WEEKEND MIRROR *Wenger falls again for Mourihno ... as indecisive Arsenal lose for the first time * Ronaldo reign supreme in La Liga * Serie A battle favours Juventus BY: ANYIANA UMANAH Its a public holiday and for football fans in Nigeria, it provides them with the ample time to savour and rue over the victory and defeat of their various clubs locally and internationally. Why not hang on as we peruse the uphill and the valley of what transpired round the ever-exciting world of football. You can call it the London war. It was a fight between two clubs which lay claim to the rulership and the pride of London as far as football is concern. Chelsea, the Supremo of the western part of London played host to Arsenal, the Emperor of the North London. Thus, the most populous city in the UK was agog with the clash of the Titans. Basking in the euphoria of the 4-1 demolition of Galatarsary in the Champions League which was the day Wenger celebrated his 18th year at the helm of affairs in Arsenal, Arsenals trip to Stamford Bridge was a dual mission journey. First, Wenger was on an image laundering and redemption trip as he is yet to mutter a win over Jose Mourihno in their past eleven (11) meetings. The second mission was to probably maintain their unbeaten start to the season. Unfortunately, things fell apart as the bridge collapsed on Wenger and his boys yet again. Being a faithful of the red and white jersey men, it was rather frustrating to see Arsenal letting in two avoidable goals and not scoring at all just because they were deficient of just one vital football virtue on the day called decisiveness. To buttress this a little, the following questions will surely provide the lead. Could it not have been better if Carzola had fouled Harzard outside the box than to let him stroll into the dangerous area? What were Kos and Mertasacker thinking when Fabregass crisp pass met deadly Costa? Or how do explain that Arsenal had the highest number of shots but non on target? It would not be complete if mention is not made of the touchline fracas between two antagonizing managers. But it suffice to say that Mourihno went into the tunnel retaining the bragging right while the Prof, not regretting the incidence would have to wait for the reverse fixture to see whether or not he will be able to break the jinx. Old Trafford and Anfield recorded the much desired victories over the weekend. Manchester United inspired by a God sent Angel the son of Di Maria, overcame a fierce battle staged by Roberto Martinez Everton. 2-1 it ended but united will have keeper David De Gea to thank for his saves, especially denying Leighton Baines a chance to score from the spot as United strolled to their best standing so far this season; fourth. Respite equally came the way of Brendan Rogers like Van Gaal when both Adam Lallana and Jordan Henderson scored to render Berahinos 56th minutes spot kick of no use for West Brom in an all English players scoring affair. The victories will sure be morale boosting for the two struggling sides. (United now winning back to back). Least I forget Rademel Falcao scored his first goal to finally open an account for himself goal-wise in United. Oh!!! QPR are steady in the bottom of the table no thanks to a 2-0 defeat in the hands of West Ham. Think its time for Harry Sleeping Rednapp to kiss goodbye to this club and to football generally. What do you think? What comes to mind when Cristiano Ronald is mentioned? Goals? Hmmm your guess is as good as mine. Scoring his third hat trick in two weeks as Real Madrid bushed aside Athletic Bilbao 5-0, CR7 equaled Di Stefanos record of highest number of La Liga hat trick which stood at 22. Karim Benzema was the scorer of the two other goals. Ronaldo has now scored 13 goals in six (6) league games and 17 in all competitions. Rival Lionel Messi was on target as Football Club Barcelona (FCB) defeated Rayo Vallacano 2-0 with Neymar Dos Santos scoring the other goal. The CR7 and LM10 supremacy fight is raging on but CR7 is reigning supreme for the now. Arjen Robben (two), Robert Lewandoski (two) was is picture of Bayern Munich 4-0 victory over TSG Hoffenheim in the Bundesliga as the giants are yet to concede in their past seven fixtures. Borrusia Dortmund had nothing to cheer about after fans were left frustrated in the 0-1 defeat to Hamburg at the Signal Idunga Park. A run of three defeats in six league games mean Jurgen Klopp must regroup to recover in time to upset Bayern Munich to the title. Massimiliano Alegris Juventus showed resilience as Bonucci struck four minutes from time to hand Juventus a 3-2 win over title rivals AS Roma. Last stop is the NFPL action which saw three teams pick away point. Sad to say, Akwa United were toothless and blunt against visiting Enugu Rangers in a goalless encounter at Uyo Township Stadium. One thing excites me in the NPFL. A win could take you as high as heaven, while a draw could sink you deep into the bottomless pit of hell. With International matches up next, there is time for troubled coaches to purge their head of the failure and forge victory path for their clubs. But many will be sweating and praying that their key players would not be injured. Hoping that the Super Eagles will be super and give us something to cheer about, but till then, BE A RESPONSIBLE FAN.
Posted on: Mon, 06 Oct 2014 16:36:08 +0000
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