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Arsenal FC – Can’t Win With Olivier Giroud
If anyone needed convincing, a Saturday at Old Trafford was more proof of how Arsene Wenger made a huge mistake by putting the hopes and dreams of Arsenal in the legs of Olivier Giroud; not the only problem the team has, but certainly not a striker of the adequate level for a team that talks about winning the Premier League and bigger titles.
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Manchester United – Wayne Rooney Doing Everything
Playing well wasn’t on the table for both teams, only Manchester United executed first. Robin van Persie scored once more, this time in an apologetic manner, but it was Wayne Rooney who made everything happen for the league leaders, doing everything and being everywhere for 90 minutes.
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A Weird Night – Lionel Messi & Cristiano Ronaldo Don’t Score
Barcelona didn’t have too much of a problem at home against Celta Vigo, but Lionel Messi wasn’t completely there in his mind, looking unfocused and slow to react. Real Madrid had a less than comfortable match against Zaragoza, with the 4-0 scoreline not telling the truth about what happened in the match, but Cristiano Ronaldo simply couldn’t find the goal.
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Juventus FC – Streak Stops at 49
No longer undefeated, as Juventus encountered their first real stumbling block of the season in the Serie A, failing to capitalize on a fantastic start to the Derby d’Italia, as Inter showed that there’s an actual title race going, scoring three goals in the second half and proving that they are for real.
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Robin van Persie Opens Manchester United Win vs Arsenal
It took him only three minutes to put the Arsenal chapter of his life behind him. Robin van Persie didn’t celebrate his goal, but it was him saying and cementing the fact that he’s moved on to a better place, a better team, as Manchester United cruised to a 2-1 win against a sad, weak and impotent side fielded by Arsene Wenger.
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Los Angeles Lakers – Kobe Bryant Can’t Change
It’s too strong. The will to win takes over any rational thought of trying to work through the process of making the new Princeton offense work, even at the cost of an 0-3 start. Kobe Bryant had one of his “F^%& everyone, I’m doing this on my own” moments, leading to another Los Angeles Lakers loss and more calls to push the imaginary panic button.
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Los Angeles Clippers – Chris Paul Has His Own Kind of Offense
There’s been so much talk about the offensive and defensive problems of the usual golden boys of the city, but at the current moment, the Los Angeles Clippers are the best team in the city, keeping their climb in ability and success from last season, led by the best point guard in the NBA, Chris Paul.
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Miami Heat – Small Ball Doesn’t Always Work
All summer it’s been talked about how the Miami Heat are going to fully make the transition to small ball, leaving true center off the court and using Chris Bosh as their center and LeBron James as their power-point-forward. It worked great against the Boston Celtics and the Oklahoma City Thunder in the playoffs, so why shouldn’t it keep on clicking?
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New York Knicks – Carmelo Anthony and the Hot Shooters
It simply had to be this way for the New York Knicks, playing in the Madison Square Garden against the NBA champions, with the numbers of victims from Hurricane Sandy’s wrath keep accumulating Carmelo Anthony spoke before the game about coming together, and backed up every single word with a great game, full of leadership some suggest Anthony lacked in the past.
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Los Angeles Lakers – Kobe Bryant Can’t Be Surprised With Criticism
The Los Angeles Lakers keep talking about patience, keep asking for it. But when a team signs the best Center in the NBA (Dwight Howard), a two time MVP (Steve Nash) and adding them to one of the greatest players of all time (Kobe Bryant) and still one of the best big men in the league (Pau Gasol), they can’t be surprised with some overreaction from the media after their 0-2 start.