To see Sam Allardyce exit in such a way is very painful, both for football and England in general. Okay my bias is because I am a football student and I’m talking purely football matters and nothing else.
Finally England got an indigenous manager who knew what he was doing – Sports Science, data analysis, statistics, psychology, fitness and player performance – and who could really take England far with his tactical and technical knowhow, so how could this have happened?
They say once beaten is twice shy and Big Sam has been here before, several years ago with the bungs allegation and secret filming, so to see it happen again several years later makes me wonder who or why wanted him to fail so badly.
Never relegated from the premiership with any club, Big Sam pioneered the Sports Science revolution in England, long before any manager did – yes not even Sir Alex or Arsene Wenger – and used those methods to defeat the big boys year in, year out.
His Great Escape with Sunderland last season remains fresh in my memory – he used everything from pictures, to quotes, to motivation, to cyro therapy – and he would probably be remembered for those exploits alongside his sojourn with and transformation of Bolton FC, during his spell there.
English media have claimed another scalp and have given the FA another job to do: find the New England manager. Oh dear!
WENGER CELEBRATES IN STYLE
3-0 and it wasn’t even break time yet! Arsenal outclassed, outfought and out paced Chelsea at the Emirates on Saturday.
Perhaps it’s a statement of intent from the Emirate flyers, or a timely reminder to the rest of the EPL that the Gunners are not done yet, even if Arsene is on his last legs.
Credit to Arsenal, the pace was electric and Ivanovic, Cahill, Luiz and Azpi could not cope at all as the boys in red and white came at Chelsea, firing salvos from every angle. The second goal was a beauty to watch and even the third goal reminds one of the classic training ground drills of how to finish in a 2v2 situation.
To Chelsea, I have been repeatedly saying that the problem with the players is in the head and not the feet, so therefore the ghosts of last season came from beneath the turf again bringing with it a catalogue called errors.
From Cahill’s slip to Hazard’s absence, to Luiz’s free escort/concierge service, it was an absolute disaster; Cahill gave us a perfect replay of the goal conceded against Swansea, only this time, there was no foul and no referee to blame, just a school boy error and one he needs to get out of his head. How long Conte can wait before he brings a long term partner for Zouma is the question on everyone’s lips.
As for the 2nd goal, when Eden Hazard started his ‘displays’ at the beginning of the season, he was asked how he and his team mates have embraced the new manager and his coaching methods; and his response was “He has played football before, so he understands us and he allows us to play freely. He tells us what to do and how to organise with and without the ball” Oh well, I don’t think Hazard’s defending or lack of it was part of that manual, or is it?
I have heard some pundits applaud Conte for ‘giving Hazard the license to play freely and not come back to defend’ but even Ronaldo tracks back in big games until the objectives are met.
Hazard was to blame for that 2nd goal – reminiscence of Chelsea vs Atletico Madrid champions league semi-final two seasons ago – and with such an attitude, you wouldn’t blame colleagues and coaching staff if they feel let down and express their feelings.
And then David Luiz! Sold for £50m in one of the best triumphs of sales management ; How to sell a snake and pass it for a cat in a sac. PSG bought a defensive midfielder and thought they bought a defender – a bargain for Chelsea FC, after taking several miles off David Luiz – so at what point did Abramovich and his board not realise that to bring him back from Paris this was another inevitable disaster in the market place? Was it while playing for Brazil? During playback of previous disastrous displays at Chelsea? Or during his time in Paris?
If you don’t get what you want, then wait for it and don’t panic, Chelsea panicked with David Luiz and now we have begun to see what happens when you make such a mistake.
How Conte manages the next few days may go a long way in determining the length of his tenure at the Bridge, because some have been known to throw the bibs out of the cot in recent years. As for Roman, he always has his guillotine nearby and depending on his mood and what he has for lunch, he could wield his axe anytime.
JOSE FINALLY USES HIS STRENGTHS
The forty minute demolition of Leicester was a welcome lunch time distraction at Old Trafford on Saturday, as United ran riot with a young team against a dumbfounded Leicester City team.
That Jose Mourinho dropped Wayne Rooney from the starting line up was not a surprise to me after watching the midweek game at Northampton.
Jose had tried Wayne in every possible position upfront – giving him the freedom of the park – and starting him as the main striker on Wednesday was Jose’s last role of the dice and Wayne didn’t impress either.
If Jose dropped Wayne against Leicester to send a message to the team that nobody is invincible, it worked; against Leicester and in his absence, Mata, Pogba and Herrera moved swiftly and interchanged perfectly, Lingard and Rashford ran rings around Leicester in a fifty yard zone close to goal, while Zlatan gave Huth and his defensive partner headache all afternoon, as everything worked a treat.
Has Jose found his team? Maybe, or maybe not, but with the Europa League coming up on Thursday, some of those who sat in the stands and on the bench on Saturday, would get the chance to confuse Jose even more as he tries to find a team that is good enough to challenge for the League title.
Has he got those players? Someone once said, that average, is the enemy of good and good is the antagonist of great. For United to become successful again, Jose has to decide quickly the great, the good and the average in his squad so United can once again be a force to be reckoned with in English football.
LIVERPOOL CONTINUE TO IMPRESS AS CITY DOMINATE
Liverpool continued their impressive start to the league with another scintillating display against Hull over the weekend. Pace, skill and technique finished Hull off in the opening minutes as they were reduced to ten men.
The Klopp brand is winning and I hear a certain club side in Bavaria is lining up a return to German football for Mr Klopp. Who else could possibly tempt Jurgen Klopp away from English football other than a team with history, titles, character and huge fan base? Yes, you guessed right, it’s the almighty Bayern Munich, already planning for life after Carlo Ancelloti. If you’re a Liverpool fan you would be worried because whoever Bayern desire, they eventually get and such is the immense power that lie within that colossal football club in Germany. I hope Jurgen Klopp gets the chance to finish his job at Liverpool, because their brand is fresh, exciting, and imposing, reminding one of the glory days, once enjoyed at Anfield, either way however, football only has much to gain from Mr Klopp.
Pep Guardiola’s protégés continue to dazzle the EPL and the watching world with their impressive football. Possession possession and possession, but always with an end goal in sight, that is to stick the ball at the back of the net.
The fact that goalkeeper and defenders have not conceded more than they’ve scored is a remarkable testament to Guardiola’s football principle founded on hard work and humility. Managing his squad is another challenge however as he has fallen out with super stars in recent years in several clubs, questioning his ability to side step landmines and avoid the pot holes.
How he copes in the premiership eventually; deal with an overly demanding press, cope with the intrusive spotlight of the pundits and experts and find a way to deliver in a manner that would be proportional to the array of multiple talents in this excellent City side, remains to be seen. Nevertheless, Guardiola has started on a very positive note, with a promise of even more to come.