A red-tinted view of the season

Ducky’s Note: BFZ’s regular Manc Bharat lays out a red-tinted view of how the season has ended up for each of the Big Four… or Five I think. Oh and in case it wasn’t clear, this is the view of a Manc looking from the outside with respect to the other clubs, so it is very very possible that you will not agree. Try and aim for some civility when you tell us you don’t agree. And no, you don’t get to say ‘why you talk about other clubs yo’. Because we are the champions, that’s why.

Man United – Write them off at your own peril

Lets not get into the ‘I told you so, now let me rub it in your face state’ here. It would suffice to say the United came into their own as thery always do at the most important time of the season – squeaky bum time. United got extremely lucky at times (west Brom away) and extremely unlucky at times (Chelsea at the Bridge – again), but it din’t matter in the end. The guys down at the Busby Way did a pretty funny post listing down all the hacks and players who predicted the standings at the beginning of the season. Apart from a couple, everybody had United at 2nd, 3rd and even 4th. The funniest being Martin Skrtel who predicted United in 4th and Pool 1st. Oh wait, I did get into the ‘I told you so …’ shenanigans after all.

Anyways, at the risk of sounding like a party pooper, this title does not paper over the cracks. I am not sure who we need andwhere, but there is definitely room for change. Chelsea are not gonna self destruct every season. One day Arsenal will start being consistent too. Man City will attract better mercenaries now that they are (probably) in the UCL. Add to the that the rising ticket prices and the general unrest among the fans about the Glazer situation, and you can see there’s quite a few things that do need to be sorted out.

As for who we need, I have long since given up. There is no point of throwing up names just for the heck of it. The midfield we spoke up against so often has won the league. Despite the haters Gibbo and Carrick will be taking home a couple of well deserved winners medals. Giggs and Scholes continue to startle everyone around them. But we havent been consistent, especially away from home. Now whether this requires a change in tactics, mentality or change in personnel, Sir Alex knows the best.

Also I would take this opportunity to salute two stalwarts of United – Gary Neville and Van Der Sar. We cannot thank you enough for your service and you shall be sorely missed. There is nothing else to say really.

Arsenal – Same old, same old.

Arsenal fans all over the world find themselves in a curious dilemma. On one hand they lament the shortcomings of their team in yet another underwhelming campaign. On the other they are the envy of fans of other lesser (not derogatory) clubs and their own fans of having it good since they always qualify for the Champions League, have a world class stadium… blah blah blah.

Yet another year has passed by as they keep consoling themselves with the same old excuses of the past and the promises of the future. It is a strange situation where neither removing the manager nor persisting with him seem to be valid solutions. It is a strange situation wherein it is easy to be disheartened by the lack of trophies but the fact that they achieved what they did with minimal resources, not to forget their secure financial future cannot be overlooked. It is indeed… strange.

Its not even about a trophy anymore to be honest. How will Arsenal fans view THIS team in the future? By constantly being compared to Barca they have actually become a parody of FC Barcelona complete with the irony and comic sequences (their defending, in case you were wondering). Eventually, 2011 has just become, well 2010 for arsenal fans all across the world. I guess that’s about it.

Chelsea – Down but not out

As a Manc, it was really heartening to see Chelsea’s downfall this season, because let’s face it, they have been the only other team with bottle over the past few seasons in the League. Needless to say no one apart from the blue half of London would be sad about that. The season started in spectacular form, but it just fell apart midway. I don’t think anyone really can pinpoint the exact reason. The departure of Ray Wilkins, the squad growing old, Russian impatience are being bandied about but I am not convinced.

Of course, their late season revival should be a cause for concern. Uncle Roman came to the rescue as he always does, and made two very good transactions. Now let me make a few thngs clear. Although I enjoyed mocking Torres’s barren run, I have never been under the illusion that he was a failed buy. I say he was a fantastic acquisition, because money isn’t an issue for chelsea and I don’t understand the Uefa Financial fair play rules. So in a pure footballing sense, he was a good buy. He is an amazing player and once Carlo builds a team around him, then Torres could be a vital cog in the Chelsea machine.

I cannot say much about their second buy though – David Luiz. What a fall from grace for him. Hailed a hero in the first match against United, berated by his own manager and halued off in the next. He is too aggressive and often leaves gaps in defence, but that doesn’t mean that he cannot be used in a way that will be beneficial to Chelsea. As much as I enjoyed his plight, I am not stupid enough to write him off, making the same mistake the people who put him on a pedestal did earlier. Fergie’s usage of the Da Silva twins comes to mind. He is more or less the future of the defence of Chelsea and he will improve.

All in all I expect Chelsea to bounce back. They are a good team with a good manager (For now). This season might well turn out to be just a blip.

Liverpool – They have a chance

All mancs including myself, have had a hearty laugh at Pool this season… well every season since Rafa’s lovely ‘Facts’ rant. Their season has been utter shambles, although their is hope since King Kenny has taken over. Also their jump back into 6th place after thier mid season woes is appreciable. But frankly I don’t think their personnel are good enough. Their new owners have made some decent buys. Although Carrol for 35M is way way way over his real value, that could be attributed to the mad transfer deals going on all around. Whether Carrol and Suarez will come good remains to be seen but until they sort out their midfield and backline, i don’t see much hope for them in terms of challenging for the title. Reina staying will be very important for them too.

The good thing for ‘pool is that their owners seem ‘normal’, which is a very rare trait among owners these days. They make the right noises and by backing Kenny they have proved that they want good for the football club. Their presence should bring about some much needed perspective around the club. They have the backing of the fans and many Liverpudlians are already looking ahead to the next season. If they make a couple of shrewd buys in the summer, I am sure they’ll be back in the Top 4 and save the owners of this blog some embarassment about its naming.

Man City – Worthy Contenders

They have finally managed to tear down the clock, something they were desperate to do. Instead of mocking their victory by saying we still won something bigger would be naïve. This is a victory of epic proportions of the blue half of Manchester. What should have the rest of the of the Top 6 worried is the fact that it wasn’t a fluke. It wasn’t a romantic once in a lifetime dream win by an underdog. It was a Manchester City flexing their might. Money or no money, City have secured a top four spot, their target for the season with relative ease, having stayed in fourth for majority of the year.

City did what they do best. They had a plan, it worked and they stuck to it. I certainly do believe that there was a certain element of luck in their FA cup semifinal win, not because United were better than them on the day, but because United just did not turn up of the match. Having said that, kudos to them for taking advantage and winning that all important trophy. Success breeds success and Mancini knows that. Now his charges have tasted success and they will be hungry for more. As much as I hate to admit it, our Noisy Neighbours are going to be a big threat to the title next season…

And now that everything has been said and done, its time for the most important question of all – What the heck are we going to do after May 28th ??