Languishing Liverpool and Other League Happenings

Another day, another loss. 

Opening the goal scoring account.

It's their worst start to a season since 1962-1963 (when they were a wee newly promoted side).  But it wasn't that Liverpool played poorly per se, it was just, in a cruel twist of fate against the Premiership's paradigmatic less-than-prodigious-striking side, they were the ones that could not put the ball away.

Despite outshooting the opposition 19-11 and holding the majority of possession throughout, Gerrard and company nevertheless lacked any semblance of cutting edge, sorely missing a true striker up top (Suarez, try as he might, is not the out and out goalscorer the stuff of which dreams are made).   The question is - now that the transfer window has closed - where do they go from here?

The story for Arsenal was again their defense, which stymied the Reds offensive forays and kept another clean sheet, allowing Podolski and Carzorla to capitalize on counterattacks.  Diaby excelled with some impressive footwork and movement in the midfield, but, for the most part, Arsenal bypassed the middle of the pitch for a more direct route to goal, in a switch reminiscent of Romney's flip flop on universal healthcare on the way to the Republican nomination (they just did it with more conviction).  In forsaking their usual roundabout fare for an effective counterattacking approach, Wegner's men showed an adaptability that had been missing heretofore and should give the faithful hope for the season ahead, particularly after two less than heartening draws.

GOOOALLLLLLLLLLLLL!!!

Elsewhere, Man City topped QPR a day after the big monied side brought on five new signings, including Mancini's San Siro compatriot Maicon and former Chelsea reject Scott Sinclair, while Swansea, the current No. 2 side in the league, had their 100% streak broken with a 2-2 tie against Sunderland.

Meaning the top 4 after 3 games are as follows:

1. Chelsea - 9 pts, 6 GD
2. Swansea - 7 pts, 8 GD
3. West Brom - 7 pts, 5 GD
4. Man City - 7 pts, 3 GD


League leaders Chelsea had the weekend off, but not before suffering a humiliatingly hapless 4-1 defeat at the hands of Aletico Madrid in the Super Cup, with former target Radamel Falcao putting away a hat trick within the first 45.

On a side note, Fernando Torres now cannot play: 1) in Spain, 2) off of another striker, 3) more generally with any quality for Chelsea for more than two consecutive games...the thing is even with all of Abramovich's millions he still can't buy a midfield that will spoon-feed El Nino service like Spain's national side and even if that were a possibility will Roberto di Matteo be as benevolent in his side selection as del Bosque was during the Euros?  And even if he did have the heart to, should he?

RVP 2 MUFC

With enough acronyms to make even the most well-read footie fan's head spin, RVP will be under the employ of SAF and M.U.F.C. after Wenger and the Gunners agreed (we're told reluctantly) to a 20 million pound plus deal for the 29-year striker. 

Good thing red suits him.

So what does this mean for each club?

Obviously, for Arsenal, this begs the question of who will fill the 6'1"void at the top of their formation, for, as much as he is wont to admit it, not all talent can be homegrown under the constrains and demands of today's market such that there is a need to go out and make purchases to fill out a line-up.  Indeed, Arsene Wenger's men were found wanting in the midfield as adequate replacements for Cesc Fabregas and Samir Nasri (the latter despite his insipid attitude) had not been found. 

The good news is that this time 'round they can call upon newly-signed Lukas Podolski and the-only-marginal-bright-spot-from-France's-Euro-2012-foray Olivier Giroud.  Both seem suited to the free-flowing style Wenger prefers, though Podolski in particular seems to have more to prove after two sub-par seasons with Koln, following his relegation to bit player at Bayern and an inability to recapture his national team form circa 2006 (not to judge or anything...).  Nevertheless, there has been some serious contemplation of life post-RVP for A.F.C., which is an improvement over a year ago.

In terms of Man Utd, the fact that they missed out on the Premier League title by one goal could not be far from their minds as they fought off advances from City, Juve and others to secure the signature of the League's top scorer.  And, despite my well-known distaste for one Wayne Rooney, even I must admit that the Red Devils striker pairing is the stuff of a Fantasy Football fan's wet dreams.  Whether they can play together, of course, remains to be seen, but I am inclined to believe that van Persie's finesse will be a nice complement to Rooney's bullish charms *cough, cough* (excuse me, as I have just managed to choke on my own words...).  Moreover, pace say a Berbatov, RVP is not disinclined to create on his own and provide for others, ranking as the top assist man in the Premiership last year, while still scoring 40% of his team's goals. 

More than this though, there has to be a definite psychological boost to Man Utd's legions, as they have finally made a big signing on par with what their cross-town rivals have been doing in spades.  It must be all the more sweet the City was in the running for this one as well.  With the ever-increasing importance of deep pockets in the sport, it is imperative that the Red Devils do not fall behind the pace, which, contrary to Real Madrid and Man City form, does not mean splashing out huge sums for every big name on the market, but rather making strategic acquisitions upon a sober assessment of needs and talent vis-a-vis the competition and not being thrown off by the going rates for said players.  This is exactly what Ferguson and Co. have done here, and, in terms of personnel moves, the fans cannot ask for much more coming in to the new season.  

A Class Act (Finally)

Never one to disappoint, especially on a big, international stage, true tournament favorites Germany dismantled a hapless Australia in the most impressive performance of the World Cup so far.

Goals galore and quality chances a plenty, die Mannschaft quickly established their dominance going 1-0 up in the eighth minute on Lukas Podolski's screamer and added a second before the half-hour mark with Klose's fine finish. It is widely known that the pair have yet to replicate their NT form for club, but Podolski and Klose have never disappointed in their country's colors.

The contributions of the veteran players were matched by that of the German youth in the second half, with Thomas Mueller and Cacau scoring in quick succession. In fairness, the game was far out of reach before that and the Socceroos seemed particularly disheartened when their leader, Tim Cahill, sent off on a soft red in the 56th minute. A difficult fixture on paper, the ancient Australian side was outmatched and outclassed in every aspect of the game. Particularly effective was Mesut Ozil in the middle, heralding the new Germany in more ways than one.

Argentina were fine in their opener, but Germany have set the bar among the favorites. The message was clear; it is up to Brazil, Spain et al to take notice.