Stephen Ireland continues to fall from great heights

Stephen Ireland enjoying his Christmas with his girlfriend a little too much. (Courtesy twitter)

 By Kevin Koczwara

Trouble and controversy follow Stephen Ireland. The Aston Villa midfielder stirred more controversy after his girlfriend posted a picture on twitter of him lounging, smoking and drinking shirtless on Christmas day. The once promising midfielder no longer seems to find himself in the headlines for the right reasons. Instead of making headlines with his play on the field, he makes the back pages for his inconsistency and poor choices.

Manchester City’s Biggest Loss and Chelsea’s Savior: Daniel Sturridge

Daniel Sturridge has been Chelsea's best for much of the season.

 By Kevin Koczwara

Mario Balotelli and Kun Aguero set the pace for Manchester City against Chelsea on Monday, Dec. 13. Chelsea looked vulnerable and in trouble again, something not all too unfamiliar this season for the Blues. Then the ball skipped to Daniel Sturridge, playing to the right of Didier Drogba, and he carved past a fumbling Gael Clichy, crossed a beautiful ball across the edge of the six-yard-box to a surging Raul Meireles, who scored his first goal for Chelsea since transferring in the summer from Liverpool — and since getting that terrible haircut. The game was level again. Chelsea no longer found itself in a hole, thanks to Sturridge’s play.

Manchester City and Arsenal test one another’s resolve

By Ryan Fleming

It’s an understatement to say that this weekend’s prime meeting between Arsenal and Manchester City means a lot. This is the type of game that can define a season, turn things around, or solidify a team’s standing. Both teams, starting the season on two different paths, now cross at a time when both teams are surging, much like how they both kicked off the season, on different roads.

A crazy start to a new season

By Ryan Fleming

If you placed bets this weekend, hopefully you didn’t slide a bookie cash on Real Madrid, Chelsea, Manchester City, Borussia Dortmund, Lazio, AC Milan or even Arsenal. Though, if you’re putting money on the woeful Gunners, no disrespect, but you deserve a slap in the face. I don’t care if they are playing Hereford United in England’s League Two. What does all this obviously mean? It was a weekend of upsets.

Manchester City has to wait for next season to challenge United for EPL

By Kevin Koczwara

Roberto Mancini had Manchester City in prime position to challenge for the English Premier League title, but he couldn’t find a way to shut down Manchester United and Wayne Rooney in one of the most anticipated derby’s of the season. The loss will ultimately be his team’s shortcoming in the race for the league. The league looks unrealistic now, even in the boldest of dreams for City fans.

Old Trafford was the place to make the mark. To settle the score. A chance to put league leaders United on the back foot. It was a chance to hand the Red Devils their second loss in a row after starting the year undefeated until a loss to Wolverhampton a week ago. City could have cut the lead to two measly points — Manchester United with a game still in hand — and delivered a devastating mental blow to United.

“I like to play this game. I like to play at Old Trafford because it is better to win there than at home,” Mancini told the press on Friday before the game. “Because when you win away in a derby it is more important for our head and our personality.”

A fool's guide to an unpredictable weekend across Europe (except for Spain)

By Jonathan Gold

Manchester United’s completely unpredictable 1-0 win over Liverpool – sorry Kevin – and Spurs’ similarly shocking triumph over mighty Charlton were FA Cup fixtures reminding us of how dire the competition can be, but there were a couple of real surprises this weekend in the oldest cup tournament in the world.

Arsenal 1 – 1 Leeds United

While it’s not, you know, outside the realm of possibility for Arsenal to be stumped by lower-level opposition who outwork it and close down aggressively, the Gunners have been on a roll of late, after an important win over Chelsea and a disappointing draw with Manchester City that they nonetheless dominated utterly. However, Leeds led for much of the second half and were denied the win only by a very late penalty from Fabregas.

Manchester City 2 – 2 Leicester City

Anytime the lower-league club pulls it out over a top-flight competitor – particularly one whose team cost approximately 963 times more than the opposition – it’s fun to watch. And, somewhat surprisingly for a game involving Manchester City, it actually was a good one to watch, as Leicester leapt on City’s pallid defense, scoring in the first minute and pulling level again midway through the second half. For a team full of wildly expensive defenders and defensive midfielders, City really was shocking at the back and could easily have lost.

Wilshere thinks Arsenal can challenge Manchester United for English Premier League title

Jack Wilshere (right) believes Arsenal can catch Manchester United at the top of the English Premier League. If the Gunners are to catch the Red Devils, the team will need Andrei Arshaven (left) to step up. (Courtesy Jonathan Ross)

By Ryan Fleming

It’s been a while since I thought a handful of teams were actually capable of pushing by the often-fortuitous Manchester United or the pesky Chelsea to reach the top of the English Premier League. This season it all seems to be rather perplexing. The Red Devils are currently in the top spot, but with Arsenal, Tottenham, Chelsea and the loose-spending Manchester City all struggling to maintain momentum through any part of the season, the league’s title might just go to the team that screws up the least.

Arsenal midfielder Jack Wilshere told The Guardian that he believes United can be caught and his club can surpass them. I’ll go along with the youngster’s statement. After watching countless United games and being absolutely unimpressed with almost all of them, one has to wonder why the Red Devils are in first place to begin with.

Yes, they lead the league in goals scored and are second in goals allowed, but if not aided by the timely, yet completely random out burst of Dimitar Berbatov’s five-goal effort at the hands of Blackburn back on Nov. 27th, the Red Devils would be back closer to the rest of the league. Their performance as of late is of a mind-changing manner. Despite going 2-0-1 in their last three games, United have seemed rather lethargic and have made a rarity of awe-inspiring wins – often playing down to their competition.

Carlos Tevez Wants Out of Manchester City; Sam Allardyce Wants In, Somewhere

Carlos Tevez handed in his tranfer request this weekend to Manchester City. Maybe it's time for a new billboard then. (Courtesy Johnny Vulkan)

By Kevin Koczwara

Okay Carlos Tevez, I believe you want to be closer to your family, your daughters and your home. I can understand how angry you are that you have to play alongside Mario Balotelli and his ugly haircut. I understand Roberto Mancini isn’t Sir Alex and Manchester City may have all the money in the world, but its a club without a plan, and you are a man with a plan.

I got all that. In fact, I side with you. Who would want to live in Manchester when your best buds are having a great time scoring for fun, making millions, and playing in the Champions League with Barcelona.

But, Carlos I have to say, at £230,000 a week with bonuses, I would stick out another year or two at City and maybe go home and buy Argentina for myself. Maybe Tevez could build a small island of his own to live on with his family with that kind of money. I know I am being shallow here, but come on.

Tevez hit the jackpot with City, and he should have known it would have been one big bust up going in and taken the money from somewhere else if the ride was going to be this bumpy.

Tevez now knows, written promises and clauses are always better than a business man’s shake.

Bundesliga Bringing the Boom

Young German starts Philip Lahm (left), Thomas Mueller and Sami Khedira defend a free kick in the World Cup this summer against Argentina. (Photo Courtesy sdhansay)

By Jonathan Gold

Quick, no thinking allowed: What’s the most entertaining soccer league in Europe? I guarantee you just got that wrong.

The Prem? Overpaid, overexposed, overcapitalized.

La Liga? If you’re not a fan of the endless financial pissing contest between Barca and Real, then you’re out of luck.

Serie A? Corrupt, slow, predictable.

Ligue 1? Sorry, too many racist shithead fans (at some clubs), the national apparatus is in utter disarray and all the talent goes to one of those other three leagues about 0.00145 seconds after it gets discovered.

Why didn’t you say the Bundesliga? Vas ist deine probleme? (Apologies, I’m 99 percent sure that doesn’t mean “What’s your problem?”)

All that aside, you should be watching German soccer. Yes, you. Particularly since the Revs season is over.

Sunderland Making Mark on Title Race

Steve Bruce has led his Sunderland club to wins over Chelsea and Manchester City, along with draws against Arsenal, Manchester United and Tottenham. (Photo Courtesy Struway)

By Joe Meloni

Seven months from now, either Arsenal, Chelsea or Manchester United will claim the 2010-11 English Premier League Championship. While headlines throughout the world will inevitably hail one of the clubs’ star players as the deciding factor in the title race – whether to excellence or injury – another group of players, likely to finish in the middle of table, may provide the goals and moments that give us our champion for this season.

Sunday afternoon, Steve Bruce’s Sunderland walked into Chelsea’s Stamford Bridge and lit the table-leaders up for three goals in a dominating shutout win. Entering the match, Chelsea averaged more than two goals per game, while allowing a tidy 0.42 goals per match in 12 Premiership games this season. In those 12 games, the Blues pieced together a 9-1-2 record, and stood three points clear of second-place Manchester United with a game in hand and five points clear of third-place Arsenal. For fans in North London and Manchester, a pass was issued entering the weekend to pull for Bruce’s Black Cats in hopes of preventing the gap between Chelsea and their rivals from growing.