F365 Opinion

Up for further discussion this week: Villa's route into the top four, the accuracy of statistics, Arsene Wenger's tactical blind-spot, and the motivation of Football365 in 'bashing' the Beeb at 'every opportunity'...

To read Winners and Losers click here.

"Does Pete realise there was another derby on Sunday too?? Any sort of mention of it would have been good" -KeepRightOn.

PG: I do, and I did, but nonetheless apologies for the omission. There's a restriction on time and also a fear that a column longer than 2500 words is excessive.

My only thought from the Birmingham-Wolves derby arguably worth sharing is that Brum are beginning to suffer too much of a good thing. Whilst continuity of selection is a manager's dream, Birmingham look like a team running out of steam. After fielding the same XI in their last 12 games, it would surely be better for Alex McLeish to alter his line-up by choice rather than necessity and it was only when he freshened up the Birmingham team on Sunday that they came alive. Kevin Phillips took the headlines but it was just as revealing that his equaliser came via an assist from one of Birmingham's other two substitutes.


"To be honest, that's got to be one of the worst games I've seen Villa play, we just couldn't get going; and we didn't seem to have a game plan. Good point all the same, we need to rest some of our players soon though" - GUMBOAVFC.

PG: Villa play Burnley at home the weekend before the Carling Cup final. They couldn't ask for a more inviting fixture in which to take the calculated risk of resting some of their regulars. Burn-out was probably a factor in Villa's slump this time last year, and James Milner, in particular, looks in need of a break. In his first season as a central midfielder, he's missed just one league game so far.

However, your remark that it was a 'good point' for Villa is probably an understatement because it was a very bad result for Spurs. They've completely lost their way with just two wins in their last seven games and will fall to seventh if Villa win their game in hand and City win either of theirs.

It's probably a little early to speak of a run-in, but the remaining fixture list also provides, in relative terms, a tough schedule for City, little encouragement for Spurs, but plenty of hope for Villa.

Tottenham's remaining games: Wolves (a), Wigan (a), Everton (h), Man City (a), Blackburn (h), Stoke (a), Pompey (h), Sunderland (a), Arsenal (h), Chelsea (h), Man United (a), Bolton (h), Burnley (a).

Man City's remaining games: Bolton (h), Stoke (a), Liverpool (h), Chelsea (a), Tottenham (h), Sunderland (a), Fulham (a), Wigan (h), Burnley (a), Birmingham (h), Man United (h), Arsenal (a), Villa (h), West Ham (a).

Villa's remaining games: Man United (h), Burnley (h), Sunderland (h), Stoke (a), Wigan (a), Wolves (h), Chelsea (a), Bolton (a), Everton (h), Pompey (a), Birmingham (h), Man City (a), Blackburn (h).

Still, as we've seen in the title race, it's probably the seven head-to-head fixtures still to be played by the five clubs still trying to secure one of the final two Champions League places that will prove decisive in their mini league.


"Creative statistics at work again I see: Villa failing to score for a fifth time in six games? Really? Our last six games in all comps reads W3 L0 D3 Goals scored 12. Now if you correctly stated we've failed to score for a fifth time in six LEAGUE games then its more accurate" - dublinvilla89.

PG: Creative? The clue is at the top of the page with the banner headline of 'Premier League Weekend Winners and Losers'.

Also, stating, as you do, that Villa haven't scored in five of their last six league games isn't 'more accurate'. To be entirely accurate, it's 100 per cent accurate.


"I think the most damning thing for Wenger supporters is that Chelsea's game plan was written in stone for well over a week, Ancelotti said in the pre-match conference that Chelsea would allow Arsenal possession and play on the counter attack, how Arsenal weren't prepared for this despite that gift is surely poor tactical management from Wenger" - Dgstamford.

PG:As you say: Damning. Wenger has never been regarded as a great tactician, or even just a moderate tactician, but the defeats to United and Chelsea have marked a new low.

Once he emerges from denial and admits that he has a big problem to solve, perhaps he ought to consider appointing a number two who has the specific remit of offering tactical advice - much like Carlos Queiroz did for Sir Alex Ferguson five or so years ago. As Wenger seems incapable of changing his own tune, perhaps it's time he heard something different from within the Emirates.


"redman_inc, it's not flat number of saves that is the issue with Almunia, of course a keeper in a top-4 side will make less saves than one in a relegation standard side by virtue of facing less shots. The question with Almunia is his incredibly poor shots to saves ratio. As Pete Gill has been pointing out for months, Almunia simply doesn't save anything like enough of the shots on target that he should" - mike_christie.

Thanks for saving me the task of responding. The only point I'll add is that the rumour Wenger tried to sign Thomas Sorensen on Deadline Day is, in addition to being a terrible example of management because there just can't be an excuse for Arsenal running out of time to solve such a longstanding problem, also an indication that he has no faith in Lukasz Fabianski either. Because if Almunia is still selected even when Wenger has realised he needs replacing, what is the point of Fabianski being on the payroll? Expect Wojciech Szczesny, highly-rated and earning rave reviews from his loan spell at Brentford, to start next season as the club's number two.


"Cesc always sucks in the big games, been saying it for ages now...." - dhirt.

PG: Including when he ran the show in the Bernabeu in February 2006, at Old Trafford in September 2006, and the San Siro in March 2008? If Andrei Arshavin had levelled the game on Sunday instead of shooting straight at Petr Cech, Fabregas would have been hailed as providing one of the passes of the season...


"In their last eight games versus the best two teams in the country, the victoryless Gunners had been beaten by a combined score of 5-18" - Liverpool were THE SECOND BEST team in the country last year lest people forget. Never thought F365 would join in the Chelsea love-in" - stendec.

PG: As you say, 'were'.


As mentioned Heskey was only brought off because he was injured. Maybe take note of the time he was substituted and put 1+1 together?? - tallpaul83.

PG: The highlight of my weekend was winning a bet with a friend that the Villa physio would be summoned to attend to Heskey within 30 minutes of kick-off. The money was in the bag after eight minutes.

And the reason I highlighted Heskey's record of late is to beg the obvious question of whether England can take just four strikers to the World Cup when one of those certain to go is so very injury prone.


"If it is true that Carlo Ancelotti pinpointed Arsenal's vulnerability to the counter-attack in midweek as their main weakness then Chelsea may well have been 'inferior' by design." Counter-attacking, eh? What a load of rubbish. So can you clarify something for me PG? Should it be the admirers of Chelsea or Arsenal joining those of Villa in the losers section?" - Ezy_Rider.

PG: The point being made about Villa's performance at Spurs is that it did not contain a "counter-attacking threat". Chelsea's performance v Arsenal, on the other hand, certainly did.


"One more thing... PG will hold his hands up over the Dirk Kuyt positioning point. Perhaps PG would have been better commenting that Kuyt has now put his hand up and taken on the goal scoring responsibilities in the absense of Torres" - Fake_Dave.

PG: Perhaps! And your point about Kuyt assuming responsibility is undeniable: Only the width of a post at Stoke has prevented him claiming match-winner status in four of Liverpool's last five league games.


"Yes, yes, we understand you get paid by Sky to bash the BBC at every possible opportunity but now you're just getting pedantic. There's nothing wrong with the programme whatsoever, just get over it" - Thecolonel.

PG: 'Nothing wrong whatsoever'? 'Every possible opportunity'? Riiiiiight...


"Ohhhh what a surprise a Murdoch backed website slating the BBC! Thanks for reading even if you dont publish *rolls eyes*" - kit_kitson.

PG: Wow. Wondering why Match of the Day doesn't scroll team line-ups across the bottom of the screen equals 'slating the BBC'. Have you considered a career as a tabloid journalist?

As remarked previously on this column, it's generally a sure-fire sign that somebody doesn't have counter-argument worth presenting if they resort to allegations of bias as their first response. For the record, since the takeover, we've never been encouraged, tacitly or otherwise, to criticise the BBC, let alone 'slate' it. Not once.

The fact of the matter is that since its birth more than ten years ago, Football365 has been a regular critic of Match of the Day. And if you are taking umbrage at the description of MoTD as an 'entertainment show' then consider these quotes from Mark Lawrenson, one of the programmes's most regular voices:

"Match of the Day has never been massively tactical. Most people out there know all about systems, whether it's 4-4-2, 4-3-3, wing-backs, Christmas trees, Oxford Street lights, you name it. You don't want to get too much into tactics or you'll turn people off.

"Maybe panellists are trying to be less formal and more funny in what they say. I've always gone down that road, however crap my jokes may be.

"But TV is supposed to be entertainment."

Pete Gill