14 February 2016
FIORENTINA 2-1 INTER
Last time these teams met, Fiorentina thumped Inter 1-4, ending their unbeaten run and joining them on top of Serie A. Now they're fighting over third place with Roma and Milan and they played like two teams that had lost their way. Valero cancelled out Brozovic's opener with a great header. Telles was sent off for two bookable offences, Sousa throw on an extra forward, Babacar, and he bundled the winner over the line after Handanovic failed to hold Zarate's poor shot. Zarate got himself sent off in injury time for grabbing Murillo. Kondogbia followed in the 97th minute for verbal abuse.
MANCHESTER CITY 1-2 TOTTENHAM
An poor first half. Spurs took the lead with an absolute gift of a penalty. The awful Danny Rose did what he's done his entire career, slammed a cross into an opposition player but the ref adjudged Mungo Jerry (google it) to have handled. Clichy ran into the space left by Spurs other crap fullback, Walker, and centred for Iheanacho to smash home the equaliser. Spurs always gas on the hour mark and City were dominating midfield until the introductions of Carroll and Lamela. Lamela picked up the ball on the centre circle and charged up-field before playing in birthday boy Erikson with a glorious pass for the winner.
ARSENAL 2-1 LEICESTER
Disgusting. Leicester were set for a historic win until Simpson's red card. Two of Arsenal's cripples turned the game on it's head. Walcott equalised and in the dying seconds of injury time Welbeck headed in Ozil's free kick. We'll all be cheering Man United when they meet in a fortnight. Come on United!
13 February 2016
JUVENTUS 1-0 NAPOLI
Juve came into this match on the back of a 14 game win streak (3 off the record) and Napoli 7. Dybala wasted the best chance from a Pogba centre. Zaza, who replaced Morata, blasted in a late winner via a deflection off Albiol. Higuain began to tear up at full time. At least he didn't choke this time - he didn't have any chances to miss.
There goes Napoli's title challenge. They still have four Spaniards too many in their team i.e. they have four. I will not root for a side that has so many foreigners, which I why I also loath Inter, Roma and Fiorentina.
Bonucci went off with an injury, joining Chiellini on the shelf which means both Juve and Bayern will got into their tie with weakened defences.
CHELSEA 5-1 NEWCASTLE
Flop of the season Pedro scored two goals but Costa was again man of the match. He scored the first and made the second with a perfectly weighted pass. Bertrand Traore scored Chelsea's fifth. He's the latest in a long line of players named Traore in football, every single one of them as utterly mediocre as the last.
Newcastle were beyond pathetic but fortunately for them Villa and Norwich suck worse. I also think Bournemouth will get dragged down and once they're in the bottom three, will stay there.
SUNDERLAND 2-1 MAN UNITED
Two Khazri set pieces gave Sunderland the points and ended Man United's UCL hopes. The second goal, a header by Kone from a corner has been marked down as a DDG og. Martial scored a nice goal. The next coach will work wonders with him.
VALENCIA 2-1 ESPANYOL
Neville won his first match at the tenth attempt. Aside from being a shit league the other problem with Spanish football is the coverage itself. The camera angles are too far away from the pitch nor do we get the close-ups we see in the vastly superior coverage from the EPL and Serie A.
11 February 2016
LAZIO 5-2 VERONA
The match was brought forward to help Lazio in the Europa League. Lazio were 3-0 up after 70 minutes. Verona pulled it back to 3-2 but within three minutes of their second Keita slammed in a volley from a Klose cross, yes he's still playing but hasn't scored this season.
Lazio are away to Galatasaray in the Europe League. Even for Lazio over two legs that should be straightforward.
Serie A
57 points - Juventus
56 points - Napoli
49 points - Fiorentina
47 points - Roma
EPL
53 points - Leicester
51 points - Tottenham & Arsenal
47 points - Manchester City
Teenagers In Top European Leagues
73 - Serie A
61 - Bundesliga
42 - Premiership
39 - Ligue 1
34 - La Liga
Youngest - Gianluigi Donnarumma, Milan, 16.
10 February 2016
PETERBOROUGH 2-2 WEST BROM
Are West Brom the most boring team on Earth? They won 4-3 on penalties. I turned out before the shoot-out to watch Ricky and Morty. Much better than this crap.
9 February 2016
WEST HAM 2-1 LIVERPOOL
Is there anything more tedious than Liverpool's cup runs this season? No. Just a sea of red shit. Benteke missed a million chances, Ogbonna sparred us the tedioum of penalties when he headed in a Payet free kick in second half extra time injury time. Consistently inconsistent Coutinho scored Liverpool's equaliser, his first goal in ages. Cripple Sturridge was back.
FA Cup replays are the worst thing in the world.
7 February 2016
VERONA 3-3 INTER
Rock bottom Verona were leading 3-1 and maybe Inter management would have been thinking about giving Mancini the boot had they lost but Icardi hit back within four minutes of Verona's third with a tap-in. Perisic equalised at the back post and the game became even more open as there was chances at both ends. Gilardino hit the woodwork and Icardi missed another sitter two minute from time.
CHELSEA 1-1 MANCHESTER UNITED
This was a good game. Man United bossed the first 30 or so minutes, without really threatening, then Chelsea began to take over with some silky football, Costa, flashing a shot wide of the right post. Zouma snapped his ACL after landing awkwardly, his right leg jarring violently as he planted it on the turf. Within minutes Lingard turned and volleyed United into the lead. In injury time Costa punished Blind's slip to equalise and maintain Hiddink's unbeaten run.
There has been lots of talk this week about Chelsea's next coach. Fraud Conte has been linked but I can't see Chelsea being that stupid. Allegri has also been linked and is a far more credible option. I would fully expect Chelsea with Allegri to beat City with Guardiola to the title. Allegri has already beaten Guardiola's Barcelona with a far lesser side.
6 February 2016
MANCHESTER CITY 1-3 LEICESTER
City were lucky to get one. This was another humiliating, defeat more comprehensive than the scoreline suggests following their thrashings by Spurs (away), Liverpool (home) and Stoke (away). Huth headed in two goals either side of a superb Mahrez strike. He broke from midfield, vaulted over a tackle and bamboozled Demichelis with stepovers before thrashing the ball past Hart. Yaya 'lazy bastard' Toure was again horrendous, as was Silva, who at 30 may have already passed his peak.
As for Leicester's title chances Arsenal have emerged as the villains of the piece. No one could possibly want them to win on Sunday, aside from Arsenal fans of course. It's a damn shame they're playing Barcelona in a fortnight and not sooner.