Red Title Blow

It’s official. Nemanja Vidic will miss the rest of the season with a ruptured cruciate ligament. Sir Alex Ferguson and United officials confirmed during a press conference that the Serbian Centerback will not be available for the rest of their title chase this year.

So what’s the impact you ask? Huge is the first word that comes to mind. Ferguson will now have to rely on the likes of Phil Jones, Chris Smalling, and Johnny Evans… yes the same Johnny Evans that single-handedly cost United their 6-1 thrashing at the hands of League leaders Man City a few weeks back. Vidic is a towering presence at Old Trafford, and the likes of Rio Ferdinand, who himself could go down with injury at any moment, is United’s only experienced central defender remaining. The Reds will depend on his veteran leadership, and pray he too can stay of the medic’s table.

Fans praying for more Fergie magic

One quote that will surely give United fans an ulcer is that from Fergie this morning. “I thought Rio had his best game of season on Wednesday. His experience will be vital.” A defender, who surrendered two crucial goals in the team’s most important game of the year, had his best game of the season?!?! Certainly won’t help the fans sleep better at night.

To add injury to insult, United host a slew of other absentees at the other end of the pitch. Berbatov, Chicharito, and Michael Owen will all be unavailable for at least the next week, with the latter two missing upwards of a month. Throw in knocks to Tom Cleverly, Anderson, and both da Silva twins. The retirement of Paul Scholes seems to hurt more and more as the months play out.

Phil Jones will be crucial from here on out

The question will soon become. Will Fergie buy this January to offset some of his shortcomings? He has a history of defending his squad, no matter how young, but it’s starting to seem as though a few injuries can really hurt, especially when you’re 5 points off the title lead, and already out of the Champions League.

This has been one of the darkest weeks at Old Trafford in recent memory, perhaps all-time. United fans are begging for a spirited win against Wolves this weekend, and who could blame them. Carling Cup = gone (at home), Champions League = gone, Captain = gone too. Not looking very good in the red half of Manchester.

Time for Liverpool to Splash some Cash?

The news came down last week… Lucas Leiva will miss the remainder of the season, and it’s safe to assume that the Anfield faithful will certainly miss him, whether they realize it or not. In my mind, Lucas is one of the most under-rated players in the Premier League. It wasn’t always the case, but the young Brazilian has really shown his worth over the past few seasons.
When Lucas started appearing in the Premier League for the Reds, I was quite skeptical. Who was this funny looking Brazililan who didnt seem to be much of an offensive threat, and who didnt even really look like a typical Brazilian? After a few seasons I got past the initial impression and realized his potential value to Liverpool. When skipper Steven Gerrard went down with prolonged injury spells starting in the 2009 season, Lucas stepped up big time, making 35 appearances and showing much improvement. Javier Mascherano left for Barcelona a few months later leaving then-manager Rafa Benitez with a huge hole in the center of midfield.

It was then that I realized how important a player like Lucas was at Anfield. Someone had to be there to thwart opposition if the likes of Torres, Suarez, and Gerrard ever wanted a chance at the offensive end of the pitch. You won’t find Lucas on the stat sheet very often, because most meaningful stats don’t showcase what he provides. After a bit of digging, I found that Lucas leads the league in tackles and tackle success percentage this season, and has been near the top in these categories for the past few years now. He also consistently ranks near the top of the PL in passes completed and pass %. Overall, it’s safe to say that he’s at the top of the League at his position.

So when the news came down that Liverpool would be without the effective midfielder for the next 6 months, I immediately looked at the Reds’ roster. Who would take Lucas’ place in the line-up? I came up with three options.

1- Liverpool have already announced that Jonjo Shelvey has been recalled from his loan at Blackpool. The teenager is quite unproven at the top level, and has large shoes to fill. However, he has scored 6 times in 10 appearances for the Tangerines this year.

2- Charlie Adam gained notoriety at Blackpool for being a box to box midfielder. Since coming to Anfield he’s shown more of an offensive mindset, playing ahead of Lucas on most cases. He’ll need to drop back into the holding role now; can he be as effective?

3- Sign a new defensive midfielder as cover. This is surely a last choice move considering Liverpool seems content with their current squad. Nevertheless, the English media rumormill will certainly turn on in less than a month, so let’s just start it now.

All in all, this is a blow for Liverpool, and the situation is now up to Kenny Dalglish to make the proper adjustment. Liverpool is within striking distance of their coveted top 4 finish, and won’t be able to miss a beat if they intend to catch the growing number of teams ahead of them in the table. Liverpool still has much of the season ahead of them, but their first test will be tonight at Craven Cottage.

It’s a QB Injury Epidemic

As Jerry Seinfeld might say… what’s the deal with QB injuries? I mean really? broken thumb, cracked ribs, sprained toe… who ARE these people?! In all seriousness, the king of sitcom reruns has a point, what’s up with the casualty count in the NFL right now? Sure there have been years where a large number of players get injured, but typically they are at the skilled positions like RB, WR, CB, etc. When was the last time this many playcallers went down?

The number of players out right now is staggering (Manning, Henne, Vick, Cutler, Schaub, Collins, Campbell, Leinart, Cassel, and Kolb)… plus injuries to Bradford, Romo, Stafford, Vince Young, Hasslebeck, and Tarvaris Jackson, who have since recovered from their dings. Add 1 more if you count Roethlisberger‘s broken finger and questionable status going into Kansas City this past Sunday. Realistically that’s 15 teams who have had to wonder about the status of their QBs at some point 11 weeks into this season. That’s nearly half the teams in the NFL, and at least one player in 7 out of the 8 NFL divisions!

As predicted by many, Vick took a pounding and didn't hold up this season

This doesnt even count those players that have been benched due to poor performances… McNabb, Gabbert, Grossman, Beck, Freeman, Painter, and Orton. Adding it all up, we see that 59 different Quarterbacks have thrown a pass this year. That’s right FIFTY NINE! An average of nearly two QB’s per NFL team. Unfortunately the stat department at WhitSport isn’t nearly the size of that at ESPN, but going back over the past few seasons an interesting revelation was found… The 2010 NFL season featured 70 different QBs, while the 2009 season saw 68 different passers.

So why does the 2011 season seem so much more brutal in terms of playcallers going down? Simply put, it’s the magnitude of the QBs that are hurt. Six of the QBs that have been mentioned in the above paragraphs played in the post-season last year, and two were in MVP discussions. With guys like Manning, Schaub, Cutler, and Vick on the shelf, NFL fans have been exposed to the likes of Curtis Painter and John Kafka. Even Matt Leinart got in on the action. The other reason these injuries have garnered such attention is due to the playoff implications. The Texans will still likely run away with the AFC South division crown, but may have to rely on the arm of a rookie QB once they make their first ever post-season appearance. The same situation unfolds in Chicago, where the Bears were on a roll, up until Jay Cutler broke his thumb.

Tebow gets in on the action while a disappointing Orton looks on (before eventually being cut)

In the end, several conclusions can be drawn. The Quarterback position is one of the most vulnerable in all of sports; injuries are prevalent and being benched is never an unthinkable option. Though we didn’t delve this deep, it was fairly evident that teams which started more than 1 QB during a season have far less appearances in the playoffs. Overall, the QB position remains one of the most crucial spots in football in terms of solidarity and consistency. It also becomes fairly clear why Offensive Linemen are drafted in the 1st round of the NFL Draft. Keeping a top-tier QB is essential to success, and an upright passer is a healthy passer. Overall, this season has surely seen its fair share of injuries to the NFL’s marquee players. Let’s hope the rest can remain healthy and set up another wild finish to an already-entertaining season.

Water Under the Bridge?

Tick… tick… tick… the clock is winding at Stamford Bridge…. Chelsea owner Roman Abramovich is known for giving his managers a very short leash. Iconic boss Carlo Ancelotti was sacked just one season after winning the Premier League and FA Cup, and other managers can attest to some short spells too.  Luiz Felipe Scolari was sacked after just league matches, and was one of 6 different managers to take the helm at Stamford Bridge since 2007.

He's available, will Roman turn to Guus yet again?

So here’s the question of the hour. Will the Russian billionaire sack his still-fresh manager before Christmas? Chelsea has already lost 4 matches, and have yet to fire on all cylinders. Dropping 12 points off the league lead with just 12 matches played cannot sit well with the business tyrant… I mean tycoon. Despite splashing his cash, recent signings highlighted by Fernando Torres have not lived up to the hype that surrounded them.

So what needs to change at Chelsea? Perhaps a manager is the first step. Villas-Boaz is still just 33 years old, and perhaps has taken over a team that he never had a chance of gaining full control of. Guus Hiddink, with his numerous years of experience has already taken this post once, could the mad scientist/owner try this concoction again? Perhaps a new approach is in order. Chelsea haven’t had a full-time British manager since Glen Hoddle in 1996. Instead of hoping for lightning in a bottle with a youthful novelty such as Mourinho or Guardiola, Chelsea may need to consider a wiser more experienced coach to lead the team out of their current funk. Other names that come to mind are Marco Van Basten, Mark Hughes, and of course Hiddink.

In terms of their actual play on the pitch, multiple issues are evident. First off, the Blues have struggled to keep the ball out of the back of their own net, conceding more goals than 11 other Premier League teams at the moment, and keeping just two clean sheets this season. Offensively it’s clear that some changes are becoming necessary. Torres’ struggles have been well documented, but there’s another culprit here at the moment. Didier Drogba is a shell of the player he once was; recording just 1 goal this year compared to an average of 21 goals per year since joining the Blues in 2004.

An overall change in the offensive system may be more effective, though. Juan Mata, to me, looks more like a wizard each week I see him play, and would be best used down the center of the pitch where he sees more of the ball. Raul Miereles, David Luiz, and Nicholas Anelka also need more playing time. Daniel Sturridge has been somewhat of a roller coaster ride, but he consistently finds the back of the net (scoring Chelsea’s only goal on Sunday). Overall, some tinkering may need to be done to find out which players are in form, and which are on their way out.

Both Nino and AVB are under immense scrutiny

The underlining theory here is not that one thing will fix whatever plagues the Chelsea squad at the moment. Heck, the John Terry sagas (yes plural) alone can be a factor in distracting the team! But all in all, the man making all the calls will need to be careful in his next move. If Abramovich decides to sack AVB, he’ll need the right manager for March, not November. The season is still young, and plenty of teams have won the PL with 4+ losses; the need for panic isn’t upon us, but it is starting to set in. Your move Roman…

 

Much Ado About Berba

PSG, Anzhi, Valencia, Napoli, Tottenham, the list goes on… several suitors are already lined up for Dimitar Berbatov’s services. While a plane ticket out of Manchester seems to be booked already, I say “Not so fast people!” First and foremost, let’s summarize the current situation for Berba this season: 10 total appearances, 1 goal; quite a different story from last year when the Bulgarian lead the Premier League in goals.

Is Berba becoming fed up with life on the bench?

So what seems to be the problem? Overall, this seems to be an issue of form, but also an issue of favor. United boss Sir Alex Ferguson is renowned for tinkering with his line-up, especially when it involves getting younger players involved in the first-team squad. When Javier “Chicharito” Hernandez got hot at the end of last season, Berbatov saw far fewer starts (including an omission from the squad in the Champions League Final in May). Danny Welbeck’s blazing form at the start of the 2011-12 campaign, succeeded in pushing Berba even further down the depth chart. The British media fueled rumors of Berba being shopped around Europe before the transfer deadline in August. Berbatov stayed on in Manchester but has retained his firm place on the bench. So here we are today: another high-priced, renowned goalscorer with no place on the pitch.

Where does Berba go from here? His agent initially claimed that his client was very happy at Old Trafford and planned on staying and competing for his position in the line-up. This week, Berbatov’s agent gave the first indication that a move could be on afterall, claiming he “will sit down with Dimitar and ponder” a move to newlly-rich Russian club Anzhi Makhachkala. This wouldn’t be a shock considering Berba spent his early years with CSKA Sofia, and a move to Russia would be much closer to home.

But Sir Alex Ferguson, being the wiley old Scotsman he is, has scuppered all rumors saying exactly what should be said. “We have no plans to sell (him)”. Given their injury history, and Wayne Rooney’s penchant for kicking out at opponents on a whim, Man Utd could surely use all the depth they can get at forward. Welbeck, Hernandez, and Michael Owen have all suffered injuries already this season, and a rash of ill-timed knocks could push the ever-ready Berbatov right back into the starting line-up.

The Berba signed on with man Utd in 2008 for £30.75 million

As most savvy United fans might point out, the Bulgarian’s contract runs out in May. Thus, a transfer in January would be far more profitable than letting him go for free 5 months later. So although Anzhi didnt light the world on fire this season (8th in the table), the Russian club still looks sexy for any high-profile stars looking for more playing time. Samuelo Eto’o has managed to net 7 goals in a few short months, and the team has looked more competitive as of late. Plus, the possibility of Champions League football could certainly be in the cards in the next year or two.

At the end of the day, it seems as though the Berbatov camp would approve any move that brought more playing time. But ultimately, it will be up to Fergie. While noone at United wants this to turn into an ugly incident like the Carlos Tevez saga across town, a bigger question still rules all. If Berba is allowed to go, United will be missing a big offensive threat, should someone go down with an injury. Is that a risk the veteran gaffer can take? especially with United already 5 points down to rival Man City….

Gratuitous photo