Blog Archives
Liverpool Football Club: England’s answer to Barcelona?
Liverpool: Focus on training
Okay – before you stop doing whatever it was you were doing to fall off your chair in fits of laughter at the title of this article, I have a confession to make:
As a passionate Liverpool fan I have in the past been accused by friends of being outrageously biased towards my beloved team – over-hyping our chances, exaggerating our achievements, and basically defending any action of any manager and player wearing the famous red shirt – something I vehemently deny!
So when comparing today’s Liverpool team to that of the modern-day Barcelona, who are still fresh from their Champions League final mauling of Manchester United – I instantly knew I’d be setting myself up for extreme derision and abuse. Surely this is just another outlandish claim from a typically blinkered Liverpool fan.
How can Liverpool, who finished 6th and 7th in the last two premiership seasons, were on the brink of administration and aren’t even close to be being the best team in England, be compared to a Barcelona team who have just won La Liga, the Champions League and arguably elevated themselves to the mantle of best club team ever?
Well, the answer is they can’t. Even the most deluded fan would feel silly making such a comparison… but is there even a tiny grain of truth in that opening statement after all?
The similarities may surprise you… Read the rest of this entry
Caring Wenger ensures Wilshire stays in good health for club and country
Wilshire: Exploited
By Tom Gaunt
Towards the end of last season Arsene Wenger stated that his English midfield prodigy Jack Wilshire could play for either the under-21′s or the senior team, but not both. On the face of it this seems fair, after all we do not want Wilshire burning out, especially with his rise to prominence in the senior team. In fact we should applaud Wenger for being so caring about the health of his young players, wanting them to have long, injury-free careers for both club and country. However if we dig a little deeper the picture of the caring nurturing manager changes somewhat. at the tender age of 19 Jack Wilshire has been played an extraordinary 49 times this season, hardly the behavior of a manager concerned of a young players health and more likely a manager so desperate for success that player health goes out the window. Maybe this is a little harsh, considering the fact that Arsenal did face severe injury woes this season, although nonetheless hypocritical to suggest England are taking advantage of him and overplaying him. Read the rest of this entry
Should he stay or should he go? Fab faces dilemma
Fabregas: 'Armless fun
By Tom Gaunt
As Cesc Fabregas trudged off the pitch following another Arsenal collapse, this time against mid-table Bolton, the expression on his face spoke a thousand words. Of course he was disappointed and upset at losing, but there also seemed to be a sense of despair. After 7 years at Arsenal he only has an FA Cup Winners medal to show for it. He is one of the most talented midfielders in the world and has been courted for some time by Barcelona, his childhood team, yet in a world where Footballers change team quicker than you can say “Pini Zahavi” Fabregas has stayed loyal to the team and to the manager who has nurtured that talent. Read the rest of this entry
