One Small Bite of Ludicrous

Luis Suarez has done it again. And I'm not talking about his dramatic last gasp equalizer that rescued a point for Liverpool against Chelsea; but instead we are focussing on his horrific attack on a player on the pitch during play. Being frowned upon as we speak, he is probably coming up with different ways to explain his astonishing behavior of sinking his teeth into an opponent (Branislav Ivanovic of Chelsea) during the game. It is going to be interesting to see how the Uruguayan walks away from this latest chapter in his life.

No stranger to controversy, this isn't the first time that Suarez has been involved in a biting incident. In 2010, while plying his trade with Ajax in the Dutch League, Suarez was found guilty of biting PSV player Otman Bakkal and was duly suspended for seven games. He never turned out for Ajax after that incident and was eventually moved on to Liverpool. With history repeating itself now, his latest actions could possibly bring his career at Liverpool to a premature end. 

Looking at Suarez and his statistics, you would imagine that a player as influential and as talented as him would not have to resort to such tactics in the game. But right from the first biting incident, to his handball against Ghana in the quarterfinal of the 2010 World Cup, to the racial abuse saga involving Patrice Evra of Manchester United, Suarez has earned the tag of being a 'Dirty Player'. But running parallel to this negative image, his time at Liverpool has been nothing short of remarkable. Having recently been nominated for the PFA Player of the Year Award, Suarez has topped the goal scoring charts in the Premier League and has almost single handedly steered a mediocre looking Liverpool side almost to the doors of European qualification this season. But for all his hard work, there is no way that anyone is going to turn a blind eye to this latest incident. Liverpool were rightly criticized for their overtly public defense and vocal support of Suarez during the racial abuse incident and a club of their stature would do well now to be one of the first to severely condone this act by one of their star players. 

The FA for their part will most likely end up taking retrospective action on the player after reviewing footage of the game, which could effectively see him miss the remainder of the season. This would be a damning blow on Liverpool's ambitions of making it to Europe for next season, even if it means the Europa League. On an individual front too, Suarez may be out of the running for the PFA Player of the Year Award. It seems like both club and player are set to pay a huge price for that moment of madness from Merseyside's enfant terrible.

In today's day and age of technology, with cameras pointing at you from every possible angle, there is no way a single second of action on the pitch can be missed. This is a fact that is probably communicated and ingrained into every player when they step out on the pitch. How Suarez thought he could get away with such an act is beyond belief but what is shocking is the fact that he felt the need to resort to such an act. There is enough evidence to suggest that he was very much aware to what he was doing and was done with the intent to cause harm. Such behavior has no place in the world of sport and can cause lot of damage to both the league and the club. For all his genius, he is turning out to be a bigger menace to the spirit of the game. With social media playing their part in spreading the news, Liverpool's credibility of being a 'Big Club' with values has certainly taken a beating. The need of the hour is that strict action is taken and a strong precedent set that sends out a stern message that such erratic behavior is not going to be tolerated.

London Clubs Eye Return to Europe

The race to the title may be a foregone conclusion in the Premier League, but it’s all to fight for a few as they look to seal their spot in Europe next season. 

With the title theirs to lose, Manchester United are effectively closing in on their 20^th title. Their ‘noisy neighbours’ and outgoing champions Manchester City have tried hard to recreate the magic of last season but have fallen way short and will have to settle for second place . With both the Manchester sides securing their participation in the UEFA Champions League for next season, the drama now shifts to which other English sides can claim the remaining places left in what is considered the best club football tournament in the world. 

There are only a handful of games left to play till the end of the season and three London clubs have emerged as primary contenders to these prized spots. Barring a sudden dip in form from any of these sides, it’s going to be a fight to the finish between close rivals, Chelsea, Arsenal and Tottenham. 

Lets take a look at each of these sides and what their chances are in grabbing their ticket to next seasons Champions League.

Arsenal

The Gunners have an impressive record of never missing out on Europe’s elite club competition in the last 16 years. Shadowed though by underperformance, self doubt and losing big players in the last few years, not many would have given them the chance of finishing in the top four this season, but yet here they are in the mix and looking to prove their detractors wrong once again.

Wenger’s young guns will not have the distraction of other competitions to turn their heads away from the task that is at hand. An empty trophy cabinet and a subsequently not so crowded fixture list may just work in Arsenal’s favour this time. Currently fifth and sitting two points behind Spurs in fourth with a game in hand, Arsenal are peaking at the right time. Having won five of their last six premier league games to cut the gap on their rivals, they are a team in good form. Their next few games though bring them up against hard working and Europe chasing Everton and champions elect Manchester United. If they can get points out of these tough games and not drop any while on the road to Fulham, QPR and Newcastle, another top four finish is certainly not beyond their reach.

Chelsea

Chelsea have the toughest run in among all the sides chasing a top four spot. With their participation in the Europa League and the FA Cup, interim manager, Rafa Benitez has a mountain of a task on his hands with a crammed schedule for the next few weeks. Fighting on three fronts he will have to decide whether to go all out in a bid to win silverware or to ensure a top four finish. That call will definitely not be easy for him to make knowing that his future at the club is not secure. Having had to enforce player rotation to deal with fatigue and avoid injuries during the business end of the season, he has done well for himself to transform what would have otherwise been a dismal season for the club to one that one could call a relative success.

Currently occupying third spot in the league Chelsea have been impeccable at home in the league, having won their last five games, but on the road they have shockingly managed just one point from their last four fixtures. In their remaining home fixtures Chelsea might easily extend their winning run against Swansea, Everton and Spurs, but it is on the road that they would need something special. With tough trips to Liverpool and Manchester United added to a derby game against Fulham, the Blues have their work cut out in their hunt to secure another top four finish. 

Tottenham

Spurs under the stewardship of Andre Villas Boas have done their reputation no harm as one of the most exciting sides in English football. With both manager and club desperate to prove that their past success is no flash in a pan, a top four finish this season may seem imperative. But the responsibility of ensuring that success is slowly beginning to fall on the shoulders of one man – Gareth Bale.

The Welshman is being touted as one of the best talents to have set foot at White Hart Lane and some even mention his name in the same breath as Cristiano Ronaldo and Lionel Messi. Blessed with pace and guile, his goals this season have proved key to Villas Boas’ tactics that see them holding on to fourth spot. Champions League qualification has now become a necessity for Spurs if they have to guarantee that this superstar stays with them next season. But their over reliance on him too could lead to their downfall. Spurs recent winless run and them crashing out of the Europa League coincides with Bale's absence on the pitch. Out with an injury that saw him miss the game last week against Everton, Spurs are racing against time to get him fit for this weekend’s crucial clash against Manchester City. In the weeks that follow Spurs also have to make tough trips to Wigan, Stoke and Chelsea. Without Bale, Spurs lack the cutting edge that brings in the confidence required to overcome high pressure situations. How quickly he recovers and how long he stays injury free in the coming weeks will define Spurs season.

One Mour Special Move

If there’s anything that we will ever learn from life and modern football in general, it is that change is a constant, and that Jose Mourinho could be on the move again. With the self proclaimed ‘Special One’ making all the noises, the stage is set for another ‘will he, won’t he’ saga to unfold. A master at handling the media, he has wound up the rumour mill and has got everybody guessing if he will still remain at Real Madrid next season. 

Over the past few years, Mourinho has earned himself accolades and titles a plenty. Widely regarded as a cut throat tactician for his methods and the results that he obtains, there are very few managers who can match up to him statistically too. Having won over 65% of his games in charge, he has one of the very few to have claimed domestic titles in four different countries (Portugal, England, Italy and Spain) and won the UEFA Champions League twice in addition to other trophies. His record is so impressive that he has picked up at least one trophy in every year since 2002. 

Mourinho guarantees immediate success. Give him a free reign and he will assemble and fashion a team that is capable of bringing home silverware. But like every success story, Mourinho does have his fair share of critics and he is not afraid to take the punches thrown at him on the chin. There are many who say that his style of football kills the beautiful game, lacks expression and is not played in true spirit. His players who claim to willingly follow his every directive, are at times accused of being mercenaries and have shown more loyalty to club and manager rather than to their respective countries. But Mourinho knows that if ‘Winning takes care of everything’ for Tiger Woods, it certainly does the trick too for most club owners, fans and players themselves. He has rarely looked at the game as an art form but has instead seen it as a science where he has time and again cracked the formula to success. And this is the reason why there will always be a host of clubs willing to sign the Portuguese.

If one were to study Mourinho’s career, it is plain to see that he hasn’t stayed at any club for more than three seasons. Having engineered moves prematurely in the past, the signs right now are pointing to another such move. With a return to one of his former clubs being touted as a possible destination, Chelsea and Inter have become the bookies favourite to land the Portuguese services. Though Mourinho has spoken about his love affair with the Italian giants, the Nerazzurri has worked fast to blow off any rumours and have instead given a vote of confidence to Andrea Stramaccioni to build on his successes of this term. That leaves Mourinho with the prospect of returning to London and won’t he relish the chance to complete some unfinished business at Chelsea. Having built the bridges that were burnt in 2007, Mourinho has most possibly laid the foundations for a very likely return to Stamford Bridge. Bankrolled by Roman Abramovich, Chelsea are on the lookout for somebody to give the Blue Brigade some steel and guide them back to glory and who better than the familiar face of Mourinho who once made the Blues a formidable force to reckon with. They are currently a team in transition. With an interim coach currently in charge, the London side has faced more downs than ups this season. There have been moments of brilliance but these have been over shadowed by stubbornness and mediocrity. Chelsea know that if they are to land the 'Special One' for a second term, they have a lot to do and it starts with earning themselves a top four finish and a passage into next season’s UEFA Champions League. Failure to do so could see Mourinho floating his CV elsewhere. 

Should Mourinho make the return to Chelsea, it would not only help give the club direction but would also give the Premier League a much needed injection of competition. Though it is a marketing monster that is growing bigger everyday, the league is way off from their claim of being the best in the world right now. The Premier League lost some of its sheen with the exodus of Jose Mourinho, Cristiano Ronaldo and others to the Spanish Primera Liga and other leagues in the past few seasons. Lack of genuine stars and a talent pool that isn’t coming of age fast enough, has left the Premier League incapable of fighting with the best in Europe and this is fairly reflected in the lack of participation of English Clubs in this season’s UEFA Champions League.  

The Premier League needs Mourinho as much as he needs the return to Chelsea. His involvement would certainly bring back some grit and would stem the slow and steady decline that has been witnessed in the Premier League over the last few seasons. As many may know, Mourinho has the ability to push opposing teams, players and their managers to their wits end and sometimes even bring out the best in his opposition. It is probably this trait that makes him want to be better than any other, always looking for a way to make the impossible very much possible . He is without a doubt a modern day footballing genius, and will most certainly come for a price. Abramovich knows that bringing Mourinho back would certainly be money well spent and could just be the start of another much needed relationship between the 'Special One' and the English game.