If you are looking for goals, skill and a will to thrill, you will find it in Manchester. Sorry, not in the red bit that houses the European and English champions. No, no. I mean the blue bit. You know the one that’s been a joke for years, until the day some Arab oil magnate decided to have some fun.
I thought City would be entertaining, but I thought the thrilling part would take some time. To thump the FA Cup 6-0, with back heels and all, is a serious statement of intent. And this is before they have actually spent their new riches. Bring on the derby, they say.
Realistically, City will not suddenly march on and win the league. But they will have a say in who does win it. They will not be easy to play and if they shore up their defence, they could be very intimidating at their newly formed fortress of Middle Eastlands.
On the other side of the city, United, with Darren Fletcher of all people as the leading scorer, would kill for goals. Their desperation was summed up by their open hearted welcome for their traitor of a winger, Cristiano Ronaldo. How conveniently have his summer antics of discontent been forgiven? The mob, hey. Fickle is really not the word.
Last week saw United lose at Anfield. I was then subjected to a wave of Kopites waxing lyrical about their new found stability and the fact that this truly is their year in the league. Then they won away to Marseille in the Champions League. All they had to do was thump a struggling Stoke side to wrap up a truly terrific week. You know the rest.
Therein lies Liverpool’s Achilles heel for the last few years. They can rise up to confront the powerhouses of United, Arsenal and Chelsea. Then they stumble, at home, to a side who had relegation stamped on them as soon as they got promoted. You won’t see United or Chelsea make the same mistake.
Liverpool missed a golden chance to go top of the table. And the fact that Steven Gerrard’s ‘100th goal’ was disallowed does not hide the fact that they choked. A top team should not be crying about one goal at home to one of the true minnows. I mean, even Arsenal, the so-called cry babies, found a way past a robust Bolton side — away from home. The fact that Liverpool have a Merseyside derby to think about next only illustrates how crucial that Stoke game was for morale.
The table is slowly starting to take shape and all the big boys are slowly getting their squads to full fitness.
Meanwhile, in the best of the rest race, Aston Villa continue to impress. Gareth Barry has briefly shut his trap about going to Anfield and there is a genuinely solid team emerging to challenge for a UEFA cup slot. The rest are simply too erratic to call. Everton blow hot and cold like the Maritzburg weather, as do Sunderland and West Ham. Newcastle are in disarray and in danger of self-destructing, while Tottenham are truly abysmal.
Bank on Stoke and most likely West Brom to drop straight back to the Championship. Hull, meanwhile, are showing a quiet determination and may be the surprise survivor. I fully expect one of Spurs, Newcastle, Bolton or even Blackburn to bottle it and find themselves in a vey messy dogfight to stay up.
That’s the reality of the most entertaining domestic league in the world. There is always a weekly shock, but ultimately the cream always rises and the rest are left battling for scraps.
And somewhere, in a quiet corner of wet Manchester, a couple of Brazilians are dancing to a samba beat that shows no sign of being cut just yet. United, you have been warned.
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