Midweek Matches: Recap & Review

Some big games this midweek in the Prem! First and foremost, title challengers Chelsea met Portsmouth, a club whose fate as relegation fodder has been sealed for some time. On paper, this fixture is a snoozefest, but Chelsea’s worrying dip in form lately meant that 3 pts from this match were absolutely vital. Beyond that, it’s always interesting to see a manager take on his former club, as Avram “the Grump” Grant did on Wednesday. But this one had no surprises, as the Blues ran out with a confidence boosting 5-0 victory. Drogba and Malouda each had braces, as Lamps rounded out the scoring with his head in the final minutes.

The ever-intriguing race for 4^th had some big matches on Wednesday too, as Man City hosted the Toffees. A well-organized Everton finished 2-0 up, but the most interesting bit of this match was Mancini’s touch line bust-up with David Moyes. Moyes took just a little too long giving the ball back to a City player late in the game, and Mancini barged into the Everton gaffer, before the altercation got both managers sent off. Personally, I wouldn’t fancy Mancini in that one, nor would I like to go toe to toe with the gruff Scot.

Villa had a chance to boost their Champions League hopes as Sunderland came to visit, but Steve Bruce’s impressive side held on to come away with a point after Frazier Campbell’s earlier effort was cancelled out by the on-form Carew. On a side-note, no goals for DBent in this one, who is one of the most under-rated players in the Prem—at least in my humble opinion.

Blackburn Rovers also continued their remarkable run of form at home against Birmingham City, winning 2-1. In the FA Cup, ‘Arry’s Spurs sent Fulham crashing out with three 2^nd half goals, but they still have Europa League aspirations after last week’s incredible triumph over Juventus.

As mentioned on Monday, Zola’s problems continued with a horrible loss at home to Wolves, 3-1. The Hammers only goal came in stoppage time, and the Upton Park faithful were calling for the manager’s head long before then. David Gold has asked for patience and support for Zola from the fans, but this problem isn’t going away.

The Zola Dilemma

As a Chelsea fan, there are few people in the world of football I like more than Gianfranco Zola. I had high hopes for him when he took over the reigns of West Ham from Alan Curbishley in 2008. But quite frankly, it’s just not going right for Zola this season.

The Hammers find themselves very much in the relegation scrap, and after owners Sullivan/Gold initially said they had full confidence in Zola, they have now given him two days to save his job.

Unfortunately, it’s the right decision. Premier League management is not an easy or forgiving gig, and job safety is contingent almost solely upon the expectations at the club—just ask Mark Hughes, the former Man City manager, who is now being linked with Zola’s job.

So Gianfranco has two games, both against potential relegation battlers (Stoke and Wolves), to prove his worth. Supposedly 4 points from the 2 games will be enough, but that’s a high bar to set for the club that’s lost 4 straight.

Let’s hope Zola can get some results, if for no reason other than there are not nearly enough good people in top-level football.

Check out another quality football blog, The Business of Soccer. As you may expect, it’s a more fiscally-based blog, but these guys know their stuff.