The tapas bar ‘classic’ is anything but on the pitch
Published: 16 December, 2010
ARSENAL
IN a tapas bar in Barfeelona, Pablo, Manuel and another Spanish stereotype bloke invented for the purpose of this
column alone – I dunno, let’s call him José or Fernando – are eating whole pigs in wine and garlic.
They have settled down with some cervezas to watch the titans of the English game, Arsenal and Manchester United, come face to face. As football aficionados, they weren’t going to miss The Classic, as they call it over there.
But in between those slabs of chorizo, what must they have thought about what they saw on Monday night?
Pablo, Manuel and José/Fernando must have shaken their heads and laughed.
On their diet of beautiful passing served up by Guardiola’s Barcelona and Mourinho’s Real Madrid, they must have been thinking how dare their English friends claim the Premier League to be the best league in the world.
The match was awful. Both teams lacked any imagination. An advert for the Premier League? If so, the rest of Europe must think we are all mugging ourselves each week. Here were the teams in the top two slots in the league duffing themselves up. Chelsea and Man City have proven themselves to be just as brittle this season.
My bet is Pablo, Manuel and José/Fernando will be toasting a Champions League trophy in May. They have nothing to fear from the English armada. The first kill on the way may just be an Arsenal team which blames the pitch rather than their own shortcomings.
RICHARD OSLEY
TOTTENHAM HOTSPUR
TOTTENHAM and Chelsea should be congratulated for their magnificent festival of end-to-end football at the Lane on Sunday.
Both managers were a credit to their profession, as no quarter was asked or given as this London derby ended in a 1-1 draw. Heurelho Gomes’s penalty save in injury time from Blues’ striker Didier Drogba made sharing the points a fair outcome. However, there were two tackles I must mention: both were late; both in my opinion intentional.
Gareth Bale is rightly being viewed as a major threat but Michael Essien’s tackle on him was high, late, and overly vigorous to say the least. Ashley Cole’s lunge on Wilson Palacios left the Honduran writhing in pain.
Some will say it added to the passion, that the officials did a good job letting the game flow; I say this game was brilliant in spite of the refereeing not because of it.
Football is crumbling before our very eyes with yet another manager ousted at the whim of owners who know more about finance and marketing than the beautiful game. Not that I’d want Sam Allardyce at Spurs – well, maybe as a defensive coach – but what he’s done at Blackburn with the resources given has been more than adequate.
Arsenal’s (by default) short stay on top of the Premier League came to an end Monday losing 1-0 at Manchester United.
How does that finger up the nose thing go again?
TONY DALLAS