Italian Football faces a difficult future if recent figures regarding youth team developed players are to be believed.
In the wake of England’s exit from this summer’s world cup, numerous answers were posed by pundits as to why things had gone so horribly wrong from Capello’s men.
It’s a cliché, but football thrives on them, so why not start with one? If you can’t beat them, join them. Like most clichés, it doesn’t stand up to close scrutiny. What happens if the best way of joining them is by beating them? I don’t know, but Saint-Etienne certainly do after the weekend closed with them perched on top of Ligue 1 for the second week in a row.
Last week, Saint-Etienne coach Christophe Galtier was quick to dampen any chances of his side getting carried away with their stellar start, preferring instead to put his side’s 3-0 romp over Montpellier down as nothing more than three points towards safety. But he has no such chance this week, not after his side pulled off their first away victory at Lyon in seventeen years to dump their bitterest rivals into the relegation quicksand and retake top spot from Rennes.
The season may only be just one sixth the way through but I'm rubbing my crystal ball and like a butch mystic Meg, am proclaiming Chelsea to be champions come next May.
I know it's early, too early many would say to make a prediction, 'wait until Christmas' they'd cry but I think I've seen enough to convince me my vision is fated.
Though they lost at Eastlands courtesy of a tremendous solo Tevez goal, I stand firm. Ferguson and others may grumble at Chelsea’s relative easy opening set of fixtures but the fact is they still had to win them, which they did, and some. They breezed through those first five games, out muscling and out playing their opponents with consummate easy. They were a gang of heavyweights delivering pounding blows to their opponents’ chins and winning by resounding knockouts.
Preston North End relieved the pressure on their manager Darren Ferguson with two wins inside a week. In a game which they were perhaps second best they beat Coventry 2-1. Goals from Billy Jones and Iain Hume gave them the win. Coventry got a Consolation through Aron Gunnarsson. However Billy Jones did clear two off the line and Andy Lonergan pulled off a string of great saves too deny Coventry.
A Hat-trick from Jon Parkin managed help turn a 4-1 defeat into 6-4 win to continue their turn around. Preston raced into a 1-0 lead through Parkin, Leeds equalised with Becchio and took the lead when Alex Bruce headed home. Then a double from David Somma gave Leeds a 4-1 but then straight away the comeback started when Parkin got his second. Keith Tracey got another back and then a Callum Davidson penalty equalised, Jon Parkin’s third goal gave preston a 5-4 lead and Iain Hume scored his seconded goal in two matches secured a 6-4 win for Preston. Before the weekend Preston were in the relegation zone now they lie in 20th position.
There were a number of intense matches this weekend and some rather unexpected upsets which may have scuppered many accumulator bets.
West Brom thought they were home a dry for a while when they visited the Emirates with goals coming from Odemwingie (50), Jara (52) and Thomas (73) putting them 3-0 up with 20 minutes left on the clock.