Bleacher Report - Articles by Jon Featonby

Glen Johnson Deal Confirmed by Liverpool

Jon Featonby — Mon, 22 Jun 2009 15:16:44 -0400

Liverpool have confirmed this evening that they have reached an agreement with both Portsmouth and Glen Johnson over the player's transfer to the Merseyside club.

Johnson, 24, will move to the Premier League runners-up for a reported £17.5 million.

The England full-back joined Portsmouth in 2007 following a frustrating spell at Chelsea where he struggled to maintain a first-team place.

It is understood that Chelsea were interested in bringing Johnson back to Stamford Bridge, but the player opted instead to join Rafa Benitez at Liverpool.

Whilst Johnson is undoubtedly a talented attacking full-back, a number of Liverpool supporters may raise an eyebrow at the decision to spend so much money on a position that does not appear to be a main cause for concern.

Alvaro Arbeloa has had a steady season in the Liverpool defence, and many Kopites consider finding backup for striker Fernando Torres and a winger as summer priorities.

It is likely that Benitez will need to sell either Andrea Dossena or Arbeloa to finance the deal due to the financial restrictions Liverpool are currently under.

Yesterday it was reported that co-owner George Gillet will sell his stake in NHL franchise the Montreal Canadiens, worth an estimated £332.9 million. Gillet and fellow owner Tom Hicks have until July 24 to repay £350 million they borrowed to buy the club in February 2007.

Carlos Tevez to Leave Manchester United

Jon Featonby — Sat, 20 Jun 2009 08:27:21 -0400

Manchester United confirmed this morning that Carlos Tevez will be leaving Old Trafford after two years at the club.

A statement on the club's offical website stated that United had "agreed to pay the option price of £25.5 million and offered Carlos a five-year contract which would have made him one of its highest-paid players."

However, Tevez's advisers told the club that he "does not wish to continue playing for Manchester United."

Tevez will be the second high-profile departure from Old Trafford this summer, as fellow forward Cristiano Ronaldo looks set to join Spanish giant Real Madrid.

United has been strongly linked with Wigan's Antonio Valencia, and Tevez's departure makes this move seem even more likely to occur.

Tevez was a very popular player with Manchester United fans; during the last months of his time at the club his name was often sung at Old Trafford along with chants of "Fergie, sign him up."

However, he seemed to be getting increasingly frustrated with being left on the substitutes' bench, losing playing time to summer signing Dimitar Berbatov.

Tevez may not need to look far for his next home. After expressing a desire to remain in the English Premier League, cross-city rivals Manchester City have the finances to match any demands made by Tevez's adviser Kia Joorabchian.

Tevez would join Gareth Barry at Eastlands, with Roque Santa Cruz expected to sign in the next few days, as Mark Hughes looks to build a squad capable of a top-four finish.

The 10 Worst Haircuts in Premier League History

Jon Featonby — Thu, 18 Jun 2009 19:10:47 -0400

Premier League footballers. They dazzle hundreds of thousands each week with some of the best football in the world; they entertain and leave us asking for more; they cause fans all over the world moments of extreme joy as well as making us fall into uncomparable dispair. They also know how to have some absolutely shocking haircuts. This isn't new to football. Remember Chris Waddle's mullet? Or Rudi Voller's bubble perm at Italia '90? Is the trend worsening? Has the extra money players now earn given them egos that can only be covered by enormous hair styles? Perhaps the hightened levels of media attention has gotten to some players and caused them to loose all common sense, if they indeed they origanally possessed any. Not matter what the reasons, here are 10 of the worst haircuts the Premier League has brought us.

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Man Utd Accept Ronaldo Bid

Jon Featonby — Thu, 11 Jun 2009 05:04:17 -0400

Manchester United have accepted an £80million transfer bid from Real Madrid for Cristiano Ronaldo.

The club's official website states that at Ronaldo's request, who has "once again expressed his desire to leave", the Premier League champions have allowed the Spanish giants to talk to one of their star players.

They add that they expect any dealings to be completed by June 30th.

The news comes two days after Madrid sealed the capture of Brazilian Kaka from AC Milan for a world-record sterling fee of £56m.

The spending spree had been launched by newly elected club president Florentino Perez, best known for his previous time at the club when he signed such players as Zinedine Zidane, David Beckham, Michael Owen, Robinho, and former Inter Milan striker Ronaldo.

Other clubs will now surely be waiting for more transfers enquiries, with Madrid also being linked to Liverpool's Xavi Alonso, Valencia's David Villa, and Bayern Munich's French winger Franck Ribery.

Ronaldo, who joined the club in 2003 from Sporting CP, has made 292 appearances scoring 118 goals.

Gareth Barry in Talks with Manchester City

Jon Featonby — Tue, 02 Jun 2009 10:22:12 -0400

Aston Villa and England midfielder Gareth Barry is holding talks with Manchester City about a proposed move to the North West club, BBC Sport reported today.

The news could well disappoint many Villa fans—Barry has been at the club since 1997. Barry was reportedly close to joining Liverpool last summer, but it fell through when the Merseysiders failed to meet Villa's £18 million valuation.

While many supporters could understand Barry's desire to play in the Champions League, Manchester City didn't even manage to qualify for next seasons Europa League. With rumours that Arsenal and Liverpool are both interested in acquiring his services, a decision to favour City would baffle many.

Aston Villa finished four places and 12 points above Manchester City and it was the Midlands club that looked most likely to break into the top four for most of the season.

A further complication is that Barry's current contract at Villa runs out at the end of next season, meaning the player could potentially leave for free at that time. A new long-term contract has been offered, but Villa would almost certainly prefer to cash in on one of its star players should Barry not commit himself to the club.

Liverpool To Allow Ryan Babel to Leave

Jon Featonby — Wed, 27 May 2009 12:46:00 -0400

Ryan Babel could become the first high-profile player to leave Liverpool this summer.

The Daily Telegraph recently reported that manger Rafael Benitez has given the winger permission to talk to other clubs.

With Benitez keen to bring new faces to the club, it is believed that he will need to sell before he is allowed to buy. Babel would be expected to command a fee of around £11 million.

The Dutchman has made 91 appearances for Liverpool since his arrival in July 2007, although only 42 of these were as a starter.

The arrival of Albert Riera and the form of Yossi Benayoun have limited Babel's chances in recent times. His frustration over this led him to ask for a loan move back to former club Ajax during the January transfer window.

While this request was refused, recent discussions between the player's agent and the club have resulted in the player being allowed to depart.

While Ajax would be interested, the asking price could be beyond their resources. Possible Premiership suitors include Aston Villa, Tottenham and Arsenal.

Indeed a deal with Aston Villa could include a player swap due to Benitez's continued interest in midfielder Gareth Barry.

The Riddle of Rafa Benitez

Jon Featonby — Wed, 27 May 2009 12:28:55 -0400

Second place in the Premiership, league doubles over both Manchester United and Chelsea, and a 4-0 mauling over Real Madrid.

For the most part, the last season has witnessed several steps in the right direction for Liverpool. Club captain and talisman Steven Gerrard signed a new long-term deal, Xabi Alonso returned to his best form, and Yossi Benayoun has shown what he is capable of on a consistent basis.

Many would argue that Rafael Benitez has had a succesful season. He has the team playing an attractive blend of attacking football that incorporates two holding midfielders making the team very hard to break down.

Benitez has also turned Dirk Kuyt into not only a hard working right sided midfielder, but an effective one, as well.

The new five-year contract he signed in March was a just reward for his achievements. Save for his extraordinary rant against Manchester United manager Sir Alex Ferguson, his management of the team has largely been without fault. Indeed it is arguable that Benitez's actions were designed to deflect attention away from Gerrard after the midfielder was arrested following an incident in a Liverpool nightclub.

However, another saga that unfolded during the first half of the season raises a warning flag concerning Benitez's ability to take Liverpool to the pinnacle of English club football and finally win their first Premiership crown.

Robbie Keane.

Keane arrived at Anfield last July following a £19 million move (plus further performance based fees) and was seen by many as a key addition. The lifelong Liverpool supporter brought with him a consistent track record having scored at least 15 league goals in each of the last six seasons.

But by the end of the January transfer window, Keane was back at Spurs having scored seven goals in 28 appearances. Benitez explained the move by claiming that the forward had failed to fit into the team structure.

What exactly does this mean? Keane is at his best when playing behind a striker, making use of the space between the defence and midfield. This position also happens to be where Gerrard is at his most influential.

It would be almost universally agreed the Gerrard is a better player than Keane, but surely there is a way to fit a player of Keane's class into a squad? This is the crux of the Benitez problem.

Rafa is fantastic at taking players and fitting them into his system, and his style of playing. Kuyt is the extreme example of this. Alvaro Arbeloa and Leiva Lucas also fall into this category.

It remains to be seen if he is capable of is having a number of players of world-class quality and managing them within a squad system where they will not play every week.

Ferguson is the master of this. He has four supreme talents in Cristiano Ronaldo, Wayne Rooney, Carlos Tevez, and Dimitar Berbatov. Yet usually only three of these four will start in any given week. But Sir Alex has the ability to keep his top players happy and playing well.

In the modern game, much is made of the requirement for a deep squad. Liverpool certainly have a large squad but in reality, there are probably only two positions in which the top two options are of equal ability. Daniel Agger and Martin Skrtel are interchangeable in the centre of defence, and it would be hard to choose between Albert Riera and Benayoun.

After this, the second string makes a significant decline in talent. Much has been made of the fact that Fernando Torres and Gerrard started together in less than half of Liverpools league games this past season. While this is a fair point, it highlights the inability to replace these top players.

Keane should have made the Liverpool squad stronger. I don't blame Robbie for his short spell at the club, I believe that Benitez should have been able to make it work.

Until Rafa develops the ability to manage a squad of world class talent, Liverpool will struggle to consistently top the Premiership.

Fernando Torres Shines as Liverpool Hammer Blackburn, Pile Pressure on United

Jon Featonby — Sat, 11 Apr 2009 10:44:04 -0400

Liverpool returned to the top of the Premier League (for two hours at least) after a comfortable 4-0 win over Blackburn at Anfield this afternoon.

Two goals from Fernando Torres and one each from Daniel Agger and David Ngog earned the Reds full points.

The match was preceded by a minute's silence to mark the 20th anniversary of the Hillsborough tragedy, which saw 96 Liverpool fans lose their lives.

Blackburn's defender and former Liverpool footballer Stephen Warnock placed a memorial wreath in front of the Kop in an act which was very much appreciated by the home support.

Liverpool rested Steven Gerrard, who picked up a knock in the defeat to Chelsea midweek, so Dirk Kuyt started behind Torres as Liverpool set out their stall to attack.

Blackburn, coming off a big win at home against Tottenham last weekend, were without a recognized striker so giant centre-back Christopher Samba started up front as Blackburn tried to utilise his physical prowess.

On the other hand, Liverpool's front line was lead by Torres, and the gulf in class was visible after just five minutes.

Captain-for-the-day Carragher flighted a ball forward over the Blackburn defense, and Torres controlled it perfectly with his back to goal before swiveling and unleashing an unstoppable strike past Blackburn keeper Paul Robinson.

Javier Mascherano, who missed the game against Chelsea through suspension, should have added to the lead minutes later.

A quick break from a Blackburn set piece saw Kuyt play the Argentinian international through on goal, but Mascherano was unable to beat Robinson and Torres blazed the rebound over.

Blackburn were unable to keep the ball, and makeshift striker Samba was left isolated up the pitch more and more frequently as the game progressed.

Liverpool were showing much of the same confidence that saw them pick up memorable victories over Manchester United and Aston Villa recently, and the left-side pairing of Albert Riera and Emiliano Insua caused all sorts of problems for Blackburn right-back Keith Andrews.

Kuyt should have made it 2-0 but unfortunately headed straight at Robinson from three yards out following a fantastic cross from Insua.

But Liverpool continued knocking on the door and it opened after Andrews was booked for a foul on Riera.

From the resulting free kick Xavi Alonso found Torres, who got ahead of Samba to head home his and Liverpool's second.

The second half started in much the same way as the first ended. Alonso was finding far too much space for Blackburn manager Sam Allardyce's liking and was at the heart of much of Liverpool's attacking play.

Still, the home side was unable to find a third goal despite their domination of possession, and Samba almost made them pay.

A rare foray into the Liverpool half ended with the ball falling to him in the Liverpool box, but his shot was comfortably saved by Jose Reina.

Shortly afterwards, Liverpool sealed the victory when Agger was allowed to stroll through the Blackburn midfield before unleashing a left-foot drive from 25 yards out that beat Robinson at his near post.

Then, the rout was completed on the stroke of full-time. Carragher's cross was headed towards goal by Lucas, and substitute Ngog had the simple task of nodding the ball into the net.

Liverpool Leave It Late to Return to the Top of the Table

Jon Featonby — Sat, 04 Apr 2009 16:55:00 -0400

Fulham 0-1 Liverpool

Liverpool returned to the top of the Premier League thanks to an injury-time winner from Yossi Benayoun at Fulham.

The Merseyside club piled the pressure back on reigning champions Manchester United, who face Aston Villa tomorrow. Liverpool are now two points clear of United having played two games more.

Liverpool had been thwarted several times during the game by Fulham goalkeeper Mark Schwarzer, and when they had beaten him, the woodwork built to the frustration.

Fulham, coming of the back of a 2-0 victory over Manchester United last time out, had a chance to once again influence the destination of the Premiership trophy. However, they failed to provide the same attacking threat, despite fielding an unchanged side.

At times, it appeared that in trying to deny Steven Gerrard space to create danger in between the midfield and defence, forwards Andy Johnson and Bobby Zamora were left isolated from their team-mates.

The first near-miss on the Fulham goal came when Fernando Torres shielded the ball excellently on the edge of the Fulham box before playing in Andrea Dossena, only for the Italian to see his shot tipped over the bar.

Fulham failed to deal with the resulting corner, but Martin Skrtel's shot was flicked onto the top of the bar by Dossena's head.

Gerrard then found some time in front of the Fulham back-four and played through Torres. The Spaniard hit the ball across the goal, but Schwarzer made a great double save—first from the initial shot and then to smother the rebound away from Dirk Kuyt's feet.

Liverpool continued to apply the pressure as the first half progressed, with Xavi Alonso hitting the bar with a dipping volley shortly afterwards.

Gerrard once again fed Torres, who got in behind the defence. His shot beat Schwarzer but Liverpool were denied by the frame of the goal for the third time.

As the half drew towards a close, Gerrard was becoming more and more influential. After finding space on the Liverpool right flank, he whipped in a fantastic cross along the six-yard box, only for Dossena, incredibly, to head against the bar.

The interval seemed to work against Liverpool, and for much of the second-half, they failed to regain their earlier momentum.

While Fulham were still unable to fashion a meaningful attack of their own, they limited their opponents to only one real opening—a tame header from Torres who was back peddling at the time.

Liverpool manager Rafael Benitez was visibly getting increasingly frustrated as the hour mark passed and soon afterwards he made his first change, Ryan Babel replacing Dossena.

The Dutchman—making his 23rd substitute appearance of the season—seemed to add some pace to Liverpool's attacks and was one of the few players wearing red happy to commit defenders.

And shortly after coming on it was Babel who almost opened the scoring, his shot cleared by Fulham defender John Pantsil.

Liverpool's second substitution followed with Benayoun replacing the disappointing Kuyt, and the Israeli international nearly opened the scoring.

More good work from Gerrard down the right flank resulted in him driving a ball across the six-yard box. Benayoun got a heel to the ball but then watched his flick roll agonisingly the wrong side of the post.

Fulham seemed to have earned a share of the points after Benayoun fashioned himself another chance but could only shoot into the side-netting.

But two minutes into injury time, the ball broke to Benayoun inside the 18-yard box, and his well-hit shot beat Schwarzer to the delight of the traveling fans.

An Important Weekend in the Premier League

Jon Featonby — Fri, 03 Apr 2009 10:33:41 -0400

The Premier League returns to action after the international break and welcomes a returning hero.

Alan Shearer becomes the fourth manager at Newcastle this year, and the club's all-time leading goalscorer has eight games to save his beloved club from relegation.

With no win in the last five matches and a tough run-in to end the season, Newcastle find themselves in the bottom three and two points away from safety.

Shearer will begin his managerial campaign against Chelsea at St James' Park on Saturday, who themselves need the three points to keep their title hopes alive. Newcastle will be looking for a "Shearer effect", with the atmosphere likely to be electric, to galvanise a team low on confidence.

Piling on the pressure

Elsewhere on Saturday, Liverpool could go top of the table for 24 hours if they avoid defeat at Fulham in the afternoon's late kick-off.

Both teams are coming off strong performances—Liverpool beat Aston Villa 5-0 while Fulham shocked defending champions Manchester United with a 2-0 victory.

Avoiding the drop

At the bottom of the table, West Brom host Stoke with the home side needing a victory to keep their ever diminishing hopes of staying up alive. After just one victory in 2009 the Baggies are seven points adrift of 17th spot and survival.

Stoke, meanwhile, are coming off an important victory over Middlesbrough thanks to a late Ryan Shawcross goal. And with two home games against fellow strugglers Newcastle and Blackburn to follow, these are important times for the Premier League rookies.

Two other Saturday matches see relegation candidates matched up, as Portsmouth travel to Hull and Bolton face Middlesbrough at the Reebok Stadium.

Portsmouth will seek to continue their recent form and Peter Crouch, who scored for England midweek, is a key to their hopes of staying in the Premiership. He has refound his goal scoring form after not having scored in 2009 before the March 14 draw with Middlesbrough.

Hull have seen their strong start to the season all but fade away and are looking for just their fourth home victory of the season. If other results go against them, they could end the weekend just one spot above the relegation places.

If Bolton return to the form that saw them pull away from the relegation dog fight and beat Middlesbrough it would all but secure their Premiership status for another season.

Gareth Southgate's team will be desperate to stop them, but with only eight goals away from home all season they are looking more and more likely to face the drop.

Injury problems for Big Sam

In the early Saturday kick-off Blackburn host Tottenham with the visitors looking to continue their unlikely drive towards european qualification. After just two points from their first eight games, Spurs have been resurgent in 2009 under Harry Redknapp with Luca Modric and Arron Lennon looking particularly dangerous.

Sam Allardyce will need to utilise all of his management experience to keep Blackburn up, especially with Santa Cruz still missing with a knee problem. David Dunn will also not be available against Spurs, while striker Benni McCarthy withdrew from the South Africa squad after suffering pain in his hamstring.

Lap-dancing the night away

Another team with injury problems up front is West Ham who face Sunderland at Upton Park without Carlton Cole. Cole picked up an injury whilst playing for England last Saturday and will be out of action for six weeks for the Hammers, who still have a shot at European qualification.

After taking just two points from the last five games, Sunderland are only three points clear of relegation and will need Djibril Cisse at his best.

The Senegalese international found himself arrested outside a Newcastle lap-dancing club on Monday night, but manager Ricky Sbragia insists his striker has been focused in training this week.

The captain returns

Arsenal will try to put some further breathing space between themselves and Aston Villa in the fight for fourth spot when they host Manchester City.

After a spluttering February, Arsene Wenger's side have won three consecutive games in the Premiership and new signing Arshavin is starting to settle. The club received a further boost this week as club captain Cesc Fabregas is available after three months out.

Manchester City, who have played some fantastic football at home during this season, have just one win away from Eastlands. All eyes will be on top-scorer Robinho, who has often been accused of disappearing during away trips this.

Looking to rebound

Sunday sees Manchester United look to banish memories of their defeat to Fulham when Aston Villa come to Old Trafford. They will have to do this without key players Paul Scholes, Wayne Rooney, Nemanja Vidic (all suspended), and Dimitar Berbatov (ankle).

Rio Ferdinand should be fit, however, after being withdrawn late on during England's 2-1 victory over Ukraine.

Aston Villa will be looking to move on from a winless March and Gabriel Agbonlahor is likely to replace the injured Emile Hesky upfront. Brad Friedel will be able to start in goal after his sending off against Liverpool was rescinded.

Fighting for Europe

Wigan will be looking to put pressure on Everton in the race for sixth spot when the sides meet at Goodison on Sunday. Amr Zaki is unlikely to feature once again after failing to return from international duty on time for the fourth time this season.

Manager Steve Bruce appears to have lost patience with his top goalscorer and the Egyptian forward's future at the club is now in doubt.

Everton are preparing to be without Tim Cahill in the starting lineup after the Australian was unable to feature for Australia midweek. Louis Saha and January signing Jo are therefore likely to be paired together upfront.

By the end of play Sunday afternoon, we could have a better idea of who will win the title, who will get relegated, as well as who will claim the European spots up for grabs.

Liverpool Tie Up Gerrard Until 2013

Jon Featonby — Fri, 03 Apr 2009 07:22:13 -0400

Liverpool captain and talisman Steven Gerrard has agreed a two-year extension to his existing contract, the club's official website today reported.

Once signed, this deal will keep the 28 year-old at Anfield until 2013.

The news completes a productive month for Liverpool both on and off the pitch.

Progression in the Champions' League was followed by high profile wins over Manchester United and Aston Villa, putting the Merseyside club right back in the title race.

This was followed by the end of a protracted contract saga between manager Benitez and the club as they agreed upon a new five-year deal.

Many of Benitez's backroom staff also signed new contracts, including two former players at Anfield assistant Sammy Lee and first team coach Mauricio Pellegrino.

Speaking to the club's website this morning, Benetiz said of the Gerrard deal: "This is fantastic news for the club."

"Steven has once again shown his commitment and it was an easy deal to agree. As soon as we offered him the option he said yes."

The news will come as a welcome relief for all Liverpool fans who remember the drama surrounding previous contract talks involving Gerrard. In 2005 he appeared to come perilously close to signing for rivals Chelsea before the Champions' League victory over AC Milan.

Gerrard has been crucial to Liverpool's resurgance over the last month, playing a key role in the 4-0 demolition of Real Madrid at Anfield and hitting a hat-trick against Aston Villa. He leads the club with 22 goals in all competitions this season.

11 Things About 11 and Some Baseball Related Stats

Jon Featonby — Mon, 30 Mar 2009 08:35:38 -0400

Don't ask me why but I've always liked the number 11. Maybe it's because the 11 times table was the easiest to learn while at school. Or it could be that it's the atomic number of sodium.

Whatever the reason, I decided to make a list of 11 things, some of which are related to baseball.

1. The age Dice-K was when Tim Wakefield made his majors debut. I'm big on Matsuzaka this year. Some may say he was lucky last year in posting an 18-3 record—a WHIP of 1.32 and an AL leading strand rate of 80.6 percent would suggest as much. But I think Dice-K has a chance of a similar record with a much lower WHIP this season. Following the All-Star break he posted a far more ace like WHIP of 1.26, lowering his walks per nine innings whilst raising his strike outs per nine to 8.74.

2. The Cincinnati Kids: 11 not only is it an awesome number but it is also the number of bases Ken Griffey Jr. has stolen over the last eight seasons. His replacement in center field Willy Taveras had that many bags by the end of April last year.

3. The fifth smallest prime number is 11. And the first one larger than ten. Go eleven!

4. The number of shut outs Roy 'Doc' Halladay has thrown during his big league career. I love this guy. 20 wins on the Blue Jays whilst playing in the AL East, nine complete games, an ERA under three, and over 200 strikeouts. For my money the best pitcher in the AL, maybe even the majors.

5. The number of wins Nationals "ace" has during his career. When John Lannan is the top of your rotation, surely you have got to be worried about the year ahead.

6. How many home runs did Jeff Francoeur hit last year? You guessed it. I say it was a muscled induced misnomer. Predicting his stat line is tricky, however, 2007 saw his home run total drop from 29 to 19, while his batting average jumped 33 points to .293. I reckon the more flexible Brave hits 20-25 home runs, drives in 90 RBI, and hits .280.

7. The number Yankees centre fielder Brett Gardner wears. One of my rookies to watch this spring seems to have locked down the starting job ahead of Melky Cabrera. He could steal 30-35 bases while hitting .270, handy production from a late round draft pick.

8. The eleventh moon of Jupiter is called Himalia. Named after the nymph Himalia, this moon also has an average orbit radius of about 11 million kilometers, And who doesn't love a good nymph?

9. The number of franchises Matt Stairs has played for. From Montreal to Philadelphia via Boston, Oakland, Chicago, Milwaukee, Pittsburgh, Kansas City, Arlington, Detroit, and Toronto. Incidentally, no other player has hit more home runs whilst playing for at least 11 franchises.

10. The number of hits the Mets and the Astros both got in a game in 1968. Doesn't sound too odd? Well the game lasted 24 innings and featured two players who went hitless in 10 at bats—Tommie Agee and Ron Swoboda. That feat has only been achieved four times since 1956. Thanks to baseballreference.com for that one.

11. How many games Livan Hernandez lost last year as a Twin. He did manage to win 13, but how is a mystery. An ERA of 6.05 and a WHIP of 1.67 are a little high for my liking. Still, he reached 180 innings for the seventh consecutive season was it? Oh no wait, it was the 11th.

Playing with Fate: Predicting the Destination of the English Premiership Title

Jon Featonby — Thu, 26 Mar 2009 18:36:29 -0400

Almost a month ago, Middlesbrough became the second team to beat Liverpool in the league this season and in doing so seemed to have handed the Premiership title once more to Manchester United.

The thing that all Liverpool fans feared was about to come true: that once seemingly untouchable record 18 league championships was about to be equalled by the reds from down the M62.

Then came what was quite possibly the fortnight of Rafa Benitez's eventful five year reign at Anfield.

Firstly, Liverpool put four past Real Madrid, making the Spanish champions look like Blackburn on a bad day.

Then came that unforgettable Saturday lunchtime at Old Trafford when United were put to the sword by a ruthless Liverpool, lead by an inspired Steven Gerrard and Fernando Torres.

The following week saw Benitez sign a new long-term deal with the club after a protracted negotiation period. I'll leave it to you to speculate on how much the timing of this deal had to do with the surely improved bargaining position Benitez was in after his last two results.

Whatever the case, he was rewarded with arguably the performance of the season when Aston Villa, a team who had, earlier in the season, won seven away games in a row, were dispatched emphatically 5-0 at Anfield.

This completed a dream weekend for Liverpool—United had been beaten 2-0 by Fulham the day before, in the process losing Rooney and Scholes to suspensions. Furthermore, Chelsea boss Guus Hiddink almost declared his side out of race following a 1-0 defeat at the hands of Tottenham Hotspur.

The outcome of a crazy two weeks? A Premier League Championship that is still being contested by three teams as we head into the month of April.

Prediction Time

So who will be celebrating come six o'clock on the evening of May 24, a little over six weeks from now?

Let us look at the remaining fixtures for the top three teams and my predicted outcomes of these games:

Manchester United Liverpool Chelsea

Aston Villa (H) 3-1 Fulham (A) 2-1 Newcastle (A) 3-0

Sunderland (A) 2-0 Blackburn (H) 3-0 Bolton (H) 2-0

Portsmouth (H) 3-0 Arsenal (H) 2-1 Everton (H) 1-1

Tottenham (H) 1-1 Hull (A) 1-0 West Ham (A) 2-0

Middlesbrough (A) 2-0 Newcastle (H) 4-0 Fulham (H) 3-0

Man City (H) 1-0 West Ham (A) 2-1 Arsenal (A) 0-0

Wigan (A) 2-0 West Brom (A) 2-0 Blackburn (H) 1-0

Arsenal (H) 1-1 Tottenham (H) 1-1 Sunderland (A) 2-1

Hull (A) 2-1

If these are the results that will decide the destination of the title, how will the top of the table look?

Manchester United P38 W27 D7 L4 GD46 PTS 88
Liverpool P38 W25 D11 L2 GD46 PTS 86
Chelsea P38 W24 D9 L5 GD44 PTS 81

So Manchester United repeat as champions, while Liverpool are left to rue toothless home draws against Stoke City and West Ham.

These are just prediction, yes, and it probably is a little unrealistic that none of the top three will suffer more defeats this season. And it wouldn't be the first time that international breaks have left club managers without key players—just ask Liverpool fans about Torres and his hamstrings.

But we could see Robbie Keane scoring at Anfield to deny his former club their first league title in 19 years.

No matter happens though, we could well be in for a blinder.