Premier premiere

the banter / WITH TONY NGARE

The traditional curtain raiser in the English Premier League has come and gone. I’m not too sure we can read too much into the Community Shield contest between Chelsea and Manchester United.

Why do I say so? Contrary to popular belief, the Community Shield duel, if you could call it so, is just another pre-season match. This is why managers are allowed to make as many substitutions as they wish. Honestly speaking, I find it obscenely extravagant and wasteful to pop champagne after winning the Shield.

Most players have just returned from summer holidays laced with booze and barbecue parties. The sharpness is anywhere between 50 to 70 per cent. Consequently, the astute performance that you would expect from players is nowhere near the finished product. However, having said that you cannot deny United the fact that they scored more goals even if Chelsea offered more attacking potent.

DREARY BLUES

In defence the Blues looked like a shade of the team that during Jose Mourinho’s time conceded just 18 goals or thereabout in the entire season.

If Chelsea were a little flat by their own high standards, then at least they were able to demonstrate their hatred of losing to force a close finish and put their opponents into a nervous position that did not look likely when the score line was 2-0 in United’s favour. Chelsea does not look as ready for the season as the team expected to challenge them hardest for their title. They have not enjoyed a fruitful pre-season from a defensive point of view, where some of the wobbles they encountered last season have reared up again. As for the attacking rhythm that propelled them towards so many goals last term, Carlo Ancelotti’s men are not quite fizzing yet.

Shockingly, even the usually lazy black sheep of United forward line Dimitar Berbatov was all over the Blues box terrorising John Terry and company.

battle ahead

This win just makes the real war more appealing the next time the two teams meet.

Of course, Red Devils new signing Javier Hernandez is going to be a force to be reckoned with. He displayed that he can make a difference by constantly being a pain in all the wrong places for Chelsea.

He seemed to have a near telepathic understanding with Berbatov and he had a hand in almost everything breathtaking in United’s second half performance.

Though coming from South America, a region that footballers usually require several months to acclimatise to the frenetic premiership pace, Hernandez who curiously goes by the name Chicharito meaning ‘little pea’ displayed the verve that you would expect of seasoned premiership stars. He may have announced his arrival with a most unorthodox goal but when the tally of regular scorers is compiled I will not be surprised if he makes the cut.

Now, onto the action proper.

MOUTH-WATERING FIXTURES

This weekend has two mouth-watering fixtures. The early kick-off clash tomorrow pitting Tottenham against Man City is sure going to thrust English Premier League fans into the deep end straightaway. These two teams scrambled like wild mongrels for the last Champions League spot and with Tottenham pipping the Moneybags, this is surely an interesting way to set the ball rolling.

The other major tie sees Arsenal visit Liverpool. Now, if you are not a seasoned Gooner, this is the wrong time to become an Arsenal fan. Supporting Arsenal has its own contra-indications. Just like you cannot use Viagra if you got heart problems, you cannot support Arsenal if you are faint-hearted. If your lineage has a history of heart related tragedies, probably Arsenal is not the most ideal team to support. This Sunday, the team travels to Liverpool without a ‘recognisable’ goalkeeper.

It’s not clear who is the number one keeper at Arsenal. In the last pre-season match the Polish keeper Lukasz Fabianski let in five goals in a match that Arsenal ended up 6-5 as eventual winners. He now claims that he is the first choice keeper as he has played more pre-season matches. The other one, Manuel Almunia, still believes he is the Arsenal keeper ‘as he has a contract’ with Arsenal. If the Gooners feel that they do not have a keeper worth to wear Arsenal number One jersey, it’s not out of disrespect, it’s out of experience.