Premier League, Week 14: Chelsea draw 0-0 again while City, United win

The Baggies appeared to have settled things down a bit as the first half progressed, not really looking all that great but at least preventing Swansea from extending their lead...for awhile.

The Baggies were much better in the second half, putting some consistent pressure on Swansea and doing a much better job of closing down the Swans attack. Of course, they still needed two goals and they simply would not come.

Karim Frei, recently back at Fulham after a loan spell, came on as a substitute and looked dangerous in the final 15 minutes of the match. He had a penalty shout in the 81st minute when he went down under a challenge by Ramires after skinning two Chelsea defenders, but the referee waved play on. Ramires looked to make incidental contact while winning the ball, and the referee’s decision ultimately appeared correct.

Liverpool weren’t entirely dead, however. Walker was forced to clear a Suarez shot off the line after a scramble in the penalty area, and eventually they’d manage to haul a goal back thanks to a Spurs comedy show in the 72nd minute. Lennon attempted to clear a shot off the line, but instead of hitting the ball to safety the effort struck Gareth Bale flush in the face and ricocheted into the back of the net. Whoops.

That own goal set up an exciting ending -- Tottenham aren’t exactly known for their composure in the late stages of close games, and Liverpool were looking much improved in the second half. But despite throwing more or less everyone forward and coming very close to snatching a (probably deserved) point, the visitors weren’t able to break the deadlock at White Hart Lane.

Rafael Benitez has returned to the Premier League, to manage a big club with entertaining young players. He will turn them into joyless drones who are nothing more than a body that fits into a robotic system, designed by a man who does not care that most people buy tickets to football matches so that they can be entertained.

Chelsea didn’t play an entertaining brand of football while they were picking up trophies during the spring, but at least they had a good reason for it.

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Oh Spurs, you truly are the Tyler Durden of the Premier League. One week a meek and mild mannered team willing to roll over for anyone, the next a self-confident and aggressive powerhouse capable of smashing anyone’s face in. Which one of you will show up today against a Liverpool side impersonating a Robert Louis Stevenson novella?

At the very least it’s an intriguing match-up between two teams that have looked both quite good and quite awful at times this season. We’ll just have to wait and see what combination we get today at White Hart Lane. Will it be The Narrator vs. Mr. Hyde? Maybe Tyler Durden vs. Dr Jekyll?

This was a match between two teams who needed to win. Neither side could afford to make mistakes. It came as some surprise, then that the entire game seemed to be one giant mistake. Who could mishit their crosses and shots by the most? Who could make the most ridiculous giveaway in their own defensive third? The stupidest foul?

‘Arry! ‘Arry! Where do you go?

In the post-McClaren era, calls came from across the country for an experienced foreign manager to take over England. When a very experienced and very foreign manager failed to turn a flawed team into world beaters, everyone’s tone changed, and it became glaringly obvious to everyone that an Englishman should manage England, surely. And the cyclical England manager narrative goes on, forever and ever.

For the first time since McClaren guided Middlesborough to the UEFA Cup final, the English people had an Englishman they could believe in to take over their national side. What Redknapp lacks in modern tactical sense and apparent book smarts, he makes up for with a no-bullshit personality that endears fans, media, and players alike to the idea of him as the manager of their team. His team produced results in the Premier League because Redknapp was at least smart enough to know that he was (and still is) no tactical mastermind, and that football is not an inherently complicated game.

Reading recently won their first match of the season, but looked very much like relegation fodder as Wigan defeated them on Saturday, via a Jordi Gomez hat trick. Reading is one of just two sides behind Villa in the table, and will likely see this match as an opportunity to steal a point.

With both sides a bit desperate, while simultaneously feeling like points are there for them to take, Tuesday’s encounter should be an entertaining one.

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