It was nothing short of a demonstration by the champions at Old Trafford on Sunday 12th January. I was expecting a tight encounter where both teams brought their "A game" but instead it was a lacklustre Chelsea who were turned over by the rampaging United.
The first 45 minutes saw United take the initiative but Chelsea looked like they were slowly getting into their stride. A Namanja Vidic goal just before the interval proved to be the decisive blow Alex Ferguson's men needed. Chelsea came out second half a deflated and disjointed team and Wayne Rooney and Dimitar Berbatov capitalised on a poor defensive display and sunk the London side.
It seems Chelsea were waiting for something to happen in and around the danger zone at Old Trafford but by the time one of the players tried to make a break through there were reds shirts everywhere to stamp out the threat. A usually impressive Joe Cole was almost invisible bar some good tracking back. Frank Lampard appeared to be fairly isolated and Didier Drogba had nothing in terms of service.
If Chelsea win the title this season it will be because Manchester United went on holiday and didn't play the rest of their fixtures. Liverpool will once again bottle it like they did on the weekend being held to a draw at the Britannia after a Rafael Benitez rant on the Friday before the game.
That leaves Arsenal who picked up a good win on the weekend but consistency is the key. Aston Villa are like an annoying smell, you don't know where it's coming from but it won't go away. However in my opinion they won't be there when the dust has settled. The Gunners didn't miss the man in the middle Cesc Fabregas on Saturday but I don't think for one minute life is going to be that easy for the rest of the season. Hopefully we will be able to keep Manchester City's dirty hands off Andrei Arshavin and add some new blood to the squad.
One thing is for sure though, it is far from over yet. Liverpool will be second before they know it and it will then be up to Arsenal to keep the pressure on the four above them. A top four finish this season is vital otherwise it will go down as a bad season. Maybe the odds for who will take the title will change if a certain Russian makes his way into the red side of North London.
Monday, January 12, 2009
What next for MotoGP as Kawasaki pull out
The MotoGP grid could be cut down to a worrying 16 bikes next season if Kawasaki can't be saved from their financial woes. It seems the world economic crisis is a lot bigger and more real than many of us care to believe. The top flight motorcycling championship is hardly rammed with riders and teams as it is and it looks to be getting worse before it gets better.
Manufacturers all over the world are struggling with sales decreasing and their budgets tightening so, is it a case of who is next? A glimmer of hope in the shape of Jorge Martinez could keep a Kawasaki presence in the series but I can't see the Spaniard keeping on John Hopkins and Marco Melandri. I imagine that a deal would be struck so that Martinez could field his own choice of riders that is likely to include the likes of Alvaro Bautista, being a Spaniard and possibly Marco Simoncelli as Martinez's backers are Italian.
The one thing that seems a little unfair to me is that the reasons for the green factory pulling out is said to be poor results from Hopkins and Anthony West as well as the credit crunch. Both riders are some of the best in the world and I don't agree with the blame being put on the riders because the factory can't engineer a competitive bike. We all know Hopkins is good for a top six finish on any given day like when he was onboard the Suzuki GSV-R so the finger should maybe be pointing in another direction on that front.
MotoGP needs a radical solution to try and encourage more manufacturers and teams to the paddock before the class dwindles into non-existence. Teams have come and gone before now trying to break into the MotoGP paddock such as, WCM in the 990cc era along with Aprilia but the extortionate cost with little to show for it made it an unrewarding experience. The latest team to try their metal was Ilmore in the 800cc era that also fell flat on it's face before their first season was done.
It will be a big loss if MotoGP lose team green next season and that's not to mention the two riders that could be out of a job. The new tyre rule has been implemented to try and close the gulf that occurs between the teams and make the efforts of the teams more worthwhile but Kawasaki may not even get a chance to ride on the new spec Bridgestone tyres. We shall sit and wait to see where the blue ribbon class goes from here.
Manufacturers all over the world are struggling with sales decreasing and their budgets tightening so, is it a case of who is next? A glimmer of hope in the shape of Jorge Martinez could keep a Kawasaki presence in the series but I can't see the Spaniard keeping on John Hopkins and Marco Melandri. I imagine that a deal would be struck so that Martinez could field his own choice of riders that is likely to include the likes of Alvaro Bautista, being a Spaniard and possibly Marco Simoncelli as Martinez's backers are Italian.
The one thing that seems a little unfair to me is that the reasons for the green factory pulling out is said to be poor results from Hopkins and Anthony West as well as the credit crunch. Both riders are some of the best in the world and I don't agree with the blame being put on the riders because the factory can't engineer a competitive bike. We all know Hopkins is good for a top six finish on any given day like when he was onboard the Suzuki GSV-R so the finger should maybe be pointing in another direction on that front.
MotoGP needs a radical solution to try and encourage more manufacturers and teams to the paddock before the class dwindles into non-existence. Teams have come and gone before now trying to break into the MotoGP paddock such as, WCM in the 990cc era along with Aprilia but the extortionate cost with little to show for it made it an unrewarding experience. The latest team to try their metal was Ilmore in the 800cc era that also fell flat on it's face before their first season was done.
It will be a big loss if MotoGP lose team green next season and that's not to mention the two riders that could be out of a job. The new tyre rule has been implemented to try and close the gulf that occurs between the teams and make the efforts of the teams more worthwhile but Kawasaki may not even get a chance to ride on the new spec Bridgestone tyres. We shall sit and wait to see where the blue ribbon class goes from here.
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