The PFA worth sweet FA?
ON APRIL 17TH the great and the rest will gather in London for the Professional Footballers’ Association player of the year awards. It will be tuxes galore and eulogies to bore as the cream of English football gives itself a collective pat on the back.
One breeze through this year’s nominees gives some weight to the idea that this has been a mediocre season for the Premier League. Only Carlos Tevez and Nemanja Vidic would be worthy winners. Both have been consistently excellent and especially in Vidic’s case are fundamental to their sides.
Spurs wingman Garth Bale is the bookies favourite for the gong meaning the votes must have been cast back in December for while the Welshman was electric in that period, he has done nothing since to warrant being called the finest player in England for the past year.
The last time the PFA handed out their top prize to a Tottenham winger, Manchester United won the lot and Roy Keane was the captain driving it. A similar fate may await Nemanja Vidic.
Torres still feeling blue
The story in the Mail on Sunday about the possible departure of Fernando Torres from Chelsea this summer should be taken with a silo load of salt, despite the presence of an “insider”.
Should the Spaniard fail to score for the rest of the season, Roman Abramovich will not get rid of him. The same man hung on to Andrei Shevchenko for three seasons remember.
Torres came off the bench and missed another chance as Chelsea ground out a 1-0 win over Wigan on Saturday. A whole host of opinion has been laid on his misfortune this season – be it his body language, his failure to strike up any relationship with the likes of Didier Drogba, injuries, or the problems of adjusting mid-season to a new team.
Maybe the after-effects of Spain’s win in South Africa last summer are still being felt by a man who was clearly unfit during the tournament yet continued to plough on. Even David Villa’s standards have dropped this season. A solid pre-season and “el Niño” will be back to being the man.
Lame Duck Louis finally dismissed
The end has mercifully come for Louis van Gaal at Bayern Munich. He announced last month that he would be leaving Munich in the summer and Bayern quickly gave the job to Jupp Heyneckes.
Van Gaal’s brief for the rest of the season was simple – guide Bayern to the Champions League spots. But a 1-1 draw at Nurnberg dropped Bayern outside of those spots and so Louis walked the plank.
He came, he very nearly went, he very nearly conquered and now he’s gone. The Bundesliga will be duller without him. Give him a ring and then a chequebook, Roman.
Napoli continue to chase down Milan
Napoli took 15,000 fans to Bologna yesterday and they watched their side go level on points with AC Milan on top of Serie A with a 2-0 win. Marek Hamsik sealed the win with a penalty.
They are daring to dream in Naples. This season is already their finest in the modern era but now having drawn so close to the top, they are beginning to believe they can be champions.
Even Trap thinks they can do it – “it can be an advantage not to be the favourites.” Presumably he has seen a DVD.
Weekend’s Cult Hero: Francesco Totti
The Watercooler is a fully paid-up member of the Francesco Totti fan club. The King of Rome was at his match winning best the weekend as he scored two including a fantastic penalty in Roma’s 2-1 at Udinese.
Be it becoming an amateur cameraman, one of the worst penalty misses of all time, or kicking Balotelli, Totti is always value for money.He is also a wonderful footballer, capable of pretty much anything on the pitch and a World Cup winner to boot. Dunphy once labelled him “a nothing player,” joining an exclusive list with the likes of Michael Platini and Cristiano Ronaldo.
His loyalty to Roma must be admired, for while the Italians are a huge club they have never been in a position to challenge in Europe, nor are they always challenging for the Scudetto. Forza Francesco.
