The week in review February 18 2008
Another week has flowed into the past and Richard Ferraris dredges up the news that will be remembered in years to come.
A toast to the Wenger whine
With Arsenal winning an awful lot this season, Arsene Wenger's customary moaning has been sorely missed. But following the 4-0 drubbing to Manchester United in the FA Cup fifth round, the stereotype has returned with a vengeance.
Following the rout Wenger said: "I believe this result is a one-off. We will come back to Old Trafford in better shape and hopefully on a better pitch.
"The pitch is a disgrace. You have players worth £20-25million and you cannot play a pass without it bouncing."
Anyhow, if you purchased a car for a large sum of cash, you would expect it to have the ability to successfully deal with a pothole or two.
Are Liverpool a crisis club?
The short answer is yes, yes, yes. The detailed answer is also yes. Obviously the menacing presence of the Americans is a contributing factor to the club's current drama.
Another key component has been Rafa Benitez who, as the cliché says, has become his own worst enemy. In his programme notes for Saturday's FA Cup clash against Championship nobodies Barnsley, the Spaniard said "cup competitions are always dangerous if you think you can beat teams easily."
Pity then 'Mr I have won lots of trophies' didn't take his own advice into account.
The Reds have but two match winners in their ranks. Steven Gerrard and Fernando Torres. The latter was omitted due to concerns over his fitness, but Gerrard's absence remains impossible to explain for it acted as a double whammy, weakening Liverpool and buoying the Tykes.
But Benitez remains defiant: "We surely could have managed without Gerrard, surely the players used were good enough to win against a lower division team."
And this surely makes the Merseysiders a crisis club.
To add insult to the festering wound
Everton's manager David Moyes is believed to have given Simon Davey help to mastermind the epic victory at Anfield.
The rise and rise of Scottish football
ITV's match report from the Aberdeen v Bayern Munich (that's the Bayern with 20 Bundesliga titles and four European Cups in case you were wondering): "Aberdeen were forced to settle for a 2-2 draw against Bayern Munich after the Dons twice squandered the lead to the German giants in their UEFA Cup tie."
It's been a good period for the Scots. The Dons drawing against the German giants, Celtic defeating AC Milan 2-1 and the national team trumping France in Euro qualifiers. Twice. What next?
The Spanish are a perceptive lot
Spanish sports daily AS described Bolton ahead of the English club's UEFA Cup clash against Atletico Madrid: Atletico Madrid will be taking on 'proud, historical proletariat Bolton - a magnificent opponent...Bolton are pure tradition. What can we expect from a club named after vagabonds (Wanderers) and pigs' feet (Trotters)? Of course, direct football with bite and passion from a team of mostly English players. How it has been for 133 years.'
Intimidating? Yes, Madrid lost the match 1-0.
The abuse of football
FIFA president Sepp Blatter has condemned the Premier League's proposal to play matches overseas as "unacceptable" and an "abuse of football".
This from an organisation that regularly fields allegations of fraud, bribery and corruption. Is it too libelous to question whether the sport's governing body would still oppose the plans if they had something to gain?
Richard Ferraris