Premiership review 29th December 2013

Some more premiership football was played yesterday and Arsenal beat Newcastle by one goal to nil. 

This was a significant victory as Newcastle have been a top five side this season. So for Arsenal to beat them at St James's Park is pretty good. 

This win also meant that Arsenal are now top of the league before the New Years Day fixtures. 

Elsewhere Chelsea beat Liverpool by two goals to one. This was Liverpool second loss in four days. 

 However all Liverpool need to do is to get two or three wins and they back in contention.

Premiership Boxing Day matches

Some big matches took place on Boxing Day and Arsenal beat West Ham by three goals to one. 

This was a big match for Arsenal because if they had lost this match. It would have affected the team morale. 

Theo Walcott had an outstanding match and I really hope he is able to carry this kind of form into 2014. 

Elsewhere Man City beat the leaders Liverpool by two goals to one. Man City player, Fernandinho looks like he has a real talent. 

But whilst they will be scoring lots of goals they will also be conceding a lot of goals as there defence is a bit shaky.

Liverpool played will and Luis Suarez played very well to the point that it made Liverpool look like a one man team. 

Man United and Chelsea also won their games. Tottenham who are now managed by Tim Sherwood drew their match.

 But I suspect it will take time for Tim Sherwood to develop his own managerial  style. But sadly these days premiership managers don't get that time.

 A few bad results and managers are under pressure. Hopefully Tottenham board and  fans will be a little patient. 

So Arsenal are back to being at the top of the league until these weekend fixtures are complete. 

Arsenal v Chelsea review 23rd December

Arsenal's game with Chelsea ended in a nil nil scoreline. Arsenal where pretty poor in this match, hence why they only had one shot on target. 

For some strange reason Arsene Wenger decided against using subs for this match. It was obvious that some of the players where tired and needed to be subbed. 

Chelsea also employed a rather unusual strategy for them. Chelsea where defensive and only hit Arsenal on the  counter attack. 

Both Chelsea and Arsenal's strikers had poor night neither Oliver Giroud or Fernando Torres looked like scoring.

The result meant that Liverpool are top of the league on goal difference from a Arsenal for Christmas. 

Premiership games review 21st and 22nd December 2013

The Christmas premiership games will be taking place in just a few days. But before that some games where played over the weekend. 

Manchester United beat West Ham United by three goals to one. However this win did not improve their league position and they remain in eighth. 

Tottenham beat Southampton by three goals to two. By all accounts it was a topsy turvy match with little between the two teams. The match winner was the ex Arsenal man Emmanuel Adebayor. 

Liverpool had great weekend beat Cardiff City by three goals to one. The in-form Luis Suarez scored two goals and this means Liverpool are now top of league. 

Liverpool have been a sensation this season. Whilst the top teams are distracted with Europe, Liverpool can just concentrate all their energies on winning the premiership. 

So Liverpool have it all to play for and with Suarez scoring goals practically every match they will be tough to beat now they are top of the league. 

Premiership review 15th December

In the premiership on Sunday, Liverpool beat Tottenham by five goals to nil. This was a very embarrassing result for Tottenham, especially as Tottenham was the home team. 

Their manager Andreas Villas Boas (AVB) was sacked yesterday. Which I think was a little harsh, as Tottenham where top eight and had qualified for the knock out stages of the UEFA Cup.

However Tottenham fans where getting impatient as AVB had spent over a hundred million pounds on new players and yet the fans had seen little improvement.

However it remains to be seen now whether the team will now improve now that AVB has been sacked. 

Elsewhere Manchester United beat Aston  Villa by three goals to nil. This was a match that Man United could not  afford to loose. This win moved Man United one place up the league to eighth. 

This means Arsenal are still top of the league by two points and have another very big match against Chelsea next Monday. 

Premiership review - 14th December

Yesterday in the premiership Manchester City beat Arsenal by six goals to three. As an Arsenal fan I was disppointed that we lost. 

However Man City where quicker to the balls than we where and Ya Ya Toure totally bossed the midefield.

It was good to see Theo Walcott back in the squad and scoring goals with his pace. 

Sadly nobody else in the Arsenal team has got that kind of pace and against a team like Man City you need to be able to run at them without fear. 

So it was a bad result for Arsenal who face Chelsea next weekend. This will be a very tough match and a match that Arsenal need to win to stay top of the league. 

Chelsea beat struggling Crystal Palace by two goals to one and this win has puts  them second behind Arsenal. 

So next weeks  game between Chelsea and Arsenal will decide who will be top of the league for Christmas. 

Champions League group matches review

This week saw the last of the Champions league group matches played. Last night Man United beat Shakhtar Donetsk by one goal to nil. 

So Man United finished top of the group and this has increased there chances of doing very well in this competition.  

Man City beat Bayern Munich by a three goals to two and they will finish second in there group. 

Man City could face a top team in the last sixteen. It could be a tough route to the final. 

In last nights Champions league games, Chelsea beat Steaua Bucharest by one a goal to nil and they finish top of their group which helps to make their path to the final a little easier. 

Napoli beat Arsenal by two goals to nil and Arsenal just about qualified in second place. 

Arsenal did not play well and for some strange reason, Arsene Wenger left Jack Wilshire and Theo Walcott on the bench. 

Which is why we where short of pace up front and on the the wings. It was rather strange team selection but most importantly we are through to the next stage.

However Arsenal could now face teams like Barcelona, Real Madrid, or Bayern Munich. But I guess we want to win the trophy we should be prepared to play anybody....

Premiership weekend of 7/8th December 2013

Over the weekend Man United lost by one goal to nil to Newcastle. It was a shock result because Newcastle had not beaten Man United at Old Trafford for over thirty years. 

David Moyes is now under serious pressure and if Man United lose any more  matches, it will be difficult for him to hold on to his job.

In another shock result Stoke a City beat Chelsea by three goals to two. It has been over thirty years since Stoke beat  Chelsea. 

However Chelsea are still third in the premiership so at the moment Jose Mourinho is not feeling the pressure. 

Man City drew one all with Southampton in match that most people expected them to win.

 However they are still top four and they play Arsenal next and this match will be a big match for both clubs. 

Arsenal drew one all with Everton at home and it was probably a fair reflection of the match. 

I suspect that Arsene Wenger had one eye the final Champions League match so he did not play all our best eleven at once. 

Arsenal played reasonably well but Everton where really up for the challenge and did not leave empty handed.

Arsenal are still top league and are five points ahead of second place Liverpool. Who beat West Ham by four goals to one. 

So Arsenal have a little cushion but is there is still all to play for. 

World Cup - selected group review

The draw for Brazil 2014 took place yesterday and there where a few surprises. 

England are in a group with Italy, Uruguay and Costa Rica. It is going to be a tough World Cup for England as the draw has not been kind to them. 

It will be a a real uphill task to qualify for the next round. I think they will really struggle to get a win against any of these teams.

Ghana are also in a very very tough group with Germany, Portugal, USA. It is really hard to imagine Ghana topping this group. 

They better pray that they have all their players are fully fit to have any realistic chance of topping or winning this group.

Spain also in a tough group with Holland, Chile and Australia. It won't be easy but I can imagine Spain will make it to the knock out stages. 

After struggling to qualify for the Workf Cup France have somehow managed to be drawn into a reasonable group with Switzerland, Ecuador and Honduras. I can imagine that they will make it to the knockout stages. 

Nigeria have drawn into a farely reasonable group with Argentina, Bosnia & Herzegovina and Iran. I can see Nigeria qualifying for the knock stages.

 

Premiership preview- 4th December 2013

In the Premiership tonight Arsenal play Hull City at home. Hull just beat Liverpool so Arsenal will need to be on top of their game to beat Hull.

The players to watch for this game will be Olivier Giroud and Aaron Ramsey.

 If we can get the best out of either of these players then it will be good night for Arsenal. I think Arsenal will win by two goals to one. 

Manchester United are playing Everton at home and this could be quite a tough match. 

Everton are currently above Man United and would want it to stay that way. Plus David Moyes used to manage Everton so Everton will want to prove they are better without him.

However it is difficult to beat Man United at home so I think Man United will win by two goals to one.

Liverpool are at home to Norwich City and after losing to Hull at the weekend they will want to get there title chase back on track. Therefore I think Liverpool will win by two goals to nil.

Spurs are away to manager less Fulham and as Spurs are currently ninth in the league they will want to this win.

To be fair this match could go either way but I think Spurs will win by three goals to one.

Lastly Manchester City are away to West Bromwich Albion and Manchester City have been playing well so would expect to win this match by three goals to nil.

What are your predictions?

Premiership review 1st December 2013

In yesterday's premiership matches Hull beat Liverpool by three goals to one. It was the first time that Hull had beaten Liverpool.

I was surprised by the result,  I thought that Liverpool where serious contenders for the title this year. So to lose like that makes me think that they are not ready to win the title. 

Chelsea beat Southampton by three goals to one and that has helped them consolidate their second place. Any slip ups from Arsenal and Chelsea will be ready to pounce. 

Manchester City beat Swansea City by three goals to nil and that was a good win against a very good Swansea City team. 

Tottenham and Man United drew two all and to be fair both teams need a win. So I would have thought they would view this draw as a loss. 

Tottenham's manager Andres Villas Boas has been really feeling heat. He his now demanding he get more respect. But I understand how the fans feel.

 

He has spent over a hundred million pounds, so ninth in the league must feel like a real kick in the teeth for some fans. 

Sometimes managers don't really get the pain that fans go through and to see your team languishing in ninth place must be a little painful. 

So Arsenal are still top of the league by four points but there is still plenty of football to play. 

Arsenal v Cardiff City review

In yesterday Premiership game, Arsenal beat Cardiff City by three goals to nil. 

I  thought Aaron Ramsey would be one of the goal scorer's as he has been very consistent this season. 

It was great to see Aaron score two goals  against his old team and with Mathieu Flamini scoring the third goal. 

Arsenal defence have significantly improved this season both Pers Mertesacker and Laurent Koscielny  have been excellent and solid at the back and this has given the rest of the team confidence. 

Arsenal where very solid in a very competitive match and this was kind of match that we would have been struggling to win last season. 

This win has put Arsenal seven points ahead although the other top teams like Liverpool, Chelsea, Man City and Man United will play today. 

Preview of the Arsenal v Cardiff City game

In today's Premiership game,  Arsenal are away to Cardiff City in what promises to be a tough encounter.

I do think Arsenal have the edge and if they play as well as they have been playing then they should win. 

Now we have Rosicky and Walcott back in the squad it gives the team a little bit more pace which they have been lacking.

 

However home advantage for Cardiff will make it harder for Arsenal to get this win and Cardiff are going to be very tough competitors. 

I think we will get a marginal victory of two goals to one and I think either Ramsey or Wiltshire will get onto the score sheet. 

What are your predictions?

Champions League games 27th November 2013

In yesterday's Champions League games Manchester United beat Bayer Leverkusen by five goals to nil.

It was an emphatic and it ensured that they qualified for the knockout stages.

 This was a much needed win for Man United especially as they are struggling in the domestic league. 

Elsewhere Man City also recorded a four goals to two win against Viktoria Pizen and they have qualified for the knockout stage. 

This win followed a really strong performance in the premier league and Man City game is coming together at the right time. 

Champions League review 26th November 2013

Yesterday in the Champions League group stage match, Arsenal beat Marseille by two goals to nil.

It was a good confident win by Arsenal who would had many other chances to increase the score line including a penalty miss by Mesut Ozil.

But most importantly Arsenal won the game and are top of the group by three points. Arsenal play the last group game away to Naples. 

This group really was the group of death because despite having twelve points. Arsenal still need at least a draw from the game against Naples to qualify for the knock out stages. 

Elsewhere Chelsea lost away to Basel by one goal to nil. But have now qualified for the knockout stage as other group results went there way. 

It just goes to show that sometimes it really is the luck of the draw:)

Preview of Champions League: 26 November 2013

In tonight's Champions League games Arsenal are at home to Marseille. Arsenal need to win this match to bring them a big step closer to qualifying for the knock out stages.

 

On the plus side Marseille have not had good campaign and unlikely to qualify for the next stage as they don't have any points.

Theo Walcott and Mathieu Flamini are back from injury so that should hopefully give us more attacking options.

 

Elsewhere Chelsea are away to Basel and they only need a draw to qualify for the knock out stages.

However Basel are a tough team and it will be a tough match for Chelsea and could go either way.

Premiership review- 24th November 2013

Sunday's premiership games had a few surprises and Man City beating Tottenham Hotspurs by six goals to nil was a shocker!

I did not see that coming at all, especially  since Spurs have spent over one hundred million pounds in the transfer window.

It will be interesting to see if they can recover from this. But they don't have much time as there next game is at home to Man United.

 

Man United drew two all to Cardiff City in a match that I was also expecting Man United to win. 

This was a bad draw for Man United and their chances of retaining their title are becoming remote. 

As I stated earlier their next premiership game is away to Spurs and it is a bigger match than usual for either of these teams. 

Premiership review 23rd November 2013

The Premiership returned yesterday after the international break and Arsenal beat Southampton by two goals to nil.

This was a good win as Southampton where third in the league. I am mightly relieved that Arsene Wenger took this game seriously. 

This win was also needed after the disappointing loss to Manchester United. 

This winning this game would has helped us to stay top of the league and continue in the winning mentality.

Which is so desparately needed after eight seasons of no trophies. I was pleased that Olivier Giroud got the goals.

As I think he has not had a good start to the season. So hopefully this will encourage him to be more confident in front of goal. 

Lastly this win has helped us to break our  poor November record where we have not had many wins in this month. 

 

Elsewhere Chelsea beat West Ham by three goals to nil and this win has put them in a top four position and and just four points behind Arsenal. 

I was surprised at the ease in which Chelsea beat West Ham as the rivalry between both clubs would make this kind of scoreline difficult to get. 

Lastly Liverpool drew three all to Everton and I was not suprised by this result has merseyside rivalries would make this a tough encounter. 

However I was suprised that Brendan Rogers named Kolo Toure as a sub and then didn't play him. 

I would have thought the Rogers would know how important Kolo his to the defence. 

Liverpool have not been conceding too many goals. That is I fully expect Kolo to be back in the back four in the next match.

So with Liverpool drawing and Arsenal winning it has extended Arsenal lead at the top to four points. Definitely exciting times if you are an Arsenal fan!

World Cup round up - playoffs

Some of the World Cup playoffs took place last night and France beat Ukraine by three goals to nil.

It was a fantastic come back for the French as they had lost the first leg by two goals to nil.

I was relieved that Didier Deschamps left Oliver Giroud on the bench, as I think that technically Giroud would have been ineffective last night.

 

It is credit to Didier Deschamps that he went for more attacking line up which helped them to win the match and qualify for Brazil 2014.

Elsewhere Ghana qualified for their third successive World Cup and which means Ghana are now going to Brazil 2014.

International Friendlies - review

The last of the international friendlies for the year took place yesterday and Germany beat England by a goal to nil.

To be fair it was always going to be an up hill struggle for England to beat Germany. What made it even harder for England was that Roy Hodgson could  not play all his first team players. 

For England it's the first time in over thirty years that they have lost two back to back friendlies and it goes to show that there are no easy games at this level. 

Naturally there will probably be the usual media uproar, but we are still about six months away from the start of the Brazil 2014.

 

 I think these two losses will give the players and  the fans a reality check for Brazil 2014. 

Elsewhere the reigning World Champions Spain where beaten one nil by South Africa.

 I was shocked by this result and thought either South Africa have made some real improvements or Spain had a very bad night but most likely a bit of both.

It was probably a wake up call for a team like Spain no to be too complacent and it does go to show that unexpected results can happen to the best or worst of teams.

World Cup - round up

The first leg of the of the play-off tie took place over the weekend France lost two nil to the Ukraine.

This was a bad result for France and they are really going to need to up their game if they want to qualify for the World Cup. 

 

I will be very surprised if Oliver Giroud can score the three goals they need to make it to Brazil 2014.

 

 Leaving Bacary Sagna on the bench was a bad move as he can defend as well as whip
those crosses in. 

 

So if they want to make it to the final they need to amend the line up and include Bacary Sagna. 

 

Elsewhere some the African teams played the second leg of the play-offs and this meant Nigeria, Cameroon and Ivory Coast all qualified for Brazil 2014.

International friendlies review 15 November 2013

England lost two nil to Chile and at home. At first I was surprised that the convincing way in which Chile beat England.

But after seeing the England line up and I was no longer surprised. The some of players that Roy Hodgson chose for this friendly.  Where mainly players who would struggle to get into their premiership team. 

 

This meant that it would have been unrealistic for England to beat Chile who had brought a much better team. 

England would have needed all their first team players to have any chance of winning this match.

Please check out the highlights to this match below. (commentating is in Russian)

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pPbIjD8nhVI
 

Scotland drew nil nil with the USA and this result was a surprise. I thought there was going to be lots of goals and I also thought that USA where going to win. 

The USA brought a strong team to Scotland and Scotland after previously losing to the USA where determined that they would not be humiliated at home.

So I think the draw must have felt like win for Scotland and for the USA it must have felt like a loss,

 

International Friendlies

So the international friendlies are taking place today and England will take on Chile. Roy Hodgson has decided drop goalkeeper Joe Hart to the bench.

I  have never rated Joe Hart but the reality is, he is the only decent goalkeeper England have got. I think the result will be two goals one in England's  favour.

Scotland are playing the USA tonight and I think it will be a close win for the USA like England, USA  have already qualified for Brazil 2014. 

It should be a good game as Scotland will have nothing to prove and USA will want to be seen as potential champions in Brazil 2014.

Arsenal's season so far

As we are now on an international break, I thought it would be a good time to look at Arsenal's season so far.

The stats do not lie and Arsenal are in a better league position now than this time last year.

Arsene Wenger may have added a few new players, but the existing players have all started to play well especially Laurent Koscielny  and Aaron Ramsey.

Aaron Ramsey is scoring goals that has surprised fans far and wide. 

The end of summer signing Mesut Ozil has been a bit of relevation and his link up play has been second to none. 

So the area of the field that Arsenal still have a problem is upfront. We are still trying to walk the ball into the back of the net. It has been particularly hard for Oliver Giroud this season. 

I cannot see Arsene Wenger buying a striker in the January window so our bet is to hope Lucas Polodski returns from injury to partner Oliver Giroud. 

We are currently top of the league and how long we stay largely depends on when our injured players are coming back to help the squad to deliver our first trophy in eight years.

 

ATP Men's Finals London - Review

There were few surprises at this years ATP men's tour finals.

I was surprised by the notable improvement of Stanislas Wawrinka. I am not his great fan of his style of tennis but he did well to make the semi-finals. 

I was disappointed with Rafa Nadal's performance in the final. After playing well to reach the final, his below par performance was certainly a surprise and disappointment. 

I personally can't see Roger Federer winning anymore major titles. I think he has had his time and for him to beat either Rafa or Novak at any of the majors in 2014 sounds a tad unrealistic. 

Novak Djokovic performed better than I expected. But then I think losing the the world number one ranking motivated him to play even better. 

Overall it was a good tournament and it was good to see both the number one and number two players in the final. I was only disappointed that Rafa couldn't win it.

 

ATP Men's Finals London- Final

The men's ATP men's final took place yesterday and Novak Djokovic beat Rafael Nadal in straight sets. 

I was suprised with the ease in which Novak beat Rafa. However Novak seemed hungrier for the win and he was blasting winners from all over the court. 

Rafa did not come across as his usual focused self and was making a lot of unnecessary errors.

 It was only really towards the end of the second set that we started to see Rafa's brilliance.

 By that time it was too late and Novak was able to close out the set and the match. From Novak's perspective it was a great match and he was able to retain his title. 

From Rafa's perspective he played a poor match and may rue the chance to have picked up this trophy after such a great year. 

It wasn't really a great final and as Rafa fan I would have loved for him to win it but I guess it was not meant to be. 

Both players will be firm favourites for the Australian Open and for Rafa,  2014 could be the year he makes history. As he is only three grand slams behind Roger Federer. 

Premiership review - Sunday's games Podcast

VR Online Service: Premiership review - Sunday's games

ATP Men's finals - Preview of the men's final

Today's ATP men's final will be between to great competitors in Novak Djokovic and Rafael Nadal. 

This should be a great match and could become classic match. It is difficult to predict who will win this encounter. 

Novak will want to win as he has not won has many grand slam titles as he would have liked this year. 

He also would like his world number one status back so I think he will be hungrier for the win. 

Rafa has had a great year and his wins year have included two grand slam titles. 

As the current world number one he does not want to lose this status anytime soon, so he will be fighting to hold on to it. 

So I think Rafa will probably win this final but in three close sets. 

ATP Men's Finals - Semi - Finals

The ATP men's semi finals took place yesterday and Novak Djokovic beat Stanislas Wawrinka in straight sets. 

To be fair it was probably the expected result, whilst Stanislas has had good year  he probably needs to focus on winning his first grand slam. 

Novak has lived up to expectations to reach the final. He has additional motivation of wanting his world number one status back so he will be doubly motivated for the final. 

In the other semi final Rafael Nadal beat Roger Federer in straight sets. Rafa nows seems to have no problems beating Roger which is different to a few years back. 

Roger has achieved and won so much in tennis and if he wants to have a successful 2014. He is going have to dig deep to beat the likes of Rafael Nadal and Novak Djokovic. 

Rafael Nadal has had a good year since coming back from injury. The current world number one will want to win this final to sign off on what has been a great year. 

Premiership review - Saturday's games

Premiership returned this weekend and Chelsea drew two all with Bromwich Albion. 

It was a controversial match which saw Chelsea saw a last minute penalty equaliser and retain their place fourth. 

Liverpool beat Fulham by four goals to nil. Liverpool are doing well this season and if they can keep this up then he might have a genuine chance of winning the premiership. 

 

Fulham are now hovering just above the relagation places and so another bad loss like that and Fulham could themselves in the relegation dog fight.  

ATP Men's Finals, London - Day six

Day six of the ATP men's final and Roger Federer beat Juan Martin Del Potro in three sets. 

This meant that Roger qualified for the semi finals and it knocked Juan Martin out of the finals. 

This was very good win for Roger as Juan Martin was a firm favourite for this title. However Roger now faces the World Number One Rafael Nadal.

This will be a good match and both men would really fighting hard to make the final. I do think Rafael has the edge but I suspect it will be three close sets.

Novak Djokovic beat Richard Gasquet in three sets and Novak will now play Stanislas Wawrinka in the semi finals.

This semi finals should be a good match as all the pressure is on Novak. Stanislas will be able to really go for it as Novak is the favourite. 

ATP Men's finals, London - day five

Day five of the men's final and Stanislas Wawrinka beat David Ferrer in three sets.  

Stanislas has worked had and very much deserves his place in the semi finals where he will play Novak Djokovic.  

 

This will be a big match because if he can beat Novak then anything could happen. 

Rafael Nadal beat Tomas Berdych in three sets and Rafa had already qualified for the semi finals. But this win knocked Tomas out of the tour finals.

 To be fair it always going to be a tough match for Tomas but he he pushed Rafa all the way. 

ATP Men's Final, London - day four

Day four of the men's ATP finals tour and Novak Djokovic beat Juan Martin Del Potro in three sets.

This was a good win for Novak as Juan Martin has a very good chance of winning this title. 

Roger Federer beat Richard Gasquet in straight sets and this victory kept Roger title chances life but it knocked Richard out of the tournament. 

It was a good win for Roger but I would have been very suprised if the result had been any different.

ATP Men's Finals, London - day three

Day three at the ATP Men's finals and Rafael Nadal beat Stanislas Wawrinka in two close sets. This win meant that Rafa will now finish the year as the world number one.

Rafa is my pick to win this tournament and he seems to be getting better with each match. 

It was always going to be a tough ask to Stanislas who has worked hard to reach this final. He needs to develop his game so he can become a grand slam winner.

Tomas Berdych beat David Ferrer in straight sets and this was a good win for Tomas. 

But to have any chance of realistically winning this title he needs to beat either Juan Martin Del Potro, Roger Federer or Rafael Nadal. 

Whilst this is not impossible it will take monumental effort from Tomas to do this. If he does win this tournament it would be big confidence boost for 2014. 

, 

Champions League - Wednesdays games

In this evening Champions League games Arsenal beat Borussia Dortmund by a goal to nil. 

It was an amazing match and to be fair before the match I would have been grateful for a draw. 

But once the Aaron Ramsey scored then I started to believe we could win this. Aaron Ramsey has been a revelation this season. 

I cannot believe it is the same player that I spent all of last season moaning about!  

Now I feel really guilty about how desparate I was Arsene Wenger to get rid of him. 

To think he has scored eleven goals this season and will probably get more. 

This was a really good win for Arsenal and apparently Arsenal are the first English team to beat Borussia Dortmund at home since 1964!

Next game is away to Manchester United and winning this Borussia Dortmund game will give the team a lot more confidence for the match against Man United. 

Chelsea beat Schalke by three goals to nil and Samuel Eto scored two goals. 

This means Chelsea need a point from their next game to ensure that they qualify for the next round. 

This was a good bounce back result for Chelsea after their surprising away loss to Newcastle. Winning this game may put them back on track. 

Champions league - Tuesdays games

In yesterday champions league games Man United drew nil nil with Real Sociedad and in a game where Robin Van Persie missed a penalty. 

However Man United are still top of their table so in all probabilities they will qualify for the next round.  

But it should have been a much easier game for them, because until last nights game, Real Sociedad had no points. 

So Under David Moyes Man United are still struggling. 

Man City did not have any problems last night and they beat CSKA Moscow  five goals to two and have qualified for the knock out stages.

ATP Men's Final, London - day two

Day two of the ATP men's finals and Rafael Nadal beat a David Ferrer in straight sets. 

Rafa has had a great year since coming back from injury and a good result like this makes me think that he is more likely to reach the final. 

David Ferrer has always struggled when up against Rafa and I would be surprised if he makes it to the final of this tournament. 

Novak Djokovic beat Roger Federer in three sets. This was a good win for Novak and I can also see him making it to the final of this tournament. 

Roger dominated the men's tour for about six years and I feel now that it is going to be difficult for him compete at the highest level. 

Roger has an outside chance of claiming this title but ultimately, he will have to beat Novak or Rafa to have any realistic chance winning this title. 

ATP Men's finals, London - Day One

ATP Men's finals got under way yesterday and Juan Martin Del Potro beat Richard Gasquet in three sets. 

This was a tough match for Juan Martin against someone like Richard who has not had the best year. 

Juan Martin was probably relieved to have gotten the win. But there will be tougher matches for him to face and hopefully he will rise up to the challenge. 

Stanislas Wawrinka beat Tomas Berdych in three sets. If I am totally honest I am not really fan of either player. 

I will be somewhat surprised if either player makes it to the final and wins. 

However both Stanislas and Tomas are playing well and If I was a betting women I would say that Stanislas has the greater chance making it to the final. 

But neither plays the type of tennis I think will really help not only to win this tournament but to win grand slams. 

But at the same time they are both here so anything can happen. 

ATP World Tour Finals, London - Preview

The top eight men minus Andy Murray will be playing at London's O2 arena for the men's end of year championships. 

Unlike the women's end of year championships, the men's tournament is slightly more open. 

However Novak Djokovic, Juan Martin Del Potro and Rafa Nadal are my picks for men that are more likely to do well and win. 

Novak has not had a bad year but he will be frustrated about Wimbledon and the US Open finals and will want to make amends. 

Juan Martin Del Potro has not had a great year so winning the end of year title would set him up nicely for 2014. 

Rafael Nadal has had a great come back from injury this year. Two grand slams and host of other titles and so he will feel like this title belongs to him. 

Another outsider for the title would be Roger Federer and although by his own standards he has not had a great year. He just about managed to qualify for these finals. 

So a win for Roger would set him up for better 2014. Somehow I think it is unlikely  but with sports sometimes you never know. 

Premiership - Weekend review

There were some real surprises in this weekend premiership fixtures. I was not expecting Chelsea to lose Newcastle without scoring. 

That was a surprise but at the same time it is very difficult to get results at St James park. 

I thought that Man City would win but I didn't think they would hammer Norwich Cit seven goals to nil. 

It was a very bad result for Norwich the type of result that could be season changing. 

For Man City it was an amazing result and it has taken them to fifth to the league. 

Man United beat Fulham three goals to one and I thought the score line was going to be lot closer. 

Arsenal beat Liverpool two goals to nil and even though I am an Arsenal fan I was quite surprised by ease in which Arsenal beat Liverpool. 

I thought it was going to be a very difficult  match. But the team were determined to get this result.

 Normally with Arsenal games, the last twenty minutes are the most nerve wracking.

 But for some reason I was not nervous at all. So it was great result and our next premier league game is away to Manchester United so it will be another difficult match. 

Tottenham Spurs and Everton drew nil nil and this result was probably about right. 

Premiership - preview of weekend games

Some interesting games taking place in the premiership this weekend. Man United are away to Fulham. 

This could be a tricky match for Man United would not be surprised Fulham snatched a draw. 

Chelsea are away to Newcastle and yes Newcastle have so far had a poor season. 

But it is always a challenge for away teams to come away with all the points. So this match could either way but I would favour Chelsea to get the win.

Man City are at home to Norwich City and although Man City have not been doing as well, I think they will probably beat Norwich. 

Arsenal are at home to Liverpool and this will be tough match for Arsenal. We are already missing at least three of our first team. 

Liverpool have had a fantastic start to the season and historically November is the month Arsenal struggles to get wins. 

I really hope Arsenal win but it is going to be tough match so really anything could happen. 

What are your predictions? Do you agree or disagree with my predictions? 

League Cup - round up

Some League cup matches took place last night. Man City needed extra time to beat Newcastle by two goals to nil. 

Man City are definitely working harder than last year to get wins. But most importantly the hard work is paying off and they are getting good wins. 

Tottenham needed extra time and penalties to beat Hull City. From Tottenham prespective they better hope that this long match does not impact on their ability to win their next game at the weekend. 

 

But I am sure Spurs are just grateful that they won the match and have now progressed to the next stage of the League Cup competition. 

For their hardwork Man City face Leicester and Spurs face West Ham. For place in the semi- finals and these ties will be played a week before Christmas and should be good matches. 

WTA Championships - Review

The WTA Championships did not really live up to its high profile billing. This because players like Victoria Azarenka and Aga Radwanska did not play as well as they where expected to.

This meant that players like Petra Kivitova, Jelena Jankovic and Ni La who have had relatively quiet year where then able to shine.

After reading the comments that both Jelena Jankovic and Ni La made about Serena William's gamesmanship I was a little surprised. 

Both Jelena and Li Na have had average year and Serena has won eleven tournaments. As a fan I can understand why she would have been tired. 

I suspect some players might be already fed up with playing on tour with someone who some fans have given legend status. 

However Serena Williams has worked incredibly hard to achieve this and things have not always gone so well for Serena. 

But the fact she is still playing at such high level and at the age that most of her  

contemporaries have retired or thinking of retirement is amazing in itself. 

Serena's perseverance to win this tournament even though she was not feeling 100%. To me can only be admired so it is little disappointing to read comments made by fellow professionals. 

Serena to me was a worthy winner and whilst her contemporaries where falling apart. 

Serena weathered her own storm and retained her title and it was amazing to watch and to think that I was witnessing history.

League Cup - round up 29/10/13

Yesterday's league cup matches where interesting to say the least. Arsenal lost two nil to Chelsea. 

Arsene Wenger practically put out a first team squad but he chose the wrong striker in Nicholas Bendtner. 

Nicholas looked overweight and could barely run for the ball. It looks like his Arsenal first team days are long gone. 

Nicholas could prove me wrong and end up scoring some amazing goals. Somehow I doubt it, Arsene Wenger needs to get rid of him quick before he drags the team down with him. 

Other than a poor Nicholas Bendtner, there was no width or creavity in the Arsenal team. 

Arsenal has three crucial matches coming up and the first one is against Liverpool and nothing less than a win will do. 

By contrast the much maligned Man United beat Norwich City by four nil to progress to the quarter finals. This win would have eased a little bit of the pressure from David Moyes's shoulders. 

But the reality is, is that for the big clubs winning the league cup is not enough. Success is measured by winning either the Premiership, FA Cup or the Champions league. 

So Arsenal losing wasn't great but what will help is if they can win the previously mentioned trophies.

Premiership - a Roundup

Another good weekend of premiership football and Arsenal managed to beat Crystal Palace by two goals to nil. 

It's been while since Arsenal have managed to stay at the top of league for consecutive weeks. 

But like I said in my previous blog it is all about the November test for Arsenal. Which historically is the month we tend to struggle with the change of weather.

Man United came from behind twice to beat relegation bound Stoke City by three goals to two. 

David Moyes is still under massive pressure and close wins like this would not have helped his cause.

 I think that if by the start of the new year Man United are not top four then it will be hard for David Moyes to hold on to his job. 

Liverpool continued there impressive start to the season by beating West Bromwich Albion by four goals to one. 

I think Liverpool are the team to watch and this is there best start to the season for quite sometime. 

Arsenal will nervously looking over its shoulder as Liverpool have got the team and the desire to win the premiership.

Chelsea and Tottenham Spurs also recorded wins and they are only a couple of  points dividing teams in the top of the league positions. 

So it is still very early in the season with most of the top teams all doing well at the weekend.  

WTA Championships - Final

The WTA championships final took place yesterday and as widely expected Serena Williams beat Li Na in three sets to retain her title. 

It was not easy for Serena who was fighting fatigue and she lost the first set, then had to dig deep to win the remaining two sets. 

Li Na played well but I am not really sure she believes that she can beat Serena. 

 Li Na has not had a great year so reaching the final has hopefully set her up for better year next year. 

By contrast Serena has had a good year and at thirty two she is not getting any younger, but hopefully she will have a good 2014 and make even more history and break more records!

WTA Championships - Semi Finals

The semi-finals of the WTA championships took place yesterday and in the first semi-final Li Na beat Petra Kivitova in three sets. 

This was a really good win for Li Na who hasn't really had a great year. However in the final she faces the formidable Serena Williams.

Serena Williams beat Jelena Jankovic in three sets to make the final. It was a weird match in that Serena appeared to be injured. 

However on the on-court interview she said that it was tiredness that affected her game. 

So the final between Ni La and Serena Williams will be interesting as Serena is battling fatigue so this could be Li Na's best opportunity to beat her. 

WTA Championships - day three

Day three of the WTA Championships and Serena Willams beat Petra Kivitova in straight sets. 

Petra was trying so hard to win every point but Serena is just the better athlete and more comfortable in these pressure situations. 

In both sets Serena played flawless tennis hopefully she can keep this level up for the semi-finals.

Na Li also managed a very good win over Jelena Jankovic. It was a hard fought match in which Na Li eventually on in three sets.

But the shock so far of this tournament was Angelique Kerber beating  Aga Radwanksa in straight sets. 

This means that Aga goes out of this tournament with no wins and three losses. 

It was definitely a surprise for me as I didn't expect Aga lose so early. It also means she can go home get some rest and prepare for 2014.

Champions League - 24/10/13

On Wednesday both Man United and Man City played their Champions League games. 

Man United beat Real Sociedad by a goal to nil and curtesy of an own goal. Although Man United fans will be grateful for the three points, this will not help the fans to get behind David Moyes. As Man United are used to more convincing wins.

Man City beat CSKA Moscow by two goals to one. However the main talking point of this game was the racist chants directed at Man City player Ya Ya Toure. 

Toure would like football governing bodies to take stronger stand against these clubs. Whilst Toure has a valid point getting the governing body to listen and act upon Toure's recommendations will be a challenge in its self. 

But from a footballing point of view both Man United and Man City had a good night and this takes them one step closer to qualifying for the knockout stages. 

WTA Championships - day one

WTA Championships started yesterday and Serena Williams beat Angelique Kerber in straight sets. 

Serena was in fine form and barely gave Angelique an opportunity to get into the match. 

Petra Kivitova beat Aga Radwanska in straight sets. Petra was also in fine form and kept her errors down. 

Aga was apparently in tears after match and took this loss pretty badly. 

Champions League - 22/10/13

The Champions League returned yesterday and Arsenal lost at home to Borussia Dortmund. Arsenal lost the game two goals to one and after dominating for long spells. 

It all went wrong withcentral defence pairing of Mertesacker and Koscielny who both seem to go missing. 

This is because Mertesacker lacks pace and Koscielny often makes tactical errors in the big matches. 

All is definitely not lost and we can still qualify for the knock out stages. Arsenal are away to Borussia Dortmund in the next match and ideally we need to get at least a draw out of that match.

Elsewhere Chelsea beat FC Schalke 04 by three goals to nil. It has put them top of the table and in a good position to qualify for knock out stages. 

WTA end of year tour championships - Podcast

Please click on the link below to listen to my preview of the end of year championship.

VR Online Service: 2013-10-21 15_00_32

Premiership round up

The premiership was back this weekend after the international games and for some teams like Arsenal they picked up where they left off. 

Arsenal beat Norwich City by four goals to one, at home and what made this victory even sweeter was the fact that Mesut Ozil scored his first home premiership goals. 

It was also nice to see Carzola back and Ramsey on the score sheet. In my opinion Arsenal don't have eleven world beaters. But what they do have is great team spirit and a never give up attitude. 

The test will really come for a Arsenal in November and that is historically for Arsenal a lean period. 

So if we can get a couple of wins and some draws then we will definitely be challenging for the title this season.

That win Against Norwich City put Arsenal top of the league and three points ahead of the chasing pack. 

Liverpool who where joint top with Arsenal drew two all against Newcastle and it was a good point for Liverpool. As they are going to mount a strong challenge for the title this season.

Man City beat a West Ham by three goals to one to keep them in the top four places. 

Tottenham beat Aston Villa by two goals to nil to keep them in fifth position. Chelsea beat Cardiff City by four goals to one and they are now second in the league behind Arsenal.

However the most unexpected result of the weekend was Man United drawing one all with Southampton. 

As I was listening to the match on the radio I didn't really see how Southampton where going to get back into the match. 

But low and behold a minute before the ninetieth minute Lallana scored the equaliser. It's the kind of result that would  have heaped more pressure on David Moyes's shoulders. 

But to be fair to Southampton they are currently top five for a reason. So there hard work in securing the draw should not be ignored. 

If I was a Man United fan I would be a little worried purely because I cannot remember the last time Man United where eighth in league. 

But at the same time the league does not get decided in October. So there is still lots to play for!

 

World Cup - round up

World Cup qualification matches took place on Tuesday and England beat Poland two goals to nil.

I was surprised with the ease in which England beat Poland. However England  have a long way to go to before they can convince me that they are potential champions.

Elsewhere the reigning World and European champions, Spain, qualified after beating Georgia by two goals to nil.

Spain's team is stronger than ever and they even recently gave the Swansea City player Michu his first international call up. To me they are one of the teams to beat.

In the African qualification section, Ghana beat Egypt by six goal to one. This was an outstanding performance by Ghana.

It is not often that Ghana wins game with such an emphatic scoreline. I think that Michael Essien return to the team has boosted the midfield and made them more clinical in front the goal.

 It should hopefully mean that the away leg in Egypt will be a is just a formality and Ghana would hopefully have qualified for their World Cup.

WTA - Luxembourg

WTA Luxembourg started this week and Heather Watson lost in three sets to Yanina Wickmayer. 

Yanina is good former top twenty player. Heather is not playing well and with little  confidence. 

Now that the tennis season is nearly over, it should give her time to regroup and play better. 

 

Sloane Stephens won her first round with relative ease. Sloane now faces Yvonne Meusburger in the second match tomorrow.

Sabine Liscki and Caroline Wozniacki are playing in this tournament. So the semi - finals and the finals should be good one.

World Cup qualifiers round up

The World Cup qualifiers took place over the weekend England beat Montenegro by four goals to one. Now need to beat Poland at Wembly to ensure qualification to Brazil 2014.

The star of the match went to the Tottenham winger Andros Townsend who helped set up Wayne Rooney's goal and then scored his own goal. 

It's good to see Roy Hodgson is prepared to take risks and play players with little or no international experience. It was a good win for England but I expect Poland to be tougher opposition.

Elsewhere Germany secured its place in the final by beating Republic of Ireland three goals to nil. This also end Ireland's chance of qualifying.

In the African qualifiers Nigeria beat Ethiopia by two goals to one which has brought Nigeria little closer to qualification. 

Ivory Coast beat Senegal three goals to one to take them a step closer to qualification. 

Tunisia drew nil nil with Cameron so this match like the others in the African qualifiers have it all play for to secure qualification to Brazil 2014. 

WTA HP Open, Osaka, Japan - Final

The HP Open Osaka, final took place over the weekend, Samantha Stosur beat Eugenie Bouchard in three sets.

It was very much a match which had the experience of Sam Stosur up against the teen Eugenie Bouchard. 

Eventually Sam's experience of big matches helped her to secure the match and the title. 

But Eugenie's performance in this tournament will make her contender for titles in 2014 and will certainly make the tennis elite take notice.

WTA Generali Linz - Final

The Generali Linz final took place over the weekend Angelique Kerber beat Ana Ivanovic in straight sets. 

Angelique had already gained enough points to compete in the WTA end of year tournament. 

But Angelique's win was somewhat controversial as she was a last minute entrant for this tournament. Which meant that another player had their wild card rescinded. 

However should not take way from Angelique's win and hopefully she will start to do better at the Grand Slams in 2014.

WTA Generali Ladies Linz -

The quarter finals of the WTA Linz tournament took place today and Sloane Stephens lost in three sets to Stefanie Vogele. 

This was a bad loss for Sloane who was at one point a game away from winning the match. 

It means that she has also missed out on qualification for the end of year tournament and most importantly has yet to win any WTA titles. 

So Stefanie Vogele alongside Angelique Keber, Ana Ivanovic and Carla Suarez make up the semi - finals. 

It is a pretty open tournament but I would not be surprised if Angelique Kerber won this title.

WTA HP Open, Osaka. Japan

WTA HP Open Osaka quarter finals took place today and Madison Keys the teenage American recorded a good win straight victory over Jie Zheng.

Madison could potentially win this tournament but there was also good quarter finals win are Eugenie Bouchard and Sam Stosur. 

This tournament has got the experience Sam Stosur and the up and coming teenagers like Eugenie Bouchard and Madison Keys and it certainly helps to make this tournament more interesting and watchable.

 

WTA Generali Ladies Linz -Second round

The second round of the Generali Ladies Linz tournament took place yesterday. Sloane Stephens beat Andrea Petkovic in three sets and this was a good win for Sloane.

As Sloane has not been playing her best tennis, so this tournament gives Sloane an opportunity to win her first WTA title. 

I do think Sloane is one of the few teengers on the WTA tour that can win big. But that the moment she lacks that hunger and even come accross as someone who sees tennis a hobby and not a profession.

If Sloane wants to win this tournament she is going have to up her game. As Anglique Kerber, Ana Ivanovic and Kirsten Flipkens all had good second round wins.

There is still one spot left for the end of year tournament and I am hoping that if Sloane wins this tournament she will get the last spot.

                                                   (sportsillustrated.com)

WTA HP Open, Osaka, Japan- podcast

Something a little different for this blog!

My take on Laura Robson and Heather Watson's participation in the Osaka Open.

Click here to listen to my podcast



 

Premiership round up 06/10/13

Well it was definitely an exciting weekend of Premiership matches. 

Manchester United beat Sunderland two goals to one and had to come from behind to secure the win. 

This has taken the pressure of David Moyes as I suspect if they had lost this match. There would have been fans out there who would have demanded that he be sacked. 

Liverpool beat Crystal Palace three goals to one to maintain there impressive start to the season. 

Man City also had a good win as they beat Everton by three goals to one and that win ensured that they stay top five in the league.

Chelsea had a good win against Norwich who they beat by three goals to one and that keeps them third in the league. 

Arsenal drew one all to West Bromwich Albion which was not a bad result as we are still joint top of the league with Liverpool.

But at the same time drawing to teams like West Brom is not good for team that like Arsenal that desperately needs to win a trophy after eight trophy less years.

 I am hoping that this was a blip and we will get back to our winning ways after the international break. 

But the shock result of the weekend was title challenging Tottenham losing three goals to nil at home to West Ham. 

This has now put them sixth in the league like I said in previous blogs. I can't seem them mounting a serious challenge in the league as Spurs are too inconsistent. But who knows they might prove me wrong, somehow I doubt it.

WTA Beijing Open - Final

The final of the Beijing Open took place yesterday and Serena Williams beat Jelena Jankovic in straight sets. 

Serena was very dominant in the first set and Jelena did not get many chance to break. The second was little more competitive but this was  more to do with the fact that both Serena and Jelena where carrying injuries. 

Other than one services blip in the second set Serena's serve was on fire! and alot of the time the ball was whistling past Jelena's ears.

 However Jelena played well and against in other player she would have got a better result.

 But the reality is Serena at the grand old age of thirty two, is light years ahead of the other women. I would say this is largely due to her athleticism and that amazing serve. 

If the other ladies on the tour want to beat Serena they really need to work on their fitness first and foremost. 

As much as I enjoy watching Serena win, her matches are far more fun when Serena is stretched to the limit. 

I am hoping that Serena's match will be a little more competitive and not just a forgone conclusion. 

WTA Beijing Open - Semi-Finals

The semi- finals took place yesterday and Serena Williams beat Aga Radwanska comfortably and in straight sets.  

Serena did have injury time out for her back but she was still able to close out the set and win the match. 

Serena will play Jelena Jankovic in the final. As Jelena beat Petra Kivitova in three sets. 

The final between Serena and Jelena takes place today. It promises to be a good match as Jelena last beat Serena in in the Charleston final in 2012.

WTA Beijing Open- Quarter finals

Yesterday was quarter finals day and Serena Williams beat Caroline Wozniacki in straight sets. 

To be fair it was always going to be a challenge for Caroline. The second set was more more competitive, but that was because Serena started to relax after racing into a four love lead. 

I would say that in this tournament I have seen Caroline play some good tennis. If she can keep this up then she might start going a little further in the Grand Slams.

Agnieszka Radwanska beat Angelique Kerber in straight sets. However this was a strange match where in the first set Agnieszka raced into a five to one lead. 

Then Angelique worked hard and clawed it back and brought it to a tie break. Angelique then had three set points and could not take any of them. 

She never got over losing the first set and the second set came went quickly too. 

So Agniezka Radwanska will play Serena Williams the semi- finals. Agnieska  likes to get every ball back into play and Serena likes to blast winners from anywhere. Therefore it should be an interesting match. 

In the other quarter finals Jelena Jankovic     

beat Lucie Safarova in three sets. Petra Kivitova beat Ni La in three sets, so Petra and Jelena will play against in each other the semi-finals. 

WTA Beijing Open- 3rd round

The third round matches took place yesterday and Serena Williams beat Maria Kirilenko in straight sets. But it was a much closer encounter than I expected. 

I think because Serena is a little tired now so we are not seeing the type of efficient tennis she would normally play. She will now goes through to play Caroline Wozniacki in the quarter finals.  

Caroline Wozniacki beat a very poor Sloane Stephens in straight sets. Sloane seemed a little off her game and she is challenging for a top ten ranking.

However the way she played today as probably been a ranking set back. But she is young so hopefully she will learn from this loss.

Both Angelique Kerber and Agnieszka Radwanska won their respective matches. They will each other in tomorrow's night match.

Champions League Round Up 03/10/13

Champion league games took place this week. Arsenal beat Napoli two goals to nil. 

It was very good win for Arsenal and Mesut Ozil scored his first goal. The Arsenal defence played well and it has brought us that step closer to qualifying the second round. 

Chelsea had good night and as they beat Steaua Bucharest four goals to nil. This was much a needed result for Chelsea as  they lost there first game and if they had lost this game it would have made qualification for second round difficult. 

Both Manchester City and Manchester United did not have good nights. Manchester City lost lost three goals to one to Bayern Munich. 

But it is not that bad for them they still have every opportunity to qualify for the second round. 

I have to say I was shocked that Manchester United drew one all to Shakhtar  Donetsk. 

It's kind of result that heaps even more pressure on David Moyes's shoulders. It is still early in the group stages but fans can be inpatient. 

So I think a couple more poor results for Man United and Moyes will be fighting to hold on to his job. 

WTA China Open, Beijing - day one

Round one of China Open started yesterday and Serena Williams beat Elena Vesnina in straight sets. 

It was a pretty tough first round for Serena and the first set was very competitive.

 But after winning the first set Serena was able to take control of the second set and win the second and the match.

Heather Watson lost to Vavara Lepenchko in three sets. Heather won the first set very comfortably then seemed to lose confidence and the match in the second and third set. 

This was a bad loss for Heather and her world ranking will now drop to ninety. Next week she has to defend her Osaka title and if she is unsuccessful then she will drop out of the top 100. 

Laura Robson beat Klara Zakopalova in three sets. It was a real battle in the first and second set but she won the third set comfortably and she now faces Angelique Kerber in the second round.

Premiership round up - 28/09/13

Yesterday's  premiership games where interesting to say least. Tottenham and Chelsea's game ended in a draw. In a game where Fernando Torres was controversially sent off. 

Tottenham being the home team started well and scored but Chelsea managed to get back into the game and draw.

I really don't believe Tottenham are serious title challengers,  as if they where would getting wins when playing at home against teams like Chelsea. 

On the other hand Chelsea may struggle this year now that the "special one" is back. Personally I think that Jose should not have come back especially now Chelsea are Champion League winners. 

Arsenal beat Swansea City two goals to one and a result which also sets new record for the club of away wins

This was a good win for Arsenal and it was the kind of match that we needed to win if we are really serious about challenging for the title. 

Shockingly Man United lost to West Brom by two goals to one. I did not see that result coming at all and again it's kind of result that adds pressure to David Moyes's shoulders.

I do hope that Man United continue to play like this so that when Arsenal meet them in November. We have an even greater chance of beating them, something we have not done in a while. 

Preview of the premiership games

Today in the Premiership Tottenham play Chelsea in the lunch time kick off. This match could go either way but I think Chelsea will get the win. 

Arsenal are away to Swansea City, now will be a tough match and with at least five key players missing it is going to be a challenge. 

But I think Arsenal have started this season with a different more winning mindset hopefully this will be carried on on into today's game.

Man United are at home to West Brom in a match that most people would expect Man United to win comfortably but as I always say anything can happen!

Toray Pan Pacific Open - final

Today was finals day at the Toray Pacific Open and Petra Kivitova beat Angelique Kerber in three topsy turvy sets. 

I thought that the amount of games that Petra played beforehand would go against her.

 This was not a problem for her and she was able to win her eleventh WTA title. 

So maybe if Petra is able to capitalise on this win she may hopefully reach the end of year championships. 

League Cup round up

League cup matches took place this week and Arsenal beat West Bromwich Albion on penalties. 

It was a close encounter with both teams missing a host of chances. Arsene Wenger played a young team, which included the more experienced players like Nicklas Bendtner. 

Overall it was a close match which could have gone either way. So I was very relieved that we managed to get through it and we now face Chelsea in the next round!

Man United beat Liverpool a goal to nil and what surprised me about this game, was that Liverpool put out a near enough a full strength squad but somehow managed to lose. 

Man United's  win will now ease the pressure off David Moyes and they now face Newcastle in the next round. 

Toray Pan Pacific Open - day five

Day five at the Toray Pan Pacific Open and Venus was in action again. Today Venus was beaten by Petra Kivitova in three close sets.

Venus has really had a fantastic tournament and has a lot to be proud of. She has not allowed her debilitating illness to stand in the way of her playing top level tennis. 

Petra also had to play very well to beat Venus,  it was very good tennis and a long match. This may be factor when Petra plays Angelique Kerber in the final.

Angelique beat Caroline Wozniacki  in straight sets. so Angie might have more energy in the final than Petra.

 Petra played two matches yesterday and a long two and half hour match against Venus today. 

But in tennis anything can happen and I am sure Petra will get a adrenalin rush from making it to the final. 

Angelique is the higher ranked player but I would not rule Petra out from winning this title. 

Toray Pan Pacific Open - day four

Day four at the Toray Open and Venus Williams was back in action today. She beat the young and coming Eugenie Bouchard in three long sets. 

Venus managed to unofficially equal her fastes serve record of 129 mph. It seems that Venus has now got her confidence back and to hopefully try and win the tournament.

 

The shock and unexpected award of the days go to Angela Kerber who beat the world number three. Agneiska Radwanska in straight sets.

Angela Kerber now faces Caroline Wozniacki for a place in the final. 

  

Toray Pan Pacific - day three

Day three at the Toray Pacfic Open and Venus Williams had a great three set win against the up and coming Simona Halep. 

Venus served well and kept her unforced errors down and most importantly did not run out of energy. 

It's the first time in over a year that Venus has won a match in three sets. Next she faces the nineteen year old Eugenie Bouchard. 

This will be another tough match for Venus hopefully she will serve well and keep those unforced errors down.

In the second  quarter final match Angela Kerber faces Agnieszka Radwanska. Agnieszka should win, but they have such contrasting styles that it should make it a good match. 

In the third quarter finals match Caroline Wozniacki faces Lucie Safarova. Caroline on paper should win this match being the top ten player but anything can happen. 

The fourth quarter finals is yet to be decided to the rain delay. 

Toray Pan Pacific Open - day two

Day two at the Toray Pan Pacific Open definitely had its element of surprise. 

Eugenie Bouchard beat Sloane Stephens in three sets. This was a surprise as Sloane is just two hundred ranking points from being in the top ten. 

So a good run in this  tournament would definitely have brought her closer but it was not meant to be.

The major surprise of the day was Venus Williams beating Victoria Azarenka in straight sets. 

Victoria did not seem herself as she was not grunting or making a real effort to chase the balls. 

But at the same time Venus has this long term debilitating  illness. So to me they came across as evenly matched.

 Venus served incredibly well and kept the  points short and her return game was on fire ! It was a real pleasure to watch two women  really competing at the highest level.

 Venus now plays Simona Halep and I hope she will carry the same desire and intensity into her that match. 

Toray Pan Pacific Open- day one

The Toray Open started yesterday and Venus Williams beat Mona Barthel in straight sets. 

I was surprised by the ease  in which Venus beat Mona. However in the next second round she faces world number two Victoria Azarenka and that will be a lot tougher. 

Laura Robson lost in straight sets to Ayumi Morita. I think Laura is now going through a mini slump, hopefully she will get out of this mini slump soon. 

The young Canadian Eugenie Bouchard beat Monica Puig in straight set. Eugenie is already top thirty so a good run in this tournament could see climb further up the rankings.

Premiership round up

There were some truly gripping games in the premiership at the weekend. 

On Saturday Southampton beat Liverpool one nil and I was not too surprised as in the past Liverpool have found it difficult to beat Southampton.

But Liverpool have had a good start to the season and some people were just starting to seem as title contenders. So this result would have dampened the contending for title talk.

Chelsea also beat their West London rivals two nil. This result was not too surprising Fulham have been struggling to get wins. 

The Super Sunday matches lived up to there billing. Arsenal beat Stoke City three one and this was a good win.

My only real concern is in the back four and  especially central defence pairing of Koscielny and Mertesacker. Neither has pace and against better teams their lack of pace will become more apparent. 

However it was a very good win and to win with the set play goals was also nice.   As much as I love watching Arsenal score intricate goals, uits nice that we can score simple goals and bag the three points.

Tottenham scored a last minute goal to to beat the newly promoted Cardiff City one nil. I had expected Tottenham to win but I am really glad that Cardiff City made them fight for it.

Man City hammered Man United four goals to one. It was a score line that I was not expecting.

As I was watching the match I kept expecting that Man United would come back and at least draw the match. 

The only Man United player who never gave up was Wayne Rooney. He came across as angry and embarrassed by the score line and was desparate to make amends. 

Rooney did get the consolation goal for his hard work but that was about it. What I found strange was how passive David Moyes was throughout match. 

Sir Alex Ferguson would have been chewing his gum and pacing up and down the touch line.

After the final whistle Sir Alex would have been down the tunnel in a flash. David Moyes is no Sir Alex and I am sure United fans are praying that he does not turn their team into Everton mark two. 

I think Moyes test will come when they play Arsenal because one thing for Sir Alex would never have allowed Arsenal to beat them like that.

 So if Arsenal were to get a victory like that then  David Moyes 's days as United's manager would be numbered.

    

Premiership- Super Sunday

Today is Super Sunday and in the premiership and Arsenal are at home to Stoke City. It should be a good match but with half of our first team missing anything could happen.

Hopefully the likes of Theo Walcott, Aaron Ramsey and Mesut Ozil will step up like they did against Marseille. So I am cautiously optimistic that we will win. 

Tottenham are away to Cardiff City this should be a very entertaining match as newly promoted Cardiff City try to match the super spending Tottenham. I do think Tottenham will win but Cardiff City could surprise us.

Man City play Man United at home and this should be a very good match. I think the slight edge goes to Man City as they are at home. But it is a Manchester darby so anything could happen!

 

Premiership games preview 21/09/13

There are some interesting games in the premiership taking place today.

Liverpool take on Southampton and on paper it would look like a win for Liverpool. However, Liverpool tend struggle with games against Southampton so it could either way.

Chelsea take on their West London rivals Fulham at home. Fulham have been struggling to win games, so I think Chelsea will win but Fulham could still cause an upset.

 

Guangzhou Open - China

It was quarter finals day and both Laura Robson and Johanna Konta where in action today.

Laura lost in three sets Jie Zheng and to be honest even though Laura lost. It was not a huge surprise Jie Zheng is a good solid player and a former world number fifteen. 

So although Laura is the higher ranked player, I think that Jie Zheng had the ability and the experience to help her beat Laura.

Laura got to the final of this tournament last year so she will lose some ranking points.

But as Laura is still a teen this experience will help her to come back better and win her first WTA title.

Johanna Konta lost in straight sets to Zhang Shui and even though Johanna lost, she will gain valuable ranking points. 

Johanna Konta has been steadily rising up the rankings and I would have thought her next goal would be to break the top one hundred ranking.

 This will not be easy but if she is able to consistently make quarter finals then she will achieve it.

Champions League round up- What a win!

So I am very proud of Arsenal tonight to get to win by two goals to one away  from home and with the skeleton team we took is nothing short of amazing. 

All the players stepped up to the plate and delivered and that is something we haven't seen too much of in the last eight  years!

Our goal scorer's Theo Walcott and Aaron Ramsey both had a good night. To be honest last season I really wanted Aaron out of the team ! I am now grateful that he is an instrumental part of the team.

I am even beginning to believe in Arsene Wenger again. I just hope that we can keep this up and ultimately get some silverware of some sort this season.

It was a bad night for Chelsea who lost two goals to one to FC Basel. I think complacency is what cost them the match tonight. 

As I said in my previous post FC Basel have good record against British clubs. Which means they know how to rise up to the occasion and they definitely did that today.  

Preview of tonight's Champions League games

So in under three hours Arsenal  play Marseille and this will be a tough match. Firstly any away match is a tough match and secondly half our first team is injured.

If we're lucky we might be able grind out a result but one thing is of sure this is not going to be easy. 

I am hoping that this team that includes Mesut, Theo and the inform Aaron Ramsey will surprise me and get the out right win!

Chelsea take on FC Basel at home and in the past Basel have surprised British teams. 

I am not saying they are going to do it here. Because I know they are capable of surprising teams it would not surprise me if Basel got a result. 

Unlike Arsenal, Chelsea have a full complement of players to pick from. This makes Basel challenge of beating them greater than ever. 

As both Man United and Man City did so well yesterday it would be nice for Arsenal to start with a win!