points to key rivals.  Saturday's match is not televised, probably because beIN Sports is running La Liga or some similar nonsense.  Hoping that maybe Tuesday match will be on.

A so-so set of fixtures in the EPL.  Probably want to check out Liverpool-Arsenal (12:30 Saturday, NBCSN I think but it might be moved to CNBC) and Tottenham-Everton (8:30 Sunday NBCSN).  Chelsea will likely be okay but need to be careful on the road to West Ham (Monday 3 pm NBCSN).  Man United has Bournemouth at home (7:30 Saturday NBCSN) and while City goes to the Stadium of Desperation to face Sunderland (Sunday 11 am NBCSN).

For those who like their matches with a dash of relegation, I recommend Leicester-Hull (Saturday 10 am CNBC).  If their revival is real, the Foxes should be able to deal with Hull, especially at home.

Don't forget, the Union kicks off the 2017 season in Vancouver Sunday night at 9:30.  Here's a few articles from SoccerAmerica Daily including What's New  and a team-by-team Ranking.  At 17th, the projection will not thrill Union supporters but it does hold out hope of a better upside depending on the performance of newcomers.

And some of us will also be taking in the USATF Track and Field Indoor Championships this weekend.  Clear the dvrs!