F365 Opinion

It's looking grim in the north-east. And looking up in the north-west...

Winners

Manchester United
They have to be champions now. The providence of the footballing gods couldn't provide such an extraordinary tale without the guarantee that this twist would prove decisive. Stories like this do not end up as footnotes. The comebacks against Sheffield Wednesday in 1993 and Liverpool in 1999 are not recalled years later because of the simple immediacy of their drama; they are remembered and celebrated because they were the moments when destiny made its choice, when the fickle hand of fate hung in the balance and then lifted United off the floor.

So, surely, it will be in 2009.

Had United lost or failed to win, as they should have, then a Liverpool team with momentum on its side would have been regarded as favourites to prevail. Not now. Not after that.

The composition of their team may change but United's enduring hallmark remains their capacity to to recover when all seems lost. Perhaps that is why so many of their teams become champions. Even when they're playing badly, even when the opposition seems inspired, they still find a way. It's not strictly true that they always find a way; it just feels that bloody way.

Perhaps, then, their comeback against Villa should not be so much of a story. Perhaps we should have all known better by now than to have expected a dull ending. Truth be told in hindsight, but it was obvious that United would end up victorious the moment that Andy Gray, sitting in judgement at Old Trafford, mustered all his know-how and years of experience and assured the nation: "I just can't see where a goal is coming from." From that moment on, the unpredictable was inevitable.


Federico Macheda
Football does write some incredible scripts. The direction wasn't bad either; for the television audience watching events at Old Trafford from afar, Macheda's goal was especially spectacular because of the way the live camera angle caught the path of his shot and captured it in the mind's eye two yards wide of goal before arcing back beyond Brad Friedel and just inside the far post. Predictions have become a mug's game this year but Macheda's strike is the running favourite to be the iconic image of the season.

The youngster called it a dream and this was indeed fairytale stuff. The 17 year old has only made a handful of reserve appearances this season and had never previously been involved in a first-team squad before this weekend.


Cristiano Ronaldo
The burden of greatness is great expectations. Even a haul of 19 goals since his belated start to the season in September isn't enough; nor, it seems, is four goals in his past three games. It is true that, by his standards, Ronaldo has been poor of late, but his poverty is an over-rated player's richness. The player we're discussing, incidentally, also happens to be the joint top scorer in the league.

Still, there's no arguing with fashion. And it has suddenly become fashionable to disparage Ronaldo, ensuring that the forward was signalled out for special criticism during the game against Villa despite being United's most potent threat throughout. On the other hand, and on the other flank, Nani was doing his usual routine of anonymity combined with scandalous carelessness. His substitution for a 17-year-old soon-to-be-known was the humiliation he deserved. If Ronaldo is poor then Nani is a four-letter word that ought not to be published on a family website.


Liverpool
Yet hope still remains. How could it not when Liverpool are playing with such confidence and flair? How could they stop believing when they have come so far and taken possession of the best player in the league? Steven Gerrard was the outstanding performer in yet another outstanding performance and while the scoreline separated Fulham from Liverpool by just a single goal the truth of the matter is that the Cottagers were subjected to a thrashing as comprehensive as those meted out against Villa, United and Real Madrid in recent weeks.

Results are all that matter at this stage of the season and the excellence of Liverpool's display - with Gerrard rampant and Xabi Alonso passing sublimely, they are quite unrecognisable from the austere, conservative side of the autumn - would have been a fleeting consolation but for Yossi Benayoun's 93rd-minute winner. Yet its authority is worth further remark because it was delivered under the pressure of being required to turn up the heat. Unlike United, they did not buckle.

Going into the final stretch, the champions have the lead and may have recovered from their stumble. But Liverpool have never looked stronger.


Steven Gerrard
During the current league season, Gerrard has registered 13 goals and six assists. The other joint favourite for the Player of the Year award, Ryan Giggs, has five assists and one goal. Is this really still being debated?


Frank Lampard
One of the salient differences between Frank Lampard and an average Premier League midfielder is that he has no reluctance to enter the six-yard box. Forbidden territory to the rest of the league's middle men, the six-yard box is where Lampard has found his niche in the footballing market - that of the midfield poacher.

While Mr Average in the Premier League is rarely prepared to cross the boundary and forage beyond the penalty spot, Lampard is frequently to be found hanging around the goalmouth. It is why he is such a prolific scorer and why he was in the right place at the right time to head the game in Chelsea's favour on Saturday at St James'.

It is also why the disciplined, 'unselfish' role he has been given while on England duty may be his unmaking. Remove his licence to poach and Lampard is half the player - and in danger of being average again.


Arsenal
The forefront feature of the victory over City was the return of Cesc Fabregas and Emmanuel Adebayor and the doubling of the gap to Villa. In the background, but just as significant nonetheless, was the sight of Arsenal's future, with Alex Song and Denilson anchoring the midfield while Fabregas, Andrey Arshavin and Theo Walcott provided triple support to a single striker.

The formation is new to Arsenal but, such is the balance of their squad following the arrival of Arshavin, it is likely to be their system of choice in the league next season. With Robin van Persie currently injured, and Eduardo sidelined with his fourth separate setback since his return two months ago, their version of a 4-2-3-1 is also likely to be in use on Tuesday night when the Gunners travel to Spain for a Champions League quarter-final with Villarreal. The key to its success, given that Arshavin is ineligible, will be Fabregas and so it was especially encouraging for Arsene Wenger that his captain returned with a bang and a couple of assists against City.

Perhaps his knee injury will prove a blessing; the Spaniard suffered at the start of the season after being rushed back without proper rest after his Euro 2008 exploits and it is probably no coincidence that, after putting his feet up for three months, his return to action saw a return to form as well. It's been a long time coming but Fabregas finally has a game-turning performance in 2008/09 to his credit.


Emmanuel Adebayor
His 23 league appearances this season have provided ten goals, a strike rate which is actually superior to Robin van Persie's nine in 24.


Everton
A win next weekend will take the Toffees ahead of Villa into fifth.


Jo
"It is a ridiculous situation," complained Steve Bruce when asked to explain why Zaki, Wigan's principal striker, was missing for their trip to Everton. It sure is - and almost as ridiculous as Manchester City spending £19m in the summer on Jo only to loan him out in January to a club with Champions League ambitions of their own and then suffer for the the absence of a centre-forward for the rest of the campaign. Football really is a funny business.


West Ham
After just two defeats since Christmas, the dread of relegation has been transformed into an ambition of Europe. The age of their match winners this weekend - debutant Junior Stanislas is 19 and James Tomkins just 20 - only reinforced the impression that this is a club on the up and going places.

Beyond this season, their revival may be dependent on Guus Hiddink being persuaded to remain at Chelsea. His retention would certainly alleviate the fear at Upton Park of Gianfranco Zola and Steve Clarke - the closest thing the Prem seems to have to a joint management team - being lured to Stamford Bridge in the summer. But such speculation is the price of success and the sensible course of action for both men would be to remain in East London for at least another year. They'd be foolish not to finish a job they've begun so well.


Bolton Wanderers
With seven games remaining, Bolton probably only require one more win to stay up.


Stoke City
Stoke will be nine points clear of the side currently third-bottom if they win on Saturday night.


Losers

Newcastle United
Kicking out Dennis Wise was the easy bit. Keeping reality at bay will be somewhat harder. The Shearer Effect may have duped the masses for a few days but there can be no disguising the precariousness of Newcastle's position. The weekend's comedown was harsh: defeat to Chelsea, victories for Blackburn and Stoke, and a further slip beneath the water line. They're running out of Messiahs at St James' and they're running out of time too.

Next Saturday's trip to Stoke City is perhaps the biggest game in Newcastle's history over the past ten years. Defeat there would leave the Toon probably requiring four wins from their last six games to stay in the league. Could they do it? The disciples will, of course, go on believing and worshipping their false idols. Reality will argue otherwise: the Toon have only managed to win six of their 31 games to date. No wonder a messiah is being sought. Turning this rabble into a winning outfit really would be akin to the second coming.

Remaining Games:
Stoke City (away)
Tottenham (away)
Portsmouth (home)
Liverpool (away)
Middlesbrough (home)
Fulham (home)
Aston Villa (away)


Sunderland
Without a win in their past five games and it's Manchester United next. If Newcastle are to be saved, it will be at the expense of one or both of their north-east rivals.

Remaining Games:
Man United (home)
Hull City (away)
West Brom (away)
Everton (home)
Bolton (away)
Portsmouth (away)
Chelsea (home)


Middlesbrough
Gareth Southgate said a strange thing on MOTD after the highlights/lowlights of Boro's drubbing at Bolton had been broadcast. Looking suitably crestfallen, the Boro boss sagely observed: "We have to learn how to be footballers at this level." Forgive the meanness of spirit, but, seven months into an eight-month season, isn't the time for learning over?

Remaining Games:
Hull City (home)
Fulham (home)
Arsenal (away)
Man Utd (home)
Newcastle (away)
Aston Villa (home)
West Ham (away)


Aston Villa
The impact of Manchester United's rookie from the bench will dominate the headlines, but was the turning point at Old Trafford the substitution of James Milner for Nigel Reo-Coker? Until then, Villa threatened a third. After then, they stopped playing, stood off and presented United with a way back into the game.

On a point of information, Villa's current points tally stands at 52. They boasted precisely the same haul at this time last year.


Michael Ballack
The German was, quite justifiably, dropped from Chelsea's starting eleven at Newcastle. He is not a defensive midfielder, so the return of Jon Obi Mikel made sense, and he is not the equal of Michael Essien. The feeling is, though, that he'll return on Wednesday night at Anfield in a five-man midfield.


Manchester City
The richest club in the world have won just one game on their travels all season.


Wigan
Only two wins and five goals in their last 11 games.


Scott Carson
England's fourth-choice goalkeeper isn't even Premier League class.


West Brom
So that's that then.


Pete Gill

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