The best league in the World

It was a ripper of a match, not withstanding Cashley being booed and Drogba getting back to doing the man 'on the diving trapeze'.Chelsea had to thank a tireless Essien who was hero as well as villain in missing one late chance. The picture would show Chelsea had tons of chances till the last minute. However, the difference in the two sides lies in the very approach. Attacking teams try to work around the opposition on the field and overpower them through sheer skill.Take for instance, there is a confusing maze to pass through. Arsenal would go through the route using their ingenuity and skill and make it through the maze. Chelsea would use a battering ram to break through the walls of the maze and come out. Arsenal call it pretty foorball, Chelsea justify theirs as effective.Imagine, You have money to feed the entire African continent. You can get any player you want. You are the most sought after club in the country(for more pounds per week you offer obviously).Would you still prefer to play like Bolton who have to do with all superannuated veterans due to their weaker financial clout? Mr. Kenyon will have to answer this question first before opening his big mouth about transforming a club with 'no history' to 'the biggest club in the world' by 2014.



Now coming to the main topic, one weekend is enough for all critics and the ever fickle media to forget the misgivings(literally) of this season. For all the hype surrounding it, EPL has been the most frugal league this season having conceded the fewest goals. With more cynical defenders (Boulahrouz, Sonko, Meite, etc.)and more attacking players leaving(Ruud, Reyes, Pires, etc), Catennachio doesn't seem no longer applying only to Italy. No surprises for guessing who is the harbinger for this trend. Again, TrueBlue is the answer. If the league leaders themselves are happy to sit back after a goal advantage, you can't expect the pack to play any entertaining football for they'll be made to look like jackasses as Chelsea keep winning playing ugly. It was the problem with Italy. With 'dark arts' expert, Juventus not dictating terms, Serie-A has shed its bad boy image, atleast on field. Roma are going great guns and poor losers Inter are on a purple patch as well. Arguably, La Liga leads the pack when it comes to attacking football with atleast one major goal rout guaranteed every week. Heartening to see Sevilla doing well. They seriously have the look of the champions. More of matches like the London Derby last night is needed if EPL is to live up to its name as the most entertaining football league in the world.

In a world of Sanity

Well, there's not much to brag about atleast from the Emirates and Anfield who are doing their worst in trying to join the bandwagon of 'also-rans'.

However, I feel my imagination deserves a pat on the back(!). I can envisage some events which can change the landscape of English Football. Following are the headlines that flash across my mind frequently.

1) Following Titus Bramble's rock solid performances at the back helping Newcastle avoid relegation on the last day of the premiership and in guiding the Geordies to Quarter-finals in UEFA cup, he has been awarded the coveted Ballon D'Or in a grand function to be held at the Stadium of Light, just a few miles across the St.James Park. Titus joins the likes of legendary defenders like Mathias Sammer and Franz Beckenbauer and our very own Michael Owen(People still can't digest how Michael won the award 4 years back. All the legendary figures, kindly forgive me)



2) For his consistency in front of goal (in scoring or missing is an entirely different issue altogether), Aston Villa's prolific hitman Juan Pablo Angel is being awarded the Players' Writers Association award of the year.



3) The situation is like this: A new award is being constituted to be given at the end of the season for the Most Fair play Team award which commits minimum of fouls and shoulder barges.The headlines goes as follows:

Under the astute helmsmanship of Kevin Nolan and Sam Allardyce, Bolton Wanderers creates history by picking up the inaugural Fair play award for this season.



4) It's that time of the year when all the hardwork and perseverance of players will pay off. From a tough shortlist that included Patrick Vieira and Mark van Bommel, Didier Drogba manages to come out trumps and claims the prestigious World Player of the Year. Chelsea Manager Jose Mourinho had this to say: "He should have won this long time back. Though it has come late, it's a just reward for his all round displays" (All round includes pulling shirts, diving, using all parts of the body including hands to nick a goal and surreptitiously evading yellow cards).According to inside sources, the apparent reason why PV and Bommel missed out inspite of them being the masters in the fields of card collection and diving respectively is that they lacked all round qualities like Drogba did.



The harbinger for these rude shocks has to be the continuing stupidity in picking winners. Right from 2003 when Zidane was picked for virtually no great feat performed that year, things have taken turn for the worse. In 2004, Ronaldinho was awarded because his influence helped a struggling Barcelona to second place, likewise if a previously relegation threatened Portsmouth manage to get a UEFA cup spot at the end of this season, they should give World Player award to Kanu who incidentally is joint top scorer in EPL till now. Plain logic. Barcelona from midtable to second, Portsmouth from the fangs of relegation last season to UEFA cup spot. By that logic someone from Blackburn Rovers must've got it now. Shouldn't they? There should not be any favour towards specific players in specific clubs in specific leagues.

Cannavaro and Zidane who had very average and poor seasons respectively with their clubs are chosen for World Player just on the basis of their World Cup Heroics. Ronaldinho, on the contrary is there inspite of the most insipid performance in the World Cup. Henry, who had an above average performance individually has not even been considered. Deco who had a good World Cup showing to back his two medals with Barcelona isn't there. There has never been any talk of the dirty work being done before Cannavaro decelerating the opponents. If Lippi was the brain, Gattuso was the soul of the Italian fightback. Cannavaro can be termed brilliant for his individual performance (without Gattuso and Pirlo, imagine!) and his marshalling of his troops. Nothing more.

Time and again, this awards process has been proven to be a farce. This only reinforces my belief.