Sunday, 12 May 2019

THE PLAGUES: CHELSEA VERSION

After another difficult and wildly inconsistent season, Chelsea has a lot to look back on. They've made the Europa Finals, they made the Carabao Cup finals on one hand and on the other hand, limped out of the champions league and have played a majority of the season like a bunch of semi pros trying to perfect the art passing (which has already been done), just like the guys next door. They too have not been spared by the plagues that hit the big teams this season.

PLAGUE 1: INSANE SARRI

Einstein said, 'Insanity is doing the same thing over and over again and expecting different results'. Either Sarri didn't get the message, or he smoked it all away with his brilliance.
Sarri came to England to mesmerize it with Jorginho and Sarriball. He has failed so far in two respects. He charmed us for 10 games (or so) and made Jorginho look bad. His style has no substance and is as useful and effective as Steven Gerrard's plans to topple Celtics from the pinnacle of Scottish football. It doesn't win but he's still sticking to it. He's addicted to it like Tony Montana and gave him and Chelsea fans a high that was short lived. Now, this is taking Chelsea down a path of mediocrity and dourness that has only been seen over at Old Trafford and this will lead to his demise as the Chelsea boss.  In short, Sarri and his winless Sarriball has dogged Chelsea all season. His refusal to get a plan B makes it worse. Defeats to Wolves, Bournemouth and a demoralising 6-0 loss to City (How are you guys holding up?) among many other disappointing a dour performances have hindered what looked like a winning season.

PLAGUE 2: EDEN HAZARD

Now wait! Before you crucify me and label me a heretic or a guy who knows nothing about what he talks about, hear me out. Hazard has been marvellous this season chalking up some career numbers. Simultaneously, he has hindered Chelsea because he wasn't sure he wanted to be there. You can't fault him for that. He doesn't want to be there but he wants to be a god in their  eyes. He plays when he wants to (to get that move) and when he feels it won't yield anything, he simply doesn't show up. His refusal to commit to a new deal coupled with vague comments about his future shows where his commitments and psyche lie.
Now crucify me !

The Jekyll and Hyde nature of Chelsea's season has been fun to watch as a neutral and this is as a result of their own creation.
Get back to the top Blues, we can't have some sleeping giants wake up and get back up there.
For the sake of Humanity
And for the Love Of The Game.

Friday, 10 May 2019

THE PLAGUES: MANCHESTER UNITED VERSION


In a recent conversation with a random football lover on public transport, he asked me to name the greatest clubs of my lifetime and naturally I started off with Real Madrid, AC Milan, Barcelona, Manchester United, Bayern Munich and Celtic. He had a look of bewilderment as he muttered 'Manchester United?' and ended the  conversation. His reaction got me  wondering. I initially thought he's crazy and started watching football in 2006. Maybe he was not one for history but to disregard Manchester United as one of the greatest clubs was just saddening. I remained in deep thought while wondering what made him respond that way and had a bit of an epiphany! He must've been scarred by the recent history of  United. A period characterised by various plagues that have devastated The Theatre of Dreams and made it a nightmare of mediocrity!


PLAGUE 1: THE BOARD

The sorry combination of Edward Woodward and The Glazer Family as the leaders of Manchester United has been a nightmare for all concerned. Some might argue they have raked in enough money but the club is in debt, and the team is a mess. They have absolutely no idea as to how to run the club and seem to make decisions impulsively. 
Openly refusing to back managers in the transfer market as well while throwing away huge sums in gut wrenching deals to sign and resign players who have absolutely no business wearing a United kit! 

PLAGUE 2: JOSE MOURINHO AND OLE GUNNAR SOLSKJAER

Where do i start with this pair ? Chronologically of  course! Jose Mourinho got his dream job of managing the Red Devils (quite late) and led them to some success but never won the hearts of fans. His abrasive and seige mentality to football did not help in an era where footballers are more diva than man! Some appalling transfers coupled with mind numbing and ineffective football set the club back on a number of levels. His approach made him few friends and his replacement has been no better despite appearing to be the antidote to the venom Mourinho left at Carrington. He started well and like a charismatic yet brainless general, had the players on his side. As soon as the players realised his tactical limitations, they bailed out on him. You can't blame him but yet still we blame him. He showed a future that did not exist and got the job. A husband who appeared as an angel in the courting phase and became a demon after the wedding. Basically, United replaced a Ruthless yet Effective General with a Norwegian Gideon Pillow. 

PLAGUE 3: PAUL POGBA & DAVID DE GEA.

If Manchester United has been plagued, then Paul Pogba is the cause! He's the flea that carried the strain that has infected some otherwise weak and over hyped players. Sounds quite harsh to single him out but for a player who has not been good as he's made to seem and causing so much havoc, I'm being nice. Fans would gladly point out that this has been a career season for Pogba as he's put out some solid numbers but for him to attack his critics and give a flimsy excuse on how Messi and Ronaldo have altered the landscape is just mediocre. His venomous and ineffective ways infected some members of the squad and produced some horrendous displays. Truth is he's never been good enough and is nothing more than a Dabbing Mulumbu (no disrespect to Youssouf Mulumbu). 
David De Gea. A hero. Previously the light at the end of the tunnel, but now a bit of curse. De Gea has been the top player at United for some time now but has been tripped and fallen into abject the mediocrity that has engulfed United. His issues seem to be more of the psychological nature as his apparent inability to make the move to his dream destination and the feeling of injustice towards he and his country men has made him a laughing stock. His poor form will do him no good as it will in no way attract his dream team. We all can't live the dream Dave so get your head in the game.

It is no secret, The Redd Devils have been afflicted but unlike the Biblical Character Job, they have to get themselves out of this one. 
They broke it, they must fix it. 
For The Love Of The Game. 

Thursday, 2 May 2019

MESSI'S DOUBLE SINKS KLOPP'S LIVERPOOL.


The recently crowned Spanish champions dealt Liverpool's Champions League aspirations a telling blow after Messi's double and Suarez's opener ensured the English side traveled back home with a daunting task to overturn a 3-0 deficit next Tuesday.

As usual, as we all have become accustomed to, Messi once again was on alien-mode. In this game? Yes. In the next game ? Yes. And in every other game, yes ! During the build-up to this titanic clash, a lot was asked, about how to nullify the 31-year-old Argentine. In spite of this, stopping Lionel Messi completely was out of the question. He's simply unstoppable. For a player like him, with ridiculous abilities and skills, it's always strenuous, depressing and stressful to keep him under control especially in two high-profiled games.

In games in which slight margins and details separate both teams, Messi shows up to always decide the tie in his team's favour whenever he wants to. Wednesday night was no different, and yet again he made the impossible seem so normal. Whatever Jurgen Klopp planned on as the optimal strategy to halt Messi surely failed. Liverpool could have lost by a bigger margin had Barça been more clinical upfront. After the third goal, in the dying embers of the game, Dembele missed a sitter. Maybe a more confident Dembele would have slotted home such a glorious opportunity. And yes, Valverde's intuition to play Coutinho and Vidal ahead of Dembele and Arthur respectively really paid dividends.

Irrespective of the fact that Messi decided the game, Ernesto Valverde had his tactics spot on. His conservative approach was what allowed Barça to be rock solid at the back which made it difficult for Liverpool's front men to cause any havoc. After an even and well matched first-half, Liverpool started the second-half on the front foot, strongly and looked likely to restore parity by each passing moment. Mo Salah and Sadio Mane worked brilliantly on the flanks and looked menacing anytime they were in possession. The Merseyside team in fact pinned the home team deep in their own half and incessantly mounted pressure and attacks one after the other. Barca's defense never crumbled, succumbed or capitulated. Lenglet and Pique's partnership was just a delight, with their telepathy giving an impression as if they had played for years. Both were well composed and neatly timed each tackle. Ter Stegen also was superb. He made some great saves which kept Liverpool at bay especially in the second-half until the magical Messi decided to kill the contest. Enough was enough. His great awareness was exhibited as he converted Suarez's rebound off the post. Soon his second of the night followed. A free-kick so far away, almost impossible to convert, against a top-notch world-class Alisson who has already 20 clean-sheets in the Premier League if not more. Messi never really cared about the distance, he knows his abilities. He knows he has magic in his boots. Then he converted, highly demonic and unreal. Just unbelievable. The world was left in deep stupefaction. A technique just out of this world. The power, the speed, the accuracy. Full venom !

Everything about that goal summarized how great Messi has been all these years. Yes all these 12 years, maybe 15 years. He's changed the scripts in football and reinvented new ones. Isn't this what great players do ? Isn't he the best ever ? Isn't this magic ? How can you stop Messi ? How can u stop magic from happening ? That divine free-kick his 8th of the 2018/19 campaign, his personal best in any season. He has 12 UCL goals, he's also top scorer and assist leader in La Liga with 34 and 13 respectively. On Saturday against Levante in La Liga he came off the bench to clinch the title for Barça. After his promise to the Camp Nou faithfuls initially in the season, it looks as if he will deliver the Champions League too. The Copa Del Rey as well to complete the treble.

Where would Barça be without Messi ? With him they can believe, have no fear and are an unbelievable force.

Messi will spearhead this Barça team on Tuesday when they visit Liverpool at Anfield. Knowing Liverpool need four goals without response to qualify, an away goal from Barça will evidently end the contest.

As a Cule, embrace yourself for more magic, because Messi isn't done yet.

Credited to Bright N. B. Antwi