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Liverpool FC – Luis Suarez a Villain, But a Very Good One
If anyone thought Luis Suarez will end up winning the PFA player of the year, he was in for a disappointment. The Uruguayan striker, keeping Liverpool in a respectable position (it would have been much worse without him), isn’t made for honors, when the first thoughts about him are usually those referring to his diving, cheating and sometimes violent conduct.
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Manchester United – Robin van Persie Was the Only One Interested
Boredom and motivation is something Manchester United have been battling with, funny to say, for over a month now, with the Premier League title well secured for quite some time. Robin van Persie, making a return to a stadium he played at for eight seasons, against a hostile crowd, was the only one with a real reason to put on his best.
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Arsenal FC – Santi Cazorla Is the Best They Can Do
And it’s not enough. If Santi Cazorla is the best player on a team, which he is for Arsenal, it means something hasn’t been working for Arsene Wenger in both player development and his eye for signings. There’s Theo Walcott and Aaron Ramsey, but those aren’t players that will lift the team from it’s current stature, into something more than contenders for a Champions League spot.
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Chelsea FC – Eden Hazard, Juan Mata & Oscar Make Frank Lampard Look Good
Scoring goals through penalty kicks doesn’t make you a brilliant scorer, but compliments have always been easily showered on Frank Lampard, even when he doesn’t deserve them, and most of the credit in his “better” performances this season for Chelsea have come thanks to the creative trio in front of him, consisting of Eden Hazard, Oscar and Juan Mata.
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Chelsea FC – Manager Stability Needed
The only thing separating Manchester United and Chelsea during the Roman Abramovich era is the man on the bench. While Manchester United have had the same manager at the same seat during those 10 seasons, Chelsea have been through nine of them, and Rafa Benitez, the most recent one, isn’t going to stay once this season is over.
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Premier League – Arsenal vs Manchester United Predictions
Under different circumstances, this would have made an excellent ‘match of the season’, but the truth is Arsenal are only fighting to win a Champions League ticket, while Manchester United have already been crowned champions, and besides a Premier League points record that might not matter to them too much, there’s nothing left to play for.
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Real Madrid – Angel Di Maria Makes Sure Everything is Normal
No one at Real Madird thinks there’s a chance of winning the league title, but it doesn’t mean the season is over. Making certain second place is tied up is all that’s left, not to mention city and team pride being at stake. Not a great match, but another fine tactical display from Jose Mourinho with a tattered bunch while Angel Di Maria provided the creative spark to finish the job.
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FC Barcelona – Lionel Messi Shouldn’t be This Important
It shouldn’t be this way, not for a huge club like Barcelona. Things shouldn’t hinge on the amount of minutes one player, as talented as he may be, plays each time. And yet once more Lionel Messi came on for a cameo appearance to save his team from defeat with one wonder goal and another assist, although eventually it wasn’t enough for more than a meaningless draw.
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Liverpool FC – Philippe Coutinho Makes Daniel Sturridge Look Unstoppable
There’s hope without and beyond Luis Suarez, and even a bit of it without Steven Gerrard. Philippe Coutinho still has some adjusting to do and improvements to preform, but his creativity and vision have already made himself one of the best Liverpool performers in the second half of the season, making players such as Daniel Sturridge and Jordan Henderson seem like unstoppable scorers.
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Jose Mourinho Still Perfect in Derby (Atletico Madrid vs Real Madrid)
Despite not having Cristiano Ronaldo or the strongest Real Madrid lineup facing them, Atletico Madrid continue to fail in the Madrid derby, losing at home 2-1 despite taking an early lead through Radamel Falcao, only to be countered by an own goal from Juanfran and a game winner from Angel Di Maria, giving Jose Mourinho his sixth win out of six matches in the Derbi madrileño.