September 2012 Archives

A moving tribute by the Toffees to remember the 96 fallen before the Newcastle game. To the Everton fans who made this day about fans no matter where and what stripe they support. And David Moyes showing that he's not just a manager but a class act through and through:

"I applaud the families who continued to fight for the ones they loved. The outcome was nothing short of disgraceful. We have all been brought up to believe and trust in authority. The authorities who were responsible for ensuring the safety of supporters that afternoon let themselves down, as have the government parties who have been in power since. Praise must go to Andy Burnham and the families for getting disclosure."

Adriano gets the Blaugranas started after Cesc Fabregas does all the brilliant spadework. Well into the second half, Pedro is brought down in the box and Messi who comes off the bench scores from the spot. The little maestro is at the right place at the right time to sweep into goal Montoya's cross for his brace.

Getafe get one back as their goal comes after a bizarre double deflection off Xavi and Javier Mascherano. The last laugh belongs to Barca as David Villa gets Barca's fourth and final goal.

Messi it is said was given a bit of a rest after a grueling schedule of internationals with Argentina which also included their bus getting pelted by stones in Peru for the World Cup qualifier.

Barca continue to be in first place and are now eight points ahead of 10th placed Real Madrid.

Piotr Trochowski's majestically swept in half volley following a corner in the 2nd minute was the game winner. "Sad" Ronaldo did not do much. It was a bad tempered match and after losing Real are in 10th position. Not exactly keeping up with Barca are they? Mourinho was quite blunt:

"I worry about my team. They did not play against Getafe, and today they played very little like they did Granada. More to the point, I am concerned that at this time I have no team."

This is what makes Mourinho so unlikeable. He's already throwing his team under the bus instead of analyzing why they are not doing well.

Peter Crouch must have committed about five handballs before scoring but the referee failed to spot even a single one. There was nothing dodgy however about Asimir Begovic's goalkeeping. He brought off at least three spectacular saves. However, he could not keep out Javi Garcia, who made his City debut as did Maicon and Scott Sinclair. The last 20 minutes were a Toure de force, as Yaya kept coming at Stoke but luck and Begovic kept their unbeaten streak alive.

Stoke also avoided a stoppage time heart breaker after Edin Dzeko beat an onrushing Begovic to spoon a shot towards goal but Ryan Shawcross sprinting back managed to keep the ball out throwing his left leg out just before it crossed the line.

Michael Owen came on for Crouch but he did not do much. Was he supposed to?

Not exactly Chelsea's best match. There was no Juan Mata but there was plenty of Frank Lampard which does not make for pretty viewing. There were two close penalty calls, the first when John Terry seemed to be gang tackled by Ryan Nelsen and then Eden Hazard was brought down by Shaun Wright- Phillips. The first one looked pretty clear cut but the second one seemed more incidental and Hazard seemed to milk it. Victor Moses had a very good debut and

QPR looked more and more composed as the match went on and they had their best chance when Park Ji Sung with the whole goal at his mercy headed straight to Petr Cech. A bit more angle and that would have been QPR celebrating. By the way, Esteban Granero is quite an acquisition. The Real Madrid player was the midfield cog.

He won in court and now he wants his handshake too? Anton Ferdinand snubbed John Terry and a bit later Ashley Cole, his co-conspirator declining to shake their hands. Lip reading Terry, he appears to say, "My handshake is better than yours, damn right!"

Danny Welbeck is a diver. His acting abilities earned Utd an penalty. So it was justice served when Chicharito Hernandez's soft spot kick was saved. Sir Alex Ferguson started Ryan Giggs and Paul Scholes who was making his 700th appearance. The most intriguing change was 23 year old Alexander Buttner's appearance in place of Patrice Evra. Apart from that bit of first half Welbeckian drama there was no premonition of the number of goals that were going to erupt in the second half.

It was fitting that Scholes got the ball rolling as the ginger haired assassin was at hand to put back Al Habsi's spill. Scholes scores goals and he amasses passes. Chicharito or Chickarito as the commentator insisted on calling him, deflected in Buttner's shot past Al Habsi as Utd added to their tally.

The Vitesse Arnhem left half easily the most eye catching player on the pitch with his work rate and skill continued his spectacular debut scoring after an unstoppable run a la Emmett Smith. Gathering the ball after falling, he drove past a maze of defenders and then unleashed a shot from the tightest of angles which Al Habsi once again was not able to hold onto. Plenty of luck but plenty of skill. A pensive Evra appeared to contemplate his future in the club. Sir Alex's next debutante Nick Powell also crashed the party with a spanking shot which left Al Habsi a bystander. As it were, Utd did not need RVP or Shinji Kagawa. They were helped too by a disorganized Wigan's defense and Al-Habsi's forgettable day between the sticks.

szólj hozzá: Arsenal vs Southampton 6:1 MOTD

The only imperfection in an otherwise perfect outing for the Gunners was the display of Wojciech Szczesny who could not preserve a clean sheet. A minor detail it would appear but an irritating one nevertheless. The rest was quite stellar.

Arsene Wenger did not start any frontline striker opting to go for Podolski, Gervinho, and Alex Oxlade Chamberlain. In place of Abou Diaby, Frances Coquelin got his start. And Vito Mannone made way for Szczesny. It was on the front foot for the Gunners right from the start with Santi Cazorla ably backed up by Mikel Arteta as the two Spaniards began to run the show. Lovely touch football in the tightest of spaces as players interchanged positions fluidly and freely.

Dare we say it? In the four matches played so far Cazorla has shown himself to be a notch above Fabregas as a creator. He is so compact with the ball showing an incomparable ability to diagram plays and execute them with nary an extraneous pass. Podolski showed great tenacity and determination to claim the ball back and drive past defenders to feed Kieran Gibbs whose shot was turned into an own goal. His free kick was even better. Lacing the ball with plenty of power and movement to fool Kelvin Davis. Cazorla and Arteta linked up and the latter scooped the ball over to find Gervinho running hard and finishing superbly. The pair connected again a few minutes later as Cazorla put Gervinho through for the Cote D'Ivoirian to find Gibbs steaming from the left to slam his shot which once again deflected into goal.

A merry band of Gunners running riot over the hapless Saints and looking for more. However, the first half ended on a bit of a sour note as Szczesny could not hold onto a routine cross by Jason Puncheon and dropped the ball right in the doorstep of Danny Fox. The Polish goalie looked out of sorts with his goal kicks and throws proving nightmarish ventures. With the side playing solid and mistake free team defense, the last thing one needs is the last line looking shaky and conceding silly goals. You have to love the sight of the Gunners regrouping to run back in numbers and maintain that defensive shape. The Saints counterattack was going nowhere with all the gaps and players covered till Szczesny had that brain freeze.

The second half saw the Saints rustling up a bit more ambition pushing forward and seeing more of the ball. But the Gunners after a lull answered through Aaron Ramsey who had an excellent game. His first touch after receiving the ball from Cazorla was impeccable and set up a sequence of movements with his shot flicked through hitting the upright. Gervinho was at hand to clean up. Oliver Giroud came on and one thought his goal drought would end when Theo Walcott broke through with pace to created a two on one situation. But in a familiar routine, wisdom was jettisoned, and he decided to over elaborate allowing the defense to recover and then twisted and turned into a cul de sac. Walcott did get Arsenal's final goal when Cazorla dinked a rebound into the path of the former Saints player and he crashed the ball into the net. Muted celebrations followed. Alex Oxlade Chamberlain, the other Saint in the midst was a constant threat down the right and came close a couple of times to scoring a goal.

One note. Per Mertesacker. The tall, lanky German had a superb game. He often looks slow but makes up for it with great positional sense. Today, we saw an aggressive Mertesacker imposing himself on set pieces. Usually, it is Vermaelen who takes the lead.

With this result, we go to Montpellier to begin the CL campaign with a good head of steam. Then back to the league to face City and a far more severe test. The scoring seems to be coming by committee which is probably the best way to plug RVP's loss. However, we really don't need a goalkeeping controversy because the last time we had one, there were three choices. Worse, much worse, the worst.

It took Thierry Henry eight matches to open his scoring account for Arsenal, a period so fraught with self doubt that the winger turned striker admitted he had to be "re-taught everything about the art of striking." The drought ended on 18 September 1999 against Southampton, as Henry losing his marker, finds a sliver of space and curls his shot without any further elaboration. The rest they say is history. Arsenal's topscorer finished with 228 goals (and possibly counting) breaking Ian Wright's previous record by 43 goals.

Wright did not have to wait that long. His first league appearance was against Southampton on 28 September 1991, and it turned out to be a stunning debut as Arsenal scorched the Saints, 4-0 with Wright scoring a hat trick on his way to winning the Golden Boot. Three years later, Southampton were at the receiving end of another Wright hat trick losing by an identical margin. The former Crystal Palace striker ended his Arsenal career with five hat tricks and lead the club goalscoring six of his seven years.

The highly anticipated arrival of Dennis Bergkamp, a rising star on a record fee of £7.5 million from Inter was expected to pay immediate dividends. Instead, Bruce Rioch's signing struggled to adapt to the Premier League. On 23 September 1995, Southampton came knocking and Bergkamp, the butt of merciless ridicule by the press, scored a brace in his fifth appearance. He went on to score 11 goals that season helping Arsenal to fifth place in the league. Bergkamp ended his Arsenal career giving the English language, "sublime." .

Robin Van Persie, his career blighted with injury till last season, lived up to his full throated promise when he showed what he was capable of if healthy. Arsenal shot to third place after their worst start in fifty eight years as the Dutchman top scored with 30 league goals. RVP came to Arsenal from Ajax in 2004 and his first brush with the Premier League was marred by competition from Antonio Reyes, immature outbursts, and injuries. He was a sparingly used sub coming in late for either Reyes or Pires and it was his fifth match coming off the bench as Arsenal trailed Southampton, 1-2. With a few minutes left on the clock, RVP drew Arsenal level with a left footed curler for his first Premiership goal on 30th October. The Saints turned out to be a familiar target once again on their Premiership return, as RVP scored a first hat trick for his new club, Man Utd.

Oliver Giroud should take heart. His movement has been good and he's been getting chances in front of goal. He doesn't have to overthink things. Admittedly, all four players who scored against the Saints were not exactly centerforwards but were either wingers turned strikers or were comfortable playing in the hole. Giroud's best bet still remains positioning himself out on the posts for set piece service or second attempts. He has to use his height and physicality to create chances for him and for others in and around the box. Tomorrow might be the day to end his scoring frustrations. If he does, he's in excellent company.

Being: Liverpool is a FSC documentary with the first episode to be aired this Sunday, the 16th. There are enough examples to show Brendan Rodgers channels David Brent in his interviews. He also has a self portrait hanging on a wall in his living room. So without further ado, above a clip of Brent on football management.

" Do you think that Alan Hansen or Mark Lawrenson would have had the careers they had if they'd have had the skills, but without the discipline? Without the concentration? It's not easy passing the ball back to the goalkeeper every single time you get it for ninety minutes. Yeah, they got out the game before they changed the back-pass rule. One step ahead, you know. "

Priceless. Arsenal's goalie, David Seaman gets some comical boosting from Brent.

Arsene Wenger has opted for caution following Abou Diaby's niggling hip injury sustained against Finland last Friday. He most likely will not feature in Arsenal's home game this Saturday against the Saints as a precautionary measure. Which given Diaby's extensive history of being crocked is probably a wise thing to do.

The French midfielder's early performances have received rave reviews but keeping him fit for a whole season will be a monumental undertaking. Guy Roux said Diaby "is mounted on two matches with a spot of glue in the middle." Wenger might rue rushing him out before recovering fully.

Diaby, however hopes to be back for their Champions League opener facing Montpellier this coming Tuesday.

Meanwhile, Bacary Sagna has been given some face time with Wenger after his statements in an interview questioning why Arsenal chose to sell of two of their best players in Robin Van Persie and Alex Song. He also claimed no contact from Arsenal on offering an extension deal with his contract entering its final year after this season. Wenger was quite blunt saying his attitude was anyone who felt dissatisfied was free to leave. But he felt Sagna was not unhappy and only his negative comments were highlighted. The Arsenal manager was quite confident Sagna would be offered an extension but it would not be a five year one with the full back hitting 30 years of age next February.

"I expect him to stay and I want him to stay," Wenger said. "The interview does not really reflect what he thinks about the club and the love he has for the club."

On a more positive note, Sagna might be back in two or three weeks. Jack Wilshere's rehab is going well and the midfielder should be joining training soon. Wojciech Szczesny has recovered from a rib injury and should be available for the Southampton match.

The Bars of Aragon, part of the Catalonian flag will feature in the 2013-14 kit

Two days ago, a million and a half Catalonians demonstrated in Barcelona in an unmistakably fervent call for independence from Spain. The president of Barcelona, Sandro Rosell attended that demonstration with his family as a private citizen, not representing the club. And Pep Guardiola living it would appear in exile in New York sent a video in support of a Catalan nation with the message, "one more vote for independence." The former Barca manager also recently attended a NY event celebrating the national day of Catalonia.

Next season, the club is unveiling its new away kit with the Bars of Aragon emblazoned on its jerseys in solidarity with the Catalonian people. Rosell when asked what Barca's future would be if Catalonia indeed achieved independence was quick to add that they would not break ties with the Spanish league and would play El Clasico's.

Which brings us to what exactly are Guardiola's future aspirations? The conventional wisdom is that he's biding his time and will return to the sport. But what if he believes he has a future in politics in the nascent Catalonian state? It's not hard to see him garner widespread support. He is after all the lynchpin behind the homegrown project that nourishes Barcelona and continues to bring the club so much success.

The Hillsborough Panel's report exposing a systematic and pernicious police cover up has in its aftermath generated a growing list of personalities apologizing for their part in blaming fans for causing Britain's most horrific peacetime tragedy. As many have put it, this was the mother of all cover ups.

Add Boris Johnson to that list along with Kelvin Mackenzie, the editor of the Sun, who earlier profusely apologized for writing 'The Truth', a planted story by the SYC, blaming drunk, violent fans invading the pitch for causing the deaths of other fans.

Johnson, London's mayor is a former editor of the Spectator and in 2004 ran this piece which lambasted Liverpudlians for barely failing to observe a minute's silence in memory of Ken Bigley, a fellow Liverpudlian, at a soccer match. Bigley was murdered in a particularly gruesome way by Iraqi insurgents and his death was televised on the internet. This indifference was traced to the welfarism infecting the city which Johnson said led to the feeling of "vicarious victimhood" that allowed fans to escape blame for their own role in bringing about the Hillsborough tragedy.

It would appear as if Johnson, like Paul Ryan, loves some Ayn Rand. Masters of our own destiny sounds nobler than fighting for JFT96. Who knows better than conservatives that trusting the people is the right thing to do, eh? But are they right kind of people? Here is Johnson's apology a week later. It is hard to find it in all the word salad of self aggrandizement and third person references. But if you have a whole day and a particularly powerful microscope. Eight years later he is a bit more clear and forthright in his contrition.

There are many ways one can define success, especially in this football era which clearly divides the haves from the have nots. That is what one gets after reading Ivan Gazidis's Telegraph interview.

Gazidis is the CEO of Arsenal, and a marketing and PR man by profession who was hired to develop the commercial interests of the club. It is this part, unsurprisingly that comes off strongest in terms of defining success because looming in the horizon, a 2014 deadline which will see existing sponsorships expire and newer, far more lucrative ones negotiated which will increase the financial clout of a self sustaining model.

The present contracts were not the best value for money because Arsenal were desperately preoccupied with funding the move to the Emirates.

"In terms of the financial impact, it will be as significant a step forward as the stadium was in 2005," Gazidis said. "It does kick us into the top five clubs in the world with separation from the rest. The overall journey that the club embarked on was to make it one of the leading clubs in the world and to do it in a way that would be sustainable."

The sense one gets from these statements and others is Arsenal better positioned in the long haul to negotiate the bewildering twists and turns of an economic maze as compared to many of its rivals. This dovetails into the overwhelming referencing of DNA which pertains to Wenger and the club's thinking being inextricably linked and which will pass onto his successor when that time comes. If you look at it very narrowly, Gazidis is once again re-defining success.

"As a club, we have to make sure that all of the things that Arsène has brought to the club are enshrined in our DNA to make sure that, when Arsène decides it's time, we are in a position to take his ideas and work forward."

The other metric of success, silverware, which most fans care about, is given a boiler plate response. Gazidis, in a defensive crouch:

"We're very optimistic about this season. We're absolutely trying to win silverware and we're trying desperately hard to do it this year."

Although Gazidis strenuously emphasizes that the board's ambitions are much higher than fourth position, the arrival of Santi Cazorla, Lukas Podolski, and Oliver Giroud can only be looked through the prism of the departures of Cesc Fabregas, Robin Van Persie, and Alex Song. This looks more like a holding pattern. A cup half empty but also half full.

One cannot expect Arsenal to score more than they did last season but they can bring down the number of goals conceded. Where they are already showing signs of success. Steve Bould is already having an impact with zonal marking bolstered by the repositioning of Mikel Arteta in the backfield. There is reason for optimism but one really can't say whether this will be enough to bring back a trophy. But what Gazidis is preparing for us as does Wenger on many an occasion is a season should be examined in many different ways.

"When you look at what Arsene has done, within the overall constraints, he has outperformed our spending every single year he has been manager. It is extraordinary."

Which does not answer that million dollar question. These "overall constraints" are now written into Arsenal's DNA. But are they real or self imposed? Arseblog is of the view that there is money sitting around but Arsenal fail to use it to improve the squad or to give better wages to their top players.

The editor of The Sun, Dominic Mohan says, "we're deeply ashamed and profoundly sorry". At the background you can read a banner with the self anointed, "THE GREATEST PAPER IN THE WORLD." You can't get more alternate reality.

• The panel finds that a total of 41 people out of 96 "had the potential to be saved" beyond the 1515 time determined by the original inquest.

There is a now a move on for a new inquest and possible prosecutions for those involved in the cover up. A total of 116 police statements out of 164 were altered by the South Yorkshire Constabulary reflecting a deep and well orchestrated effort to shift the blame onto the fans. A group of four officers, a police spokesperson, and a local MP, fed untrue claims to a news agency of disruptive, drunken, and violent fans causing the tragedy. That narrative was picked up by The Sun who then ran that infamous article, ironically titled "The Truth."

Kelvin Mackenzie, the editor of The Sun whose infamous "The Truth" laid blame on the fans

Twenty three years later, the Hillsborough tragedy was revealed as resulting from a "failure in police control" and "multiple failures" within other organizations that compromised crowd safety. 96 people died and hundreds others were injured.

The South Yorkshire Constabulary at that time laid the blame on violent and drunken fans and altered police reports shifting the blame away from them. They were aided and abetted by Kelvin Mackenzie, the editor of The Sun whose infamous, 'The Truth' vilified fans as shiftless, alcoholic, violent degenerates. Following that article, the tabloid was boycotted in Liverpool.

Today, David Cameron apologized in the British parliament to those families affected by that tragedy. In response to the Hillsborough Independent Pan's findings, Liverpool issued a statement:

" Liverpool Football Club commends the Hillsborough Independent Panel report which acknowledges the avoidable catastrophic failures before, during and after the disaster. The club also welcomes the Prime Minister's apology to the families and survivors on behalf of the Government and await the Attorney General's pending review of the report. After 23 long and painful years, our fans have finally been fully exonerated of all blame. Today, the world knows what we have always known, that Liverpool fans were not just innocent on that terrible day but that there was reprehensible and hurtful misrepresentation of the truth."

This is a great day for justice. For those who never gave up hope. YNWA from an Arsenal fan.

Mexico at the Azteca Stadium beat Costa Rica through a Javier Hernandez header in the 60th minute. With a flawless record, a full nine points from three matches, El Tri coast to the hexagonal part of the CONCACAF qualifying round.

Five other countries will join them in this last round to decide the first three World Cup spots with a fourth that could be added potentially if they beat the top team of the Oceania Football Confederation which in this case is most likely to be New Zealand.

The giddy highs of Andy Murray winning yesterday at the US Open gave way to the more familiar struggle of Scotland trying to qualify for a World Cup now going on its 14th year.

This time against an enterprising Macedonian side which was fortunate to get on the scoreboard through what looked like an offside goal scored by Nikolche Noveski. The hero for Scotland was goalie Allan McGregor who stopped at least four other good chances. Craig Levein's side were able to equalize through Kenny Miller with Jamie Mackie providing the assist.

The hard to please Tartan Army kept up their disapproval of Levein throughout the match. The manager is under tremendous pressure to produce results but when Charlie Adam is your go to guy then the problems lie elsewhere. How about a talent gap?

World Cup champions Spain had to eke out an 85th minute goal by Roberto Soldado to get past Georgia who elected to park the bus. It almost worked.

The first half was a virtual lockdown of Jamaica in their own half as the USA created a blistering barrage of scoring chances that met either structural failure (upright, crossbar), Dwayne Millers's spectacular saves, or Nyron Nosworthy's blocks. In all, the USA could have easily gone up at least three up and made this a no contest.

The goal came from an almost anti-climactic goalkeeping error in the second half as Miller's late reaction to Hercules Gomez's free kick wasn't enough to keep the ball from deflecting into goal. All that brilliance undone in a moment of ineptitude. Unfortunately for the US, it also seemed to signal a loss of ambition as suddenly they took the foot of the accelerator and allowed the Jamaicans to creep back into the game. The next 20 minutes were quite nervy but fortunately for them Jamaicans also lacked ideas once they got into the scoring third.

Klinsmann made five changes. Graham Zusi had a phenomenal start and the Kansas City winger settled in with Steve Cherundolo also back from injury as both created havoc with their off ball movement and service down the right channel. Zusi's rasping shot which hit the crossbar set the tone for the first half. Klinsi also introduced Danny Williams ahead of Maurice Edu and the US capitalized on his added injection of speed which was lacking in the Friday game. Captain Carlos Bocanegra also got the nod partnering Geoff Cameron in the heart of defense.

Williams also had a chance which if it had gone in would have provided a highlight reel on a busy day of international soccer. A blast from 30 yards out that had both tremendous pace and movement and beat Miller comprehensively clanged right into the upright. Up front, Hercules Gomez was a hard working presence and his darting runs behind defenders proved problematic.

A note on Jose Francisco Torres. He got his start and although he did not do anything exceptional, he does bring an organizational aspect to the midfield with his passing which till he was there was slick and one or two touches. When he left and Brek Shea and Maurice Edu was introduced was when USA began to look disjointed and errant in their possession.

Today's results leave the USA, Guatemala, and Jamaica tied on seven points but in a descending order which means goal differences and goals scored could play a very crucial part in qualifying. The USA won which was a great relief but they should have gone all out to add to their tally to ensure a safety net.

Yevhen Konoplianka at 22 years of age is a marked man. Marked by bigger clubs who sat up and took note of the winger who had his way with Glen Johnson at will and scored Ukraine's goal with a beautifully curling shot from 20 yards out. A little bit of yevhen.

He was a notch above his better known team mate Andriy Yarmalenko whose biggest contribution was two bits of play acting that resulted in Jermain Defoe's goal being annulled as well inadvertently creating the break away that resulted in Konoplianka's strike. Ukraine looked good going forward and they were very composed when defending with Anatoli Tymoschuk playing a major part in keeping that shape.

England on the other hand looked disorganized and disjointed having problems getting the ball out of the backfield. Despite that they had a number of chances with Tom Cleverley cutting a particularly villainous figure for not finishing three very good chances. Richard Williams's anointed no 10 looked like he had two left feet in front of goal.

With time running out Roy Hodgson introduced Danny Welbeck and Daniel Sturridge and their speed made a lot of difference to an increasingly desperate English side. Welbeck indulged in share of histrionics when he went down like a pole axed steer after trying to get by Denys Garmash. Luckily for him he wasn't booked for diving. He also had the best chance in the second half after the ball pinged between Gerard and Sturridge to fall at his feet but his shot hit the upright. Minutes later Welbeck's dink into the box caught Yevhen Kacheridi on the arm and England had their spot kick and Frank Lampard to take it.

Stevie Gerrard was sent off after collecting two cards and he will miss the next match against San Marino at home which shouldn't be all that dire.

Clint Dempsey once again will lead the attacking

The USA sit behind Jamaica in Group A, tied for second with Guatemala. The Americans meet Jamaica today, for the second time in four days after their first match resulted in a historic victory for the Reggae Boyz. The Guatemalans travel to Antigua and Barbuda where they hope Carlos Ruiz and Dwight Pezzarossi, their in form strikers will continue to find their goalscoring touch.

Jamaica will advance to the fourth and final stage of World Cup qualifying if they win at Columbus today and Guatemala draw Antigua. Which will leave the USA in contention with Guatemala for the second spot to keep their World Cup hopes alive. The Guatemalans should they win today, will be firmly in second place and meet Jamaica at home in the tough climes of Estadio Mateo Flores while the USA travel to Antigua for their next series of encounters.

The final deciding spot may come down to the wire with USA vs Guatemala meeting in the final group stage match on October 16th at Livestrong Sporting Park. The USA can make thing easier for them if they win today's match. Columbus is a tough destination for any visiting team and it is a sold out match, so the home advantage works heavily in favour of the hosts. However, the USA is still without Landon Donovan and Michael Bradley who needless to say, missed in that loss. In addition, they do not have Clarence Goodson who can be a force on set pieces having picked up his second booking. Donovan is getting back to match fitness levels training and playing with the Galaxy's reserve team.

So what about that midfield connectivity that seemed to be missing in the Jamaica game? Klinsmann lost a lot of speed and transitional play starting Kyle Beckerman, Maurice Edu, and Jermaine Jones, three holding midfielders, who create a certain amount of redundancy. This time around Jose Francisco Torres who is not exactly a speed merchant either but at least can distribute the ball better upfield than Beckerman, Edu, or Jones can should get the nod. Klinsi can call on Graham Zusi to give more a of a creative spark in an advanced role.

The Americans will go against the centre back pairing of Adrian Mariappa and Nyron Nosworthy. The former is a hot prospect for Reading and the latter is a Watford veteran. It won't be easy scoring goals against this back four. The last time Dempsey pounced on a rebound off Nosworthy to score the first goal but only after the Jamaican defense had rebuffed Hercules Gomez twice.

Another concerning factor was the USA's inability to stop the Jamaicans scoring from those set pieces. This is a well coached Jamaican side which does not just resort to speed down the flanks through Dane Richards and Tremaine Stewart to create chances for Ryan Johnson but has shown they possess other scoring options.

USA probable starting XI: Tim Howard- Carlos Bocanegra- Geoff Cameron- Michael Parkhurst- Fabian Johnson- Maurice Edu- Jermaine Jones- Jose Francisco Torres- Clint Dempsey- Hercules Gomez- Josy Altidore

Kealia Ohai scores the game winner in the 44th minute following great work down the right flank by full back Crystal Dunn and then celebrates a la Megan Rapinoe.

Congratulations, girls, that was a sweet victory against a formidable opponent who had beaten the USA, 3-0 in the group stage. The Germans had scored fifteen goals without conceding a single one in 610 minutes of matchplay before Ohai's score broke that record.

" I saw Crystal taking it down the flank and I knew she would get something off so in my head I was thinking, 'you've got to get in the box.' I sprinted as fast as I could, got in the box, it went past Stengel and I shot it and I just couldn't believe it." Ohai said.

Ohai became the seventh US women to score a winning goal in open field play in a final. She joined a who's who in women soccer: Michelle Akers, Tiffeny Milbrett, Lindsay Tarpley, Alex Morgan, Abby Wambach and Carli Lloyd.

Afterwards, the celebrations continued.

Leo Messi continues his incandescent national form which can only be good for Argentina's World Cup chances. The little maestro unleashed a free kick that swerved past the wall and lodged into goal. The Albiceleste's Real Madrid contingent also contributed with Angel Di Maria opening his country's account and Gonzalo Higuain adding to that tally.

Paraguay got their goal from a spot kick after Rodrigo Brana handled the ball in the box trying to head away danger. Jonathan Fabbro had no difficulties converting.

The disparity between Messi's Barca and national team performances was always attributed to the club system he played where the likes of Xavi and Iniesta made goalscoring easy. But Argentina under Sabella look like a more complete side with Di Maria and Higuain taking over the goalscoring responsibilities as well as dropping back to assist Messi's forays forward. With Javier Mascherano and Fernando Gago back in the squad, the midfield connectivity has been taken care of. Giving Messi the captaincy seems to have also ended the remote relationship he was frequently criticized for with his own country.

Argentina now lead the CONMEBOL zone in World Cup qualifying with 13 points, followed by Chile and Ecuador with 12 points each, Uruguay in fourth with 11, and Colombia jockeying for the final spot with 10 points. The Albiceleste have a commanding goal differential which could prove to be a crucial tie breaker.

Vincent Kompany's inch perfect header and Jan Vertonghen's sizzling free kick provided the scoring highlights.

This might be the best Belgian side since the Enzo Scifo- Jan Cuelemans- Nico Claesen- Eric Gerets era. The present squad can choose between the goalkeeping abilities of Simone Mignolet and Thibaut Courtois. In midfield the skillful likes of Eden Hazard, Maoruane Fellaini, Moussa Dembele, Alex Witsel, and Dries Mertens run the show. On top they have Romelu Lukaku and Kevin Mirallas.

Wales were also done in by a rash challenge by James Collins on Guillaume Gillet which earned him a red card. Keeping up against a Belgian side of this calibre was going to be tough even with a full XI. Playing with a man down for more than an hour made it impossible.

Veteran Carlos Salcido and Jesus Zavala take advantage of some shoddy defending on set pieces to send the Ticos to a two nothing defeat.

The USA celebrated a historical win over Mexico beating them for the first time in Mexico about three weeks ago. Today, it was the Reggae Boyz recording their first win ever against the USA in nineteen meetings as they took advantage of a midfield without Michael Bradley and his potential link up with the men on top. As they say something was missing all through the match against Jamaica.

Clint Dempsey defying all match fitness odds put the USA on the scoreboard in a record 36 seconds. But Jamaica came back strongly through two set pieces. A low hard drive by Rodolph Austin deflected off Kyle Beckerman to draw them level. In the second half, Luton Shelton dealt the USA a mortal blow with a perfectly executed free kick which left Tim Howard stranded. Jamaica then held on to their 2-1 margin to create history.

Frank Lampard collects a brace from a spot kick and a header. Jermain Defoe combines with Alex Oxlade - Chamberlain in an Arsenal- Spurs hook up to score a third. James Milner collects a fourth after a clever interchange involving Tom Cleverley and Theo Walcott. And Leighton Baines finishes off hapless Moldova with a deflected free kick.

Cleverley and Oxlade Chamberlain caught the eye. And Frank Lampard spoke glowingly of the Arsenal youngster.

"And Alex was brilliant. He lit up the first half with his injection of pace and running with the ball. It's great to see exciting young players like that playing for England. "

Roy Hodgson starts his 2014 World Cup campaign swimmingly. David Beckham started his international career at Kishinev sixteen years ago as England won 3-0 win in their 1998 World Cup qualifiers. Pretty historical milestones, wouldn't you say?

There seems to be for the first time a serious debate on introducing salary cap restrictions a la NFL into the Premiership. This comes on the heels of a strengthened TV deal that would generate £3bn to be shared by all 20 clubs towards player transfers and wages.

The bottom line is that increasing and out of control wage demands have eaten into that pie leaving clubs with less to spend. In 2011-12, the Premiership made about £2.5bn in income but it spent 70% of that on wages, up from the 62% paid out in 2001-02. It obviously comes as no surprise clubs like Arsenal and Man Utd are for putting brakes on as they see City and Chelsea's owners underwrite the existence of their clubs with wads of cash thrown their way.

This of course, will weed out the players who want to excel in the top echelons of competition from the money obsessed ones who are sure to be spirited away to the likes of PSG, Anzhi Makhachkala, CSKA Moscow, and the Chinese League. Critics of this proposal will trot out the age old argument that Wall St also uses to retain talent by giving out their employees outlandish sums as bonuses.

Do you want your best and brightest to go to Singapore or to Australia? Will it make the Premiership less competitive? In a rebuke that really hurt, Lucas Moura left for PSG because Man Utd could not compete with the escalation in transfer fees and wage demands. That warning aside, however, the contention also assumes that there are no inherent strengths in the most watched league in the world.

With the rest of its peers excluding the Bundesliga, in economic decline, the Premiership benefits from players leaving those leagues desiring like minded competition with an assured paycheck in the pocket. Tradition, playing style, developing homegrown talent, managerial philosophy become more important drivers and each club will have a better chance to showcase their selling points with wage inflation held equal.

There are other upsides. If there are clearcut guidelines to wage expectations then clubs need only to wrangle on transfer fees. As well as shortening time and effort spent on counterproductive negotiations over contract extensions.

A brake on runaway wages is a long overdue correction from the days since George Eastham's mutiny against Arsenal for refusing him a pay raise following the abolishment of the maximum wage in 1961. Greater transparency rather than limitless amounts might be more desirable as Didier Drogba and Nicholas Anelka are finding out in Shenhua Shanghai where the club is embroiled in a feud with the principal investor threatening to back out if his shareholding is not increased.

What the Premiership needs to decide if they are serious about salary caps (14 of the 20 clubs have to approve for it to take hold), is how much to cap the salary increases at, say a blanket 10% or whether it is a more case by case determination on expected performances, inflation, or profitability by that club.

Arsenal for example would come off best on an individualized basis not just because of its self sustaining model but because it also has a number of squad players in its ranks with fairly lucrative mid tier salaries who get raises despite making few appearances because of loss of form or injuries. Nicklas Bendtner makes a shocking £55,000 per week despite the fact that he has not played for Arsenal for over a year. This is the reason why Arsenal despite its glass ceiling on top wages continues to be saddled with the fourth highest wage bill in the league.

No Landon Donovan or Michael Bradley

The USA return to World Cup qualifications today with their match against Jamaica at Kingston. They are without Landon Donovan and Michael Bradley who are out with injuries. Amongst the midfielders, Bradley has an established reputation for his box to box contribution and link up with the strikers up top.

The others like Maurice Edu and Kyle Beckerman are more traditional holding midfielders with Jermaine Jones occasionally roving up. Klinsmann can call upon Jose Francisco Torres but he's played in a number of different positions including out on the flank without imposing himself. Without Bradley, the midfield is missing speed and counterattacking strength through the centre but with Fabian Johnson and Brek Shea on the wings the US can get the ball to the box rapidly.

A more conservative 4-4-2 might be favoured with Jozy Altidore using his strength and aerial ability to knock the ball down to Hercules Gomez.

A rapidly improving Jamaican team is sure to sniff out some opportunities here. The Reggae Boyz have never defeated the USA but they have managed to fight them to a number of stalemates and the World Cup qualifiers have been no exception. All four matches played in Jamaica have resulted in draws.

Clint Dempsey is back and this will be his first match since joining Spurs from Fulham. However, his minutes maybe limited because of match fitness concerns. The USA will also feature Carlos Bocanegra having moved from Rangers to new club Racing Santander, fellow Ranger Edu leaving for Stoke to join Geoff Cameron.

Michael Orozco Fiscal also returns to the squad for his first World Cup qualifier since 2008 and his goal was the one that made history as the USA won against Mexico in Mexico for the first time back in August. Also included Graham Zusi who has been outstanding topping MLS with 12 assists.

Seems like just yesterday we were talking about Timothy Chandler, Juan Agudelo, Tim Ream, Eric Lichaj, Sacha Kljestan, Alejandro Bedoya, and Freddy Adu. But they have disappeared for one reason or the other. Klinsmann has reposed faith in wingback Johnson, Shea and striker Terrence Boyd as part of his revamped squad.

Lets face it. The actor who played Aragorn is not a fan of the Real Madrid manager. He was in Madrid to promote his new film and he took time off to say what he thought of Jose Mourinho who has had his share of run ins with the milder mannered Pep Guardiola and Tito Vilanova but would never do the same with Diego Simeone.

That is because it would end badly for him if he had to face up to the Argentinian version of Vinnie Jones.

"I suppose 'Sir' Mourinho would not have the balls to get in 'Cholo' Simeone's face, because he'd get a good kicking if he did."

Mortensen also criticizes Mourinho's defensive philosophy with all the attacking talent on display at the club. And he makes no bones he considers Leo Messi, one of the best footballer of all times. Not just because of his skill and invention but because of his humility and for not blowing his own trumpet.

"Pele and Maradona have to accept that Messi has taken football to another level."

The constant war of words between Pele and Maradona has eaten into his respect for both players.

What about Cristiano Ronaldo? He's been in the news saying he's "sad" at Real setting off shock waves.

"He's got nothing to complain about, he should stop diving and play for the good of the team. He could be the best in the world if he really wanted to, but prefers to waste his time moaning and crying over what could have been."

Couldn't have put it better myself. Viggo Mortensen, fine actor and a true fan of the sport.

More proof that Alex Song's departure was not because he was a disruptive locker room presence but governed by an economic imperative. And it comes from Bacary Sagna, probably one of the calmest presences in the Arsenal locker room and not given to hyperbole. In an interview with L'Equipe:

" Everyone was expecting Robin van Persie to leave, but Alex Song, that was a surprise. I don't understand that at all. It is a big loss for the club."

Sagna is a veteran in the team coming over in 2007 from Auxerre. He has seen many of his team mates depart probably with a good idea of their reasons for doing so. There was not one word to suggest Song wanted to move out of Arsenal or his behaviour was leading to friction within the club. Whatever the reasons, it has him anxious for his future. He will be in his final year of his contract at the end of this season. The fact that he's spent many months out with his injury and observed 20 year old Carl Jenkinson taking over his position as a potential replacement may mean he might be on the selling block.

He will soon be 30 years of age and he's another one in the generation of Arsenal player who has not tasted success.

"In May, I watched City's parade on TV. I saw Samir and Gaël lift the trophy. I want that [feeling]."

There has been no movement from Arsenal to extend his contract. One can understand why the future looks a bit uncertain for him and he's sending out feelers.

Pia Sundhage returns to Sweden

Caught in the midst of angst and anxiety of Arsenal getting on board with scoring, comes the news of Pia Sundhage's stepping down as US Women's national team coach over the weekend. She joined in 2007 in one the lowest points in team history, the 4-0 loss to Brazil in the World Cup semi-finals following a huge conflagration between Greg Ryan and Hope Solo which resulted in the US goalie's dismissal.

Five years later, the ship steadied, the US women go on to winning two Olympic golds and World Cup runners up all under Sundhage. Her way to motivate the team is to play guitar and sing Bob Dylan's classic, "The Times They Are a Changin' "

1970s counterculture apparently works. The team brims with confidence. Abby Wambach and Alex Morgan are the most lethal striker duo in the football world, men and women included. And the US midfield has quality in Megan Rapinoe, Carli Lloyd, Tobin Heath, and Heather O'Reilly, who deliver matches on the line. Hope Solo is back with a vengeance establishing herself as a vocal leader and one of the best shot stoppers in the game.

Sundhage's successor will have huge shoes to fill. But the next generation of US players are no slouches as the U20 World Cup team is proving in Japan. Talent is not the problem. Developing it and introducing these players to ensure no drop off while some in the national team transition remains the challenge. Sundhage didn't quite master that aspect but then that was not her remit.

Thanks Pia, those were fabulous memories you gave us. Good luck in Sweden and in your future endeavours.

He doesn't have hair, he's fat, he doesn't score

" Then I remember - I drank a few bevvies while I was away. I'm stocky. I'm not like Ryan Giggs, all bone and lean muscle."

So writes Wayne Rooney in his new book, My Decade in the Premier League. He now has problems walking for at least a half hour the morning after a game. He's past his physical prime and it appears to take him longer to get back into shape.

What this bodes for the future is still unknown but there are a number of Utd fans who must be thanking the stars they got Robin Van Persie who is 29 years old and injury prone himself.

More extracts from his book available in the Mirror >>

When is a deal between two clubs not a straight deal? When it involves a third party.

Spurs found out Joao Moutinho's economic interests were not just owned by Porto but a third party investor who wanted to be paid his share of the transfer fee. It's all quite complex and the Guardian has the goods. The English league bans third party ownership. Which meant for this deal to go through Porto had to pay off the third party at their end before Moutinho could move. As a result they went back on the price they had agreed to previously and raised it further just an hour before deadline which Spurs did not agree to.

Interestingly, one of Andres Villas Boas big coups while Porto manager was landing Moutinho from Sporting Lisbon in the summer of 2010 which included a third party payoff and buyback. Moutinho became an instrumental part of that unbeatable Porto team that swept aside the league.

AVB probably had working knowledge of these financial transactions. Which makes you wonder did he did not press harder knowing these were the potential stumbling blocks? The Spurs manager called Moutinho's arrival impossible stating the club could not afford him.

"You'll never stop loving me, will you, oh beautiful reflection?"

'Tis not about the money. Cristiano Ronaldo feels unloved by his club, his manager, his locker room, and his fans.

" In regard to the Santiago Bernabéu faithful, he still lays the blame on the fans for not unanimously defending him on the day he was booed and for not worshiping him every time he scores a goal."

"I am sad", has set off cataclysms that threaten to dwarf the Spanish economic crisis.

For satirists, this is an embarrassment of riches. Ronaldo's "I am sad" or Sepp Blatter's comparison of Ronaldo to a "modern day slave" when Utd refused to let him go to Real Madrid. Which do you find more ludicrous? It's all about inflated self worth.

For shrinks, a case of Narcissistic Personality Disorder, isn't it?

Antonio Cassano scored his debut goal for Inter but it was not enough to keep Zdenek Zeman's Roma team plundering three in return. Check out Marquinho's goal from the tightest of angles. A sliver of daylight and that is all that was needed.

Michael Bradley is out with a quadriceps injury and will not feature in the US national side's upcoming World Cup qualifier against Jamaica.

Francisco Totti turns 36 years of age in 23 days and still shows that impeccable touch. He created two of Roma's goals, including the one that led to Osvaldo's cheeky chip over Luca Castellazzi. Captain fantastic!

Thomas DiBenedetto, the CEO of AS Roma presides over a club brimming with optimism while his FSG partners, John Henry and Tom Werner, owners of Liverpool see their side's season slide into despair and bitter recrimination. A tale of two clubs.

Liverpool's owners, die hard practitioners of Moneyball, pride themselves on the rigorous behind the numbers, value for money purchases that give them a leg up in the MLB. Entering the cash on steroids environment of the Premiership, they recruited Damien Comolli on the advice of Billy Beane, Mr Moneyball himself and ended up throwing £120m on transfers. Why no one knows? Hubris? Keeping up with the Abramovich? Beane himself predicted that Liverpool would be reaping the benefits of his philosophy.

A year later, Andy Carroll, a misfit in Brendan Rodgers mobility upgrade has been loaned to West Ham for £1.5m, a disgraced Charlie Adam departs for Stoke on £4m, Jordan Henderson was offered as bait for Clint Dempsey, and Stewart Downing's future depends on him playing a different role. Damien Comolli is fired and in the end FSG could not find £6m to fund Dempsey which if you're a Moneyball adherent is all the proof you need that the owners just failed miserably in transferring those principles to football. Can you say spectacular failure? In their own backyard, the Boston Red Sox, having their worst season in 20 years.

Everyone uses stat based predictors of sporting success and the best predictor season in and season out is clubs who splash the cash to get top level talent are the ones most likely to win a title. In a perverse way, it should have worked for Liverpool spending all that money but it did not because they identified players of questionable talent. In soccer where the stat is as ordinate as a single goal there are fewer grayer areas to work with. Sides who score first are most likely to win 80% of the times, unless you come up against RVP who Utd paid £24m for and is a scoring genius. Read Soccernomics.

Beautiful goal by Adriano Correia who was panned just last week for that mindless challenge on Cristiano Ronaldo earning him a red card. Ten man Barca went on to lose the Spanish Super Cup on Real's away goal advantage.

But the story is the plummeting form and minutes of Cesc Fabregas under Tito Vilanova. Against Valencia, he missed two fairly open chances. His former Arsenal team mate, Alex Song made his debut and managed to meet the high expectations of the Catalunyans playing all 90+ minutes.

This was a muted Cristiano Ronaldo. No extravagant fist pumping, sliding on the pitch, he did not even look at the monitor to check out his goals as his wont. He scored his 150th and 151st goal for the club before being taken off after picking up an injury. Gonzalo Higuain scored the third and final goal.

Real Madrid got their first win of the season with Luka Modric in his first full debut impressing with his playmaking capabilites. The Croatian was involved in both of Ronaldo's goals before being subbed by Mesut Oezil, who will see his arrival as competition for playing minutes. Granada played a man down when Borja Garcia was sent off for his second violation, a seemingly innocuous hip check which Ronaldo milked for all its worth.

No one would be caught dead with Irina Shayk. Putting up with her is just sad.

The Spanish media is all atwitter about Cristiano Ronaldo not celebrating his goals against Granada. Reports say he is "sad" at Real Madrid. There is talk he feels unloved in the locker room.

Have you ever noticed how Ronaldo can't tear his eyes away from the monitor when he scores goals as he barely acknowledges team mates jumping on his back, hugging him, pinching his cheeks in celebration? Strikers are a supremely narcissistic lot but Ronaldo takes it to another level altogether.

There are two theories and they both involve Leo Messi.

Maybe he overheard Jose Mourinho whispering to Pepe, "Cara, as long as Messi is around, Cristiano is going to suck ass."

It may not be his locker room he's complaining about. He's complaining about every other locker room that puts Leo Messi in front of him.

Damn Yankees: Gillett and Hicks followed by Henry and Werner

It's not been two months since Brendan Rodgers came on board and already fans are slating him for Liverpool's worst start since 1968. Is he responsible for Martin Skrtel's bone headed giveaway to City? Or Steven Gerrard's ill advised pass? Or Pepe Reina failing to save a rather routine shot? You can't legislate for stupidity. At some point the onus should be on the players which in a sport like football accounts for a majority of the results.

Liverpool has become a revolving door of managers with Rafa Benitez, Roy Hodgson, and Kenny Dalglish, following each other in a space of two years. It's a hodge podge of styles; rotational style, English style, no style. In the case of Dalglish, the fall from grace has been nothing short of spectacular. Fans associating a history of success clamoured for his return but he's now tied to the hip with the biggest bungle up in transfer history since Hong Kong went to China. The repercussions are being directly felt this season and led to some bizarre decisions most succinctly seen in the convolutions on transfer deadline.

Michael Laudrup's Swansea are enjoying a successful start to their second year in the Premiership building on a template left by Rodgers. It took them a year to climb from the Championship to a position in the top league and the way they are playing it would appear relegation is the furthest removed from their mind. Does Rodgers have the personnel to implement that quick, short passing style and rapid interchanges that he favours? Joe Allen fits right in because of his time with the Swans. But the rest of the squad needs a primer. Steven Gerrard is an example of how old habits die hard forcing the issue with long passes.

Do Liverpool fans really think Michael Owen would be an improvement on Clint Dempsey? Wouldn't he have been the ideal replacement for Andy Carroll, who by the way will have to find a new home if FSG is serious about recouping part of that £120m spent under Dalglish and Damien Comolli. Their hands are also tied from the debt which still remains from the previous ownership of Tom Hicks and George Gillett.

Carroll will not come back if Rodgers is serious about implementing his system but second guessing by fans this early does put him under tremendous pressure. For those who talk of a plan B, there needs to be a plan A, fully formed and visible to the eye, otherwise what you get is tactical sectarianism and pitch apocalypse. Patience, my friends.

Is it possible to be a legend in two clubs within two consecutive seasons? Robin Van Persie may just be on his way to being that. This like the other two previous matches was not Utd at its best. They are leaking goals, getting bossed in the midfield, and coincidentally like Arsenal last season, over reliant on Van Persie for their scoring. Against the Saints, they had no answer to Ricky Lambert who rose unmolested into the air to head the ball from a cross by Jason Puncheon past Anders Lindegaard. The opportunity arose when Morgan Schneiderlin reading Tom Cleverley's pass stole the ball from Shinji Kagawa and then fed Puncheon.

Utd came back as Van Persie taking advantage of Nathaniel Clyne losing his footing chested a cross and thumped it past Kelvin Davies. It was another slip this time by Patrice Evra allowing Schneiderlin to give the Saints the lead in the second half. Could this be a miracle at St Mary's? Sir Alex immediately made a double switch bringing in Paul Scholes in place of the lackluster Cleverley and Nani for the invisible Kagawa. And things improved considerably as Scholes connected with Van Persie almost immediately. The former Arsenal striker could not convert and in the next few minutes also made a hash of a spot kick after Jos Hooiveld brought him down with a tackle from behind. It's hard to characterize but RVP might have tried a panenka but instead it mutated into a ugly wobble which Davies was able to swat away while prone on the ground. The miracle at St Mary's was still alive.

Then came the game changer. Don't you love that word? It's so American. Nigel Adkins takes off Puncheon, Lambert, and Adam Lallana and brings in Guly, Emmanuel Mayuka, and Jay Rodriguez. The attacking zest is gone and the Saints now just close shop which if you've followed enough Utd matches means you're essentially going to self immolate. And that is what happened as an impatient Sir Alex warned his players tapping on his watch. With time running out, Utd forced corner after corner and from one of them Rio Ferdinand thumped a header that came off the upright and Van Persie was at hand to pounce on it. It was the 87th minute. Immediate rationalization being this would still count as a moral victory for the Saints even if they came away with a draw. But Van Persie had one more trick up his sleeve, swiveling his head perfectly to guide Nani's cross past Davies in extra time. The miracle was over.

Whoo! Hat tip to a wonderful collective effort by Arsenal on their trip to Anfield. Santi Cazorla and Lukas Podolski delivered the attacking goods while Abou Diaby was simply outstanding in centre midfield pushing up. The defense orchestrated by Thomas Vermaelen fell back in numbers keeping their shape as Liverpool recycled the ball repeatedly to try and crack them open. They got close on occasion but Vermaelen and Mertesacker closed down the angles.

The question on everyone's mind before the match was where were the goals going to come from? Luckily, for us, Cazorla and Podolski seemed to harbour no such misgivings. Steve Gerrard's errant pass picked up by the German and relayed upfield to Cazorla saw him sprinting down the left channel all the way to receive the return from the Spaniard and then sweep the ball past Reina to wipe all those fears. Monkey off our backs. Who says Spain can't bailout Germany? Take that Angela Merkel.

The second half saw that same left flank light up again as Podolski fed the pint sized Cazorla this time as the Spaniard showing his winger qualities (Arsene plays him centrally but Cazorla earned his reputation for his bombing runs down the flanks at Villarreal) brought the ball onto his right foot and cracked a low, hard drive straight to Reina. The Liverpool goalie who has a history of mistakes against Arsenal made a complete mess off it deflecting the ball into goal with his hand.

A special note for Diaby. What quick feet for a long legged man. He was a pillar and a fulcrum at the same time. And he played all 90 minutes. If we can keep him healthy, Song's loss will easier to take. Mikel Arteta behind him did great work mopping up with his solid, no nonsense presence. He maybe slow but the man has experience protecting the ball.

Alex Oxlade Chamberlain got his start but it wasn't his best day. For most part he was overshadowed by the nippy Raheem Sterling, who was the best Liverpool player on display. Theo Walcott stayed on the bench and the message was clear. His last year on contract means no free matches. He has to earn every minute. Carl Jenkinson is a bloody good full back and his tackling was impeccable and at the other flank Kieran Gibbs did a solid job going forward with Podolski covering for his more suspect defensive qualities.

A few notes. Arsenal can be better in its crossing ability. If you're going to utilize Oliver Giroud more effectively that area needs to be improved. Which brings us to the Frenchman. It is evident he's having a hard time coping with the faster pace and more physical style of the Premiership. There is no way a 6' 4'' , 194 lbs frame should get bumped off that easily by Jose Enrique. He has to be more assertive, get his feet set more quickly, and use his aerial ability to make an impact.

Vito Mannone made a couple of great saves off Sterling and then Shelvey. He looks good as a shot stopper but there were some nervy moments on the set pieces and long balls. Luckily for him, Liverpool were unable to capitalize on them and when they were in a position to do so, the defense dealt with them decisively. A great away win at a tough, tough place to play and before we pile onto Liverpool too much, they showed they are not a bad side as City escaped with a draw after being outplayed last weekend. This win should do Arsenal's confidence a world of good. We're on our way.

The Guardian has an article detailing how a cash strapped Liverpool could only offer a feeble £5m for the American. Now, to be fair, the article's emphasis is on the club's criminal waste of money on transfers made under Kenny Dalglish and Damien Comolli. But herein lies the rub.

FSG offered up £20m as a transfer budget plus whatever player sales they could generate which went in acquiring Joe Allen, Fabio Borini, Oussama Assaidi, Samed Yesil, and Nuri Sahin (£3m in loan fees) which added up to £30m. The total raised for players sold including Charlie Adam on deadline and on season long loans was about £8m.

The owners made it clear that any future purchase would be contingent on cost cutting. Brendan Rodgers cleared £8m in wages by selling those players. Which means that the Liverpool coach had about £6m to work with. That was what Spurs paid for Dempsey and it should have been enough for Fulham to release the striker whose preference was to come to Anfield in the first place. It was the topic du jour signing all summer long.

But Liverpool agreed to pay a lions share of Nuri Sahin's wages which swelled his wage bill to over £4m annually. Sahin earns about £120,000 a week at Real Madrid. A more equitable 60-40 arrangement could have saved them possibly £1,5m or thereabouts. And so the pot of money they potentially had for Dempsey shrank further to where they were forced to offer £5m tops or preferably even less. LFC's storied history was not enough to make up for that shortfall. Ergo, Sahin's wages sank Dempsey's chance of an arrival at Anfield.

Andy Carroll was the elephant in the room. The Liverpool striker on loan in the first big moment of the match knocked the ball down straight into the path of Ricardo Vaz Te who found Kevin Nolan steaming down the left to fire a snap shot past Mark Schwarzer.

The match was just a minute old. It should have been two goals minutes later as Carroll knocked the ball down for Diame to have a blast but his shot hit the crossbar and ballooned over. It set the tone for further panic every time Carroll was involved with even the hard core Brede Hangeland committing naive errors.

Steven Reid connected from a corner to put the Hammers up by two. The Cottagers were done for when Hangeland and Diarra crowding Carroll knocked each other off trying to get to a free kick. The ball ricocheted off the falling Norwegian's head straight to Matthew Taylor. Three down and not even the silky smooth skills of Dimitar Berbatov could bring this back for Martin Jol, looking dyspeptic by now at how badly the match had gone for his side.

Carroll had to depart clutching his hamstring after falling in a heap colliding with said Hangeland. He will miss England's World Cup qualifiers against Moldova and Ukraine.

Big Sam and Big Andy conspiring to put West Ham in sixth place? Who would have thunk it?

The clash of two unbeaten teams playing attractive, attacking soccer and it was the Baggies walking away with the full three points. Deservedly so. They were the dominant team bossing Everton in the midfield because of the excellent Youssuf Mulumbu. And a constant threat down the flanks through Peter Odemwingie and Liam Ridgewell.

Their finishing too was excellent with Shane Long guiding an on the money cross from Odemwingie and then an unresponsive defense allowed Gareth McAuley all the time and space in the world to head in a corner.

Marouane Fellaini and Nikica Jelavic had their chances with the former guilty of clumsily blazing the ball over with an open goal in front of him.

Tim Howard was the second American goalie to have an excellent game after Brad Friedel, both losing efforts. He saved Steve Morrison's blast and then palmed away Mulumbu's rocket to prevent further damage.

The Baggies are just behind the Swans and Chelsea in stratospheric third place. Everton is in fifth. This season, the usual suspects have no easy games.

The scoreline is flattering. This was a QPR side that made its ambition clear enough with its number of signings. It was Man City doing all the early pressing forcing corners and set pieces, one of which Yaya Toure scored from after Carlos Tevez's shot caromed off Bobby Zamora and fell to the big man.

Speaking of Tevez, the man has practically re-invented himself and is now City's main attacking threat in the absence of Sergio Aguero. The best thing City did was to keep his transfer fee so high, no one could afford him. The little Argentinian seems to be enjoying himself and there appears to be no sign of that sulking wreck who made Roberto Mancini's life miserable with his rebellion.

After Zamora equalized for QPR in the second half, City broke through immediately as Tevez's perfecty weighted cross found Edin Dzeko to give them the lead. Not a moment too soon because QPR looked quite dangerous with Esteban Granero and Zamora testing Vincent Kompany and company on the breakaway. But it was Ryan Nelsen coming close with a couple of chances to restore parity. City were able to close out the match in extra time as Dzeko's mishit was deflected serendipitously into goal by Tevez.

The next match against Stoke will probably see Javi Garcia, the £16m acquisition from Benfica start the match to take over Nigel De Jong's role. After that the attention turns to Real Madrid as City's Champions League encounter begins for which Mancini should get back Mario Balotelli who is undergoing minor eye surgery. Apparently he doesn't quite see eye to eye with the gaffer.

Moussa Dembele's undoubted moment of genius was the only redeeming feature in an otherwise rather insipid, dull, and lethargic Spurs side that was hard pressed keeping away an industrious and well organized Norwich side.

The former Fulham midfielder scored a goal on debut showing his class in the 68th minute as he used some nifty footwork and a cool finish to frustrate an enterprising Norwich side who had plenty of chances of their own. Brad Friedel showed some excellent reflexes as out of position he managed to palm away Robert Snodgrass's cleverly flicked header and then the crossbar came in the way after Russell Martin thumped Snodgrass's free kick. Friedel is not going to go away quietly into that night even as Spurs sign Hugo Lloris.

Apart from Dembele's bit of improvisation the Spurs attack seemed to lack imagination and even the basic craft of passing. Often their attacks would break down as Gareth Bale got forced inside into traffic and Aaron Lennon lacked the finishing cross. Sandro made a few eye opening runs but he and Jake Livermore were fairly invisible in midfield as a quick Norwich side with more fluent passing wrested control.

Not quite sure what it is but Andre Villas- Boas might be losing something in translation or maybe his micro-managing style stifles creative expression but Spurs who were so good at home last season have two consecutive draws. They started the season with a 1-2 loss at Newcastle. For the second time, they gave up a goal as Snodgrass inflicted some late minute pain with his equalizer. There was no sign of Clint Dempsey. But he could have been a difference maker.

Having made a cursory tour of the blogosphere and the attendant media the common emotion one picks up after Arsenal's no show at yesterday's transfer deadline is that of frustration, of disbelief, and a sense of resignation that once again what seems so obvious to us is lost on the manager and the boardroom. Particularly, with Alex Song's departure, there appeared to be an overwhelming need to fill his position. Nuri Sahin bypassing the Emirates in what appeared to be a sure shot deal. Or the cheap availability of Clint Dempsey after Liverpool gave up on him and Spurs bagged him. But here again, is a reminder as to why things are different.

Arsenal are not contending for the title: Arseblog leads with the belief that Arsenal cannot really contend for the title with this squad. The reality is that Arsenal gave up as contenders a number of seasons ago and the present philosophy is to finish fourth as an ideal or as Peter Hill Wood puts its, "its not as if we were relegated", in response to Alisher Usmanov's accusations of Arsenal lacking ambition. Wenger has backed this up by questioning the loyalty of fans pointing out they are spoiled having a great stadium, a good team that gets to play Champions League football year in and year out. This is an era of reduced expectations so what exactly is the problem?

Arsenal are a selling club: Too many examples to dispute this premise. Emmanuel Adebayor, Kolo Toure, Cesc Fabregas, Samir Nasri, Gael Clichy, Robin Van Persie, Alex Song, are the marquee names moving out for most part attracted by more money offered by clubs with fewer qualms on spending. Fabregas is an exception, he was motivated by a return to his boyhood club for which he took a salary cut. We make purchases but not at market prices. It is a bit unnerving to think that Malaga's financial difficulties opened up an opportunity for Santi Cazorla's sale but only after negotiating for a lower price.

Wenger says he will buy but only if it is quality: When Wenger says this, he's giving himself an out. Faced with criticism of a failure to buy, he can defend himself by saying he tried but there was no one he considered "quality". It has become a mantra of his to protect himself from these recent transfer periods which are now a constant source of much angst and handwringing amongst fans. Just two days before the transfer deadline, he said there could be one or two arrivals if they happened to be of quality. Those words should warn us that there is a good chance reinforcements will not arrive.

The boardroom is invested in itself: There is a good reason to further the current policy. Stan Kroenke has not put in a single dime of his as investment but the stock of his 63% shareholding will keep going up. Alisher Usmanov will not make a move because he's a shareholder with no boardroom privileges and he is not going to invest his money till he is given assurances he can increase his shareholding for a takeover. It is a stalemated chess match and each camp is trying to protect themselves. A self sustaining model is sound financial practise but it also benefits the status quo which borders on self serving inertia.

This year Arsenal acted more decisively before deadline: Last year was just chaotic with the Cesc Fabregas and Samir Nasri situation eating up all of Wenger's living moments. With them gone, a fourth placed finish in jeopardy, he moved decisively on transfer deadline and did pick up some excellent bargains who played regular minutes in the starting squad. We managed a respectable third thanks to those replacements and RVP. This year, the frustration has been mitigated somewhat with the arrivals of Podolski, Giroud, and Cazorla well before and Arsenal holding well with Abou Diaby and Mikel Arteta working centrally in the first two matches till Jack Wilshere and Tomas Rosicky work their way back to give more options.

Defence, an issue shows undeniable improvement: There appears to be an early assurance to Arsenal's defense. Steve Bould's imprint shows up in zonal marking on set pieces, less panic defending long balls, more tracking output from other players. Wenger probably sees this as encouragement they can keep things close even if Arsenal take their time get stuck in with their attack. RVP and Song's loss is keenly felt but the defensive displays are proving to be the difference between frustration and outright angst. Of course, all could change with a crucial fixture against Liverpool tomorrow, Chelsea and United to follow in the next few weeks, in what could define Arsenal's season early enough.