With FA Cup win, can Wigan survive the chop?

The excitement of Wigan sinking the mighty Manchester City in the FA Cup on Saturday was quickly overshadowed by the presentation of Manchester United's title in the colourful and emotional day that saw Sir Alex Ferguson officially bade farewell to a legion of football lovers.

United fans felt very special and rightly so, but it was an occasion for all the football world. The landmarks he set and just the sight of the man leaves a mark in the game and in sports in general that will never be achieved or seen. For a moment, we were all united with the United fans in honouring a great man. Even the noisy neighbours were quiet, of course reflecting on the defeat and then admiring the man the loved to hate.

It is the FA Cup that I wished to dwell on. Traditionally the most important match in the world until the era of the Champions League, the FA Cup provided the excitement it is historically known to provide. Underdogs in Wigan outplayed Manchester City from the onset.

Wigan were unlucky with a few marginal decisions which could be within acceptable human error from the officials, to an extent of the denied penalty seconds before their goal. The referee may have tried his level best and the sending off of Zabaleta was right but surely felt harsh that the middle man thought the penalty kick would have been taking away City's chances at the dearth cruel. I think he was relieved Wigan sored from the resultant corner from that questionable tackle.

A near post header settled the tie just seconds before the referee would blow the whistle for the end of regulation time and then the beginning of extra time. City switched off thinking of extra-time but they were on the back foot for most of the match, save for the few telling penetrative moves and completed attacks that will always be dangerous in the presence of David Silva, Carlos Tevez, Samir Nasri, Aguerro and Yaya Toure.

The sucker punch came at a time when City would have no opportunity to fight back. Wigan will need that intuitive and instinctive ability to inflict a killer blow when they play Arsenal this week to retain any hopes to survive the chop int the lower league. Their play proved just one thing, that on a given good day, they can beat the best. It is the story of consistency that bedevilled them and has left them in that precarious position.

In Roberto Martinez, they have a shrewd coach and manager who has been hailed with his survival skills with them last time around and it will be harder this season given that Wigan need to win all their remaining matches and still may get the chop regardless.  

Thank you God for blessing Muamba

Fabrice Muamba is reported to have laughed with friends and family at the London Chest Hospital. Muamba has been the world-wide football news headlines after he collapsed during the FA Cup match of Bolton Wanderers and Tottenham Hotspur over the weekend.

Immediate and expert treatment from the onset were key to his current state that is ever improving. Overall, the technology and latest safety arrangement at the stadia in ensuring the availability of doctors and ambulance should be commended. Henceforth, it should be a lesson to have it mandatory for all professional leagues.

Further, it was just days that Barcelona's Eric Abidal was to undergo a liver transplant. Sports medicine checks and procedures are emerging to be very necessary and thorough. They need to be improved and strictly implemented.

For the respect of the Muamba, let us leave it here and wish him not only a quick recovery, but one that will see him take to the field once again. He is already to an inspiration to many and will continue to be in his playing and social life.

Taking heart from Nwankwo Kanu's heart operation over a decade back, we all know it is not impossible. Our prayers also go to the Muamba and Abidal families and friends.

God bless football players.

Arsenal can surely afford Salomon Kalou.

Thierry Henry's come back at Arsenal proved me wrong in the meantime, the hero King Henry netting the winner over Leeds in the FA Cup 3rd round. Manchester United were not to be outgunned and brought back Paul Scholes. Whether both are wise moves or not, only their fans can tell, but I had not much time to comment on them when they happened. I wished I did not have the time.

Now that both have occurred and one almost forgotten, I will reserve a line for both. Mr Scholes came in for Manchester United and had a direct impact on the match with a Manchester City goal coming from him in the FA Cup. His influence going the other way will be much more welcome on the Red side of the City. Henry, as expected, came off the bench and scored his 227th goal for the club and had more direct and positive influence for Arsenal.

United's blast of City is chocolate coated with baby cries from City. As holders who had waited ages to land the FA Cup last season, much was expected from the Barclays Premier League leaders. Questions about their ability to produce on the promise shown in leading the pack thus far, are being raised.
The opportunity of the UEFA Champion's League title also went begging. This will give new reason to United to believe the error prone Citizens are not yet done. City's biggest worries include the departure of their main men in the Toure brothers to an AFCON meeting that will last about a month, and the behaviour of Chris Foy.

Mr Foy is an ordinary match official in the mould of Howard Webb. I was trying to ignore Tottenham Hotspur for once, but you will remember how 'robbed' they were until Harry Redknapp forgot his diplomatic skills and escaped the wroth of the FA, just. Roberto Mancini may have selected his words well when he pointed at Rooney as telling Foy what to do with Vincent Kompany. Many fault Mancini for benching his and England's number one goalie. Maybe he really should not be complaining.

What worries City fans now is that their summer buy, Samir Nasri is very rusty. The diminutive Frenchman has lost his spark due to lack of game time. The expectation of combining well in midfield with Yaya and Silva was no lethal to say the least. To many, he can not play at City, but simply the bench can make one blunt and then dead.

I am avoiding the next point and I hope I will not be able to type - that United had 80 minutes against 10 City men, led  3-0 at half time, needed a penalty which had to be reconnected to hit the net and actually went on to concede two goals. Sir Alex Ferguson accepted they were sloppy. If you are a neutral, you will realise the trend. My previous post touched on that and I will leave it there.

There was a year I thought Arsenal should have snapped Robinho from City, before the Brazilian went to the Serie A. If they fail to land the rumoured £3m Salomon Kalou, then we will be talking hard in these pages for a while to come. His pay cheque may be an issue with stingy Emirates offices, because I would expect he expects to be paid well, but what the Gunners save on the price tag, they can waste on his wages given he will go bang-bang-bang. Wenger believes in free bangs, unfortunately.

Manchester United win 19th title as City make their intentions clear

Manchester United have won the English their 19th league title, more than any other team in history, beating Liverpool's record of 18. This comes after a season that saw them garner all criticism for playing badly and winning their matches, and then the issue of referees and Howard Webb being touted as their 12th player.

To be fair, United achieved this feat in style. They fought their own battles and never depended on anybody to beat their main rivals. They invested well in the squad getting Chicharito to assist big name Wayne Rooney and free-scoring Dimitri Berbetov, kept faith in the manager Sir Alex Ferguson through all these years and kept their shape by nursing veterans like Paul Scholes and Ryan Giggs who gave them the experience to guide youngsters.

Chelsea were close on their heels in the final straight, but then, it was a little too late as they tried to recover from a very bad spell that saw them labelled a finished squad. Other challengers, Arsenal, Liverpool and Manchester City counted themselves off with dismal displays at the beginning of the season or a few weeks earlier, and United coasted home without much pressure and with a match to spare.

To dilute huge Old Trafford celebrations, Manchester City stood up to be counted, beating Stoke City in the FA Cup final by a Yaya Toure goal at Wembley. While this is an inferior achievement by comparison, it comes in after decades of waiting for City. It is a trophy in the cabinet. This must also send shivers down bitter rivals's spine as City booked themselves a UEFA Champions League spot a few days back.

All these may not be much to many United fans, but City fans see that as a sign. And to us the neutrals, the City intentions are loud and clear; they are gunning for the big price next season and they have the cash to do it. They may be getting a coaching to do it as well. SAF knows really well and he is likely to brush it off as part of his mind games. All the same, whether United or City, at the moment Manchester is the place to be for the time being.

Are City here to stay or they will be a one season wonder like Spurs?

Is Nasri the real deal?

I have a novice footballing culture and concept cultivated from a Brazilian football school mentality and experimented on using mediocre amateur footballers. The team composition of the likes of Arsenal has the latitude and luxury of playing with 10 men, regardless who they play. If they cannot do that they are not good enough and must convert to the Chelsea, Manchester United, Spurs or Liverpool way.

Barcelona are a cool example of the flair you get from playing football to win without trying too hard. The priority is to play the way you want. In that style, there is not a single need for Lionel Messi to perform defensive duties. Arsenal had matches where their own Messi, Samir Nasri cleared the balls off the line. That is abuse if you are in a team blessed with Alex Song, Jack Wilshire and Cesc Fabregas. What can be said to be unfortunate for Arsenal is the injury to a potential discovery of the decade in injured Frimpong. Would the Gunners have exempted a mercurial play maker from defending with him? I wonder.

The 10 men plan basically requires grinding out a result with ten players. The worst you expect is a goalless draw. All it takes is a roving playmaker who penetrates and curves opportunities for one versus one situations with goalkeepers for himself and others. The idea is to have this man receiving the ball at his freshest every time so as to continually execute with deadly venom. The concept frees others as time goes by. If you have always wondered why Barca look like they have Xavi, Iniesta and Messi as extra players on the pitch, that is why.

Is Nasri the real deal? Nay, not at all. He is a one season wonder. Samir Nasri has been a dear to many this season, and has been to some of us, all along. His rise has not been steady or guaranteed, but rather sudden. The potential was always there and it was threatening never to blossom until the summer.

Alex Song has been the one making a telling statement in the last few seasons and he has arrived, save for a few suspensions and injuries. Like has been the case with the flash wonders of injury prone Theo Walcott, Nasri has matured his game tremendously at the beginning of the 2010/2011 season, but will need to keep that tempo going to stay on top.

Nasri has the deception and ability to win matches on his own. The best thing is that he has the nurturing hand of coach Arsene Wenger, who moulds youngsters into great shape. Nasri will become a big name if the whole Gunners side pulls up their socks to win the league. Save for that, Nasri and his captain, Cesc Fabregas, will be pedestrian next season. Fabregas must have his overdue move completed soon, not that he is bad, but no more good for the team.

As of now, the young Frenchman is the toast of the league and on top of the world and that gift needs a reward. I am not convinced Wenger has any new tricks left to outwit Sir Alex of Manchester United, nor Arsenal enough cash to topple Roman Abrahamovic of Chelsea. The Gunners needed Nasri in their failed bids for the Carling and FA Cups, the Champions League and only then, could we say Nasri has arrived. As for his talent, he is a gem of first grade quality.

My concepts may be novice and unartistic, but they are basically football engineering. Being practically applicable in the game, the components must be the right material to withstand offensive onslaughts of the marauding unsuspecting attackers who think they have an extra man. As soon as the advantage bites, they are caught on the wrong side of action and a deadly finish of your Messi, they will be buried. As a caution, please do not try this if you have a small budget.