Let's Hear It For The Boy
There was a debate on the radio this week about whether the current Manchester United side are the best footballing side in the fourteen year history of the Premiership.
I'm not sure about that, I hate to say it but the Arsenal side that three years ago beat Everton (at the time 4th) 6-0 at home in one of the last matches of the season must run it close.
What I do know is that this season we have seen a tremendous raw talent just get better and better. Watching Cristiano Ronaldo against Bolton last Saturday was as good as football gets, against Middlesbrough on the Monday night he seemed to get even better. His detractors will say he falls over to easy, but those detractors support rival clubs and ignore the ease at which Robben, Cole, Henry, Bellamy etc go down - professional footballers these days 'draw the foul' something a certain Mr Lineker perfected in the 1990 Wold Cup Finals.
He has been the player of the season without doubt, Frank Lampard would be a close second and Jamie Carragher third. For a midfield player to score more than twenty goals in a season before the end of March, which is what Ronaldo and Lamps have done, is fantastic.
The Premiership is interesting, no fascinating, if you are a neutral. You have Manchester United who play the traditonal Old Trafford way with flair, directness and creativity. Then there's Chelsea who have the discipline, the team ethic (personified by Didier Drogba) and the never say die attitude. Arsenal who won't abandon their play it to death policy regardless of the fact that it is a style out of tune with this century and Liverpool who are in a period of transition.
Chelsea are very much the English Juventus or current Real Madrid (both managed by Capello) in that they have a fan base raised on entertainment but who are eschewing that in favour of actually winning things. It is a style out of kilter with the ambitions of the owner who this week has been sounding out Frank Rijkaard for the job in May. What Chelsea have done over the past two years is bring organisation and in play positional rotation onto the pitch. If any of the top four sides could marry that to Manchester United's flair, Arsenal's creativity and Liverpool's support they'd be unstoppable.
3 comments:
I completely agree about Ronaldo, every time I've watched him this season he's ben better than the last. He's harnessed that step over into something that is devastating and he scares defences shitless by running about as fast as any premiership player has run at a defence, he's going to end up world class.
Hi Six - how's the triathlon training going or is work consuming all your spare time? Let us know if you have a spare minute.
The triathlon training is bloody hard work to tell you the truth Paul. The boys are so much work so I'm fitting it in when I can. I've got 2 months to go now and I think I'll be alright probably not quite as fit as I'd like, but I'll get round.
Work is fine thanks, I'm not working very long hours, but I'm straight in to house mode when I get home because Nic is doing a course and that's taking up 4 nights of the week so I've just got no tme to blog. I will put something up soon.
Post a Comment