Bleacher Report - Articles by Efosa Osaghae

Arsenal 4-4 Tottenham: Match Report and Player Ratings

Efosa Osaghae — Wed, 29 Oct 2008 22:46:17 -0400

Arsenal 4-4 Tottenham, in one of the matches of the season, that produced one of the best goals of the season, Tottenham can raise their heads with pride, while Arsenal must hide their faces in shame.

In a match that was as good as over five minutes before the end, Arsenal suffered yet another setback in their attempts to win their first league title for four years.

Tottenham started out the better team, closing down Arsenal and making sure creative players like van Persie and Fabregas had no room to weave their silky patterns on the football pitch.

When Arsenal failed to clear a ball that was bouncing all over the place, David Bentley had the audacity to lob Almunia from about 43 yards. It was a goal of genius and quality and is surely a contender for goal of the season.

Arsenal almost replied straight away from a corner as Gallas had a half chance that he blasted over the bar. From open play they had little space to create chances and only appeared capable of scoring from a set play.

And a set play it was. Van Persie, who was majestic all night, whipped in a great ball for Silvestre to head in. However some may feel that Spurs goalkeeper Gomes might have dealt with the corner more capably.

At half-time it was level and things were building towards a great second half.

About a minute after the break William Gallas headed a free kick from Van Persie that made the score 2-1 to the Arsenal. It looked like history was repeating itself in North London derbies, with Arsenal in the ascendancy. Their third goal involved Van Persie again, he played a delicious ball for Nasri to set up Adebayor to toepoke it in. 3-1 and it seemed it was all over for Spurs.

However Spurs were given some hope, when Darren Bent anticipated Almunia parrying a powerful shot from long range and he nipped in to score. 3-2 and Tottenham were back in it.

Or were they? One minute later, Alan Hutton played a ball inexplicably straight to Emmanuel Adebayor, who ran on and passed the ball to van Persie. This time van Persie scored with his RIGHT foot. You know this match was crazy when Van Persie scores with his RIGHT foot.

The match appeared finished. Arsenal were cruising, they were dominating possession and Tottenham were on the racks. Only a mistake or wonder-goal would see Tottenham back in the match.

As it turned out it was both, as Gael Clichy made a rare mistake, losing his footing and gifting the ball to Jermaine Jenas, who carried the ball on and curled a left screamer from 20 yards to make it 4-3. Perhaps Tottenham had a way back in to the match after all.

Now this would usually be the time where Arsenal would wind the clock down and just pass Tottenham to oblivion. But instead they went looking for another goal with only minutes left, when perhaps it would have been better to keep the ball and just run it into a corner.

Unfortunately this cost them, as Tottenham pulled level after a great strike from Modric hit the post and Aaron Lennon tapped in the rebound. Once again a Tottenham player was quicker to the ball than either of Arsenal's centre backs.

That was it the fat lady had sung, the match was over and Harry Redknapp's great start with Tottenham goes on. While for Arsene Wenger, the reality is that he still has a lot of work to do to make Arsenal genuine title contenders.

One particular cause for concern was that all of Tottenham goals involved long range shoots, a constant theme for Arsenal bearing in mind that goals from Geovanni and Leadbetter before had also come from distance, things that Wenger will be looking to improve upon if Arsenal really want to challenge for the title.

Player Ratings

Arsenal

Almunia 5

Sagna 7

Silvestre 8

Gallas 6

Clichy 6

Walcott 7

Fabregas 7

Denilson 6

Nasri 6

Van Persie 9

Adebayor 6

Subs

Diaby 7

Song 5

Eboue 5

Tottenham

Gomes 5

Hutton 4

Corluka 6

Woodgate 6

Assou-Ekotto 6

Bentley 7

Modric 7

Jenas 7

Huddlestone 6

Bale 5

Pavlyuchenko 5

Subs

Bent 7

Gunter 6

Lennon 6

Five Reasons Why Liverpool Won't Win the Premier League

Efosa Osaghae — Tue, 28 Oct 2008 07:40:57 -0400

Some pundits and mainly Liverpool fans alike are getting carried with Liverpool's great start in the Premier League. But I for one can see the real contenders being either Chelsea, Manchester United or maybe Arsenal. These are my main reasons for Liverpool not to win the league.

1. Luck

Some may argue that Liverpool is actually playing well, but they're not. In the past month the beat Manchester City 3-2 with a late goal by Dirk Kuyt in a comeback win. Last week they beat Wigan 3-2 in a comeback win by another late Dirk Kuyt goal. Then at Stamford Bridge, Xabi Alonso scored with a deflected shot. Their luck has to run out sometime.

2. Fernando Torres

No doubt Liverpool are a great with Torres in it. But what happens when he is not there? I know some may argue that they still managed to beat Wigan and Chelsea without him but that how will they manage the whole season. They lose about 50 percent of their attack without him.

3. Steven Gerrard

Gerrard is even more vital to Liverpool than Fernando Torres. This is because he is captain, the link between defense to midfield to attack. Every single move goes through Gerrard. If they were to be without Steven Gerrard for a long spell in the season, surely their title challenge would be over.

4. Benitez's Tactics

Yes, Benitez has got it spot on at the moment, but when attacking teams like Arsenal, Manchester United, and Barcelona face them Liverpool tend to just defend. When these teams are really on form then Liverpool should be worried. How many times have you seen Liverpool really demolish a team 4-0, 5-0, or even 6-0. Benitez will need to be more adventurous.

5. They Haven't Won the League in 18 Years

The last time Liverpool won the top division was in the 1989-90 season since then Arsenal,Chelsea and mainly Manchester United have dominated the top league. This could be a physchological advantage to Liverpool's rivals as Liverpool haven't even won the Premier League once!

Ballon d'Or Nominees Announced: Who Will Win?

Efosa Osaghae — Sun, 19 Oct 2008 09:16:52 -0400

The Ballon d'Or nominees have just been announced with a couple of high profile omissions, including Thierry Henry, Andres Iniesta, and Rio Ferdinand. The favourites are probably Lionel Messi, Cristiano Ronaldo, and Fernando Torres. Still, Cesc Fabregas, Iker Casillas, and David Villa represent quality dark-horse candidates.

Here is the full list:

Emmanuel Adebayor (Arsenal), Togo.
Sergio Agüero (Atletico Madrid), Argentine.
Andreï Archavine (Zénith Saint-Pétersbourg), Russia.
Michael Ballack (Chelsea), Germany.
Karim Benzema (Lyon), France.
Gianluigi Buffon (Juventus Turin), Italy.
Iker Casillas (Real Madrid), Spain.
Cristiano Ronaldo (Manchester United), Portugal.
Didier Drogba (Chelsea), Ivory Coast.
Samuel Eto'o (FC Barcelone), Cameroon.
Cesc Fabregas (Arsenal), Spain.
Fernando Torres (Liverpool FC), Spain.
Steven Gerrard (Liverpool FC), England.
Zlatan Ibrahimovic (Inter Milan), Sweden.
Kaka (Milan AC), Brazil.
Frank Lampard (Chelsea), England.
Lionel Messi (FC Barcelone), Argentina.
Pepe (Real Madrid), Portugal.
Franck Ribéry (Bayern Munich), France.
Wayne Rooney (Manchester United), England.
Marcos Senna (Villarreal), Spain.
Sergio Ramos (Real Madrid), Spain.
Luca Toni (Bayern Munich), Italy.
Edwin van der Sar (Manchester United), Netherlands.
Rafael van der Vaart (Hamburg SV puis Real Madrid), Netherlands.
Ruud van Nistelrooy (Real Madrid), Netherlands.
Nemanja Vidic (Manchester United), Serbia.
David Villa (Valence CF), Spain.
Xavi (FC Barcelone), Spain.
Youri Zhirkov (CSKA Moscou), Russia.

Cristiano Ronaldo and Other Contenders for Ballon d'Or

Efosa Osaghae — Fri, 10 Oct 2008 06:27:19 -0400

Cristiano Ronaldo

Let's face facts: Cristiano Ronaldo has been the best player in the world for the past season. He scored 42 total goals, 31 of them in the Premier League. But those stats don't tell the full story.

Ronaldo has always been famous for his flicks and tricks, but he showed more composure and end-product last season than in all the previous seasons combined. Ronaldo is a player that can score on about every given opportunity; free kicks, penalties, headers, long range, and more.

There has been an ongoing debate about Lionel Messi being the better player, but I think that Cristiano Ronaldo deserves that crown without question.

Lionel Messi

Lionel Messi is like a magician on the football pitch. The way he twists and turns defenders, the way he quickly switches direction in the blink of an eye. He is widely regarded as the successor to Maradona, and at only 21, Messi is well on his way to being even better than Maradona.

But Messi's season was plagued by injuries. If he had played more games last season, and if Barcelona had participated in the Champions League, then Messi would have been my pick to win the Ballon d'Or.

Kaka

Kaka is only 26, but it feels like he's been around for ages. He has been one of the best midfielders in the world for the past four years. He has the vision of Fabregas, the touch of Messi, and the speed of Ronaldo.

Unfortunately, his season was also hampered by injuries. If he was able to play more games, then he might have had the opportunity to surpass Ronaldo and Messi.

Cesc Fabregas

Cesc Fabregas, at the young age of 21, is the best play-maker in the world. No one creates goals like Fabregas, few can pass like him, and he has some of the best control in the business.

Fabregas made a career as a creative midfielder, but last season he added a knack for goal-scoring to his game. His goal against AC Milan at the San Siro was a spectacle of absolute brilliance. If he had managed to propel Arsenal to the top of the Champions League, then he would have been higher up in my list.

Fernando Torres

When Rafa Benitez splashed out £25 million on Atletico Madrid striker Fernando Torres, many wondered if he could handle the Premier League or if he was simply a waste of money.

But considering what he has brought to the team, he should be considered a bargain. He is one of the deadliest finishers there is, and the Premier League hasn't seen such a striker since Thierry Henry.

What I love about Torres is his ability to make a big play even when he's getting bullied out of a match. For a debut season you could not ask for more.

Honourable Mentions

•Iker Casillas, who had a brilliant season in goal and was probably Real Madrid's player of the season.

•Xavi, who was brilliant at the European Championships and was the Player of the Tournament.

•Sergio Aguero, who earned La Liga Player of the Season honours and developed into a more matured player.

•David Villa, who ended up as the top scorer at Euro 2008, and managed to carry a struggling Valencia club with an impressive 18 goals.

5 Reasons Why Cesc Fabregas Could Leave Arsenal

Efosa Osaghae — Wed, 08 Oct 2008 06:08:09 -0400

Cesc Fabregas—what can I say about a man that has been Arsenal's talisman for about three years now and is just 21?

His touch, vision, and passing are among the best in the business. Although he is not known as a goalscorer, last season he scored a handful of goals for Arsenal. His most memorable was that 30-yard strike at the San Siro.

But every year a story pops up about Fabregas to either Barcelona or Real Madrid. He hasn't moved yet, but if Arsenal fail to win a trophy this season then Fabregas may have to rethink.

Here are the main reasons that I think Fabregas may leave the Emirates.

1. Alexander Hleb

Hleb was Fabregas's best friend while at Arsenal. They had a special chemistry on and off the pitch. They were the main reason that Arsenal pushed Manchester United and Chelsea close.

2. Pep Guardiola

Guardiola is Fabregas's idol. He is the reason that Fabregas is the superb playmaker that he is today. Fabregas has all the attributes Guardiola had, and probably more. Now that Guardiola is manager of Barcelona, Cesc would jump at the opportunity of working under him.

3. Trophies

Arsenal are a big club but Barcelona are twice as big—they have two Champions League trophies and many La Liga titles, and they consistently contest for the top honours every year. Arsenal haven't won any trophies in the past three seasons and if they fail to win any trophies this season, Fabregas may have to look else where.

4. Money

Fabregas at Arsenal earns about £90,000 a week, Frank Lampard at Chelsea earns about £140,000 a week. Ronaldo earns about 120,000 a week at Manchester United. These are some of the best players in the world and Fabregas is well behind in the wage pecking order. Even Michael Owen is earning about £120,000 at Newcastle United.

5. Spain

Most foreigners that play in the Premier League say that they are homesick and most Arsenal fans have accepted that one day Fabregas will move on to a different club. He probably has his whole family in Spain and would be welcome back at Barcelona, where he started his career.

If Fabregas does leave then we would have lost one of the best players in Premier League and he will be missed by Arsenal fans, neutrals, and anyone that love the beautiful game.

Barcelona 6-1 Atletico Madrid: Match Report and Player Ratings

Efosa Osaghae — Sat, 04 Oct 2008 21:27:04 -0400

In a match billed as Messi v. Aguero, it looks like 1-0 to team Messi and 6-1 to Barcelona. In all fairness this match could have gone into double figures before half-time—Barcelona were at their scintillating, vibrant best.

It all started in the third minute when Marquez headed home a cross from the brilliant Xavi. Most teams would now be happy to defend for a while to compensate for an early goal but Atletico didn't change their formation or tactics, and Barcelona took advantage.

About two minutes later Messi was tripped inside the box, after little contact. The silky Argentinian had earned a penalty for Eto'o to score, 2-0 and five minutes gone. Surely Barcelona couldn't get a third in under ten minutes.

I spoke too soon, Messi capitalised on woeful defending and, using some quick thinking, curled a free kick in the left corner leaving the goalkeeper, the manager, and the stadium in shock. The scoreline, after only ten minutes gone, was 3-0.

Atletico were done and dusted, there was no way back—even after a 25-yard wonder strike from Maxi left Valdes with no chance. Adding to Atletico's problems, Maxi had to be taken off because of an injury suffered while scoring his goal.

For Barcelona and Atletico the best way of defense is attack, but Barcelona had the luxury of being 3-1 up! After a delicious pass from Xavi, Eto'o finished of the main course with a great finish.

4-1, 17 minutes gone.

For Atletico this was in danger of becoming a cricket score, so what happens? They concede another. Andres Iniesta hit the post after a wonderful run which allowed Gudjohnsen to tap in.

5-1, 28 minutes gone.

Half an hour gone and Barcelona were playing like Gods, whereas Atletico were abysmal at best. Even at half-time, no-one could quite believe their eyes at the scoreline.

For Guardiola it would probably be one of the easiest team-talks he will ever make and probably the same for the Atletico manager, as whatever he would say would fall upon deaf ears.

After the break Barcelona played the possesion game they have perfected as Atletico played a little bit better, but not much.

Eto'o nearly grabbed a hat-trick, but was foiled by the surprisingly sharp Coupet.

Now it was time for some substitutions as Messi, Eto'o, and Xavi all received a rapturous round of applause for their fantastic performances.

A lot had been said about the Thierry Henry we now see at Barcelona, and how the one we saw at Arsenal. But his goal reminded us of the good old days when he used to scare defenders out of their skin. It was a classic Barcelona goal, started by Henry and ended by the Frenchman with a powerful finish.

6-1, 76 minutes gone.

For the last 15 minutes Atletico Madrid might have well just gone home.

For the neutrals it was splendid to watch, for Barcelona it was beautiful to play, for Atletico it was painful to see.

Player Ratings:

Valdes:7

Puyol:7

Pique:7

Marquez:7

Abidal:7

Busquets:6

Xavi:9

Gudjohnsen:7

Messi:8

Iniesta:8

Eto'o:8

Subs:

Henry:7

Bojan:6

Keita:6

Arsenal 4-0 Porto: Match Report and Player Ratings

Efosa Osaghae — Wed, 01 Oct 2008 04:43:09 -0400

After one of the worst performances you will ever see at the Emirates on Saturday against Hull City, Arsenal fans were desperate for their side to get a positive result against Porto last night.

Well, Arsenal did more than that, destroying their Portuguese opponents in a match that could have ended about 8-2, if the finishing hadn't been so poor.

It was actually Porto that had the first chance, with Rodriguez just powering a header off the crossbar. Then, from a corner, Porto had another great chance foiled when Clichy cleared off the line.

But then Fabregas did what he does best, sliding in Adebayor to finally show some composure and find Van Persie for the finish.

The away side's resistance was broken, and Arsenal went rampant.

Ten minutes later Arsenal went 2-0 ahead with Van Persie and Adebayor combining again, this time the Dutchman took a corner for Adebayor to head home.

Arsene Wenger, who said he was "physically sick" after the weekend's performance, must have been feeling physically in love with the way Arsenal were playing. There were flicks and tricks, mainly attributed to Arsenal new boy Samir Nasri who was back in the side after a knee injury but you would never had guessed it. He was comfortable on the ball.

Overall Arsene Wenger would have been feeling great from the showing in the first half.

In the second half it was more of the same, but worse for Porto.

Three minutes after the break Van Persie toe-poked home his goal after some woeful defending. Now it was time to sit back and relax as Arsenal popped open the champagne early for some vintage football.

As usual there was someone to miss a sitter. Hold your heads in shame Walcott and Nasri.

Despite this, Walcott was brilliant last night—was twisting and turning and scaring the living daylights out of the Porto left-back.

Bendtner came on late to win a penalty and Adebayor scored his 6th goal of the season to make it a 4-0 drubbing.

This performance was just the medicine Wenger needed to feel "well" again.

Match Ratings:

Almunia: 7

Sagna: 7

Toure: 6

Gallas: 6

Clichy: 6

Nasri: 8

Fabregas: 8

Denilson: 7

Walcott: 8.5

Van Persie: 9

Adebayor: 8

Subs:

Bendtner: 7, Vela: 7, Eboue: 5.