Seeing as there is so much on the line this weekend in the Premiership, I thought I would do my predictions for this weekends games.
Here they are:
Saturday's Games:
Birmingham 3-0 Burnley
Man City 2-1 Aston Villa
Portsmouth 2-2 Wolves
Stoke 1-1 Everton
Tottenham 4-0 Bolton
Sunday's Games:
Fulham 1-2 West Ham
Liverpool 1-3 Chelsea
Sunderland 1-2 Man United
Monday's Games:
Blackburn 1-1 Arsenal
Wigan 2-1 Hull
Enjoy the weekend.
Friday, April 30, 2010
Thursday, April 29, 2010
Lampard Will Be Key
Throughout this blog I've not really had any post that has focused on just one player. Building up to the World Cup now, I am going to occasionally pick a player who I think will be vital for England if we are going to be victorious this summer. The first player I'm going to focus on is Frank Lampard.
Lampard has consistently been one of Chelsea's best players since he joined in 2001. One of Lampard's biggest qualities is his ability to keep going and wanting to improve. He played in 164 consecutive Premier League games setting a new record along the way. In the modern era that is an astonishing record when you think of how quickly the games come around and how managers at top clubs rotate their players. It shows how highly thought of Lampard is and how he takes proper care of himself.
Lampard is one of the best goalscoring midfielders in the world. His record speaks for itself. This season he has scored 20 in the Premiership. That is more than Torres and Defoe, 2 of the best forwards in the league. All managers want a 20-goal a year forward. So to have that from a midfielder is extremely beneficial to Chelsea. He consistently scores goals as he has scored 20 goals or more every season since the 04/05 season. He can score all types of goals too which makes him so dangerous. As well as his goalscoring he creates chances. Last season he created more than double the amount of chances than any other player in the league.
He has often been recognized for his performances with awards and rightly so. These include coming 2nd in the world player of the year and European player of the year award, England player of the year twice, Chelsea player of the year 3 times, UEFA club midfielder of the year, FIFpro World XI, and was player of the decade according to official statistics to name a few.
He has been capped by England 77 times and scored 20 goals. If England are to be successful this summer we need goals to come from everywhere, we can't just rely on Rooney and the other forwards. Lampard has not always performed well for England like he does for Chelsea, but, that can be said of a lot of players and he has received some harsh criticism. He is always dangerous though, and is as cool as they come from the penalty spot. He had scored more than 20 straight and not missed in 3 years till he missed on this season.
I think Lampard will have a big World Cup and will be one of the players of the tournament.
Here's a video highlighting his qualities. My 3 favorite moments from this video in no order:
-Seeing his range of passing and how he creates so many chances by having great awareness.
-His goal against Bayern Munich where he turns 360 degrees and finishes with his weaker left foot was a great goal.
-His goal against Barcelona which was incredibly cheeky to be shooting from basically on the touchline and took an unbelievable amount of skill to chip the keeper from there.
Lampard has consistently been one of Chelsea's best players since he joined in 2001. One of Lampard's biggest qualities is his ability to keep going and wanting to improve. He played in 164 consecutive Premier League games setting a new record along the way. In the modern era that is an astonishing record when you think of how quickly the games come around and how managers at top clubs rotate their players. It shows how highly thought of Lampard is and how he takes proper care of himself.
Lampard is one of the best goalscoring midfielders in the world. His record speaks for itself. This season he has scored 20 in the Premiership. That is more than Torres and Defoe, 2 of the best forwards in the league. All managers want a 20-goal a year forward. So to have that from a midfielder is extremely beneficial to Chelsea. He consistently scores goals as he has scored 20 goals or more every season since the 04/05 season. He can score all types of goals too which makes him so dangerous. As well as his goalscoring he creates chances. Last season he created more than double the amount of chances than any other player in the league.
He has often been recognized for his performances with awards and rightly so. These include coming 2nd in the world player of the year and European player of the year award, England player of the year twice, Chelsea player of the year 3 times, UEFA club midfielder of the year, FIFpro World XI, and was player of the decade according to official statistics to name a few.
He has been capped by England 77 times and scored 20 goals. If England are to be successful this summer we need goals to come from everywhere, we can't just rely on Rooney and the other forwards. Lampard has not always performed well for England like he does for Chelsea, but, that can be said of a lot of players and he has received some harsh criticism. He is always dangerous though, and is as cool as they come from the penalty spot. He had scored more than 20 straight and not missed in 3 years till he missed on this season.
I think Lampard will have a big World Cup and will be one of the players of the tournament.
Here's a video highlighting his qualities. My 3 favorite moments from this video in no order:
-Seeing his range of passing and how he creates so many chances by having great awareness.
-His goal against Bayern Munich where he turns 360 degrees and finishes with his weaker left foot was a great goal.
-His goal against Barcelona which was incredibly cheeky to be shooting from basically on the touchline and took an unbelievable amount of skill to chip the keeper from there.
Monday, April 26, 2010
Rooney Player of the Year
Wayne Rooney was last night named PFA player of the year. He has had a great season and thoroughly deserved the award. He is injured at the moment but has promised that he will be fully fit for the World Cup and believes he may even be fit for Man United's last game against Stoke. It is good to see for English football, as often a foreigner has won the award over the last few years.
James Milner won the PFA young player of the year and again it is thoroughly deserved. He will surely be going to the World Cup after the season he has had and there hasn't been too many times this season when you can say he had a bad game. He picked up the award after scoring the winning penalty for Villa against Birmingham.
Frank Lampard may be hitting form at just the right time for England. As captain against Stoke Chelsea won 7-0. Lampard scored a brace and one of them was a sublime finish controlling the ball into the net with the outside of his boot from a cross. He also scored another penalty. It can only be good for England that at the moment we have players scoring penalties as our record in major tournaments when it comes to penalties is shocking at best In the same game Ashley Cole made his return and played a full 90. He was a little rusty as to be expected but has another 3 Chelsea games before Capello names his squad and I'm sure Capello would have been relieved to see him come through the game unscathed.
Harry Redknapp has been saying Capello should take Ledley King to South Africa. There's no arguing that King is a very good defender. But, with his injury history it makes it difficult to take someone like him to a tournament that is so intense and there is always game just around the corner. King can only play one game a week and only trains the day before a game, in that case how could he possibly be in the squad. It is too much of a risk. You would be better off taking his team mate Michael Dawson who has been in good form all year.
When it comes to that centre half position though I would really consider taking Sol Campbell. He has great experience, can always step in and do a good job and forwards rarely get the better of him. He is getting on but you need that calming influence and someone who has experience at this level during these tournaments. Plus, at all the major tournaments he has played for England in, he has always been one of our best players.
Seeing as Rooney and Milner both won awards last night it seems only right that I post videos of them.
Here's a good video of a Rooney compilation.
I couldn't find a Milner compilation so instead I just chose to post one of the many screamers he has scored this season. Enjoy.
James Milner won the PFA young player of the year and again it is thoroughly deserved. He will surely be going to the World Cup after the season he has had and there hasn't been too many times this season when you can say he had a bad game. He picked up the award after scoring the winning penalty for Villa against Birmingham.
Frank Lampard may be hitting form at just the right time for England. As captain against Stoke Chelsea won 7-0. Lampard scored a brace and one of them was a sublime finish controlling the ball into the net with the outside of his boot from a cross. He also scored another penalty. It can only be good for England that at the moment we have players scoring penalties as our record in major tournaments when it comes to penalties is shocking at best In the same game Ashley Cole made his return and played a full 90. He was a little rusty as to be expected but has another 3 Chelsea games before Capello names his squad and I'm sure Capello would have been relieved to see him come through the game unscathed.
Harry Redknapp has been saying Capello should take Ledley King to South Africa. There's no arguing that King is a very good defender. But, with his injury history it makes it difficult to take someone like him to a tournament that is so intense and there is always game just around the corner. King can only play one game a week and only trains the day before a game, in that case how could he possibly be in the squad. It is too much of a risk. You would be better off taking his team mate Michael Dawson who has been in good form all year.
When it comes to that centre half position though I would really consider taking Sol Campbell. He has great experience, can always step in and do a good job and forwards rarely get the better of him. He is getting on but you need that calming influence and someone who has experience at this level during these tournaments. Plus, at all the major tournaments he has played for England in, he has always been one of our best players.
Seeing as Rooney and Milner both won awards last night it seems only right that I post videos of them.
Here's a good video of a Rooney compilation.
I couldn't find a Milner compilation so instead I just chose to post one of the many screamers he has scored this season. Enjoy.
Tuesday, April 20, 2010
Days flying By
So my prediction for Liverpool against West Ham couldn't have been further from the truth. West Ham were absolutely shocking and made it easy for Liverpool. Gerrard looked decent, Green had no help from the defense in front of him and Upson was playing by himself in the back four.
James Milner's performances have certainly caught the eye this year. Rumors today speculate that Man City are going to be making a big bid for him in the summer. He has had a great year but I dont think moving will help him or his international credentials. He plays every week at Villa in his new natural centre midfield position. If he moves to one of the bigger clubs I could see him being shoved out wide and not starting every game.
Although there is no English interest in the Champions League anymore, the Inter Milan and Barcelona tie today was interestign viewing with many players from that game to go to the World Cup. Barcelona went ahead and you would have expected them to go on from there. Milan though, under Mourinho, came back to win 3-1 and well deserved. Barcelona have a lot to do in the second leg and will have no Puyol as he will be suspended. He has been poor lately and will be playing for Spain in the summer. We saw that Messi is human as he was never really involved in the game. Xavi though continues to find passes that seem impossible and it is a scary thought that Torres and David Villa will be running on to them passes for Spain.
If England do meet Spain, then they are going to have to be on top of their game. It's a scary thought how much quality they have and then to top it off they have cover in every position. It is going to take either a special performance to beat Spain or a lot of luck.
It would be nice if this man didn't recover in time for the World Cup, his meant to be back in less than a month now, but I'm sure there would be a lot of non-Spainards very happy if he didn't make it.
James Milner's performances have certainly caught the eye this year. Rumors today speculate that Man City are going to be making a big bid for him in the summer. He has had a great year but I dont think moving will help him or his international credentials. He plays every week at Villa in his new natural centre midfield position. If he moves to one of the bigger clubs I could see him being shoved out wide and not starting every game.
Although there is no English interest in the Champions League anymore, the Inter Milan and Barcelona tie today was interestign viewing with many players from that game to go to the World Cup. Barcelona went ahead and you would have expected them to go on from there. Milan though, under Mourinho, came back to win 3-1 and well deserved. Barcelona have a lot to do in the second leg and will have no Puyol as he will be suspended. He has been poor lately and will be playing for Spain in the summer. We saw that Messi is human as he was never really involved in the game. Xavi though continues to find passes that seem impossible and it is a scary thought that Torres and David Villa will be running on to them passes for Spain.
If England do meet Spain, then they are going to have to be on top of their game. It's a scary thought how much quality they have and then to top it off they have cover in every position. It is going to take either a special performance to beat Spain or a lot of luck.
It would be nice if this man didn't recover in time for the World Cup, his meant to be back in less than a month now, but I'm sure there would be a lot of non-Spainards very happy if he didn't make it.
Sunday, April 18, 2010
Players State Their Case
Well, it certainly showed to be an interesting weekend in the Premiership. The title race was blown wide open again and 4th place once again switched hands.
It was a perfect weekend for Man United. They beat rivals Man City 1-0 with Tottenham beating Chelsea 2-1 closing the gap at the top to just 1 point with 3 games remaining and Wigan beating Arsenal 3-2 ending Arsenal's title challenge. Worryingly for Capello Rio Ferdinand was once again not fit and his fitness must be giving Capello some headaches as he has suffered all year. The World Cup is an intense month with games coming thick and fast and Ferdinand needs to prove he will be able to cope with that.
Capello then made it to White Hart Lane for the derby between Spurs and Chelsea and would have had mixed feelings with what he saw. Michael Dawson had Didier Drogba in his pocket the whole game showing that he could do a job for England and I would definitely take him in front of Lescott. Jermaine Defoe scored a penalty but missed a glorious opportunity when one-on-one with Petr Cech. John Terry was sent off for pure stupidity and certainly Capello would not have been impressed. Terry gave away a first-half penalty, was then booked for a tackle on Defoe and with Chelsea 2-0 down fighting to get back into the game he inexplicably chopped down Gareth Bale to get his second booking. It was utter madness and indiscipline from the Chelsea captain. Frank Lampard scored and tried to make things happen but struggled and Joe Cole wasted the chance to impress being subbed at half-time after a disappointing performance.
David James played well in goal for Portsmouth and saved a penalty. He is still fighting with Rob Green and Joe Hart for the number 1 shirt. They surely have to be the 3 keepers on the plane and the only thing for Capello to decide is who he is going to trust in goal.
Darren Bent scored again. He just keeps scoring in a poor Sunderland side. Working against Bent though, is that when he has had his chance to play for England he has been poor.
Liverpool against West Ham is the last game to wrap up the weekend’s football and will see a few England players on display. I fancy West Ham may get a draw especially after the news that Torres will miss the rest of the season.
I saw this and thought it was quite funny.
http://www.thesun.co.uk/sol/homepage/sport/top10s/2927639/Top-10-football-superstitions.html
It was a perfect weekend for Man United. They beat rivals Man City 1-0 with Tottenham beating Chelsea 2-1 closing the gap at the top to just 1 point with 3 games remaining and Wigan beating Arsenal 3-2 ending Arsenal's title challenge. Worryingly for Capello Rio Ferdinand was once again not fit and his fitness must be giving Capello some headaches as he has suffered all year. The World Cup is an intense month with games coming thick and fast and Ferdinand needs to prove he will be able to cope with that.
Capello then made it to White Hart Lane for the derby between Spurs and Chelsea and would have had mixed feelings with what he saw. Michael Dawson had Didier Drogba in his pocket the whole game showing that he could do a job for England and I would definitely take him in front of Lescott. Jermaine Defoe scored a penalty but missed a glorious opportunity when one-on-one with Petr Cech. John Terry was sent off for pure stupidity and certainly Capello would not have been impressed. Terry gave away a first-half penalty, was then booked for a tackle on Defoe and with Chelsea 2-0 down fighting to get back into the game he inexplicably chopped down Gareth Bale to get his second booking. It was utter madness and indiscipline from the Chelsea captain. Frank Lampard scored and tried to make things happen but struggled and Joe Cole wasted the chance to impress being subbed at half-time after a disappointing performance.
David James played well in goal for Portsmouth and saved a penalty. He is still fighting with Rob Green and Joe Hart for the number 1 shirt. They surely have to be the 3 keepers on the plane and the only thing for Capello to decide is who he is going to trust in goal.
Darren Bent scored again. He just keeps scoring in a poor Sunderland side. Working against Bent though, is that when he has had his chance to play for England he has been poor.
Liverpool against West Ham is the last game to wrap up the weekend’s football and will see a few England players on display. I fancy West Ham may get a draw especially after the news that Torres will miss the rest of the season.
I saw this and thought it was quite funny.
http://www.thesun.co.uk/sol/homepage/sport/top10s/2927639/Top-10-football-superstitions.html
Friday, April 16, 2010
Massive Weekend In The Premiership
This weekend is absolutely crucial for many England players with many key games taking place. At the top we have the Manchester Derby, with United now 4 points behind Chelsea they have to win every game to stand a chance of winning the league. They face a very tough game away at Manchester City though who have been in very good form and need to keep winning to be sure of finishing 4th and getting that elusive Champions League spot. With it being a derby adds an extra spice to it and it will be interesting to see Tevez and Neville face off again after what happened in the Carling Cup.
Another derby sees Chelsea play at Tottenham. Spurs will be full of confidence after beating Arsenal and will hope to put a dent in Chelsea's title bid. Spurs also need to win to keep the pressure up on Man City who are 1 point in front of them in the fight for 4th.
These two games alone will see many of the probable England squad including: Neville, Ferdinand, Carrick, Rooney, Richards, Wright-Phillips, Barry, Bridge (If he changes his mind about retiring), Terry, A Cole (back from injury will be on the bench), Lampard, J Cole, King, Huddlestone, and Defoe as well as many other top international players who will be at the World Cup.
I will be watching both games and will be posting again over the weekend to give my reviews on the games and players. It has the potential to be an amazing weekend of football.
How about this for your full debut in a North London derby, in one of the biggest games of the season. What a strike.
Another derby sees Chelsea play at Tottenham. Spurs will be full of confidence after beating Arsenal and will hope to put a dent in Chelsea's title bid. Spurs also need to win to keep the pressure up on Man City who are 1 point in front of them in the fight for 4th.
These two games alone will see many of the probable England squad including: Neville, Ferdinand, Carrick, Rooney, Richards, Wright-Phillips, Barry, Bridge (If he changes his mind about retiring), Terry, A Cole (back from injury will be on the bench), Lampard, J Cole, King, Huddlestone, and Defoe as well as many other top international players who will be at the World Cup.
I will be watching both games and will be posting again over the weekend to give my reviews on the games and players. It has the potential to be an amazing weekend of football.
How about this for your full debut in a North London derby, in one of the biggest games of the season. What a strike.
Wednesday, April 14, 2010
Great England Moments Part 1
So there is just 57 days till the greatest tournament on earth kicks off and I cannot wait. As my excitement is growing I thought it would be a good time to reflect on some of England's greatest moments and this is of course only one place to start: 1966.
By far the greatest moment in England's history winning the World Cup on home soil in 1966. Seeing Bobby Moore lifting the trophy in that picture makes me tingle even though I was not born till 21 years later. Geoff Hurst still holds the record of being the only man to ever score a hat-trick in a World Cup final and it was a team filled with legends. The XI from that day who won the Jules Rimet trophy were: Banks, Cohen, Wilson, Charlton (Jack), Moore (C), Ball, Stiles, Charlton (Bobby), Peters, Hunt and Hurst. It is every England players dream to write themselves into history like these players have done and it is every England fan's dream that it will happen in South Africa.
The 1970 World Cup in Mexico saw one of the best saves ever seen from Gordon Banks off a Pele header. It is still astonishing to understand how he managed to save it and get it up and over the bar. England eventually lost to West Germany 3-2 after extra time in the quarter-finals although there was Banks and a few other England players were ill with food and there has always been a strong opinion that there food in the hotel was spiked.
Here is a link for that save.
The 1986 World Cup is forever remembered for two moments, unfortunately they both involve England. Firstly the greatest player of the time Maradona out jumped Shilton in goal for England and then used his hand to knock the ball in. None of the officials saw it and let it stand. That goal is forever now known as the 'Hand of God'. Then Maradona showed his real quality, picking the ball up on the halfway line and taking on most of the England team before scoring. England lost 2-1 to Argentina and exited the competition in a very bitter mood.
The 1990 World Cup we came so close yet still so far. Our best performance since winning it. Beaten by the Germans on penalties in the semi-finals. This being one of the most famous pictures in England's history of Gazza's tears after we lost. Being beaten on penalties would be become a returning theme.
As the World Cup continues to get closer I will do another Great England Moments looking at the last 3 World Cups and what went wrong.
By far the greatest moment in England's history winning the World Cup on home soil in 1966. Seeing Bobby Moore lifting the trophy in that picture makes me tingle even though I was not born till 21 years later. Geoff Hurst still holds the record of being the only man to ever score a hat-trick in a World Cup final and it was a team filled with legends. The XI from that day who won the Jules Rimet trophy were: Banks, Cohen, Wilson, Charlton (Jack), Moore (C), Ball, Stiles, Charlton (Bobby), Peters, Hunt and Hurst. It is every England players dream to write themselves into history like these players have done and it is every England fan's dream that it will happen in South Africa.
The 1970 World Cup in Mexico saw one of the best saves ever seen from Gordon Banks off a Pele header. It is still astonishing to understand how he managed to save it and get it up and over the bar. England eventually lost to West Germany 3-2 after extra time in the quarter-finals although there was Banks and a few other England players were ill with food and there has always been a strong opinion that there food in the hotel was spiked.
Here is a link for that save.
The 1986 World Cup is forever remembered for two moments, unfortunately they both involve England. Firstly the greatest player of the time Maradona out jumped Shilton in goal for England and then used his hand to knock the ball in. None of the officials saw it and let it stand. That goal is forever now known as the 'Hand of God'. Then Maradona showed his real quality, picking the ball up on the halfway line and taking on most of the England team before scoring. England lost 2-1 to Argentina and exited the competition in a very bitter mood.
The 1990 World Cup we came so close yet still so far. Our best performance since winning it. Beaten by the Germans on penalties in the semi-finals. This being one of the most famous pictures in England's history of Gazza's tears after we lost. Being beaten on penalties would be become a returning theme.As the World Cup continues to get closer I will do another Great England Moments looking at the last 3 World Cups and what went wrong.
Sunday, April 11, 2010
Mixed Week For England Players
Last week saw one of the greatest individual performances I've ever seen by a certain Lionel Messi again as he just continues to put in remarkable performances. He scored all 4 of Barcelona's goals as they thrashed Arsenal 4-1 to reach the semi-final of the Champions League. His 1st and 3rd goals were something special. The first he smashed the ball into the top corner from 20 yards and the 3rd after racing through he had the audacity to chip the keeper completing his hat-trick in just the first half. He then scored again last night against Real Madrid to take his tally to 40 for the season. He is certainly the best in the world right now and is a player England would have to pay very close attention to should we meet Argentina.
England fans were delighted to see the unexpected return of Wayne Rooney a lot sooner than expected. He played 60 odd minutes last week in the defeat to Bayern Munich which ended all English teams competing in the Champions League this year. He went off with a knock on the same ankle after being the victim of a lot of special attention from the German side. It is nothing to serious although he did miss yesterday’s game against Blackburn he will be fine.
Another great bit of good news for England fans is that Ashley Cole will be ready to play before the end of the month meaning he will be able to play 3 or 4 games before Capello announces his squad. It will ease some stress from him and means he will no longer have to worry about the whole Wayne Bridge fiasco. Bridge should never be selected for England again I believe, he turned his back on his country.
John Terry showed there are no friends in soccer when Chelsea played Aston Villa on Saturday. He has been heavily criticized by Villa manager Martin O'Neill and John Carew for his tackle on fellow England teammate James Milner. Milner has a very good chance of starting in June with the performances he has been putting in and that right midfield spot is wide open. Theo Walcott, Aaron Lennon and Shaun Wright-Phillips are all other options but I don't think Walcott's good enough, his final ball is very poor 90% of the time and his first touch is shocking. Lennon has been injured since Christmas and it’s still doubtful if he will be back in time. Wright-Phillips is too hit and miss still, his either very good or very bad. For me I think I would start Milner he has really impressed this year and he has matured and improved.
I know this is meant to be a blog focusing on England but I had to post this video of Messi’s 4 goals. It also shows how Walcott has a poor final ball as he got really lucky with the poor ball that he played across for the Arsenal goal. It was an easy pass and he very nearly messed it up.
England fans were delighted to see the unexpected return of Wayne Rooney a lot sooner than expected. He played 60 odd minutes last week in the defeat to Bayern Munich which ended all English teams competing in the Champions League this year. He went off with a knock on the same ankle after being the victim of a lot of special attention from the German side. It is nothing to serious although he did miss yesterday’s game against Blackburn he will be fine.
Another great bit of good news for England fans is that Ashley Cole will be ready to play before the end of the month meaning he will be able to play 3 or 4 games before Capello announces his squad. It will ease some stress from him and means he will no longer have to worry about the whole Wayne Bridge fiasco. Bridge should never be selected for England again I believe, he turned his back on his country.
John Terry showed there are no friends in soccer when Chelsea played Aston Villa on Saturday. He has been heavily criticized by Villa manager Martin O'Neill and John Carew for his tackle on fellow England teammate James Milner. Milner has a very good chance of starting in June with the performances he has been putting in and that right midfield spot is wide open. Theo Walcott, Aaron Lennon and Shaun Wright-Phillips are all other options but I don't think Walcott's good enough, his final ball is very poor 90% of the time and his first touch is shocking. Lennon has been injured since Christmas and it’s still doubtful if he will be back in time. Wright-Phillips is too hit and miss still, his either very good or very bad. For me I think I would start Milner he has really impressed this year and he has matured and improved.
I know this is meant to be a blog focusing on England but I had to post this video of Messi’s 4 goals. It also shows how Walcott has a poor final ball as he got really lucky with the poor ball that he played across for the Arsenal goal. It was an easy pass and he very nearly messed it up.
Monday, April 5, 2010
Fringe Players Make Their Mark
Joe Cole, Bobby Zamora, Darren Bent, and Peter Crouch made have all given Fabio Capello even more of a headache after the last course of matches.
Joe Cole scored an incredibly cheeky cruyff through the legs of a Man Utd defender in helping Chelsea to gain a vital 3 points at Old Trafford. He has only played 90 minutes twice this season but he got a rare opportunity to start the top of the table clash on Saturday. He grabbed the opportunity with both hands not only by scoring the skillful goal but his all round game was impressive. He worked hard, won the ball back, kept the ball and looked to make things happen. If he can get a few more starts before the end of the season and help Chelsea to win the title then he could make a late run to make the England squad.
Bobby Zamora continued his impressive season by bagging another goal against Wolfsburg in the Europa League. He is a handful for defenders as he is big, strong, quick and can score all different types of goals. With Capello liking to have a big man partnering Rooney up front Zamora is doing he all can to be that man. Heskey has been the preferred choice for Capello but he still doesn't score enough goals. Zamora is a very similar player to Heskey but is more of a threat.
Darren Bent and Peter Crouch faced off in the same game with Bent grabbing the headlines. Bent scored twice as his Sunderland beat Crouch's Tottenham 3-1. Bent though had a glorious opportunity to score hat-trick but missed 2 penalties with Gomes saving both of them. This was after Bent had already scored 1 penalty. He has now scored 23 times this season in what can be described as an average Sunderland team. Crouch on the other hand came on with 20 minutes to go and scored with his first touch. His size is something that defenders especially foreign defenders still have so much trouble coping with. He also has a goal ratio of 1 every 2 games for England. He is certainly going to the World Cup but could very well be starting with Rooney when England play their first game against USA on June 12th.
With teams having just 5 or 6 games left till the end of the season, players chances to impress are becoming less and less. Every game must be treated like the last game of the season and every mistake counts. Capello will know most of his squad by now and probably most of the starting 11 making every game crucial.
Here's some of Joe Cole's finest moments including the stunning volley against Sweden at the 2006 World Cup and embarrassing the Man Utd defense.
Joe Cole scored an incredibly cheeky cruyff through the legs of a Man Utd defender in helping Chelsea to gain a vital 3 points at Old Trafford. He has only played 90 minutes twice this season but he got a rare opportunity to start the top of the table clash on Saturday. He grabbed the opportunity with both hands not only by scoring the skillful goal but his all round game was impressive. He worked hard, won the ball back, kept the ball and looked to make things happen. If he can get a few more starts before the end of the season and help Chelsea to win the title then he could make a late run to make the England squad.
Bobby Zamora continued his impressive season by bagging another goal against Wolfsburg in the Europa League. He is a handful for defenders as he is big, strong, quick and can score all different types of goals. With Capello liking to have a big man partnering Rooney up front Zamora is doing he all can to be that man. Heskey has been the preferred choice for Capello but he still doesn't score enough goals. Zamora is a very similar player to Heskey but is more of a threat.
Darren Bent and Peter Crouch faced off in the same game with Bent grabbing the headlines. Bent scored twice as his Sunderland beat Crouch's Tottenham 3-1. Bent though had a glorious opportunity to score hat-trick but missed 2 penalties with Gomes saving both of them. This was after Bent had already scored 1 penalty. He has now scored 23 times this season in what can be described as an average Sunderland team. Crouch on the other hand came on with 20 minutes to go and scored with his first touch. His size is something that defenders especially foreign defenders still have so much trouble coping with. He also has a goal ratio of 1 every 2 games for England. He is certainly going to the World Cup but could very well be starting with Rooney when England play their first game against USA on June 12th.
With teams having just 5 or 6 games left till the end of the season, players chances to impress are becoming less and less. Every game must be treated like the last game of the season and every mistake counts. Capello will know most of his squad by now and probably most of the starting 11 making every game crucial.
Here's some of Joe Cole's finest moments including the stunning volley against Sweden at the 2006 World Cup and embarrassing the Man Utd defense.
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