Contrary to what the headline writers may say, Liverpool’s 4-1 victory at Old Trafford was nothing more than their usual turgid fare. The scoreline flatters to deceive: in actual fact the Scousers were second best for most of the game.
Liverpool just don't know how to play attacking football. Other than the probing brilliance of Steven Gerrard and Fernando Torres, they offer little going forward.
After a dubitable level of success last week our Spot the Ball competition is back.
Last week’s winner was Backwards Boy, who correctly guessed square E3.
The AWOL Rome returns from his 90minuteonline hiatus to babble to you once mo
re. ‘Where have you been?’ I hear none of you ask. Well, a fortnight ago, I moved to Seoul, South Korea and so I’ve been quite busy adjusting to my new surroundings.
Last week, everyone’s favourite division, the K-League, began its new season. I’ve seen plenty of games in Europe & South America, but never taken in an Asian league game, so yesterday I hopped onto the underground and made my way to the west of the city to watch the epic confrontation between the mighty FC Seoul and the legendary Gangwon FC.
Many have passed through the youth ranks at Manchester United, but not all have reached the heady heights. For every Paul Scholes and Ryan Giggs there are twenty Robbie Savages eeking out a less glamorous career. For the vast majority, the Theater of Dreams remains just that.
Perhaps the finest youth generation in recent memory was the class of 1993. David Beckham, Paul Scholes, Nicky Butt, and the Neville brothers, won all major youth honours en route to cementing places in the first team and winning a treble in 1999.
After such a fine crop, the next batch of youngsters had a lot to live up to. The likes of Jonathan Greening, John Curtis and Phil Mulryne had big boots to fill, and with such a weight of expectation none of them ever quite cut the proverbial mustard.
Last weekend the Premiership took the back seat once again as the FA Cup reconvened for what was (for the most part) the quarter-finals. The remaining teams harboured serious thoughts on laying claim to the famous trophy, facing just two matches from a place in the final and a chance to emulate Portsmouth's achievement last year.
Irrespectively the underdogs should have approached their ties this way, but unfortunately for those searching for upsets, the quarter-finals bore witness to the favourites firmly grasping their mantles. The competition may yet spring a surprise, but for this season there will be no teams from outside the Premiership to rock the status quo.