Ten Things We Learned In The FA Cup The comprehensive list I originally came up with exceeds 10 things, but as my friend Luol would say We aint got time for all that kinfolk So here you go....... 10. Gary Monk has publicly claimed that the loss of Kyle Bartley in the 7min due to a red card changed the perspective in Swanseas ability to defend. Well even if playing w/10 men did make it difficult, there are no excuses. Bartley had only played under 10 matches this whole season, and Bolton arent what you would call the Championships most suave of attacking squads. Point here for Monk to realize is that he fielded a weak squad, and his clubs decline continues to outshine any excuses he can make after losing 3-1 over the weekend at Ewood Park. 9. On the topic of Bolton. The attendance at this weekends match vs Swansea was the 3rd lowest in the past 15 years of the FA Cup if you take percentage of capacity to number of those who actual attended. The money of the EPL is starting to take a toll on the storied FA Cup & w/no sponsors yet, it only seems inevitable that what was once one of the greatest competitions in club football has now become another irrelevant match day pile up. Truth be told, this weekends attendance record didnt help the cause, and we can only hope the FA acts swiftly. 8. Alan Pardew is 4/4 since taking over at Selhurst Park & he justifiably sent Crystal Palace into the 5th round. His club have scored 12 goals since his arrival, and in the process defeated Tottenham in the league & Southampton in this weekends FA Cup.Still too early to tell, but it seems like the waters have calmed for now in South London. 7. League 2 side Cambridge were the pesty little cousin you cant get rid of on Friday vs Manchester United and were rewarded justifiably after only securing 25% of the possession, 0 shots on target, 4 corners in front of a soldout crowd. Louis van Gaal brought a top team to Abbey Stadium, but the lack of chemistry proved once again as Cambridge made it difficult in defense thinks to GK Chris Dunn. With an inaffective Fellaini, Jones & Falcao, LvG will surely address the matter in the replay at Old Trafford 6.it is obvious Gus Poyet is lacking goals & the 0-0 draw vs Championship side Fulham only made the obvous.....well obvious. Jermain Defoes return has been similar to a Milli Vanilli reunion concert, dull, dull and fake. Steven Fletcher obviously isnt the answer either.Not started Conor Wickham was a mistake for the little sense of creativity was cut out, and of course Jack Rodwell did them no favors with his 66min red card. Kit Symons Fulham were astute in defense. Much more needed from both to advance to the 5th round 5. Liverpool vs Bolton - LFC had 68% poss 9//24 shots on target w/6 corners all while Bolton didnt accomplish 1 shot on target out of 7. Safe to say Bolton GK Adam Bogdan was MOTM, and it was he who saved Bolton from goals by Borini and Coutinho. Neil Lennon has done wonders since taking over at Bolton, and it proved he had solidarity under his team even if the display wasnt tasteful. Emile Heskeys return was less than prolific, but he did enought to create space for his midfield. Not much however from Lennons side as Liverpool looked the stronger squad vs a Jose Mourinho-esque bus defending. Considering results in other competitions it maybe wise to start Steven Gerrard in the replay. Experience in these types of situations just may pay the price to advance into that 5th round tie. 4. Tomas Rosicky, the player of the weekend, and Arsenals star vs Brighton. A match which the defending champions controlled for the most part almost got sticky from time to time. Flamini proved to be a liability in front of the defense, but 3 goals saved the day. Mesuit Ozil & Theo Walcott proved to be priceless as Wenger opted to sit out Alexis Sanchez & Santi Cazorla. Chris OGrady & Sam Baldock provided headaches to Arsenals day, but a well placed side provided Wenger with another day in the FA Cup. Next up for Arsenal? A very strong Middlesbrough who has a few headaches to add of their own. Nonetheless, Wengers men looked poised to win it all again, and theres no doubt in my mind that they can. 3. Sam Allardyce is on it again, and West Ham are looking to be destined to fight for a spot in the final. First time since 2011 that West Ham have reached the 5th round, and they deserved the plaudits. However Bristol City made a day of it at home, and the only difference was a late Diafra Sahko goal to seal the 1-0 win. Sad for Bristol as they couldve easily advanced w/4 shots on target. The sellout crowd at Ashton Gate left proud however, and with good reason. They made it difficult for West Hams midfield to create fluid passes, defending well with Aden Flint and Korey Smith providing valuable tackles in defense. it wasnt one of Alexandre Songs best days but the persistence of Andy Carrol and Stewart Downing proved the difference. Kudos to Winston Reid for another stellar performance. 2. Need I say what Im going to list at 2 and 1? Defending EPL champs Manchester City provided the lower leagues with sense of pride, and regretably for them at a bad cost. The stats provided a story where one would imagine City were victors. 65% possession and 8shots on target out of 24, but it was their inconsistent passing and inability to break down Daniel Ayala and Dean Gibson that cost them. A fine 1st half for City turned to hell in the 2nd, and Chelsea loanee Patrick Bamford opened up the scoring while Kike added injury to insult with his injury time winner. Manuel Pellegrini may deny, but perhaps the midweek friendly in Abu Dhabi was a bad idea. Boro came to play with the big boys, and cemented their advancement while City are eliminated for the 2nd year running by a lower league club. Middlesbrough have the Championships best defense and this match proved it. A big upset to a sense, but dont tell manager Aitor Karanka that as hell tell you his Boro side can compete with the best in England on any given day. Next up....Arsenal. 1. And finally #1, the one you all have been expecting and waiting for me to mention. Of course its Chelseas loss vs Bradford City, and what I truly consider as one of the top 5 all time upsets in FA Cup history. Jose Mourinhos men came in after a midweek draw vs Liverpool in the Capital One Cup, needing a good performance to push them through. All looked fair and good as Chelsea jumped out to a 1st half 2-0 lead, but when one gets too comfortable at home, a dog just may bite you in the ass. I was afraid Joses men may come in too confident and that they did. This was however the wrong club to do that against as Bradford were the same side who made the 2012 Capital One Cup final vs Swansea. A run that year that saw them beat the likes of Arsenal and Aston Villa. Phil Parkinsons side came out to play, and even down 2-0 they never let go of the pedal. The bantams played an aggressive style, and continued to push Chelseas weakened defense knowing that eventually the likes of Cahill and Zouma would make a mistake without Nemanja Matic in front of them. The turning point was after being up 2-1 John Obi Mikel suffered an injury which saw him subbed out in the 70min. Playing alongside Ramires, Mikel was relied on for the defensive help, but having to bring on Cesc Fabregas did more harm to Chelseas defending then good. After the final whistle, the scoreline read 4-2 after Bradford went onto score 3 after Mikels departure. Felipe Morais, a former Chelsea youth prodigy, scored the tie, and the rest is history. Chelsea deserved to lose this match, and no excuses can be made. Bradford were a solid squad who played their opponents like the fools they were. Parkinson brought a plan, and did what other clubs visiting Stamford Bridge havent done all season.......HE WON BY STICKING TO HIS ATTACKING PLAN. He exposed Chelseas obvious weaknesses, and poor performances from Andreas Christensen, Cahill and Mohammed Salah only proved Jose must buy in January to contend for the 3 remaining trophies. Respect to the 6000 Bradford supporters who took up the Shed End. A giant was taken out for being arrogant, and allowed the minnow to advance. The magic of the FA Cup was alive this past weekend, and drama was everywhere to be found. After this weekends results Im going to stick with West Ham to win it all. Until next week, thank you boys for reading. I apologize for the long post. Well done to my top 3 teams of the weekend 1. Bradford City 2. Middlesbrough 3. Crystal Palace
Posted on: Mon, 26 Jan 2015 22:07:59 +0000
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