Eduardo will make runs for Fabregas’s passes.
That is what I want to see at Blackburn, if he plays.
Recently, Hleb has been making runs for Fab4’s passes. And he will still do that when Eduardo comes into the team. That triangle will work : Hleb is always looking to pass rather than shoot, Fab4 is always looking to pass, and Eduardo is always looking for a pass into a shooting position. Speaking too soon, as always, I’d say those three are a natural trio.
I’m optimistic about Arsenal because I’m convinced that Eduardo will give them brighter movement and more goals.
The current team is evolving into a new style, a new season, a new era maybe.
Eduardo didn’t play in the Emirates Cup and I was very disappointed about that. So far we haven’t seen him very much and we don’t know what he can do
My guess is that Eduardo will score 18 goals if he starts 30 games.
In style, he is unlike other Arsenal strikers of recent times. A nimble touch player who reads passes, reads angles, reads spaces, reads mistakes and rebounds, he is very light on his feet.
The only EPL player similar to him is Sunderland’s Michael Chopra, who has just scored two goals in three games. One was a right- footed sidefoot into the bottom corner, the other a left-footed half-volley on the run from the edge of the box.
If Eduardo is the footballer I think he is, he can score goals just like those for Arsenal for the next nine months.
Last season Arsenal beat Blackburn 6-2 on December 23 and 2-0 at Ewood Park on January 13. And Arsene would rather play them in August than play them in winter.
Other Premeirship managers will be looking at this game to see how tough Arsenal are, how organised they are, and how Eduardo is shaping up.
Yesterday Mark Hughes said: “Thierry Henry was an outstanding player for them for many, many years and you always feared an Arsenal side with him in the line-up. But they have got other young players that can come to the fore and start to flourish and be the main guys for Arsenal for many years.
“If you look at the likes of van Persie who has been a thorn in our side in recent years, he is an outstanding talent and maybe it’s time for him to step up to the mark and be the main man. “
The Blackburn game isn’t live on Sky,who are screening Man City v Man United at 1.30 and Liverpool v Chelsea at 4pm. If both those games ignite, it should be a good Super Sunday.
With Rooney out for eight weeks, and Ronaldo suspended for three games, Nani and Tevez have the chance to grab the headlines in the Manchester derby.
They can also set up Scholes for shots at Man City keeper Kasper Schmeichel.
Nani has an even better touch than Ronaldo. An electric player, he might start to produce sooner rather than later. But, realistically, Nani needs time to get used to his teammates and the fierce pace of English football.
Carlos Tevez has been treated like a piece of meat but he just gets on with his game. And since his game is all energy and flair, Tevez is a player the EPL could not afford to lose.
Parked at Corinthians, re-parked at West Ham, his master Kia Joorabchian has now paid off West Ham with £2 million, and loaned Tevez to Manchester United for the next two years with an option to buy at £30 million.
So Manchester United have a £30 million striker on loan ? How bizarre is that, Mr Scudamore?
(And we are now told that Manuel Fernandes, the Benfica midfielder who was on loan to Everton last season, is half-owned by Joorabchian. We were told a few weeks ago that Benfica wanted £12 million for him but then Everton signed him for £6 million. Does that mean Benfica get £3 million and Kia gets £3million ?)
If Liverpool beat Chelsea today, Liverpool will mount a title challenge.
We all want to see Fernando Torres, a star who puts his foot in. He can pass, shoot and head the ball, and he’s quite quick. And he’s a strong character who puts his foot in. I like him a lot. But I’ve no idea how soon he will adjust or how many goals he will score.
And I have a funny feeling that Liverpool WON’T be able to beat Chelsea at Anfield today.
Watching Chelsea against Birmingham last week, I could see that Kalou is good for Malouda, good for Lampard, good for Drogba when he came on. Kalou misses chances and divides the fans but he is tenacious and holds the ball up and prods it three yards. He prods it square and prods it forward.
So Kalou is a pivot player like those Mourinho liked to use at Porto, a resilient ball-holder who can pass under pressure in the front third. He suits Chelsea’s style, although that style is changing because Abramovich wants them to be more spectacular.
Malouda doesn’t have that extra yard of pace that Robben can switch on, so Mourinho plays him a bit further up the pitch, where he can use his strength and experience to make things happen. The Malouda we have seen so far is a guy who doesn’t need a lot of chances to score a goal. That’s probably why Rafa Benitez wanted him and spoke to him four times before Chelsea gazumped his wages.
This Chelsea 4-3-3 works because it forces openings high up the field, rather than through the fluid interplay of Gudjohnson, Robben and Duff.
Last week I noted that Chelsea have no right back.
They may soon sign one. Dani Alves is a Brazilian dynamo with phenomenal determination. He was inspirational in Seville winning the Copa Del Rey last year and also two Uefa Cups. Don’t thinks it’s easy to win the Uefa Cup in 2006 and 2007, even if you are the third best team in Spain.