World Football's Monday Morning Hangover: Small Mistakes Have Big Implications
Welcome to world football's Monday Morning Hangover, an homage to the NFL section's own Monday Morning Hangover, in which we round up the key stories and important points from the last weekend in world football.
With an inevitable focus on the Premier League, let's get started.
Smalling's Stupidity Makes Life Easier for Nervy City
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By the recent standards of the Manchester derby, this was not a classic—the 1-0 Manchester City win perhaps not destined to be recalled instantly five or 10 years down the line.
But it was certainly an intriguing game, one that felt like it could just as easily have ended up 6-0 to City—now that would have been memorable—as seen 10-man Manchester United snatch a late draw after a strong finish.
It felt like a City side full of confidence would have waltzed this game, just as they have done on a few occasions in recent meetings between the two sides. As it was, following successive defeats to West Ham United and Newcastle United, a shortness of confidence seemed to blunt their attacking edge slightly, with Sergio Aguero’s fine finish the one converted chance of a number of glorious openings for the hosts.
As a result, they became nervy as the game progressed, with United beginning to push forward with more intent in the latter stages. In truth, their chances should have died a lot earlier; Chris Smalling’s ridiculous sending off left his team-mates utterly in the lurch.
It was something that should have never happened—Louis van Gaal having made a point of telling his players the importance of keeping their cool before the game.
"We don’t want a red card because when it is 11 versus 10, it shall be very difficult to win this game," Van Gaal told reporters on Friday. "That is a main point in our preparation because you know that this is more than an emotional game."
Well done on paying attention to that then, Chris. Smalling’s first booking came after he deliberately stepped in front of Joe Hart as the City goalkeeper attempted to make a quick clearance upfield. It was a clear booking (although Mario Balotelli was not cautioned for a similar incident against Newcastle a day earlier).
However, judging by Van Gaal’s reluctance to criticise it after the match, it may have been part of a determined plan from United to prevent their opponents from launching any quick counter-attacks by any means necessary.
The second booking, however, was indefensible. Knowing he had already been booked, a defender of Smalling’s experience and (supposed) ability should have known not to fly in on James Milner on the edge of the box to attempt to make a challenge he never really looked like winning. Smalling gave referee Michael Oliver no choice but to send him off—and United’s chances of getting a positive result went with him.
Van Gaal told BBC Sport:
"In a derby you have to be careful—the second yellow card is a stupid yellow card. The sending-off is not one of those things. As a player you have to control your aggression.
I didn't see the first yellow but with the second, you know you already have a yellow, so have to handle it differently. I said that to the players.
"
Van Gaal’s problems were compounded by an injury to Marcos Rojo, a setback that left him with a defence comprised of Luke Shaw, Paddy McNair (both 19), Michael Carrick and Antonio Valencia (both midfielders by trade). In that light, a 1-0 defeat was almost commendable and certainly a cause for encouragement going forward, although it resulted in United’s worst start to a league campaign since 1986.
That sounds bad—and the fact Chelsea already have double the points of the Red Devils only adds to that—but there are enough points in mitigation to suggest United will get there in the end. Whether the current injury record is a matter of bad luck or poor preparation depends on your opinion (or whether you are Raymond Verheijen), but it is clear Van Gaal is working with one hand tied behind his back at this precise moment.
"A list of United's injuries since Louis van Gaal took charge. Most worrying thing is it seems to be getting worse. pic.twitter.com/zOtvPjDTHc
— Chris Fleming (@Chris__Fleming) November 2, 2014"
Return to full strength at the back and get his attack on a consistent run of games together, and it is hard to see why results won’t turn around for United—especially if Angel Di Maria is driving matters. Then again, considering Sunday’s line-up was the most expensive ever put out in a Premier League game, you wonder if they should be being held to higher standards.
For City, in many ways, there are only more questions surrounding them, despite the derby victory. How could a team so talented, so successful in the league in recent times, look so mentally fragile against a side with a never-ending list of problems? Why couldn’t they kill the match off earlier, instead leaving manager Manuel Pellegrini feeling forced to withdraw a striker for an extra midfielder to secure the points against 10 men.
Of course, Chelsea manager Jose Mourinho has long been heralded for his employment of such pragmatic tactics—even if a similar move did not work for the Portuguese against United just a week earlier—but this felt like a match City should have put to the sword a lot sooner.
Perhaps for Pellegrini and City this was just about being sure of the three points after a difficult period of games, using the result as a boost to the confidence more than the nature of the performance.
"We played well and scored the goal, but then for different reasons we dropped back more than we needed and we lost the high possession of the ball," Pellegrini said, via the The Telegraph's Chris Bascombe. "That is normal in a derby but it is not how we play.
"That is not how we finish the games, but before that we played well with clear chances to score. Maybe we finished playing thinking that the game was over, but it wasn't over."
That makes sense, though you still sense that the issues that created such a nervy finish—against a side down to 10 men and with a makeshift defence—are the same issues and shortcomings that will eventually leave them even further in Chelsea’s shadow than the current six-point gap.
No Kane, No Gain for Fortunate Spurs
We must be getting ever closer to a world where Harry Kane finally gets a Premier League start for Tottenham Hotspur under Mauricio Pochettino.
The Englishman was again ignored on Sunday as Spurs faced Aston Villa—Pochettino instead starting both Emmanuel Adebayor and Roberto Soldado—but helped change the game when he finally came on, proving more impactful than either of his more established team-mates as Spurs came from behind to win 2-1, Kane getting the winning in the last minute of normal time.
People talk about creating your own luck, but that always sounds like one of those old cliches that never stands up to much scrutiny. That is until you see a glimpse of it in action.
Kane, who had injected some much needed directness and intent to Spurs’ play after his arrival, had little right to demand to take the late free-kick Andros Townsend won on the edge of the box. But he literally would not let Erik Lamela nudge him off the opportunity, focusing intently on what he wanted to do with the chance.
"Harry Kane's goal this evening versus Aston Villa. https://t.co/fsPX5c8Mj3 #THFC
— Hotspur Related (@HotspurRelated) November 2, 2014"
The shot was not great—it was going to be on target but not in the corner enough to beat Brad Guzan—but a deflection off Nathan Baker sent it into the net, deciding the game in Spurs’ favour. For Kane, it was a reward for his constant effort; for Villa, it was another gut-punching reminder of how things are going against them at the moment.
“Without a doubt it was one of the greatest moments for me in a Spurs shirt in my career so far,” Kane told Sky Sports afterwards. “To be 1-0 down in an important game for us, we needed a win and to pull it back there at the end is a moment I won't forget.
“The manager said there's plenty of time left, to be getting on the ball, you'll get some chances so take one and obviously fortunately I was able to do that and it's all smiles in the dressing room now.”
He will surely get longer to impress in the near future. It is not hard to see why Pochettino is reluctant to rely on Kane too heavily—in terms of individual attributes, the 21-year-old is still very short of being the finished product—but he has a desire, determination and hunger that seems conspicuously lacking in other members of the team.
It is those qualities as much as his eye for goal or his touch and technique that have seen him score so many goals in the Europa League and Capital One Cup already this season—it is quickly becoming impossible for Pochettino to him ignore any longer.
Goal of the Weekend
This is almost World Cup-against-Uruguay nice from James Rodriguez. Almost.
Goal of the Weekend: Runner-Up Edition
Yes, one of these goals was indeed scored by Franco Di Santo.
Random Asides
- A first Premier League start, a victory over Liverpool and the Man of the Match award—all in all it was a perfect afternoon for Newcastle midfielder Mehdi Abeid. Continuing Alan Pardew's recent run of inspired selections, Abeid came in to the heart of midfield and showed more physicality and passing sense than Vurnon Anita has managed in recent times, dictating the tempo for his side on the way to a key win. Just 22, Abeid has been a fringe figure since signing for the Toon in 2011—twice going on loan (to St Johnstone and Panathinaikos). He looks ready to make a real impression now, though.
- After a bright start to the season, Leicester City slumped to their fourth defeat in five games (the other result being a draw) on Saturday, as they lost at home to West Bromwich Albion. The Foxes have slipped down the table after looking so impressive initially—Nigel Pearson will be desperate to arrest the decline as soon as possible.
- Competition for the award of signing of the season continues to hot up, with a number of strong contenders providing inspired showings at the weekend. Enner Valencia and Dusan Tadic both impressed again—their respective managers continuing to look inspired for picking them up in the summer.
- Victor Moses never seems to be far away from the headlines at the moment—being criticised for diving one week, then scoring the opener for his side before being culpable for starting West Ham's eventual comeback. The winger, something of a journeyman already in his career, is at least being impactful (WhoScored.com has him as the fifth-best player in the league this season)—if he improves his concentration levels, Chelsea might have another valuable commodity to sell on come the end of the season.
- Talk on Saturday was that Alex Song should have received a red card for his challenge on Mame Biram Diouf. The challenge certainly looked poor on second viewing, but was the Cameroonian not looking to wrap his football around the ball and drag it back, with the Stoke striker just getting their first? Perhaps it just looks worse than it actually was.
- One red card that was given was against Christian Benteke, who foolishly raised his hand to Ryan Mason's face after a particularly feisty exchange in the middle of the pitch at Villa Park. The Spurs midfielder clearly seemed to incite Benteke, but that gives the Belgian little excuse. His team ended up losing the game as a result and will now miss him for three games. That is a significant blow.
Good Week, Bad Week
Good Week
Manuel Pellegrini: Pressure eased with three points against United
Alan Pardew: It just keeps getting better for the much-maligned manager.
Calum Chambers: A sweet feeling to get your first senior goal.
West Brom: Sometimes it is better to be lucky than good.
Yaya Toure: Another big performance in a big game for the big Ivorian.
Stewart Downing: His fine season continued with the equaliser in a 2-2 draw with Stoke. Is there a potential England recall beckoning?
Bad Week
Chris Smalling: A breathtakingly stupid Manchester derby red card.
Christian Benteke: A three-game ban comes at an awful time for the player and his team.
Burnley: Ten games, no wins. Something needs to change for the Clarets and soon.
Refereeing: Questionable decisions in a number of high-profile games. Bring back Mark Clattenburg!
Eduardo Vargas: Unlucky to cost Queens Park Rangers a valuable point against Chelsea, although it was a rash challenge.
Other Points of Note
Chelsea Not Invincible, but They Could Be
It’s 10 games played, no games lost for Chelsea, so cue the inevitable questions about whether they can emulate Arsenal’s famous “Invincibles” team and go the entire campaign unbeaten.
“No,” was Mourinho’s concise response.
The Portuguese might be being realistic, but no one should be under any illusions that he is not targeting such an achievement. Chelsea clearly have the quality to avoid defeat against any side they face—injuries permitting—although that might change when big games in other competitions start cropping up in the second half of the campaign.
On Saturday, Chelsea were made to work hard by struggling QPR for their latest three points, with Eden Hazard ultimately winning and converting a soft penalty to clinch a 2-1 win. Afterwards, Mourinho was relatively critical—a reminder perhaps that the season is only a quarter of the way through and Chelsea have won nothing yet.
Retaining that focus will be crucial to winning the title. Having already drawn at Old Trafford and the Etihad Stadium, though, what further fixtures do they really have to fear as they look to avoid that first defeat?
Balotelli Actually Better off Than Most Liverpool Forwards
After facing questions about Steven Gerrard before and after the game with Newcastle, Brendan Rodgers persisted with the player previously the centre of attention, Mario Balotelli, in his attack at St James' Park. The Italian once again went goalless on the day, as Liverpool fell to a disappointing 1-0 defeat that was probably warranted on the balance of play.
Balotelli's situation remains the focus for many, but in some ways he seems to be the least of the side's problems. On Saturday, it was the service to him that was an issue—the player himself worked hard for his side—even if he was occasionally dragged away from a central position in the pursuit of that. He ignored some pretty blatant provocation (seriously, watch Daryl Janmaat's "tackle") to stay on the pitch.
Accommodating Balotelli, especially in the absence of Sturridge, has compounded issues elsewhere for Rodgers, however. Rickie Lambert remains a forgotten man (he was a late, ineffective sub on Saturday), while Lazar Markovic was out of the 18-man matchday squad entirely. Instead, Rodgers turned to Fabio Borini off the bench—a player he was trying extremely hard to sell before the transfer window closed.
Balotelli's own struggles would be far less of a problem if any other player was in something close to third gear. As it is, Rodgers and his team head to Madrid this week to face Real with little idea of how they are going to create or score a goal—despite spending vast sums on that area in the summer. That's not Balotelli's fault alone.
Monday Night Football
Week 10 in the Premier League concludes with an important game at the bottom of the table, as Crystal Palace host Sunderland at Selhurst Park.
The Eagles have a great record against the Black Cats at home—they have won the last four meetings between the two, not losing since 1995—and will be desperate to continue that streak after a start that has seen them pick up a mediocre nine points from their opening nine games.
Gus Poyet's side are one point worse off, with the Uruguayan hoping the recent 8-0 defeat to Sunderland was a blip rather than a sign of things to come.
Three points would be a timely boost for both sides, with a defeat likely to be especially painful. After individual mistakes in many of their recent games, Sunderland's defenders will not be too keen to face the individual skill and trickery of Yannick Bolasie and Wilfried Zaha. How they cope with those two might define how they fare in this one.
Prediction: Crystal Palace 1-1 Sunderland
