WIGAN have played 14 games against the Premiership’s big four. And they’ve lost 14.
So the bookies offer 10/1 on them to beat Arsenal.
That is a big price in a two-horse race.
Wigan’s gifted new striker Julius Aghahowa says he joined Shakhtar Donetsk because his agent was close to their president. He was without his family, who refused to freeze in the eastern Ukraine, and he’s now ecstatic to now be playing in the Premiership.
Is Aghahowa half the striker he was in the 2002 World Cup? He was fast, brave and dynamic, like Eto’o or Obefemi Martins, and loved to somersault after scoring
Aghahowa, who is 25 tomorrow, could give us some entertaining moments today. But he needs time to adapt to English football.
With Liverpool losing 2-1 at Newcastle, Arsenal can pull back three points.
If they win today they’ll be one point behind Liverpool with a game in hand.
But if Arsenal suffer any more injuries they might not beat Bolton in the midweek FA Cup replay.
Their best defender, William Gallas, is not yet back. Arsenal need Gallas because they concede a goal in almost every game they play. I hope Gallas will be in place for the PSV games.
Recently, Arsenal have not been scoring in the first half. I think that is because Henry doesn’t play in the first half. Today he might change that pattern. Let’s wait and see.
Of course if Arsenal win, it does not matter when they score.
But today they face big Chris Kirkland, a very good keeper, who might make it hard for them. Boss Paul Jewell pulled him out of the England squad because he had a minor shoulder injury but admitted that Kirkland would have joined up if Wigan were mid-table.
I hope they’re not relegated. Jewell is good fun and a decent Scouser.
THE LAST TEN DAYS has been very eventful in football.
Last Friday there was a riot in Sicily that ended in tragedy when a policeman was killed by a bomb thrown into his car by an ultra-fan. The day after the cop was buried the boss of the league said that football is Italy’s seventh biggest industry and we have to carry on. So some teams are playing behind closed doors today.
On Tuesday we had a party at the Emirates, where Brazil lost and Big Phil won.
It was a cold night but the atmosphere was festive. I’ve rarely seen a game between two foreign teams in London, not since Barcelona-Sampdoria at Wembley. That game sounded different, felt different, even smelled different. Brazil v Portugal reminded me, just a bit, of that European Cup Final.
Two American billionaires bought Liverpool FC and they’d been well-briefed. They made all the right noises and seem like good guys. David Moores, the Ringo Starr of chairmen, hired Gerard Houllier to job-share with Roy Evans. Yes, job-share with Evans. So the exit of Moores was long overdue.
STEVE McClaren’s England flopped again, losing 1-0 to Spain at Old Trafford, as I’d expected.
For choosing Terry Venables as his assistant, he deserves to fail.
In choosing McClaren, FA chief Brian Barwick has failed.
Last night Fabio Capello brought David Beckham back to start at Real Sociedad.
His remodelled Real Madrid bottomed out last week with a 1-0 home defeat by Levante. That meant Capello had lost five of his last eight games. So he restored Beckham, putting the Englishman under a lot of pressure away to the second bottom club in La Liga.
On a rainy night in the Basque country a mistake by Casillas, who slapped a cross up in the air, gave Arunbura a simple nodded goal from one yard
But then Beckham took a free-kick in a none-too-promising position wide on the right in 37.From the point of view of keeper Claudio Bravo, that low-flighted free-kick bounced in a particularly nasty place, not near enough for him to get across and down to it. And the ball bounced and squirted past him into the corner for 1-1.
In 47, Ruud van Nistelrooy nipped across the front of Bravo to head in a left wing cross by Miguel Torres at the near post.That was RVN’s 17th goal in all competitions.
In 75, Beckham was booked for a somewhat rash tackle. Not a malicious challenge but one that was certainly worth a yellow card.
Real Madrid are third but Valencia can go above them if they win at Getafe.
Can Capello’s Madrid beat Bayern Munich later this month?
That’s a tricky question which I’ll keep for another day.