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Bremen put five past Frankfurt

On the fifteenth match day of the season, Werder Bremen returned to top form as they beat Eintracht Frankfurt 5-0 (3-0). 42,100 spectators in a capacity filled Weser Stadium saw the Green-Whites take the points in style thanks to goals from Claudio Pizarro (11’/20’/62’), Diego (44’/pen.) and Aaron Hunt (75’).

It was a game that had pretty much been decided by the half time break, as the home side were already 3-0 up by then. With just eleven minutes played, Claudio Pizarro opened the scoring. Torsten Frings and played through to Hugo Almeida, who looked up and picked out the run of his strike partner. The Peruvian shot coolly past Markus Pröll in the Eintracht goal to give his side the lead.

And the Peruvian was on target again nine minutes later. Once again Frings was provider of a telling pass through to Pizarro, who shook off his marker, Marco Russ, and hammered the ball inside the near post to double the Werder lead (20’). With just a minute to go before the half time whistle, Werder were awarded a penalty for a foul by Habib Bellaid on Hunt and Diego stepped up and hammered the spot kick powerfully into the top of the net. By the break Frankfurt’s fate appeared sealed.

After the re-start, Werder kept up the pressure on a plucky but ineffective Frankfurt side. In the 62nd minute, Dusko Tosic swung a cross in to Pizarro who, with some deal of fortune, managed to play a one-two with the unsuspecting Hugo Almeida and then slotted home to make it 4-0 and complete his hat-trick. Aaron Hunt rounded off an impressive Werder Bremen performance as he finished off a spectacular run by burying past the Frankfurt keeper to make it 5-0 and give the fans reason to be very proud of their side.
The match at a glance:

Werder Bremen: Vander - Fritz, Mertesacker, Naldo, Tosic - Baumann (80‘ Husejinovic) - Frings (73‘ Vranjes), Hunt - Diego - Pizarro (67‘ Rosenberg), Almeida; on the bench: Mielitz, Prödl, Niemeyer, Boenisch

Eintracht Frankfurt: Pröll - Ochs, Russ, Bellaid, Köhler - Toski, Inamoto, Fink, Steinhöfer - Fenin, Liberopoulos

Goals: 1-0 Pizarro (11’), 2-0 Pizarro (20’), 3-0 Diego (44’ pen.), 4-0 Pizarro (62’), 5-0 Hunt (75’)

Referee: Dr. Fleischer (Sigmertshausen)

Attendance: 42,100 (sold-out Weser-Stadion)

Yellow cards: Fritz – Inamoto, Fenin

Norwich lose at Sheffield Wednesday

After Tuesday’s tame 2-1 loss to Crystal Palace, Norwich travelled to Hillsborough in need of a win. Going into the game, the Canaries were only four points above the relegation zone, so a loss here would have put the team into a perilous position.

Hillsborough isn’t a bad ground by Championship standards, but upon arriving at the away end it was surprising to see it so empty. It was not surprising then, that early on in the game the Norwich fans were by far the loudest. There was a good reason for this though, as the Canaries had started the game brightly.

Norwich’s passing game was in full flow and the team from Norfolk looked much the better team in the early exchanges. Sheffield Wednesday couldn’t get into the game and their boss Brian Laws must have been fuming. Sammy Clingan was again playing well and the dependable David Bell was also showing some good form. It was also encouraging to see Wes Hoolahan putting in a good display, playing just behind Leroy Lita. Hoolahan’s Norwich career started brightly, but seemed to tail off of late, so it was good to see the Irishman back to somewhere near his best.

Norwich were playing well but it looked as if all their dominance wasn’t going to count. Matty Pattison, again playing well had a good shot saved, but other than that Norwich’s good build up play didn’t lead to many clear cut chances. However, just before the break Norwich were awarded a penalty. Hoolahan was hauled down by Tudgay and Clingan made no mistake with the penalty, putting it firmly into the top right corner of the net. Things were looking up going into half time, and the cold Norwich fans had reasons to be cheerful as they went off for their half-time pies.

As the players came out for the second half the away fans were optimistic, but Sheffield Wednesday had clearly been given a rollicking and began playing much better almost straight away. It must be said though, that Norwich looked off the pace from the off. For a team who dominated so much in the first half, this was disappointing, but perhaps Norwich fans should have expected this from their team. If one was to sum up the season so far, the best word to use would be inconsistent, and this performance was just that.

It didn’t take the home team long to capitalise on the hapless Canaries performance, and after 51 minutes they had drawn level. Norwich conceded a corner and Tony McMahon was given a free header, which he gratefully accepted, putting the ball safely into the net. This was a poor goal to concede and Norwich needed to respond, but four minutes later Norwich had fallen behind. Once again Norwich’s defence had capitulated, with no-one taking responsibility for the loose ball in the area. As a result Leon Clarke did take responsibility and made sure of the Owls’ second goal with a neat finish past David Marshall.

Once again Norwich didn’t appear to have responded well to going a goal down, but against the run of play managed to claw a goal back. Leroy Lita hadn’t been having his best game in Norwich colours, but brought the scores back to 2-2 with a close range finish; the ball rebounding off the inside of the far post and into the net. This was a welcome tonic for the Norwich fans and no doubt the team, but ten minutes later things once again turned for the worst.

Wednesday’s Lewis Buxton put in a decent cross, which Marcus Tudguy headed past David Marshall with ease. Once again Norwich were caught napping at the back and they paid for it. Roeder would not have been happy, as he watched his team capitulate away from home. To make matters worse, John Kennedy was shown a straight red for pulling down Leon Clarke, just past the half-way line. The red card looked harsh, but as the last man, Kennedy had to go. It was a disappointing decision that leaves Norwich short of defensive options for Wednesday’s trip to Watford.

Last week’s away win at Nottingham Forest was a great performance, but this needs to happen again if Norwich are to get out of the relegation scrap, that it appears they are in danger of falling into. Time will tell if the Norwich team have the stomach for the fight.

Will Sargent.

Saturday Serie A Results Round-up

Saturday’s Matches (30/11/08)
Catania - Lecce 1-1
Juventus - Reggina 4-0

Catania and Lecce shared the spoils in yesterday’s first match. Michele Paolucci opened the score for Catania in the 61st minute while Castillo entered for Lecce on the 67th minute and took no more than one minute on the pitch to respond for Lecce. This sees Catania climb to 7th place while Lecce remain lying at the bottom side of the table in 16th place.

At the night’s fixture, Juventus made it clear that last week’s miserable performance against Inter was a one-off and they made their intentions clear to get back on track by thrashing Reggina 4-0. The only bad news was the Mauro German Camoranesi injured himself in the sixth minute of the first half. He damaged his shoulder and Ranieri had already called up Marchionni to warm-up but the italian-argentinian winger seemed ok and wanted to continue. It paid off with the opening goal of the match, a beautiful set-up from Del Piero who back-heeled to Nedved and found Camoranesi un-marked. Amauri then took advantage of a mix up in the Reggina defence and sent Juve 2-0 up at half-time. Rain turned into snow as the match was up for more goals in the second half. Santos had hit the post in the first half as Reggina also had a goal disallowed in the second half. Brienza struck a freekick without the ref signalling play and he deemed the goal invalid. Chiellini headed in the third while Giovinco came on and won a penalty which meant Alessandro Del Piero’s 250th goal in the black and white colours.

Decade of Destruction! Stevie G Ten Years On

After completing a decade of service at his beloved Liverpool recently, there has been considerable reflection about the importance of Steven Gerrard to Liverpool Football Club over the years and in particular their efforts to land their first domestic league title since 1990. Liverpool’s ‘Miracle Man’, ‘Captain Fantastic’ and the ‘Huyton Hammer’, still awaits the one prize which would arguably put him ahead of Kenny Dalglish as the best player to have worn the red shirt when one considers where Liverpool were when Dalglish signed in 1977 in comparison to when Gerrard made his debut in 1998.

If money was no barrier, Gerrard is the one midfielder that every manager on would love to have in their team. His energy, passion and zest has taken him a long way since his debut against Blackburn Rovers. If this was Hollywood, Gerrard would be Rambo. His sheer presence on the pitch raises the performances of his colleagues. They know that when he is on the pitch, he will demand more from them and keep them on their toes. Stevie G has given Liverpool fans drama after drama, season after season and saved Rafa Benitez from a potential exit on a number of occasions. Just think Olympiacos, AC Milan, Inter Milan, Arsenal and Marseille to name a few in the Champions League and the 2006 Gerrard FA Cup final and the bullet goal Vs West Ham United. In the Premiership he has marked his authority time and time again. This season’s dramatic winner against Middlesbrough and last season’s sizzler at Villa Park on the opening day spring to mind as two of many. 

However, the one item of silverware Gerrard needs and deserves still eludes him. Liverpool have had many false dawns since 1990 about their title ambitions but in the end they have fallen way off the pace in terms of points on many occasions. Quality and character are essential components of all title winning sides such as the ability to win games even when the performance is below par. The self confidence and character of the Liverpool side has already been apparent so many times this season but fundamental questions still do remain.

-Can Liverpool grind out results without Gerrard in the side?
-Do they have enough depth of quality in the squad to challenge for and/or cover in other positions when a player is suspended or injured?
-Is there enough creativity in the squad to unlock opposition defences when the game is looking like ending in a draw?

Liverpool are a very difficult side to beat with a shutout expert Goalkeeper and solid back line. They do not lose very often in the Premiership or Champions League. They lost fewer times in the Premiership last season than the eventual winners. However, the challenge is to convert the draws into victories. In previous seasons, Liverpool have drawn too many times which has effectively ruled them out of the title race by Christmas. This season Liverpool fans have endured frustrating afternoons against Stoke City and Fulham but luckily for them, the sides around them have also hit the wall which has kept Liverpool in the title pack.

As the season progresses, one can expect both Manchester United and Chelsea to get stronger and put Liverpool under immense pressure. The major positive for Liverpool is that Fernando Torres has plenty more left in the tank having had a stop-start season with injuries so far. His relationship with Gerrard which brought so many goals last season, needs to recover itself.

Liverpool fans will know this but if they are to win the Premiership title this season, it will be a roll-a-coaster of greater proportions than the Champions League winning season of 2005. It would be a footballing crime if Steven Gerrard, one of the most influential players of his generation, ended his career without a domestic title but as we know, football doesn’t reward sentiment. Liverpool can be serious title contenders this year and if they were to succeed and win the Premiership crown, it would be a tribute to their captain who plays football with the same heart and passion displayed by Liverpool fans throughout the world. Gerrard knows that playing and supporting Liverpool Football Club is not an occupation but an obsession.  

Riaz Ravat

Ronaldo Golden Ball Winner?

It is not yet official but the press are all but pointing directly to the Portugeuse winger who had a stunning season. Cristiano Ronaldo is believed to be declared the winner of the Golden Ball award soon and the media are stating that there numerous photographers have been deployed by France Football (the French Magazine who selects the award winner) in Manchester to witness the event. The official announcement is to made on Tuesday and until then it remains officially undecided as to who will lift the trophy. The main contenders are Cristiano Ronaldo, who won the double with Manchester United last season, and Lionel Messi another star player who failed to help Barca lift any silverware last season.
In the past few days, Ronaldo has made it clear that he believes that the only player entitled to the award is himself and nobody else. He might be proven right in four days time. We’ll only have to wait and see.

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