Showers of Joy Reign at the Bridge..Chelsea beat Liverpool for CL Finals berth

The final act has been performed in the semi final leg of the Champions League. Rain poured down on Stamford Bridge as Chelsea battled their rivals Liverpool to win the elusive prize of a spot in the final in Moscow. Drogba and company now face Manchester United. This creats a tasty rematch to Saturday's premiereship battle. Drogba scored two magnificent goals to answer Liverpool's managers off colour comments about his sportsmanship. Grief stricken English midfielder Frank Lampard scored an amazing penalty which he dedicated full of emotion to his late mother. This game saw Chelsea continue to play attacking football that lead them to victory on the weekend against a determined Manchester United side. Both teams came into the match knowing each other well. The appointment of team managers Rafa Benetiz and Jose Morinho fueled a bitter rivalry that saw the teams meeting each other 20 times. Monrinho is no longer around but his replacement Avram Grant ensured that the embers remained burning refused to let Liverpool gain the advantage over his team. Stamford Bridge was again became a sea of blue and white. The Liverpool supporters managed to control one area of the stadium and decked it full red. The home supporters raised their heads to the heavens and sang chants of Chelsea into the air. Even Sir Alex Ferguson sat patiently and waited for the match to start.

The game was played on Chelsea's home ground the formidable Stamford Bridge and Chelsea was full of confidence after denying Manchester United a victory on the weekend. Grant selected a team that had pace and power upfront. Drogba was at the front with Kalau and Joe Cole on either wing. Grant then went with experienced defense and attacking prowess in the midde. He positioned Makelele in the middle to anchor, and supported him with Lampard and Ballack. In defense he decided on a strong central force and attacking on the wings. He positioned multi dimensional Essien into right back and Ashley Cole on the left. The experienced combo of Carvalho and captain John Terry protected the space infront of keeper Peter Cech. Benitez on the other hand left most of his attacking Arsenal on the bench and went with a more defensive approach. Up front he chose the lethal striker Fernando Torres who was supported by Dirk Kuyt on the right wing. In midfield he chose defensive forces in the likes of Alonso and Mascherano, with Benayoun and Gerrard providing the offense. In defense he decided to use talented youth with experienced veterans. Risse and Arbeloa were combined with the indestructable Steve Carragher and January transfer Skrtel. Reina kept the space between the goal posts. Both sides looked evenly poised even though I felt Grant had the upper hand with placing Makelele in midfield, while bringing Essien to provide multi roles of defense and forward movement up the wing. Liverpool needed a goal and could have been more attacking in their approach using either Pennant or Babel to bring pace. However Benayoun is not much of a slouch.

As the whistle blew the players burst out into a high paced midfield run. The pitch was slick from a thunderstorm that dumped rain onto the field. Chelsea controlled the game with precision passes that forced Liverpool back in defense. Drogba is the first player to attack the goal. He finds an open space outside the box and hits a low range effort that almost foiled Reina. He found the wet ball difficult to hold and had to make a second attempt to grasp it. The second attempt on goal belonged to Liverpool. In the 9th minute Benayoun gets open and passes the ball to Gerrard who pushes the ball through Chelsea's box to the awaiting feet of Fernando Torres. El Nino quickly turns on his defenders and takes a low shot that is saved miraculously by Cech. Chelsea were quick to return the favour. Drogba recieved the ball from the left wing and then turns and powers his way towards the box. Skrtel rushes to end his run and kicks the ball away for a corner. In the process the defender hurts himself and express signs of discomfort. Drogba angered by Rafa's comments seemed determined to score and kept on running at Liverpool's defense. In the 14th minute Torres jumps to meet a cross and is fouled in the process by Carvalho. Risse takes the freekick but it fails to pass Chelsea's wall. Chelsea then make a swift counter attack in which Lampard precisely passes the ball to Drogba who beats the Liverpool defense and hits a diagonal shot from the left, but it ends up wide of the goal. Chelsea soon get another shot on goal in the 21st minute. Ballack finds himself open ouside the box and takes a long range shot. Reina was up for the challenge and stopped it from going in.

Rafa was then forced to make a substitution for his injured player. Skrtel was then replaced by Hyppia who ran on to the pitch and joind Carragherv in the back. The game then settles down, both teams decide to reduce the pace and fight it out in the midfield. This battle soon came to an end when Torres pushing out on the right wing runs into Carvalho and loses possession of the ball. Lampard takes control of the ball and passes it to Kalau. Kalau skillfully weaves his way the the left side of the box and takes a shot to the right. Reina stretches across his goal and pushes the ball away. The ball ends up infront of Drogba who came in from the left. Drogba immediately punished Reina for his mistake by hitting the ball while his he positioned himself in an almost impossible angle. His effort was rewarded with a goal as the ball hit the right corner of the goal. Roars from the home supporters cancelled out the groans from the Liverpool fans. Drogba then ran over to the Liverpool bench and tauntingly dived infront of them. Chelsea in the 33th minute were now in the driving seat to seal a victory. In the 38th minute Liverpool had an injury scare. Gerrard made a run in midfeild and Drogba slide tackles him hitting him on his ankle. The Liverpool captain spends the next couple of minutes hobbling, trying to run off the injury. Thankfully he was successful and was able to carry on valiantly. The game is approached halftime and Kalau continued to break away from his defenders. In the 40th minute he manages to breakaway on the wing and runs towards the box. He is then brought down by Alonso infront of the box. Alonso was then carded and Drogba and Ballack stand over the ball. Drogba pretended to take the kick as Ballack hit the a curving free kick that had Reina flatfooted. To the home team's dismay the kick was just wide of the goal.

In the second half Liverpool began to show their class. They soon took control of the game forcing the Blues into their own half with a number of offensive moves orchestrated by their skipper Gerrard. Gerrard wins a header and crosses the ball to Kuyt who almost brings home the goal. Not long after Gerrard and Kuyt challenge Chelsea's goal once more. Gerrard takes a corner cross that lands in Kuyts path but Drogba stood in his way. The Ivorian made took no chances and cleared the ball immediately. Chelsea then recieved their own chances. Ballack attacks the right and is brought down. Ghanian midfielder Essien, took the ball and continued towards goal but was called back by the referee for the foul. Esssien was furious as he saw the referee take away his chance to test Reina's reflexes. Lampard is chosen to take the free kick but it fails to connect. Liverpool then attacked Chelsea relentlessly in search of a goal. Chelsea soon return the favour. Ashley Cole finds himself open on the left and cross the ball to Ballack. Ballack brings down the ball outside the box and fires a shot. Reina was not impressed and saved the ball. Chelsea and Liverpool then battled on in the midfield neither team controlling possession. Liverpool finally wins the battle in the 54th minute and Mascherano makes a beautiful run on the right and crosses the ball across the goal. Cech clutches the cross to safety.

Liverpool then make tactical changes. Kuyt and Benayoun switch wings and Essien breaks free on a run. He passes the ball to who lines up a shot just outside the box. Reina makes an easy save and prepares Liverpool for an attack. Liverpool gain momentum and in the 64 minute Benayoun breaks into the box executing beautiful foot magic. He then passes the ball to Torres turns and slips a diagonal low shot that enters Reina's goal. Stamford Bridge went into shock. The home supporters were left speechless while Liverpool supporters sang their team songs. It was the first time Liverpool scored at the Bridge in over 40 yrs. Liverpool now smelled victory and Gerrard lead his players forward. Benayoun proved to be a lethal weapon on in his new role he once again breached Chelseas defense with a low pass. Torres met the pass but was engulfed by four Chelsea players who made a steel wall in his path. Chelsea quickly learned not to give Torres room to breath and cancelled out Liverpool's plans. Grant then decided to make changes. In the 75th minute Kalau taken off and the French midfielder Maloada was brought on. Essien refused to withdraw and defend. He recieves the ball from his own half and pushes through Liverpool's defense like a steam rolling engine. He enters into the box and fires a shot from a poor angle that ends up in the side netting. Cheers went up as everyone felt he scored. Rafa then decides to inject speed into his team. He replaces Benayoun with Pennant. Pennant introduction brought resurgence to Liverpool. In the 81st minute he runs down the wing and crosses the ball to Kuyt who clashes with Cech as they rush for the ball. Gerrard then rises over Makelele to win the ball. He then pushes it Pennant who crossed the ball to Torres. Torres then passes it to Kuyt who fails to score. The game approached full time and without a goal the game would have to be determined in extra time. In the 88th minute Gerrard falls to the ground. The ball is kicked out of play and to Liverpool's relief his feet were just cramped.

The game then went into extra time. Grants decides to add more attacking options up front and brings on Nic Anelka to replace Joe Cole. Liverpool continue to press forward. Risse makes a lovely run on the wing and passed the ball to Mascherano who flicks it to Torres but Chelsea defense stood firm. Drogba then revives Chelsea's chances with a beautiful run through the middle he then loses the ball to Carragher. In 4 minute of extra time Anelka floats to the right and executes a pass to Essien just outside the box. He fires in a screamer that leaves Reina grasping for rain droplets. Essien rushes to the sideline in celebration only to hear that the goal was called off because of an offside decision. The match officials felt that some Chelsea players interfared with play. Esssien and his teamates respond to the call in anger. Chelsea then recieve a chance to gain redemption. Hyppia trying to subdue Ballack fouls the German and a penalty is awarded. Frank Lampard decides that he will take the spotkick. Emotion rushes his face as he prepared to take the kick. The whistle blew and Lampard struck the ball into the right corner of the goal. Stamford Bridge erupts in happiness. Lampard took off his black armband and placed his hands in the sky and knelt in emotion. Everyone stood up as he paid tribute to his mother who passed away. After the dedication concluded everyone was surprised that Rafa took of his most valuable player, Fernando Torres. Torres quietly walked off the field and was replaced by Dutch midfielder Ryan Babel. Babel immediately makes his presence known with a run into the box that results in a corner. Gerrard crosses the corner to Alonso. He greeted the ball with a header on goal. Cech saved it brilliantly. Chelsea then pushed into high gear. Essien once again breaks free and executes a pass to Anelka. Anelka then seeks out Drogba who made no mistake to test Reina's skills. Drogba perfectly places the ball into the back of the net. He goes estactic and slides through the wet grass in celebration.

The second half of extra time then came to an end. The second half of extra time was full of determination and anticipation. Liverpool press into Chelsea's box. The ball is free in the box and Drogba pushes a foot out that trips Hypiaa in the box. The referee starts to put his whistle to his mouth to award the penalty, and then decides to withdraw. Chelsea somehow escape the call. Chelsea were now desperate to finish off Liverpool. Ashley Cole rushed forward and hit a low pass parrallel to the box. Drogba dummies over the ball and watches it meet Malouda. Malouda lined up to take the shot but was foiled by crunching tackle by Mascherano. The Liverpool defender is carded and Chelsea was awarded a free kick. Drogba took the free kick that is deflected into the sideline. The game is coming to a close, and Grant makes a bold move. He decides to take off midfielder Frank Lampard and replaces him with striker Andri Shevchenko. Lampard recieves a standing ovation from the crowd as he walks off with his black armband clutched in his hand. It could have been the strikers brilliant defensive display on the weekend that made Grant have faith in him over defensive midfielder Obi Mikel. Shevchenko was not even fully on the field when Babel broke away in the middle and blasted a shot from 30 yrds out that Cech failed to handle. Stamford Bridge is once more stunned and Liverpool push on. In the final minutes Gerrard pushes forward and lines up to cross the ball. Ashley Cole sacrificed his body twice to prevent the skipper from succeeding. The whistle then blowed and Drogba goes crazy in delight. Grant fallec to his knees and said a prayer to God. Gerrard and his team mates lowered their heads accepting defeat.

My two cents: First of all I have to say what a match. These teams usually provided as much entertainment as reading books hidden in the Library of Congress. But this tie provide some great action. This game was won by the tactics of the coach. Rafa made a number of mistakes that led to his teams downfall. The first one he made was to unecessarily anger one of the most lethal strikers in the game, Didier Drogba. His comments gave Drogba more incentives to embarrass Liverpool on the field. Rafa also failed to adapt to Chelsea new playing style. Grant and his assistants over the pass couple have weeks have changed Chelsea into an attacking side. Rafa after meeting Chelsea so much times prepared a team that would grind out a result. He decided to play holding defensive midfielders instead of his pacy wing men and relied on Torres to score the goal. This would have been a great move if Chelsea did not have an away goal, but they did. Rafa should have prepared a team that could outpace Chelsea's midfield. All of Chelsea's midfield were over the age of 30 and utilizing either Pennant or Babel could have required them to do a lot of running which could have led to mistakes. Torres was also subdued for the majority of the match. Rafa should have noted this and put on Crouch to take some pressure off marquee player. Chelsea defenders would then have to choose who to concentrate on and Essien would not be able to make as much runs up front leaving an open space in the back. His best move was to switch Benayoun on to the oppposite wing which made him free to run and service Torres. Liverpool like Barcalona had one attacking option and when their opponents adapted to create obstacles they were left in the wilderness to be taken out by sniper shots.

Grant on the other hand understood that he could not rely one the gift he was given by Risse. He then decided to go with a team that was proven to score goals. Drogba is more than used to holding his own up front. Kalau and Joe Cole provided pace from the wings and service. Ballack and Lampard provided forward movement with passes and Makelele providing a frontline for the defense. Knowing that he needed Makelele in defense he still decided to utilize Essien by placing him in right back. Essien's quick pace allowed him to fill the attacking void left by Makelele. When Liverpool began to tire, Grant realized that his wing attack was getting fatigued by constant battering from Liverpool. He then decided to bring his attack forward with attacking option Maloada, Anelka and finally Shevchenko.

Passport to Moscow...Scholes Screamer sends Man U Through to the CL Finals

The stage is now set for a first ever all English Champions League final in Moscow. Manchester United have earned their place in the finals after a screaming shot taken by Paul Scholes. Scholes was suspended in 1999 when Manchester United won the CL final in Munich won himself an all expense paid trip to his biggest game ever. Rising soccer master Lionel Messi made his presence felt at Old Trafford but failed to find the final dagger to sink the Red Devil's chances of progressing with an away goal. The English club was under pressure to win this match as their loss against Chelsea this weekend lead critics to believe that they would lose tonight. They were also without the services of Wayne Rooney and Nemanja Vidic. Two players that have played an integral role in thier success this season. In their place Sir Alex decided to use striker Carlos Tevez and defender Owen Hargreaves. Barcalona on the other hand welcomed back their defensive gaurd Carlos Puyol and seemed the more comfortable of the two. The match was one of the most thrilling I have witnessed in the Champions League. Old Trafford was a sea of red as Man U supporters filled the stadium in red clothing. All eyes were focused on two of the greatest players on Earth. The Argentine Lionel Messi and the Portuguese Cristiano Ronaldo. The question arised which one would shine on this big stage? Which one would score? If there was ever a time to prove their skills, it was now. The match up between the second and third runner up of last seasons FIFA World Player of the year.

The game started at neckbreaking pace as Barcalona's Messi took the ball and pushed forward down the right side of the box and was immediately fouled by Scholes who could not keep up with his speed. The foul resulted in a quickly taken free kick that failed to create a goal. The game then became a tug of war as both sides attack lines threatened each others halves. As the time ran Barcalona slowly began to take control of the game controlling all the possession. Manchester was forced to chase for the ball as the Spaniards passed the ball fluently among themselves. United then began to apply pressure and forced Barca's midfield into a series of mistakes. These mistakes eventually led to Ronaldo recieving the ball on the left wing and pressing forward. He was foiled with precision by Zambrotta but a lack of judgement made the defender pass the ball to a phantom team mate in front of goal. He had no idea that Scholes was lurking closeby like a shark eyeing its kill. Scholes wasted no time cashing in on his gift. The ginger haired assassin raced on to ball and kicked a screaming shot 25 yrds away from goal that pierced the right corner netting. It was 14th minute of the game and Barcalona saw all their hard work go up in smoke. Old Trafford went up in roars and their opponents were left to wonder what just happened.

The momentum now switched to Manchester United but the Argentine bomber, Messi took Barcalona on his shoulders and attacked Man U'S goal with an amazing display of foot magic that left his defenders dazzled. In the 19th minute he tricks Scholes with a couple stepovers and fires a shot at Van de Sar. Messi relentlessly continued his attack on Manchester United and forced the into defense . Manchester soon came back on the attack with determination. In the 21st minute Tevez breaks from his defender and crosses a ball into the box. Ronaldo determined to head the cross rises to greet the ball drawing both of Barca's central defenders towards him. Ronaldo is just short and the two defenders clash into each other causing temporary headaches. In the 33th minute Iniesta gets open and runs down the left wing before passing the ball to Deco who then hits a shot that goes over the goal post. Deco soon after becames the final recipient of a beautiful set of passes performed by his team mates. He then makes the final play a low shot that is just wide of the target. Messi was determined to score and shifted wings to gain space. He cleared a pathway to the box and crossed a deadly ball into the middle which Van De Sar strtetched his entire frame to clutch. The Red Devil's soon grew tired of withdrawal and pounced on the Spaniards in the 39th minute. Park and Nani pulled off a combination move that should have ended the contest, but the finishing touch left little to be desired. Park found himself open on the left aand crossed a beautiful ball into the box towards Nani who took a glancing header that went wide of the goal. The final minutes of the half belonged to Barcalona. Samuel Etoo quickly ran up the pitch during a counter attack taking on defenders before he got assistance from his team mates. He then passed the ball Deco who swiftly played it on to the foot of Abidail who was lurking on the left. The french left back then shot the ball, but was blocked.

The second half began very much like how the first like first ended with Barcalona pressuring Man United's defense. The red devil's then felt it was best to withdraw and protect their lead. Their defensive line went from 4 players to 9. Ronaldo soon found himself alone up the pitch. Tevez began to emulate his injured teamate Rooney as the striker transformed himself into a defensive midfielder. Ronaldo was not satisfied with defending the goal and gestured to his team mates to come forward. They ignored him and bolstered down as they prepared for the storm to attack. Once again Man U is forced to weather the storm as Messi and company push forward to gain a point. The game is approaching the 51st minute and Man U finally see some light. Evra manages to bring the ball forward and is swiftly tackled to the ground by Zambrotta. The referee gives Zambrotta a yellow card for his work. The tackle results in a free kick in a dangerous position to the left side of the field. Goal scorer Scholes takes the kick, directing the ball into the box. Rio Ferdinand is the first person to reach the ball and heads it into Ronaldo's path. Tension rises as Ronaldo brings the ball to his feet. Puyol and Milito close in on Ronaldo and he quickly passes the ball to Nani who takes a weak shot. The next couple of minutes that would then enfold belonged to young Maradona, Messi. He decides to take on Scholes and leaves him flat footed as he skipped around him and ran towards goal. Ferdinand and Brown however managed to stop his progress before he was able to do damage. The ball was then swiftly cleared and ended on the right wing where it was greeted twin wingers Nani and Ronaldo. The skillful midfielders decided to put on a show of their own as they portrayed magnificent skill performing marvelous one touch passes that destroyed Barca's defense. The twins found themselves at the goal and the crowd sat at the edge of their seats in anticipation. Everyone wondered what would be the end result of such finesse. Their beautiful dispay ended in disappointment as Cristiano passed the ball to Nani who lost his composure and shot the ball into the crowd.

In the 60th minute Ineista was replaced by the frenchman Thierry Henry. Messi drives forward towards the box and is brought down by Carrick within 30 yrds of the goal. Deco takes a swift free kick direct on goal but it gets a deflection and goes out of bounds for a corner. The corner results in a Man U possession with Ronaldo at the helm. He takes the ball and pushes up the wing and is greeted by Zambrotta. Ronaldo desperate to score overpowers the defender and slips ahead but is called for a foul. The referee then hands him a card for his actions. Barcalona take the free kick and Henry soon his first touch of the ball. He takes the ball at the foot of the box and passes it to Messi who sees back heel pass to Etoo that was well read by Ferdinand. The next attack would come from Man U. Park gained possession of the ball carried it up the pitch but was fouled Yaya Toure. The referee then continued with his card parade and gave Toure one of his own. The game then became a fighting bout as strikers from both teams took turn pulling shots on goal. The first came from Henry who attacked Van De Sar's goal with a brilliant header. Van De Sar was up for the task and prevented the ball from passing his line. Tevez then tested Valdes with a shot from outside that went just wide. Henry would threw a returning blow with a trademark dribbling move that left him open on the left. He then took a shot that quieted the Old Trafford supporters, but failed to pass the goal line. It was then the managers time to act. Rijkaard refused to give up and brought on offensive reinforcements. He took brought off Iniesta and Etoo, and replaced them with Bojan Krikic and Gudjohnson. Ferguson seeing this decided to bring in experience and defense. Nani and Scholes were substituted for Giggs and Fletcher. The two teams then remained gridlocked until a mishap by defensive partners lead to Evra recieving Wes Brown's boot in his face. He failed to shake off the injury and was stretchered off the pitch as Barcalona saw the injury time clock deplete. When the final whistle was blown Old Trafford went into a party mood. The stage is now set for Man U to face either rivals Chelsea or Liverpool in the final Battle Royale in May. It should be a mouth watering affair.

My two cents: This game was played on the field but the real battle was between the managers. Ferguson knew he needed a goal and decided to field an attack minded team. He placed Tevez up front with Nani and Ronaldo supporting him. He also shifted made the Portuguese exchange wings. Ronaldo ran on the left while Nani took the right. In centre midfield Sir Alex decided to bring in the experience of Scholes with the defensive stance of Carrick and the resiliance of Park. He then created a second placed defensive line utilizing Evra and Hargreaves on the wings and Wes Brown and Ferdinand in the centre. Fergurson used a mixture of youth and experience to outwit Rijkaard's. Ferguson's goal was to gain a goal and then close the game down, only attacking on the counter. This team differed from his set up in the first game that was built with defense in mind. The speed up front allowed the defensive players to keep in line, while Ronaldo, Nani and Tevez and Evra would be able to attack on the counter Carrick, Hargreaves, Park and Brown could continue to hold off attacks from Messi and Etoo. This defensive stance kept firm ground despite Barcalona's masterful passing and gradually led them to make mistakes. The English team remained organized and focused in defense. Sir Alex made sure his team was full aware of the quality that faced them and insisted that they made no mistakes. This was demonstrated by Hargraeves bicycling away the ball off the sideline in an effort to not to concede a free kick and Tevez and Nani falling back in defense to create a wall against Barcalona's attacks. Ferguson has managed to train a team that is in tune to the task at hand and relentlessly pursue their goal till the final minute.

Rijkaard on the other hand decided not to make much changes in his team. He kept Etoo up front with Messi and Iniesta in support. In his midfield he went for attacking prowness and defensive stance with Deco, Toure and Xavi. He then had an experienced backline that consisted of Puyol, Zambrotta, Abidal and Milito. Rijkaard team was built for forward movement as both Abidal and Zambrotta push forward to service the forwards. Rijkaard's cards were obvious, Messi would play an integral role on the right using his skills to bring him into an attacking position after which he would either pass or take a shot. Manchester United learned this from the opening leg and formulated their defense to meet him at the end of his run with a wall made by Ferdinand and Brown. I believe if Rijkaard really wanted to get a goal he should have started Thierry Henry. Henry is familiar to Manchester United's play and has scored at Old Trafford on numerous occassions. He threatened the goal a number of times in both games and could have been that significant figure. Rijkaard could have also went with the option of taking Deco off and have Etoo play along side Krikic, we saw on Sunday how Grant used his strikers to impose on Man U's defense which lead to the penalty awarded. Barcalona were also guilty of trying to keep the create the perfect goal. Many times they entered the box. Instead of taking the shot they overplayed the ball resulting in Man U defenders closing down their shooting range.

The grass is greener on the otherside....Erikkson to be fired at Man City

According to reports of BBC Football, Sven-Goran Erikkson manager of Manchester City football club will find himself without a job at the end of the season. This decision was made by the clubs owner Thailand business Thaksin Shinawatra who believes that Erikkson did not meet his standards for the season. Shinawatra explained that he was displeased with the teams sudden dip in form during the start of the year and believes its time to part ways with the Swede. I believe this is a grave mistake, but I cannot help wonder if Manchester City's next announcement will be the appointment of the "Special One" Jose Mourinho to replace him. I believe that owners and internal management in football clubs are becoming far too impatient and are leading football into a down spiral. Erikkson's short period with Man City has not only seen them improve their stand in the tables but has also made the club an attractive destination for marquee talent. He was able to take a club that dwelled in regulation threats under its former boss Stuart Pierce and has made the dream of appearing in Europe become realistic. Man City has so far has 55 pts on the table and have the opportunity to end with a tally of 61. Last season the clubs final tally was 42. Erikkson also improved the clubs wins by 4 to date. The club had a total of 11 wins last season and now stands at 15. The club now has a number of world class talent both homegrown and imported that are forecasted to bring the club silverware chances in the near future.

Erikkson has managed to retain budding home grown talent such as Michah Richards, a strong central defender that was targeted earlier this season by major clubs in Europe. His respect also allowed him two of the most promising midfield players in Europe, Elano and Petrov. The former was literally an unknown talent before Erikkson brought him to England. In the January transfer window he acquired the services of Benjani, who has two hat tricks. Benjani paid off the faith placed in him by scoring a winning goal against Man United and hitting numerous times to win against his former team, Portsmouth. He also impressed the mexican wonder kid Nel Castello so much that the player was reported to have went into his own pocket to pay for a loan release from his original club. Last week Erikkson signed Man City's most expensive signing a young Brazilian striker Jo for a reportingly 18 million pds. Its seems clearly that the Swede is paying dearly for overachievement during the first half of the season. His own then had dreams of reaping profits playing in Europe and now have watched them deplete as the team now rests 9th place in the league. Its a shame that a coach that has accomplished so much in his debut season for the club will no longer be given the opportunity to continue to improve its league position.

Two..For Togo..Adebayor scores 30 and second hat trick against Derby

Just yesterday Togo international Emmanuel Adebayor was selected in this seasons team of the year. He celebrated this achievement in fine style as just minutes ago he was in smiles with his team mates as he celebrated 3 remarkable goals coming on as substitute in c in a 6-2 win against regulated team Derby. This leads his season tally to 30 goals and he now has 2 hat tricks, both against Derby The game was like a Sunday afternoon football match for the Gunners. Every one of Wenger's strikers placed their name on the score sheet. They were full of smiles and laughter as they played keep ball for prolonged periods to the frustration of their opponents. Bendtner opened the goals with a easy low shot. A mix up in the box allowed Derby to came back with a goal of their own from a corner kick. Arsenal quickly regained their lead with a goal by Robin Van Persie. RVP beat the offside trap and hit a wicked shot in to the right corner of the goal. He would leave the game during half time after picking up a thigh injury. He was then replaced by the man of the moment Adebayor. Before the injury Adebayor recieved a rare, but deserved rest and was watching the game from the side line

Adebayor took a little time to get used to the pace of the game. His team mates overwhelmed their opponents with quick and precise passing that soon resulted in Ade tapping in his first goal on the 59th minute. The gunners once again took their foot off the gas and Derby substitute Robert Earnshaw made them pay dearly as he slipped a precise shot pass reserve goal keeper Fabianski. He then preceded to taunt the Gunners with an amazing somersault and a hilarious victory dance. Arsenal were not amused and upped the tempo. This increased focus soon led to an onslaught of goals. Rising star Theo Walcott was the first to draw blood. He took a curling shot from the left that ended up in the low right corner. His goal had me reminiscing of goals scored by Thierry Henry. Adebayor then nailed the coffin shot with two lovely goals of his own. Each time he scored he was joined by Eboue and they performed their own ridiculous dance moves in front of the away crowd. His second goal came from a beautiful cross taken by left back Gael Clichy. He would have to wait until stoppage time to slip around push around goal keeper Roy Carrol to score a beautiful slip in. The Gunners were in high spirit as they playfully grabbed afte the match ball presented to Adebayor. Ade in full smiles hid the ball under his shirt and protected it with all his might. They have now clinched 3rd place in the league and an automatic Champions League slot. Congratulations Adebayor on your great achievement.

Years ahead of Time..Cesc Fabregas PFA Young Player of the Year

Cesc has taken this season's award for Youth player of the year and no one can deny the fact he rightfully earned it. The young Spaniard has become the key figure in Arsenal's midfield before he reached the age of 20. The youngman who hails from Spain left the giant of Spain, FC Barcalona for English shores in 2003 and has not looked back since. Wenger was so impressed with his talents that he granted Fabregas the role of central midfield when Patrick Viera departed to Juventus. The young Spaniard did not disappoint and soon found himself to be the central figure at Arsenal...at age 21. The youngman has a number of qualities that has made Arsene place his faith in him. Fabregas' mental insight of the game is second to none, he is able to plot out modes of action and then passes the ball to his team mates in precision. He has the ability to score goals. He somtimes sets aside his playmaker role and pushes forward to score a goal or two. He is known to be tenacious in defense. His baby face and small stature have proven to be deceptive. The midfielder has gained a reputation for dishing out crunching tackles that leave his opponents thinking twice before crossing his path. Earlier this season, premiereship bully Robby Savage felt the full force of the Spaniard after mentioning he felt he was too soft for his role. Savage then found himself on the worst end of a tackle by Cesc that forced him out of the game prematurely.

Cesc has been on a continual path of maturity since the day he arrived in Highbury. He arrived at the tender age of 16 and spent most of his first season adjusting to environment. He spent most his time on the sidelines observing midfield masters Patrick Vieira and Gilberto Da Silva work their magic on the pitch. That season he only made 3 appearances and made no significant contributions. He was not even eligible for a Premiereship winners medal because he did not participate in any of the league matches. He still managed to break a club record that season, becoming the youngest player to play in a game, at the age of 16. In the following season Cesc finally gained extensive playing time due to injuries in the midfield. He made 46 appearances, scored 3 goals and created 4 assists. He then broke 2 records one for his club and the other for the Champions League. He became the youngest player to score for his club in a victory over Blackburn and second youngest player to score in the Champions league after scoring in a victory over Rosenburg. His numbers gradually improved as the seasons went by. In the 2005/06 season the departure of Viera meant he had to take up more responsibility in midfield. He managed to score 5 goals and created 5 assists. The next season saw him maturing into his play maker role and his assists increased to 16.

This brings us to the present season where Fabregas continues to shine. In this season his determination to regain his tact for goal (In Bara's Academy he scored over 30 goals in a season despite playing defensive midfield). He racked in 13 goals, 10 of which came before the January transfer window. He hit in long range shots and low shots close to goal. He improved his assists rate bringing his tally to 24 to date. Throughout the season Cesc supplied the likes of Adebayor, Eduado and Van Persie beautiful passes that left defenses open. His partnership with French defensive midfielder Flamini helped the club remain at the top of the tables for most of the season. The two evolved into an inseperable force that provided Arsenal with precision passes and tackles that left opponents in bewilderment. His side is now 3rd place in the league with two games to go. This season was again was trophyless for Arsenal but with a natural playmaker like Cesc their challange to the title may soon return positive results.

Evolving into Perfection...PFA Player of the Year Cristiano Ronaldo

The winner of the award was announced a couple hours ago and to no ones surprise the man from Lisbon takes the honours for the second season in a row. As you can see Ronaldo was not my choice for the award (I chose Torres instead), but I can definitely understand why he won and he truly deserves this achievement. He has had a tremendous season contributing to a mass of goals and entertainment to English football. A commentator on a popular soccer channel once said that it seemed that Ronaldo has perfected the art of attacking football and I truly agree. This season the Portuguese dagger, has racked over 38 goals and 7 asissts. His position on paper is right midfielder but over the last two seasons he has roamed on both wings, and has moved forward as a supporting striker. Ronaldo has incredible ball control, he is able to perform moves with a ball at his feet, like a yoyo. His awe inspiring free kicks are now one of the wonders of the world, and have even outwitted the most experienced of keepers. His pace rivals a trackstars and he is able to maintain this pace while masterfully dribbling the ball. He is able to score magnificent goals with both his feet and head. His has taken on football as a discipline has embarked on a constant goal towards perfection.

When this young Portuguese player arrived at Old Trafford five seasons ago everyone knew he had the ability, but no one could forescast the offensive monster he would turn as he matured into his role and Manchester United. Sir Alex Ferguson knew he signed quality and insisted he wore the number 7 jersey. A number that was worn by legends of the past that played for the club. Some of the names that graced the shirt are Beckham, Best and Cantona, names that are revered by Old Trafford faithfuls forever. He arrived as a lanky teenager, with white dye in his hair and tricky feet full of flair. He was known for holding up the ball and annoying his teamates and defenders with his countless foot movement that usually led to him getting tackled or running out of space. In his first season in England he made 40 appearances, scored 6 goals and 4 assists. In the following seasons he began to become more of a threat in attack, adding 3 more goals each season until he broke loose from his shackles last season when he went from 12 goals on 05/06 to a colossal 23 goals in all competitions from the midfield. That season he not only hit the back of the net but also supplied his team mates with 20 assists that pushed them to retain the Premiereship Title. This outstanding feat also earned him the player of the year award.

Ronaldo has taken a serious look at his career and has made improvements. Observing him through the seasons the first thing I noticed was he looked to small to handle premiereship football. His uncanny dribbling skills often allowed him to pass defenders but he usaully ended up being hit hard by another who had no other thoughts than to take him out. Ronaldo realized this and at the start of the 06/07 season we began to result of strenous physical training routines. Gone was the skinny gawky kid with the gaping adam's apple. In its place was a man that had a phyisique that could rival powerful centre forwards like Drogba. He now had th physical strength to handle rough tackles and the pace to continue. He has studied and practiced relentlessly to improve his shooting. His goals earlier in his English career were usually long ranged screamers from outside of the box. As he matured he added more options to his arsenal. He was given a free reign by Sir Alex to roam into a supporting striker role and he soon began to be known for precise low shots in the box. Hours spent on the training field improved his spot kick techniques and in 06/07 his name began to he placed among those who mastered the art of freekicks. This season Ronaldo graced the premiereship with two of the most accurate free kicks ever witnessed. His second one outwitted goal keeper and fellow Player of the Year nominee David James. Critics and fans have now created a discipline trying to analyse his technique.The young man like greats before him are not without controversy and low moments. Ronaldo has had overcome the death of his father, that hit him hard a saw him going through a stage in his career where he lost form. He then got in an infamous squabble with his club team mate Wayne Rooney during an International match up in the 06 World Cup that made him public enemy number one in England. He came back to England and was greeted with animousity by the English supporters. He then decided to ignore the harsh treatment he recieved and continue to improve his art of football. This soon paid off, for his success infront of the goal line soon made him a world reknowned superstar. Ronaldo then had one more berth in controversy. He soon became known to simulate fouls in order to earn free kicks and penalties. The debate is still out whether Ronaldo has refrained from using this tactic. Referees are no longer giving him the benefit of the doubt and defenders have used this as an opportunity to bring him down much to his frustration.

If last season was Ronaldo's break out season, this season could then be called the season he settles into his role as a true goal scoring machine. Gone are his many assists (23 compared to 7 this season). Ronaldo has traded in the passing role in for the mantle of top goal scorer in Europe. He now leads both domestic and European goal sheets. Ronaldo has single handedly taken Manchester United on his shoulders and has carried them on through the season. His 38 goals in all competitions surpasses the record for most goals scored from the midfield set by Man U legend the late George Best. He has scored some of the seasons best goals. Some of these goals include dipping free kicks against Bolton and Portsmouth, a stunning header against Roma, and heel flick against Aston Villa. Between March and early April Ronaldo went on an incredible run where he scored consecutively for over 6 matches. As the season draws to a close Ronaldo has the opportunity to win the Premeireship and the Champions League. The World also awaits to witness his performance representing Portugal in Euro 2008. Ronaldo's focus and determination has truly allowed him to truly perfect the art of attacking football. He has also managed to maintain a firm head despite being the apple of the eye to the media. He has a sense of confidence on the field but remains humble and remembers to acknowledge the contribution of his team mates during goal celebrations and press conferences. I look forward to watching his performances in the future, congratulations Christiano

New Beginnings..David James, Another Chance

For those of you who dont know...David happens to be my older brother (I only met him once in my life though. He visited Jamaica in the 90's) and he is the main reason why I have grown a distaste for Manchester United..lol (FA Cup final when Scholes scored in the dying minutes to deny Liverpool the cup). With that being said I have watched his career evolve over the years and I have always supported him (Despite being a gunner..lol) even when he went through troubled times and had the media criticizing his every move. This year he is nominated for PFA Player of the year and I have decided to write an article to honour this achievement based on research on his career.

David now 37 has had a tremendous season at his new club (One of many) Portsmouth. He has managed to achieve 18 clean sheets and over 135 saves. His team has managed to outroute Manchester United's dreams of a treble and have found themselves in the FA Cup Finals against Cardiff. They most likely will participate in the UEFA Cup in the upcoming season, win or lose based on regulations that prevent their opponents from taking part in the European competition. A large part of this success has been David's focus and determination to sacrifice his body to keep the ball from entering into the back of the net. His broken nose is proof of this. Recent success on his part has not surprised me, because he has been doing this throughout his entire career. Standing at 6 ft 5 inchs and working strenously on his physique has given him the agility and flexibility to save some of the most precise shots taken by marksmen in the premiereship.His abilities have gained him opportunity to represent his country as the number one keeper during Sven Erikkson's reign and more recently Cappello's regime.

David throughout the years has evolved from a flambouyant loud personality (I used to keep tabs on his different hair colour, styles and patterns) to a man who has matured and has embraced his seniority on and off the pitch. Gone are the bright coloured hairstyles and fast cars and in its place is a large afro and beard that rival's our father's and an eco friendly vehicle. Instead of spending money on jewellry and extravagant items, he now focuses his time doing sketches, collecting toys, protecting the environment and do charitable work in Africa. His career has experienced as many changes as hair dye on his head. Come with me as we take a journey into the life of this distinguished gentleman.

David started his professional career at the tender age of 15 by signing to Watford in 1986. Shortly after signing he became a regular in the starter in the youth team. He received his first competitive trophy shortly after by winning the FA Cup Youth Cup. He then debuted in the senior team in 1990. His performances at his club earned him the opportunity to represent his country in the under 21 squad. He soon began gain the attention of other teams in the premiereship. One of these clubs was Liverpool. Liverpool agreed with Watford to sign him for 1 million pounds. This was the highest transfer fee recorded for a keeper in England at the time. David's time at Anfield saw him go through extreme highs and gut wrenching lows. He came into a major club barely an adult and had to get used to the many lifestyle changes that came with it. His arrival at Liverpool came with a period where he conceded many goals and soon found himself on the bench through two managerial transitions. It was not until 1994 when Liverpool appointed Roy Evans as manager, that David began to experience regular first team action. He then began to join up with his team mate Robbie Fowler, and the media kept a close eye to their off pitch activities. From then on he was known not only for his skills on the pitch but more so for leading a high paced life of fun and frolic. While maintaining a healthy social life he helped to bring his team the League cup and the FA Cup final in 1995. Liverpool won the former, but lost to rivals Manchester United in the latter. His career then went into a spiraling decline due to mistakes in the goal that cost his team their best chance to win the title in 1997. He openly admitted to a lack of focus due to video games which did not go well with the clubs supporters. It was now evident that his career at Anfield was coming to a close.

David then became somewhat of a nomad. He spent the rest of his career being transfered to a number of clubs. He had short stints in Aston Villa, West Ham and Manchester City until he finally came to settle at his present club Portsmouth. His time before Portsmouth mirrored his days at Anfield recieving highs and lows and a lot of criticism. Critics could not deny the fact that he was a extremely gifted goal keeper, but they felt that his lack of focus led to unecessary goals that could have been saved. He was well respected by his peers for saving difficult shots, but tended to let in more simple ones. During this period he made appearances for the senior National team as a second choice goal keeper. He was so impressive that he remained in goal even when West Ham was regulated to the championship due to poor defensive options. He continued to be Erikkson's first choice keeper until 2004 when his mishaps in goal forced Erikkson to promote Paul Robinson in goal. He would then have to wait 4 yrs before he was able to fight his way back into first choice position.

David's luck changed when he agreed to join Harry Redknapp in Portsmouth. David originally wanted to leave then club Manchester City so he could be closer to his family who lived in London. Redknapp was hired by Portsmouth and given the task to bring Portsmouth out of the bottom half of the premiereship table. Redknapp decided to focus on strenghtening his defense. His solution to Portsmouth problem was to create a tight defensive line that was bolstered by an experienced keeper. Redknapp's investment in David paid off lucratively. Upon arrival he gained 5 clean sheets in a row and became more consistent in goal resulting in Portsmouth climbing away from regulation and into European aspirations. In 2007 he broke the record of the most clean sheets in the Premiereship. He is now the holder of the record and has added more numbers this season to the original record of 145. This year he broke the record for most league appearances for a goal keeper. Presented with a new opportunity to succeed David began to look for ways he could improve goal keeping. He turned to psychology to help him achieve more focus in the goal. His form also attracted attention from the manager of national team. He was soon called up to represent his country as first choice keeper in a friendly against Switzerland.

England new manager Fabio Cappello upon arriving England was so impressed with David's performance's he made him first choice keeper ahead of Paul Robinson. In his first game of his return he kept goal during a 1-0 victory against Switzerland. Presenly he remains Cappello's first choice despite England's loss in a friendly against France due to him fouling a striker that slipped past the English defense. In the mean time Portsmouth has improved dramatically since his inception into the team. Portsmouth currently sits 7 th in the tables and has 57 pts with two more games left an improvement from last years total of 54 and are in the FA Cup finals to be played in May. David's out standing display this season has earned him a nomination for player of the year, a rare feat for goal keepers. His goals are now to win the FA Cup, play in Europe and be the starting keeper at World Cup 2010. David has stamped his place in English Football history and with a renewal of his Portsmouth contract for another 2 years signed the sky is the limit for this experienced gaurdian of the goal.

My two cents: Throughout his career David has been an outstanding keeper. His strengths are his height and physique that allow him to stretch his body across the goal to save the most difficult of shots. David also had weaknesses. David professional career started at a young age. In his early 20's he was already a member of a large club. This experience can lead to a lack of focus in young players, and he went through a period of life when his life off the pitch took first priority that lead him to blunders during his time at Liverpool. I however do not blame him for most of the mistakes he made after leaving Liverpool.

I have watched alot of the games he had during his nomadic period and noticed one thing. He remained a more than capable goal keeper when his defense provided him with satisfactory support. Many times his defenders made silly mistakes that often left him in a position that decreased the liklihood of him saving a shot. As a result David often recieved the bulk of the blame for mistakes created by his teamates on the club and international level. At Portsmouth Harry Redknapp has supported David with a proven defensive line up with experienced denfenders such as Sol Campbell, Lauren, Distin and Johnson who provide him with an effective safety barrier. He is then given more time to evaluate the best possible move to prevent the goal. My Dad always says a goal keeper is as good as the defense before him and I am in agreement.

The Bridge is closed! 2-1...Chelsea VS Man U after the War.

D-day has arrived and boy it did not disappoint. Manchester United the brave red devils decided to brave a trip to London and disturb the hornets nest known as Chelsea. This nest is located in Stamford Bridge the indestructable fortress built with over 100 games unbeaten record. A place where Manchester United has not scored in 6 years. This game is a must win for both teams Premiereship title dreams.This would be a match up between the seasoned coach Sir Alex Ferguson who made his way up the ranks, against the coach who many in the media believed recieved his job because of friendship, Avram Grant. I woke up at exactly 6:30 to prepare myself to watch the Saga unfold and from the first seconds of the feed I noticed some interesting details.

First Manchester United were left in the aisles for a prolonged period as the home side stayed in thier locker rooms. The commentator made note that this could be psychological game used to unravel the opponents. The next detail that interest me were the line ups. Sir Alex decided to go with the attacking option of Rooney, Nani and Giggs. In midfield he had Anderson, Fletcher and Carrick. In defense he decided to go with Vidic, Ferdinand, Brown and Silvestre. Van De Sar remained the man in goal. Looking at this line up I was surprised that Ronaldo and Evra were left off the starting line up. Ronaldo has been Man U's leading scorer and I felt playing him and resting Rooney and Tevez would be the safer option. I was also surprised that Evra was left off the line up. Evra's wingplay leads to the opening of the best of defensive lines and could have contributed to a goal for the away team. The addition of Nani also surprised me. Nani is a talented player but I did not feel he was mentally ready for such an important game. Chelsea is known to rattle their opponents to the point of getting unecessary cards or making poor decisions during play. From what I have seen this season Nani would be the perfect person for Chelsea to focus this tactic on. This is a fixture that is known for cards and bad blood in the past. That being said I concluded that Sir Alex was concerned about Tuesdays match with Barcalona and underestimated his opposing manager's capabilities. I thought the inclusion of the young Brazilian Anderson was a positive one for he not only could provide support in defense but also push forward during counter attacks.

Eventually the Chelsea team appeared on the screen in the form of Joe Cole. Soon after he was joined by his team mates. Grant decided to go with an attack lead by Drogba with Joe Cole and Salomon Kalau in support from the wing. In midfield he went with Essien, Obi Mikel and Ballack. In defense he chose Ferreira, Cole, Terry, Carvalho and Cech. My first thoughts were I that agreed with Grant's selections. He could not afford to play Drogba and Anelka up front together because this would provide space for Man U counter attacks. His addition of Essien was a good move for the Ghanian is capable of orchestrating both attacking and defensive moves. Mikel despite his reputation for being erratic and unpredictable in the past has matured greatly into a promising defensive midfielder that can crush counter attacks. Ballack also seems like a good choice. The german midfielder is in great form of late and should be able to provide passes to the attack and contribute high percentage spot kicks.

As the camera zoomed across showing different views of Stamford Bridge, all that could be seen was a sea of blue and white. There was only one pocket of probably about 15 persons in Red and Black supporting Manchester United valiantly. The whistle soon blowed and the match was off to a heart pacing start. The action was incredible, I was surprised. I was seeing attacking football from which team....I rubbed my eyes am I really witnessing Chelsea push Man U back with fluenency that rivaled Barcalona and Arsenal. Yes it was Chelsea. In the first minutes of the match Michael Essien stamped his claim on his territory taking a lovely shot made from a mishap between Brown and Van de Sar. Van de Sar reacted quickly to prevent it from passing into the goal. Minutes later Essien again attacked the goal hitting a shot outside the box that just tipped over the bar. After fervid minutes of defending Chelsea's swift attack, Man U finally gained an opportunity to counter attack. Nani burst down the right wing only to be taken out professionally by opposing attacker Kalau. This led to more Chelsea possession that created a chance for Drogba. He rose high to meet the ball and his knee came crashing in Vidic's jaw leaving the defender grounded. Vidic was unable to continue and forced Sir Alex into making an early change. He decided to utilize the multi-dimensional work horse Owen Hargreaves. Hargreaves quickly fit into the right back position, moving Wes Brown into the centre.

Man U then had another chance as Nani burst forward down the left with Rooney to his left but instead of passing the ball to an open Rooney to run into the box, Nani took a shot that blasted into the sea of blue and white. Rooney made no qualms about expressing his displeasure to the Portuguese. The rest of the first half became the Chelsea show, which had even English manager Capello leaning forward with intrigue. English national Joe Cole had two chances almost simultaneously. The first a shot pushing into the box and seeing the ball deflect away from him and secondly a great dribbling performance that took Man U defenders by surprise. His second shot was saved as Van De Sar sacrificed his face to Cole's boot to save the goal. Nani once lead the counter attack running down the right wing leaving his defender on the ground staring at his red nike boots like the brake lights of a accelerating car but Rooney was called for an off-side when the pass finally came through. The match pushed on and approached half time with both teams failing to score a goal. In the 43 minute Drogba shifted outwards to his right and recieved a ball from the midfield. He then crossed it into the box onto the head of Ballack who directed the ball to the right of the goal. Cries of jubilation circled Stamford Bridge as Ballack celebrated with his team mates with a tribute to the mother of team mate Frank Lampard. The extravagant celebration earned him a yellow card. The half ended with Chelsea succeeding in a number of passes before the quicksilver Brazilian Anderson stole the ball and pushed forward through the middle only to have it taken off his feet by an awaiting defender.

The second half began at a slower pace than the first but Chelsea maintained their dominance. Essien positioned himself down the right wing approached Brown, then preceded to push the ball forward and run to his right. Brown would have none of it and body checked him, earning himself yellow card. Just when it seemed that all was going in Chelsea's favour the advantage suddenly shifted with Manchester getting a couple chances in the Chelsea box, one chance led to an adominal injury to Rooney, but he continued to play on showing the grit of his families pugilist tradition. This pressure then led to the most unlikely of mistakes. Carvalho positioned on the right wing in midfield passed a ball back towards his goal that was intercepted by the lethal striker Wayne Rooney sneaking in on his left. Rooney while bearing the pain of an adominal injury pushed forward for a one and one showdown with Peter Cech in which his low shot created a goal. Wayne begged his team mates not hug him in celebration as he bent over in pain.

This goal shook Chelsea and the momentum soon swung in the red devil's favour. Anderson soon showed his prowness in midfield stamping ownership on claimed ground guiding the attack through the middle with neck breaking pace. Man U's captain Ryan Giggs found himself left open on the right and hit a shot from outside to box that had Cech diving to the ground to save. It was soon evident that Rooney could no longer continue and he was soon replaced by PFA Player of the year nominee Cristiano Ronaldo. Chelsea players looked fearful as they saw the Crimson shirt with the number 7 emblazoned approach the pitch during a spot kick. Ronaldo immediately drawed the attention of his opponents, as he was pulled down during the taking of the spot kick, but went unoticed by match officials. Essien used this opportunity to make a quick counter up the pitch to take a shot that went out of bounds allowing Ferguson to make his final change, putting on Oshea for Anderson. It seems that he planned to settle for a draw. His rival manager had other ideas and called upon his bench to begin warming up.

Grant decided to put caution to the wind and go for the kill taking off Ferriera and replacing him with the French marksman Nic Anelka. Anelka quickly joined Drogba upfront and Essien pushed back in right back position. In the mean time Ronaldo pushed into sole striker position with Nani giving wing support. The pace of United started to trouble Chelsea and resulted in Chelsea conceding free kicks in thier own half. Ronaldo's pace proved to be too much for Chelsea's defenders and he began to win a number of free kicks as a result of Chelsea players bringing in down to subdue his attacks. Ronaldo managed to hit a number of shots on goal that Chelsea managed to keep from crossing the goal line. After absorbing Ronaldo's onslaught on their box Chelsea managed to bring the ball forward and were awarded a free kick of their own that was taken swiftly by Drogba only to have Van De Sar make a brilliant save. This opened up a counter attack lead by Nani who sped up the pitch giving Obi Mikel no choice but to end his run with a professional foul. This foul earned the Nigerian a yellow card, but ensured that Ronaldo did not recieve a pass from his twin winger. It is now the 73 rd minute... pressure and aggitation was high among Chelsea players. They managed to win a free kick outside their opponents box. Drogba and Ballack argued furiously who should take the kick. Drogba eventually wins the arguement and takes the shot to no avail. The players continue to argue during an injury break while rehydrating themselves at the side line. Manager Grant is in close range but refuses to intervene and allows the players to resolve the issue.

The match continues to go in Manchester's favour with the chance of a death blow approaching at any given moment designed to finish Chelsea title hopes. In 77 th minute Ronaldo's skillfull dribbles on the left earns his team a free kick after he is brought down by Mikel. He stands over the ball joined by captain Giggs and team mate Hargreaves. They discuss amicably about the different options to take the spot kick. In the end Ronaldo takes the shot. His shot fails to reach the back of the net. The game bolsters on into the 80th minute and Grant shows his second card. What a Surprise! off goes Kalau and on comes Adriy Shevchenko. I could hear the critics jumping on their lap tops to tear him to shreds when Manchester United scored, or unsound fans shouting " You don't no what your doing." The once leading goal scorer in Italy has not played in the first team in months and has failed to replicate the form he had playing in Italy. I felt it was a good ploy because defenders would have to think twice with Shevchenko, Drogba and Anelka attacking.

Chelsea with a three barreled attack wagon pushed forward and Drogba began to trouble the Man U defense line. In the 83rd minute Essien approaching from the left sends in a cross into the box that is alleged to have touched Carrick's arm. The referee and the linesman both agree that a penalty should be awarded. I lean closely towards my TV as tensions rise and Chelsea players once again begin to argue who should take the spot kick. This time Ballack comes out the victor and steps to the spot. Van De Sar trying his best to rattle Ballack earns himself a yellow card for obstruction. Ballack spots the ball and at the sound of the whistle drives the ball to the right, Van De Sar anticipating the midfielders kick doved in the the opposite direction. Once again Stamford Bridge shook the foundations of London and Ballack jumped into the crowd in celebration. The referee mindful of the fact that his first celebration was in respect to a passing life decided not to award him with a second yellow which would have had him sent off the pitch. Grant then decided to close down the Bridge. He called for defensive reinforcments of the bench. He pulled back his intended attack minded substitution Bellitti and brought on the defensive rock Claude Makelele.

Manchester United was now like a wounded Tiger and started seeing red. They were now blood thirsty with revenge in their eyes. They quickly got on with the game determined to gain an equalizer. Nani placed himself in position to bring down an aerial pass with finesse and made a low pass that ran horizontal across the Chelsea box that landed on to the foot of the talisman Ronaldo. He hit a low shot that evaded Peter Cech but not his defensive partner Ashley Cole. Cole booted the ball to safety. This was the last straw that broke the camel's back and with it went Manchester's composure. Ferdinand flared and decided to start a personal battle with bad boy Obi Mikel. His manager Sir Alex was red in fury from the result as yellow cards were dished out to both Ferdinand and Hargreaves. The extra time sign drew the loudest of protests from the Chelsea supporters as they saw 5 minutes of stoppage time. Chelsea was not to be denied of their prize and decided to play keep ball to the frustration of the Manchester players and their coach alike until finally the whistle blew signaling the end of the match. The whistle was blown a little over the regulated time and Ferguson could be seen red in face kicking the stands and storming towards stairs. The Hornets managed to protect their home and their record remains intact. Both team are now level in points, minus goal differences in the league table. Time will tell if these two will be repeating this bout in Moscow come May. One thing is for certain....the embers have been stoked and whenever or where ever these teams meet again the battle will continue.

My Two Cents: My earlier article about this match up would have shown you that I am not surprised by the result. I believe that Ferguson double title dreams could lead either to Man U faltering in their final run. His failure to rest key players last week in the match against Blackburn cost him dearly. Blackburn has earned a reputation of grinding opponents into the pitch with relentless defensive strategies that include crunching tackles. Those players then had to bare travelling to Spain some of them nursing injuries. In Spain Ferguson's strategy to defend throughout the match increased fatigue. Barcalona attacked relentlessly overworking the red devils. Chelsea did not have the problem of fatigue caused from travelling. Ferguson's team selection also cost him. Failure to utilize Ronaldo at the start of the game cost him opportunities to earn spot kicks and goals. Nani may look like Ronaldo in appearance, but he lacks the mental composure one needs in a game such as this one. His pace proved to be effective in overtaking defenders however in the final stretch he made wrong decisions that led to wasted opportunities. He could have easily found himself in a position to be sent off if Ashley Cole was not in a charitable mood and begged the referee to be easy with him, after he arrived late with a studs up tackle. If Ferguson wanted to win this match his best option would have been to partner Tevez and Ronaldo in the attack instead of bringing on Oshea. Chelsea began to falter and were giving away spot kicks which are ideal for the cunning Argentine to glance a head or foot at. Tevez has scored three saving minute goals for Manchester United this season and I believe if he was placed on the pitch Manchester would have least left the pitch with a point.

Grant on the other hand must be commended for how he managed the game. His starting line provided him with the right balance of defense and attack to get the job done. When his players began to squabble instead of intervening he allow the testosterone to flow out.If had he intervened the focus on the game could have been lost. He carefully chose his substitutions allowing Ferguson to show his hand first, as Ferguson began to withdraw he began to attack. Having three reputable goal scorers at your arsenal you could almost gaurantee at least one goal. Having those three up front also puts doubts in the minds of defenders as Man U defensive line seemed to look overwhelmed in the dieing minutes. When Ballack scored the spot kick Grant then turned his focus on maintaining his advantage. He changed substitution option from Belletti to Makelele. Belletti is an attacked minded defender while Claude is a defensive midfield juggaurnaut. This should quiet all the critics, who question him due to his lack of vocal participation during press releases...at least until till Wednesday's match lol.

Match Line up: Chelsea: Drogba, Kalau, J.Cole, Essien, Ballack, Mikel, Ferriera, Terry, Carvalho, A. Cole, Cech. Bench: Anelka, Shevchenko, Belletti, Makelele, Cudicini.

Match Line up: Manchester United: Rooney, Nani, Giggs, Anderson, Carrick, Fletcher, Silvestre, Ferdinand, Vidic, Brown, Van de Sar. Bench: Ronaldo, Hargreaves, Oshea, Tevez, Kuszczak.

Final Result: 2 (Ballack 44, 86)-1 (Rooney, 57).

The Future Before Us...Carlos Vela

Wenger has stated that he will not be spending much in the Summer and he may not have to. Wenger has a number of young stars away on long term loans and one that comes to mind is a talented 19 yr old Mexican international Carlos Vela (Carlos Alberto Vela Garrido) currently on loan to La Liga club Osasuna in Spain. Vela hails from the seaside resort town of Cancun and used the opportunity to sign with Mexican club Guadalajara to move his family away from the storm prone area. His appearances in the under 17 Mexican National team during the Youth World Cup found the eyes of European scouts and he soon became a target for Arsenal. Carlos was the tournament top goal scorer. The young man has been signed to Arsenal since 2005 but was unable to acquire a work permit in England. Wenger decided to loan him to Spanish clubs for a couple seasons until his papers were cleared. Last week Wenger made mention that he has decided not to extend Vela's loan period and expects him in England at the start of the pre-season schedule. Anyone that has paid attention to the La Liga this year will be excited to see this lad at the Emirates.

I would liken him to Theo Walcott. These two players are similar in stature and abilities. The most evident difference would be Walcott has a bit more pace but Vela has more control when running at high speeds. Both players are young quick and are able to play in midfield roles or forward roles. I think Vela is more developed as a striker than Walcott and will provide Wenger with options in his offensive line. Vela has already proven that he can take on the best, as was seen when Osasuna played against Spanish champions Real Madrid. Vela's pace saw defensive wall Sergio Ramos resort to scrambling and fouling the young Mexican in order to subdue his progress down the left wing. Carlos has made 27 appearances for Osasuna and has managed to hit the back of the net 3 times and has created 4 assists.

The inclusion of this young talent should provide Wenger with a number of options up front. One being filling the empty space in the left mid field left by the departure of Freddie Ljungberg. Vela's quick pace and dribbling skills should be able to compliment the forward moves of left back Gael Clichy. These two may be able to emulate the partnership that has formed between Eboue and Sagna on the opposing wing. Another option would be to place Vela in a supporting striker role. He would be able to drift out to wing to service Adebayor, or press into the box and take a shot on goal. Wenger also has the option of placing Vela and Walcott on opposing wings and then grant them the freedom to inter change. I dont think defenders will be having happy dreams of such a partnership coming towards them. I cant wait to see Vela don the colours of Arsenal, welcome home.

To Milan?...or to England?..Where to Ronnie?

Samba boy Ronnie seems to be on his way out of Barcalona as the La Liga season comes to an end and I am not surprised. Ronaldinho is one of the greatest footballers to ever grace the planet. He has achieved almost everything a player can achieve in football. He has won the World Cup, FIFA Player of the year award, Golden Ball Award, La Liga Titles and the ever elusive Champions League Trophy. He won most of these awards playing for Barcalona. It now seems that he has lost the drive to achieve anything further at the club. As a fan of football this is very disappointing news. I can remember Ronaldinho entertaining me with his crazy footwork and fantastic goals always having a boyish smile on his face. One, only has to watch replays of El Classico matches against rivals Real Madrid to see the artist at his best. I used to tell my bestfriend that he seems to take the game in jest and imagine when he decides to take it seriously how much more entertainment he will give.

The last couple seasons I have no longer seen the smile on his face and I wish to see it once more. Internal problems last season between Ronaldinho and Samuel Etoo led to speculations that one of the two was close to leaving. This did not happen and a new season started and as it played out, it became evident that Ronaldinho clearly does not want to remain in Barcalona. Everyone is expecting him to now set his eyes on either Italy or England to face new challenges. In Italy rumour has it that his brother and agent is trying to work out a transfer deal that will bring the Brazilian magician to AC Milan. AC Milan however have not come to an agreement with Barcalona on the transfer fee and thier rivals Inter Milan now feel fit to also attract Ronnie to thier side of the San Siro. In England there is talks about Manchester City or Tottenham looking to use his services.

Lets look at Italy first. If I had a choice in the matter I would love to see Ronnie in an AC Milan shirt. To see an attacking force consisting of a Brazilian trio consisting of Ronaldinho, Kaka and young Pato would be an awe to watch on the club level (We should see this on the International level very soon). It would be like Samba in Milan and a club like Milan that is known for its good reputation with its players should be able to bring out the best in the Brazilian. He would have a new challenge first of winning either the CL or UEFA Cup. He would also play a significant role in bringing the Seria A title back to AC Milan's side of town. Option number two would be to join Inter Milan, a club that seems to scout the best players from top teams and attract them to their grounds to bring in success. Ronnie would follow the footsteps of Viera, Figo and Crespo who made similar moves. Inter has had a couple of successful seasons as leaders of the Seria A and would automatically grant Ronnie placement in the Champions League. My only concern is I dont believe that Inter Milan would suit Ronaldinho's playing style and he may have make adjustments in his game and even position to fit into the squad.

The other two rumoured teams are based in England. Ronnie has already expressed he has no interest in the English game, but one can never tell in where players end up when the transfer window opens. The first team that might acquire his services is Manchester City. A team that has a new owner, a new manager, new players, new finances and new expectations. The team is owned by a former politician from Thailand that is worth billions. The manager is the former manager of the English national team Sven Eriksson. Eriksson over the pass season has spent funds bringing in players such as Elano, Petrov and Castello in hope to create a fast paced team that will compete in the top flight of the Premiereship and win a place in Europe. He was recently in the process of bringing a young Brazilian striker Jo to Manchester in a deal that will be the largest in Man City history. His next target is to bring Ronaldinho to England to bring the team much needed marketability and success in European hopes. If Ronaldinho joins Manchester City I can expect to see him fitting into team contributing precision passes, spot kicks and entertainment. Finally another team rumoured to be interested in the Brazilian is Tottenham.

Tottenham like Manchester City also have great expectations and have brought in a qualified Spanish manager Juande Ramos. Ramos has already won the UEFA Cup twice in Spain with Sevilla. I have no idea if Ronaldinho goes to Tottenham how he will fit in. This is because Ramos is expected to do an extreme house cleaning of the current players in the club and bring in alot of new faces. Ronaldinho will be one of at least 8 players expected to come in. One thing is certain though if Ronaldinho does join Tottenham he will be under the close scrutiny of Ramos. Ramos is already famous in London for his strict "No pies" diet and work out plan. This would not go well with a party boy like Ronnie I would think. It would surely put him in shape to tackle the pace and physical pressure of the BPL. My pick is AC Milan, however where ever the destination is I will be watching.

My winner for the PFA title: Fernando "El Nino" Torres

The Spanish Savior, "El Nino" an unpredictable, destructive weather pattern. Fernando Torres is my BPL player of the year. I know that many will disagree and believe that a certain Portuguese deserves the title...but I base my opinion on the following facts.

The BPL over the past 3 yrs has attracted the most talented players in football. This season is no different as Liverpool's Manager Rafa Benitez opened the war chest and purchased Athletico Madrid's young captain and forward Fernando Torres. The 24 yr old was already a household name in the La Liga making 176 appearances for Athletico and scoring 76 goals. One would expect that he would score a few goals in the Premiereship but not take it captive. I remember watching Torres during his time in Spain. He was a tall quick player that seemed to play more on the wing than in a central position. I was a fan all the same and expected him to stay in Spain and develop a partnership with the young Argentine Aguerro. This was not to be, Torres was purchased in the summer for a whopping 26 million pounds and the rest is history.

Torres is what a perfect centre forward should look like. He is tall (6 ft, 1) and physically depth for rough tackles. His height and strength make it difficult for defenders to push him off the ball and allows him to open spaces for his teamates He has pace and maintains good control on the ball. His first touch is well mastered and he has above par aerial technique. Torres pace is incredible, he is able to clutch on to a pass and push past his markers with ease. The ball ending in the back of the net is often time the end result. His shot selection is superb, he has become one of the few players that can create a shot where there is none, as he has done facing Everton earlier this year. Henry comes to mind when I think of similar players. Torres also has hindsight to fall in place or pass the ball to a team mate who is in an open position.

Torres faced a number of challenges on and off the pitch this season. These challenges contributed to me giving him this title. Torres first had the challenge of adopting to a foriegn country, language and culture. Secondly he had to adapt to the pace and physical game in England. These two challenges have affected many new players in England and they usually need at least a season to acclimatize (Evra comes to mind). If these challenges were not enough Torres had to push through two other pressing challenges. When Torres arrived in Anfield he soon found out that he was not entitled to a starting place due to Rafa Benitez infamous rotation policy. This meant that on any given match day Rafa would bench players even if showed good form. Torres this season was sometimes left on the bench because of this policy and it would eventually hurt Liverpool's chances of clutching the Premiereship Title. The final challenge faced by the young man was to ignore the constant arguements between his Manager and the club's owners which at one time began to affect some players on the field.

With this being said Torres has tackled all his obstacles in his debut season. He seems to be comfortable at his new home, has adapted to the English game and has already become a legend in the eyes of the Liverpool supporters. Torres in his debut season has changed his game a bit. He no longer looks like a forward moonlighting as a midfielder. He is now more central and looks for delivery from the midfield. The result of this transition has lead him to score 30 goals in 43 appearances. This tally makes him the leading Liverpool scorer in all competitions ever. Bear in mind that he has not played in some matches due to the rotaton policy.

He has scored three hat tricks so far this season. The first on Feb 23 at home to Middlesborough and then another in March against West Ham. Torres has also become the first Liverpool player since Robbie Fowler to surpass 20 goals in a single season. He has also managed to score 5 goals in the Champions League and has the opportunity to score more next week. Torres has also began to form a great partnership with midfielder captain Steven Gerrard that has entertained fans and led to jaw dropping passes and goals. Torres also is present in big games, he has scored against the two of the top four teams in the league (Arsenal, Chelsea) and has scored in a debut derby against Everton.

It is incredible that one has to overcome so much challenges and experiences and still has such a tremendous impact in his team. Torres alone holds 22 of Liverpools 62 goals this season in the BPL. He has broken records and is still in position to bring Liverpool a Champions league trophy at the end of the season. For a player to maintain focus in a club that has been shrouded with so much controversy and still continue to play at such a high calibre in his debut season I truly believe he deserves to be the PFA Player of the year. None of the other nominations have been such a contributing factor to thier clubs survival. He has realized he is Liverpool's savior and has played the role to his best of ability, I salute you " El Nino".

The Future Before Us....Luis Nani

Portugal is a sure destination to find quick paced, swift kicking entertaining players. From the Cape Verde Islands, transplaced into the European continent comes a 19 yr old young man that has decided to place the name Nani (Luis Carlos Almieda Da Cunha) on the back of his shirt. This youngman used to be a member of the talent breeding ground known as Sporting Lisbon. During his time at Sporting he made over 59 appearances in two seasons and scored 9 goals. Last summer he became part of a double swoop by Manchester United that brought Anderson and himself to England. This player has alot going for him. He is tall, strong, has great ball handling skills and a lethal shot. His natural position is on the left wing, but he is able to play on the right and even push upwards in a forward role. The similarities to another Portuguese Manchester United player are clearly evident. Nani and superstar Cristiano Ronaldo are both attacking midfielders that have emerged from Sporting Lisbon. They both have great dribbling skills, pace and have powerful outside shots. Sir Alex is preparing to create an offensive power on both wings using these two players.

Nani unlike his fellow team mate Anderson has not been granted a starting role in the first team. Nani also seems lack the maturity of Anderson. With this being said his raw talent makes him one to watch in seasons to come. He looks more developed physically than Ronaldo in his debut season and should be able to learn from the experiences of Ronaldo. The times Nani has been included in the team he has rarely failed to disappoint. He sometimes replaces Ryan Giggs whenever Sir Alex feels that it is necessary to inject some extra pace into his attacking line up. Nani so far has appeared in 34 games this season, scored 4 goals and has supplied his team mates with 11 assists. His goals have been quite spectacular. They include long range shots from outside the box to quick foot techniques that mesmerise goal keepers in the box. These goals are followed by an extravagant injury risking series of somersaults in celebration.

Nani's next step to perfection is to become mature mentaly. His goal celebrations and showboating of his techiniques sometimes leads to animousity from opposing players. During Manchester United's 4-0 win over Arsenal, Nani decided to perform a series of keeping up tricks that angered Arsenal's Brazilian midfielder Gilberto. Gilberto gave him a hard tackle to express his displeasure. Once Nani begins to emulate the professionalism of Ronaldo on the pitch he will truly begin to emerge into the next Portuguese attacking midfielder at Old Trafford. I believe that Nani has the ability to become as good as his counterpart or even better, however time will tell.

Arsenal...Wenger has nothing to worry about Prt 2: Up front in Attack

This is part 2 of a multi part article on reviewing Arsenal this season and looking towards the future. I have just looked at the summer signings and I shall now look at the strikers that Wenger had at his disposal for this season. If you looked at the line up this season Wenger had four strikers at his disposal. Adebayor, Da Silva, Bendtner and Robin Van Persie. He also had Walcott and Hleb. Hleb really an attacking midfielder usually plays a contributing role behind a lone striker. Walcott a developing centre forward, started his Arsenal career as a left midfielder and was placed on the right this season as Wenger continues to shape him into the perfect attacking weapon. With this being said I was not too worried about who would score goals. I felt that each player up front could at least gaurantee us at least 5 goals each. I will now focus on each players contribution for the season and my predictions of the future.

Emmanuel Adebayor: I began to take notice of this young forward from Togo last season. I noticed that he had amazing dribbling skills and pace. He was tall and was able to use this as an advantage against defenders. He was also very young only 22 at the time. He had some evident weaknesses. He had a poor first touch, tended to hold the ball too long and portrayed poor shot selection. Despites these facts I felt that he would improve once he recieved more playing time. My prediction was he would eventually develop into a fairly decent footballer. I had no idea that Adebayor would transform himself into a goal scoring nemisis feared by defenders in England and Europe. His growth over the summer has been amazing. He was handed the mantle of lead striker in Henry's departure and he has fit into his role almost seamlessly. He has gone from scoring 12 goals in all competitions last season to a whopping 27 and counting in this season. His height and strength make him difficult to be marked. Sometimes takes as much three defenders to contain him and this opens up the shooting lane for midfielders approaching the goal. He is effective in the air and can outpace the swiftest of defenders. Adebayor still needs to improve his first touch and work on his shot selections. At the rate his growth so far one can only feel happy he is in an Arsenal shirt.

Robin Van Persie: Adebayors partner is a 25 yr old Dutch player known to the world as Robin Van Persie or RVP as Arsenal fans love to call him. This youngman has been with Arsenal for a number of seasons. Throughout the years gunner fans have seen this youngman evolve from being a hotheaded cocky individual to a stalwart goal scorer with technical insight of those older than himself. RVP has the ability to score from almost anywhere in the attacking space. His freekicks rival those of Beckham, Pirlo and Henry. His also can be relied upon to take corner kicks and supply his teamates with precision passes. RVP has scored some of Arsenal's most memorable goals and has galvanized himself as a gunner favourite. The Dutchman has only one pressing problem. He has been injury prone throughout his professional career. RVP is not a player that can be relied upon to play for the majority of the season due to constant injury woes. RVP despite his injury problems will still provide a large number of goals. In the 06/07 season he managed to be Arsenals leading scorer with 13 goals. This is amazing considering the fact that his season ended in December due to injuries. This season was no different RVP got off to an amazing start scoring over 4 goals before getting injured playing for his country in November. He has recently returned and has scored two goals to date.

Nicklas Bendtner: This 19 yr old young man hails from Denmark and was acquired by Arsenal a couple seasons ago. He was then shipped of to then Championship team Birmingham City to gain first team experience. He scored 13 goals in 42 appearances. He was a contributing fugure to the promotion Birmingham into the Preimereship. This goal tally impressed Wenger so much that he decided to recall the young man back to the Emirates. He granted him first team appearances during the pre-season warm up matches. Bendtner is a tall lanky striker that has skillful ball control and pace. He is also very talented in the air. He has scored a number of stunning headers this season. There are however some problems with this youngman. He reminds me of RVP when he first came to Arsenal. Bendtner is very arrogant and believes that he should have a permanent spot in the starting line up. He often refuses to pass the ball to his team mates and takes on defensives on his own. This attitude was not welcome by his team mates and have created an altercation between himself and strike partner Adebayor he. This year Bendtner has managed to score 7 goals out of 37 appearances, most of them coming off the bench. Bendtner's development will be dependent on a change of attitude, if he does not humble himself I see him making an early exit. Arsene however seems to know how to handle this type of player.

Eduardo Da Silva: In 2007 a young striker playing for a Croatian team Dinamo Zagreb came to the Emirates stadium and scored a magnificent goal on the home side. Wenger was so impressed with the young man that he made query on his availability. Last summer Arsene Wenger released the news that he intended to sign a gifted Brazilian, Croatian as a replacement for the departing Theirry Henry. This signee was Da Silva a 24 yr old striker who could not seem to stop scoring goals in Croatia. During his 6 seasons with his Dinamo Zagreb, Eduardo has made 107 appearances and has scored a maginicent tally of 76 goals. He scored 15 goals in 10 appearances in 2002/03 season when he was loaned to second division Croatian side Inker Zapresic. Eduardo's strong points are his inhuman like compusure, great first touch and magnificent shot selection. He is able to enter the box and score goals despite being pressured by oncoming defenders and the goal keeper. He can score with both feet and his head and is able to play in the wing positions. This season Eduardo went from being unknown to one of the most fear strikers in the premiereship. He opened his goal tally in the Champions League and then went on to score in other competitions. It took him some time to score in the BPL. His first two goals in the premiereship came in December and he went on a run to score more in 08. The promising Arsenal strikers season soon came to an end. In February playing against Birmingham he recieved and gut wrenching tackle from a defender that resulted in a double compound fracture. He is expected to return in the middle of the 08/09 season. Before his injury Edaurdo managed to appear for Arsenal 31 times, scoring 12 goals and creating 8 assists in all competitions. If Da Silva makes a full recovery I expect him to continue his fine form of scoring goals.