The Full English: March Madness

Apparently trying to steal the thunder of NCAA basketball, the English Premier League has transformed the third month of 2009 (and every year, for that matter) into a spectacle of football fixtures that would make any fan or journalist or fanolist smile from ear to ear. This guy included.
There are 19 matches between this Saturday and next Saturday. Yes, you read that right, 19. This is exactly why I love this part of the season. The matches come sooner and sooner as the teams need to get their allotted 38 fixtures in before season’s end. It’s not like here in the States where the schedule is set almost a year ahead of time.
There is a guy at the head offices of the league playing puppet master with a huge white board in front of him, changing as he sees fit. What it usually comes down to is a huge schedule cluster…right around now.
We could see the title race wrapped up before Easter. Many people are saying it’s all finished now. I’m on the fence. But for those of you keeping track, Manchester United take on Liverpool during those 19 matches I just spoke about, and if the Red Devils take the full three points it’ll be job done. The other end of the table is a mystery and will remain that way until the last few weekends of the year.But here at “The Full English” it’s all about living in the now. Can’t get ahead of myself…or ourselves, I like including you guys in this. One weekend at a time and all that nonsense. Given the sheer volume of fixtures on the horizon I have been forced to look ahead a little bit and alter the schedule of TFE and “Fish & Chip Shots.” It will be as follows, unless there are some better suggestions…and “stop writing forever” won’t be taken into account:
Friday, February 27th: TFEMonday, March 2nd: TFEThursday, March 5th: Double Edition of FCSFriday, March 13th: TFE (with a sprinkling of FCS)
If you take a look at the EPL schedule for that time, it kind of makes sense. Just trying to break it up so you get your fill of my journalistic prowess, without having to go too hungry. I don’t want you to be without your not-so-subtle food references.
Anyway, let’s move on to this weekend. The only team in the top four not in action is league-leader Manchester United as they don’t play until Wednesday’s set of matches. What’s that mean? They have another game in hand. I’m a huge fan of the game in hand, particularly if I was in the position ManU is in. It allows you to realize what needs to be done before you even lace up your boots. Some say knowing is the hard part, but personally I want to know as much as I can before I take the field.
Given Sir Alex’s omission from the line-up, we’ll have to settle with a London-flavored clash, Guus’ second league match in charge and a battle of mid-table squanderers. Let’s get right to it.
The Bacon (as in Bringing It Home)
Arsenal v. Fulham (The Emirates, February 28th, 10:00 a.m. ET, Fox Soccer Channel)
We all know that Arsenal’s biggest rival is Tottenham and that Fulham detest Chelsea. But anytime you get two clubs together who are separated by under 10 miles, it’s sure to be an exciting affair.
Fulham sit in 8th place on 33 points, while the Gunners are in relative no-man’s land alone in 5th with little chance of dropping, or climbing for that matter. Crooked Cesc Fabregas recently said that making the top four is the team’s priority at this point, and he’s right, it should be. There aren’t a great deal of other options open to them at the moment, and taking points from a spotty Fulham side will be essential if they want to catch Aston Villa.
As for the Cottagers, who are part of that huge mid-to-lower table mess, they are only five points from 16th place, somewhere they have no intention of being. It will be tough, however, as they have matches remaining against Manchester United, Liverpool, and Chelsea before the season ends. Roy Hodgson has done a marvelous job since taking over, but taking points here may be a bit much to ask.
In the prior meeting between the two, on the second week of the season, Fulham shocked Arsenal, taking a 1-0 victory at the Cottage. Repeating that at the Emirates will be a lot more difficult.TFE Prediction: Arsenal bring out the big guns here and stifle the low-scoring Cottages in a tight 2-1 match.
Chelsea v. Wigan (Stamford Bridge, February 28th, 9:55 a.m. ET, Setanta Sports Xtra)
So far, so good for Guus Hiddink. Two matches, two impressive and skeptics-convincing victories. Well done. I am a firm believer in the “new manager syndrome,” however, and don’t know how long it will last. He’s a great coach, don’t get me wrong, but some of the personalities on that squad are too big for the team, and it seems they may be rotting a bit from the inside, with Hiddink acting as a temporary varnish for the outwardly visible bits. We shall see, I suppose.
It’s been a bit of a boring time for Steve Bruce and co. lately, as Wigan haven’t scored a goal in three matches, and have only managed to net one in their last six matches. That’s got to change if they want to take anything away from Stamford Bridge on Saturday, which very few teams usually do.
Chelsea played very well against Juventus on Wednesday and I’m sure given the opponent this weekend, Hiddink will have his team play a very similar, attack-minded match. Wigan will be on their toes for most of the match, with captain and former Chelsea player Mario Melchiot having to shoulder a big portion of the pressure.
TFE Prediction: Chelsea are just too strong, and good old Guus will want to keep his strong start going. 2-0 Blues.
West Ham v. Manchester City (Upton Park, March 1st, 7:55 a.m. ET, Setanta Sports)
A noon kickoff for these two floundering teams. West Ham…much better team than last year, somewhat surprisingly. Manchester City…they should be a much much better team than last year, yet they aren’t.
I’m just waiting for one of them to make a push and play some consistent, dedicated football. Gio Zola has the Hammers in the right mind-set, and given the players he has, not to mention the finances, he’s done a bang up job. Mark Hughes can have pretty much the opposite said about him when you think about it.
The Citizens’ match against Liverpool was a big step. They played like a team, and deservedly took a point from the match. The question remains whether they can continue the remainder of the season.
TFE Prediction: My initial thought was West Ham in this one, but for some reason I see Manchester City putting together another solid performance, taking the match 2-1.
The Toast (as in Of The EPL)
Salomon Kalou, Chelsea: There are a few things you don’t do when you’re a regular player at a club like Chelsea. You say nothing that is anti-Russian, you respect the Headhunters, and you most certainly don’t make it public knowledge that you long to be an Arsenal player. No matter which way you cut it, if you hear another manager may be interested in you, especially one who runs a cross-town rival, you just keep your mouth shut. English fans are a vicious bunch, and will not hesitate to turn your words against you. Rafa Benitez, Liverpool: The never-ending contract saga. Apparently the money isn’t the issue, it’s the control. You can’t put a price tag on that. He wants to have full autonomy in the transfer market, among other areas. My guess is a very exact compromise is made, which Rafa will grudgingly accept. Rafa is the right man for the job at Liverpool, and he has the backing of his biggest players (Fernando Torres, Xabi Alonso, Javier Mascherano). If he were to leave, it is conceivable that they follow him out the door.Manchester United: Did you see the first half of their match against Inter Milan?! They should have went into the dressing room up 3-0. They let Inter get back into the game in the second stanza and left San Siro after a tricky 0-0 tie. If Zlatan manages to slot one at Old Trafford, we could see the champs booted from the tournament in the early going.
The Dressing (as in What To Wear)
2005-2006 Chelsea Home - Frank Lampard #8
Yes, I said it…I own a Chelsea jersey. Two in fact, both Lampard. It’s a very nice shirt, as it was their kit during their centenary season. Sleek design, with a touch of gold at the shoulders, worthy of the champions they soon became.
Did that sound forced? It should have.
Leicester Update:
Manchester United had their a little streak going recently with all those clean sheets. My Foxes have their own, as they haven’t lost a league match since October, some 20 matches ago. Not too shabby. Up next is second place MK Dons. We beat them 2-0 on opening day back in August and a result similar on Saturday would practically put the trophy in our hands. I’ll be there in spirit.
And Finally…The Black Pudding of the Week:
Eric Cantona, Manchester United: For an unprecedented second straight week, Eric The King takes the Black Pudding. I’m not getting old, or even uninterested, but Cantona deserves his second straight week as the BP here at the Full English. The reason for it is quite simple: As if we were linked telepathically, Cantona came out earlier in the week and stated that he’d manage no other team but the Red Devils. My mention of him in the media goaded him to come out and speak on his desire to manage his illustrious former club. Hey, a guy can dream right. Long live the King!