Premier League 17th & 18th December 2011

Premier League Review 16th December 2011

Football fans all over England will be wishing for a good Christmas period and the stakes don't get bigger than the Barclays Premier League. Manchester City have set the pace, with their relentless, aggressive spending and managerial musical chairs finally sticking with a great squad/coach combination this season. Money can warp and transform Premier League trends. Who would have thought 5 years ago that Arsenal would tentatively travel to the City of Manchester Stadium (aka the Etihad) expecting to struggle to come away with even 1 point.

As a Spurs fan, I loved Mancini dissing Chelsea as in his mind there is a 3 horse race of Man City, Man Utd and Tottenham. As we get closer to the transfer window, will Chelsea get rid of Torres? Andre Villas-Boas has insisted that he isn't for sale; however his failure won't fall on the new Blues boss's shoulders.

Man Utd are almost guaranteed to be there or thereabouts despite losing Nemanja Vidic for the rest of the season and Darren Fletcher for an unknown period of time. Fergie's larger than life management style shines through irrespective of the manpower constraints that pop up in any football squad as he makes sure that his players understand what it means to pull on the Manchester United jersey. That said, Aguero and co are better. :-)

This weekend's fixtures are very interesting as the top 4 teams are all in extremely difficult matches. Chelsea will have a physical battle on their hands at the DW. Manchester United travel to QPR who have been very impressive in their debut Premier League season. Spurs might suffer from new manager syndrome as they face Sunderland and Manchester City have to keep Robin Van Persie out who is currently on fire.

Here are the fixtures - enjoy fellow football freaks!

Premiership fixtures 17th and 18th December 2011

Sat December 17th 2011

Blackburn v West Bromwich Albion 3pm @ Ewood Park

Everton v Norwich 3pm @ Goodison Park

Fulham v Bolton 3pm @ Craven Cottage

Newcastle United v Swansea 3pm St James's Park

Wolverhampton v Stoke City 3pm Molineaux

Wigan v Chelsea 3pm DW stadium

Sun December 18th 2011

QPR v Man Utd 12pm Loftus Road

Aston Villa v Liverpool 2pm Villa Park

Tottenham v Sunderland 3pm White Hart Lane

Man City v Arsenal 4pm Etihad Stadium

Euro 2012 group draw 2nd December 2011

The Euro 2012 draw has been kind in my view to England, with the Ukraine, Sweden and France providing the group opposition for Fabio Capello's team.

Group APoland, Greece, Russia, Czech Republic

Group B
Holland, Denmark, Germany, Portugal

Group C
Spain, Italy, Republic of Ireland, Croatia

Group D
Ukraine, Sweden, France, England

The Green Devils

Manchester United are used to being top of the Premier League - this time they've come joint top in the energy efficiency table which is the key measure of the UK Carbon Reduction Commitment.

Man Utd were joint top with 22 other organisations including Center Parcs and the Department for Energy and Climate change. 4,500 companies were audited in terms of their energy usage between April 2010 and March 2011. 60% of firms have installed smart meter or gained energy management accreditation. It was comical that Trafford Council came joint bottom!

The UK have some hugely ambitious targets for carbon reduction in the next 40 years and this has its pros and cons for the economy. That said, with the soaring costs of electricity / lighting if any organisation should get an energy usage survey and see how carbon reduction strategy could strengthen their business.

For many UK businesses, energy usage is very key at the moment and in football there is huge potential for energy wastage - for one, just think of the energy consumed by floodlights. In other industries, organisations have benefited/exploited the PR power that the CRC Efficiency Schem can bring - perhaps some of the other Premier League clubs will follow Manchester United's lead.

Chelsea v Everton 2011 5.30pm Stamford Bridgr

Manchester United lost 2 points earlier today as Liverpool held the champions at 1 a piece. This provides Chelsea with a great opportunity to move within the top 3, within 1 point of Man Utd who are still setting the standard under Sir Alex.

Chelsea still have bags of competitiveness and ambition in the Premier League. History suggests that André Villas-Boas will get one season to deliver major silverware to the Bridge and he will be out. With Drogba hitting decent form at the minute (no Torres today) the pressure will be on the Toffees from the very first minute. However, David Moyes has a great record travelling to Stamford Bridge as Everton haven't lost there in the last 5 years. The lunchtime result could motivate Chelsea that bit more today so I predict a modest home victory.

Premier League review 15th/16th October 2011

Premiership review 15th/16th October 2011

The first game of the day is the big fixture - the noon kickoff is at Anfield as the reigning champions travel across Lancashire to Merseyside. A huge match for Dalglish as the rivalry will be considerable as it always is. You would still bet on Man Utd being unbeaten at the end of tomorrow though. Wayne Rooney's ban has taken a lot of the sporting headlines but I am sure that he will be looking forward to just getting on with his football.

A difficult match for Mancini after some more negative publicity with Carlos Tevez, who apparently now may never play for Manchester City ever again. Irrespective of this I think they will comfortably beat Aston Villa with their slick, professional squad.

Both North London clubs (Arsenal and Tottenham play the North East clubs (Sunderland and Newcastle) on Sunday - Wenger in need of all 3 points. Spurs haven't suffered from off pitch behaviour from Modric like City have with Tevez and are coming into decent form so I expect the lily whites to get at least a point tomorrow if not all 3. We shall see, I may have just electronically cursed my beloved Spurs!

Anyhow - here are the games - anyone who is attending a match, watching Super Soccer Saturday or just good old MOTD enjoy the full Premiership programme - I for one don't miss the internationals once they come to an end!

Premier League fixtures Saturday October 15th 2011

Liverpool v Man Utd, 12.45pm Anfield
Man City v Aston Villa, 3pm Etihad Stadium
Norwich v Swansea, 3pm Carrow Road
QPR v Blackburn, 3pm Loftus Road
Stoke v Fulham, 3pm Britannia stadium
Wigan v Bolton, 3pm DW Stadium
Chelsea v Everton, 5.30pm Stamford Bridge

16th October 2011 [Sunday] Premier League fixtures

West Brom v Wolverhampton, 12:00 Hawthorns Stadium
Arsenal v Sunderland, 13:30 Emirates
Newcastle v Tottenham, 16:00 St James' Park

Champions League Man City versus Napoli Wednesday 14th September 2011

Manchester City were awesome this Saturday. Aguero and Tevez upfront with the 4 goal hero Dzeko ( versus Tottenham away - killer result) on the bench. The type of start that Mancini knew he had to make, he is being watched in the same way that the toughest continental boards judge their heavily pressured coaches.

Exciting times for Manchester City fans - as a Spurs fan it was a dream being in the Champs League but I really believe they will have 5 seasons from now at least to play in this fantasy football world. Amazing that it was 41 years ago when they won the UEFA European Cup Winners' Cup. So can Manchester City get out of their Champions League group? Bayern Munich, Villarreal and Napoli are all really decent teams that have pushed Chelsea and Manchester United in recent Champions League seasons. However, the aggressive, sometimes reckless squad strengthening that Manchester City have implemented is now starting to create a formidable core of class and determination.

In a recent interview cited by the BBC, Man City boss Mancini sounds confident of their prospects against the Italians: "Probably it will help because we have played five games including the Community Shield," Mancini said. "Napoli have played only one game, Wednesday is exciting for us but also for them."
However Man City could well be missing de Jong, Barry and Milner. Balotelli will be missing through suspension. Will it make a difference? I don't think so, I reckon City will do it - 2-0 is my prediction. Manchester City are looking at Barcelona to set the bar as their ambition is considerable - I think they stand a very good chance of last eight.

Gervinho sent off : Newcastle Utd 0 Arsenal FC 0 Premier League result 13th August 2011

Newcastle 0 Arsenal 0 Premiership 13th August 2011 5.30pm evening kick off

Teams:

Newcastle United: Krul, R Taylor, Coloccini, S Taylor, Simpson, Barton Cabaye, Tiote, Gutierrez, Ba, Ameobi.

Arsenal: Szczesny, Gibbs, Vermaelen, Koscielny, Sagna, Song, Rosicky, Ramsey, Gervinho, Arshavin, Van Persie.

In the past 4 years, Arsene Wenger has spent £98.55m on players, received £110.59m - netting Arsenal £12.04m in player profit. Whether you think Arsenal are a selling club or not, you have to admire the commitment from Wenger to the board to deliver quality on the pitch and chairman proof figures off it. Fabregas and Nasri going has hit the top pre-season headlines. There is only this and the Man Utd signings that have really been of interest. My last point on Arsenal – superb to see Aaron Ramsey start the Gunners’ Premier League opener.

Newcastle hit the headlines for Twitter shenanigans as Joey Barton criticised Newcastle for being a selling club with Carroll, Nolan and Enrique all gone. Alan Pardew has suggested that Newcastle would be putting controls in place with players’ social media accounts particularly Twitter. Furthermore, Newcastle seem to be gradually splashing the Andy Carroll cash – 25 year old midfielder Yohan Cabaye has come in from French champions Lille for only £4m and there are apparently more on the way. I think the Magpies will do well in this new 2011-2012 football season and I also think it is ridiculous that he should be under pressure at this early point in a 5 year deal.

As you would imagine, both sides were straight at each other, following on from the 4-4 thriller 6 months ago. Arsenal countering with Newcastle probing with the wonderful Toon Army singing their hearts out. After the initial flurry of mad, headless chicken football, the pattern of one touch passing resumed with Wenger’s team illustrating that they are still the best team in the Premier League to watch. Gervinho displayed decent energy, two good feet and good balance on a couple of occasions. Arshavin also looked bright down the right hand side linking up nicely with Sagna. Vermaelen managed the Arsenal back 4 and the Newcastle top 2 effortlessly squeezing the home team up the pitch to quieten the Toon faithful.

Ex-Spurs legend made a good call a quarter of an hour in when commentating on ESPN when suggesting that a 4-5-1 re-shape for the home team might be the way forward as the Arsenal pass and move had made the Newcastle midfield dizzy and ineffective. Joey Barton made a couple of decent link up passes in this first quarter but it was all one way traffic with Arsenal fully bossing the show.

Van Persie had the first half chance in the 17^th minute after some industrious wing play from Gervinho. Arsenal maintained possession for a spell after this, making the ball do the work and in doing so making the first run out for Newcastle a difficult one athletically.

Gutierrez then had Newcastle’s first chance as he powerfully volleyed within the 18 yard box going about 2 yards wide – a decent hit.

Alex Song got yellow carded in the 28^th minute after putting himself about a little bit too much but as an athletic holding man I think Song is really starting to look the part.

Despite completely dominating the first half an hour, Newcastle did show resilience in defence and there were no real clean cut chances. Arsenal’s final ball could have been a little bit better but I would give the Newcastle defensive unit credit for good pressing and chasing.

Arsenal continued to walk through the Newcastle midfield but then walk into a strong Newcastle defence that they got no change out of. As Arsenal concocted their intricate passing moves on the edge of the ‘D’, Newcastle simply crowded them out with six men behind the ball. It certainly looked like Pardew’s strategy was the old park a bus method; and it worked. Newcastle United nursed out the last 10 mins, effectively numbing the Arsenal alchemy to go in at the break 0-0.

 Moving into the second half would Newcastle park the bus in front of the Gunners? The first change was that Obertan started the second half to build link up play, making his debut after moving from Manchester United. This was a nice way for the home team to begin the second 45 minutes showing their intention to produce attacking football in the traditional Newcastle way.

 After attempts from Newcastle to squeeze the visitors, Arsenal regained their poise and started to dictate the pace of the game. Van Persie caracked a terrific free kick in the 54^th minute with plenty of spin but the ball went a foot over Krul’s crossbar.

 In the 58^th minute, Joey Barton (not for the first time) was at the centre of a controversy as it appeared that Alex Song stamped his studs down on Barton’s leg after a tackle. Barton sprinted over to the referee’s fourth official questioning him on what he saw but nothing came of it at the point in time. 

Theo Walcott’s introduction in the second half did create some inspiration for Van Persie and the other attacking Arsenal players. He chased down some ambitious through balls and had one half chance after a classic Arsenal passing move.

The second half proved to be a little dull – typical first day of the season stuff. Arsenal displayed great touch but struggled to pack the punch in the final third (and yes, they could have done with either Nasri or Fabregas). Their possession in the second half was slightly more fragmented as Newcastle got their angles right and stifled some of the triangles and creative passes. 

Gervinho then sparked Joey Barton madness. A run into the box that seemed to end in a ‘creative fall’ by Gervinho was the catalyst for the old Premier League handbags between Barton and new boy Gervinho. Barton man handled Gervinho who seemed to slap Barton – Barton then hit the deck like a ton of bricks. Gervinho got a red card which I agreed with however Barton only saw yellow so Joey managed to con the referee successfully. Video evidence…discuss? J

Barton had a half chance in the 80^th minute, how ironic that would have been. Walcott had a good header chance on the subsequent break but squandered the chance.

In the 94^th minute, Rosicky was subbed for Ghanian international powerhouse Frimpong came on to protect the back four.

There wasn’t a great deal you could conclude from this match as is the case with many Premier League openers but Newcastle did a professional job of muting the Arsenal creativity, the game was marred by one unsavoury incident which Arsene Wenger did criticise after the match. There was an interesting Twitter  tete a tete as Jack Wilshere suggested that Barton was in the wrong with the Newcastle midfielder defending his actions right back via the social media month Twitter.

Premier League 2011-2012 fixtures 13th August 2011

On the first day of the new Premier League season, Arsene Wenger will apparently leave Cesc Fabregas and Samir Nasri out of his Arsenal squad when they travel to St James Park, according to the BBC. As the big boys in Europe look to gut the Gunners' midfield, where does this leave Wenger's prospects this 2011/2012 season?

With the despicable riots seen this week across the country, Tottenham Hotspur's home game with Everton has been postponed with parts of Tottenham near the High Road left in ruin. This is just as sad as the England midweek friendly against Holland being cancelled due to the riots in London however it is really positive that all other games will go ahead.

A big welcome to Swansea, Norwich and last season's Championship winners Queens Park Rangers. As you can see from the fixtures list below, all 3 Prem teams have tricky fixtures for their opening matches, especially Swansea. That said, is there such a thing as a non-tricky Premier League fixture?

Saturday, 13 August 2011Blackburn v Wolverhampton (3pm) Ewood Park
Fulham v Aston Villa (3pm) Craven Cottage
Liverpool v Sunderland (3pm) Anfield
QPR v Bolton (3pm) Loftus Road
Tottenham OFF Everton (3pm) White Hart Lane
Wigan v Norwich (3pm) DW Stadium
Newcastle v Arsenal (5.30pm) St James Park

Sunday, 14 August 2011

Stoke v Chelsea (1.30pm) Britannia Stadium
West Brom v Man Utd (4pm) Hawthorns

Monday, 15 August 2011 Man City v Swansea (8pm) Etihad Stadium

Reds clear out and buying spree

Kenny Dalglish had a superb impact at Liverpool last season when Roy Hodgson departed making way for the ex-Reds man to take charge. A man of football, Dalglish was judged on results after a long spell out of professional football management and within a small amount of team was given the Liverpool manager position permanently from his original post of caretaker.

Tipped for top 4, Dalgish is continuing to make big decisions. Following on from selling Torres/acquiring Caroll in the eventful winter transfer window 2011 King Kenny is having a clear out. It is rumoured that Jovanovic, Konchesky and Cole could all be on the transfer list and you would imagine that there will be good demand within the Prem for Joe Cole (its that bargain time of the year, 'arry!). Blackpool virtuoso midfielder Charlie Adam nearly moved to Anfield in that last window but has now completed the transfer.

With Liverpool linked with Roma 'keeper Alexander Doni and Aston Villa's Stewart Downing these are exciting times yet again for the Reds. Go on Kenny!

Transfer News pre season 2011/2012

New West Ham boss Sam Allardyce will be pleased to reunited with ex-Bolton skipper Kevin Nolan. Funnily enough this today on Twitter Joey Barton tweeted showing his distaste about the sale, clearly dissapointed in Newcastle. Almost like Wayne Rooney with his hair transpant tweet, this broadcast will do Barton no harm!

After a dissapointing Premier League and Champions League campaigns, Arsenal captain Cesc Fabregas is highly rumoured to be leaving Arsenal. That would have to be a mammoth transfer fee as Fabregas has 4 years left on his current Gunners contract. Wenger is apparently keen on signing midfielder Willian from Shakhtar Donetsk, with a potential cash + swap deal of Denilson rumoured to be on the table.

High rollers Man City and Chelsea will go after Barcelona's front man David Villa, which apparently would allow the Spanish giants to fund a purchase of Fabregas. Personally I would be surprised if Barca let Villa go, I still have his Champions League goal at Wembley against Manchester United etched vividly on my football memory.

Tottenham are close £12m for Internacional's Brazilian striker Leandro Damiao. 21 year old Damiao, who made his international debut at the Emirates in March against Scotland.

Alex Mcleish is linked with a move to Aston Villa after resigning at relegated Birmingham City.

Premier League Man U vs Chelsea 7th May 2011

7t/5/2011 Manchester United vs Chelsea

It's great when even at this late stage in the season the title race is still open. Despite their lack of form and 3:1 defeat by Stoke earlier this afternoon, Arsenal's fans can take some comfort that their victory over Manchester United last week has given Chelsea the chance to steal the top spot if they beat Ferguson's men this evening. Great for the neutral, great for those who dislike Manchester United. Could this be the opportunity for Fernando Torres to really earn those millions that Chelsea paid for him? Or will Rooney be the star of the show?

Just about to log out of this blog and Man U are already ahead. Just can't type fast enough. Hernandez has scored in the first minute. This is going to be a great game!

Manchester United 2 Chelsea 1 (agg. 3-1) 2nd leg Champions League quarter final 12th April 2011

Champions League quarter final 12th April 2011 - Man Utd 2 Chelsea 1 Manchester United go through 3-1 on aggregate

Manchester United and Chelsea battled out this gripping quarter final Champions League match at Old Trafford with the home team enjoying a one goal cushion after beating the Blues at the 'Bridge. After an intriguing 43 minutes, Mexican goal poacher Javier Hernández turned in the opener from short range. Hernández in my opinion is a good bet for the Young Player of the Year and arguably the Player of the Year as for both accolades there is no blatant potential winner.

Wayne Rooney has peaked his form just at the right time for the Red Devils. Drifting deep gelling play all over the pitch, showing bullish strength on the ball and showing excellent vision in general. A class act.

I thought that Chelsea looked overall second best. In the second half Frank Lampard missed a half chance and Drogba had a great free kick stopped by Van der Saar. The visitors were stopped in their tracks in the 69th minute when Ramires was sent off.

Then all madness kicked. Drogba scored a sweet goal equalising in the 76th minute and then immediately from the next wave of Man Utd Park Ji-Sung scored with his left foot.

The home team then retained the ball excellently, displaying their European pedigree in the last 20 minutes.

Premier League news 09/04/2011

Premier League football review 9th April 2011

The sun is out, football fans across the land will be getting their bellies out at football matches this afternoon at 3pm. However, the football fixtures to some degree will be overshadowed to some degree by heinous amounts of sports betting on this year’s Grand National (also at 3pm) where the 40 horses will be battling it out on the toughest horse race of the year. Good luck everyone who is having a punt! Of course, don’t forget the US Masters golf and the Grand Prix too. I've found myself reverting back to a teenage hobby of checking out grid iron which is another fun one - American football betting makes you realise that a little knowledge isn't necessarily a bad thing when speculating to accumulate!

So back on to football, it is Premier League strugglers Wolverhampton Wanderers that host the first match of the day with visitors Everton looking to push themselves into Europe League contention. For the home team, Adlene Guedioura is back after a long term injury however Molineaux favourite Stephen Hunt is out with a hernia injury making things tough for Mick McCarthy. For David Moyes, he is hoping to get back key men Cahill (Everton’s top scorer with 9 goals) and Rodwell.

West Ham United have a tricky away tie at the Reebok and time is running out for the Hammers as they languish in 18th position. Despite showing good form in the controversial game against Man Utd where they went 2 up they have lost their last 7 games and need to get something against Bolton Wanderers. Avram Grant has a full squad to pick from which is a lift for West Ham but Bolton are a tough nut to crack at their place. Recent England debutant Scott Parker has been nominated for the Professional Footballers' Association (PFA) Players' Player of the Year award which has to give the Hammers a confidence boost – they would hope to keep hold of Parker who has been a class act all season.

At the top of the Prem, Chelsea and Manchester United are both at home playing Wigan and Fulham respectively. You would expect these teams that meet on Wednesday in the Champions League to both win but I predict that Wigan will give Chelsea a good game as they are fighting for survival with a real threat of relegation.

Tottenham Hotspur are at home to Stoke and will be licking their wounds after a 4-0 battering against Real Madrid at the Bernabeu. Spurs are favourites as Stoke have had a bad run of form, losing their last 6 matches.

Premier League fixtures 09/04/2011

Wolverhampton v Everton, 12:45pm - Molineaux

Blackburn v Birmingham, 15:00 - Ewood Park

Bolton v West Ham, 15:00 - Reebook

Chelsea v Wigan, 15:00 - The Bridge

Man Utd v Fulham, 15:00 - Old Trafford

Sunderland v West Brom, 15:00 - The stadium of Light

Tottenham v Stoke, 15:00 - White Hart Lane

Champions League quarter final - Real Madrid vs Tottenham

What a season for the Spurs as they have romantically knocked out Inter and AC Milan only to find themselves this evening at the glorious Bernabeu to play Real Madrid (and yes I am a Tottenham fan).

2 great managers, Joes Mourinho and Harry Redknapp will battle it out with their attacking football styles. We know the special one well but with Real they are suited better to extravagant attack than Chelsea were. Christiano Ronaldo isn't 100% but will start and his presence will frighten the visiting Spurs backline, no doubt they will show him how much they've missed him in the Prem with a kick or two in the first 5 mins.

For Spurs, they have demonstrated a marked improvement in discipline in away games. Having Sandros in these games has proved invaluable - he has looked more comfortable in the Champions League than in the Premiership. Peter Crouch has also been pivotal to the Tottenham success in Europe, allowing them to play the Christmas tree formation and actually look strong in defence as well as their traditional explosive counter attack.

For the mighty Spurs, Van der Vaart (signing of the season - fact) is key. It has to be said that Ronaldo will be key to the home team's chances but lets be honest - Real Madrid are favourites, especially in this home tie.

I will put it down so that I can never forget it, I will take a 2-1 loss tonight...hopefully nothing really bad happens. Either way, Redknapp has over achieved at Tottenham and it is no wonder people like Mourinho are now tipping him for the England job.

European Championship qualifying fixtures Saturday 26th March

So JT (John Terry - not Justin Timberlake...my little joke) is back in the captaincy position for the qualifying match today against Wales and there is speculation that Capello didn't speak to Rio Ferdinand about changing the leadership role. For England, Ferdinand and Gerrard will miss the match as both are carrying injuries.From Gary Speed's side of things he has to be gutted that the left wing welsh wizard Gareth Bale (OK...admittedly I am a biased Tottenham fan) won't be playing. However it will be great to see Arsenal midfielder Aaron Ramsey back in a Wales strip after a long injury lay off. Ramsey will make history as Speed has given him the captaincy - at 20 years of age he will be the youngest Welsh captain.

Here are the Euro qualifiers for Saturday 26th March 2011:

Armenia v Russia, 3pm
Wales v England, 3pm
Bulgaria v Switzerland, 4.45pm
Georgia v Croatia, 5pm
Cyprus v Iceland, 6pm
Israel v Latvia, 6.05pm
Bosnia-Hercegovina v Romania, 6.15pm
Albania v Belarus, 7pm
Andorra v Slovakia, 7pm
Germany OFF Azerbaijan, 7pm
Germany v Kazakhstan, 7pm
Norway v Denmark, 7pm
Malta v Greece, 7pm
Rep of Ireland v FYR Macedonia, 7.45pm

Barclays Premier League results 20.03.2011

Barclays Premier League results 20th March 2011
Aston Villa 0-1 Wolverhampton attendance: 38,965 (Villa Park)
Blackburn 2-2 Blackpool attendance: 27,209 (Ewood Park)
Everton 2-1 Fulham attendance: 33,239 (Goodison Park)
Man Utd 1-0 Bolton attendance: 75,486 (Old Trafford)
Stoke 4-0 Newcastle attendance: 27,505 (Britannia stadium)
Tottenham 0-0 West Ham attendance: 36,010 (White Hart Lane)
West Brom 2-2 Arsenal attendance: 25,729 (Hawthorns)
Wigan 2-1 Birmingham attendance: 16,421 (DW stadium)

Barcelona 3 Arsenal 1 (agg. 4 - 3 ) Champions League

In the first half of this blockbuster of a Champions League tie at the Camp Nou, Barcelona put a cruel blow in against visitors Arsenal with a 47th minute Messi goal to level the teams seconds before the half time break.

Arsenal kept as close as they could to the globetrotters during the first 45 but it was reminiscent of the 1st leg where Wenger's top class midfield men were left chasing the ball as Barca stroked the ball about with consummate ease.

Robin Van Persie got booked minutes after showing his distaste at a bad tackle on team mate Jack Wilshire. This was a risky spell for the Dutch man as he visibly seemed to lose his composure that he normally doesn't struggle for.

The goal came when Barcelona born Fabregas got caught in possession trying to back heel the ball across the path of Iniesta. The ball was threaded through to the Argentinian wizard Messi who scooped the ball over Almunia and volleyed with finesse into the back of the Gunner's net.

Against the run of play Busquets scored an own goal to put Arsenal in the lead 2-3 on aggregate.

Hwoever, then the plot thickened. 2 minutes later (55 mins) Van Persie was annoyingly yellow carded and therefore sent off for hitting a shot after the whistle had blew for offside. This seemed remarkably harsh especially with the huge 99,000 capacity stadium where Van Persie claimed that he had not heard the whistle.

It really was one way traffic after this sending off. Xavi scored in the 69th minute as the home team carved through the heart of the Arsenal backbone leaving Almunia with no chance.

In the next minute, Arsenal conceded a penalty that even Arsene the philosopher would have to agree was a fair and correct decision. Messi stepped up and executed a perfectly placed penalty kick past Almunia to make it 4-3 on aggregate.

In 73rd minute Andrei Arshavin came on for Thomas Rosicky but playing against Barca is tricky enough, let alone against 10 men. The Gunners showed brave determination but couldn't penetrate the home team. Fabregas went off after a quiet game in the 77th minute for Nickolas Bendtner as Wenger desperately tried to create some pressure against the almighty Barcelona.

Barcelona started to play the possession game in the 80th minute, one touch or two touch - they managed to string the passes together that would be exhausting 10 men Arsenal.

In the 81st minute, David Villa came off as Afellay got a run out down the left wing. He instantly got a chance showing pace and strength but sliced his shot too much as it went past Almunia and past the left hand post.

If anything Arsenal did well to keep the damage to 4-3. Almunia made numerous good shot stops and the forwards chipped in with defence as the home team dominated every single blade of grass with a real lesson to the youngsters out there looking to progress their soccer skills.

In the 86th minute, England new boy Jack Wilshire set up a great chance for Bendtner whose first touch let him down massively and the chance was squandered.

In the 90th minute, Barca swapped Adriano for fellow Brazilian Maxell as the home team went into defensive mode as they counted down the seconds.

As the fourth official's sign went up with 4 mins of injury time and Arsenal were held deep in their own half Wenger went on the pitch showing his frustration.

Arsenal exited tonight against a well polished, classy team that many suggest is the best football team ever. To make Arsenal look as ordinary as they did over the two legs, I think this could well be the truth.

In a post match interview Van Persie labelled the referee's decision as a 'total joke' and Wenger had a bust up with the ref in the tunnel. Cruel that there was one second between the ref blowing for offside and Van Persie hitting his shot - really bad decision.

I would say that Arsenal were unlucky with the sending off but that Barcelona were way to strong and could have gone through without the visitors going down to 10 men.

Chelsea 2 Manchester United 1

Chelsea 2 Manchester United 1

Was Ashley packing or did Rooney wear boxing gloves for this Tuesday evening heavyweight Premier League affair?

Chelsea showed the Premier League that they are still very much a force with a superb second half display, coming back after trailing 1 nil to Manchester United at half time to win 2-1 at the Bridge.

It was England striker Wayne Rooney that got the visitors off to a great start after 29 minutes, as Ferguson lined up his side with his ultra effective counter attacking style. Rooney thumped a great shot in, almost Shearer-esque. The pace and urgency made this evening kick off match more like a cup tie, with both sides putting in good chances. Torres still looking sharp, Vidic kept his focus and minimised any major problems quite well with what is normally a fascinating head to head in the world of big time footballers.

In the second half, it was the home team that hunted for the openings playing an attacking 4-4-2 formation - and they came. Essien and Lampard kept working hard in the engine room and Torres managed to get the ball to stick upfront for supporting runners.

Chelsea kept on pushing with the addition of Didier Drogba who demonstrated his usual freakish physical strength and presence. David Luiz (54 mins) equalised with a technically perfect volley and shortly after it was a well struck Frank Lampard penalty (78 mins) that got the winner.

Chelsea kept on the front foot and could have made it 3 but Chelsea got the 2-1 win to reduce the gap to 12 points between themselves and Manchester United.

Arsenal v Barcelona Champions League 16th Feburary

Arsenal versus Barcelona 16/2/11

Although it's always good to see English teams do well abroad, Arsenal fans may today be feeling a little tense that after last night's impressive performance against AC Milan, their North London rivals may be in the Champions' League longer than Arsenal are. Tonight Arsenal have the mother of all ties against Barcelona and not even the most confident Arsenal fan will be expecting an easy time. Last year despite a 2-2 draw at the Emirates, Arsenal were whooped 4-1 in the return leg. Some bookmakers are giving odds as low as 14-1 for an Arsenal win for the tie.

On a positive note, Barcelona only drew at the weekend, whereas Arsenal put on a strong winning display against Wolves. Gooners must also take comfort from the fact that despite being far from convincing against lower league opposition such as Leeds and Huddersfield, Arsenal are at their best where the play is free flowing as opposed to matches where the opposition play a very defensive game. Nasri's inclusion in the squad is also a great boost for the Londoners. Psychologically Arsenal are in better shape than they were when they met Barcelona last year - currently Arsenal are in contention for the Carling and FA Cups and are a strong second in the league. Last year they were out of both cups and struggling to keep pace with the leaders.

Wenger has acknowledged the strength of the Barcelona squad, but there are a couple of Arsenal players which the Catalan giants are wary of. Lionel Messi is a great fan of Theo Walcott, Cesc Fabregas is one of Barca's favourite sons and Jack Wilshere's performance last week won him praise from all quarters. As ever for Arsenal though, it is at the back where they are weak.

Arsenal fans should also not forget that after this match, the mighty Leyton Orient await. It would be typical Arsenal to grind out a win against Barca and then lose to the Orient!

Premier League result - Chelsea 0 Liverpool 1

6th February 2011 Chelsea 0 Liverpool 1

Today was the day Chelsea unveiled their £50m man, with huge irony in that he faced his old club Liverpool FC. So how did he look? I thought Torres looked sharp and happy to be in and around some world class faces. He was subbed towards the end, before the winner from Raul Meireles, only to be greeted with a standing ovation from eager Chelsea fans and simultaneous growls from the unhappy scousers. The suggestions this week that Torres wasn't trying since the World Cup I thought was hugely disrespectful towards the Spaniard, who is a professional that has stayed at Liverpool through a very tough patch. Playing as a lone striker, some times under Benitez carrying injury, I don't think anyone really expected Torres to stay at Liverpool for the rest of his career.

Will Chelsea reap the rewards of the Torres buy? I think they will get goals, yes. I also think the shirt sales will have been a calculated revenue line in the huge record £50m valuation - good luck to Chelsea who did the brave thing that countless pundits / fans can lazily criticise.

Gudjohnson to Fulham on loan

Eidur Gudjohnson to move to Fulham on loan

Nzogbia to stay at Wigan

Wigan turn £10m bid down for Nzogbia

Transfer window latest 31st Jan 2011

Football Transfers 2011

Well A LOT has happened in the Premier League transfer window since my last blog. Robbie Keane signed for West Ham instead of Birmingham. Birmingham have snapped up Keane, Bent has started well for Villa (£24m), huge amounts of money are about to move about with Torres moving to Chelsea, Andy Carroll eyeing up a dream move to Anfield and ... all eyes are on Charlie Adam as Ian Holloway looks to maximise the potential transfer fee.

Interesting to see Blackburn Rovers signing for the future with the acquisition of Ruben Rochina from Barcelona. Daniel Sturridge going to the Reebok is also a buy demonstrating ambition from Bolton Wanderers. It will be nice to see ex-Pompey star Sulley Muntari back in the Premier League playing for Sunderland as his spell in Milan comes to an end...again, cracking business by Steve Bruce.

All eyes were on Anfield this evening with Suarez and Carroll both moving to play under ex-Red player/manager Kenny Dalglish.

Abramovic's Chelsea have shown aggression and competitiveness in this 2011 transfer window - Luiz and Torres must take the Blues forward after their slump in the Prem which appears to be over.

I could go on, with so many mouth watering signings cracking off in this allstars competition that is the Premier League. Lots of loan deals in this transfer window!

At January 31st 10pm, this is my key transfer update in the Barclays Premiership:

Arsenal - no players signed
Aston Villa - Bent
Birmingham - O Martins, Bentley (loan)
Blackburn - Santa Cruz, Rochina, Formica
Blackpool - James Beattie, A Reid
Bolton - David Wheater, Sturridge
Chelsea - Fernando Torres, Luiz
Everton - Dier
Fulham - S Sidwell
Liverpool - Suarez, Caroll
Man City - Dzeko
Man Utd - Lindegaard
Newcastle - Stephen Ireland
Stoke - Pennant, Carew
Sunderland - S Muntari
Tottenham - Pienaar
West Brom -
West Ham - Wayne Bridge, Robbie Keane (loan)
Wolves - J O'Hara (loan)

Good luck to 'Arry tonight - Aguero for £38m was turned down but you are the absolute transfer market master!!

Arsenal 3 Ipswich 0 Carling Cup semi final results (aggregate 3-1)

25th January 2011 Arsenal 3 Ipwsich 0 (agg 3-1)

Arsenal turned on a great second half performance this evening, hitting 3 goals after the break to dismiss Ipswich Town and get into the final of the Carling Cup 2011.

In the 61st minute, Nicklas Bendtner silenced his critics with a nice Cruyff turn and curler past the Ipswich keeper. Defender Laurent Koscielny and captain Cesc Fabregas added two more as they eased into a higher gear than brave Ipswich.

Wenger's beloved Gunners haven't won any silverware for 6 seasons - they've put the big guns in for 30-40 mins to good effect in both FA Cup and Carling Cup competitions to good effect along with good performances from squad players.

Their name could well be on the 2011 Carling Cup - we shall just have to wait and see on the Premier League . . . and good luck Arsenal against Barca in the Champions League!

FA Cup 3rd round replay Leeds 1 Arsenal 3

Leeds United 1 Arsenal 3 FA Cup 3rd round replay Wednesday 19th January 2011

38,000 packed in at Elland Road as visitors Arsenal proved too much for Leeds United. Despite Arsenal going 1 up very quickly with a goal from Nasri and then making it two with Sagna in the 35th minute Johnson for Leeds Utd scored a great goal (check it on Youtube) to spark a bit of home team possession to end the first half.

Predictably, Arsenal bossed the second half but Leeds stuck to the task of David Batty like midfielding and Chris Whyte like defending.

Towards the end, Van Persie got a third to get Arsenal through to face Huddersfield Town in the fourth round of the FA Cup.

Transfer latest January 2011

Although updates surrounding David Beckham's training and Man City's considerable spending has dominated this January 2011 transfer window, there's plenty going on now. Here are my favourite top 3 bits of transfer news/gossip:

Keane leaves Tottenham Hotspur to join David Bentley at Birmingham City. Great business Alex Mcleish, £4m is a bargain.

Pienaar snubbed Chelsea in a £3m offer...lucky escape Steven if you're not a fan of warming the bench!

Dutch midfield work horse Mark Van Bommel could be eyeing up the Premier League, with Dutch and Italy clubs also interested.