First week of the football season in the English Premier
League got over. Results were more or less expected and had just one
unexpected. Both Manchester teams did extremely well and the champions passed
the message that their managerial change did not tamper the cohesion of the
team. Third placed Chelsea did well under Jose Mourinho and justified his
return to the EPL. Transfer window is still open and all teams are more traffic
is expected between clubs in coming couple of weeks. Many refereeing decisions
were challenged in the first week itself and a mid week league game ended up in
a big spar between managers.
Most significant result of the week was the defeat of
Arsenal at Emirates Stadium against Aston Villa. Arsenal was one of the few
clubs was not at all active in the transfer market and this inactiveness
created huge uproar among the fans and the defeat created very chaotic scenario
in the Emirates stadium. Villa ended up as fifteenth position in the last
season and managed to escape from the relegation in the last two weeks. Before
the season started, Arsenal released a good number of unused or non-performing
players, sold out many fringe players and loaned out some of the first team
players. But they added only one player who was from a French club playing in
the second league of the country and it was a free transfer.
Much before the transfer window opened, the media was
propagating news about Arsenal by saying they have 70 million GBP in their bank
and will use it in this year to rebuild the team. Their flirtation with Luis
Suarez, the star striker of Liverpool, and the bid of 40million plus 1 pound
become the most frustrating element in the pre-season transfer saga. Liverpool
rejected the bid and refused to sell Suarez at any cost. By the time, on the
other side of London another transfer saga has grown into a different level. Real
Madrid showed an interest in Gareth Bale of Tottenham Hotspurs and attracted
whole attention to other side of North London. Spurs was very much active in
the transfer market and brought established players to fill the vacuum expected
by the transfer of Bale.
Inactiveness in the transfer market and over action of the
rival club just across the city added fuel to the agitation of Arsenal fans and
they demanded removal of Arsene Wenger, the longest serving manager in the EPL,
at present. Villa took advantage of handicapped Arsenal who lost a contingent
of players without proper replacement. Banners and placards appeared against
Wenger and the Arsenal supporters trust demanded to stall the contract
extension talks between club and manager. A red card of Laurent Koscielny and an
injury of Alex Oxlade Chamberlane, which keeps him three months out, depleted
the depth of team.
It will be unfair to take credit of the performance of
Aston Villa against Arsenal. They played against gunners with a proper game
plan, conviction and had good fire power in Christian Benteke and found enough
energy to unsettle Arsenal in Gabriel Agbonlahor. Paul Lambert did his homework
and implemented his game plan in right way. Depleted team, injuries and
physicality of the opposition team dented the game plan of Wenger ended up in
ugly scenes.
Manchester City, who spent nearly 100 million GBP, made a
4-0 victory against New Castle United, Chelsea who brought back their favorite
manager defeated the new comer Hull for 2-0 margin. The holding champion,
Manchester United who was also very inactive in the transfer market, under
their new manager David Moyes managed a 4-1 away victory against Swansea.
Liverpool and Tottenham defeated Stoke City and Crystal Palace respectively
with a score line of a solo goal.
No comments:
Post a Comment