Newcastle United isn’t the kind of club that can be beaten so convincingly Of course it happens, but they are a good side that usually gives the top sides a run for their money. That said; I watched the tie between Man City and Newcastle last Monday that almost freaked me out.
Newcastle United isn’t the kind of club that can be beaten so convincingly Of course it happens, but they are a good side that usually gives the top sides a run for their money. That said; I watched the tie between Man City and Newcastle last Monday that almost freaked me out.
Not in a long time have I seen a premier league club so intent on attacking, that even well organised sides resemble fodder when playing against it.Newcastle approached the game quite assuredly hoping they would get a result, but within five minutes, they had succumbed to a sort of super pressure mounted by a well assembled attack-minded quartet of Sergio Aguerro, David Silva, Jesus Navas and Yaya Toure.The new players brought in at the Etihad Stadium look like they have played in the premier league before. They are strong, aggressive and offensive. Unlike most coaches, Man City’s new manager, Manuel Pellegrini isn’t afraid to shove the new ones immediately in the fray without giving them time to settle in.One only feels sorry and wonders whether players like Samir Nasri and Gareth Barry will again experience how a round ball feels like. Newcastle may have had its fair share, now the rest of the league should also watch out. But, more importantly, should Pellegrini’s men keep this kind of tempo, even Europe is in danger.************************************Chelsea is back to its boring but efficient styleJose Mourinho inherited a Chelsea that had been taken through different styles by many coaches. Under Andre Villas-Boas, it employed a stylish but vulnerable kind of game. This style was dropped in favour of Robert Di Mateo’s cautious but effective approach, which surprisingly won them the Champions League, while, under Rafael Benitez, they switched to a long ball approach.Now the so-called "Happy One” is back at the home which they fired him from four years ago. He comes back a different man, with a few more tricks under his sleeve and Sir Alex Ferguson gone.Mourinho is well-known for defensive tactics. Such tactics won him a Champions league trophy at Inter Milan and the same tactics won him the final episodes of his El Classico encounters against Barcelona.Truthfully speaking, this style is boring to the bone; yet for Chelsea, it could collect more silverware. According to Mourinho, silverware and not the manner in which games are won, is what gets jotted down in history books. I agree.************************Arsenal and Wenger are made for each otherA true fan will always be a fan no matter the circumstances – that is the message that was sent home by the thousands of gloomy faces that witnessed Arsenal being ransacked by Aston Villa. As a matter of fact, the Gunners have learnt through the hard way that a club is more than just one unbeaten season but also one which sees a very long time without trophies.The loss opened up their minds – that Wenger needs to buy or go; and yet, the convincing win against Fenerbahce did the opposite. It could have shoved them back into that comfort zone of "the team is good enough”. With Arsenal cruising towards Champions League group stages, Wenger is certainly proud that he has achieved his immediate target.Therefore, those noisy Arsenal fans crying for Wenger to be fired should think again. The professor has said it more than many times that Arsenal’s priority is to finish in the top four and play in the Champions League. From such a target, Wenger doesn’t need to buy; Arsenal has overwhelmingly achieved unequaled success throughout Europe. Who are the fans to say otherwise?