Does United's loss open a window for Arsenal?

Sunday 1st May 2011

Put that date in your diary because that is the day, more than likely, that the 10/11 Premier League title will be settled.

After United threw away a 1-0 lead on Tuesday night against Chelsea at Stamford Bridge, the title race has been blown wide open, and providing Arsenal win their game in hand, they will be just one point behind the Manchester side.

With Arsenal having arguably the easier run in too, the wind is behind the Gunners, although their loss at the weekend did not help- it could well provide them with an incentive to dig deep and snatch an unlikely championship.

Given, as there is likely to be, there will be two or less point between the two sides by May 1st, a winner would only have three games to go before the end of the season. It would be like a golden goal almost.

The window is certainly open for Arsenal although United are guarding the door since they are still four points ahead, and will be one point to the good provided Arsenal win their game in hand.

It certainly looks to be an exciting end to the season and the neutral should be salivating at the prospect.

Let me know who you think has the upper hand now.

Do Arsenal really have the momentum? After all, they too are coming off the back of a loss.

Or can you see someone else sneaking it? Perhaps City will pinch it?

Let me know and thanks for reading.

Predictions for Chelsea vs. Manchester United

Tuesday's huge game between the two biggest clubs in England promises to be a star-studded affair.

The television crews will have you believe it will be a goal-fest with breathtaking football from both sides and neither team taking a step back.

It will be billed as Van Der Sar vs. Cech, Vidic vs. Terry, Lampard vs. Scholes and Rooney vs. Torres.

The fact of the matter though, is that it is far more likely (although the "neutrals choice" prediction may still come true) that both teams will cancel each other out.

Chelsea, it is true, have nothing to lose, but equally, neither side will want to risk dropping points to their big rivals.

It will be a tight, scrappy affair with barely any room.

Look for Patrice Evra to get booed and there may well be some tasty challenges and maybe a few cards, but that will probably be the end to the excitement.

A goal, if there is to be one will come from either a set-piece or mistake a la Arsenal on Sunday.

My prediction is 0-0 although if I had to choose a winner, I'd say Chelsea could well nick it simply because they will (should) show more ambition than United.

Let's all hope I'm wrong, with is very very possible, and the match will be a thriller down the bridge.

But to be honest? I just can't see it.

Let me know your thoughts and predictions.

Does Rooney escaping punishment symbolise all that is wrong with the FA?

Wayne Rooney has escaped punishment for his elbow on James McCarthy against Wigan on Saturday.

As the referee Mark Clattenburg did not book Rooney at the time, the FA had the option to ban him retrospectively but it seems they have not decided to take any action.

Footage seems to show that when McCarthy tried to block Rooney off, the England hitman stung an elbow forcefully into the side of the midfielder's face.

If the referee says he did not see the incident, which he surely must not have based on the fact Rooney was not given a card, the FA can take action themselves.

This has not happened however and as Clattenburg has said he thought he took the appropriate action, the FA is powerless.

As an objective fan, to me at least, that elbow looked dangerous and malicious- two things which should not be tolerated in our game.

To McCarthy's credit, he did not make a big deal of it and that may have helped Rooney.

The disciplinary system of the FA however, seriously needs to be looked at.

With their desire not to undermine officials, they are sacrificing their power to stamp out challenges and incidents which should not be tolerated.

If for example, a player is booked for a challenge, even if on retrospective viewing it was the worst tackle ever and did/could have resulted in serious injury, the FA cannot overrule the card and the player will escape any further action.

This surely cannot be right.

Just because the referee missed it or had a different opinion, doesn't mean he was right and the FA should have the bottle to admit their officials are not perfect.

Their inability to acknowledge technology, even replays after a game, are beneficial is once of their biggest weaknesses and symbolises everything that is wrong in the FA.

If they did, we would get a fairer game and much much more uniform discipline across the board.

What do you think?

Are there any changes you'd like to see at the FA or in football as a whole?

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Rooney: Man or Myth?

Over the last season a ghost has walked the hallowed turf of Old Trafford.

He was once the most expensive teenager in the history of the English game.

He has been called the gifted English player of his generation.

A genius in the purest sense of the world.

His name is Wayne Rooney.

His ghost like performances however have begged the question: has Wayne lost everything he promised and is he proving the heroics of last season were merely a fluke, no better than Amir Zaki or Frasncis Jeffers?

Despite the utterly stunning goal against Manchester City, Rooney has failed to deliver on all fronts this season.

It begs the question- was that goal a reminder of his genius or just a blast from the past?

It isn't a secret that Rooney has been ravaged by injury for the last twelve months. Ever since that fateful night against Bayern Munich (the other fateful night against Bayern Munich...) he has struggled with his ankle and has not really been the same since.

That excuse could have been valid for the World Cup. But is it now?

6 months on, and Rooney still looks out of sorts. It is true that his work rate is still fantastic- his goalless part in United's 5-0 victory against Birmingham  a month ago was arguably bigger that Dimitar Berbatov's, who scored a hat-trick. (Believe me, I was there.)

The hard fact is that Rooney is, a striker. Even my mother knows that a  striker's job is to score goals and six goals in twenty-one appearences is simply not a good enough return, especially when two of those were penalties.

He has shown too little of the predatory, six yard box instrict we saw from the thirty-four goal superstar last year.

When he has relied on pure talent, when he hasn't had the time to overthink a situation, it has been business as usual. Case in point the goal vs. City, the header vs. West Brom and the two vs. Villa.  All four goals were Rooney at his best-ruthless, instinctual.

But once again, those are the only four instances in the last year I have seen him be anywhere near as good as he really is.

Truthfully, I have shown more flashes of brilliance in the past twelve months.

I do honestly believe that Rooney will get it back together. I am one of those people who called him the most gifted English player of his generation because, quite simply, I think he is. How can't he be?

For the record, I also do not think that he really wanted to leave Old Trafford a few months ago and I do think his heart is still in it- I just think he needs to rely on what got him this far in the first place- talent.

With "Just enough education to perform", thinking is perhaps not Wayne's strong suit- if he started listening to his playground-honed instincts once again, we will see the man back for club, and country.