The Europa League is it really the Mickey Mouse Cup?

On his debut for The Football Front, Tom Moseley explains why the Europa League deserves more respect than it currently gets.

For a while now, people have been regarding the Europa League as ‘The Mickey Mouse Cup’ or ‘A Mickey Mouse Cup’ saying they don’t really care about it and it doesn’t mean anything. However, does it really deserve this title? Especially this year, there seems to have been a general increase in the amount of people watching and enjoying the Europa League, for a few different reasons.

Firstly, I find the Europa League much more entertaining than the Champions League, because I think that the Europa League is played at a higher pace than the Champions League and fewer teams settle for draws, leading to end-to-end and potentially high scoring games. You can see this if you compare the Champions League and Europa League Quarter Final first legs and seeing the difference in the amount of goals. In the Europa League there were 15 goals in the four games, which is an average of 3.75 goals a game, which is quite high to be honest, whereas the Champions League is different. In the Champions League there were 6 goals, which is an average of 1.5 goals a game, so on average, you get 2 more goals a game in the Europa League, which backs up the fact the Europa League is better for entertainment than the Champions League.

I think the next main reason why the Europa League is starting to appeal to a lot more people and is being dismissed as a ‘Mickey Mouse Cup’ by more people is because it’s ‘refreshing’ because in the Champions League, you see those same sides on TV every week. I mean I always say that if you have SkySports you have a Real Madrid and Barcelona season ticket, so when the Europa League is on, it’s a welcome chance to watch some different teams. You can see different managers, players and styles, instead of the same thing every week. This could appeal to people even more if they want to learn more

about the game, because they are finding out about new players and managers they never knew before, meaning they’re learning more and more out about different aspects of football, which they might not necessarily find out when they watch the same kinds of teams. An example of this is mainly Athletic Bilbao. I have learnt a lot about them from the few Europa League games of theirs I have watched. I knew most of their players and I knew Biesla was their manager and that he managed Chile in the World Cup and is nicknamed ‘El Loco’ but I didn’t know exactly how they played, which is probably the main reason why I enjoyed their game at Old Trafford, because they play an exciting brand of football. They press high and play at a high tempo with lots of men attacking and lots of good movement/runs in and around the box, which is good football for entertainment and if you’re watching as a neutral.

For me, this is the biggest argument for why the Europa League is getting better and not necessarily better than the Champions League, because technically, the Champions League teams are better, but more entertaining and could possibly become a ‘Peoples Cup’ which may not always be the best in quality, but the games are always entertaining, open and played at a fast tempo.

I also think the ‘Mickey Mouse Cup’ isn’t a right title for the cup as well, because if you go by popular opinion that the two Manchester Clubs are the best in England and the Premier League is one of the best leagues in the World, then they wouldn’t have been knocked out so early in the tournament, for the point they entered in. If it really was as bad as it is made out, then I’m pretty sure the two Manchester clubs would have walked it and there would have been a Manchester Derby final, which a couple of people I know said there would be.

However, again this could be due to lack of knowledge of the game as well, as they don’t know a lot about the teams they’ll be up against, so they assume that the Manchester Clubs will walk it, because nine times out of ten, if you know next to nothing about a team in the Europa League, but know a lot about a decent Champions League team, you’re going to back the Champions League team, aren’t you? I mean, a couple of people I was talking to didn’t really know who Bilbao were.

Another way to look at it is to think, if your team won the Europa League, would you play it down and say ‘well, it’s only a Mickey Mouse Cup’. My guess is no, you wouldn’t. I’m pretty sure when Fulham got to the final, they wanted to win it and wouldn’t be calling it a ‘Mickey Mouse Cup’ if they did, or take the League Cup for example as well, that’s classed as a ‘Mickey Mouse Cup’ by a lot of people, but every Liverpool fan I’ve talked to hasn’t called it the ‘Mickey Mouse Cup’ they’ve defended their club by saying ‘Yeah, but we won the League Cup’. So everyone that calls the Europa League a ‘Mickey Mouse Cup’ answer this question, if you’re team, whether it be Liverpool, Wolves or Wycombe, won the Europa League, would you say it’s only a ‘Mickey Mouse Cup’ or would you celebrate? Most supporters would pick the second. So this is something people should consider when writing cups off as ‘Mickey Mouse Cups’.

Overall, what I’m trying to say, is the Europa League is a good competition, it’s entertaining and although there isn’t as much quality on show as the Champions League, the entertainment factor makes up for it, which is what football is all about, entertainment, football is a form of entertainment. So, I don’t think it is a ‘Mickey Mouse Cup’ and I hope more people start to see this and it grows as a tournament, which it looks like it could.

This article was written by Tom Moseley, you can follow him on Twitter: @PlayedOfThePark .Check out his website too: http://playedoffthepark.blogspot.co.uk/

The Three factors ensuring Manchester United will fight for the title

In his debut article for The Football Front, Jordon Florit considers why Man United’s result at Chelsea proves the Red Devils will fight Man City to the death for the Premier League title.

You wouldn’t have put money on it: or maybe, if you’re my cousin, you would have placed a £2.00 bet, with odds of 50/1, on a 3-3 draw. The final score was hardly ideal for either side: however, Manchester United haven’t cracked Chelsea at Stamford Bridge for the past ten years and when Chelsea went three goals to the good with forty minutes left to play, to take a solitary point seemed unthinkable. Yet it still happened.

It was the first time in Chelsea’s Premier League history that they’d let a three goal lead slip, exactly a year to the day after Arsenal had let a four goal lead slip to this season’s surprise package Newcastle United. Yet, in an unexpected sort of way, the result wasn’t as surprising as one may’ve though. This season, Premier League fixtures between last season’s top four have reaped an average of 5.25 goals per game.

There are three factors which are at play to ensure that Manchester United will push Manchester City all the way in the fight for the title.

1.) Persistence and Determination

Ultimately, what Rio Ferdinand described as a “Man Utd never say die attitude”, is what was needed to compete in a hotly contested duel in which The Red Devils eventually came out as the dominant side in a game which had no winner.

Dominating possession and converting their chances was the gilded difference between a Manchester United side that looked dead as the third goal was headed in by David Luiz, and a Chelsea side that, on paper, looked weak as they were missing Didier Drogba, Frank Lampard, John Terry and Ashley Cole for the first time in 4 years.

For Sir Alex Ferguson, it was a game that “epitomises what English football’s about,” and it went psychologically proved that, despite failing to win, Manchester United will fight City all the way for the Premier League title.

At three goals down, with debatably two own goals scored – although the second was accredited to David Luiz. And with Chelsea’s fans providing another unwanted sub-story to the game, with a chorus of boos akin to the treatment Patrice Evra received at Anfield, United’s season was near the potential point of no return.

If, like the form book would’ve led one to believe, and Chelsea had gone on to win the game, it would’ve been Manchester United’s third loss to a top seven side, in all competitions, in 2012 alone. Furthermore, with Manchester City convincingly beating Fulham 3-0 yesterday, the gap between the top two would’ve remained at three points.

Some even were expecting Chelsea to repeat Man City’s 6-1 humiliation of Man United.

2.) David de Gea

“When you make a mistake at United, it is highlighted and can be exaggerated a little bit.” Those are the words of Sir Alex Ferguson on the criticism received by his Spanish goalkeeper David de Gea prior to the game and at three down. The hate brigade was well and truly in full swing. However, in palming shots away and punching balls out of the box, despite the scoreline, the Spanish ‘keeper was proving his critics wrong.

For many, and wrongly so, De Gea is considered to be the chink in United’s armour and, in the extremist’s view, including Piers Morgan, who believe David De Gea is the worst goalkeeper in the Premier League. But the statistics would beg to differ and in the aftermath of the game, the Spaniard’s saves-to-shots ratio was 77%. Which is the fourth best in the league, whereas Petr Cech’s stood at 65%, pitting him as the worst in the league. Whilst I don’t believe either are anywhere near the worst in the league, De Gea outshone Petr Cech with his emphatic save to stop a tremendous effort from fellow countryman Juan Mata.3.) The blend of experience and youth

Although the game was tainted by the continuous drone of boos for Rio Ferdinand, something Andre Villas-Boas seemed to palm off as a “normal situation in the Premier League,” which would confirm Ollie Holt’s views of a “resurgence of racist attitudes in the English game,” it did prove there is still life in one old dog in particular.

Thirty-eight year old Ryan Giggs was at the heart of everything creative for Manchester United, producing six goal-scoring opportunities for the visiting side. In fact, he created more chances than any other player on the pitch with Mata and Malouda coming closest with four each. Paul Scholes, 37, came on with the deficit still at two and with the two most experienced players on the pitch making up half of United’s midfield four; a comeback was mounted.

The value of experience, which was absent in the Chelsea side with the aforementioned four all missing. But for Man United the experience of Ryan Giggs, Michael Carrick and Paul Scholes their experience continued to shine through. Carrick, 30, pulled the strings in midfield, coming in as United’s top passer with 76 passes, 23 more than Chelsea’s highest passer Raul Meireles, and Rio Ferdinand, 33, was the most accurate distributor on the pitch with an 89% pass completion rate.

With experience bossing the midfield, ably assisted by the unfazed Rio Ferdinand, it was left to the youth upfront to convert Manchester United’s chances. With a 69% success rate of shots to shots on target and a 33% goal ratio from shots on target, both better than Chelsea’s return, Danny Welbeck, Wayne Rooney and Javier Hernandez ensured Manchester United could fight back from a steep deficit to earn a point. The former earned the penalty that saw Rooney score and the lattermost completed the comeback, having seen Rooney score the second. It was typical of Hernandez to score the equaliser. 10 of his 21 Premier League goals have come in the last ten minutes and 11 of them coming from within the six-yard box.


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Chelsea have now drawn their last three games, leaving them sitting in 4th. Had Chelsea won all their last three games, they’d currently be level with Tottenham.

A Premier League title now looks out of the question for Andre Villas-Boas’s Chelsea.
However, one positive from a game which will definitely go down as two points lost, was David Luiz. Today’s performance saw him win 100% of his aerial battles and 87.5% of his ground battles, whilst winning every challenge he made. Although he was debatably at fault for Manchester United’s equaliser, he’s becoming more disciplined as the season progresses and AVB can only hope for a stronger defensive display from next season’s Chelsea than the one he has witnessed this season. Cahill will go some way to ensuring that.

This article was written by Jordan Florit. For more of Jordan’s work, take a look at his website: www.maycauseoffence.com/. Jordan is also on Twitter: @JordanFlorit

Michael Owen: did he ever fulfil his true potential?

Michael Owen is a figure who divides opinions. Some view him as a player who was once a World Class player and a player who took the world by storm, but for others it’s a completely different story.

But almost everyone agrees in his younger days, Owen was world class. To put things into perspective, Michael Owen is the 6^th most profile striker in the Premier League era, with 149 goals. He's scored more Premier League goals than, Teddy Sheringham, Dwight Yorke, Ian Wright and Ruud van Nistelrooy.

But the real question which divides many is: did Michael Owen ever fulfil the potential that surrounded him during his teenage and early years in professional football.

Indeed, this is a rather inflammatory question which stirs a lot of debate. Especially as present Michael Owen, now 31, spends most of his time sat on the bench at Man United whilst lapping up the trophies.

But rather ironically, as a teenager, Michael Owen was a certain starter for his side and more importantly, Owen was a consistent goal scorer at the tender age of 18. It’s very easy to forget how much of a prodigy Michael Owen was when he was a teenager.

Owen’s scoring knack began at just 17 years of age. He even scored on his Premier League debut in 1997 away at Wimbledon.

But that goal was a plain glimpse of what was to come from Michael Owen.

The following season, Michael Owen’s first full season in professional football, the then 18 year old scored a total of 18 Premier League goals. A demonstration of his achievement is truly represented by the fact the teenager finished joint top goal scorer alongside Dion Dublin.

Michael Owen took the Premier League by storm. He was untouchable. His electrifying pace, movement and clinical finishing made him an incredibly potent and threatening striker– even for the most experienced of defenders.

The fact Owen, a mere 18 year old, a player had no previous Premier League experience could take England’s elite league by storm summoned many to believe Michael Owen would become a global superstar. A player would end his career in the same bracket as many English legends such as Gary Linekar, Kevin Keegan and Alan Shearer.

But the expectations of his potential grew to a sky high level by the 1998 World Cup in France. His magnificent individual goal against Argentina proved not only could he compete with the best in England, he could also compete with the best players in the world.

After this glorifying World Cup for Michael Owen was destined for more than just a global superstar, he was perceived as a player who would go onto be an all time great footballer: a player in the ranks of Pele, Ronaldo and Maradona.

To be fair to Owen, with the global attention which was following and expecting from him, he initially didn’t fail to deliver. His progression continued in a substantial fashion after the 1998 World Cup.

In the 2001/02 season Michael Owen reached his best goal tally for a season. He scored 28 goals in 43 games. Upon reflecting, one could argue the 2001/02 season was Michael Owen’s pinnacle season. Owen was single handily winning games for his club and this was internationally recognised.

The 2001 FA Cup final between Liverpool and Arsenal is the perfect example of Owen single handily changing the game for his team’s favour. In the final, Liverpool for most of the match were second best and looked odds on to lose the final. But a five minute spell of brilliance from Michael Owen transformed the game for Liverpool. Owen’s potent finishing and blistering pace caught a dominate Arsenal side completely off guard.

Michael Owen was the star. He was England’s finest striker. No English striker was anywhere near Owen’s abilities. The year 2001 ended with Michael Owen being crowned with FIFA’s Ballon d’Or - a vivid symbol of Michael Owen’s abilities and how they were leaving the footballing world in absolute awe.

However, Michael Owen for all of his talents was not enough for Liverpool to consistently challenge for the title. Continuously, Owen would lead by example scoring in the bucket loads, single handily carrying Liverpool from one game to the next. But his team mates were often no where near to his level of performing.

Inevitably, the writing was on the wall. In order for Michael Owen to reach the pinnacle of European football, he would have to win trophies. And that meant leaving his beloved Liverpool.

In 2004, this happened. Michael Owen transferred to Spanish giants Real Madrid. To many, this move was Owen’s downfall. Some label it as the end of the golden boy era for Michael Owen.

Make no mistake, Michael Owen was no golden boy at Real Madrid. The talented Englishman spent most of his time fighting for a place on the bench, often drawing criticism from the Spanish press and the fans for his inconsistent form.

Within a year, Owen arrived back in England.

Owen’s time at Newcastle was spoiled with injuries. Had Michael Owen returned to England and managed to stay injury free, maybe the striker would be performing to a very high level to this day, thus assisting him fulfil his full potential. But at Newcastle, Owen would take a few steps forward, scoring a number of goals. Then he would take a few steps back and would find himself injured for a lengthy period.

The consequence of continuous lengthy periods on the sidelines had adverse effects on Owen’s abilities. Owen style of play depended on his pace and sharpness. But without these components Michael Owen lacked the cutting edge, the confidence and crucially, the chance to be a serious thereat to the opposition.

Some argue, Michael Owen was an early peaker, but one can never be sure of this. If Owen hadn’t suffered from a history of injuries in the second half of his career, maybe he would have continued to progress or at least maintain his fantastic goal scoring form.

To be fair, Owen’s injuries were not spontaneous occurrences. They were subtly arising on the surface, even when Owen was at his peak.

Tom Nash (@ffootballer) argues because Michael Owen was exposed to so much high level football at a young age, it would inevitably end up catching up with Owen’s body. This is a fantastic point. By the age of 21, Owen had already played more than 95 Premier League games. Not only this, the sheer expectation, and summer tournaments at a young age must have had an effect on his body.

One must remember, even when Owen was in his early twenties, he suffered some lengthy injuries. In the 1999/2000 season, Owen played 30 games in total. While in the season prior, he appeared 40 times.

Perhaps if Michael Owen’s development was better protected by his national team and club, maybe Owen could have consistently played and performed at the highest level for a longer period of time. His sudden thrust into the highest level of football and his comfort in these surroundings created massive expectations which Owen had to strive to conform to.

It’s sad to say, but Michael Owen’s injuries have hindered him from reaching his true potential. If 10 years ago, one would ask where they would see Michael Owen being, many would speculate he would be playing week in week out continuously finding the net.

The grim reality is that Owen, finds himself predominantly on the bench at Liverpool’s arch rivals Man United. Something which I’m sure most United and Liverpool fans would have never imagined.

However, it cannot be denied. Michael Owen WAS world class. But in the early period of his career. But during a footballer’s conventional peak years (26-31 years old), Owen at that age was never able to regain his world class label.

But Owen was a special player. He held the hopes of the nation, he held the hearts of many football fans. Off the pitch, even at a young age Owen was a true role model not only to children, but to adults.

The regrettable aspect is that poor protection of the striker from his national team and clubs along with some poor transfers and the critical loss of crucial abilities have meant Michael Owen never truly fulfilled his potential.

But when Michael Owen retires from football, he probably will reflect on his career, considering all the if’s and buts. However, when he looks at the medals he has won and what he achieved in his career he will look back at his career with great pride.

Owen has won 89 England caps, scoring a sensational 40 goals. He has a Premier League medal, an FA Cup medal, three League Cups medals and one UEFA Cup medal in his cabinet.

Michael Owen was a special player, a world class player at times, but his decline in the second half of his career hindered him reaching his true potential.

Here are a collection of some of Michael Owen's best goals in a Liverpool shirt:

Premier League Predictions – Week 8

The Manchester Derby is the match which is on everyone’s lips this week. For the first time in a long time, Man City go into a Manchester Derby leading ahead of Man United. The Man United – Man City game promises to be a sensational game.

This week, our predictors are the guys from Natter Football and football blogger, James Owens.

Fixture	Ibby Akkas Prediction		Natter Football Prediction		James Owens Prediction		Actual Score
Wolves v Swansea	2-1		2-2		1-0		2-2
Aston Villa v West Brom	3-1		1-0		2-0		1-2
Bolton v Sunderland	3-2		2-1		2-2		0-2
Newcastle v Wigan	2-0		3-0		2-1		1-0
Liverpool v Norwich	4-0		4-0		3-1		1-1
Arsenal v Stoke	1-0		2-0		4-1		3-1
Fulham v Everton	0-0		1-1		0-0		1-3
Man United v Man City	3-2		3-2		2-1		1-6
Blackburn v Tottenham	2-2		1-2		1-3		1-2
QPR v Chelsea	1-3		1-3		0-3		1-0
Total Correct Scores	correct results - 2	perfect results - 0	correct results - 2	perfect results - 2	correct results - 3	perfect results - 0

The Results

Natter Football - 8 Points

James Owens - 3 Points

Ibby Akkas - 2 Points

After a very unpredictable weekend of Premier League football, Natter Football comes away with a convincing victory, after gaining an impressive 8 points through getting two perfect scores. While James Owens gets three points in second while in last place, Ibby Akkas finishes 2 points.

Make sure you check out Natter Football’s website: http://natterfootball.co.uk/ . The Natter Football group can be found on Twitter: @NatterFootball

James Owens has written can also be found on Twitter too: @JamesSethOwens

Take a look at this season’s Prediction Challenge League Table.

Find out here how last week’s predictors did!

For more information on The Predictions Challenge check out this page.

Premier League Predictions – Week 7

Finally. The international break is OVER! Domestic football can come to the front of football again. And what fantastic games are in store this weekend in the Premier League. Firstly, the early kick sees Liverpool face league champions Manchester United, while Chelsea have a tough home game against Everton and while the unbeaten Newcastle United host Tottenham.

This week our predictors are Stuart of The4^thofficial and Huw Davies of Week Spot Blog.

Fixture	Ibby Akkas prediction		Stuart prediction		Huw Davies prediction	Actual Score
Liverpool v Man United	1-2		2-1		1-1	1-1
Man City v Aston Villa	2-1		4-0		3-1	4-1
Norwich v Swansea	3-1		2-0		2-2	3-1
QPR v Blackburn	3-0		1-2		2-0	1-1
Stoke v Fulham	1-0		1-0		1-1	2-0
Wigan v Bolton	0-2		1-1		1-2	1-3
Chelsea v Everton	1-1		3-0		1-0	2-0
West Brom v Wolves	2-1		1-2		1-1	2-0
Arsenal v Sunderland	3-0		2-0		3-1	2-1
Newcastle v Tottenham	2-2		0-2		1-1	2-2
Total Correct Scores	correct results - 5	perfect results - 2	correct results - 5	perfect results - 1	correct results - 5 perfect results - 1

The Results

Ibby Akkas - 11 points

Stuart - 8 points

Huw Davies - 8 points

This week Ibby Akkas is the winner with 11 points, but it was a very close encounter. As all three predictors got five correct results. Both Stuart and Huw finished with an impressive 8 points.
Make sure you follow both predictors on their Twitter accounts. Stuart can be found at: @4thOfficalcouk while Huw can be followed at: @weekspotblog.

Check out the fantastic The 4^th Official website too: the4thofficial.co.uk and Huw’s blog: weekspotblog.com

Take a look at this season’s Prediction Challenge League Table.

Find out here how last week’s predictors did!

For more information on The Predictions Challenge check out this page.

Five Observations from Week 5 in the Premier League

1.) Fernando Torres takes one step forward then two steps back – For the first time in his Chelsea career, and for the first time in 2011, Fernando Torres has scored in two games in a row. It’s fair to say the old Fernando, the world class version is coming back to the surface. However, he seems to eclipse his positives actions with Chelsea with a negative action. His sending off this weekend symbolises this. Torres had no real need to lunge in with two feet up in the air. It was a woeful striker’s tackle. But just when you think Torres is finding his form, sharpness and goals, he commits an act which could possibly affect his consistency. Ironically, consistency is something he has craved for since moving to Chelsea.

2.) Man United gain a credible draw at Stoke – Yes, Man United’s 100% winning record is over. But it’s by no means a disaster. Already this season, Stoke have held Chelsea and have beaten Liverpool at home. Many of United’s league contenders will come to Stoke and will struggle to get all three points. Man United can also learn a lot from this result too. Although United’s defending has been relatively strong this season, at times they have shown their frailties. Peter Crouch’s goal for Stoke highlighted United’s poor defending from the set piece. Perhaps young Phil Jones should have been more tighter and more aware of the positioning of Stoke’s target man Peter Crouch. While just after Stoke’s goal, Rio Ferdinand’s miss kicked his clearance which nearly and should have given Crouch a chance to score his second goal of the game. But Sir Alex, the fans and the players will be even more aware that the champions need to put more focus in their defending, as the defensive lapse could have cost them the game. Indeed, David De Gea stood up to Stoke’s aggressive and direct nature. The new Man United goalkeeper made some crucial saves which helped preserved United from losing. With every game, the young Spaniard looks more confident, more settled and more of a natural successor to Van der Sar.

3.) Man City’ strength in depth is the difference – City had a very tough encounter versus Everton. The Merseysiders were committed, focused and organised in restricting Man City the opportunity to create and finish chances. For most of the game, Everton frustrated Man City. They simply couldn’t find a break through. Everton did a very good job in nullifying in- form players such as Edin Dzeko. However, for all the talent City started in the match, this could be matched by Man City’s quality on the bench. Step up James Milner and Mario Balotelli. Both substitutes scored both of the goals in the game. Everton could not cope with City’s quality on the bench, as a result, the likes of Silva and Aguero’s both stepped up after the introduction of Balotelli and Milner. It’s fair to say, against tough oppositions, Manchester City’s strength in depth could be the potential decider in the title race. After all, they possess many attacking threats, while as the game progresses and the opposition tire, the quality of attacking depth, especially on the bench could prove to be the difference. Just as it proved to be against Everton this weekend.

4.) Liverpool becoming ever more dependent on Luis Suarez – Liverpool were not great against Wolves this weekend. At times they were on top, and created many chances. But there were also periods when Wolves asked all the questions of Liverpool and The Reds didn’t defend that impressively. Offensively, the difference for Liverpool again was Luis Suarez. His movement, energy and creativity often left the Wolves defence feeling dizzy. But at times during the game, it was as if Suarez was the only Liverpool player looking to move in and out of pockets of space. Without his movement, it would seem as if Liverpool’s performance was lacklustre and short of creative ideas. It’s evident the other attacking Liverpool players need to show more intelligent movement in order to create space. But when Luis Suarez is in form, its not surprising a team becomes dependent on him. He is arguably a complete striker, who can create and finish himself, so is it surprising he becomes the focal point of team?

5.) The Newcastle United revolution gets bigger and bigger – Newcastle were widely tipped as the team who would be in and around the foot of the table at the start of the season. Due to the club selling key players such as Enrique, Nolan and Barton. But Alan Pardew and his new look Newcastle side have started the season off very impressively. After 6 games, they find themselves unbeaten, and are in fourth place with 12 points. The new signings seem to have given the club some balance and variation of quality. Attackers Demba Ba and Leon Best have so far consistently provided goals. One could argue that Ba has been rather inconsistent for Newcastle so far and has drifted in and out of games. It’s a fair point, he hasn’t been great. But against Blackburn he was a consistent threat, his pace, strength and instinctive finishing was the difference. His hat-trick will not only give The Toon Army some optimism, it will give them some pride. Furthermore, the return of Hatem Ben Arfa gives Newcastle even more quality and technical strength. Newcastle have rather quietly constructed a very good outfit which is proving to be a decent side.

Five Statistics from this weekend

1.) Fernando Torres has scored against 24/28 of teams he has faced in the Premier League.

2.) Four different players have scored a hat-trick for Newcastle United since the start of 2010/11 season

3.) Peter Crouch has scored for 6 different Premier League clubs in his career.

4.) Tottenham are the only team this season to pass more than 600 times in more than one game.

5.) Aston Villa are the third team in Premier League history to draw 5/6 of their opening games.

Video: Fernando Torres miss remade in FIFA 11 + player breaks managers wrist?

This is fantastic. It's utterly hilarious, someone has made a FIFA version of Fernando Torres' shocking miss for Chelsea against Man United. Check it out below.






The other interesting video is of Hapoel Acco player Roei Levi. The player clears the ball to the touchline but the ball catches the managers hand and the power of the clearance breaks his wrist! Looks very painful, but its extraordinary.

Five observations from week 4 in the Premier League

1. Man United are still invincible at home – Last season Man United had a home winning ratio of 94%. A sensational record which is shared by Jose Mourinho’s Chelsea title winning side in 2006. It was this fine home record which was the difference last season between Manchester United and their title rivals. The last time United dropped points at Old Trafford was an incredible 11 months ago against West Brom in 2-2 draw. Indeed, the Champions have continued their fine dominance at home. So far this season, at home Man United have played Tottenham and Chelsea, and United have come away with three points on both occasions in a rather emphatic fashion. What will please the United faithful and Sir Alex Ferguson is that they have beaten two very tough opponents with genuine comfort. When weaker opponents come to Old Trafford this season, a continuity of this invincible confidence will continue to be rife amongst the fans.
2. Fernando Torres drought is over – Fernando Torres scores! The £50million man finally gets his first goal of the season. His drought lasted an eye watering 12 hours and 12 minutes. But everyone will agree the goal has been coming. In his last few games, Torres has looked far more settled, more dangerous and more integrated in the Chelsea side. Chelsea’s style under Andre Villas-Boas is a leading factor as to why Torres has looked sharper. Chelsea are passing the ball at a quicker tempo, and Torres is receiving the ball to feet very quickly. This is something the Spaniard thrives on. Against United, Chelsea played slide balls and low diagonal passes to Torres, in return, Torres became more of a threat with every attacking pass. However, Fernando Torres’ miss will never be forgotten. There is no denying it was utterly, utterly woeful. But, a positive for Chelsea is that he did score the harder chance. Without a doubt, he was Chelsea’s leading threat throughout the game. The Fernando Torres of old is potentially just around the corner.
3. Blackburn ‘Kean’ to win –Blackburn surprised everyone by defeating Arsenal. In the first half, Arsenal were the better team, they were comfortable and crucially, they were leading. But in the second half, Blackburn came out incredibly motivated, driven and hungry for the win. Arsenal’s flaws of last season came back onto the surface. Firstly their inability to defend set pieces was re-highlighted on two different occasions. This inevitably lead to a test of Arsenal’s mental strength, which arguably, they failed. Arsenal couldn’t deal with Blackburn’s desire to win. After going a goal down, the Gunners allowed Blackburn to grow in confidence and make the score 4-2. Blackburn’s commitment in the second half was unprecedented. The team defended very solidly and passionately, but once Blackburn won the ball, they looked to pass the ball out wide and start a counter attack. At times, Wenger’s men couldn’t deal with Hoilett and co. Prior to this game, Blackburn hadn’t won a league game. But a strong willed performance proved that if Blackburn play with high intensity and desire, they will pick up number of wins this season. But inconsistency is rife at Ewood Park.
4. Promoted boys show they can fight in a giants world - All three promoted sides bagged impressive wins this weekend. Q.P.R were rampant at Wolves, while Norwich got their first win at Bolton and Swansea scored their first goals in the hammering of West Brom. Norwich result will provide great encouragement to their fans and manager alike. Norwich dropped a few key players such as Grant Holt but they still had enough in their locker to come away with a win. The Canaries continuously probed Bolton and caused them a number of worries. But for Norwich to win their first Premier League game away from home will provide much enthusiasm to everyone connected to the club. QPR were another team who picked up all three points on the road. The Londoners scored twice in two minutes and set the tone of the game. QPR’s attacking quartet of Barton, Taarabt, Wright-Phillips and Boothroyd were very impressive. Their unpredictability, movement and passing was the difference against Wolves. QPR’s attacking players could drive the team up to the top 10 of the Premier League. Swansea finally scored their first league goals and bagged themselves a notable win. Swansea’s attacking nature along with their fluid passing was the distinction between them and West Brom. Swansea’s Joe Allen was instrumental in everything good that the Welsh side created. If Swansea can impose their passing game, they have a great chance in the Premier League.
5. Tottenham will fight till the fourth – Spurs’ sensational hammering of Liverpool proved they are side worthy of competing for the Champions League spots. People often forget, Tottenham have a wonderful side with quality in depth. Against Liverpool, the Spurs bench, had 5 out of 7 subs who were full internationals. This Liverpool side, which are assembled with expensive signings, were blown out of the water by Tottenham. A sterling performance from Luka Modric – who’s passing was the catalyst of everything dangerous about Spurs. While Bale continuously threatened from the flanks. Liverpool could not cope with Tottenham’s attacking play. Upfront, Emmanuel Adebayor and Jermain Defoe constantly questioned Liverpool’s defence. Both have formed a healthy partnership as they offer different yet crucial characteristics to Tottenham. The harsh reality for Liverpool is that they failed to step up to Spurs’ game. This was Liverpool’s chance to prove they had the credentials to break the top four after Arsenal’s defeat this weekend. But a woeful performance marred by two men being sent off demonstrates, Liverpool have a long way to go. But for Tottenham, their strength in depth, and constant attacking threat means that they certainly have the credentials to battle for fourth. But consistency is crucial. Last season inconsistent results meant Tottenham missed out on fourth.
   

Five Statistics from this weekend

1.) Wayne Rooney is the first player in Premier League history to score 9 or more goals in his opening five Premier League games.

2.) Luka Modric against Liverpool passed 109 times and had a completion rate of 89%, he also scored.

3.) Liverpool only had three shots against Tottenham – The lowest in a single Premier League game in nine years.

4.) No player currently in the Premier League has scored more goals against Man United at Old Trafford than Fernando Torres (Three goals)

5.) It took Swansea 374 minutes to score their first Premier League goal.