Champions: Man Utd

This post's title is not the easiest thing for me to write, but it's a fact that no one can deny. Man Utd secured their title last nite with a draw against Arsenal. From the game, again, I would say Arsenal is no longer a title challenger, and don't seem to be able to raise their game to threaten Man Utd. So if Arsenal don't seriously strenthened their squad for next season, they will again be a 4th place team.

So, congrats Man Utd and their fans. You guys had certainly did it again, and with style and ease. Liverpool... you lost your chance, and you better improved, and stop relying too much on Torres and Stevie G.. With the current team, and without the duo, you don't seem to be capable of assaulting for the BPL title next season.

And Chelsea...hmmm.. they actually have the mentality and the squad..now they need to have a tactical coach (Brazilian coaches rely more on individual performance of their players then tactics). But even if they do win some titles, they will not create a generation of greatness like Man Utd. Their players is at their peak, and there are not enough young players to mature through the rank and filled the gaps by the older players. So if they want to continue winning, they need to keep on buying new players, which will very much depends on whether their boss will want to continue forging out huge money..

But this moment, it's for Man Utd and their fans to celebrate.. " We are the champions, my friennnnd "..

Gunners will only aim at the Big Guns

They went into the weekend, brimming with confidence in the back of a victory against defending champion, Manchester United, but they left the weekend shattered as again, they are beaten by teams outside "The Big Four". This time, it's Aston Villa, the new "Big Four" hopefuls.

And when Arsene Wenger admitted that his team deserved to be beaten, we can tell that in this particular game, Villa really battered them, as Wenger rarely admitted his that it is his team own-doing when they are defeated.

So what is wrong with Arsenal this season? Can they win the league? As of now, they are still in it, but if you really look through their team sheet, you have doubt that they stand any chance to win the league at all. But credits must be given to them for the brand of football they play. They remain one of the most exciting teams to watch, and their free flowing passing, coupled with the young lads' great techniques, often take the breath of the fans away.

But as far as the league concern, playing beautiful football wouldn't be awarded extra points, therefore winning as many games as possible is still the only way forward. And they are unable to do so when they play teams outside the Big Four. Why?

Because, when they are playing the lesser team, their opponent is not trying to let them play their free flow football, as they know this could hurt their chances of drawing or even winning. So they do everything to break their rhythm, and at the same time, had a go at them.

As for the Big Four teams, the mentality is different. They are not inferior to Arsenal, therefore, they are not all out to break their rhythm, but instead imposed their own rhythm on Arsenal. So there is a better chance that Arsenal, at certain period of the game might be able to play to their strength.

Besides the mentality, surely there is something wrong with Arsenal, as they lose games to lesser teams. Arsenal lacked depth in squad and lacked leadership on the field. Their midfield is featherweight, and can be easily overrun by the opponents. They lacked midfielders that can win the ball back, the tough tackling type like Patrick Vieira when they lose possessions. And unless they really do something about it during the January transfer window, they will just end up with nothing again this season, and may even lost their Big Four status.

Flamini move to Milan!

When I first heard of Mathieu Flamini, I thought he is an Italian player because of the "Flamini", which is quite Italian to me. And how ironic, today he is leaving for Italy, though he is French.

Flamini's move is also a good sign for the Serie A. Admit it or not, in recent years players prefer the Barclays Premier League over the Serie A, due to the "Calciopoli" and violence of the fans in Serie A.

And Flamini is one of the few players who choose Italy over England. Arsenal reportedly offer a lucrative new five-year deal to him, understood to be worth around £55,000 per week, while Juventus were also reported to be tracking him. But he choose to come to Milan, playing alongside World Player Of the Year, Kaka and fighting for a place with the best Italian midfielders, namely Gattuso, Ambrosini and Pirlo.

Flamini expressed his joy at the move after finalising terms with Milan

'I am extremely happy. Thanks a million,' he said.

Hopefully with the reputation of the Serie A improve, there will be more Stars at his peak heading to the Serie A, and not go there to look at retirement.

Why Man Utd deserve to be Champions in 2007/2008 season

After last Sunday's win over Arsenal, and Chelsea's inability to beat Wigan on Monday, it is clear that Man Utd will be crown champion of 2007/2008, barring any unforeseen situation that may happened over the course of the last 4 league games. Mathematically, both Chelsea and Arsenal are still in the race (very very unlikely for Arsenal though), but everyone is pretty sure Man Utd will be the champions, looking at the performance of the team over the course of the season, the exploit of Cristiano Ronaldo and Owen Hargreaves magnificent free kick, one can just feel they are the champions-elect.

Ok, so now we leave the feeling away and evaluate why they deserve to win this season. Simple said, there are 2 reasons. Yes, certainly there can be more if you would like, but fundamentally, just two.

1) Strong squad
They have a strong squad that is second to none in the league, with each position well covered just in-case of any serious injury. The only area where there might be a concern is the striking department, where they only have 3 strikers in Louis Saha, Wayne Rooney and Carlos Tevez. Injuries and suspensions can really racked their season, but for this season, with Ronaldo scoring 28 goals [equals to the combined total of goals scored by Rooney (11), Tevez(12) and Saha(5)] in the league, problem in the striking area is simply non-existence. But surely, Fergie will need to look at strengthen the striking department next season.

2) Inability of the COntenders
While Man Utd may not be leading the league comfortably, but if not for the failure of the contenders to sustain or keep up the challenge, Man Utd will not be top the league now. Some of the culprits are:

Liverpool
The most disappointing contender of the three. Started the season in renowned hope and confidence with Fernando Torres, they lost their way, indulge in boardroom fighting, and now no where near the top of the league (actually can be disqualified as contender). Their failure is self-inflicting, and this is disappointment to their fans. Besides, Rafael Benitez should start reviewing his tactics.

Chelsea
A bad start to the season and a change of manager lead many to write them off as contenders, but with 4 league games remaining, here we are, they are the closest to the champions-elect. Avram Grant had certainly work his way up quietly, but failed at vital moments when they failed to beat Wigan on Monday to stop Man Utd opening a bigger gap. But everything is not lost, and if they keep up their work, they may still have the last laugh.

Arsenal
Exciting, interesting young team who eventually fall after a great first half of the season, they can only look forward to the future after being knocked out of the Champion's League by Liverpool. But they can really look forward to the next season optimistically, as if the current squad is maintained with a few more addition, they will certainly be feared across Europe in the coming season.